The Rebirth Of 3D Movies
The downturn in cinema audiences has meant that film studios have been keen to find a saviour to stop them losing millions in lost ticket sales. It seems though they have found the answer to their prayers in 3D CGI. Sixty years on from its Golden Age it has recently and gloriously returned to the screens to huge success.
The success of CGI films such as The Incredibles and Ice Age in the last ten years has seen an increased demand from audiences to deliver top quality animated films. A new element of the CGI experience was added to the mix when in 2005 the film Chicken Little was shown in 3D and doubled it’s box office earnings. This was the first sign to movie studios that 3D films could compete with 2D animation.
The measure of the latest success of 3D can be seen in the newest productions to be coming out in cinemas in the next couple of years. DreamWorks have been working on the 3D CGI film Monsters vs. Aliens, set to be released in spring 2009, and it will be the production company’s first film to be authored and conceived in 3D from the outset. Also set to be released by DreamWorks will be Shrek Goes Forth in 2010 and How to Train Your Dragon in 2009.
The Avatar and Battle Angel in 3D by James Cameron will both be released in 3D, as will Toy Story 3 along with Toy Story 1 & 2 being converted for 3D. George Lucas is considering re-releasing his six film Star Wars epic back in the new format, while Journey to the Centre of The Earth, the classic Jules Verne story, is already in pre-production for its 3D CGI release.
It used to be the case that only avid film buffs truly liked 3D films. The rest of us looked upon them as cheap and badly made B-movies which make you feel sick thanks to the infamous red and green eye glasses. And the movie studios tended to agree with the majority and so 2D films became the norm. However, Disney, 20th Century Fox, Paramount and Universal have recently announced they’ll be jointly investing in converting cinemas to digital projection. This means that the big studios are investing in bringing 3D films back to the screens, which means the films will be of a better quality.
With the top directors all showing signs that they’re willing to explore the world of 3D CGI, and movie studios heavily investing in 3D movies, the return of the Three Dimensional format owes it’s main thanks to companies such as IMAX, Real D and Dolby. In the 1990’s they built complexes with perfect visual and sound quality. Giant 20 metre screens impressed the audiences and they were able to see spectacular documentaries, short films, as 3D re-releases of films like The Polar Express and Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas. The technology had arrived for 3D to be commercial.
The technology used on 3D films has advanced beyond what was possible ten years ago. The latest digital projectors are able to show a perfect image on the screen with no ghosting, no eye strain and no nausea. Digital projection before had never quite made its way into the movies because of the high costs involved. In recent times these costs have reduced with huge leaps in 3D technology and digital projection, and for this reason film studios are willing to pay for 3D movies to be made again.
3D technology has a history of being used by commercial design companies such as 3D Fatwax Design. Many businesses these days need 3D designs for their companies to succeed in the market place. This technology has now made its way over into the movie business, and you know it has arrived when Steven Spielberg is in talks about patenting a new projection method where the audience won’t have to wear the iconic red and green glasses. Along with Spielberg, directors Cameron and Katzenberg have held a forum for other filmmakers about the creative potential of 3D movies. The input of these directors is advancing 3D films beyond what 3D fans could only dream about.
But if you were to take a closer look at the motivation behind the film studios’ investment in 3D, then you only have to look at the decrease in DVD sales last year, as well as taking note that cinema ticket sales have remained the same in 2007. Film studios are taking their 3D CGI productions seriously since they know it will bring the people back to the cinemas. The financial success of Beowulf in 2007, as well as the 3D film featuring American teenage stars Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana in 2008, has made the film studios move ahead with their artistic and technological development of 3D CGI.
Another reason the movie studios are interested in 3D is that it’s impossible to camcorder 3D, which will leave the black market with a big hole. It is estimated that 25% of a movie’s revenue is lost to piracy around the world today, with 90% of that due to someone taking a camera into the cinema.
The recent financial successes of 3D CGI films has inspired smaller and independent film studios to producing their own film. Trivandrum-based Toonz Animation India will be making The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, based on the book by L Frank Baum which depicts the life of Santa Claus from an infant to an adult. Also, the animation company The Animation Picture Co. are going to make the video game Spyro The Dragon into a 3D CGI film character.
But the big studios will have the classics and big directors on their side. Disney’s classic film Beauty and the Beast will be another re-release coming to your screens in 3D, and after Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas’ comeback in IMAX cinemas, the director will be making two 3D films: Alice in Wonderland and Frankenweenie.
When movies when from being to silent to having sound, and when they went from black and white to colour, a new era of film making began. Whether 3D CGI will be able to get on to that list as being that influential is a matter only the future can tell us. So get to your nearest IMAX cinema, put those glasses on, forget about your sofa and simply enjoy the wonderful ride into the world of 3D.