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When the movie Avatar premiered in
2009, it seemed to usher in a second era of 3D movies from Hollywood-based
studios. (For the record I hated that movie; and it was  a rip-off of Dances with Wolves, which
is awesome.) Ever since then, tons of
crappy movies have been produced with the hope that the novelty of 3D would be
enough for audiences to lose their sensibilities -- and their wallets. On the
flip side, tons of old, really good movies are getting reworked for the 3D
format. Studios take just a handful of scenes and make them 3D compatible. Once
re-released, box offices charge at least $14 for the 3D experience, 300% more than
Jurassic Park's (1993)
and Titantic's (1997)
original ticket prices.
But 3D films aren't anything new. They gained prominence in
the 1950s, after 35 years of obscurity, but fell out of favor within just a few
years due to the technical and personnel strains it put on theaters. 3D was
largely relegated to niche uses -- theme parks and IMAX -- until very recently.
I'm disappointed by the
resurgence of 3D. It feels gimmicky and cheap, and like an excuse to sell a
movie to audiences despite its originality or artistic integrity. There is hope
that it could fall out of favor again, but that doesn't appear likely with the
expected proliferation of 4D.
In 1903, French inventor Leon Gaumont held a demonstration
of his chronophone, a  sound-on-disc instrument that synchronized sound with
films via mechanical interlock. The film industry itself was infantile, so it's
understandable that significant drawbacks persisted. It wasn't until 1923 when
Lee de Forest produced the first commercially-viable sound-on-film technique. However,
Hollywood was hesitant to adapt the technology. Until that time sound-on-film
had only been used in short films and music videos. Famed silent comedian
Charlie Chaplin said in 1931, "I give the talkies six months more. A year at
most. Then they're done." Once sound-on-film had been further improved, there
was no going back. Chaplin made silent films through the rest of the 1930s,
before finally relenting to voicing gibberish in his appropriately-named Modern Times (1936).
Clearly, talkies were very much the future of cinema in the
midst of the Great Depression.
It's difficult to compare the rise of talkies with the
popularity of 3D
movies. Though both suffered from technical
problems and social acceptance when introduced, talkies  were perfected much
quicker than 3D. In the 'golden era' of 3D movies, films had to have dual
projection to create the illusion of depth perception. This made the film reels
difficult to splice or repair, and projectionists had to account for two
projectors -- a task not suited for careless, minimum wage employees. Even when
3D was moved to a singular reel, it remained sequestered to the studios willing
to risk money on the concept. There also wasn't an improvement in the quality
of the picture. Some notable 3D films were produced between 1960 and 1985, but
for every Jaws 3D,
there are three or four Flesh
for Frankensteins. It also didn't help that many 3D films could only be screened in adult-themed movie houses.
By 1985 however, IMAX locations had begun screening
non-fiction 3D films in stunning resolution.
Experts credit IMAX's commitment to picture quality on an enormous scale
in re-popularizing 3D. Mathematical formulas were used to render the 3D picture
with accuracy, and the screen size of IMAX theaters is three or four times that
of a typical theater. Disney Company soon followed by offering similar 3D films
at its theme parks.
 Disney's 3D film Captain EO, starring
Michael Jackson, in reality was the first foray in 4D films. The term '4D' is
not equivalent to its geometric definition, but rather refers to additional
ways in which the film stimulates the audience. It's more appropriate to call
it 4S, since 4 different senses receive stimuli. Anyhow, Captain EO presented a
17-minute program about how Michael Jackson delivers a gift to space-age
Anjelica Huston. Added to the experience were seats that rocked and vibrated;
fog machines and lasers to simulate a dogfight; and additional displays to
imitate a passing star field. At the time of its 1986 release, it was the most
expensive film produced on a per-minute basis, at $1.76 million per minute.
Current 4D technologies greatly resemble this original
incarnation, albeit without MikeJack. And while many credit Avatar with the
resurgence of 3D in films for the North American market, it was also the first
feature film ever presented in 4D. In Seoul, South Korea, theater chain 4DX
innovated the 4D movie by incorporating another 'track' to be played while the
movie rolls. This track dictates when and how seats should move; when fans turn
on and off; when to trigger air and water cannons; and when to release scents
within the auditorium. Programming a 4DX track takes about a month, and since
2009, 4DX has been able to expand into 63 theaters in 10 countries, with
another 80 planned. Converting a theater to be 4DX compatible take about $1
million and now 4DX is looking to partner with American and Canadian theaters.
For
what it's worth, CCN
rates the 4DX theater in Seoul as the fifth-best movie theater in the
world. A few CR4ers may even recall Smellovision, Hollywood's first attempt to
put scents in theaters; it lasted for literally one film. The checkered history
of innovating films with new dimensions and stimuli keeps me from embracing
4DX. Unfortunately, I may not have a choice someday very soon.
Resources
(Image credits: Screenplay Explorer; Wikimedia; Prime Focus World; FanPop; iGeek Trooper)
CNN - 10 of the world's most enjoyable movie theaters
4DX homepage
Time - 4-D Movies...
THR CinemaCon: 4DX Targeting US Market
Wikipedia - 3D film; 4DX; Sound film
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