3D Technology History in Cinema Industry Dissertation

Abstract

The progress of mankind and the fast development of modern technology are the processes that have a great impact on the development of the whole of mankind. One of the latest achievements of technological progress is the 3-dimensional cinema, and this is exactly the topic of the current research. This term, shortly 3D, is used to define the cinema, or any other kind of visual presentation, which is produced by means of using opposed cameras for filming together with the mirrors positioned at the angle of 90° and directed at the image filmed. It creates the illusion of deep sight and the so-called presence of the viewer at the events he or she sees on the screen. Since 3D technology has brought a lot of new things to the cinema, it is considered to be the revolutionary step in technology development and the third era in the development of cinematography after silent cinema and 2D films.

The current dissertation focused on the issues of 3D cinema development worldwide with the special emphasis put on the situation in Ireland. The author tried to consider the development of 3D in Ireland, see if Ireland is ready for the overall implementation of 3D and examine the impact of mass media upon the popularization in Ireland and worldwide. The interviews with famous film directors, officials of movie-producing companies and ordinary film fans, alongside the data obtained from the profound study of the great amount of literature on the topic and theoretical framework constituted by needle and bullet theories, gave considerable information for the work and allowed the author to state that the development of the 3D technology is the future of cinema in the world. The research also allowed to state that mass media play a great role in the development of 3D in all countries and are a powerful force in the promotion of this achievement of human thought.

Introduction

General

History of mankind is the history of incredible openings, discoveries and inventions. Needless to say, only the recent centuries are to be considered the most productive times in this respect. What can not be doubted is the fact that during the whole history of its existence mankind achieved a little part of what it achieved during the 19^th – 20^th century. At this period, the development of human thought acquired the fastest speed and the lives of people started changing drastically. One of the greatest inventions of mankind in the 19^th century was the invention of cinema, although it was not paid so much attention to at the time of its invention. Industry possessed the minds of all inventors and all their activities were aimed at industrial-technological development, but already at the beginning of the 20^th century, cinema became an integral part of people’s lives and it became impossible to imagine the world culture without cinema. In this respect, the invention of the 3D cinema takes a special place, as far as it marked the next, and special, stage in the development of cinema and technology on the whole (Freedman, 1998).

Although a lot of scientists and cinema historians claim that the appearance of the 3D cinema should be referred to at the end of the 19^th century, it is obvious that overall access to the cinema of this kind became possible only in the 20^th century. Even despite this fact, 3D movies are still considered to be something unusual and time is needed for the audiences in all countries around the world to get used to 3D. The history of the cinema knew lots of revolutionary changes but the invention and further development of 3D technology became a special stage as far as it is considered to be the third epoch in the history of cinema. 3D cinema is one of the greatest inventions by mankind and to understand its nature a look should be taken at cinema history (Przyblyski, 2001).

History of Cinema

It is traditionally accepted to consider 1895 the year of the cinema invention. Although some scholars as Yahnke, suppose that attempts to shoot motion pictures were made long before this date, it is not proved factually while the activities of brothers Lumiere are proved by their motion picture “The Arrival of the Express Train at Ciotat” and thus they are considered to be the fathers of cinema (Wood, 2007). At the initial stages of cinema development, most of the motion pictures were silent and short in time. This was explained by the low level of technology development. When technological means allowed making films longer, they became full-length. The most famous actor of those times was Charlie Chaplin, while the wide-known directors of silent movies were Griffith, Flaherty and some others (Bruce, 2000).

As soon as the development of technology reached the stage that allowed simultaneous recording of visual and soundtracks, motion pictures became sounded-on. This was the second era in the history of cinema and increased its popularity in the world. Such directors as Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford and Victor Fleming created lots of masterpieces of the cinema of the sound era and contributed greatly to the integration of cinema as one of the arts into the world culture. In the middle of the 20th-century color enriched the cinema qualities and marked the next stage in cinema development (Sperb, 2007). Since then, cinema has acquired a lot of new qualities besides becoming colorful – special effects have come into use to produce unbelievable impressions on spectators, computer technologies entered the sphere of cinema in the last decade of the 20^th century and brought a lot of innovations to filming, one of which is the 3d technology (Freedman, 1998).

History of 3D

The attempts to make motions pictures perceivable from the three dimensions from which all images of reality are perceived by the human eye were numerous from the initial stages of cinematography existence. Even brothers Lumiere tried to make their films 3D by means of painting tapes in green and red and showing them simultaneously while the audience had to wear eyeglasses colored in opposite colors. The three-dimensional motion pictures seemed to be a great step forward but the difficulties that were connected with their demonstration made scholars look for other ways to create 3D, or stereoscopic, films. In 1941 in Moscow, the first cinema with 3D filming technology was opened but the procedure of film viewing was too difficult there as spectators had to be motionless during the film and wear spectacles causing visual fatigue. Holographic imagery invented in 1947 was the next attempt to create 3D movies. The invention of laser allowed to the production of high-quality holographic images in color, and already in 1966 in the United States of America the first short holographic film was demonstrated in public (Strehovec, 2007).

Nevertheless, the use of holographic images was too time- and effort-consuming and the attempts to create 3D movies were left for better times. Only in the recent years, exactly in the 1980s – 2000s, the world of cinema again became kin on the idea of 3D motion pictures production (Bruce, 2000). In Ireland, as well as in the whole world, this trend is obvious nowadays and can be explained by the great advance made by computer technology that allows producing 3D films without sophisticated technology and lots of time spent. The most famous film directors of the world, like Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, etc. acknowledge that the words Eisenstein said in the 1920s turned out to be prophetic and the future of cinematography is really the 3D motion pictures (Machniewska, 2002).

Background of the Problem

Taking into consideration all the above presented information, the background of the issue discussed in this work becomes evident. The whole history of the world’s cinematography is filled with inventions and creations that brought the cinema to another stage of its development. The invention of 3D technology and its implementation in the sphere of cinema are bright examples of such integral processes in cinema. The history of the cinema, and 3D motion pictures history in particular, are controversial phenomena and there is a need to consider them thoroughly. It is well-known that 3D technologies appeared together with the invention of cinema, but their development took different paths. Cinematography developed as a kind of art, while 3D became the problem of science and its progress was limited by scientific processes. In the 19^th – 20^th centuries, the development of 3D cinema was not significant, although a lot of attempts were made to create high-quality 3D films. Nevertheless, after such a long period of failure, the 21^st century became the breaking point in the development of 3D.

Nowadays, the significance of 3D technology for the development of cinematography is acknowledged by the most famous film directors in the world and 3D is viewed as the future of cinema that will come to completely substitute the traditional 2D cinema. In Ireland, the situation is similar to the rest of the world, and 3D motion pictures become more and more popular. These trends can be seen at reputable websites for cinema fans, in scholarly articles dedicated to the topic and in the words by people famous in the world of cinema. Moreover, the huge role of mass media in the promotion of 3D technologies in cinema is obvious, and it all creates the situation in which the 3D can be revived after the failures of the 20^th century and take its place in cinematography (Lecuyer, 2005).

Research Relevance

Relevance

Relevance of the current research can not be doubted. The topic of modern technology and its overall integration in all basic spheres of human lives has always been one of the most important for researchers, especially when the issues of human culture are concerned. Thus, the issue of 3D technologies development, their implementation in cinema in the context of overall cinematography history, popularization of 3D cinema and economic viability of these technologies are of great interest and demand thorough consideration. Moreover, Ireland is a specific area where the most modern world trends find their reflection that is why there is a need to examine the development of 3D cinema in Ireland with emphasis put on questions of Irish audience being ready for 3D and possible means of promotion of 3D cinematography in this country (Bogdan, 2005).

Furthermore, the relevance of the current research can be seen from the overview of the literature on the topic (see the respective section “Literature Review”, p. 7). It is evident that the research that has already been carried out in this sphere is not enough to complete the full picture of 3D development, its importance and its interrelation with human society, especially in Ireland. Needless to say that the role of mass media in 3D promotion has not been studied enough as far as the issue is comparatively new and this research will cover this question to add to its understanding. Another important advantage of this research is the fact that it will allow the development of public knowledge about 3D technology, on the whole, its positive and negative sides and its overall influence upon society. In this way, the readiness of the Irish audience to the expansion of 3D cinema can be checked and people can obtain more useful information about this technological innovation.

Questions and Purposes

Research Question

Drawing from the above-presented information, the research questions of the current work can be formulated. They will reflect the main topics of the current dissertation and cover all the most important aspects of the topic under consideration in this work. What is necessary to find out during this research is whether 3D is a breaking point in the history of cinematography, whether the financial side of 3D cinema is beneficial, whether Ireland is ready to perceive the cinema presented by 3D technology and, what is the most important here, which role is attributed to the mass-media in promotion and popularization of this technology in cinema within Ireland and the whole world (Greenfield, 1999). To make the research easier and more precise, the questions must be formulated so that to exactly reflect the most important things which are to be found out. Led by these requirements, the following research questions were identified for the current work:

1. Can 3D technology be treated as the third era in the history of cinematography?
2. Is the production of 3D motion pictures viable in respect of finance and beneficial for its producers? What are the other financial and economic sides of 3D cinema production?
3. Is the Irish audience ready to perceive cinema produced by the use of 3D technology?
4. What is the supposed and actual role of mass media in the promotion and popularization of 3D in Ireland and the whole world and informing interest in it?

Research Purposes

With attention paid to the research questions of the current work, the following research purposes can be formulated:

• Study the development of 3D and its significance in the history of cinematography on the whole.

This purpose is set for the current research in order to obtain as much data as possible about the development of 3D technology and its impact on the overall cinema in the world and in Ireland in particular. Fulfillment of this purpose will allow operating more freely with the information about the modern state of 3D technology and analyzing it in a historical context. Moreover, it will allow the researcher to make assumptions and conclusions about the influence of 3D upon modern society and about the ability of Irish society to adjust to 3D motion pictures in their cinema theatres (Romney, 1998).

• Examine the modern state of 3D cinema with special emphasis put upon its financial side.

This assignment of the work is developed in order to obtain objective information about the financial side of 3D motion pictures production and worldwide distribution. This purpose, if properly reached, will demonstrate the extent to which the 3D movies are more popular than ordinary ones, as well as the rate of adjustment of the Irish spectators to the expansion of 3D cinema in the country.

• Consider the social and cultural factors that predetermine adjustment of the Irish audience to the 3D cinema.

This point will allow demonstrating the readiness of the Irish audience for the 3D cinema in terms of social and cultural peculiarities of the nation and its attitude towards changes and innovations. To achieve this purpose the interviews with Irish cinema fans will be carried out online as well as the figures of the most popular Irish cinema theatres will be analyzed. This will allow seeing the progress of 3D in the Irish market and the overall development of 3D cinematography (Wood, 2007).

• Study the possible future of 3D and the role of mass media in its development and public popularization.

It is a widely accepted fact that mass media is one of the most powerful means of influence upon people in the modern world. That is why this purpose will allow seeing both, the role of mass media in the promotion of 3D cinema in Ireland and the whole world and the directions of the future development of 3D cinematography in the world (Mon-Williams, 1998).

Literature Review

Theory

The literature that is reviewed in this section was read and analyzed by the author of the work in order to examine the main aspects of traditional 2D cinema history, 3D cinema development and, of fundamental importance in this work, the ways in which mass-media using their great influence upon the public can promote 3D cinema. Scholarly sources on the theory that is going to be used during this research are numerous. The theorists of research have paid a lot of their attention to the works that are of great help for young researchers while they guide them in their work and provide the basic information about the principles of this or that method of research. Bogdan and Taylor (2005) consider the basic principles of the qualitative method of research and pay special attention to the strengths and weaknesses of this very method. Matveev and his colleagues (2001) made a great piece of work that develops the reader’s knowledge about the qualitative method of research. The authors contrast it with the quantitative method and ponder on the strong and weak points of each of them. The topic of cinema theory, on the whole, is touched upon in the article by Burk and Cavallari (2000). In this work, its authors compare and comprehend the theories of cinema and communication and make respective conclusions about their interdependence and mutual influence. They also speculate on the Hypodermic Needle Theory of mass media influence on the public which enlarges the reader’s knowledge about the last research question of this work. Smith (1998) reveals the valuable ideas in the field of communicative research and demonstrates the basic principles of such research as the one that deals with the public and considers people’s opinions.

Cinema History

Scholars and cinema historians took their time to explore the field of cinema history that is why a great amount of material was available to the author of this research for the purposes of studying and obtaining the basic knowledge in this field. Works on the history of the cinema in the whole world and in Ireland, in particular, are full of information that shows the overall progress of mankind and demonstrates the development of 3D simultaneously to the development of the traditional cinema. Scholarly works on the topic of the history of cinema are concerned with theoretical aspects of the issue also, but the practical side of the issue is dominant in them.

Bruce (2000) touches upon the problem of cinematography being a kind of art and argues with the opponents of this thought. The idea is very strong as far as cinema possesses huge audiences and can be regarded as a kind of art without any doubt. The history of cinema development is also the topic of the article by Freedman (1998) who is concerned with the overall history of film making but special consideration is given to the era of silent and short motion pictures that were produced in a monochrome spectrum. The article by Lecuyer (2005) is a nice source of information about the initial stages of cinema history, while the articles by Sperb (2007) and Wood (2007) deal with the modern stage of cinema development and present valuable information on the topic of modern trends in cinema and technology as one of its spheres (Philippian, 2005).

3D in Cinema

Numerous scholarly works are dedicated to the issues of the 3D cinema, its appearance, history of development, modern state and interaction with the traditional cinema and cinema fans. These works by various researchers deal with the technological aspects of the 3D cinema production, history of technologies that preceded 3D, such as stereoscopic or holographic technology, and analyze the current state of things in the world of cinema that has been shaken by the revival of the 3D cinema. These works also ponder upon the issues of mass-media influences upon forming public interest and popularization of 3D motion pictures.

Bruce (2000) explores the possible implementations of 3D technology in reproducing the works of arts but also touches on the history of 3D in cinema and other arts. Machniewska (2002) dedicates her article to the issues of physical properties of the human eye and 3D technologies that use the former. One of the main arguments of the article by Machniewska (2002) is that those are technological properties of 3D and the use of illusions seen by the human eye that make it now possible to create 3D films without the use of sophisticated technology and equipment. The scholarly article in the journal Voiceover (2002) is dedicated to the issues of physical properties of 3D technology and ways in which it influences the human eye so that the spectatorship of deep and three-dimensional images becomes possible. Other peculiarities of operation and influence of digital imagery and 3D technology upon the development of cinematography, as well as its perception by the audiences in various countries and cultures, are discussed in the article by Strehovec (2007).

Methodology

Qualitative Research

The methodology used for the research is of special importance here, and the next section covers the methodology chosen for this dissertation. The method chosen for this work is the method of Qualitative research. The choice of the method was not accidental and can be supported by the number of strong arguments in its favor. The main argument supporting the usage of the qualitative research method in this dissertation is that, according to the interpretative paradigm of relations, social reality is a sum of subjective experiences of people who participate in it. In this case, it is necessary to use a qualitative method of research. As far as we are going to interview 50 cinema fans who are regular visitors of the two most popular Irish cinema forums and famous film directors and film producing companies’ officials in respect of their subjective attitude towards 3D cinema perspectives in Ireland, there can be absolutely no alternative to the qualitative method of research (Bogdan, 2005).

Moreover, the qualitative method of research is used when the task is to explain certain processes and phenomena of the objective reality when it is necessary to see causes of phenomena, to decode them and interpret them. It is the main advantage of the qualitative method of research in comparison to the quantitative method which is aimed at finding out the rate at which this or that phenomenon may occur, the quantity of this or that phenomenon occurrences for a certain period of time. As far as our research we need to be focused on the essence of the phenomenon we are to study, qualitative method is of great use because it does not presuppose the usage of categorical formulations, formulas or definitions, it is concentrated on collecting and synthesizing the subjective data in order to make conclusions about this phenomenon (Matveev, 2001).

To make support this very method of research for this pilot study, the following characteristic of the qualitative method can be considered:

• qualitative research is a study of relations between people in the form of conversations and texts created by them in this process;
• it is used to interpret and properly understand the symbols used by people in the already mentioned process of conversational communication;
• it is a method that studies roles of different people in situations that happen in different contexts (Matveev, 2001).

These characteristics are sure to prove the relevance of the qualitative method of research as the only applicable in this dissertation as far as we do not aim at studying statistics of answers given during interviews or number of people who support or do not support 3D expansion in the Irish cinema market. We have established that our target in this research is to see reasons due to which 3D is reported to revive nowadays, factors that provide for its worldwide expansion and the opinion of people as to whether the Irish audience is ready to give up 2D cinema in favor of 3D. To complete the support of the qualitative method of research, let us consider the main weaknesses and strengths of this method to see which points can be applied to our study to a larger extent (Lewis, 1998). Among the weaknesses the following ones can be mentioned:

• change of the original object of research following the changes of context;
• lack of objective results as they depend upon the personality of the researcher;
• inability to ensure the truthfulness of the data acquired as far as respondents can drop certain, for instance, personal or shameful, details (Matveev, 2001).

Nevertheless, the weaknesses enumerated can be easily opposed to in respect of the topic of our dissertation. Firstly, change of the original object is an ordinary process as far as we are studying a dynamic phenomenon that is constantly subject to change both in different contexts and in different time periods. Secondly, the objectivity of research is not guaranteed by any research method because the researcher can choose to drop certain data that seem to be irrelevant to him or her but can change the results of the whole study drastically. Even the quantitative method aimed at using of exact data can be subjective as far as the opinion of the majority is presented as the general truth despite the fact that the difference in number between those who support and neglect certain points of view can be very slight. Furthermore, the following strengths of the qualitative method will be enumerated so that to make the usage of this approach completely grounded:

• the ability to interact directly with the subject of this or that research;
• usage of various tools and instruments while conducting research without limiting on figures, percentage, etc.;
• due to the two above mentioned factors ability to get the full picture of the phenomenon under consideration (Matveev, 2001).

All these points are absolutely applicable for the current dissertation as far as its goal will be the interviewing, and consequently the direct or indirect (online) contact, with a number, approximately 50, of Irish cinema fans, several famous film directors like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron and officials from film producing companies like IMAXT, Real D, Dolby and Little Bird. To ensure the adequacy of the information gathered and to be able to properly process it various tools will be needed (discussed further in the respective section of the study), that is why the second strong point in favor of the qualitative research is of help. Thus, the full picture of the problem discussed in the dissertation will be acquired by means of the concentration of data gathered by the above-mentioned and further discussed various tools and instruments used during the conduct of the research with the qualitative method.

Theoretical Framework

General

The theoretical framework for the current dissertation will be compiled out of numerous sources and theories. The basic theoretical information will be obtained from the research works that have already been done by numerous cinema theorists and research theorists. The detailed consideration of the literature that builds up the theoretical framework is given in the “Literature Review” section of this dissertation, while this section will be dedicated to the issues of specific theories that are chosen as the ones that are most relevant for such a kind of study (Goldberg, 2002). As far as the main idea of this very dissertation is to consider the influence of mass media upon popularization of 3D cinema and upon the formation of public opinion about it, the fundamental theory for it will be the so-called “Hypodermic Needle Theory” (or known by other scholars as to the “The Magic Bullet Theory”) which deals with the psychological and social influences that mass-media can exercise upon the human society. We are going to use this theory in order to see how the recent revival of the 3D cinema became possible and which role was played in this revival by mass media, especially in respect of the Irish market for 3D cinema (Burk and Cavallari, 2000).

Hypodermic Needle Theory (Magic Bullet Theory)

This is a powerful theory in the sphere of mass communication which was formulated for the first time in the 1930 – 1940ss and since then has become an influential tool in studying the mass media and their social role. It was called according to its essence as far as it assumes that mass media are influencing the people by means of “shooting” or “injecting” the necessary messages into the minds of passive spectators, listeners and readers. The power of the message transmitted by mass media to the public was always considered to be great and was even studied by numerous scholars, like McLuhan who admitted that the power exercised by mass media and the messages they send are more important than the plot of this or that message: “The media has a strong social and cultural impact upon society. This is predicated upon its ability to reach a wide audience which often sends a strong and influential message.” (McLuhan, 2005)

It is not surprising that this theory appeared in that period as far as it was the period of appearance and fast development of the radio and television, besides such kinds of mass persuasion appeared as advertising and propaganda and a lot of powerful world leaders tried to use this force of mass media for the purposes of their own. Furthermore, the mass media is not accidentally called the fourth power in every state after the traditional powers – legislative, executive and court. Drawing from this, the basic characteristics of the Hypodermic Needle Theory can be singled out. They are as follows:

• strong power of mass-media messages to the passive audience;
• the absence of chance to resists from the audience’s side (Wood, 2007).

Samples and Sampling

General

The main issues that are concerned with the sampling of this dissertation are those of the site of the research, i. e. the area where the research will be carried out, and the subjects of the research, i. e. the number and categories of people that will take part in the research as respondents to the questions set by the researcher. These issues were important to solve before the start of the research itself as far as there was a need for the research site and subjects to conform to the requirements of the qualitative method and to cover all the points that were set as the research purposes. That is why the following samples were selected by the author of this research as the most fitting ones for this kind of dissertation (Davis, 2001).

Site

Ireland was chosen by the author of this dissertation as the general site of research. As far as there has been a necessity to study the development of 3D cinema, the influence of mass media upon the formation of public interest in it and the attitudes of the Irish audience towards the 3D technology in the cinemas they attend, Ireland turned out to be the most fitting site of the whole research. The parts of this research were, it goes without saying, carried out at more specific sites in order to obtain more specific and precise information on the questions set for this research. For example, the basic part of the research, which is the questioning of the Irish cinema fans in order to obtain information about the public attitudes towards 3D cinema expansion to the Irish film market, will take place online at the forums hosted by the two reputable Irish internet sites dedicated to cinema and its fans – au.movies.ign.com and www.cinema.ie. At the same time, direct interviews with the famous film directors from Hollywood, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron will be carried out during their visits to Dublin as parts of their promotion actions for their new motion pictures. Moreover, there will also be interviews with the officials from Irish film producing and distribution companies. For example, we are going to visit the offices of such companies as “Little Bird”, StereoVision Entertainment, IMAX and Dundrum Cinema. Thus, the sites of the research will be numerous and it will demand a lot of time and effort from the researcher to visit them all and carry out all the necessary activities with the planned subjects of the research (Bruce, 2000).

Research Subjects

The section “Sites” provides us with the guidelines as to who are going to be the subjects of the current research. First of all, the main subjects of the research will be the cinema fans from Ireland and, possibly, other countries who will visit the above-mentioned cinema websites at the time when the research will be carried out. I am strongly convinced that the quantity of 50 people will be the most acceptable for such kind of study if the volume of it is taken into consideration. The aim of the research is to study the processes that take place in the whole country with a population of 4.2 million people (Lippit, 1999). The quantity of 50 respondents may even seem to be not enough for such a wide scale of the research but this assumption can be opposed by drawing readers’ attention to the fact that it is the research using the qualitative method, so there is a need in people’s opinions but not in the exact figures and statistical data. Thus, it is obvious that 50 subjects of the research online will be enough to cover all layers of Irish society and create a true-to-life picture of people’s attitudes (Lyall, 2003).

Another part of the subjects for this research work will be the people that have a direct relation to the world of cinema. I will carry out interviews with the famous film directors Steven Spielberg and James Cameron to find out their opinions about 3D cinema, its future and perspectives of Ireland as one of the markets for this kind of cinema. The next step will be the visits to the offices of the film producing companies based in Ireland. The subjects of the research will be James Mitchell, the manager of the company “Little Bird”, managers and staff of the companies StereoVision Entertainment and IMAX. Moreover, for the purpose of obtaining information about the financial side of 3D movies production and demonstration, I will carry out several interviews with the financial managers and box-office workers of the famous Irish theatre Dundrum Cinema. Thus, the subjects of the research, ordinary cinema fans and professional workers of the cinema industry will present valuable information that will be of great help to answer the questions of this research and achieve the respective research purposes (Wilcox, 2006).

Questioning and Privacy

The subjects of the research, in this case, concern only the online-interviewed cinema fans, will be questioned without any attempts of getting their personal information or private life details. The questions that will be asked will not contain any political, religious, or racial direction and will concern exclusively the sphere of cinema and attitudes of the respondents towards these or those cinema processes. The research subjects will not have to stipulate their real names or even online nicknames in their interview forms, nor will they have to note their age, area of accommodation, or marital status. As far as the main aim of the research will be to obtain the opinions of people about 3D cinema and its future in the whole world and in Ireland in particular, none of the personal data will be required and this means that the issue of privacy as one of the most important in any kind of survey, will not have any importance in this research. The researcher will simply avoid situations that might cause obtaining of private data and create respective questions for the survey.

Data Collection and Analysis Procedures

Data Collection Procedures

Data collection procedures are one of the most important steps in the whole research. These procedures provide the research with the information without which there would be no point in the whole research. Drawing from this, there is a need of special attention paid to the selection of these very procedures. Moreover, due to the specific character of the research, these procedures can not be too numerous as this will not allow the researchers to concentrate on particular information (Rhoda, 2007). Taking into consideration all the above said, the following data collection procedures will be used in this research:

• Study of the literature on the topic

This is a very important procedure as it allows the researchers to get acquainted with the works already done in this field of science and outlines the main principles and direction for further research. Furthermore, it is useful for the purpose of basic data accumulation that will help to operate with specific figures, names and notions concerning the 3D cinema in the world and in Ireland. This procedure is fundamental at the initial stages of the research, as it outlines the direction of further work (Bogdan, 2005).

• Numerous interviews of film directors, filming companies’ officials and cinema fans

This is the most powerful procedure of gathering up-to-date information from the people who are directly dealing with the matter of the research. It allows getting the most objective and precise data that are based on the personal experience of those people and on their knowledge but not on certain ungrounded assumptions. The data collection will be carried out by means of special forms that will be left at the forums of the above-stipulated websites and then will be gathered by the researcher after stipulated time or returned by each respondent to the requested e-mail address of the researcher. The forms will consist of 4 questions among which there will be three general questions demanding “Yes/No” answers and an open question letting the respondents express their thoughts regarding 3D cinema and its future in Ireland. These procedures will be used during the research and results properly reported (Matveev, 2005). The questions would be as follows:

1. Is 3D the third era in cinema?
2. Are Ireland and you personally ready for 3D?
3. Are mass media the main factor that determines the popularity of 3D in Ireland and in the whole world?
4. Express your own opinion about 3D cinema and its future.

Data Analysis Procedures

Analysis of the data obtained during the collection of the information is another significant step in conducting any kind of research. In this work, this step is of special importance as it presents the possibility to interpret the data of the research and transform them into logically coined conclusions that describe the situation in which 3D cinema is and how the mass media can change this situation I n the world and in particular countries. That is why the exact outline of the data analysis procedures is needed (Philippian, 2002):

• Logical interpretation and usage of the interpretative paradigm of analysis

As far as the qualitative method of research is chosen for the conduct of this work, the logical interpretation is a necessary procedure of data analysis. Our purpose in this work is to find out the basic reasons for the revival of 3D cinema in the modern world and basic factors of mass-media influence upon its popularization in public. Due to this, exact figures and statistical data are not needed, and the opinions of people and reasons lying under them can be interpreted by means of logical interpretation and interpretative paradigm of analysis (Sperb, 2007).

• Creation of special tables reporting the research findings in detail

This instrument will allow structuring data obtained in the research so that their interpretation would be easier and more precise. Besides, the “Research Findings” section can not cover the answers of all respondents and all data obtained, thus all details will be reported in respective tables of the “Appendices” section.

Research Findings

Can 3D technology be treated as the third era in the history of cinematography?

The research findings of the current dissertation are reported in accordance with the research questions stipulated in the respective section of the paper. As far as the first research question was concerned with the historical context of 3D cinema development, research findings also begin with this very question. To be absolutely sincere, the answer to this research question can not be given undoubtedly. The basic information for this question was collected from the works of numerous cinema theorists, historians and technologists who expressed different points of view. That is why research can not give the single answer to this question being able, at the same time to present to conclusions that were logically made based on the work done.

The first conclusion admits 3D cinema as the third era in the history of cinematography. This conclusion is based on the information about cinema history from which it can be clearly seen that 3D cinema is the third epoch in cinema history after the transformation of silent cinema into sound ones and the transformation of monochrome films into full-color ones. According to this hypothesis, gradual transition of cinematography from 2D to 3D is inevitable and will mark the beginning of the third era in film history (Lyall, 2003). The majority of the respondents (see Table 1) agree with this hypothesis.

On the contrary, another conclusion states that 3D cinema developed together with 2D but was paid less attention to, and the current stage of its development can not be called anything but the continuation of the second era and of the overall history of cinematography. In any case, both hypotheses are applicable if proved properly, but the author of this research tends to consider 3D as starting point of the third era in cinematography. The same opinion is proven by the words of famous directors like Cameron, who sees the future of cinematography in 3D: “It is ironic that half a decade later, the rollout is happening, but largely because it has been catalyzed by 3-D. D-cinema is riding 3-D to market.” (Cameron, 2008) Steven Spielberg supports Cameron and calls 3D cinema a chance to change what could not be changed by other means and to give people what they want to see: “The new 3-D, this stereo renaissance, not only solves all the old problems of bad projection, eyestrain, etc. but it is being used on first-class movies that are on people’s must-see lists. These are fundamental changes from what happened with the flash-in-the-pan 3-D craze of the ’50s. 3-D is also a chance to rewrite the rules, to raise ticket prices for a tangible reason, for demonstrable value-added.” (Spielberg, 2008)

Is the production of 3D motion pictures viable in respect of finance and beneficial for its producers? What are the other financial and economic sides of 3D cinema production?

As the research has proved, the production of 3D cinema is a beneficial business. This statement can be proved by the fact that most famous worldwide film directors see the future of their careers connected with 3D technology as the one that will allow them to get to the next stage of their personal and professional development. Besides, the officials of IMAX and StereoVision Entertainment claim that with the implementation of 3D technology sales of their box offices grew considerably in comparison to the times when 3D motion pictures were not filmed and shown. Consequently, these companies plan to develop their activities in 3D production, and the executive producer of StereoVision Doug Schwartz proved this: “Our goal is to produce twelve-to-fifteen 3D feature films over the next three-to-five years. We hope to fill the voids left between the big studios’ tent-pole blockbuster releases. StereoVision will provide content for theaters that are equipped to show 3D when they are sitting idle and will provide “summer popcorn movies” year-round. Our movies are being produced using the same technology as the blockbusters. We have signed an agreement with Cameron/Fusion Pace 3D camera system, which is being used to film movie Avatar.” (Dagger, 2007)

The same is proved by the director of IMAX Dennis Laws who agreed that the future of cinema is 3D: “We see life in three dimensions because we have two eyes looking at it from different perspectives. We create that here. We’ve got left-eye here and right-eye there, they run through together. You do wear glasses, and no, they’re not red and green! It’s a polarized system and it really makes it believable. And I guarantee that if you come and see a 3D film here you will put your hands up to touch the objects or you will duck.” (Dagger, 2007) But the most convincing proof of the financial viability of 3D is the sales of cinemas that are equipped to show 3D films. Precise information about it, as well as sales in USA and Europe, will be reported in Table 2 in the “Appendices” section, and here only overall data are considered. One of the largest 3D equipped theatres in Ireland is Dundrum Cinema and its box offices experienced a great increase in sales for the latest three 3D films shown. “Beowulf” pulled in €4m for the opening weekend, while Cameron’s “Aliens of the Deep” pulled in €3,5m, and “Ghosts of the Abyss” brought €3m to the Dundrum box offices (Dagger, 2007). Nevertheless, the production and demonstration of 3D films is rather complicated as only 1, 200 3D screens exist in the whole world. Due to this, James Mitchell from “Little Bird” acknowledges the development of 3D technology and installation of more screens in Ireland as one of the most burning issues for his company nowadays and this is another side of 3D cinema which demands great expenses in order to get great profit.

Is the Irish audience ready to perceive cinema produced by the use of 3D technology?

The question of readiness of Ireland to the 3D cinema can be answered affirmatively according to the data obtained in the research. The basic reasons to state this was given by the answers of the online respondents at forums for Irish cinema fans. The majority of the research subjects answered “Yes” to this question and explained their answers in detail while answering the open question of the survey. The main reasons for the Irish cinema fans to state this were the high level of development of technology in Ireland and numerous audiences that attend the 3D films demonstrated in Ireland. For the respondents of the survey, it seems natural that Ireland as a very developed and progressive country would be one of the basic countries for the revival and further development of 3D cinema. Moreover, cinema fans consider it to be a great advantage for them to watch 3D cinema as far as not so many countries have such an opportunity. Furthermore, the readiness of the Irish audience for 3D expansion was demonstrated by the famous rock group U2 which performed a concert filmed in 3D. This concert became rather popular in Ireland and the whole world and demonstrated that Ireland is an attractive market for 3D.

Another side of the issue is the attitudes of filming companies’ officials towards it. They consider not only the readiness of fans but also the technical readiness of the country’s cinemas to show 3D films. In this respect “Little Bird” and IMAX expressed their concern about the small number of 3D screens in Ireland. At the same time, these companies took up the actions to solve the problem and, according to Doug Schwartz from StereoVision, decided to put considerable finance to the development of 3D technologies and equipping more Irish cinemas with 3D screens: “There are currently over 1,200 3D theater screens in the world, most of them in the U.S., and that number is expected to more than double by next summer. This dramatic growth should continue into the foreseeable future: by late 2009 there will be over five thousand 3D screens, and by late 2010, over ten thousand.” (Dagger, 2007)

What is the supposed and actual role of mass media in the promotion and popularization of 3D in Ireland and the whole world and informing interest in it?

The role of mass media in the promotion and formation of public interest in 3D cinema is great. According to McLuhan, mass media have an incredible influence on the audience irrespective of the plot of the message with the special significance attributed to the message itself whichever it can be (McLuhan, 2005). In respect of 3D cinema, mass media played an important role as far as in the age of information and modern technology mass-media made it possible for people around the world to learn about 3D which started in the USA. The first effect of mass media influence was the overall interest in 3D and long queues in cinemas showing 3D films. According to the survey of online cinema fans, mass media introduced 3D to them and because of this they see media as the main source of information about it and forming a public interest in 3D. Thus, the supposed and actual roles of mass media in 3D promotion coincide and prove to be of crucial importance. Advertising carried out on television, on the internet and in the printed media influences the audience to a great extent and people acquire more and more interest in 3D. They, firstly, are eager to know what 3D is and then move on to being eager to experience all the phenomena that 3D offers. Furthermore, the public interest is developed by reports in media about Spielberg’s, Cameron’s and other directors’ attitudes towards 3D. People read and hear all the above-enumerated information and form their own opinions on their basis which can be proved by the considerable increase in sales of 3D films in cinemas around the world and in Ireland in particular.

Analysis and Conclusions

To analyze the research findings it is necessary to realize the reasons for the answers given by the respondents and see the meanings of the processes reported by film directors and filming companies’ officials. As can be seen from the information obtained during the research, the 3D cinema is a great step forward in the development of cinematography in the world which can even be called the third era in the history of the cinema after silent motion pictures and 2D films. Needless to say that the modern stage of 3D development is the revival of 3D technology that was forgotten in the middle of the 20^th century, and in this revival special role is attributed to the influence of mass media upon the audience (Philippian, 2002). 3D cinema is a rather beneficial business that is why 3D production companies can put considerable funding into the promotion of their products through media. This promotion proves to be effective and box office sales for 3D films are constantly growing. This shows that mass media play an important role in forming a public interest in 3D cinema and in the development of this technology (Davis, 2001).

The film directors, who are famous worldwide, like Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Robert Zemeckis also acknowledge that the future of cinema is 3D technology and produce their new films using it. The greatest filming companies, StereoVision Entertainment, IMAX, Little Bird agree in their statements with the above-mentioned directors and demonstrate their readiness to invest great money into the development of 3D in Ireland and in equipping more and more Irish cinemas with 3D screens. Although in 2007 about two-thirds of the 3D screens were installed around the country, James Mitchell, Doug Schwartz and other officials admit that this number is not enough and develop their activities in this direction. The sales rates of box offices at the largest Irish cinemas, like Dundrum Cinema, for instance, demonstrate that the revival of 3D movies is on the right way and actions taken up by film directors and film producing companies are effective to a great extent.

The answers of the research respondents to the questions placed at online forums for cinema fans in Ireland also prove the above mad statements. Cinema fans that took part in the research agree that 3D is experiencing its revival nowadays, they all call 3D cinema the third era in cinematography and, what is most important, admit that mass media played the leading role in this process. Both cinema fans and professional cinema workers admit that Ireland is ready for 3D expansion, while the only problem for it is the small number of 3D screens in Irish cinemas. But this problem is being worked on at the moment and the improvements will be seen soon. As soon as 3D will be available in the majority of cinemas it will become the norm and will replace 2D cinema. At the same time, the development of 3D will be a catalyst for worldwide cinema development and will benefit cinema fans all over the world. And in this process, again, the crucial role will be played by mass media (Strehovec, 2007).

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Appendices

Table 1 (The most typical answers with)

Table 2 (Box Offices of 3D films in Ireland, UK and USA for the opening weekends)