Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: JAWS 3 in 3D is terrific on Blu Ray

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 06-18-2016, 06:22 PM:

I must admit I was not expecting very much when Universal announced the release of JAWS 3 in 3D on Bly Ray a few months ago because I did not like the way it looked in the process in a theatre during it's1st run. Because of the 'over under' process it used with a single projector, the picture was very dark when viewed with Polaroid glasses. The 3D itself was not bad. The bd is a different matter. Te image is nice and bright and the color looks great but what stands out the most is the 3D. It has a lot of 'pop out moments' include the title card JAWS 3D that stuck out from the screen and looked like it was between me and the TV. Most impressive indeed. The only thing that bothered me about the the presentation was the very excessive grain. I guess this cannot be helped because the negative was from a frame 50% smaller because of the over under 3D film process. I think this is one of the best 3D Blu Ray disc I had seen.

-Claude

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 06-18-2016, 06:55 PM:

It's too bad Jaws 3 itself wasn't a better movie. Out of the early 80's trend of 3D movies I had a better time watching Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D. IIRC that too had the same over/under process. Cheesy movie, but some good 3D sight gags.

As for the size of negative, it wasn't any different in principal than Techniscope. The Super35 and Super 1.85 processes that took off in popularity later in the 80's did a little better since the camera negative took up all the space between the perfs rather than leaving any area on the left for the soundtrack. That yielded a larger image on the film negative. Of course Super35 always required an optical step in post production, unlike anamorphic 'scope which could be printed straight.

Posted by Robert Furmanek (Member # 7026) on 07-29-2016, 04:38 PM:

It's too bad they didn't fix the vertical alignment from shot to shot. It's all over the map!

Claude, did you hear about our campaign to save SEPTEMBER STORM?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/3-dspace/september-storm-1960-3-d-digital-feature-film-rest

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 08-01-2016, 10:06 AM:

This was such a great issue of American Cinematographer
I hung on to it all these years. While cinema production
and projection technology has undergone tectonic shifts
since 1983, the basic physics of 3D haven't changed,
which makes this issue still good reading on the topic:

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-01-2016, 01:06 PM:

I remember the "legal battle" between Universal and the National Lampoon over this movie. Lampoon was going to make a film called "Jaws 3, People 0" but then Universal decided they wanted to make their own movie, so they stopped Lampoon's from proceeding.

Too bad, because National Lampoon was at the top of their game by that time - theirs might have been great, especially compared to the pile of sea-crap that Universal turned out.

Posted by Hillary Charles (Member # 769) on 09-05-2016, 11:23 AM:

I saw some of those vertical alignment errors, too. Bob. The other thing that bothered me about it was considerable chromatic aberration, like watching the movie through my cheapest View-Master viewer. Apparently an artifact of several over/under 3-D systems, and most noticeable to me with the Arrivision system used in JAWS 3D.

Still, it was an enjoyable experience, and I'm grateful it was released on 3DBD. Though it also exhibits the expected grain from an over/under system, and on older filmstock, the 3-D Film Archive's restoration of THE BUBBLE looks fantastic in comparison. I don't drink beer, but was sorely tempted at one point, and if you've seen the movie, you know of what I speak.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 09-09-2016, 10:28 PM:

Jim, that's an AMAZING issue of American Cinematographer!

The info from that magazine led me to try my hand at 3D -- first with 35mm slide film, and then with Super-8.

Yes, the 3D on Super-8 (double strip) worked, but it was a pain in the ass to execute, so it didn't go much farther than a few experimental reels. But... it worked!

Now, about JAWS 3D... Is it just me, or does it seem like they simply re-made REVENGE OF THE CREATURE ?

Posted by Hillary Charles (Member # 769) on 09-13-2016, 09:39 PM:

quote: Manny Knowles
Now, about JAWS 3D... Is it just me, or does it seem like they simply re-made REVENGE OF THE CREATURE ?

And a bit of GORGO, from my perspective.

Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 09-18-2016, 01:44 PM:

The only good Jaws was the first Jaws - after that they had a constant descent into more and deeper unbelievably sharkdom.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 11-16-2016, 10:52 PM:

Being the avid fan of 3D that I am, of course I went to see JAWS 3D in its original Spacevision release, and given what a great movie its great grandparent was, I figured, how bad could it be? Well, pretty awful bad. I didn't enjoy it at all; the 3D gimmicks made it even worse because in my mind the BEST 3D is when it's used the same way any other visual tool is supposed to be used, i.e., to be unobtrusive as possible, not being a distracting element calling attention to itself. Then there is the silly story and as Ron called it, unbelieveable sharkdom.

Fact is, 3D does nothing to make a bad film better...to think throwing things at the audience makes up for a nonsense plot is like saying a bad movie will be enjoyed because it's got bright color or because it's in scope. Doesn't work that way...never has and 3D is no exception.

I am actually thinking I will resist buying JAWS 3D, although in the end I probably will succumb, but I may wait until someone is dumping it on ebay for 2 bucks.

quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
I think this is one of the best 3D Blu Ray disc I had seen.

Claude, if you think the 3D in JAWS 3D is the cat's meow, let me highly recommend ENCHANTED KINGDOM...absolutely shows the impact superb 3D can add to movie. It was produced for the highly acclaimed BBC's EARTH series. It has some of the most spectacularly beautiful cinematography that I have ever seen, and I have watch lots of wild-life docs. Then of course the 3D brings you right into that world.

I showed it on a 65in LG OLED to an audience of nephews and nieces and grand nieces as well as aging old folks and I was very wary how the youngsters would like it being that there were no car chases or explosions woven around some inane story. Thing is, they all loved it. They couldn't stop talking about for an hour afterwards. Really, don't miss grabbing this one before it is gone.