P3D Re: V-M virtual viewer

["Greg Wageman" <gjw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

From: Mr.Lizard <mrlizard@xxxxxxxx>


>    Personally, I'd like to see Mattel offer a better version and bring
back
>the travel and educational reels.  I'm sick of cartoon drawings. I
think
>more movie tie-ins would be cool, too, especially if pictures are taken
on
>the set.  Think of how cool a set of three "The Matrix" reels would
have
>been.  Or even, "Star Wars Episode One."


Except, of course, in the case of both of the films mentioned, nothing
like what was seen in the finished product ever existed in
photographable reality "on the set".  Most of the really spectacular
effects in these films were done digitally.  To produce a stereo pair
suitable for ViewMaster use would require the explicit cooperation of
the effects houses and film producers, since both the live-action
photography and the effects would have to record a second camera
viewpoint beyond the one used in the film as released.  And since time
is money, this would add directly to the film's budget.

The irony is that it is easier to get a stereo pair out of a completely
computer-generated film like "Toy Story" than from a
digitally-composited film like "Star Wars".

     -Greg W. (gjw@xxxxxxxxxx)



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