The State of 3D

If you've passed by here before, you'll know that I'm less than a fan of 3D. Still, it's important to keep up with the state of play.

Bad 3D films threaten the success of 3D?
Sure, Avatar was a big hit, but since then there's been a mixed bag of 3D movies (but then, isn't there always a mixed bag if movies?) In an article at CNET: 3D at home still a tough sell Erica Ogg suggests there's concern that bad 3D movies could depress the enthusiasm for 3D. But in a competing point of view, In Praise of the 3D B-Movie Brian Barrett at Gizmodo claims movies like Piranha 3D help 3D, not hurt it.

Clash of the Titans:
A few more 3-D spectacles like "Clash of the Titans" and audiences will be clamoring for 2-D.
[...]The result is 2.5-D, a murkily virtual virtuality. You get an ambiguous sense of depth at a steep price that includes, but isn't confined to, the box-office surcharge that the studios have begun to impose on such attractions in a sudden frenzy of delusion and greed.
Joe Morgenstern - Wall Street Journal

Airbender:
this is one muddled attempt at franchise-making: confusing, drab, sluggish. (Ugly, too, if you're forced to see it in 3-D.)
Robert Wilonsky - Village Voice

Piranha 3D
The industry that's trying to convince people to buy TVs and Blu-ray players capable of re-creating the 3D theater experience at home are already fighting the perception that 3D is a short-lived trend, a rehash of past failed technology, and worse, a gimmick.
Erica Ogg, CNET
3D doesn't make movies feel more real. It accentuates movies where the artifice is out in the open. 3D itself is pulp. Which is why it will also be better served by Final Destination: Death Trip 3D (2009) than Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).
Brian Barrett - Gizmodo



INFORMATION RESOURCES

Tools that support stereo 3D pre to post production for Pros
During Createsphere's 3D webcast Jerome Thelia mentioned a great resourse list for tools that support Stereo 3D work from pre to post production. The list is published on the LinkedIn Group Stereoscopic 3-D Professionals Worldwide, but is reproduced on this page: 3D Tools


3D Workshop
Createsphere is running a 3D Production Workshop featuring Panasonic 3D Technology Sept. 19-20, New York, NY. It's $795. There are classes also in Chicago, Burbank and Washington D.C.


Why bad 3D, not 3D glasses, is what gives you a headache
In a post at PC Pro Log, David Bayon provides information from a seminar by Buzz Hays, chief instructor for the Sony 3D Technology Center in Culver City, California, explaining why bad 3D - rather than bad glasses - may be the reason you get headaches watching 3D movies
“It’s not the technology’s fault, it’s really the content that can cause these problems,” explains Buzz Hays. “The more care taken when making the content, the better off everyone’s going to be. My mantra is that it’s easy to make 3D but it’s hard to make it good – and by ‘good’ I mean taking care to make sure that this isn’t going to cause eyestrain.”
Read more: Why bad 3D, not 3D glasses, is what gives you a headache


James Cameron Pitches 3D
Over at Gawker TV there's an interview with James Cameron, where he explains the 3D camera rig created for Avatar (James Cameron Explains the 3D Camera Rig Created for Avatar and the Future of 3D Tech) Meanwhile, Boston.com has an interview with Cameron: Still king of the world


LINKS
Wall Street Jourmal: Crash of 'The Titans'
VillageVoice.com: M. Night Shyamalan's Last Airbender
CNET: 3D at home still a tough sell
Gizmodo: In Praise of the 3D B-Movie


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