Why make a movie in 3D?

Notice that the above question was not “Why make a 3D movie?”, that answer would be quite easy; to capitalize on the current trend, or ride on the past successes of movies such as Avatar, et al.

Why make a movie in 3D? is a question that Directors and Cinematographers need to sit down and discuss PRIOR to venturing into the immersive depths of this new medium of visual storytelling.

Would a movie or a particular Direction and photography style be suitable for 3D or should it be in 2D?

Just because there are techniques such as Crash Zooms, Dutch Tilts, high fps cameras and bullet-time rigs, in a cinematographer’s toolkit, does not mean that every movie should use all of these tools everytime. Unfortunately this is what happens when “3D” is used as just another tool… there is the temptation to apply it to a movie, regardless whether it befits the story or not.

Some straightforward answers to the question Why make a movie in 3D, could encompass:

• To immerse the audience into the world that the story belongs to.
• To use Stereopsis to further engage the viewers in the scenes unfolding on the screen
• To help viewers bond further with the characters by showing human features and expressions captured stereoscopically.
• To use “depth” as a creative story telling aide (creating and/or depicting moods in a scene for instance)

and many other examples that are still being discovered with this new medium of cinema. Watch HUGO again to refresh one’s memory of  how that movie aligns itself with the points above.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance in 3D:

How would I critique the 3D aspects of this movie?

Run n Gun 3D:

If your going to attempt a run ‘n gun style of shooting in stereoscopic 3D, you NEED to have video assist in stereoscopic 3D. You cant judge the effect it will have on audiences, with an after-the-fact approach to the matter. Why? because it’s highly unlikely that one will admit that the run n gun approach was not the best way for a particular scene, in 3D, when it’s already been shot and done with.

The better part of the first half of this movie, did make me take off the glasses on many occasions, just so I could have some Eye Time Out. I won’t critique the Stereography of the film, but some advice, have at least one Experienced stereographer on-location when doing a shoot-2D-for-3D movie.

While breaking rules is the way forward…Rules of play should not be broken for the sake of breaking them. Especially so if they might cause physical harm to audiences.

Depth Drifting:

While watching the movie, and on the drive back home, a plethora of Stereoscopic 3D terminology got coined. Depth Drifting is one of them. I’ll try to explain what I experienced… There are many scenes, particularly fast action paced ones, such as in the first chase scene where the priest get’s thrown off his vehicle and uses a shotgun/machine gun to shoot as he falls down. During this chase sequence, the depth keeps “skidding” back and forth. Very disconcerting. This kind of depth Drift is also evident on scenes where there is not much action.

Another example to explain this phenomenon could be linked to trying to control a car on a highway, on an extremely windy day. You know the drift feeling.

Note: I’m not referring to depth mismatch between cuts, but actually more of a depth “slide” that keeps occurring DURING a take. It is very subtle and requires a trained eye to see. Neither am i referring to the occasional (intentional) “punch in” zoom on a character seen in some interior car shots.

Why should this matter to audiences who are not technically inclined and simply going to see a 3D movie? Because when you present stereoscopic cues to the brain, the effect/strain is happening in the background. You would need to wire electrodes to an audience member to see what kind of activity is going on between eye muscles and brain when the process of image “fusing” is in progress.

Rest assured if a trained eye can see it, audiences are experiencing it at a subconscious level.

This type of depth drifting should not be confused with a convergence pull during a take. The problem being referred to here, is an erratic slide that occurs and can only be attributed to in-consistency in some form during the 2D to 3D conversion process.

I would like to hear from any of the experienced stereographers and 3D cinematographers who have seen this movie, to confirm my suspicions. The only other explanation that i can think of is some fault in the media player at the cinema, which is highly unlikely as there was no stutter of frame rate or strobing happening. I saw the movie at a multiplex with passive glasses (RealD system).

A smaller issue: At least one scene seems to have inverted stereo in my opinion. Though it went by soon enough, so it cant be confirmed. The shot/scene in question is before the boy is administered a syringe to his neck, when he is captured. The tunnel like room seems flat and/or in inverted 3D. The next shot shows the room in correct depth.

However such inverted scenes can occur even in native stereoscopic captured footage if the left/right views are swapped by mistake.

3D Roundness:

When a movie is shot in 2D, there need not be any consideration on the choice of Focal Length of lens used. To beautify actors faces, and for other framing reasons, it is customary to use longer lenses.

However in native stereoscopic 3D capture, it is an artform to balance distance to talent, i/a separation of cameras and choice of how “long” a lens can be used to capture the correct scene. There in is the secret sauce to creating compelling stereoscopic 3D, from scene to scene. The closest in recent times that has a good balance of all this is of course in the movie Hugo.

What happens when one shoots with 2D “thinking” and then extrudes the 3rd dimension from it? Non rounded 3D. This is particularly noticeable on medium shots of the talent. It’s not quite card-boarding per se, but there is a distinct loss of 3D “roundness”.

Software and Hardware keeps getting Better:

Overall, the conversion was good, if compared to the “beta” conversion attempts of movies from two years ago. However, new challenges need to be overcome. Depth Drift in the case of this movie.

Systems such as Civetta, and other TOF solutions such as laser scanning and even the lowly Kinect are soon to change the way “depth” is captured on location. These workflows are not to be balked at, and may just become the defacto way that 3D movies are produced.

It’s hard to define “converted”, “synthesized” and native stereoscopic 3D imagery today. After all, movies today comprise CGI layers composited in live action scenes (Brilliant VFX work in stereo 3D in Ghost Riders).

Humans are Visual Animals:

However, years of evolution and development of the visual cortex helped humans pick up anomalies in their surroundings. This was a much needed survival instinct. The very same reason that primal reflexes are initiated when watching some “perceived” threat even if just a stereoscopic illusion. (the reason we literally duck of flinch when something flies off-screen in a 3D movie, knowing full well it’s only an image)

This is the reason that anomalies in this make believe world of stereoscopic 3D, can be confusing, and in many instances cause physical harm to audiences if the world is not presented properly in stereoscopic 3d. Depth Drift can be thought of as one of these anomalies that will get picked up, even if at a subconscious level.

(image above: screenshot from freedictionary.com)

What would the result be of parents who “think in 2d” and hope for great 3D offspring? ….Bastardized 3D.

This statement is not aimed at any one 2d for 3D movie in particular, but as a general thought to keep in mind when embarking on a 3D movie production.

I highly recommend watching this film from a learning point of view of how far 2D to 3D conversion has come. The technology and workflow has matured and is leagues ahead than what it was just 2 years ago, but also remember to watch this movie at a macro level while asking the question: “Why make a movie in 3d?”

Disclaimer: These are the author’s independent thoughts and opinions, and not made from a standpoint of authority or with any intention to slander the movie. Observations are noted in this article with a view to encourage discussion and collaborative learning in furthering the art of stereoscopic 3D movie making.