Good points of 3D technology on the film industry

For a long time, people have opted to download movies and watch them at their own convenience but with all the hype and added advantages associated with 3D movies, it is highly estimated that the number of downloads will considerably go down as more people will opt to fill theatre rooms and experience the beauty of the same, first hand.

3D movies can greatly help the UK film industry-
UK Film Council-financed Streetdance 3D not only claimed number one spot in cinemas nationwide this weekend, but it also scored the biggest ever opening weekend performance for any film backed by the UK Film Council in its 10 year history - bigger than even Bend it like Beckham and St Trinian's.

Pete Buckingham, Head of Distribution and Exhibition at the UK Film Council said: "3D offers filmmakers the biggest opportunity since colour was first introduced more than 100 years ago. We want to make sure that British filmmakers grab this opportunity with both hands and take full advantage of it - the demand for 3D films will be huge in the future and the UK should be a big part of it. U2 3D is in a class of its own and it's fantastic that the filmmakers have agreed to share their experience of making this unique film with others."

Another string to the 3D bow is that there is the potential to take audiences into the reality on the screen. I recently watched a 3D horror movie and people were jumping in their seats and grabbing in the air. There was a fun, social energy in the auditorium; one that I have never experienced with a 2D movie. 3D undoubtedly makes what we are seeing more vivid and dare I say it, real.
In terms of box office, it was a record year with takings topping £944m. Cinema admissions also shot up from last year's healthy 164 million to 174 million, not quite beating 2002 (176 million), but still up 6% and the second highest number since 1971.

The 3D revolution arrived in earnest, with 14 3D films accounting for 16% of UK and Ireland box office revenues, up from 0.4%. There are still sceptics but Steele said: "It does not appear to be a flash in the pan."

Bad points of 3D technology on the film industry

Apart from changing the manner in which people view movies, it is important to note that the movie tickets for 3D movies are considerably higher than other tickets. This in turn, has affected the industry immensely and largely, being viewed as a manner of exploiting people.

A lot of 3D movies are big flops, costing movie producers a lot of money- Mars Needs Moms, according to the title of Disney's latest foray into 3D animation, but this weekend the "House of Mouse" would settle for a few moms closer to home. Sadly for Disney, last weekend was one of the most embarrassing in recent years for the company: its new $150m movie took just $6.9m in ticket sales.

But will movies that seem to pop out of the screen hurt your eyes? Some vision researchers say yes. They argue that repeatedly asking our eyes and brains to go against their normal function has short-term effects. And they worry about the long-term effect on small children whose vision systems are still in development

Adam Woodward Web editor, Littlewhitelies.co.uk
Last Friday, I sat down to watch Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland in eye-smacking 3D. During the more frenzied action sequences, I was left disoriented and, moreover, frustrated at the lack of clarity. By and large, I enjoyed the film, but I found myself wishing it had been presented in good old-fashioned 2D. Watching Alice made me realise that aside from Avatar, which I'll happily admit was an iris-evaporating sensory assault that left me cooing, there are very few 3D viewings I've actually enjoyed because of the extra-dimensional "enhancement".

Take Werner Herzog, not exactly a film-maker renowned for jumping on bandwagons or following the path of least resistance. "I've said in public that I'm a sceptic about 3D," he recently told me. "It will not take over everything. That's an illusion. Not every film in 20 years' time is going to be in 3D."