Sony may have taken a beating over in their PlayStation 3 department, other arms of the Sony entertainment octopus has apparently been busy cataloging every 3D movie ever made in order to release a nifty infographic. While I’m not sure if the graphic was made to offer support for the style of movie-making, or if to inform the public about the upcoming swoon in regards to interest for the film gimmick, something that’s already shown its head, as audiences for the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently demonstrated.
The information in Sony’s graphic, besides listing all of the 3D movies, is fairly educational. It offers a distinction between the various methods of producing 3-dimensional films, and, in fact, the actual number of ways to simulate the third dimension is surprising. According to the graphic, there are 11 different methods listed to achieve the desired effect. Also of note, the graphic reveals the first film to use 3D was actually a 1903 short film called, L’arrive du train: Lumiere Short, and according to Sony’s research:
This original short was probably shot flat, and was probably re-shot in 3D as late as 1915. Due to the lack of proper display technology, the film was probably shown on a modified Stereoscope, one person at a time.
Nonetheless, it still counts as a 3D film. With that in mind, here’s the graphic in question, and you can view it in its entirety by clicking the following image (it’s over 10 MB):
One of the biggest trends that stands out is the trend-like life 3D movies enjoy. As pointed out by Slash Film, 3D movies make a comeback in regards to popularity every 30 years or so:
The 1920s, 1950s, 1980s, and 2010s all mark periods of interest in 3D cinema, and with the exception of the current 3D bubble, each has been followed by sharp drop-offs in 3D filmmaking toward the end of each of those decades.
As for the current 3D bubble mentioned in the quote, perhaps the lackluster response to the latest PotC movie indicates it’s begun in earnest. Considering the absolute disdain critics have the for the technique, it’s surprising the current trend lasted as long as it did, but then again, that’s another conversation entirely because it deals with studios trying to charge as much for tickets as they can and 3D movies provide them with a reason to do so.
The SeeMikeDraw blog covered this subject beautifully:
Booyah, indeed.
The troubling/interesting thing is the amount of 2011 movies that have and will be presented in 3D. By a glance, the only year where as many 3D films were produced was 1953. Of course, if the current crop performs like the fourth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, the trend could be over — at least until James Cameron makes Avatar 2.