Quote:
Originally Posted by
RobertR 
No one said you were stupid, or that you can't tell the difference between good and bad storytelling, only that you're quite willing to let such considerations take a back seat to the technology. Your post tends to confirm that. On another forum, I saw someone post that he'll be "forced" to buy the latest Shrek, even though he expects it's a godawful movie, simply because he just got a new 3D TV. That further reinforces my point--buying a
lousy movie because of the technology.
You're making a statement of the obvious (people should want good 3D films) and generalizing that people who are passionate about 3D like the technology more than the quality of the content. That's absurd. So what if I watch every 3D movie that's released in the next two years, regardless of content. Your comment would still be meaningless. In ten years, when dozens, or hundreds, or even thousands of brilliant 3D films and television shows have been made, and I've bought and watched them all, regardless of content or quality, then I'd be more understanding of a comment like yours. I'd say, yes, I probably like 3D for the sake of 3D. I'm an indiscriminate boob, incapable of telling the difference between a meaningfully told story and one where I duck when I see knives being thrown at me.
I see enormous potential in 3D - to enhance storytelling and intensify my emotional reactions to intimate moments. So what if not a lot of that has happened yet? So what if I'm willing to watch just about anything in 3D until more serious filmmakers begin to discover 3D's potential, and use it to tell stories in ways we've never seen before?
You think you understand my motivation for watching 3D content? You think that because I'm willing to watch "lesser" 3D movies, it means I love 3D for the sake of 3D? I've watched lots of bad color films, and bad surround sound films, and bad black and white films. I learned from all of them - what doesn't work as well as what does. Does that mean that I like color for the sake of color, or that I like films because they use long tracking shots, regardless of content? As long as 3D content is limited, I'll probably watch every 3D film I can get my hands on. Along the way, I'll learn a lot about what good 3D is, and I'll be able to place its value as a filmmaking tool into perspective, alongside every other filmmaking tool I know about.
Now that the rant is over, I'll say that I suspect you and I may not be that far apart in our thinking. Your comment just sounded like too broad a condemnation of 3D aficionados. I happen to believe that 3D deserves a place as high up on the storytelling ladder as color, surround sound and high definition television. As such, I didn't like what sounded like a blanket characterization. Regardless, it's always good to engage people this way. Articulating these sorts of things clarifies them in my own mind.
So, thanks.
