A classical format theatre film, TV or DVD screenings all have in common the fact that the screen is like a window. When the format is immersive, the viewer is no longer conscious of the screen limits. The experience becomes immersive.

What does this mean for the filmmaker? How does it modify our ways of crafting a film?

Framing and composition, camera movements, editing and tempo…all basic film building blocks are affected.

Animation introduced its specific dialect

3D films are almost as old as the cinema itself.
Cinematographic language began quite modestly with the Lumière brothers, but soon after, Méliès and above all Griffith elaborated a real film syntax as complex and subtle as that used by composers.
Since then countless filmmakers from Eisenstein to Kieslowski and from Chaplin to Spielberg introduced new vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation signs making film a universal language. 3D brought visual depth, sculptural as opposed to that equally virtual but simply pictorial, depicted in classical flat cinema.

All filmmakers, film students and film lovers know the basic rules of film language. With 3D, it is simply advisable to adapt them a little. There are specific elements of 3D films: depth, or dynamics between background, mid-ground and foreground, off screen effects

The constraints

The effect of depth or the “aquarium effect ” which makes it possible to feel the various planes behind the screen plane gives the sensation of observing a magical universe as in a parallel dimension.

It does not require any major modification of the film’s construction. It is simply necessary, as with off-screen effects, to pay attention while editing in order not to splice two shots with too different depths. If the depths are too different or if one assembles an in-depth shot with an off-screen shot, it is necessary to let time so that the eyes and brain can accommodate to the depth difference. Generally, for this reason, a 3D film is assembled in an appreciably slower rhythm, with a preponderance of long duration shots. Quick edited short jerky shot assemblies completely lose their charm in 3D

Off-screen shots

Concerning “off-screen shots”, there are much more precautions to take, in particular with regard to composition and camera movement.

The edges of the screen should not crop an off-screen subject. A truncated off-screen subject loses its credibility, and we all know that a loss of suspension of disbelief will destroy the filmic illusion.

Ideally, we should be able to progressively follow the arrival of the subject from the background till it’s off-screen. The key is to give the eyes enough time to accommodate comfortably. One can achieve this in several ways:

The subject is already well framed off-screen in the shot. The subject enters screen behind the screen plane and advances progressively off-screen when entirely visible.
The subject enters or exits the frame while being truncated but very furtively. It should especially not hesitate half in and half off screen. This solution is valid for small subjects e.g. remaining of explosions.

It is necessary to exert the same care with camera movements. A truncated set element or accessory is even less credible than a moving subject.

It is particularly necessary to pay attention to the rotary movements (in CGI)! The rotation axis must be in the center of the axis between the two cameras as if they were assembled on a physical support and not in the center of the virtual optical axis of each camera.

Hyper-stereo

The 3D effect can be adjusted in either a realistic or an expressionistic manner. Realistic 3D reproduces the human vision. For this, it is necessary to respect the human inter-ocular variation, i.e. between 6,5 and 7 cm. When this variation is appreciably increased it’s called hyper-stereo. These effects are very seizing and expressionistic. Only, one must be conscious that the fact of exaggerating the stereoscopic effect gives the impression that the subject is reduced like a scale model.

To remain realistic it is necessary to be rigorous on the scale level. If one applies a naturalistic inter-ocular distance, it is necessary that all is on a “human” scale.

With regard to the scale and the space situation of the objects, 3D does not forgive anything. Any inconsistency literally jumps to the eyes. This invariably poses an additional problem for any tracking or compositing operation.

Advantages of CGI for stereoscopic productions

Until here I spoke about the constraints related to making animated stereoscopic films. There are numerous advantages to working in CGI compared to live action 3D shooting.

The absence of 2 cumbersome “physical” cameras; the possibility of varying the inter-ocular distance in a dynamic way (which allows for example: a tracking shot from wide establishing at “macro”. The facility of using hyper-stereo effects, and even more, micro-stereo which is possible in live action only by mounting the cameras on a microscope or binocular periscope.

Various pre-visualization possibilities of the screen plane, the possibility of pre-editing line tests in order to control the visual fluidity of the different depths and off-screen effects.

What makes a good 3D film?

3D movies are often considered as a type of bargain basement product for an unsophisticated audience. It should not be forgotten that the cinema as a whole was first a fairground attraction. There always have been and there certainly will be many poor attempts at 3D movies.

Reasons for a bad result are e.g. the absence of 3D, absence or insufficiency of off-screen effects or on the contrary too much off-screen to the point that it’s impossible to accommodate, truncated subjects, brutal editing with incompatible 3D adjustments, abrupt realignments which make for painful vision, scale model effect, strobe effect which destroys the illusion of 3D.
But especially a bad script and poor continuity of off-screen effects are a reason the audience dislikes 3D movies.

Luckily, there are also some real pearls in 3D shows, films which perfectly dose the effects as well as an exciting scenario. They manage to keep the public sufficiently off-balance in order to better surprise them with original ideas and unforeseen effects.

I advise all those who have the occasion to go to the large theme parks such as Universal in Orlando, Florida or California to discover among others Terminator 3D and especially Spiderman the 3D ride.

Like all films, a good 3D film must have a strong beginning and a good end. Moreover, the off-screen effects must be well spaced and well paced all along the film while leaving calm moments of in-depth 3D. The effects must rise naturally from the scenario and not seem contrived.

As, it never should be forgotten that 3D, considered constraining, is also an additional powerful tool in the storyteller’s toolkit.

About the author

Mr. Jerzy Kular one of the leading directors for large format film, themenpark rides and 3D films visited the fmx in Germany 2006 and gave a seminar on his work. He was involved in movies like Sea Squad, Escape from Dino Island, Mad Racers and Odyssey Into the Mind’s Eye Dino Island II 3D. You can see his work in most 3D cinemacomplexes arround the world. In Germany you can see it at the CINECITTA Nuernberg in the motionride cinema. By the way, that cinema is the most profitable movie theatre in Germany and the most amazing as well since it is completely build in the underground including an huge IMAX theatre.
A themepark attraction he did can be seen in Singapur at the Sentosa Musical Fountain. Very Asian but the people love it.

Editied by Axel Gärtner