The 3-D aesthetic: Avatar and hyperhaptic visuality

3-D cinema: immersive media technology

“…The subsequent evolution and development of the technology was not a neat, linear and progressive one. Rather, a number of narratives of various iterations of the technology exist, due to its cyclical and periodic development, popularity and decline (see Elsaesser 2013;Gurevitch 2012;Hawkins 1953;Ross 2012;Walters 2009). Whilst not seeking to valorise 3-D cinema as a 'new' technology, this paper does wish to illustrate the value of exploring the medium in its contemporary format.…”

“…In addition, a number of commentators have noted that the very illusion of depth facilitating 3-D cinema's status as an 'immersive' medium is an ''excessive'' one, and that the ''existence of 'flat' versions, along with promotional materials….that demonstrate content in 2D, makes it apparent that the story can be told without'' 3-D cinematography (Ross 2013: 413). As such, the medium has (historically) been conceived of as a money-making enterprise or gimmick courtesy of the film industry (Hawkins 1953;Ross 2012Ross , 2013. Whether conceived of as an artistic medium or an industrial gimmick, 3-D cinema shows no sign of abating and is thus worthy of sustained consideration.…”

“…Consumers wear polarised stereoscopic glasses which pick up separate projections from two synchronised projectors, each operating from a different perspective (Ross 2012). Crucially there is a horizontal disparity, known as a 'parallax', between these perspectives.…”

“…Crucially there is a horizontal disparity, known as a 'parallax', between these perspectives. 3-D cinematography utilises negative, positive and zero parallax techniques in order to manipulate the resultant 'stereopsis' (3-D rendition) (Ross 2012). For example, negative parallax techniques or 'emergence effects' are utilised to visually foreground an image (Klinger 2013;Reeve and Flock 2010;Ross 2013), at once creating the illusion of an 'ultra-realistic' depth-rich scene, and ''destabilising'' the audience's ''traditional'' relationship with the screen (Odeon 2014;Ross 2013: 407).…”

“…As has been established, whether via an audience 'grasp' or involuntary flinch at created illusions, 3-D cinema is often said to exemplify a kind of 'tangibility' or 'tactility' (Loew 2013;Ross 2012Ross , 2013. As the opening advertisement from cinema chain 'The Odeon' demonstrates, this 'tactility' is an integral component of 3-D cinema's industrial immersive status.…”