A blog about 3D cinema

Background: Godzilla has been around for 50 years. He's been in almost as many movies. 2014's Godzilla is Hollywood's second attempt at bringing the monster to life. Thankfully, this version was guided to the big screen by Gareth Edwards, whose 2010 film Monsters went a long way with a very low budget. His skills behind the camera have been recognised already, with Disney shoulder-tapping him to helm the next stand-alone Star Wars film . So, how did his transition from micro-budget to massive-budget film-making go? More importantly, how is the 3D in Godzilla ?  Post-Converted 3D: Godzilla was shot in 2D on Arri Alexa Studio 4:3 cameras, using Panavision C Series anamorphic lenses. Effects studios like Weta Digital, Moving Picture Co., and Double Negative provided the CGI, and The Avengers' cinematographer Seamus McGarvey lensed the action. The film was later post-converted to 3D by two studios, Vancouver-based Gener8 and Stereo D . Their work here

Background The fifth Spider-Man film in 15 years, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is also Spidey’s second 3D film. We were reasonably underwhelmed by the 'original' The Amazing Spider-Man , despite it being shot in native 3D. How does the most recent sequel fare in comparison? Read on for all the details on the film’s post-converted 3D, its depth, effects and whether or not we should save the 2D or 3D versions for archival purposes. Post-Converted 3D Unlike its immediate predecessor, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was largely shot on film, and post-converted to 3D. This task fell to Legend 3D, and Stereo Supervisor Ed W. Marsh . The company has a mixed record with its stereo conversions . Some of their earlier work left much to be desired (eg: Alice In Wonderland and Green Hornet ). Like much of the conversion industry, they've upped their game in recent years (eg: Top Gun , Man Of Steel ). The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is another  massive step forward for them; average viewers won

Background This April, Captain America: The Winter Soldier kicked off the 'Summer' movie-going season early. Its over-sized box-office takings match the muscle and reputation of the hero himself, and critics were quick to praise the film too. He's the linchpin for Marvel's Cinematic Universe, which is why it's the fourth time we've seen Cap in 3D. Is this the definitive Steve Rogers story? How does the 3D fare in comparison to the post-converted likes of Iron Man Three or The Avengers ? Join us for this in-depth review of the film's stereo effects, and let us know if we've missed anything! Post-Converted 3D Marvel makes bold bets on its directors. In retrospect, many of their choices often made total sense; Shakespearean-influenced Kenneth Brannagh was well matched with Thor , as was the wise-cracking Iron Man helmer Jon Favreau. While some of their directors had previously made big-budget films, none had ever made a 3D movie. We assume that&

The 86th Academy Awards were held in March, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. When the gathered stars and glitterati weren't taking selfies , the famous gold statues were being handed out to a host of worthy winners. Amongst them, 3Defence counted 11 wins for 3D films , helped mostly by Gravity , but ably assisted by Frozen and The Great Gatsby . This means that 46% of 2014's Oscar winners were 3D films. By comparison, 21% of 2013's winners were stereo movies, and 23% of 2012's were too. So, why the meteoric rise this year? Gravity  - as many predicted - swept the majority of the 'technical' categories. It took out the Visual Effects, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing awards early on in the evening. These particular awards have been given to 3D films in the past. Cinematography and Film Editing came next though, and winning both of these awards is a significant breakthrough in terms of the industry's recognition of stereo film-making. For one thing, the team

If you're an active reader of 3Defence, the chances are you're a movie nerd; a cinephile; a film buff; a student of cinema; or generally just the type of person who appreciates long-form articles on interesting topics. I know this, because that's who I am. I can't think of anything better than a Saturday morning coffee and a chance to learn about how movies are made, or what the critical community thinks of the resulting product. That's why 3Defence exists; to help provide a place for balanced criticism and reasoned study of stereo film-making in the modern age. However 3Defence is also just a place for movie geeks to hang out. In that spirit, today we kick off a series that offers up other ways to get your cinematic fix from the web. Article #1 is going to focus on two of 'The Best Apps' for movie geeks, and offer up a couple of other ways to make sure you keep up to date with your favourite film sites while on the go. Ain't It Cool News Picks &

This year's Awards Season is gearing up for its main event: the 86th Academy Awards. Many cinephiles justifiably find the concept of 'Awards Season' horrifying. They can validly cite examples through the years where Oscar was wrong  ( My Fair Lady over Strangelove ? Crash over Good Night and Good Luck ? Shakespeare In Love being allowed in the same room as the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan ?) and they can cite many more examples where films "should at least have been nominated !" Thankfully, the Academy broadened the nomination pool after universal outcry at The Dark Knight' s nomination snub   in 2008, and that's alleviated those tensions a little. It means we get a more balanced summary of the year in cinema: edgier films get nominated ( District 9 , Amour ), and broader-playing fare ( Up , The Help ) makes the cut as a nearer summary of what movie-goers... go to the movies for in the first place. The Nominees 2013's nominees are