Three dimensional films are motion pictures that utilize special technologies to enhance the viewer’s illusion of depth perception. Special cameras and equipment are used to film the images and then stereoscopic hardware and eye wear are used to provide viewers with the feeling of depth. The most crucial part of the 3D movie viewing experience are the glasses that must be donned in order to do so.

The era of stereoscopic movies began in the 1890s. Around that time, a man named William Friese-Greene developed a three dimensional movie making process and filed a patent for it. His technique consisted of playing two side by side on a screen and using a stereoscope to view the images as one. Though his work was groundbreaking, Friese-Greene’s method was too unpractical for theatrical use.

The very first 3D film that was played to a paying audience was The Power Of Love. It premiered in 1922 to a packed Los Angeles Ambassador’s Hotel. The movie consisted of dual red and green strips and, to view it, the audience members were given anaglyph glasses. Despite receiving rave reviews, the film was lost after a brief exhibition in New York.

Small jumps in three dimensional technology were accomplished slowly over the next few years but by the early 1930s, interest in the format had dipped. The Great Depression had swept through the country and left behind a nation filled with people who were understandably uninterested in the film industry in its wake.

It wasn’t until 1936 that MGM commissioned and released a series of 3D movies called Audioscopiks. The movies were collectively considered a massive success and nominated for an Academy Award for the short subject novelty category.

Starting in 1952, Hollywood experienced a sort of golden era when it come to 3D films. Every single major production company released a number of three dimensional movies during this period. In fact, so many films were released that the general public began to tire of the format. By the mid fifties, the decline in interest and high costs of shooting 3D movies had caused most production companies to abandon the format altogether.

In the early seventies, a new method called Space-Vision 3D had emerged and helped to usher in a revival for the genre. The latest technologies allowed for three dimensional films to be shot and played in a way that didn’t hurt the audience member’s eyes when watched. When Stereovision used the new technology to make the immensely popular and profitable soft-core film, The Stewardess, other companies began to once again follow suit.

Beginning in the early 2000s, the technology used to create these films has been progressively improving. The 3D glasses used to watch the films are no longer the flimsy cardboard pieces that they once were. Most movies today require polarized glasses to view them. The objects closely resemble regular sunglasses both in their frame and lenses. The devices offer a more realistic viewing experience and are the gold standard for most 3D movies and theme park attractions.

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Category: Entertainment
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