3-D Film

3-D film describes a technique to incorporate a third dimension of depth to motion pictures. This method was based upon stereoscopic photography and involves using a special motion picture camera system that films a subject from two perspectives at once. In May of 1953, Technicolor unveiled their first stereoscopic motion picture camera. Technicolor’s system was basically a pairing of two standard three-strip Technicolor video cameras running a total of six strips of film to achieve the illusion of depth. Unfortunately this form of entertainment was met with little success and only two films were made with Technicolor’s 3-D camera (Flight to Tangier and Money From Home).

The 3-D format later enjoyed a global resurgence with the advent of IMAX in the 1980s and 1990s. The 2000’s witnessed the increasing popularity of 3-D films, making way for the unrivaled sensation Avatar presented in 3-D from December 2009 to January 2010.

The making of a 16 mm 3D film