Engaging audiences through 3D filmmaking
Digital Cinema Media’s CEO Simon Rees shares his thoughts on the creative possibilities 3D technology is opening up for filmmakers and advertisers.
Digital Cinema Media joined more than 5,000 movie industry professionals from around the world in Las Vegas last month for the annual CinemaCon event. The world’s biggest stars, producers, directors, studio executives and cinema owners all come together to preview upcoming films and advances in the motion picture and cinema industry.
A recurring theme from the major studio presentations was their commitment to 3D filmmaking. In the next three months alone we can look forward to Star Trek Into Darkness, Epic, Man of Steel, World War Z, Despicable Me 2, Monsters University, Pacific Rim, The Wolverine and The Great Gatsby – all in 3D.
At CinemaCon, Baz Luhrmann introduced stunning new Great Gatsby footage which included bold imagery and emotive close-ups that take full advantage of the 3D format. “F. Scott Fitzgerald was a great fan of new technology,” said Luhrmann, who realised 3D’s potential when he had an opportunity to watch Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder in its original 3D format.
The Great Gatsby, along with Ang Lee’s The Life of Pi, are redefining the role of 3D. Speaking at the BFI’s 3D Creative Summit recently, Lee lamented that 3D was currently the preserve of action and animation films, arguing that the format offers filmmakers myriad opportunities to explore emotions and human stories.
Lee said: “I want to learn and become one of the trailblazers in discovering the language of 3D filmmaking.” He said he remains “attached” to 2D filmmaking but is “excited” by the “new language of cinema” that 3D provides a filmmaker with.
Developing a new language through emerging technologies is equally powerful for advertisers. The impact of 3D is worth the investment in cinema specific creative and we need to address the misconception that it is hugely expensive and time-consuming.
According to James Stewart from Geneva Films: “It’s not that much more expensive. It doesn’t take that much longer to produce it and the impact is huge for a relatively small investment, whether you are shooting live action at 10-20% more, converting or creating something experiential.
“The studies show that the impact is 20% higher, in your attention and the desire to buy the product and the ad recall. You get an incredible bump in all those categories just for being in 3D with the same content, whether it’s converted or live action.”
For brands that are interested in visual storytelling, 3D is another way to engage and create impact in the hugely immersive cinema environment.
In this age where everything is getting increasingly edited in the way we consume ads and content, there’s something really compelling about having an audience that will lean forward in a dark, sound-filled theatre, put on a pair of glasses and watch your ad with no other distractions. There just isn’t that opportunity anywhere else.