3D Cinema: The Past, Present and Future
3D Cinema: The Past, Present and Future
Are you going to catch the latest movie show at your theater? Right now you have the added option of choosing whether to watch the film in regular 2D or in 3D. With the success of films like Avatar, it looks like movie studios are coming up with more films in 3D. Why is 3D making a comeback these days? Let’s first take a glimpse at its beginnings to see why it is the hottest trend in the movie industry.
Can you believe that 3D (which stands for three dimensional) cinema has been around since the 1890′s? This technology which provides viewers with depth perception is achieved by recording a single scene using two perspectives. Special devices are then used by the viewer, such as 3D glasses, to enjoy the film. It wasn’t popular during those days since it was costly to make a 3D film.
It took a couple of years more for 3D technology to develop. By the year 1922 a full feature 3D movie was released titled The Power of Love. You have to understand that during this time there were still no standards in creating a 3D film, so this was really a major milestone in 3D cinema. A specially designed camera was used in filming the movie. This stereoscopic camera used two films one red and one green to create the 3D effect.
The 1950′s is considered by most people as the golden age of 3D cinema. The movie industry was under threat from the upcoming new television technology. By finding new ways to win back their market share, the movie industry released the first full feature 3D color film titled Bwana Devil. The people loved this new concept in cinema production thus a new age for 3D cinema had arrived.
By the 1970′s a new method of delivering 3D to the movies was developed and was called Stereovision 3D. This method made 3D movies look better that during this period the film titled The Stewardesses became the most profitable 3D film of all time ( and you thought it was Avatar right?).
Today, when you visit any theater with the word IMAX on it you would immediately know that it is capable of showing 3D movies. IMAX has become the leading 3D technology nowadays and is the standard by which movie producers use. It has become synonymous with the word 3D like stereoscope was during the 50′s. Major movie hits have 3D versions being done using IMAX 3D technology.
For now, 3D cinema is here to stay. It is more feasible to create 3D movies more than ever since we now have the technology to create great visual effects. Many factors have contributed to the growth of 3D such as the availability of faster and more powerful computers, advanced software, the Internet, development of new movie equipment and others . All of these factors combined have help usher a new era of 3D cinema greatness.
The future of 3D cinema is so bright. Since a lot of movie goers have embraced this technology, more and more movie studios are coming up with 3D versions of their films. 3D has really taken a long time to evolve unlike other technologies such as viewing shows from black and white to colored or the shift from VCR to DVD. After more than a 100 years of existence, 3D cinema is finally here to stay. Soon, there will come a time when all movies produced will be only shown in 3D.
Tags: 3d cinema, 3d history
