[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Tokolosh

From reading this thread, it's clear to me that most of you (excluding Dr. Eugene Felikson, !@#$%! and demonrail666) don't have much a clue or interest in 3d technology. Fair enough.

SYG never took math

Originally Posted by Tokolosh

I for one embrace it. The reason why a lot of filmmakers have chosen to take this path is because technology is advancing at such a rapid pace that noone can actually predict what the future of 3d will bring. To shoot a film in this way has it's advantages.

I think the main advantage right now is a business/marketing one-- you have an exclusive product and you can shut out competitors that lack the resources and technology to do the same. This doesn't mean the product is good, however, it just means that you control a commodity.

Originally Posted by Tokolosh

If we get to the point where the convergence/focus issues can be miraculously resolved,

That's a HUUUUGE "if". That would be a holographic image rather than what we're doing today. Holographic mages would indeed be amazing, but they would likely require completely different filming and projection technology. I would love to see holographic film, though i wonder if it wouldn't be restricted to room-size scenarios-- how the hell do you fit in the horizon line into a limited space? But anyway, that's another thing altogether.

What we have right now isn't amazing-- it's a gimmick that sometimes is nice and sometimes sucks ass.

The fact is that we've had access to 3D film and stereoscopic images for over 50 years. It was a fad in the 50s and it went away. I think this fad will also pass because it brings nothing new to the table-- it's the same old shit in a brand new package. Once the novelty wears out there is nothing behind it.

Originally Posted by Tokolosh

old stock will be remastered to look a lot more realistic and natural to the eye, than it does now.

That would still require a stereoscopic image that's not there, but I image one could be extrapolated and rendered by computer without excessive hassle. Actually you'd need 2 extra images to recreate the original one in the middle in 3D.

Originally Posted by Tokolosh

For much the same reason why a smart filmmaker would shoot his black and white noir film in colour and later have the freedom to saturate it in post,

wait, i don't get how this is possible. you can't "saturate" black and white-- you can colorize it, like ted turner did with old movies, but if there's no color information there is nothing to saturate. the opposite trick is useful however-- to shoot in color and later DEsaturate-- desaturate all or maybe just one channel for a "pleasantville" effect. Maybe I'm not understanding what you're saying.

Originally Posted by Tokolosh

many progressive filmmakers have realized
that it gives them more options further down the line. Afterall, films shot in 3d don't have to land up that way on the big screen. It only gives filmmakers more latitude to decide what they do with their footage later on.

That i suppose is true in some level, but you also kill your finances, use double the film stock (if shooting film) and have to use pricier cameras. When you consider the cost and risks of making movies, suddenly the idea of burning a ton of money out of the gate for no particular purpose ceases to be appealing.

Originally Posted by Tokolosh

With new advancements in HDR and 'Magic Motion', things will only get better.

HDR is very promising because it offers to reproduce the way we see the world, without clipping whites and crushing blacks the way video does today, but that's completely separate from the 3D problem. Better motion capture is a good thing too, anything better than the creepy looking shit like "polar express" (yuck), but again it's a separate problem from 3D or dynamic range.

Originally Posted by Tokolosh

To have a true understanding of film, filmmakers need to embrace and understand the different aspects of filmmaking and the technologies that come with it.

hell yes. goes without saying. but to understand the technology also means to know its limitations.

Originally Posted by Tokolosh

After all, a lot more is required from a filmmaker than just 'creativity' and a 'good story'. The sooner wannabe 'filmmakers' realize it, the better.

Yes, true, but when the good story isn't there the result is utter shit, like avatar. I know that movie was a commercial and technological success, but I find it unwatchable, except as a scientific curiosity ("oh, wow, look how they did that") which places me completely outside the universe of the movie.

Just the other day i watched "My Dinner With Andre" for the first time, and one of the great things about it was that it filled my mind with pictures while the movie itself was just 2 dudes talking. That's what a good story can do.

Originally Posted by Tokolosh

Trust me, you don't want to get left behind in this business.

I have a friend who shoots in 16mm. Beautiful experimental stuff, some of it hand-painted, but at $50 for every 2 minutes of raw footage-- OUCH! Still, only way to get that stuff done. We've had HD video for years now, but most festivals still lack the capability for HD projection, so you end up downrezing and compressing your HD movie for consumption. BR is not as widespread as one would expect and how many people have the capability to watch HD video files? DVD is still the main distribution medium for movies even though it's theoretically "obsolete". Shit, even a lot of TV is still SD, in spite of all the advances.

2D films are here to stay, just like we still have books and paintings that don't need to be replaced with instructional videos or photography. 3D will remain a specialty market for a very long time, at least until we discover a way to make true holographic movies. 3D TVs look like utter shit and I don't believe the hype. Cameron making those pronouncements is just trying to psych out the competition and drum up business for his products. Fuck him. Fuck Peter Jackson too-- Lord of the Ringworms was fucking boring! Del Toro is a much more imaginative director-- Pan's Labyrinth used effects and technology to a great end.