The New Era of Film Production3d films have been around for a lot longer than you might think. The first 3D screening was of The Power of Love in 1922, using an anaglyph format that would remain popular for most of the century. The 3D was blurry, hard to watch and flawed at best, and it was a long way off the new age of 3D cinema marked by the success of James Cameron's Avatar. There was a resurgence of 3D cinema in the sixties and seventies, with films such as Amityville 3-D, Jaws 3 and Friday the Thirteenth Part III. There was a particular emphasis on 3D horror films, and this was an attempt to cash in on the relatively new teenage market. Computer effects would be the next big development in 3D cinema's history. Toy Story was the first movie to be made entirely from computers, and although it wasn't 3D, computer animation would become the easiest medium to convert to 3D. Monster House, The Polar Express and The Ant Bully were computer animated films that utilized 3D to appeal to younger audiences. This rebirth of 3D cinema culminated in James Cameron's Avatar, a film that took years to make from conception to release. It details a war between greedy human industrialists and an alien race of tree-dwelling nature-lovers. Despite a paper-thin plot and comparisons with Dancing With Wolves, Avatar went on to become the biggest grossing film of all time. Its new Real 3D technology heralded a point where 3D could enhance a movie and not just be seen as a gimmick. |