When you really need that 3DBB, part 3

I am really enjoying this back-and-forth with readers. 🙂

Adrian, I am totally on board with the idea of an interactive video. The fundamental question on the table, it could be argued, is whether it is better for that video to be 2D or 3D.

We have a long tradition — dating back about 125 years — of telling visual stories that get projected onto a 2D rectangle. In that medium we have the benefit of many generations of brilliant visual storytellers.

Yet the idea of the story that is told in true 3D — the kind of story that was suggested by the apparition of Princess Leia in 1977, and before that of Altaira Morbius in 1956 — is still largely theoretical. We simply have not had the hardware to realize that vision.

In 1895, with the introduction of the film projector, cinematic storytelling began its journey to become a mass medium. And now, with the imminent advent of consumer level wearables, truly immersive 3D visual storytelling is about to embark on a parallel journey.

The Steven Spielbergs, Katherine Bigelows and Guillermo del Toros of this future medium are probably still children. But one day those children will become powerful forces in the shaping of our collective cultural aesthetic.

The fruits of their creative abilities may very well be truly three dimensional, rather than a projection onto a 2D screen. Sometime soon, the image of Altaira Morbius floating in that Krell display device may become the archikí eikóna of a new cultural norm.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *