Stereoscopic films largely remained dormant for the first part of the 1960s, with those that were released usually being anaglyph exploitation films. One film of notoriety was the Beaver-Champion/Warner Bros. production, The Mask (1961). The film was shot in 2-D, but to enhance the bizarre qualities of the dream-world that is induced when the main character puts on a cursed tribal mask, the film went to anaglyph 3-D. These scenes were printed by Technicolor on their first run in red/green anaglyph.
Although 3-D films appeared sparsely during the early 1960s, the true second wave of 3-D cinema was set into motion by Arch Oboler, the same producer who started the craze of the 1950s. Using a new technology called Space-Vision 3D, stereoscopic films were printed with two images, one above the other, in a single academy ratio frame, on a single strip, and needed only one projector fitted with a special lens. This so-called "over and under" technique eliminated the need for dual projector set-ups, and produced widescreen, but darker, less vivid, polarized 3-D images. Unlike earlier dual system, it could stay in perfect sync, unless improperly spliced in repair.
Arch Oboler once again had the vision for the system that no one else would touch, and put it to use on his film entitled The Bubble. As with Bwana Devil, the critics panned The Bubble, but audiences flocked to see it, and it became financially sound enough to promote the use of the system to other studios, particularly independents, who did not have the money for expensive dual-strip prints of their productions. Most likely people flocked to see it because they hadn't seen 3-D films before, the last 3-D film that when to theatres was back in 1955, so it was all new again, maybe thats why so many people went to see it.
In 1970, Stereovision, a new entity founded by director/inventor Allan Silliphant and optical designer Chris Condon, developed a different 35mm single-strip format, which printed two images squeezed side-by-side and used an anamorphic lens to widen the pictures through polaroid filters. Louis K. Sher and Stereovision released the softcore sex comedy The Stewardesses (self-rated X, but later re-rated R by the MPAA) could this really be the first use of 3-D with a porn, softcore it might be, but you have to wonder what took them so damn long. The film cost $100,000 USD to produce, still more then pornography made today, and ran for up to a year in several markets. eventually earning $27 million in North America, alone ($114 million in constant-2007 dollars), and it seemed to earn far more then contemporary pornography, maybe there a lesson to be learned here, 3-D film is pointless in mainstream cinema but in the porn industry it could be a gold mine, in fewer than 800 theaters, becoming the most profitable 3-Dimensional film to date (see what i mean), and in purely relative terms, one of the most profitable films ever. It was later released in 70 mm 3-D. Some 36 films worldwide were made with Stereovision over 25 years, using either a widescreen (above-below), anamorphic (side by side) or 70 mm 3-D formats. In 2009The Stewardesses was remastered by Chris Condon and director Ed Meyer, releasing it in XpanD 3D, RealD Cinema and Dolby 3D. Could you imagine the type of "people" that would go to see a 3-D softcore porn film, "Tits you can reach out and touch"
The quality of the following 3-D films was not much more inventive, as many were either softcore and even hardcore adult films, horror films, or a combination of both. Paul Morrisey's Flesh For Frankenstein (aka Andy Warhol's Frankenstein) was a superlative example of such a combination.
- Amityville 3-D
- Comin' at Ya!
- Friday the 13th Part III
- Jaws 3-D
- The Man Who Wasn't There (1983)
- Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn
- Parasite
- Silent Madness
- Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
- Starchaser: The Legend of Orin
- Treasure of the Four Crowns
Only Comin' At Ya!, Parasite, and Friday the 13th Part III have been officially released on VHS and/or DVD in 3-D in the United States (althoughAmityville 3-D has seen a 3-D DVD release in the United Kingdom). Most of the 80s 3D movies and some of the classic 50s movies such asHouse of Wax were released on the now defunct Video Disc (VHD) format in Japan as part of a system that used shutter glasses. Most of these have been unofficially transferred to DVD and are available on the grey market through sites such as eBay.
3-D, a Rebirth 1985 - 2003.
In the mid 1980s, IMAX began producing non-fiction films for its nascent 3-D business, starting with "We Are Born of Stars" (Roman Kroitor, 1985). A key point was that this production, as with all subsequent IMAX productions, emphasized mathematical correctness of the 3D rendition and thus largely eliminated the eye fatigue and pain that resulted from the approximate geometries of previous 3D incarnations. In addition, and in contrast to previous 35mm based 3D presentations, the very large field of view provided by IMAX allowed a much broader 3D "stage", arguably as important in 3D film as it is theatre, In my opinion for 3-D film to be effective it needs to cover your peripheral vision also, but then the slightest movement of your head will ruin the experience.
In 1986, Disney Theme Parks and Universal Studios began to use 3D films to impress audiences in special venues, Captain Eo (Francis Ford Coppola, 1986) starring Michael Jackson, being a very notable example. In the same year, the National Film Board of Canada production Transitions (Colin Low), created for Expo 86 in Vancouver, was the first IMAX presentation using polarized glasses. "Echos of the Sun" (Roman Kroitor, 1990) was the first IMAX film to be presented using alternate-eye shutterglass technology, a development required because the dome screen precluded the use of polarized technology.
From 1990 onward, numerous films were produced by all three parties to satisfy the demands of their various high-profile special attractions and IMAX's expanding 3D network. Films of special note during this period include the extremely successful "Into The Deep" (Graeme Ferguson, 1995) and the first IMAX 3-D fiction film Wings of Courage (1996), by director Jean-Jacques Annaud, about the author and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Other stereoscopic films produced in this period include:
- The Last Buffalo (Stephen Low, 1990)
- Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3D (Jim Henson, 1991)
- Imagine (John Weiley, 1993)
- Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (Daniel Rustuccio, 1994)
- Into the Deep (Graeme Ferguson, 1995)
- Across the Sea of Time (Stephen Low, 1995)
- Wings of Courage (Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1996)
- L5, First City in Space (Graeme Ferguson, 1996)
- T2 3-D: Battle Across Time (James Cameron, 1996)
- Paint Misbehavin' (Roman Kroitor and Peter Stephenson, 1997)
- IMAX Nutcracker (1997)
- The Hidden Dimension (1997) This one made me feel ill and my eyes hurt like crazy.
- T-Rex - Back to the Cretaceous (Brett Leonard, 1998)
- Mark Twain's America (Stephen Low, 1998)
- Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box (Brett Leonard, 1999)
- Galapagos (Al Giddings and David Clark, 1999)
- Encounter in the Third Dimension (Ben Stassen, 1999)
- Alien Adventure (Ben Stassen, 1999)
- Ultimate G's (2000)
- Cyberworld (Hugh Murray, 2000)
- Cirque du Soleil - Journey of Man (Keith Melton, 2000)
- Haunted Castle (Ben Stassen, 2001)
- Space Station 3D (Toni Myers, 2002)
- SOS Planet (Ben Stassen, 2002)
- Ocean Wonderland (2003)
- Falling in Love Again (Munro Ferguson, 2003)
- Misadventures in 3D (Ben Stassen, 2003)
By 2004, 54% (133 theaters of 248) of the IMAX community was 3D-capable.
Shortly thereafter, higher quality computer animation, competition from DVDs and other media, digital projection, digital video capture, and the use of sophisticated IMAX 70mm film projectors, created an opportunity for another wave of 3D films
But as we can see, the 3-D film comes and goes very quickly, and in the the 80's to 2003 mostly factual films were being made, i still don't see any real point to using 3-D in theatres.
Onwards we go, 3-D enters the mainstream, or does it?
In 2003, Ghosts of the Abyss (James Cameron) was released as the first full-length 3-D IMAX feature filmed with the Reality Camera System. This camera system used the latest HD video cameras, not film, and was built for Cameron by Vince Pace, to his specifications. The same camera system was used to film Spy Kids 3D: Game Over (2003), Aliens of the Deep IMAX (2005), and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (2005).
Does anyone really remember any of these films, seriously.
In November 2004, The Polar Express was released as IMAX's first full-length, animated 3-D feature. It was released in 3,584 theaters in 2D, and only 66 IMAX locations. The return from those few 3-D theaters was about 25% of the total. The 3-D version earned about 14 times as much per screen as the 2D version. This pattern continued and prompted a greatly intensified interest in 3-D and 3-D presentation of animated films.
Again were seeing the emergence of a new audience, young people who haven't yet seen a 3-D film, and like it says the first full-lenght animated feature.
In June 2005, The Mann's Chinese 6 theatre (now Grauman's Chinese Theatre) in Hollywood became the first commercial movie theatre to be equipped with the Digital 3D format. Both Singin' in the Rain and The Polar Express were tested in the Digital 3D format over the course of several months. In November 2005, Walt Disney Studio Entertainment released Chicken Little in digital 3-D format.
So we have an old classic and the new CGI 3-D feature, and then Chicken Little, its no wonder it took another 2 years to progress.
On May 19, 2007 Scar3D opened at the Cannes Film Market. It was the first US produced 3D full length feature film to be completed in Real D 3D. It has been the #1 film at the box office in several countries around the world, including Russia where it opened in 3D on 295 screens.
Critics who saw the movie didn't think the 3-D aspect was worth it, and pointless to boot.
Other 2008 3-D films included Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Bolt.
3 unsuccessful films, i'm not sure 3-D was even enough to pull in the punters for these.
On January 16, 2009, Lionsgate released My Bloody Valentine 3D, the first horror film and first R-rated film to be projected in Real D 3D. It was released to 1,033 3D screens, the most ever for this format, and 1,501 regular screens.
Again this film wasn't will received so the 3-D is again pointless.
On May 7, 2009 the British Film Institute commissioned a 3D film installation. The film Radio Mania: An Abandoned Work consists of two screens of stereoscopic 3D film with 3D Ambisonic sound. It stars Kevin Eldon and is by British artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard.
I've never even heard of this, goes to show that its not advertised very well, so why bother with the 3-D.
The first 3-D Webisode series was Horrorween starting September 1, 2009.
Major 3-D films in 2009 included Coraline, Monsters vs. Aliens, Up, X Games 3D: The Movie, The Final Destination, and Avatar. Avatar has gone on to be the most expensive film of all time, with a budget rumoured to be $500 million. The main presentation technologies were Real D 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D, MasterImage 3D, and IMAX 3D.
Avatar is about the only movie here that has made any real money, but do you think thats because of the 3-D, do you think it would have made less money if it had been simply a 2D affair, i think not, the film would have made just as much, and from the few first hand accounts of a 3-D viewing that i've heard, it didn't deliver anything, if anything is was again pointless and distracting, most if not all of the people who saw the film and said the 3-D was great are most likely people who still act like children looking at fireworks for the first time and are in awe of its splendid yet destructive beauty, only to return the following November 5th, or if your American July 4th, to look up again and see for the first time the wonders of fireworks.
In my opinion, 3-D film offers nothing to the viewer, film needs to offer an emotional response, engaging characters and a well written story can do this, so if you have that why do you feel the need for 3-D, and if you don't have the story or the characters 3-D isn't going to help, a bad film is a bad film 3-D or not.
So, i've given you the methods of 3-D, a brief history of 3-D and my opinions and thoughts on the wonders of 3-D films, i for one won't be seeing Tron Legacy in 3-D thats for damn sure, so with this make up your own mind on weather you think 3-D is worth the extra ticket money, or the extra "experience" because like many times before the fad that is 3-D, and yes its a fad, will fade like the Mini disc, because people like you will get bored of it, you'll get bored of paying extra to see substandard films and eventually you'll stop going to the 3-D showcase, and 3-D like it has in the past will disappear, only to rear its ugly extra dimensional head once again in the next decade, its ok as a fade but be under no illusion, 3-D films always fail, they always have and always will, until the technology is available to completely amerce yourself in a 3-D "world" something like the Holodeck in Star Trek, something that you are in rather then something you sit and watch.