2008 Woodie Awards
3-D is back
Jeanine Budd
Issue date: 3/20/08 Section: The Inside
The concept of 3-D has been around for almost a century, but as a part of popular culture, it has come and gone during the years.
Yet the recent success of U2-3D and the release of the first-ever 3-D music video by Missy Elliot has drawn public attention back to the medium's fluctuating popularity.
While some students seem skeptical about 3-D's ability to soar in popularity, the possibility of the trend coming full circle hasn't been phased out.
"When DVDs first came out, I never thought they were going to take over," said Alexi Calvo, a freshman psychology major. "So maybe in a few years, 3-D movies and music videos will take off."
The first 3-D movie to appear on screen was "Motor Rhythm" and was shown by Polaroid at the 1939 World's Fair. In 1952, "Bwana Devil," a film by director-writer-producer Arch Oboler, became the first 3-D film to play in theatres when it was shown at Hollywood's Paramount Theater, now the El Capitan, according to a 2004 article in Film History magazine.
Industry observers have predicted that by 2009 at least a dozen live-action and animated 3-D films will hit theatres, according to a recent report.
Last month, the 3-D movie "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert," brought in $31.3 million during its opening weekend, and the 3-D version of "Chicken Little" brought in $23,864 per screen, when its 2-D version only brought in $10,949, according to the Associated Press.
Recently, four studios in the United States agreed to begin converting some of their screens so that they can play 3-D movies, a move that will cost as much as $700 million, according to the AP.
Robin Doty, manager of the Mugar Omni Theater and the 3-D Theater at the Museum of Science, said 3-D videos are likely to continue to ascend in popularity, and then plateau out.
Doty said one of the reasons some people may opt not to view a 3-D movie is the fact that 3-D glasses must be worn, and viewers are constantly conscious of them. Doty said the Mugar Omni Theater uses a wrap-around screen to create a 3-D effect without forcing the audience to wear the glasses, as opposed to the museum's 3-D theatre, which uses the more common method of 3-D glasses.
Yet the recent success of U2-3D and the release of the first-ever 3-D music video by Missy Elliot has drawn public attention back to the medium's fluctuating popularity.
While some students seem skeptical about 3-D's ability to soar in popularity, the possibility of the trend coming full circle hasn't been phased out.
"When DVDs first came out, I never thought they were going to take over," said Alexi Calvo, a freshman psychology major. "So maybe in a few years, 3-D movies and music videos will take off."
The first 3-D movie to appear on screen was "Motor Rhythm" and was shown by Polaroid at the 1939 World's Fair. In 1952, "Bwana Devil," a film by director-writer-producer Arch Oboler, became the first 3-D film to play in theatres when it was shown at Hollywood's Paramount Theater, now the El Capitan, according to a 2004 article in Film History magazine.
Industry observers have predicted that by 2009 at least a dozen live-action and animated 3-D films will hit theatres, according to a recent report.
Last month, the 3-D movie "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert," brought in $31.3 million during its opening weekend, and the 3-D version of "Chicken Little" brought in $23,864 per screen, when its 2-D version only brought in $10,949, according to the Associated Press.
Recently, four studios in the United States agreed to begin converting some of their screens so that they can play 3-D movies, a move that will cost as much as $700 million, according to the AP.
Robin Doty, manager of the Mugar Omni Theater and the 3-D Theater at the Museum of Science, said 3-D videos are likely to continue to ascend in popularity, and then plateau out.
Doty said one of the reasons some people may opt not to view a 3-D movie is the fact that 3-D glasses must be worn, and viewers are constantly conscious of them. Doty said the Mugar Omni Theater uses a wrap-around screen to create a 3-D effect without forcing the audience to wear the glasses, as opposed to the museum's 3-D theatre, which uses the more common method of 3-D glasses.
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