Three-dimensional cinema

Abstract

Those observing the proliferation of three-dimensional (3D) films in US theaters wonder whether 3D will become ‘the new normal’ – the way that most films are produced and watched. Although skeptics abound, no one can answer this question with certainty now. But, if we consider this phrase from a different angle, it promises a more immediately revealing analysis of contemporary 3D cinema. Despite its appearance of born-again novelty, 3D has quickly established a highly codified stylistic repertoire. This repertoire is evidenced in the relationship that 3D US feature films have to classical Hollywood and contemporary film and image-making strategies. As it achieves its spatial effects, 3D obeys, wrestles with, and amplifies certain standard aspects of storytelling, visual style, and genre. Studying recent movies, including blockbusters, this article argues that 3D’s mixture of media heritages distills a highly conventionalized 3D aesthetic or a new stylistic normal.