3D Basics
Section 1 - INFORMATION STAGE
Major Achievements in 3-D
3D Image presentation has had a long and varied history since its early beginnings. Since it burst onto the elite scene in the mid 1800s it has ridden a popularity roller coaster as it has been presented in many different forms and in wide variety of qualities.
Introduced in 1939 at the New York World's Fair was the venerable Viewmaster. Designed originally as an alternative to the scenic postcard, it again ignited the public's interest in seeing images in more then just two dimensions. The Viewmaster was more then just a children's toy. The US military purchased 100,000 of these stereoscopic viewers to use for personnel training and for airplane/ship identification and range estimations. A 25 volume atlas of human anatomy was also produced for use with this device. Subjects and uses ranged widely and Viewmaster changed with the times. Since its inception over 70 years ago there have been over 25 different models of the Viewmaster produced and over 1.5 billion viewing disks created.
3D Cinema has been around as early as 1915 with the first known presentation of "Jim the Penman" which had some early crude anaglyphic segments. Anaglyph images provide a stereoscopic effect when viewed through two color glasses (each lens chromatically opposite currently red and cyan, red and blue were used in B+W past primarily due to cheaper material costs).
The first known feature length presentation in 3D was "The Power of Love" which premiered September 27th, 1922 at the Ambassador Hotel theatre using the two-camera, two-projector Fairhall-Elder stereoscopic process developed by Harry K. Fairhall and Robert F. Elder.
Two months later on December 27th, 1922 an elongated short film called "The Man From Mars" (aka M.A.R.S. or Radio-Mania) was released using the "Single Strip Eclipse" stereoscopic process (Eclipsing shutter viewers). Eclipsing shutter viewers incorporate glasses which isolate each eye to see alternating frames. These were a complicated mechanical apparatus which has since been much simplified using Liquid Chrystal shutter glasses with advanced wireless triggering, or emitter, systems.
Throughout its history in Cinema, 3D has seen much technical experimentation come and go, from innovative individuals to opportunistic Movie Studios, from Military training applications to a national 3D cinema program operated by the Russian Government. Anaglyphic and Polarized-Light systems being the ones most suitable for widely used cinematic presentation today
To date there have been 300+ 3D cinematic releases since its early and auspicious beginnings, with the 1950's and 1980's being the most prolific eras for 3D cinema production. A fairly complete list of 3D Movie Releases can be found at 3dmovielist.com.
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