Healani Brennan
Staff Writer

The reincarnation of old movies into 3D versions has become a big habit with filmmakers. Recently “The Lion King,” “Finding Nemo,” and “Titanic” were rebooted in 3D for rereleases and another classic, “Jurassic Park 3D” will hit theaters soon.

3D has gone in and out of style multiple times in the past few decades, and now in the modern day, advanced technology has made it the biggest trend in theaters. TVs are now available with 3D capabilities, as well as gaming devices like the Nintendo DSi. Despite this, motion pictures are still the most common use for 3D, with reason.

Directors make more money with 3D, while moviegoers pay more. Is there really still a new experience to be had with watching 3D films? Most movies aren’t filmed to support the 3D technology, leaving bland scenes and little added to a viewing experience. Some movies, such as “Avatar,” were originally made with the intent of 3D. This generally yields a better overall quality than converting to 3D later, satisfying audiences and critics alike.

3D also prevents directors from properly utilizing filming techniques, such as focus. Focus in a film is meant to center on a certain person or object while the object’s surroundings are blurry, adding a shallow depth to the image. With 3D, this is a challenge because the equipment always focuses the whole image and not a single area viewers should center on.

The technology for 3D originated about 150 years ago with simple stereoscopes. This led to ViewMasters, which progressed into cameras that film in what we would call modern 3D.

The first film ever screened in 3D was in 1922—a film called the “Power of Love.” The film was projected with two strips of the film layered over one another while the audience wore filtered glasses.

A better system was invented later with devices that rested on the armrests of the seats. The device was like binoculars and with each passing frame the shutters would open and close according to which eyes the frame was for.

ViewMasters, CinemaScope, 3D and Cinerama were all techniques that attempted to change normal film in order to give the masses a more realistic image. 3D was the only of these strategies that stuck. The 1950s were considered the advent of 3D, and many awe-inspiring films were made in that time period.

Between the 1960s and recent decades, 3D fell into disuse, being used mostly on cheesy B-movies. When the technology and the content finally reached a high point, the device made a comeback.

The glasses people wear in theaters with the one red and one blue lens create different images in each eye. The human brain then combines the two images from the red and blue sides to create a three dimensional figure, sort of like laying one image on top of another.

The evolution of this technology will only progress, and the popularity of 3D movies won’t go away anytime soon. Eventually, all TVs will likely be 3D capable, and the glasses will be streamlined or obsolete. This is, unless people refuse to pay the extra money to view a 3D rather than regular film.