3D Movies All the Rage

http://www.today3d.com/2010/09/3d-movies-all-rage.html

 

 

STEREOSCOPOPHILIA. It's what some people (me and my college buddies) call their addiction to 3D, or worse, RealD movies. You might wander into a dark theatre one night and emerge, hours later, dazed, confused and feeling slightly nauseous.

The symptoms are cumulative and degenerative, each hit of mind-numbing gimmickry spiralling you further into a dejected malaise until nothing short of a solid whack on the head with a rubber mallet can satisfy your craving for vertigo.

Does this sound familiar? Stereoscopophilia already affects hundreds of millions of young people worldwide, but most are woefully oblivious to it. Don't worry, there's help. If you are unsure whether you might be suffering from a secret addiction to 3D cinema, remember the ''3-Ds''.

''D'' number one: Distraction. Do you find yourself feeling listless? Uninspired? Losing interest in the little things you once loved such as story arcs, cohesive plots, or logical scene progressions? Reach out to someone. Director Paul Anderson has. In a cry for help, Anderson publicly announced his own unhealthy addiction to 3D with the Australian release of his latest gorenography Resident Evil: Afterlife. Embrace his efforts. He's sacrificed his reputation to blow the whistle on 3D by demonstrating how it has perverted the Hollywood film industry. Perhaps there's a chance - a small chance - his zombified audiences might wake up and smell the stale popcorn.

A month ago, Anderson was only human. Today he's a model example for how to deal with your addiction. Not only has he taken the first step by reaching out, he's taken the second step as well. He's admitted he has a problem. "I wrote things into this script that I knew would work well in 3D," he said, "like lots of sets with depth-like tunnels, elevator shafts, and big wide landscapes" - which leads us to ''D'' number two: Delusion.

Even the best of us have trouble combating our inner 3Demons. Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief executive of DreamWorks Studios, is still struggling with his. After catching the 2004 premier of The Polar Express he was hooked. He called it "the most physically exhilarating experience in a theatre". At the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado in July, Katzenberg defended his five-year campaign for the proliferation of 3D and RealD^{TM technology.}

He rationalises this obsession by arguing that 3D enhances the artistic experience: "When sound came along 80 years ago, when colour came along 70 years ago, they were considered tricks and gimmicks at the time. All the same debate went on."

But unlike colour, 3D isn't a new medium for emotional expression. It merely intensifies shapes and movement. Katzenberg might claim it's harmless, just a lot of fizz-pop, like soda for the masses - each chooses whether to indulge or not.

But don't be fooled. Each time one of us succumbs, popular culture is impoverished on the whole; which leads us to ''D'' number three: Destitution.

Pockets feeling lighter than usual? Craving munchies from the snack counter but can't find two pennies to pinch? There's a reason - 3D represents a multibillion-dollar industry, and it is targeting your wallet. According to a survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, 3D has increased the production cost of feature films by about 10 to 15 per cent, which translates into a 5 to 7 per cent increase in ticket prices.

But before you languish in self-pity, realise that the poorest souls are the pushers: Hollywood's major production companies. To date, Warner Bros, Pixar and Dreamworks have all promised to produce every single one of their major releases in 3D. They are staking their futures on a fallacy. What can we do to help? Harden our hearts and walk away. They might take a beating at the box office, but we are doing them a favour in the long run.

If you are suffering from any of the ''3-Ds'', just remember it's not your fault. Stereoscopophilia is a disease, and highly contagious. Already the ''3-Ds'' are spreading to other media - television, gaming consoles, and personal computers. In the near future our prescription glasses and even our billboards might be infected if Katzenberg and the studios have their way. Resist it. Don't do the ''Ds''