Back in the early days of cinema, simply capturing the arrival of a train was enough to amaze viewers. Nobody had been able to record moving images until the early 1900′s, and audiences would just marvel at the technology. Eventually, things like storylines and acting were introduced, and moving pictures became the artform they are today.

Whith the introduction of 3D, something similar seems to be happening. I saw Despicable Me yesterday, and I noticed there were several shots and scenes that were in there, or lasted longer than expected, to show off the 3D effect (like the rollercoaster ride). They didn’t advance the story, and were purely technologically driven. They were the only fault I could find in an otherwise splendid movie.

Technology vs. storytelling

This left me wondering whether 3D movies are here to stay. The black & white (or rather, green & red) 3D movies of the 50′s didn’t last. They too were about showing off technology, not about proper storytelling. What they did do was sell tickets, and I suspect that’s the main reason for the new wave of 3D movies. I wasn’t offered a choice between 2D and plain old 2D yesterday, even though that would be easy enough for cinema’s to do.

Personally, I feel there’s nothing about seeing a movie in 3D that makes me enjoy it more. To me, they do not feel substantially more immersive. And asides from the “made-for-3D” scenes I mentioned earlier, there’s the glasses (mine were sticky and had scratches), the higher ticket price, and the added strain on my eyes. One of the things that makes movies relaxing is probably that you do not need to refocus your eyes all the time.

2D glasses?

I would really love for cinema’s to offer a second type of glasses, where both eyes have the same polarization filter. This would allow people who choose to do so to see the movie in 2D. And then eventually, when (if?) movie makers find a real use for 3D, and like moving pictures themselves over a century ago, start using the effect to better tell a story, I’ll switch to 3D glasses again.

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