As we all know, 3D is the Next Big Thing – and seemingly has been for a while. Whilst the third dimension has been implemented into our cinema screens with such enthusiasm over the last year or so as to quickly become something approaching the norm (especially for animated features), 3D in the home is another matter. The uptake on 3D capable televisions has been slow, but LG intend to change that with their new advertising campaign, which consists of an amusing, 3D commercial to be shown in cinemas and a complimentary interactive trouble-shooting video.
The commercial is produced by London-based and Oscar winning visual effects company Framestore and directed by Richard Ayoade of The IT Crowd, Garth Merenghi’s Darkplace and The Mighty Boosh fame. It stars up and coming comedian and poet, Tim Key as an affable film director introducing the audience to the possibilities and accessibility of 3D in the home, aided by his hapless flatmate. The interactive video – see below – features the duo and attempts to answer any question you might have regarding 3D. Type in ‘passive 3D’, for example, and the pair explain what this means in a sardonic, humorous manner. There are also numerous visual quirks and sight gags to amuse users as well as a few Easter Eggs to discover, should you type in slightly more esoteric demands of the pair. Asking them to ‘strip’ for instance provokes an entertaining response.
As well as seeing the commercial and interactive video, the assembled bloggers and I were also treated to a show reel of Framestore’s work on Avatar, introduced by executive visual effects producer Tim Keene, which mostly consisted of shots of the hangers and robots from the human’s base. Avatar being such a massive undertaking, Framestore collaborated with other visual effects companies to create the Pandora in time for release. Our attention was drawn to a shot of an aircraft, for which Framestore created the ramp, WETA its wings and Industrial Light and Magic the sides. The presentation concluded with several minutes of James Cameron’s own 3D test footage, which involved American football, motorbikes, a Gwen Stefani concert and diving footage, the latter perhaps giving us a clue to how the Cameron-produced 3D cave-diving movie, Sanctum may look (in short, like some blokes in scuba gear in some small, underwater caves, in 3D).
There were also plenty of opportunities for the LG guys, led by Mike Woods, to explain the facts and their speculations on the future of 3D. They explained how their advert deliberately has a rough at the edges aesthetic to distance themselves from the overly slick and stylised 3D presentation we may be used to in cinemas. They were also keen to distance themselves from old-school, red and blue filtered 3D and explained how they were fighting a battle on two fronts in trying to market two different types of 3D – active and passive. The latter you will probably be familiar with from cinemas, the advantage being that the glasses used are cheap and easily replaceable, should ‘Little Jimmy’ (a presumably fictional infant to whom the presenters kept referring to) sit on them. Active 3D involves much more expensive specs that flicker frames across your eyes but offer much higher resolution picture that complements 3D gaming. Passive 3D is being aimed at more common or garden viewers, whilst the active 3D technology is marketed at more discerning tech-heads.
After the presentation, I asked the guys about the uptake of 3D, who admitted it was currently slow as early adopters test the technology. Currently, the lack of TV output available in 3D (apparently 20-30%, which struck me as high) and the cost of the televisions (£800-£1500) means that LG aren’t selling quite as many units as they would like to at the moment, but they seem to be enjoying the challenge of attracting an audience that has only just upgraded to HD. Woods was keen to stress how the shift to 3D is a much more noticeable improvement than the transition to HD. He also told me how, due to technological difficulties, 3D output is mostly in 720p rather than full, 1080p.
Personally, I’m rather ambivalent regarding 3D. I see it as like having a free toy in a packet of cereal – a nice little bonus, but hardly something that influences you whether or not to buy the cereal in the first place. Having seen football in 3D in a pub (an experience LG are seeking to bring to the home) has not changed this. Whilst set pieces such as corners look interesting in the third dimension, the angle of the camera during normal play is much lower than usual, allowing you to see the depth of the field of play rather than what is actually happening. However, it is important to remember that 3D is very much in its infancy. The fact that directors such as Werner Herzog and Martin Scorsese are experimenting with the technology instils faith that something more interesting than the latest Shrek sequel can be produced in 3D. Whether we all will one day be watching Countdown and Coronation Street in 3D in our living rooms is something only time, as they say, will tell.
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