3D and hype

[P3D Marvin Jones <Campfire@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> You raise an interesting point. For the recent anaglyph and Pulfrich
> broadcasts, my personal view was that they both played the stereo for
> "jazzy effects", but that the anaglyph stereo was pushed "beyond the
> breaking point" (the point at which the constraints are violated and th=
e
> stereo fails), while the Pulfrich broadcast was not. Extending beyond
> these two methods and the recent broadcasts, I don't think I've
encountered
> any 3D show where the 3D was not used for "jazzy effect" - it seems to =
be
> an almost irresistible temptation. Perhaps over time the makers of show=
s
> will learn to stop hyping it up so much, in the way that they eventuall=
y
> learned to stop hyping color movies/television (as compared to black an=
d =

> white).

The idea of using 3D as a "gimmick" is nearly universally frowned upon
here, but I don't think that it is necessarily bad. In "House of Wax," de=

Toth was determined to use 3D subtly. He composed beautifully "in depth,"=

and used many understated but tremendously evocative 3D effects. But the
producers, worrying that the film was not "gimmicky" enough, literally
forced him to include the scene with the paddle ball barker. And today, i=
f
you ask 1000 people who've seen "House of Wax" what they remember most
clearly about it, 999 of them will remember the paddle balls first and
foremost!

But the real point is that the paddle balls aren't the ONLY use of 3D in
the movie, only the most brazen. In the ABC shows, 3D was not used
"primarily" for in-your-face gimmicks, it was used "exclusively" for them=
=2E
In several of the shows only those specific shots in which something was
flung at the camera were even in anaglyph -- intermediate "normal" footag=
e
reverted to flat, even if it was only a few seconds until the next 3D sho=
t
with something flying. ABC obviously believes the only possible use of 3D=

is to slime the viewer.

This also speaks to the question someone raised the other day about what =
to
say to the producer considering using 3D in his film. It's important for
"commercial creative types" to realize that we're not talking about an
either / or situation here. Okay, exploit the 3D effect a little for the
masses, but don't overlook the more subtle creative possibilities of the
medium. On the other hand, there's no need to get so "artsy-fartsy" that
you overlook the fact that you're doing entertainment. Study "House of
Wax", but don't get all hung up on the paddle balls. Watch the effective
composition in depth, particularly in the chase scene through the darkene=
d
streets, and the more subtle thrills like the moment when Bronson seems t=
o
leap out of the audience to attack the hero. The film is a classic study =
of
art in the service of commerce, and vice versa.


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