‘Live' gets a whole new meaning with three-dimensional (3D) technology.
Whether it is the Na'vi battling greedy humans in Avatar, Shakira shaking those hips in a mega concert, Messi weaving his magic in a Football World Cup Soccer match or Sachin Tendulkar smashing a six on a cricket pitch halfway across the world, watching it in 3D gives that unmatched ‘being there' sensation .
As 3D systems leap out of 1950s science books into theatres, its popularity among moviegoers has increased, said Cameron Mitchell, General Manager of CineStar Middle East.
The numbers tell the story.
Last year, 11 out of 300 movies screened by CineStar were in 3D. This year, three 3D movies have already hit UAE screens (Clash of the Titans, Alice in Wonderland and How to Train Your Dragon), and nearly a dozen more are lined up, with Toy Story 3 (pictured top) being the next big thing to hit UAE screens in June.
With over 230 cinema screens and gross box office receipts of Dh272 million ($74 million), the UAE is the region's second-largest film market after Egypt. Currently there are 36 3D screens in the UAE and the numbers will only go up. "3D is the new generation of entertainment," said Mitchell. "It adds depth that puts you in the thick of the action."
However, its not just movies that are reaping the benefit of the 3D revolution, he said.
Untapped market
A largely untapped, but growing segment for 3D includes live concerts, sports events and major fight nights. Mitchell said they are already in talks with producers to screen major world events in 3D in the UAE.
"Imagine watching the [football] World Cup Final in 3D on a 20-metre screen, or seeing concerts, operas and even kids events live in 3D on a huge silver screen," said Mitchell.
CineStar is also working out a deal for a 3D screening of "The Wiggles" concert in September.
Nostalgia time
Film technology has indeed come a long way from its black and white days, evolving into the 70mm format and 35mm, which still remains popular.
A visit to the projection room of CineStar Cinemas at Mirdif City Centre offers a "Back to the Future" experience, with elements of the past and the future within each other's reach.
Huge, round-shaped metallic trays (film platters) that hold up to 3km long films roll up and down German-made Kinoton projectors that sit alongside their 3D brethren - Christie RealD 3D projectors from Canada.
But outside the cinema hall, posters and trailers are displayed in huge LCD or plasma screens - there are paper posters or teasers to be seen anywhere.
"At the moment, out of the 300 films we release every year (Hindi, Arabic, Western), only about 15 to 20 are in 3D. As these numbers increase, these rolls of film will just go away," said Mitchell, pointing to the film snaking around the huge projection room upstairs from the movie houses.
According to Mitchell, by 2015, "everything will be made in digital format."
CineStar, partially owned by Amalgamated Holdings, the world's fifth-largest cinema exhibitor which controls 1,299 cinemas internationally across five different countries, controls up to 45 per cent of the movie business in the UAE.
CineStar now has eight RealD 3D screens, or 16 per cent of its 50 screens here, and 22 per cent of the country's 3D screens.
Mitchell said CineStar will continue to invest in additional 3D screens as the quantity of 3D releases increases. A renaissance in movie-making is unfolding, he said, with audiences willing to pay more for a 3D movie ticket, which in turn is encouraging producers to go in with bigger production costs - even as the global show business is reeling from massive piracy.
The craze for 3D is so great that sequels to 14 of the world's top 25 box office hits in recent memory, right from Avatar (2009) to Shrek The Third (2007), are being planned in 3D, according to online movie database imbd.com. Similarly, estimates by Box Office Mojo, which monitors the movie industry, show that 3D films netted more than $1 billon worldwide in 2009, triple the earnings of such movies in 2008.
The success of Avatar with over $2.6 billion in global revenues, has confirmed that 3D can bring people out of their homes and back into the movie theatres in droves, said Mitchell.
Home entertainment
While it's true that watching a film or sporting event at home can be entertaining, it is nowhere as entertaining as seeing it with friends and family on a huge screen in an exciting environment.
"We are all social creatures," Mitchell said, "so the urge to visit the cinema to see a movie or event that you will not be able to see at home for another three months, is irresistible. We often use the analogy that you can brew a coffee at home, eat at home and get your latest fashion purchase on line, but, we still prefer to head out to a café, restaurant or our favourite mall.
Now, that the trend towards 3D seems unstoppable, where will the discarded projectors go? "Maybe, museums," said Mitchell.
How does 3D work?
There's a biological reason why 3D movies work. Try this little experiment: hold your hand or a pen out a few feet away. Look at it alternating one eye with the other. Your hand will appear to move against the background. 3D movies work on a similar principle. Two images filmed (or animated) at slightly different perspectives are projected on a screen. Using a variety of technologies, a 3D system permits each eye to see only one of them. The brain combines the separate images as if it were looking at an actual object, creating the illusion of depth. The eyes in a human are spaced about two inches apart, meaning that each eye gives the brain a slightly different perspective on the same object. The brain then uses this variance to quickly determine an object's distance.
Source: http://filmtvindustry.suite101.com
