Draft Catalogue

SSRP Catalogue

Films:

Item 1: Avatar (2009) James Cameron

Avatar is the highest grossing film of all time and part of this is down to the groundbreaking 3D technology which hadn't been seen in films before. In my topic I want to discuss how 3D viewing has changed over the years, and Avatar acted as the main turning point for the recent wave of 3D filmmaking. Many of the breathtaking scenes and settings throughout the film are perfect examples to most people of where this technology is suitable to use. As the most famous 3D film of our time, this was an obvious choice for my topic.

Item 2: Ghostbusters (2016) Paul Feig

I want a real focus on recent 3D films and Ghostbusters is perfect example of a film using the latest technologies to add another dimension. 3D conversion is a controversial money saving process which is being used more and more, and was used throughout the filming of Ghostbusters. I want to question whether this process immersed spectators in a beloved franchise or just acted as a new way of making money for the producer. 

Item 3: Sharkboy & Lavagirl (2005) Robert Rodriguez

Sharkboy and Lavagirl was one of the first films released on DVD with red and blue anaglyph glasses. This simple technology is now looked back on as a gimmick, and one which reduces the quality of films. The film is aimed at children and 3D was a big part of its release, with many scenes utilising the effect through props flying out of the screen at spectators. This is a perfect example of 3D which excited audiences with its originality at release, but was soon copied by other films and became old very soon. This film will also tie in to my arguments over whether 3D technology is appropriate for children or not.


Questionnaire:

Item 4: Survey Monkey- 3D Films Survey

I ran an online survey for a fortnight which looked at many topics in the world of 3D films, to discover how relevant the technology still is. A wide variety of ages were asked about their 3D viewing patterns and their hopes for the future of 3D. The diversity in their answers helps me immensely in my project, as I have a greater understanding of what the future could look like for this disputable technique of filmmaking. One key point in many answers was the need for glasses free 3D technology in cinemas.

Internet:

Item 5: Guardian article - 3D movie screen that doesn't need glasses

Lee, B. (2016a) Researchers develop 3D movie screen that doesn’t need glasses. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/26/researchers-develop-3d-movie-screen-doesnt-need-glasses-mit

This article ties in directly to my survey, where many people claimed that glasses free technology would be enough to get them watching 3D films again. This article highlights the research which has been undertaken to bring the industry closer to exhibiting glasses free 3D on a larger scale than ever before. I want to focus on current 3D films in my project, and where they could be going next.

Item 6: Cinemablend article - 3D Jason Bourne Asia Disaster

Libbey, D. (2016) Chinese audiences hate the version of Jason Bourne they received, find out why. Available at: http://www.cinemablend.com/news/1549709/chinese-audiences-hate-the-version-of-jason-bourne-they-received-find-out-why

From this website, I can gain insight into 3D technology being used in other parts of the world. This 3D release of Jason Bourne is a clear example of a producer having a lack of confidence in the film's 3D by not releasing this version in the rest of the world, yet trying to generate extra profits in China with a quick conversion. The release left spectators feeling nauseous due to a third dimension on top of a franchise already renowned for turbulent handheld camerawork.

Item 7: The Mirror - 3D can double children concentration powers

Landi, M. (2016) Watching films in 3D can DOUBLE children’s concentration powers, study claims. Available at: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/watching-films-3d-can-double-9001222

This article contrasts the views expressed by much of the media, stating that 3D films can make children more intelligent after watching them. This has extreme relevance to my topic as I am searching for the benefits of 3D to spectators and reasons why people could be willing to spend extra money on a 3D cinema ticket.

Item 8: Business Insider - Here's When 3D Movies Work, When They Don't, And What The Future Holds

Lubin, G. (2014) Here’s when 3D movies work, when they don’t, and what the future holds. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/are-3d-movies-worth-it-2014-7?IR=T

A business insider reporter interviews a 3D film expert in the article, who expresses views on where 3D is appropriate and where it should be left out. His well researched and unbiased views give greta insight into the production of 3D and where it is really beneficial to spectators. He lists my focus film, Avatar, as one of the best films for fully utilising 3D.

Videos:

Item 9: James Cameron on 3D

Staff, T. (2014) James Cameron on 3D: From the Mariana trench to ‘Avatar’ (video). Available at: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/video-james-cameron-3d-avatar-689495

This in depth interview shows James Cameron discussing specifically the 3D technology used in his filmmaking. The focus of the conversation is my focus film Avatar, where he claims “I was probably too conservative on Avatar, and I’m going to open up my depth more on the Avatar sequels." This reiterates one theme of my topic where I will explore the future of 3D films and how this key 3D autuer will use it next. 

Books:

Item 10: Mark Kermode - The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex

Kermode, M. (2012) The good, the bad and the multiplex: What’s wrong with modern movies? London: Trafalgar Square

Kermode is one of the most trusted and bold film critics in the UK, who has written this book with one whole chapter on 3D. He describes his hatred for the technology and is a firm believer that it is just another way of making money for large conglomerates. This book will play a key role in my research project because he summarises many of the arguments against 3D and will provide balance in my investigation.

Item 11: Richard Rickitt - Special Effects: The History and Technique

Rickitt, R. and Harryhausen, R. (2007) Special Effects: The History and Technique. New York, NY: Crown Publishing Group

This book discusses how and when 3D technologies became available to a wide audience. It explains the changes 3D went through in decades like the 1950's where the use of the technology was questionable due to the red and blue glasses which were required at the time. This helps my project by investigating the practicality and benefits of 3D though the years.

Item 12: Bruce Kawin - How Movies Work

Kawin, B.F. (1987) How movies work. New York: Collier Macmillan.

This book has been an essential part of my small scale research project as it provides an insight into the history of 3D films and how we got to the modern edition of the technology. Bruce Kawin goes into detail about the facts within the 3D world as well as exploring his own views on where the added dimension is appropriate and where it is just in novelty.

Magazines:

Item 13: Empire magazine - Blue planet

Dyer, J. (2010) ‘Blue Planet’, Empire (January), pp. 116–120

The report on Avatar in this magazine demonstrates the buildup to the blockbuster, showing extreme confidence that the 3D film would be a success by releasing 16 minutes of the film early. Cameron claims to enjoy both the positive and negative feedback given to him as it acts as further publicity for the film, and could urge more spectators to see the full release in 3D. This has relevance to my investigation as I would like to understand how Avatar became so successful and changed 3D films forever.

Robert Rodriguez 3D

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/07/30/robert_rodriguez_spy_kids_3d_game_over_interview.shtml

In this interview after Spy Kids-3D's release, Robert Rodriguez discussed 3D and where it's appropriate.

Why did you choose to make this latest Spy Kids film in 3D?

I thought why not? They re-released "House of Wax" on 3D when I was a kid, and it was just a whole different experience seeing the movie. I remember hearing the audience scream because things seemed to be coming out of the screen and I wanted to give that to kids who'd never gotten that experience before. There really hadn't been a family movie made which everyone could go see that utilised this technology.

There have been some dodgy efforts in 3D before though. It requires the right story to really make it work doesn't it?

I thought if you took the idea of 3D and made it part of the story, you could do something different. Instead of throwing things at the audience occasionally, you could use it to pull the audience into the screen. We go to the cinema to be transported into the movie, but usually you're left sitting there looking at the screen as a spectator. Here, when the character puts on his glasses, the audience puts on their glasses too and they're in that world with them. That's as close to a virtual reality experience as you can get.

Script

Presentation Script

Projector: Title: The importance of contemporary 3D films

Projector: My Investigation with survey statistics

Presenter: Why are cinemagoers so divided in their views on 3D, which is demonstrated by a questionnaire I took, with 45% of people going at least a year without spending extra cash on a 3D cinema ticket? (Item 4) In this small scale research project, I have been exploring the importance and relevance of 3D films in the modern film marketplace, and where it could be going next. There has been a recent dip in 3D box office sales, as seen in a 2014 BFI chart with a decline in 3D revenue every year since 2010. Could these sales ever heighten again with new ways of watching 3D?

Projector: Avatar

Presenter: What do you associate with James Cameron’s Avatar? Some might say ground-breaking special effects or fascinating creatures, but many would also think of 3D. Of those I surveyed (Item 4), 70% have watched Avatar in 3D, demonstrating the huge ticket sales it received, which has made it the highest grossing film of all time. I believe this wouldn’t be the case without the breakthrough in 3D and motion capture technologies which caused audiences to flock to their nearest multiplex and spend extra cash on a 3D ticket. I have analysed some of the key scenes in Avatar to explore how Cameron has used this technology to generate depth on both sides of the screen to immerse spectators.

Clip 1: Avatar- Jake’s first exploration

Spectators are introduced into the outside world parallel to Jake, with the journey over showing Pandora’s landscape and creatures, which immerses spectators in a 3D flight. When the avatar group touches down, the plants, trees, insects and monkey like creatures (Prolemuris) go way back and in front of the screen to emphasise depth unseen in other films, which gives an idea of what it’s like to really be there. 3D emphasises how much danger the group is in and shows how close they are to Jake as he points his gun, which is especially threatening due to way it comes out of screen. 

The introduction to this vast setting in 3D makes us worry more as we see Jake wander off and explore, as we have seen the scale of some of these creatures in 3D. The monsters which then follow are incredibly intimidating as shown through low angles to instil a sense of superiority and terror which are aided by the 3D depth to show how large and deadly they are. The chase is more intense thanks to 3D which immerses us in the action along with tracking shots to make it out as if we are alongside Jake.

Clip 2: Avatar- Mountain Banshee flight

After Jake finds his own Mountain Banshee, a type of flying creature on Pandora, Neytiri joins him for a flight. The 3D used adds depth to the flight which emphasises the emotions he is feeling, showing both nerves and excitement as he soars high above the ground as shown by the depth in 3D with extreme high angle tracking shots used. These shots include fast movements through the air to generate a feeling of flight for spectators. This immersion is intensified through the use of 3D, as we see their excitement extra close up, with their faces coming out of the screen to show every detail of their expressions.

This close up with an added dimension also allows spectators to begin understanding the feelings Jake and Neytiri have for each other, as we can see clearly the way they look into each others eyes in a loving way whilst flying. In this case, this technology makes it possible to grasp a greater understanding of the characters and their surroundings.

Clip 3: Avatar- Tree destruction

When the humans are invading the N’avi’s main habitat of a massive tree, 3D helps to position spectators to empathise with them. This surprising narrative twist of spectators being against the human race is heightened through 3D as we see destruction and debris close up, making us feel like we are in this position of being fired at, often shown at low angles of the human aircrafts making the missiles feel as though they're aimed at us. We also feel a greater intimidation in shots such as the close up of Miles as he gives these horrendous orders.

POV shots are used within these shots with high frequency cutting to make us feel part of this devastation and chaos the humans have inflicted on the N’avi. 3D then enriches the scale of the giant tree as it collapses slowly, with ELS’s of human aircraft shown next to it in comparison, with the 3D effect greatly emphasising the level of cruelty as the humans destroy this essential part of the N’avi’s massive home.

Projector: Avatar Analysis

As seen in these clips, 3D plays a fundamental role in immersing spectators into the complex narrative and spectacular settings in Avatar. But with 3D film sales going downhill soon after, was Avatar's 3D just a gimmick released at the right time, or did it really have an impact on the way we can understand and enjoy recent and upcoming films? The director seems to believe in the latter, as in an interview with Creative Summit (Item TBC) Cameron discussed the issues of producing Avatar at a time when "no 3D film had reached that length" of 3 hours, so he admits to being "slightly too conservative on Avatar" in terms of the depth of 3D used. This suggests that he is willing to go further on the Avatar sequels, as he claims "now we know good stereo is good stereo, and you can watch it indefinitely". Cameron is still building the Avatar franchise around the idea of using 3D, later stating in the interview that he's "going to open up (his) depth more on the Avatar sequels".

Projector: Ghostbusters

-Analysis-
-Director Interview-

Projector: The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl

-Analysis-

UK 3D Charts

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/11076908/The-charts-that-show-why-Hollywood-needs-to-forget-about-3D-movies.html

UK 3D revenues dropping since  2010

3D films released in North America in recent years

https://www.statista.com/statistics/243303/number-of-3d-films-released-in-north-america/

This demonstrates a steady stream of 3D films in the past 5 years, but could be argued that more conversions have taken place as these years have gone by.

Avatar analysis

Key scene 1:

Jake’s first outing outside base

Spectators are introduced into the outside world parallel to him, with the journey over showing Pandora’s landscape and creatures, which immerses spectators in a 3D flight. When the avatar group lands, plants, trees, insects and monkey like creatures (Prolemuris) go way back and in front of the screen to emphasise depth unseen in other films, gives an idea of what it’s like to really be there. 3D emphasises how much danger they’re in and shows how close they are to Jake as he points his gun which is especially threatening due to way it comes out of screen. 

The clear introduction to this setting through 3D makes us worry more as we see Jake wander off and explore, as we have seen the scale of some of these creatures in 3D. The monsters which then follow are incredibly intimidating as shown through low angles which are aided by the 3D depth to show how large and deadly they are. The chase is more intense thanks to 3D which immerses us in the chase along with tracking shots to make it out as if we are alongside Jake.

Key scene 2:

Jake’s first flight

After Jake finds his own Mountain Banshee, a type of flying creature on Pandora, Neytiri joins him for a flight. The 3D used adds depth to the flight which emphasises the emotions he is feeling, showing both nerves and excitement as he soars high above the ground as shown by the depth in 3D with extreme high angle tracking shots used. These shots include fast movements through the air to generate a feeling of flight for spectators. This immersion is intensified through the use of 3D, as we see their excitement extra close up, with their faces coming out of the screen to show every detail of their expressions.

This close up with another dimension also allows spectators to begin understanding the feelings Jake and Neytiri have for each other, as we can see clearly the way they look into each others eyes in a loving way whilst flying. In this case, this technology makes it possible to grasp a greater understanding of the characters and their surroundings.

Key scene 3:

Tree destruction

When the humans are invading the N’avi’s main habitat of a massive tree, 3D helps to position spectators to empathise with them. This surprising narrative twist of spectators being against the human race is heightened through 3D as we see destruction and debris close up, making us feel like we are in this position of being fired at, often shown at low angles of the human aircrafts making the missiles feel as though they're aimed at us. We also feel a greater intimidation in shots such as the close up of Miles as he gives these horrendous orders.

POV shots are used within these shots with high frequency cutting to make us feel part of this devastation and chaos the humans have inflicted on the N’avi. 3D then enriches the scale of the giant tree as it collapses slowly, with ELS’s of human aircraft shown next to it in comparison, with the 3D effect greatly emphasising the level of cruelty as the humans destroy this essential part of the N’avi’s massive home.

Huffington Post 3D survey

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/joe-twyman/3d-films-survey-shows-bri_b_977421.html

This 2011 survey will work well in contrasting some of the statistics found in my 2016 questionnaire, whilst complimenting the negative views many people still hold towards 3D.