Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES II, III & IV • April 7, 2010 Three-D mania continues to draw moviegoers by Dennis Seuling “Avatar” is notable for more than becoming the biggest box office sensation ever. Its artistic use of 3-D showed Hollywood that the technique can lure moviegoers into theater seats. Tickets for 3-D presentations sell for more than traditional two-dimensional films, getting a film in the black quicker, which can be very attractive to producers and studios. Since January, three big-screen 3-D features have hit multiplex screens: “Alice in Wonderland,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and the remake of “Clash of the Titans.” Seventeen more 2010 theatrical releases are planned. Viewers see objects stereoscopically; that is, from slightly different angles from the left and right eyes. The 3-D process involves the use of two cameras, with lenses spaced about two inches apart, to photograph the same image. Two synchronized projectors cast these images on the screen. Nowadays, the two images are combined onto one strip of film. Special glasses let audience members unscramble the images and perceive depth. Stereoscopic photography is well over 125 years old. Stereoscopes, hand-held viewers with a place for inserting 3-D slide images, once were common in American homes. Those sitting in parlors could enjoy exotic images of European cathedrals, the Egyptian pyramids, Civil War battlefields, the Western frontier, and the ruins of ancient A scene from ‘How to Train Your Dragon.’ Greece. The stereoscope was modernized and sold as the View Master beginning in the 1940s. The public’s fascination with 3-D movies goes back to the early 1950s. From 1952 to 1955, 3-D movies proliferated. The movie capital at this time was in a slump due to television, so the studios tried to make their images as different as possible from the era’s square TV picture. New projection techniques, such as CinemaScope, Cinerama, and VistaVision, were introduced. These provided wide, sweeping images, but did not show depth. For that, you had to have 3-D. The first mainstream 3-D movie was a mediocre jungle drama called “Bwana Devil.” The promotional poster boasted “A lion in your lap! A lover in your arms,” and the description “Natural Vision 3 Dimension” dwarfed the names of the actors. Critics hated the film, but audiences swarmed to it, and the powers-that-be in Hollywood took note. The ‘50s flirtation with 3-D was short-lived primarily because directors treated it as a gimmick, hurling anything and everything toward the camera in hopes of making viewers recoil with reflexive fear of being hit with a spear, rock, or tomahawk. Still, some films of this period were quite good. “Kiss Me Kate” was a lush M-G-M musical, “Dial M for Murder” was Alfred Hitchcock’s suspenseful tale of a man who conspires to have his wife murdered, and “House of Wax,” a 3-D remake of a 1933 picture, put Vin- cent Price on the map as the King of Horror. One of the main things directors learned is to use 3D to draw viewers in, rather than assault them with projectiles. “Avatar” and “How to Train Your Dragon” often show action that is directed away from the camera, showing depth and allowing viewers to soar along with the characters. This degree of sophistication will undoubtedly earn modern 3-D new fans. A fad in the 1950s, 3-D looks in 2010 as if it will be around a while. Special glasses are still required, but the polarized lenses are less likely to give viewers headaches from eyestrain as those old dark blue and red glasses because they filter out less light from the screen. Through the years, 3-D has been used sporadically in feature films, primarily in horror and animated movies. Whether viewers will want to see romantic comedies, serious dramas, or documentaries in 3-D remains to be seen. One thing is sure: The latest films are part of the biggest industry surge of 3-D production in 55 years. Some 3-D films scheduled for theatrical release this year include “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,” “Toy Story 3,” “Shrek Forever After,” “Step Up 3-D,” and “Saw VII.” Three-D mania has also spread to the home market. Panasonic recently rolled out high definition 3-D plasma TVs. This June, satellite provider Direct TV will introduce three channels of 3-D programming and plans to broadcast the Major League Baseball All-Star game in 3-D. State Line 375 State Highway 17 North, Mahwah Open 24 Hours, 7 Days Join Us For Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner The Best Got Better! Diner - Restaurant 201-529-3353 Now Serving Cocktails, Espresso & Cappuccino $ 00 On $10.00 and over. With this coupon only. One Coupon per table. 5:00 to 9:00 pm only. Off 1 $ 00 VT On $20.00 and over. With this coupon only. One Coupon per table. 5:00 to 9:00 pm only. Off 2 VT