Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Conversations: 3D


Is modern 3D technology the gateway to a new and improved kind of cinematic storytelling? Or is it an empty gimmick, a retread of an old fad, destined to disappear again as quickly as it arrived? Bottom line: Does 3D exist today because it provides an opportunity to enhance cinema or because it provides an opportunity to enhance the box office, or maybe both? These are the kinds of questions that Ed Howard and I approach in the latest edition of The Conversations at The House Next Door. We frame the conversation around the 3D of Martin Scorsese's Hugo, Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin, and, to a somewhat lesser degree, Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams. (Alas, we didn't include Wim Wenders' Pina, only because we wrapped the discussion before it was available.) This isn't the first time 3D has been debated like this, and it won't be the last. Whether Ed and I stumble onto any new ground or simply recap the many arguments that have been made elsewhere already, I'm not sure, but as we head into 2012 it seemed appropriate for a kind of "state of 3D" assessment of where things stand. Please add to the conversation by leaving comments at The House Next Door.

Click here for an archive of The Conversations.

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