3D TV History
3D imaging dates to the beginning of photography. In 1844, David Brewster introduced the Stereoscope, a device that could take photographic pictures in 3D. It was then improved by Louis Jules Duboscq and a famous picture of Queen Victoria was displayed at The Great Exhibition in 1851. By the Second World War, stereoscopic (3D) cameras for personal use were already fairly common.
The 3D movie development was parallel to the development of 3D pictures and images. Already in 1855 the Kinematoscope was invented, that is the Stereo Animation Camera. The first anaglyph movie was produced in 1915 and in 1922 the first public 3D movie was displayed - The Power of Love! In 1935 the first 3D color movie was produced.
History of 3D Films
A 3-D ("three-dimensional") film or S3D film is a motion picture that provides the illusion of depth perception. Derived from stereoscopic photography, a special motion picture camera is used to record the images as seen from two perspectives (or computer-generated imagery generates the two perspectives), and special projection hardware and/or eyewear are used to provide the illusion of depth when viewing the film
3-D films have existed in some form since 1890, but were largely relegated to a niche in the motion picture industry because of the costly hardware and processes required to produce and display a 3-D film, and the lack of a standardized format for all segments of the entertainment business. Nonetheless, 3-D films were prominently featured in the 1950s and 1980s in American cinema, and are currently experiencing a worldwide resurgence coinciding with the development of digital media and the introduction of high-definition video standards.
Below is a brief walk through the history of 3D films
1894
William Friese-Greene, the British film pioneer, files a patent for a 3-D movie process using two films projected side by side on screen while the viewer looks through a stereoscope to converge the two images.
1922
The Power of Love, using a system developed by cinematographer Robert Elder, becomes the first 3-D movie shown to a commercial audience when it is screened in Los Angeles.
1936
MGM's Audioscopics, developed by Joseph Leventhal and John Norling, wins the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Novelty).
1952
sees the beginning of the three-year period referred to as the "golden era" of 3-D cinema. Bwana Devil, the first colour stereoscopic feature, produced, written and directed by Arch Oboler, is released.
1953
Two groundbreaking features are released in 3-D: Columbia's Man in the Dark and Warner Bros. House of Wax, the first 3-D feature with stereophonic sound. Other releases include Dial M for Murder and It Came from Outer Space.
The success of these films proves that major studios now have a method of getting moviegoers back into theatres and away from television sets, which are causing a steady decline in attendance.
1961
Although 3-D films largely remain dormant for the first part of the 1960s The Mask, is a success. The film, which is shot in 2-D, uses 3-D to enhance the scenes in which the main character puts on a cursed tribal mask.
1970
Stereovision is founded. The company releases The Stewardesses, a soft-core sex comedy, which costs $100,000 to produce, but earns $27 million in North America alone in fewer than 800 theatres, becoming the most profitable 3-Dimensional film to date.
1986
IMAX begins offering non-fiction films in 3-D, starting with the 20-minute National Film Board of Canada production Transitions.
Other releases include Jaws 3-D, Amityville 3-D, Friday the 13th Part III 3-D, as well as The Man Who Wasn't There and Starchaser: The Legend of Orin.
2003
Sabucat Productions organises the first World 3-D Exposition, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original craze. James Cameron's Ghosts of the Abyss, a 3-D tour of the Titanic wreckage, is released.
It is the first full-length 3-D IMAX feature filmed with the Reality Camera System, which uses the latest HDTV video cameras, rather than film. The same camera system is used to film Spy Kids 3D: Game Over in the same year, Aliens of the Deep in 2005.
2004
The Polar Express is released as IMAX's first full length animated 3-D feature. The 3-D version earns about 14 times as much per screen as the 2D version – prompting renewed interest in 3-D among film studios.
2009
A wave or 3-D releases follow, including Journey to the Center of the Earth, Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Scar3D, Disney's Bolt, and Pixar's first 3-D feature film Up.