P3D Re: 3D Movies a fad?

["Greg Wageman" <gjw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> From: Dylan The Hippy Wabbit <spacey@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

> I've just thought of one reason why it's unlikely to happen though.
> Tight-fisted bean counters in Hollywood.  It seems strange in an industry
> which is happy to pay 13 million for a brief look at Demi Moore's plastic
> padding, but they do skimp on film stock.  The negs are even 35mm when it
> will be enlarged to 70mm for distribution.  So try convincing them to use
> twice as much on *every* shot?  Not a chance!

I don't think this is exactly true...  The "bean counters" in Hollywood will do
whatever is necessary to increase the bottom line.  If, by some miracle of
chance, people stopped going to the theater unless it is showing a 3D
film, rest assured the "bean counters" would decree that henceforth, all
films be made in 3D (at least until such time as 3D stops drawing and
something else starts).

The problem (from our perspective) is that millions of people happily go
to see the flat films, so there's no incentive for change.  Add to that
the poor reputation 3D has been saddled with from people's exposure
to poorly-produced and/or projected 3D in the past, and the fact that
3D is often added as an afterthought to a bad film in order to get it to
generate some ticket sales (and thus further hurting the reputation of
all 3D films), and you see what an uphill battle GOOD 3D has.

I remember before "Star Wars" how difficult it was said to be to get an
SF film made (even though, arguably, SW is space opera and not true
SF).  SF before Star Wars brought to mind 1950's films like "This
Island Earth", with pointy silver rockets and aluminum-foil spacesuits.
After SW broke box-office records, the studios couldn't find SF
properties fast enough.  Chances are "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"
(and the ST dynasty that followed) never would have gotten made if
"Star Wars" hadn't.

So I think that a blockbuster 3D film *could* trigger a 3D renaissance,
but I'm not holding my breath.  As has been said before, impetus for
3D is much more likely to come from the computer revolution, as more
and more people get high-powered computers on their desks and start
experiencing Virtual Reality and 3D computer imaging first-hand.

	-Greg


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