So, for quite some time now I’ve been harping on here on numerous occasions about 3D. I’ll be honest, I spent quite the amount of time blabbing on the radio encouraging people to see a movie in 3D for the experience. Shortly, my attitude changed as dodgy conversion after dodgy conversion arrived on the big screen. Who can forget Clash Of The Titans? Green Hornet? Alice in Wonderland? Do I need to go on?
James Cameron created a movie that spawned far too many cash in’s, on the technology. And while Avatar was visually stunning and the 3D actually worked the way it should, very few have been able to recreate it the correct way. Sure, the folks at Pixar got it right. But besides that, it’s been pretty disastrous. I don’t know about you, but where I live, most cinemas will screen a 3D movie twice as often as the 2D version. While not entirely forcing you to hand over extra moolah to the box office, your choices for a 2D experience is pretty limited. And that’s pure and utter greed on behalf of the studios. If scenario’s like that don’t convince you, you’re being ripped off, I don’t know what will. After all, you are paying a premium price for a so called premium product, which most of the time delivers a well below par experience.
So, I’ve been banging my head around a bit after seeing Transformers 3: Dark of the moon. And fuck me, the 3D really worked. Sure there was plenty of Bayhem, but the dude embraced the technology and made it really work. While it was in your face and didn’t overload the way Resi Evil did, it was equally subtle.
As it stands there are 2 problems with 3D as I see it now.
Firstly, the people who use it. Either do it right, or don’t do it at all. If there is a half hearted attempt at something then the film gets lost. Clash of the Titans (I know, I know) is actually enjoyable, in 2D. Like most hatchet conversion jobs, you spend more time trying to figure out what’s actually happening on screen due to the conversion being too dark, too foggy etc. What artist doesn’t want their audience not to see their creation the way it was meant to be seen? For me, good movies (3D or otherwise) are all about making a connection with the audience. But an audience can’t connect if they can’t see what they are meant to see. And this leads me onto the second point.
The actual cinema’s themselves. I watched Dark of the Moon through a white hazy fog. The proper investment need to be made in the projectors from the theatre owners. Already 3D movies are taking a dip in audience figures, a) because the conversions are shit and pointless b) people can’t see whats going on due to shoddy projectors. How long more the cinema going audience can tolerate a second rate product is the question! By not making the investment now, the theatre owners are shooting themselves in the foot! People are reluctant to part with their money, and when they do, they want value. Watching a hazy, foggy picture is NOT value for money.
Surely a standards / certificate program needs to be introduced, ala the THX certification maybe? For anyone that’s been at a THX certified theatre, you know you are going to get a consistent, decent cinema going experience.
I understand 3D. I understand that it could well be the way forward. I just wonder if Michael Bay or James Cameron walked into a few cinemas where their vision and story was showing, in a foggy, blurry mess would they be happy bunnies? I think not!
I've outlined what I believe are the major problems facing 3D today, and I’m sure you’ll agree it doesn’t take much to get it right. Going to the movies is an experience, and it should be a great experience. Let’s not forget that!
