The World of 3D cinema- Larger than life!

The day is not far when 5D will be discovered and the world of cinema will transform yet again.

By Devang Sampat, Head-Strategy, Cinepolis India

3D not only symbolizes third dimension but is also an element of life. I give it the credit of helping cinema makers achieve the impossible task of being really ‘real’. Worldwide, many film makers have been inspired to direct their movies in 3D and who doesn’t cherish marvels like Avatar and Chhota Chetan, the first ever Bollywood 3D movie.

The Astor Theatre, New York played the first ever 3D film on June 10, 1915. Edwin S. Porter and W.E. Waddell developed the anaglyphic process to shoot the movie and involved the use of red and green spectacles to create a single image from twin motion picture images photographed 2½ inches apart. Even though the experiment was not a success, it is defined as the foundation of an all new age of cinema that changed the world of movies forever.

The first 3D feature film was released in the year 1922. It was Nat Deverich’s 5-reel melodrama ‘Power of Love’. Harry K. Fairall developed the technology for it and the world never looked back. The first 3D film with stereophonic sound was Warner Brothers’ House of Wax that mesmerized it audience with its sound and effects.

In 2000s, 3D cinema flourished to a greater extent, culminating in the exceptional success of 3D production of Avatar in 2009. And today in India alone, we see a 3D movie releasing almost every month. Recent 3D flicks like Kung Fu Panda 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean 4 have achieved great box office success, proclaiming the global appeal and growing popularity of 3D films. Last year, more than 20 Hollywood movies were made in 3D including Shrek Forever After, Toy Story 3, Yogi Bear, Saw VII and Tron Legacy. Filmmakers are totally enthused by 3D and soon our favourite comic character, Tintin will also be seen in 3D with the movie, The adventures of Tintin. Cars 2, Puss in Boots are some of the other movies being released in 3D this year.

Even Bollywood film makers are gearing up to present 3D cinema. Recently launched movie, Haunted 3D marked Bollywood’s entry into horror 3D. The viewer grasped his seat every time the ghost would appear on screen. It was as real as horror could get and many horror film lovers rated it as the best experience. The movie received great viewer response and the occupancy of opening shows was 70-100 percent at most screens.

Recently, it has been witnessed that more people are willing to pay extra for 3D movies for their life-like experience that technology innovations have accomplished. Even theatres are exploring better techniques to enhance the viewer’s 3D movie experience. They are investing greatly in world class technology, 3D screens and convenient glasses to help deliver a picture perfect show.

Some of the prominent 3D technologies existing today are Real D, Dolby 3D and Panavision 3D. Among which, Real D is known as the best technology for 3D projection.

RealD 3D cinema technology employs circularly polarized light to generate stereoscopic image projection. With circular polarization technology, viewers can tilt their head and look arond the cinema naturally without a loss of 3D perception, while erstwhile projections required viewers to keep their head within a contracted range of tilt and sometimes they witness double and darkened projection.

To deliver the best 3D experience, it is inevitable for the screen to be capable of handling high-end 3D projection. The screen conveys the depth of 3D projection to the viewer. Barco is the leader in the space.

Barco’s Interference Filter Technology uses high-quality color filtering to produce a separate image for the left and the right eye, achieving excellent stereo viewing with passive Infitec stereo glasses, on a standard screen. Until present this stereo technology required a projector for each of the two images. This revolutionary technology is today installed in some of the best theatres in the world.

In the future, viewers can expect the best of entertainment coming in 3D and life like experience of some of the best movies. Also, Hollywood movies like Jaws and Logan’s Run are being remade in 3D, paving way for newer innovations in the segment.

The indefinite world of 3D cinema has just been truly discovered and in recent future we will be exposed to many surprises that redefine our movie viewing experience. The day is not far when 5D will be discovered and our world of cinema will transform yet again!

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The author is Strategy Head at Cinepolis India which is India’s first International movie theater and the world’s 4^th largest movie theatre circuit. Cinepolis cinemas are better known for their all digital 3D screens and International technology that deliver an impeccable movie viewing experience. The company installs Real D and Barco products in all their cinemas.

Bollywood@BestMediaInfo.com