The Crossroad of 3D Cinema

I read an interesting article in US magazine Variety today about the current (and future) state of 3D cinema in the eyes of DreamWorks CEO Jeff Katzenberg.

It comes as a warning to Hollywood deafened and dazzled by the sound of cash registers for anything with "3D" slapped to the title, and Katzenberg makes little disguise of his disappointment at some recent 3D efforts (namely the widely panned Clash of the Titans).

From the article:

I think we are at a genuine crossroads. Today, 3D in theaters offers probably the greatest innovation and opportunity for movie makers, studios, exhibitors and, most importantly, the consumers, of anything that's come along in several decades.

I think people have really misunderstood what my anxieties have been about in these last few weeks. We had the largest 3D release platform for "Dragons" than any movie today. It's not been about losing 3D screens for "Dragons."

So the issue of "Clash of the Titans" is actually not about theater (capacity) and theater access, it is about (what) that movie represents -- a different experience. And in my opinion, one that, if replicated, and becomes the standard, is the end of 3D.

We've seen the highest end of (3D) in "Avatar" and you have now witnessed the lowest end of it (in "Titans"). You cannot do anything that is of a lower grade and a lower quality than what has just been done on "Clash of the Titans." It literally is "OK, congratulations! You just snookered the movie audience."

The act of doing it was disingenuous. We may get away with it a few times but in the long run, (moviegoers) will wake up. And the day they wake up is the day they walk away from us and we blew it.

He raises a valid point. Like hybrid cars or Twenty20 cricket, 3D cinema is the new flashy reinvention of a century-old industry, and nobody knows if it's here to stay or a passing fad. Right now 3D is in its formative years, and if it is to become accepted as a staple story-telling tool (as sync sound did in the early 1900's and colour film in the 1950's) then producers and the wider industry have an obligation to ensure 3D is used to enhance viewer experience and not revenue raise. We need to be clever and respectful with how we use the technology and not lose sight of the fact that, glasses or not, our job is simply to tell good stories in the most engaging way possible.

The full article with Katzenberg can be found on the Variety website here.