For a layman, it would seem like the 3D system is a newly invented technology in the entertainment industry but that is not true. It is actually a technology that can be traced back to the origin of photography especially the stereoscope. The stereoscopic photography is a specially made motion–picture camera system made for recording images from 2 different aspects. To get a fully formed or detailed illusion, an eyewear is worn. The work of the eyewear is to combine these 2 different perspectives to give a fuller expression of what is being captured.
In this article, we will be looking at the history and the different stages and evolution of the 3D technology.
Early Days of 3D Technology – Stereoscope
In 1844 David Brewster invented the stereoscope, but the stereoscope was further improved by Louis Jules Duboscq.
It has been recorded that Louis Jules Duboscq used the improved stereoscope to take the picture of Queen Victoria and revealed it at an exposition in the year 1851. This made the picture to become very popular and it was known all over the world. During the World War II period, it became very common for individuals to have a stereoscopic camera for their personal use.
The Second generation 3D technology- Kinematascope
As the number of individuals using it increased, there was the need for the technology to be further improved. So in the year 1855, the Kinematascope was invented, it was an animation enabled camera, used majorly in the studio. The Kinematascope was a little more advanced than the stereoscope camera that was made in 1844. It could create a 3D motion picture. In the year 1890, a Pioneering British film producer William Friese-Greene applied for a patent for the 3D movies.
3D in the 20th Century – Anaglyph
In the year 1915, a movie was made using an anaglyph technology- the first anaglyph movie. An anaglyph movie is a moving or a still picture that has contrasting colors, but when it is superimposed together, it appears three-dimensional. For the anaglyph technology, a 3D glass is needed. The glass usually has 2 different color lenses that help to direct images to each eye.
Advent of Colored 3D
“The power of Love” was the first 3D movie displayed publicly in 1922. But in the year 1935, the first colored 3D movie was produced. By this time the 3D technology has really improved and advanced better than when it just started.
After the first colored 3D movie was produced, there was a little break for over a decade in the use of technology. The reason for this break cannot be ascertained but in early 1950, the 3D technology came back.
During this era, the production of televisions has become very popular and it had started appearing in most households. Also, in this period many 3D movies were being produced.
During this period, the 3D technology was not used only within the United States, but also across the United States borders. In 1947 The Soviet Union released their first full 3D movie. The title of the movie was “Robinson Crusoe”.
In 1952, United Artists produced a movie titled “Bwana Devil” was shown all over the United States; it was the first 3D movie produced in the 50s. The film was shot using natural vision process; a process designed for Hollywood studios.
A year later, another 3D movie titled “House of Wax” was released. During this period, the 3D technology was not readily available in all the theaters.
Another movie titled “Dial M for Murder” was meant to be produced in 3D, but the producer – Alfred Hitchcock choose to produce the movie in the 2D format in order to maximize his profits.
In the 60’s – Space Vision Technology
The 3D trend continued until the 1960’s when a newer 3D model was designed. The new technology was called Space-Vision 3D. This new 3D technology prints 2 images over each other on a single strip. Unlike the previous model of 3D technology, the Space-Vision uses a single projector and a special lens.
Using 2 cameras to form a 3D image is peculiar to the former 3D technology, but this new technology abolished the need to use 2 different cameras to form a 3D image.
Previously, the use of 2 different cameras to form a 3D image was very difficult because there was a need for both cameras to be accurately synchronized. Getting this precision was difficult. The Space-Vision Technology solved this issue.
The first movie that was produced using this space-vision technology was titled “the Bubble”. Even though the movie was seriously critiqued by faultfinders, it still recorded a large number of viewers.
This large number of viewers made the movie to become a very profitable movie, thereby promoting the technology to many other studios within and outside the country.
In the 70’s – The Stereovision
In the 70’s, another model of 3D technology was produced – the Stereovision. This technology was designed by Allan Silliphant and Chris Condon.
It squeezes 2 images together (side by side) on a single 35mm film strip. It uses a special anamorphic lens that helps to widen the picture by the use of a series of Polaroid filters.
Polaroid filter is a certain type of plastic film that can differentiate a beam of light. The Stereovision 3D technology was first used to produce a movie titled “The Stewardesses”- a soft-core sex comedy. The budget spent on the production of the movies was US$100,000, but the movie earned a whooping sum of US$27 million in Northern American alone.
Around the early 80’s a lot of movies like Friday the 13th part 3, Jaws 3D and Amityville were produced using the Space-Vision 3D technology.
In the 80’s – IMAX 3D technology
By the mid 80’s, another 3D technology was produced. This technology enabled the production of documentary films. It also highlighted mathematical precision which helped to remove stress in the eye caused by the former 3D technologies.
In the year 1986, Canada produced the first 3D movie for Expo’ 86; the title of the movie was “Echoes of the Sun”. This movie was made by the use of polarized glasses. In the 90’s several films were produced using the IMAX 3D technology; one of the most successful movies released during this period was “Into the Deep”.
But the first 3D fiction produced was “Wings of Courage” in the year 1996.
In the 21st Century – Reality Camera System
In the year 2000, the 3D technology had been fully developed and a lot of studio movies were released in 3D. In 2003, the first full-length 3D IMAX film was produced by James Cameron.
The title of the 3D movie was “Ghosts of the Abyss”. This film was produced using the latest IMAX 3Dtechnology known as reality camera system. The technology was designed by Vince Pace, and he used the latest High Definition (HD) cameras for making this technology.
Some of the 3D movies produced using this technology includes, “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D”, “Aliens of the Deep”, “The Polar Express”, “Scar 3D” and “Spy Kids 3D: Game over”.
In the year 2010, Sky TV proposed to go into 3D television. On the 1st of January this year, the first 3D channel was launched in South Korea.
The channel broadcasts different programs in 3D format and these programs ranges from educational, animation, sporting, documentaries, to musical shows. The channel is running for 24/7.
Conclusion
The historical perspective of the 3D technology has shown that the technology did not start today, but it has been in existence ever since the invention of photography.
As it holds currently, the use of 3D technology will continue to advance and expand since it is still an aspect that is yet evolving.
We expect to see the products made from this technology to reduce in price as time goes on. Also with time, we expect to have the 3D technology in every home.
Grow A Service Technology Business Creatively
I have just received an advance copy of Michael Michalko’s new book Creative Thinkering and, not surprisingly, it got me thinking.
Not just in a creative way, but about creativity and its place in business generally.
Now, most professional service providers don’t think a lot about creativity, unless their business demands it (in advertising, for example). They tend to think “creatives” are so busy being creative, they don’t get anything done. But it seems to me that creative thinking is needed by every professional.
This holds doubly true for independent professionals, who are usually logical thinkers and prefer what they believe are tried and true processes.
Think (ahem) about this… If you’re an independent professional, no matter what your speciality, you have a host of problems that must be solved daily. Not the least of these is how to compete with much larger professional service firms in terms of business model, marketing and sales, processes for completing work, and pricing your services.
In each of these cases, creative thinking (or Creative Thinkering as Michalko calls it), can help you solve these problems.
Maybe you can devise a better way to market your service than copying what the big firms do.
Maybe you can create processes that will allow you to produce more work in less time, and therefore increase your billings.
Maybe you can find new ways to deliver your services to cut down on your hours spent on tasks.
Maybe you can come up with some clever pricing solutions that will make you stand out from other providers, yet allow you to make a living at the same time.
Every business operator today has problems, or as I prefer, challenges. Sometimes they seem insoluble so we just buy a canned solution, or we just do what we did before when we worked at a big firm.
Sure, you may limp along, and survive on former clients or referrals, or by concentrating on a specific niche. But that’s not going to be enough to grow your business. That’s where “thinkering” come in.
According to Michalko, creative thinkers like to tinker with concepts. They create by forming novel combinations.
They routinely conceptually blend objects, concepts and ideas from two different context or categories that logical thinkers conventionally consider separate. For example, Gutenberg invented the printing press by observing a wine press in action — which had nothing to do with printing, but gave him an idea regarding how printing could be made less laborious.
We can’t get into creative techniques too much here (Michalko’s previous book, Thinkertoys, provides a good compendium of these), but suffice to say, they can help you business overcome those vexing problems that get in the way of growth.
