The BBC talks to some of the film-makers behind Monsters Versus Aliens and Coraline about the increasing trend for animated features to use 3-D technology, why they use it and what it is like to work in.
“Is that what’s driving the current surge in 3D – the fact that it’s offering something people can’t get at home?
Lisa: Absolutely. The home theatre experience is so evolved at this time, it’s hard to get people off their couches. People have huge televisions, hi-def…
Conrad: …5.1 sound, and an entire refrigerator full of food right behind them…
Lisa: It doesn’t cost $6.95 for a Coke! It’s something they can’t get at home, at least not for now – it’s an experience they can only have in the theater. A movie like ours is a group experience; it’s a fun thing to watch with 300 people.”
It will be interesting to compare how the 3-D works between the two films, one using extremely refined CGI (even the movement of Ginormica’s hair in Monsters Versus Aliens is extremely well done) and the other the more traditional (and wonderful, in my opinion) stop motion technique. I caught Monsters Versus Aliens yesterday and it had an almost perfect 50s Sci-Fi B movie vibe to it (which as they say in the interview means it fits the idea of 3-D nicely since those were among the first films to use that gimmick), funny for the kids but with plenty of little bits for the adults too (radar station calling in a genuine UFO sighting refers to ‘Operation Nimoy’); nice animation, fun story and the 3-D is good without being too intrusive, a hugely enjoyable flick.
The only thing wrong with it, in fact, is the same problem I’ve had with the other rash of recent 3-D animated flicks – the bloody glasses. Yes, they are a huge improvement on the old red and blue lens, migraine in ten minutes 3-D specs but one thing the studios and cinemas don’t seem to factor in is how the hell you are supposed to wear them if you wear spectacles already. Come on studios, its not like glasses wearers are a rarity, there must be half the population at least who have to use glasses so surely that should be something rather obvious for you to consider when designing these things? Its very uncomofortable to have to perch these plastic 3-D glasses over your own spectacles and the difference in distance between your lens and the 3-D lenses, slight though that may be, often leads to some ‘ghosting’ of outlines which is painful on the eyes after a while; still, in the case of Monsters Versus Aliens it was well worth a bit of ocular discomfort.
Mon, Apr 6, 2009
Art and animation, Film, TV and radio