Disney's 3D Philosophy

Tangle's Rapunzel from DisneyPicture.Net

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the SIGGRAPH convention in Vancouver, British Columbia. SIGGRAPH is the primary organization supporting research and education in the field of computer imaging and their annual convention is the place to keep abreast of the newest technological breakthroughs in the field of imaging. One of my favorite sessions this year included a presentation by Robert Neuman of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Every major film studio remains committed to making 3D movies, but many seem to agree with their critics that much of the content released so far has not been very good. A great deal of time at the convention was spent on teaching 3D cinematography techniques in an attempt to improve future content. Most of the practitioners make analogies to the introduction of color and feel that it will take a while before screenwriters, directors and cinematographers master the new medium.

Many of the 3D tutorials explained methods and mathematics to calculate parallax, determine a comfortable depth budget and ways to prevent and correct window violations. Neuman focused more on the impact of depth on the storyline of the film.

Disney's guidelines for 3D are:

    1.   Keep the viewing experience comfortable
    2.   Avoid gimmicks
    3.   Use depth to enhance storytelling

Disney sees depth as a way to enhance the emotional impact of a scene. In scenes with low emotion levels, the total depth is kept shallow. As the emotion levels build, the depth is increased with the most depth reserved for the highest impact scenes. Disney has also observed that increasing the distance of a character from the audience increases their emotional distance as well. Characters that are positioned in front of the screen are literally "on our side.

I believe that 3D is the next evolution in imaging and those of us in the imaging field need to remain alert for opportunities to incorporate it into our product and service portfolios.

Some of the movies that I believe have made great use of 3D are Avatar, How to Train Your Dragon and Tangled.  What are your favorite 3D movies?

3D Rocks!

Watching the Disney movie Tangled at home in 3D is a beautiful experience.  It is a wonderful animated musical in the Disney tradition with interesting characters, fun songs and great animation art.  Seeing the intricate textures in the clothing, the foliage and Rapunzal’s hair in 3D enriches the experience immensely.

Personally, I enjoy 3D photography, 3D video games and watching movies in 3D. I use an Alienware monitor on my computer and a Sony Bravia 3D TV in the living room.  I prefer the active shutter glasses technology because they provide complete separation between the left and right views while allowing each view to be presented in full HD resolution.

As a 3D enthusiast, I am frustrated by many of the negative articles in the press that target the technology. The rest of this post is a response to some of the specific attacks.

3D is only good for gimmicks - Many people have their perception of 3D from early theme rides at Disney and Universal studios or some old 3D movies where the point of the 3D was to surprise or scare the audience by poking things deeply out of the screen. Today’s approach to 3D cinematography is completely different.  Following in the footsteps of James Cameron and his masterpiece Avatar, directors and animators now use 3D to add depth and realism to each scene. A good 3D movie immerses you deeply into the story.

3D makes movies dark and hard to see - The 3D glasses, whether they are polarized glasses in the theater or active shutter glasses at home, reduce the amount of light reaching each eye. The image on the screen needs to be bright enough to look good while wearing the glasses. Unfortunately, some theaters have not been projecting the movies at the correct brightness which does make the movie appear too dark.  This should never be a problem at home because you can adjust the brightness to your own 3D tastes. Our Sony Bravia automatically boosts the brightness of the screen when it switches to 3D content.

3D gives people headaches - When we view a normal 2D screen, we are looking at a subject represented on the surface of the screen and also focusing on the surface of the screen. On a 3D screen, we are still focusing on the surface of the screen, but the subject may be respresented behind or in front of the screen. Just like any other new form of physical activity, using our eye muscles in this new way takes some training.  If you develop any discomfort while watching 3D, take a break to let you eyes rest. With a little practice, most people get comfortable with 3D very quickly.

People don’t want to wear glasses all the time to watch TV - I agree.  When you are casually watching television, leave the set in 2D mode.  Any 3D set also produces beautiful 2D images.  Save the 3D experience for those evenings when you want to relax and get totally immersed in the movie. Dim the lights, have your popcorn close by, put on your glasses and enjoy the movie.

All of the negative press about 3D hurts because each of the attacks contains an element of truth. The greater truth is that 3D makes watching a movie a much richer experience.  Don’t let the critics keep you from experiencing 3D for yourself.

What is your favorite 3D movie?