What’s Wrong with 3D?

Now that 3D has invaded our cinemas and threatens to take over video games and television markets, do we actually know what we’re looking at?

3D is not actually three-dimensional

When you look at a 3D image, you’ll notice that it’s actually composed of layers of 2D images. The person or object appearing to be closer than the background or hovering above the seats in front of the screen is still a two-dimensional image, and so is the background. This might be the reason why a lot of people forget about the 3D halfway through the film and feel tempted to take the glasses off.

Cinematography hasn’t caught up

3D films are mostly shot like the good old 2D films. In 2D photography (like in painting) lighting, perspective and framing are some of the visual tools to create a sense of depth. So, before the film gets its 3D treatment, most of the job is already done in the camera. The problem is that it doesn’t always work. Using out-of-focus objects in the foreground