Media Production & Consumption

Introduction

The digital is revolution is a unique an extremely large topic to explain. The implications of it effects both past and present are so broad that they are extremely hard to sum up in a short essay. Television however only represents a small section of the media. Its function, audience behaviours and economic workings will each undergo major reform as a result of the advancing digital age as will the media in whole in many different ways. It is definitely fair to say that the digital revolution has touched all scopes of human life. Its presence has been fast paced and prominent. The ways in which the digital revolution will affect us in the next five years offers exciting and scary possibilities. We have however lived through it, are living through it and will live in it in the future, whatever that future may be.

3D films are the hottest thing to hit Hollywood in years. Interest has been growing since the release of “Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over” (2003). It grossed $111 million in North America. Its story was not particularly good and it appealed primarily to children. The reason for its commercial success were short segments of 3D imagery. Its success caught Hollywood's attention and initiated a mad scramble to create 3D films. (Wood 1986)

The Rebirth of 3D Films

The rebirth of 3D films is part of the larger struggle involving piracy and distribution of movies to cinemas across the world. Two years ago RealD and Disney began an initiative to transform film distribution. Previously, copies of a film were produced on film stock, each to be sent to one of thousands of theatres. A complete movie can require dozens of reels of film. Two projectors are used so that when the end of one reel is detected, the projectionist starts the 2nd projector pre-loaded with the next reel of the sequence. Not only is it expensive to produce so many copies and also cumbersome to ship, but the process of running film through a projector causes the film stock to degrade resulting in streaks and scratches. (Wood 1992)

Disney, in collaboration with RealD (a US start-up based on Stereographic technology and Hollywood funding) stepped forward to underwrite the conversion costs. The new all digital projection systems were engineered to be capable of showing 3D films. A small premium added to the price of admission to 3D films will be used to cover the cost of these new projectors. Approximately 2,000 screens have been converted. RealD estimates 5,000 within two years. All of the studios and many of the world's greatest directors are literally falling over themselves in an attempt to create 3D films.

3D at ETH

Alas, this is where ETH comes into the 3D revolution. We in the Stereoscopic Imaging group have focused on the issues related to viewer fatigue, image composition, scene transitions and special effects for 3D films for a number of years. We do this in conjunction with teaching courses about stereoscopic imaging. According to Studios, ...