Is 3D cinema the way of the future?

It could be argued that we are currently in a 3D renaissance in film as sessions at cinema complex are full of 3D films. As many of us would be aware, 3D cinema is not a new phenomenon (here’s an interesting youtube clip on the history of the 3D film). Although 3D films have gradually been growing in popularity in the last decade it really seems to have exploded in the last 12 months. The box office takings will attest to the popularity of the 3D films out running their 2D counterparts.

Yet what is the attraction to these films? Is it the novelty, the thrill?

In thinking about this question and hearing the experiences of others what becomes clear is that it is an interactive activity. Cinema has been described as a passive activity on the viewer’s behalf. Walter Benjamin writes of this passivity in his essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, referring to Duhamel he notes that cinema is “…. a spectacle which requires no concentration and presupposes no intelligence (232).

Yet in this new age although 3D cinema is still a relatively passive activity, there appears to be an element of action as the viewer may physically react to an action, for example a child may reach out to grab something that has broken through the screen, or we may brace ourselves. Although we can still have a similar experience with a 2D film, the reaction is more about the emotional intensity of the film. The 3D film allows the viewer to break through the 4th wall and to a small degree be a part of the fictional world. As Andrew Darley writes of 3D, it can “exploit the impression that people and things can leave the screen and enter the personal theatrical space of the audience – usually to the exhilarating effect” (35).

So is this revitalised form of entertainment here to stay?

I would argue that this depends on several points. 3D has gone in and out of fashion, partly due to the expense, however in this climate of big blockbusters and illegal downloading of films filmmakers need to coax patrons back into the theatre to experience a film in a way they could not in their own homes. Perhaps 3D films may fall out of popular favour, however they will probably continue to inhabit the cinema complexes, to continue bringing in an audience as well as offering the audience an experience of almost physically entering another world without leaving their seat.

Despite 3D films consistently falling in and out of favour with the audience several famous and innovative producers and filmmakers believe it is here to stay. Here is an interesting article on 3D featuring James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and Steven Katzenberg. Are 3-D movies ready for their closeup?



References

Benjamin, W. (1935) ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’ in Benjamin, W. (1992) Illuminations. London: Fontana Press, pp. 211 – 244.

Darley, A. (2000) ‘A Back Story: Realism, Simulation, Interaction’ in Darley, A. Visual Digital Culture: Surface Play and Spectacle in New Media Genres, London and NY: Routledge, pp. 11-36