Share of cinema 3D sales falls below 50% according to The Economist

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Movie enthusiasts will still be enjoying some of the classic B&W productions long after most 3D films are forgotten.

Just because technology exists to do something new, doesn't always mean it's necessarily "better". I think we APUG people know this already.

Absolutely.

And another version of what you wrote: Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

3D is not bad , Hollywood is bad. If Tarkovsky , Eisenstein , Kane had been invested in it , there would be a lots of art , creativity in it. No , they would not use pink flying crearures in the movie.
Ron , Photo Engineer had been told a Kodak Engineer invention , one frame to one eye , other one to the other. I think it is definetely possible to convert this invention to 3D Stalker. May be it would be expensive to find two different projector LCD google and a program to do it , but it is not impossible.
Fellini Satyrcon could be great also.
We dont need to watch pink monkey like creatures to be able to watch 3D , as I told , its possible for all old BW and Color Classics at home

[Klainmeister]

Has anyone seen the Cave of Forgotten Dreams by Werner Herzog yet? I hear that the 3D version is spectacular, particularly because he had the foresight to use 3D as it is intended: in highly dimensional spaces where depth will help shape understanding of spacial relations. The Chaveaut Cave has been seen by less people than the top of Everest, so having him go in there and film in HD with a real 3D setup might be our only chance to see it as it is.

[MaximusM3]

Saw Harry Potter 3D and it was a joke. Underexposed, dim, utterly annoying. Got a good headache out of it.

[holmburgers]

Regardless of the 3D aspect, the movie theatres and Hollywood folks have seen how good digital projection can be, and ultimately, how much easier it will be for them, once the transition is made.

I wouldn't put too much faith in the demise of 3D saving film projection. It might postpone it, but they didn't have digital anything in the 50's.

3D has a future, and I personally think it lies in autostereoscopic displays that require no glasses. When this takes off... 3D will be here to stay. Just like stereo recordings completely have superceded mono, once 3D is as simple as looking, it'll become standard.

Autostereoscopy has been possible for years, but never before has it been so well poised to become a mass-marketed reality.

I also agree with Umut & Klanmeister; 3D can be used very effectively, and lends to the experience. Just because you record Michael Bolton in stereo doesn't make him any better than in mono, but listening to the Ventures live in Japan, 1965, in stereo.. that will put you in the seats of the auditorium.

The vehicle just gets a passenger somewhere, but the right passenger in the right vehicle... BOOM!

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

I have an easier idea to convert 2D to 3D with the light of PE. I think finding a open source dvd player is not hard. All you need is to figure out first frame blue , next frame red , two frames together programming.
Its is the easiest and cheapest 3D conversion program and with ordinary two color google investment.

Umut

[Thomas Bertilsson]

So, regardless of impact on the film industry, does 3D make the movies better?

In your opinion, what does it add to the movie that you consider profound enough that it's worth the extra cost?

[Plate Voltage]

Digital projection is also another threat, and for me just one more reason to stay home and watch movies there. What's the difference besides an over-sharpened image and over-amplified sound? Oh and rude people who won't stop talking behind you. No thanks to that and 3D.

Not to mention the outrageous admissions prices, the outrageous price of refreshments, and the sticky floors. No thanks to that too.

[Marco B]

With standard two-dimensional projection at least we can sit and imagine a little bit, and use our brains. 3D, to me, seems to be a lot more about special effects than adding any real value to the movies, and I hope consumers are smart enough to realize it. So I sat down and watched 'Pecker' via a lousy standard DVD and our old 28" CRT TV screen, and enjoyed the hell out of the story.

If you like that kind of low tech approach and using your imagination, watch the movie Dogville by Lars von Trier once. It is entirely set in an empty studio, with a minimum of theatre stage attributes like a single door without walls, and simple white lines on the black studio floor depicting the different buildings in Dogville.

It was a revelation for me to watch that movie, as it is still entirely convincing due to some great acting work.

How much do you really need to make a good movie?...

[perkeleellinen]

I hope I don't sound too bitter. I haven't been to a cinema in ten years (I'm 38). 3D or not, I won't pay to watch a film - they're all derivative crap. Even on TV they're derivative crap, but at least they have the decency to show ad breaks to give the viewer a rest. I suppose some decent films must have been made recently with good dialogue and a clever story, but I won't waste hours searching for them...