Beakerzoid
06-07-2008, 05:21 AM
Dang, I ended up doing it after all :)
Some of you may have noticed the advent of Real-D 3D over the past years, and particularly last year when Cineworld was blessed with a bit of dosh to invest in the technology. Some of you again may have a few questions about it, so here I will answer (to the best of my ability) any queries you have on the new fangled tech.
First, let me cover a few common questions.
*Hasn't 3D been done before?
Yes, every 15 years or so the fad returns. However, this time the tech has improved a great deal. The system utilises the digital projectors in use at more and more cinemas worldwide to show a new 'polarized' 3D film, alternating images at 72 frames per second, for each eye to pick up seperately, combining the images to add layers of depth to the image. The extremely high resolution of the digital projector, and the polarization effect mean that the image your brain recieves is sharp, and retains all the colour of the film (unlike with the blue/red lenses which distorted the colour scheme of the film)
In addition, whereas in the past the 3D effect was limited to things jumping out the screen at you (meaning it was mostly gimmicky), the new 3D allows things to go INTO the screen, lending depth to the film. Anyone who watched Beowulf in 3D last year would have been as captivated as I was with the scenery shots. U23D was spectacular, making you feel you could actually run into the screen and shake Bono by the hand (or the neck....your choice).
*Do you still have to wear silly glasses?
Yes and no. Glasses still need to be worn. The two lenses are set to recieve the images seperately. However they are not the cardboard mess that they used to be, and the tinted lenses are more akin to sunglasses (but do not use them as such - they are not designed to be sunglasses). The old coloured ones used to cause me terrible migraines after 10 inutes, but the new ones don't. The glasses are set in sturdy plastic frames, so are quite comfortable and rigid.
*What if you already wear specs?
They fit beautifully over them. A few customers asking me about this were not convinced when I told them this, so I demonstrated it for them and popped a pair on over my own specs. Perfect fit, and comfortable to wear for the whole film (Beowulf, Nightmare Before Christmas, and U23D....for some reason I avoided Hannah Montana)
*Why does it cost more?
The extra charge is not so we can line our pockets more, but it is the payment to the company that transfers the image to 3D - RealD. They want some cash from it, so they take their share from the takings for the film.
*Do Unlimited card holders have to pay more?
Not at present. This is still up in the air, and at present Cineworld are taking the cost and paying out on behalf of the card-holders (whilst it is free for card holders to watch as many films as they like, we still have to pay out to the distributors for every film a card holder goes to see. This means that in the case of our most regular devotees we actually lose out each month as we pay the distributors more than we get from the card subscription - but that is another topic for another day).
The terms and conditions of the Unlimited card were amended to state that the card may not be valid on certain performances such as 3D, but the Marketing team are still to make a final decision on it. The general feeling was that we would upset a huge proportion of the customer base if we refused to let you all see it on the card, and so for the time being you get in with no charge. They may choose to add a surcharge on top sometime in the future (say £1 or £1.50 extra payment when watching a 3D film, as it is with the standard tickets), and chatting with some of the regular card holders it seems that many of you think this is actually quite fair as you are getting a different experience.
I will let you all know if there is any changes to this.
So, that's the basics. Next week (11th July 08) we have Journey To the Center Of The Earth in 3D - the film looks terrible, but the 3D looks ace, so I'm there! Worth seeing for the 3D alone :)
Over the next few years practically every animated movie is getting 3D options, and we hope to get as many of the as we can. For me the most exiting prospect is that Pixar have gone back to the source code for Toy Story 1 & 2 and are in the process of re-imaging it all in 3D for re-issue next year ready for Toy Story 3 (in 3D) in 2010!!!
To infinity....and beyond!
Some of you may have noticed the advent of Real-D 3D over the past years, and particularly last year when Cineworld was blessed with a bit of dosh to invest in the technology. Some of you again may have a few questions about it, so here I will answer (to the best of my ability) any queries you have on the new fangled tech.
First, let me cover a few common questions.
*Hasn't 3D been done before?
Yes, every 15 years or so the fad returns. However, this time the tech has improved a great deal. The system utilises the digital projectors in use at more and more cinemas worldwide to show a new 'polarized' 3D film, alternating images at 72 frames per second, for each eye to pick up seperately, combining the images to add layers of depth to the image. The extremely high resolution of the digital projector, and the polarization effect mean that the image your brain recieves is sharp, and retains all the colour of the film (unlike with the blue/red lenses which distorted the colour scheme of the film)
In addition, whereas in the past the 3D effect was limited to things jumping out the screen at you (meaning it was mostly gimmicky), the new 3D allows things to go INTO the screen, lending depth to the film. Anyone who watched Beowulf in 3D last year would have been as captivated as I was with the scenery shots. U23D was spectacular, making you feel you could actually run into the screen and shake Bono by the hand (or the neck....your choice).
*Do you still have to wear silly glasses?
Yes and no. Glasses still need to be worn. The two lenses are set to recieve the images seperately. However they are not the cardboard mess that they used to be, and the tinted lenses are more akin to sunglasses (but do not use them as such - they are not designed to be sunglasses). The old coloured ones used to cause me terrible migraines after 10 inutes, but the new ones don't. The glasses are set in sturdy plastic frames, so are quite comfortable and rigid.
*What if you already wear specs?
They fit beautifully over them. A few customers asking me about this were not convinced when I told them this, so I demonstrated it for them and popped a pair on over my own specs. Perfect fit, and comfortable to wear for the whole film (Beowulf, Nightmare Before Christmas, and U23D....for some reason I avoided Hannah Montana)
*Why does it cost more?
The extra charge is not so we can line our pockets more, but it is the payment to the company that transfers the image to 3D - RealD. They want some cash from it, so they take their share from the takings for the film.
*Do Unlimited card holders have to pay more?
Not at present. This is still up in the air, and at present Cineworld are taking the cost and paying out on behalf of the card-holders (whilst it is free for card holders to watch as many films as they like, we still have to pay out to the distributors for every film a card holder goes to see. This means that in the case of our most regular devotees we actually lose out each month as we pay the distributors more than we get from the card subscription - but that is another topic for another day).
The terms and conditions of the Unlimited card were amended to state that the card may not be valid on certain performances such as 3D, but the Marketing team are still to make a final decision on it. The general feeling was that we would upset a huge proportion of the customer base if we refused to let you all see it on the card, and so for the time being you get in with no charge. They may choose to add a surcharge on top sometime in the future (say £1 or £1.50 extra payment when watching a 3D film, as it is with the standard tickets), and chatting with some of the regular card holders it seems that many of you think this is actually quite fair as you are getting a different experience.
I will let you all know if there is any changes to this.
So, that's the basics. Next week (11th July 08) we have Journey To the Center Of The Earth in 3D - the film looks terrible, but the 3D looks ace, so I'm there! Worth seeing for the 3D alone :)
Over the next few years practically every animated movie is getting 3D options, and we hope to get as many of the as we can. For me the most exiting prospect is that Pixar have gone back to the source code for Toy Story 1 & 2 and are in the process of re-imaging it all in 3D for re-issue next year ready for Toy Story 3 (in 3D) in 2010!!!
To infinity....and beyond!