With the recent trickle of big 3D feature film releases looking set to become the proverbial torrent, Tim Butler, Associate Director at legendary UK screen advertising company Pearl & Dean, examines the exciting implications for the world of entertainment – in UK cinemas and beyond

‘The buzzword in cinema for 2009 has to be 3D. After successful forays in recent years with The Polar Express (2004), Chicken Little (2005), U2 3D, Bolt (both 2008) and 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (which was created specifically as a 3D feature, rather than in 2D and altered for the screen), a real and growing thirst for 3D entertainment now exists within the UK cinema-going public.

‘2009 is shaping up to be a bumper year for 3D, with over 20 major releases scheduled. Films range from the recently launched animated Monsters vs Aliens, which was screened in 3D in over a quarter of cinemas nationwide on release, to James Cameron’s hotly anticipated return with the sci-fi opus Avatar, which hits the screens towards the end of the year. Already this year we have seen My Bloody Valentine, and more recently Coraline, which have had astounding box office results, clearly as a direct result of this new and improved format.’

Major investment
‘It’s no longer about ‘gimmicks’: real 3D filmmakers are interested in creating something that pulls the viewer into the experience, not just including a few ‘jump out of the screen’ moments. This resurgence of a film technology, which had long been consigned to the bargain bucket, allied to B-movies and 70s horror sequels, is undoubtedly down to considerable investment in associated technology by cinema chains seeking to develop and deepen the cinema experience.

‘Each of the major cinema chains in the UK, Odeon, Vue and Cineworld, is committed to introducing 3D capacity in their cinemas across the UK throughout 2009. By so doing, they are making the medium much more accessible to much wider audiences. UK exhibitors not investing in this innovation will simply miss out on the box-office opportunity that the new format provides.

‘This investment – in conjunction with major film producers like Disney and Warner Bros producing 3D versions of Toy Story, Bolt and certain scenes in the Harry Potter series, respectively – has also assisted in bringing modern 3D cinema to the masses. Equally, as Jeffrey Katzenberg, president of DreamWorks Animation, recently noted in an interview with CNN, 3D films cannot be illegally recorded with a camera from the stalls – undoubtedly a major attraction for an industry increasingly frustrated by film piracy.’

New 3D experiences
‘The first foray into 3D cinema advertising came in 2007, with an ad produced specially to promote the Red Bull Air Race. The three-dimensional element allowed the brand to convey the excitement, adrenaline and dynamism of the live London air race by truly bringing the experience to life on the big screen for cinema audiences. The commercial appeared on 764 cinema screens across London and the South East. Cinemagoers collected branded glasses before entering the auditorium, and were entertained by a two-minute introduction to air racing before the ad began, taking the viewer though a thrilling, multi-dimensional ride.

‘As the film industry responds to increased demand for 3D experiences in cinema by creating ever more varied and accessible product, the medium is likely to grow and spill over across differing types of cinematic experience. For example, many cinema chains, including Vue, have recently begun screening live events, such as concerts, allowing audiences to share the experience of a music event from the comfort of their local multiplex. Seeing the Genesis concert beamed live from Dusseldorf was a great experience for the viewers, but imagine how it would look in 3D, as if cinemagoers were watching the event from the best front row seat in the house. Vue has even held a live comedy event where cinema audiences could heckle a comedian performing in Liverpool from the relative safety of their cinema seats!

‘This kind of live event can be streamed across multiple channels at the same time. A recent test was performed of a live 3D concert performance by British band Keane. The event was filmed at Abbey Road studios and streamed live to a cinema screen at Vue West End, as well as to a Sky HD channel and to the internet simultaneously. Fans of the band who wanted to watch from their computer screens had been given directions on how to make a set of homemade 3D glasses, so they could experience the full impact of the performance.

‘This multichannel test of the technology worked perfectly across the different channels and has underlined the potential for 3D to work equally well through the medium of the web. At a time when the ‘multimedia schedule’ is key, 3D not only creates an opportunity to connect across multiple touch points by successfully combining cinema, TV and online, but it also does so in a hugely impactful and memorable way.

‘As audiences register their approval of increased 3D output, and this translates into tangible box office figures, it is likely that the 3D cinema experience will develop further, as more brands look to take advantage of the extra dimension it can add to advertising and the experience as a whole.

‘Looking ahead, it doesn’t seem beyond the realms of possibility that film premieres screened online in 3D and/or synchronised performances in 3D will soon be putting film and music fans right at the centre of the action – even from across the other side of the globe.’

Researchers working for 3M have announced that they have perfected the technology to produce a 3D mobile phone

Autostereoscopic technology offers 3D that can ‘escape the screen’.

The system, which uses autostereoscopic display technology, will be the first time that 3D technology has made it to a mobile for commercial use, and is capable of full resolution, according to Bill Bryan, technical manager of 3M’s St Paul, Minnesota-based Display and Graphics lab.

‘We expect to see a consumer electronic device by autumn in Asia, and you will see more products in the next 9-18 months,’ said Bryan, adding that 3M expected the development to drive a new market in 3D content to mobile devices.

‘This is going to be a new area for filmmakers and other content providers. Disney is now shooting all of its new films in 3D. We are already seeing 3D in the living room and the gaming room: the next differentiator in the handset market will be 3D.’

The autostereoscopic technology that 3M has opted for with its 3D screen sits between the light guides and LCD screens that are used in conventional mobile phone displays.

For those interested in the minutiae of the process, the screen is made from a double-sided micro-replicated film, which has microstructures on the bottom and the top. A directional back-light system is then used to generate the 3D effect.

Using a time delay, LED lights load an image onto the left side of the screen and then five milliseconds later, do the same for the right side of the screen. The whole process runs at 120Hz, so it does not generate screen flicker.

However, running the screen at such a rate could be a drawback according to some 3D experts, who see it as a limitation, because the screen uses four times more energy than the ones in use today.

The 3D screen can only be viewed when the screen is held at a particular angle, generating what is known as a ‘sweet spot’ – something that did not annoy those using the device, maintained Bryan.

‘The thing that we have noticed is that because mobile phones are handheld, people tend to naturally move them around until they have got it in the right place.’

The result, according to 3M, is 3D that can escape the screen it is generated on.