3D is Comin' Atcha
by Jeff Maslouski, Post Production Manager
It’s not your father’s 3D anymore! The new version of 3D cinema is impressively more natural and realistic than the novelty effects that have been around since the 1950’s. This new and improved 3D is playing now in a theater near you.
Anyone who has been to the movies recently should know that 3D versions of numerous major films have been released into regular theaters and the sensory immersive IMAX theaters. A quick perusal of the DVD or BluRay section at your the local store will reveal many titles available in 3D versions. New technology to create and distribute 3D imagery has jumped forward by leaps and bounds in the last few years and has helped salvage a sagging movie industry. If you have any question about how big of an impact 3D has had, you need only look to Avatar, released in 3D on December 18. In its first weekend alone, the film garnered more than $200 million worldwide.
At the moment, an audience member still must wear the funky glasses to get the effect, but there are several exciting technologies available now and on the horizon that will cement 3D as the format of the future, even for average consumers. 3D televisions have been available in Japan for a couple years, (there is even a 3D channel broadcast) and will be hitting American shores soon. In fact, the next FIFA World Cup will be broadcast in 3D - we’re talking 2010 here - not years down the road.
But what exactly is 3D? Basically, it is a film or video production and delivery mechanism that tricks your eyes (and your brain) into perceiving depth where none actually exists. A movie or TV screen is a flat surface and the images projected onto it have no real depth. A 3D production uses one of several methods to capture and manipulate images in 3D space inside a computer. The result is a stereoscopic program which simulates human binocular vision by encoding two slightly different images representing what each eye sees. When viewed through special glasses that assemble the images in a way that your brain can process, it creates the illusion of depth.
So what does this mean for those of us in the happily non-Hollywood blockbuster world of corporate communications? 3D technology is available to us as well. Perhaps it is unnecessary to produce your next four-hour corporate training program using the latest 3D technology, but when you need to hit hard with something that is memorable and impactful, 3D may be just what the doctor ordered.
Picture this... you are in a conference room making a presentation for a big piece of business. Your company stands to make millions of dollars if you win this contract. As execs from the company you are pitching trickle into the room, you hand out 3D glasses to each. Everyone is fiddling around with them, wondering what they are for...oh the anticipation. When everyone is seated, you slowly put your glasses on, then sit down and turn your attention to the giant LCD monitor at the head end of the conference table. Then POW! A big, bold, high tech, high energy, high impact 3D video knocks them right out of their favorite red silk power ties! They will certainly remember this presentation over the company whose PowerPoint computer locked up. So while other companies hand out handouts, you hand out trendsetting 3D glasses imprinted with their company branding. If I were making a first impression, I’d take the 3D!
And how about this: your underperforming sales force slowly filters into a ballroom filled with the soothing sounds of light jazz music underscored by the subtle groaning of another less-than-motivational sales meeting. As the lights dim, a voice announces over the PA system - “Please take the glasses from under your chair and put them on now. Please keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times.” Then POW! A big, bold, high tech, high energy, high impact 3D video projected on a giant 60’ screen knocks them right out of their business casual khaki’s, golf shirts and ostentatious watches. Wow what a ride! This is the way to get the blood pumping, and poise your sales team ready for a truly remarkable event. The bottom line: mind blowing 3D video = energized sales force!
Convincing 3D video can also be put on the web or even played as a podcast on a phone. Call or email Quicksilver Associates to find out how to put this exciting technology into your communications arsenal.