No, Mr Cameron

Chris D Walker · May 25, 2011

It appears that James Cameron and I have differing opinions on 3D. Sharing a stage with Michael Bay talking about Transformers: The Dark of the Moon, Cameron said that he feels every movie can benefit from being in 3D. Au contraire, I say. I will go out on a limb and say that a great many of us having been watching a 3D movie where it would be better flat because the stereo effect does nothing to enhance the story of the characters within. On the reverse, there is no movie that I have seen flat where I have thought "this has to be in 3D."

So to my questions. Of the many people who read and post on this board:

- How many of you enjoy watching 3D movies?

- How many of you have worked on a production using a stereo system?

- If the answer to the second question is 'no', then what would it take for you to want to shoot in 3D?

I imagine the hesitation that many cinematographers have are the issues and limitations imposed by shooting in stereo, namely:

- Size and weight (usually over 50 lbs. for a mirror prism rig)

- Alignment issues

- Convergent vs. parallel

- Restrictions with using long lenses/miniaturisation

- Workflow and data

I'm sure there are more but I'll stick with those for the moment. Granted that post conversion is a more popular option now, but many movies are being sold as being shot natively in 3D in the trailers. I don't agree with James Cameron's all-3D future when flat has been working just fine for me. It's not about stopping progress in film-making, it's about what the audience is asking for.

Phil Rhodes · May 25, 2011

There are serious problems with current approaches to 3D.

Given current approaches, some of these problems are fundamentally insoluble.

I believe that ticket pricing is to some extent a zero-sum game and once all movies are in 3D, prices will have to return to something like normal.

It makes me feel unwell and there is reason to believe there is a proportion of society who will always be made to feel unwell by it.

A lot of bullshit is being talked about the best way to do it and the effects that can be achieved without nauseating people.

So no, I don't particularly like it. I'll do it, for adequate financial compensation, but I would never recommend anyone did it unless it was an edict coming down from a producer on a very big show of the type I don't usually get involved with.

I know a lot of people who feel like this but aren't saying anything because they fear it will cost them work; criticising stereoscopic filmmaking is becoming the whispered conversation had in private behind the craft services table and it's hard to find anyone who really, actually likes it.

P