January 21, 2010
As of this writing, James Cameron’s award-winning 3D opus Avatar is poised to become the most successful motion picture of all time, and its success is indeed living up to his NAB promise of a few years ago when he noted that stereoscopic event pictures would “save” Hollywood.
What does that mean for the rest of us, those who don’t write and direct $300 million studio projects? Only that audiences are today experiencing 3D on an unprecedented level, and they’re liking it. A lot. And that their sudden interest in and hunger for 3D is not going to disappear once Avatar finally leaves theaters (though something tells me it will be playing on IMAX screens for years to come). They will want more. 
How interesting that Panasonic unveiled their intriguing new twin-lens Full HD 3D camcorder (seen above) at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, just after the opening of Avatar. Granted, 3D has been a hot topic for several years, with exponentially more companies offering new tools for production, post and exhibition (as seen at NAB '09), but Panasonic’s new unit arrives in an eye-pleasing “consumer” form that makes stereoscopic production suddenly seem, well, doable. No heavy, strange mounting rig, no need for twin cameras and recording systems — just a handy looking solid-state camcorder that has only one obvious difference from its 2D brethren.
Do these two events signal the true mainstreaming of 3D for the DV readership? And just when we started getting used to HD, do we now upgrade again to take advantage of all the new possible business opportunities that being a 3D-capable producer might offer? Maybe yes, maybe no.
A potential client loved Avatar, but does that mean they want their new corporate video project in 3D? Or local commercial? Training video? Modestly budgeted documentary? Wedding? Bar mitzvah?
I wish I knew. The easy answer is “no,” however, because 3D displays are still a rarity, and the realm of Web video is driven more by novelty and shock value than the high-end audio/video production values needed for immersive media experiences. But things change quickly these days.
But it’s clear that 3D is on the rise, and so long as the public’s interest in it continues, manufacturers will strive to offer new creative solutions. So it will certainly be interesting to see the eye-popping variety of new 3D wares at NAB in April.
Best,
David E. Williams
Editor-in-Chief
DV magazine and DV.com
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