"Up" Poster
Some say it's the future of cinema. Others claim it's a global revolution in the movie-watching experience. Whether you like it or not, whether you're extremely worried or completely indifferent, 3D movies have arrived with great fanfare. As James Cameron predicted years ago when he began filming "Avatar": 2009 is the year of 3D movies.
Thinking in 3D: Filmmakers Still Lack Experience
From 2D to 3D, the most immediate feeling for audiences entering the cinema is: an extra dimension has been added, turning past two-dimensional images into a vibrant three-dimensional world. For directors and countless behind-the-scenes workers, 3D movies give artists a brand new creative space. For Hollywood and the film industry, 3D movies also offer a very practical benefit: anti-piracy.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, compares the emergence of 3D movies to the impact that sound films and color films had on the film industry back in the day. The Cannes Film Festival chose a animated film as its opening feature for the first time, providing the best stage for the 3D movie "Up." The director of "Titanic," James Cameron, invested over $200 million to create the 3D sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar," promoting it with the ambition to pioneer an entirely new genre of cinema. Despite the sudden craze for 3D movies across Hollywood, filmmakers and studio executives admit that mastering 3D technology will require a long-term effort. "In fact, we've just gotten past the phase where 3D technology was seen as an obstacle," said Phil McNally, head of DreamWorks Animation's 3D division and known as the "3D Captain," who worked on the 3D movie "Monsters vs. Aliens." "For the past 100 years, people have been exploring how to make 2D movies." He explained that the core concept of filmmaking used to be about how to present a three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional screen. "As filmmakers, we lack experience in thinking in 3D terms, much like painters suddenly trying their hand at sculpture."
"In the future, there will definitely be a group of great filmmakers who can create stunning impacts in ways you never imagined," said Jason Clark, producer at DreamWorks Animation, whose production of "Stuart Little" was a pioneering work combining computer animation with live-action performances. "However, storytelling always comes first. You can use new technology to create a unique movie-watching experience, allowing the audience to better understand the story you want to convey, but technology cannot exist independently of the story, nor can it become the dominant element of a movie."
Creative Explosion or Creative Slaughter?
Currently, filmmakers' attitudes towards 3D technology remain cautious.
"Two-dimensional movies are completely wrong," said Alejandro González Iñárritu, director of films such as "Babel" and "Love is a Bitch." "It's like when I shot movies using a handheld camera years ago, and many people criticized me, saying I was playing gimmicks, but my way of feeling and observing life was through a handheld camera, so what's wrong with shooting that way? And our lives have always been three-dimensional, so why can't they be filmed in 3D?"
However, Iñárritu also pointed out that the rapid development of 3D technology comes with risks — the technology might distract people and cause them to overlook the story and emotional expression in films. Many filmmakers share similar views. "3D technology does not guarantee an 'enough kick' movie-watching experience," noted renowned screenwriter Syd Field. Sound films in the 1920s also experienced "growing pains." At the time, many production companies were obsessed with hiring specialists to craft dialogue, and filmmakers focused too much on recording and sound effects. "When we truly master a technology, a form of art will emerge from it. Right now, 3D technology is still in its infancy."
In the future, new 3D cameras may breathe new life into 3D movies. Then, filmmakers won't have to worry about headaches and nausea caused by slight mismatches when combining two different-angle images. Now, viewers no longer need those old red-blue cardboard glasses; the new 3D glasses are akin to sunglasses. However, 3D movies will eventually bid farewell to glasses — the appearance of projection equipment using automatic stereoscopic diffusion technology should only be a matter of time.
Click to enter the "Up" ticket reservation page.