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The Movie Studios' Big 3D Scam
An anonymous reader writes "There's a lot of things wrong with 3D movies. Avatar's 3D was well executed, but Alice's 3D was really bad, like all 2D-to-3D conversions. And yet, studios are reconverting 2D movies—including classics—into 3D to milk this fad. On top of that, the theaters are not prepared for 3D, with bad eyeglass optics and dark projections. In this article, a top CG supervisor in a prominent visual effects studio in Los Angeles calls it as it is: it's all a big scam by the movie studios."
I don't know about anyone else but I've seen a lot of 3d movies before, but Avatar gave me a splitting headache at the end of it. I don't know quite what it is about it, but watching it was painful (not being sarcastic BTW.).
There are three main 3D formats out there, IMAX 3D, RealD, and Dolby 3D. IMAX 3D uses linear polarization, RealD uses circular polarization, and Dolby 3D uses the Red/Blue color separation. In the first two, the glasses appear light gray, while the last has obviously colored lenses. I saw Avatar in the first two and Alice in the third.
My personal preference is for the polarized techniques. The IMAX was definitely the most immersive. The Dolby 3D seemed too dark and sometimes lighting made me aware of reflections on the inside of the lenses. Additionally, in the Dolby 3D, some of the colors, particularly greens, just seemed off.
Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
Last I asked, the surcharge was $5, or an increase of almost 50%. Not worth it for a pair of glasses.
Worse still: when I saw my first new 3D movie in the local theater I asked what the extra cost was for. They told me it was a surcharge for the glasses, so I kept the glasses. When I returned with my glasses to see another film in 3D I was told I still had to pay the extra surcharge since now it wasn't for the glasses, but a cost for the upgraded theater.
Movies still have their place. I've noticed that there's a substantial under-21 crowd. It's somewhere to go on a date, where you can be alone in a dark room with her. Parents don't generally tolerate sexin' up your date at home. :) Foreplay in the theater, intercourse in the back seat of the car, and back to moms house by midnight.
The over 21 crowd usually head for bars and clubs, and then back to their own apartments.
The over 30 crowd usually have friends over for food, drinks, and to watch movies, and then sexless nights with the wife. {sigh}
Back to the original statement. Ya, I've noticed that the crowd is rather young, compared to the way it used to be 20 years ago.
Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
I would imagine they did save the data and backups of the software. But don't underestimate the complexity of this task. There is a lot of one-off software and if you don't have someone who understands it still in house, you might be stuck. When I was at Pixar a technical director had to know 29 computer languages, due to the 30-year continuous evolution of their software. I think in the case of Toy Story there was a lot of conscious work put into keeping the film in a state that it could be re-rendered, simply because the folks involved knew how much faster computers would be in a few years, and they hoped to be able to make a sequel - it was a key to selling Pixar as a film studio worth the investment.
Bruce Perens.
Most HD stuff is indistinguishable from DVD stuff, at least for normal people at normal viewing distances on normal equipment.
I think you meant crap equipment. I absolutely (and my wife) can tell the difference between a DVD and a bluray at 1080p.
And since we still have SD in one room, we continue to see the difference.
I abhor the current fixation in Hollywood on big-bang graphics and effects at the expense of any real plots or enticing characters.
You must not be seeing the right movies then, because there are plent which are more than big-bang graphics and effects. And as far as 3d goes, i think Avatar shows it can add something, when used properly. It will take filmmakers time to figure out how to use 3d, just like it did 2d, but they'll get there. I'm sure the people said the same thing when they first added color. Sure, B&W might have a great plot, but you're not as immersed as you are with color. I think the same will be said for 3.
Heck, get a copy of Metropolis; shot in 1927 without any fancy technology, it still leaves you deeply disturbed and affected, far more than most of the hi-tech hi-def crap that rolls out of Hollywood today.
You're blaming technlogy for bad movies, when hollywood is doing what its ALWAYS done; making a ton of crap with a few gems. If you haven't been able to find great films in recent years, I suspect you're the problem, not hollywood. They are out there, you just need to find them.
Social? Movies? If anything, the people around me are the biggest reason why I would NOT go.
Quite seriously: When I hear "social", I'd expect some kind of interaction. Sitting next to each other watching something and not having anything in common but to be annoyed by the chattering teens behind us is not what I'd consider a social experience.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.