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More eye-popping, breath-taking 3D films are coming our way.
WE see the world in 3D, so why not view films in a similar format? Filmmakers like James Cameron have for years been preaching about the advantages of making three-dimensional movies, saying that audiences would get a stunning visual experience in darkened cinema halls like never before. And that filmmakers can achieve absolutely amazing things on-screen. Cameron even started developing a camera specifically for filming in 3D some eight years back.
Jeffrey Katzenberg wears an old pair of 3D glasses prior to a demonstration of the current technology using new glasses at a consumer electronics show in Las Vegas on Jan 8. The CEO of DreamWorks Animation could well be a mascot for 3D movies. – Reuters Looks like technology has finally caught up with his vision and 3D, in turn, has become the main drive behind the use of digital systems in movie theatres around the world, including here in Malaysia.
Digital projection runs on a really high frame rate (144 frames per second) that’s essential to creating depth perception. A 3D film is shot in two frames – one for the right eye and the other for the left eye. A digital projector can display in 3D by projecting these two frames sequentially, which our eyes (through the new 3D glasses) perceive as simultaneous.
Consequently, watching 3D films no longer means donning the headache-inducing cardboard glasses with the blue and red lenses (which distort colours on the screen, by the way). Nowadays, the sturdier plastic 3D glasses are more comfortable to the user (regardless if they wear spectacles or not) and the technology is used more as a tool for storytelling, rather than merely for thrill’s sake.
Film distributors and cinema operators are especially excited about what the year has in store for 3D movies.
Nicholas Yong, the managing director of United International Pictures (Malaysia & Singapore), reckons 3D is the new way to watch films in the cinema. “It’s not a gimmick in which visuals pop out of the screen, but a more engaging viewing experience. I believe 3D films will soon be the norm and audiences would not just think of them as 3D films.”
Twentieth Century Fox Film (Malaysia) marketing director Moo Hon Mei points out that 3D films are fast catching up with the public and offering them the exciting feeling of being “in the movie”. But Moo is quick to add that what matter at the core – like for any good movie – are still the storyline and the characters, not a “piece of tech wizardry”.
So, just imagine how much more wonderful it could have been for James Cameron if more sophisticated technology was available to him when he was making the eventual cult movies like the special effects-laden Terminator series, Aliens and The Abyss in the 1980s and early 90s.
Good news is, we will get to see Cameron’s infinite visualisations when he unleashes the sci-fi flick Avatar at the end of the year. This live-action 3D venture promises a heady mix of technological wonder and fantastic interplanetary adventure.
Flood of 3D movies
How do Malaysians react to the whole 3D viewing experience on the big screen, after being treated to a number of such shows lately, notably Journey to the Center of the Earth – the first live-action motion picture shot digitally in 3D – and the animated feature Bolt?
Those passionate about it know what’s coming and could barely contain their excitement.
Architect Herwandi Charmady, 34, enthuses: “Watching 3D movies is an entirely different experience from watching regular films in the cinema. I am looking forward to James Cameron’s Avatar, 9 from Tim Burton and the new Pixar film, Up.”
Another one who is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Avatar is writer Md Fuad Zain, a thirtysomething movie buff who is all for 3D movies.
Not all moviegoers, though, are convinced of the attractiveness of the 3D format.
Artist and former film reviewer J. Anu, in his 40s, finds that 3D detracts from the movie experience. “You spend so much time convincing yourself it works and fiddling with the glasses that you forget about the film itself. It lends for a disjointed experience; a rubbish gimmick which is, in the end, quite exhausting.”
Whether the Malaysian audience is ready to embrace this new-age cinema wholeheartedly or not only time will tell. What is certain is that 3D movies are rapidly increasing in number and the format is here to stay, maybe even changing the face of cinema.
Producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, whose accomplishments include the Shrek series, is a strong advocate of the 3D technology. He was reported as saying on Wired.com in March last year: “It is nothing less than the greatest innovation that has happened for all of us in the movie business since the advent of colour 70 years ago. Now is our chance to deliver something that is far superior than anything that can be done in the home.”
DreamWorks Animation, of which Katzenberg is the CEO, has vowed to release all its future works in 3D, starting with the upcoming Monsters vs Aliens.
Disney and Pixar, which started the ball rolling with last year’s Bolt, have also announced that all their films are to be conceived in 3D from now on, and that includes the rockumentary Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, and Pixar’s Up.
George Lucas, too, is remastering all the Star Wars movies in 3D.
Cost factor
On a more realistic note, the higher cost that comes with the enhanced viewing pleasure may be inhibitive to local moviegoers. A ticket to a 3D film costs between RM5 and RM7 more than the normal price.
In addition, there is only a handful of theatres – five in all – that are equipped with digital 3D projection, which is the rage now. Located in the Klang Valley, they are: TGV KLCC, TGV Sunway Pyramid, GSC Mid Valley Megamall, GSC Pavilion KL and GSC 1 Utama.
Previously, there was also the 3D movie venue in Kuala Lumpur’s Berjaya Times Square. It employed the IMAX (Image Maximum) film-based system that projects images on a much larger screen. Since last September, it has ceased showcasing 3D films and documentaries due to contractual issues. It is understood that there is no plan to switch to digital projection in the near future. It is now part of the mall’s Cosmo’s World Theme Park.
According to TGV Cinemas marketing manager Sheerin Khan, the additional fee is due to the rental of 3D glasses, which are rather expensive to purchase and to maintain. “3D films are a new phenomenon and some Malaysians love it while others are unsure about it. At some point when 3D films are proven to be acceptable in general, we will look at the possibility of expanding our cinemas. But at the same time, it will also depend on the movies. We are going to keep a close watch in the next 12 months.”
GSC general manager Irving Chee says: “As the cost to acquire a 3D projection system is between RM500,000 and RM600,000, GSC will only gradually expand the 3D facility to other locations.”
“The cost of a digital 3D projection system,” Chee explains, “is easily six times that of a normal 35mm projection system currently in use while the 3D glasses cost about RM150 each. Thus, the extra ticketing price charged for a 3D movie is already very minimal. One of the ways to lower the ticket price is for the entertainment tax (25% of the price) to be reduced or exempted for digital cinemas.”
Meanwhile, in the United States, local operators are trying to move towards digital multiplexes but the shift is slow. The figures, on the other hand, look promising – nearly 40% of Bolt’s US$26mil (RM90mil) gross takings in the opening weekend are attributed to 3D cinemas.
And according to Anna Ng, general manager of Buena Vista Columbia Tristar Films Malaysia, which distributed the Disney movie, “the response (to Bolt) was pretty encouraging although there were only five cinemas that showed Bolt in 3D format. In the end, it did contribute 20% of the total takings.”
Despite the substantial cuts in the costs of making and shipping the traditional 35mm prints and the fact that digital quality remains pristine no matter how many times the movie is played, digital cinema is still considered financially riskier. In the end, patrons might still end up watching a 3D film in the good old 2D/35mm format just because we are lacking in digital theatres. (The studios will release 2D versions simultaneously for all 3D movies.)
For Md Fuad Zain, if a 3D movie comes to Malaysia in both formats, he’ll pay extra to watch it in 3D. “But if it’s not coming in 3D, I’ll still watch it. No doubt I’ll feel cheated but I’ll still catch it if I’m attracted to the story.”
Artist David Koh, a father of two in his 40s, however, would rather stick to 2D simply because of the cost. Koh says: “I’ll have to fork out more than RM50 for one outing to the cinema with my family of four. Not to mention having to buy popcorn and drinks to go with it.”
Is 3D just a gimmick to drive ticket sales up or a change waiting to happen? At present, the latter looks more likely to be the case as even television manufacturers are planning to release 3D sets by this year.
The exciting development in cinema definitely interests many parties – studios, cinema operators and moviegoers. The question is whether it will sustain. But there’s nothing to stop us from wishing that maybe someday, we’ll get to watch a 3D movie without the 3D glasses!
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