Re: In defence of cheesey 3-D

[P3D Larry Berlin <lberlin@xxxxxxxxx>]

>Date: Mon, 12 May 97 
>From: P3D Michael Kersenbrock comments:
>...............
>The  "problem" is that the audience has been taught to expect the 
>exagerated 3D effect when they hear the word(s) "3D".  They have
>been so trained.
>
>That training is the "problem".  Their "expectations" are distorted.

******  Minor correction here! They have been trained carefully by media to
expect 2 1/2 D as a substitute for 3D. Yes it is a distortion. The desire
for exageration is the natural response to want to test the effect for it's
reality. That's normal, especially considering the conditioning! The
audience needs a chance to see that it can be a real 3D thing. Beyond
testing that it is in fact a reality, they want reasonably good quality
entertainment.

>
>What ABC did wasn't really unexpected because they fulfilled expectations.
>Didn't all of us really expect to see what we did?  I know I did.

*******  I think that the general audience has been led to expect more
because they keep hearing about how 3D this or that is improving lots of
other technologies. They expected that during the relatively long time
without 3D on TV, the processes must have improved and they were expecting
something more than what was delivered, though perhaps not sure just what
that *more* was. As others have mentioned better examples have been
presented on TV using this same tehchnology in previous years. This wasn't
up to current standards. (and NO, I did NOT expect it to be anything like a
red button viewer either!)

>
>That results in the follow-on problem of "who wants to pay to change
>the audience's expectations?".

*****  The audience DOES expect general adherence to normal production
values at a minimum. They don't have to know anything about 3D to expect
that. It's visible in most television and pretty obvious when missing.

>No easy answers (other than "it's not ABC").  It's a catch-22.  Can't
>do a "proper" 3D show because it won't meet expectations of "3D". But 
>can't correct expectations until a "proper" show is done.

*****  The worst expectations are on the part of the executives who didn't
have a clue what to ask for. The audience doesn't have an expectation
problem of anywhere near as great a magnitude. They will eagerly embrace
good examples of 3D if it's presented to them, they've been waiting. They
can equally be aware of garbage. And yes, they will expect some *in your
face* effects, but that doesn't have to be the whole thing, that's just to
get it started.

>............ Maybe 3D Imax's in every major city for training porpises?

******  Good idea!

Or maybe an ambasadorial 3D presentation to the executives in each network
so they can get a glimmer of reality before wasting their next production
monies on bad advice.

They should all see Dr. T's current show and I think John Golden's (?)
Metamorphosis might be another *must see*!

Larry Berlin

Email: lberlin@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.sonic.net/~lberlin/
http://3dzine.simplenet.com/


------------------------------