Literature Review

Here is my first attempt at my Literature review. See what you think...

Literature Review

The projection of 3D images within cinema and television is increasingly becoming more popular. But certain critics strongly oppose it. Ebert (2010) states that 3D is an unnecessary format and a waste of time and money. “Our minds use the principle of perspective to provide the third dimension. Adding one artificially can make the illusion less convincing” (Ebert 2010).This highlights that the illusion of 3D is not necessary in the industry and can become almost too much for the viewer. However, Deneroff (2010) claims that 3D movies are here to stay, highlighting the fact that these movies, like ‘Avatar’, brought in a substantial profit. “The game changer was James Cameron’s Avatar, which seemed to legitimatize the process; if nothing else, its $2 billion plus box office receipts, with an overwhelming amount of domestic revenues coming from 3D theaters, made people realize that stereoscopic films were no longer a recurring fad” (Deneroff 2010). This strong support for the technology suggests that it is popular with cinema-goers and is set to continue for the foreseeable future.

There are concerns that watching 3D television or movies can be a threat to your health. Banks (2010) reported in an interview with ‘Voanews.com’ that viewing stereoscopic videos is making human eyes go against what they are made to do. “You're taking that normal relationship which has been coupled in the brain for years and you're changing it. And what we showed is that can cause fatigue” (Banks 2010). However, other research has concluded that viewing a stereoscopic format has no impact to health. In an article by Newman (2010), Salz concluded his research. “We’re not aware of, nor have we seen, any negative permanent effects, even in children, when viewing TV, games, or movies in 3-D” (Salz 2010). Different views of the subject are widely apparent.

There is also a problem with viewing 3D with a proportion of the population. The Eyecare trust (ND) states that 12% of people are unable to view a stereoscopic image. “More than one in ten of us (12%) have a visual impairment that means our brains are unable to correctly process the individual images that are transmitted to it via our left and right eyes” (The Eyecare Trust, ND). This statistic proves that there are problems with the stereoscopic format and that it does not benefit all viewers.

3D television is viewed as the next step forward with the format. Specialised 3D televisions and viewing glasses must be bought in order to view it. Dhanendran (2010) states that 3D television does not offer much to the consumer. “There is still little on TV to watch in 3D. Sky’s new channel is one, but only a handful of 3D Blu-Ray films or games have so far come out” Dhanendran (2010). This highlights that 3D TV is a step forward but when newly released it can be too expensive and a waste of money for many people. Parrack (2010) declares that the small screen is no place for stereoscopic viewing. “I cannot for the life of me see anyone spending an evening in front of the box wearing a pair of overpriced 3D specs. Movies and sporting events, sure, but sitcoms and reality TV shows? No thanks” (Parrack 2010). The statement suggests that not all television shows are suited for 3D and therefore suggests that the technology is not needed.

References

Ebert, Roger. 2010 “Why I Hate 3-D (And You Should Too)” [Internet]

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/04/30/why-i-hate-3-d-and-you-should-too.html [Cited 16-10-10]

Deneroff, Harvey. 2010 “The 3D Films Are Coming, the 3D Films Are Coming” [Internet]

http://deneroff.com/blog/2010/03/21/the-3d-films-are-coming-the-3d-films-are-coming/ [Cited 16-10-10]

Banks, Martin; Sinha, Vidushi. 2010 “Research Shows 3-D Movies, TV Can Cause Eye Strain, Headaches” [Internet]

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Research-Shows-3-D-Movies-Can-Cause-Eye-Strain-Headaches-84909757.html [Cited 16-10-10]

Dr. Salz, James; Newman, Gene. 2010 “3D technology Won’t Damage Your Eyes” [Internet]

http://www.premiere.com/Feature/3D-Technology-Won-t-Damage-Your-Eyes [Cited 16-10-10]

The Eyecare Trust. (ND) “3D Vision” [Internet]

http://www.eyecaretrust.org.uk/view.php?item_id=566 [Cited 16-10-10]

Dhanendran, Anthony. 2010 “We Investigate: 3D television” from Computer Active (Issue Number 329, pp65)

Parrack, Dave. 2010 “Why 3D TV is an expensive non-starter” [Internet]

http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2010/03/10/why-3d-tv-is-an-expensive-non-starter/ [Cited 16-10-10]

Updated essay intro

After Jo's comment I have referenced my information from its sources. Also I have changed from '3D media' to '3D film and television' to shorten the spectrum that I am studying as it was a bit open ended.

See what you think...

Introduction

3D media has changed the way people view and think in all different aspects of today’s society. Many different areas of industry incorporate the visual effect to bring another layer of excitement to the medium. It is widely used in the film industry and now television. Also 3D effects have been acknowledged in gaming, cards, posters and other advertising areas.

   Physics.org (2010) states that different technologies have been used to create 3D images, the first beginning with red and blue images on one plain and the user having 3D glasses (also known as Anaglyph glasses) that consisted of one red lens and one blue lens. Each eye would see its own colour and the brain would give the illusion of 3D images. 

  The New York Times (1953) explains that the first 3D film using this technology was released in America in April 1953. It was called ‘Man in the Dark’. New York Times reporter Crowther (1953) called it “a conspicuously low-grade melodrama” and the visual impact was “merely used for a few little slaps at the eyeballs, beyond which it isn't evident at all”. The technology was not a success six decades ago and had an extensive lighting problem in which Crowther stated, “when looked at through the dark glasses, it can barely be seen”.

   Over the decades technology has developed. Physics.org (2010) claims a new system for viewing 3D became more beneficial. This was the introduction of RealD in 2003. Physics.org (2010) states “As with old fashioned 3D, the film is recorded using two camera lenses sat side by side. But in the cinema, the two reels of film from these cameras are projected through different polarized filters. So images destined for viewers' left eyes are polarized on a horizontal plane, whereas images destined for their right eyes are polarized on a vertical plane. The user’s glasses use the same polarizing filters to separate out the two images again; giving each eye sees a slightly different perspective”. This modern way of using 3D is now widely being used within today’s society, whether at the cinema, at home on the TV or elsewhere. Anaglyph technology is now very much outdated and has been replaced by polarizing technology.

  Polarizing technology is evident in almost all 3D today, including Sky.com (2010) advertising the newly made ‘Sky 3D’, a channel dedicated to the technology.  3D Blu-Ray Discs which play a HD quality video incorporating a 3D perspective are now widely manufactured. Flatley (2009) reports even a prototype of a 3D car dashboard showing the car interface in 3 dimensions. This report will investigate whether this technology is necessary in today’s society and if it can be sustained.

Within this paper the researcher will be investigating several areas of 3D media to answer a hypothesis:

3D film and television is the obvious logical progression in order to enhance people’s viewing.

The hypothesis will be addressed in several areas of investigation. The aims of the research will be:

• To find out the public’s views on 3D media and identify any patterns within the results
• Identify any problems the viewing format poses, including the technology used and whilst viewing
• To find out the economics of 3D in the industry and conclude whether it is productive
• To examine any effects 3D media has in the current economic climate

Using both quantitative and qualitative data within the research, the researcher will evaluate the aims of the report and conclude giving an answer to the stated hypothesis.

Essay Introduction

I have written my first draft of my essay intro, see what you think...

Introduction

3D media has changed the way people view and think in all different aspects of today’s society. Many different areas of industry incorporate the visual effect to bring another layer of excitement to the medium. It is widely used in the film industry and now television. Also 3D effects have been acknowledged in gaming, cards, posters and other advertising areas.

   Different technologies have been used to create 3D images, the first beginning with red and blue images on one plain and the user having 3D glasses that consisted of one red lens and one blue lens. Each eye would see its own colour and the brain would give the illusion of 3D images. 

   The first 3D film was released in America in April 1953. It was called ‘Man in the Dark’. New York Times reporter Crowther called it “a conspicuously low-grade melodrama” and the visual impact was “merely used for a few little slaps at the eyeballs, beyond which it isn't evident at all”. The technology was not a success six decades ago and had an extensive lighting problem in which Crowther stated, “when looked at through the dark glasses, it can barely be seen”.

   Comic books saw their introduction to 3D with Batman. The comic would be printed with red and blue images on each page and it would be bought with the red and blue 3D glasses which the consumer would have to cut out and fold.

   Over the decades technology has developed and a new system for viewing 3D became more beneficial and user-friendly. This was the introduction of RealD in 2003. As with old fashioned 3D, the film is recorded using two camera lenses sat side by side. But in the cinema, the two reels of film from these cameras are projected through different polarized filters. So images destined for viewers' left eyes are polarized on a horizontal plane, whereas images destined for their right eyes are polarized on a vertical plane. The user’s glasses use the same polarizing filters to separate out the two images again; giving each eye sees a slightly different perspective. This modern way of using 3D is now being used within today’s society, whether at the cinema, at home on the TV or elsewhere. The blue and red lens method is now very much outdated and has been replaced by polarizing technology.

  Similar technology to RealD is evident in almost all 3D today, including the newly made ‘Sky 3D’, a channel dedicated to the technology.  3D Blu-Ray Discs which play a HD quality video incorporating a 3D perspective. Also even a prototype of a 3D car dashboard showing the car interface in 3 dimensions. This report will investigate whether this technology is necessary in today’s society and if it can be sustained.

Within this paper the researcher will be investigating several areas of 3D media to answer a hypothesis:

3D media is the obvious logical progression in order to enhance people’s viewing.

The hypothesis will be addressed in several areas of investigation. The aims of the research will be:

·         To find out the public’s views on 3D media and identify any patterns within the results

·         Identify any problems the viewing format poses, including the technology used and whilst viewing

·         To find out the economics of 3D in the industry and conclude whether it is productive

·         To examine any effects 3D media has in the current economic climate

Using both quantitative and qualitative data within the research, the researcher will evaluate the aims of the report and conclude giving an answer to the stated hypothesis.

Possible Essay Ideas

I have one concept I want to focus on but I can't think of the best way to word it.

Possible titles:

Society's Incorporation of 3D Media

3D Media and it's consequences in today's society

The worth of 3D Media

3D Media's intergration in present day