Ruth Hometips

It was once quite rare to hear of a 3D film coming to theaters, but it has become common in recent years.  Though the idea of 3D films has been around since the 1950’s, it was not until very recently that technology has truly caught up with the imagination of film makers and producers who try to create a visually immersing world for their audiences.  Thanks to special equipment and film making techniques, directors and producers can make their idea for a 3D film into reality and create a totally three dimensional experience for their audiences.  


The techniques used to make a 3D film are borrowed directly from the human eye and stereoscopic vision, which is the process by which we see different images through each eye which are fused together by our brain.  To obtain the right visual effect, 3D movies must be filmed using cameras with two side by side lenses.  Movies made with computer technology, like Avatar and tron legacy, can also be produced in the same way to create a stereoscopic film.  When you view a 3D movie, you are really looking at both of the images captured by each camera lens at once; wearing special 3D glasses is what allows you to process both images at the same time.  


You have likely seen an old style 3D film which uses special red and blue 3D glasses to produce the three dimensional depth effect.  These glasses work because the two images combined to create a stereoscopic film were projected through a red light filter and a blue light filter, which can combine when you wear the 3D glasses.  Although this created the right optical illusion, having to use red and blue light limited the colors that could be used in the films.  Try to go wikipedia for more info.


Vibrating light waves moving on one plane, called polarized light, is how we watch 3D movies today.  Dual projectors send out one horizontally polarized and one vertically polarized image during a 3D film.  The 3D glasses the audience wears have different filters over each eye so that only one type of light wave can enter each eye.  Without this technology, 3D movies would not be the same; filtering light waves gives you the illusion of depth that makes a 3D film pop off the screen and come alive.