Is 3D Here to Stay?

Written by: Tony Lazlo, CC2K Staff Writer

So it sounds like 3D might be going fully mainstream. I don’t know how I feel about that, but then maybe I’m a curmudgeon.

According to several sources, such prominent filmmakers as Baz Luhrmann and Michael Mann are considering shooting in the next-gen format, which is less like old-school, House of Wax-style 3D – where objects protruded from the screen – and more of a means to look into the world of the movie.

Full disclosure: The only movie I’ve seen in 3D is Toy Story 3. I liked it, but I didn’t see what the big deal was – and apparently Toy Story 3 is one of the good examples of new-style 3D in action. (And yes – I’ve seen Avatar. I chose to see it in 2D because I was afraid I’d barf if I saw it in 3D. Sue me.)

Now we hear talk of Baz Luhrmann shooting The Great Gatsby in 3D. Mind you: Not Moulin Rouge 2 in 3D, but Gatsby. Luhrmann is such a showman that I could imagine him shooting a spectacle-driven movie in 3D, but Gatsby is prototypical Oscar-bait. Why would he choose to force his audiences to wear 3D glasses when they go to see a straight-up drama?

Add to this the revelation that Michael Mann, a director’s director, is considering 3D for a “pure dialogue drama,” and it looks like 3D might be coming to all movie screens – and TV screens – no matter what.

Like I said in my lead – I don’t know how I feel about this. But my suspicion here is that 3D might simply be the next step in the evolution of visual media, much in the same way that sound and color were once upon a time.

We’re in the infancy of 3D, of course, and I can’t imagine a future where 3D glasses are a fixture of homes and movie theaters. I imagine we’ll eventually be able to do away with the devices.

I’d love to hear any thoughts on this point. Is 3D here to stay?