Spielberg, Jackson and Cameron have declared 3-D the future of Hollywood. In our latest attempt to make sense of the world by ripping out each other’s throats, Cinema Blend Head Honcho Josh Tyler and Assistant Editor Rafe Telsch face off to figure out what’s up with the whole 3-D movie thing. Will 3-D change the way you watch movies, or is it just a gimmick? Rafe and Josh present the world as they see it, then you decide:
HELL NO! IT’S JUST A GIMMICK!
-- Rafe Telsch
Recently Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, and James Cameron announced their feelings that the future of movies is in 3-D. Brilliant filmmakers that they may be, they are wrong. 3-D is not the future of filmmaking; it’s just another tool to tell a story. Storytelling has always been the heart of good filmmaking and will continue to be the center of good movies in the future.
I remember when the last “big” advancement in movies came around: computer animation. Studios were so enthusiastic about this new gimmick that they renounced the time-honored method of hand animation. This struck me as odd considering Pixar’s John Lasseter frequently spoke about how computer animation was just a tool, but that the focus of filmmaking still needed to be on the characters and the story. The result: less successful releases. When Disney purchased Pixar, one of the first changes was a return to traditional Disney storytelling. Lasseter understands – people don’t remember a movie because it’s animated by a computer. They remember characters and a good story.
These same ideas apply to the argument about 3-D movies. Watching Superman save the day in 3-D IMAX was an awesome experience, but that experience didn’t solve story problems for Superman Returns. Those were there regardless of the format. I have no doubt that superior storytellers like Spielberg, Jackson, and Cameron can create incredible films using 3-D because they make incredible films without 3-D. As proven with computer animation, studios just see the tool, not the rationale for its use. Do we really want a 3-D Son of the Mask?
No, 3-D is not the future of filmmaking. It’s just another tool that filmmakers can use to tell their story, and it’s a tool that’s been around before. The early 1950s also saw 3-D as the future of movies. That run only lasted a few years and very few of the pictures from those days remain in our memories. Keep telling good stories and we’ll keep shelling out good money regardless of the format, but you don’t need 3-D to move the picture industry forward.
HECK YES! 3-D IS JESUS ON A SCREEN.
-- Josh Tyler
3-D is the future of movies. It’s been around forever, Disney was making 3-D cartoons back in the 50s, but until recently it’s never been more than a half-hearted parlor trick. In the past few years though, the process has taken giant leaps forward. Gone are blue and red, barely useful, cardboard glasses and in their place are sleek, polarized glasses that enable viewers to watch movies in real 3-D. There’s even talk of a technology which may soon enable viewers to watch movies in 3-D without glasses, by using a specially developed movie screen. James Cameron’s next big-budget blockbuster will be shot entirely using new, 3-D techniques. Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg are planning a trilogy of big-budget films using the rapidly improving technology. 3-D is on the way, and movies will never be the same.
What makes this technology more than just a gimmick? What we’re talking about here is more than just a new type of special effect. We’re talking about a fundamental change in the way people watch movies. Modern 3-D technology can be used for more than just whiz-bang effects that make things leap out of the screen at you. It is just as effective on a quiet drama, as a way to more totally immerse an audience in the world created by a filmmaker.
It’s not about changing the way movies tell stories, it’s about changing the way we watch them. This isn’t a special effect like computer animation, this a format change, akin to the replacing of VHS by DVD. It’s a long overdue one too. Let’s face it the theater business is in trouble. Home theater technology is advancing rapidly. It won’t happen overnight, but eventually nearly everyone will be able to create their own approximation of the cinema experience in their homes, only without the hassle and expense. Big picture and big sound isn’t enough to keep people buying tickets forever. People need a new reason to go to the theater. 3-D is that reason. You can’t duplicate it at home. You can’t pirate it. You can’t get it, unless you’re willing to buy a ticket. 3-D isn’t just the future of movies, for movie theaters it’s their savior.
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