Imagine catching bullets in the air or even doing the jive with the infamous donkey in Shrek 4. No, you don’t have to just daydream to make all these come true. Just head to the nearest theatre and treat yourself to the visual delights of a three dimensional movie, a trend that’s finding a lot of takers.
Nishant Shankar, a freelance animator and graphic designer who has worked on VFX says, “One of the biggest reasons why 3D is such a huge phenomenon is because it makes cinema seem even more larger than life than it actually is. Also, it makes most of us get in touch with the child within as we can scream and squeal in delight and wonder. The fact that the Indian film industry too is making use of this technology just goes to show what an impact it has created. I’m sure fans here can’t wait to see stars in 3D.” According to those in the industry, what changed things was James Cameron’s hit Avatar. “Until then, 3D was just an add-on or something that was used exclusively in animated movies. After Avatar it’s like one can make a full-fledged, serious 3D movie and that’s why I think it was so path-breaking,” adds Ram Chandrachoodan, an assistant director.
Fans on their part are thrilled with the string of 3D movies that has been hitting the theatre screens.
“Of late I’ve watched Shrek: Forever and After, Alice in wonderland, How to train your dragon, the Toy Story series, Cloudy with a chance of meatballs and of course, Avatar,” says Payal Mitra, a literature student and a self-confessed movie buff. “I’m looking forward to Sultan the warrior because I’m curious how we’ll be able to adapt to this form of cinema,” adds Tarun Vaidya, a student of FTII who is keen on specialising in animated cinema.