P3D Drizzling on Montreal's 3D Parade

["Xal razutis" <razutis@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Drizzling on Montreal's 3D Parade:

When an illustrious city like Monreal hosts a '3D99' festival, and the 
film-list is predominantly retro-spective classics culled from history and 
major-release titles, and the event is celebrated with such glee (Gabriel's 
post), a few additional comments may be useful.

Gabriel wrote:

>Sandros the organizer for the 3-D festival had scoured the Earth to find 
>the movies and also to get the rights to screen them.

While this is perhaps true in the 'Old Testament' sense, it doesn't  address 
the issue of why there was so little contemporary (present) works, including 
3D video, including experimental work by present-day creators.  My 
observations are from first-hand experience, and limited to such.

Sandros solicited works from me (perhaps others), and upon evaluation by the 
organizing committtee (which overulled his preferences), returned them 
confiding disappointment that the committee was staunchly conservative in 
its selections, mainstream oriented, and unresposive to experimental works 
in stereoscopic 3D motion-picture (including video) formats.

This problem (the difficulties of the 'new' emerging from the 'old') is 
chronic in Canada.  This, I mentioned in a previous post (on C3D).  I would 
simply argue that on the eve of the new Millenium, what is more relevant to 
those of us creating (low-budget) leading-edge works is 'what is to come', 
not simply 'what is past'.  This assertion by no means trivializes past 
accomplishments - it is meant to contextualize them.  (Learn and 'move on'!) 
  Do we believe in a future, do we support new ideas, aesthetics, 
technologies?  Or shall we revell in talking about 'print quality' of old 
classics, mounting - projection techniques, and a 'favorite list' based on 
the old?

While I appreciate Gabriel's extensive review of the event, the issues (of 
'the new')  concerning such an event or future events remain relevant to 
those participating (as film-makers, video-makers, DVD-makers) in the future 
tense of 3D motion-picture arts.

To my knowlege, there was only one 3D film-video event (at the Louvre, 
Paris, in 1997) that attempted to encompass the past and the present (and 
into the future), and its range was also incomplete.  (But multiple 
experimental programs were presented!)  Hopefully there are more such events 
(including those that celebrate the new VR-experimental forms of 3D!).

Hopefully, there are also practitioners/creators of motion-picture 3D works 
that contribute analysis and understanding as to what constitutes their 
'list of best' of the Fest.

I am reminded of a 1945 statement made by James Wong Howe, a celebrated 
motion-picture cinematographer (reprinted in March 1999, American 
Cinematography, pg. 126):

"The trouble with many critics and ex-critics is that for all their skillful 
talk, they don't understand the techniques of motion pictures.  They still 
criticize movies from the viewpoint of the stage."

One could therefore say that for all the understanding that 3D 
still-photography creators have of their medium, unless they produce 
motion-pictures and video (which are most certainly subject to differing 
conditions than stereo slide shows!)  they will view and criticize movies 
from the 'viewpoint' of their static stage.

Hopefully (and this has to be repeated again), this is not interpreted as an 
"insult' to anyone, nor giving P3D 'a bad image'.  If so, then that 
particular reader has missed the point and the weather forecast: 'drizzling 
in Montreal'.

Al Razutis


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com


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