The future of Video and Film

Hi all,

Been thinking of this and would like to get other's views as to the future and where video and cinema is headed. It is a wide open subject I know but would appreciate you taking the time to give me your views.

Steve

Wow talk about an open question Steve!

Personally I can see the current 3D hype being fairly short lived. I think there will always be a place for it with big production cinema films (Avatar was superb in 3D), but I can't see it ever transferring successfully to TV in its current format. I can barely get through a two hour 3D film without a blinding headache, let alone watching it all night on TV. Also it must be hell sitting in front of a computer screen trying to edit it!

Holographic/Virtual Reality immersion TV/Film is another matter altogether and I'm sure that's how it will end up eventually with a merging of video/film and computer generated environments, but I think that's still Sci-Fi for at least for a little while longer!

Can't wait to read others thoughts...

Cheers, Simon

Thanks Simon,

I agree, Avatar was superb in 3D and then came out the junk. No matter what technology holds for us, we will still have the need for good story and characters.

Now to hear from others for their visions of the future.

Steve

I think the key to 3D becoming ubiquitous will be ease of viewing, once the viewer can just sit and watch 3D without any type of interface like 3D glasses etc; creating a 3D effect on the screen without actually requiring any type of binocular requirement. It will also need to become progressive just as our vision is, as binocular 3D vision fades after about 10 feet. Maybe we will go back to the old Cinerama curved screen days with multiple projectors.......

Star treks Holographic room ... Future foretold

Dive safe

DeanB

What? Are Dean B, Simon and Loftus the only ones with views and opinions? Certainly more of you have thoughts about where technology is taking us? Personally, despite audio reaching new heights of excellence I find it ironic that people are settling for a much lesser quality with MPg3. To me, that is just plain strange.

Steve

What? Are Dean B, Simon and Loftus the only ones with views and opinions?

My humble and inexperienced opinion goes like this; I think the future has to be headed in the direction of making better films and not necessarily technically better video. I’m hoping that we’ll see more underwater work done with scripts, films that tell stories as opposed to video that we sort of mush together. Not too long ago one could travel to the last outpost and bring home images of a creature or a behavior no one had seen and sell it. Technology is arming everyone with the ability to capture reasonable video. I think the future underwater filmmakers will have their act together on storylines, shooting and editing to a script. Creating art.

I’m thinking that the folks who do that will always be able to separate themselves from the herd.

I may be overlaying my still photographer mindset on your question Steve but the analogy holds I think. Great underwater photographs used to gain that label by having an interesting subject in focus, have reasonable color and a composition the viewer could relate to. To be a great U/W image today you must have all those basics and tell a compelling story. Not easy, one reason there are so few.

Cheers,

Steve

Completely agree with you Steve, no matter what technology holds for us in the future, without a compelling storyline and interesting characters, you have nothing.

Just to be a devil's advocate here, since porn was the deciding factor in the success of VHS vs the technically better Beta, will it be a factor in the success of blu ray, 3D or what, if anything.

My initial question regarding how and what we see in the future of cinema and technology applies to all genres and not just underwater.

Steve

Take a look around Vimeo, the future's unwrapping itself before you. Good quality streaming, films produced by indy film markers with next to no budgets, when the only thing that will prevail is imagination and pure talent.

Bring it on!

I think 3D will continue to gain market share but at the top end, I really can't see smaller companies and keen amateurs getting the results which they could with a 2D camera. I also believe that coming up with a decent storyline and delivery that in a unique way will be king. The cost of cinema quality camera gear is coming down so the market is going to get very competitive and I believe the standard will skyrocket.

Exciting times!