/ramblings: This is the future (and 3D is not)
I keep hearing talk of how the future of film is 3D. I’m sure technology will soon get to the point where 3D cameras become commonplace and 3D projectors & TV sets are the norm (could those 3D glasses be any sillier?). But is this really the future? What does it actually do to elevate a film’s narrative? Yes, the effect is pretty cool (and I’ll probably stand in line to see “Avatar”), but if this was the future, it would be a very boring one.
I believe that film is stuck. It’s been doing the same thing for so long that it thinks the only progress to be had is in making the images bigger, better & with more tricks so it can compete with file-sharing or other formats of entertainment. I don’t think film is really trying. All it has to do is look around: video games, the internet, social media. The landscape has changed around film. And the best it can do is 3D?
So what’s the future for film? I think the difference is as drastic as comparing a vintage rotary telephone(film) and an iPhone (the future). True, they both make calls, but the similarities end there. And to make my case I present my son, Axel. He’s 2 and he can surf YouTube on my iPhone. You show him one video he likes and he can scroll through all the “related videos” and pick the one he wants to see next. Axel might be slightly impressed with 3D but I think he will expect another sort of entertainment, something that film is definitely not delivering right now.
What’s the next step in the evolution? I’m looking into concepts like hypermedia, transmedia storytelling and alternate reality games. I think that’s a start.
