Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience (2009)

This is topic Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience (2009) in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=001526

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 03-09-2009, 09:41 AM:

I know the Jonas Brothers aren't most Film-Tech'ers must see movie event, but my 8 year old son begged, and begged me to take him.

Regal Providence 14 Cinemas - Mt. Juliet,TN. When we got to the 1:00 p.m. show on Saturday, there was only 10-12 people in the auditorium. I've only watched one other digital 3D presentation before at the Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama and I was not impressed then. What a huge diffence.

The presentation at the Providence Regal was flawless, the colors were very rich and vivid, and the 3D effects were absolutely stunning. While I'm not a huge fan of the Jonas Brothers like my son, I was impressed. The opening scenes were very reminiscent of the Beatles "Hard Days Night" - with the throngs of tween-aged girls chasing the band thru the streets. Since the movie didn't give you alot of background information on the band itself, you pretty much had to do your Jonas homework before the movie. The concert scenes were good, and the cameo appearances by Demi Lavato and Taylor Swift were my favorite parts. The 3D effects of Taylor Swifts guitar pick flinging were brliiant.

It's not Oscar material, or even the best "Rockumentary", but for the audience for which it was intended it was fantastic. At $30 for a pair of movie tickets, we opted to keep our "Real D" 3D glasses and wear them the rest of the day.

Posted by Joe Elliott (Member # 4006) on 03-09-2009, 10:09 PM:

I have only seen bits and pieces of this, but I was surprised by the 3D. At least they didn't do the normal of having the depth of vision start at the screen and only go back from there (like coraline, fly me to the moon, etc). The front of the stage is at screen depth, and the audience comes out at you, giving you the slight effect of being in the audience. One of our other projectionists proofed this, and he loved it. He was vaguely aware of the Jonas Brothers before.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 03-10-2009, 08:41 AM:

"Fly Me to the Moon" was the featureI saw at the Huntsville Space & Rocket Center. That feature must have used some different type of 3D process. The glass we were handed for "Fly Me to the Moon" had horizontal stripes across the lenses whereas the "Real D" glass we were given for Jonas Brothers were just barely tinted. "Fly Me to the Moon" was so dim it almost looked completely black and white, while the Jonas Brothers - the colors just jumped out at you. I was impressed with the use of the 3D process in Jonas Brothers.. although it reminded me of watching a movie thru a 1970's "View Master".

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 03-10-2009, 10:47 AM:

I don't know about the above but we played Fly Me To the Moon in RealD.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-10-2009, 10:50 AM:

The problem with things "popping out" of the screen are the screen borders themselves. Ads for the much-heralded 3D experience often show things sticking way out beyond the screen and even over the screen borders. Until we get into holograms, this cannot ever be achieved and it just makes things that pop out look very odd unless the effect is done right.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-10-2009, 01:24 PM:

That is not exactly true, Joe. Good dual projection 3-D has objects appear like you can just reach out and touch them such as the meteor rocks in the CAPTAIN EO film I saw at Disneyland many years ago and the tall grass in the African wilderness in BWANA DEVIL back in the fifties. These objects appear like they are only inches away from you.

-Claude

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 03-10-2009, 03:48 PM:

The three best examples of 3D images coming out of the screen are:

1) the paint blobs in the IMAX PAINT MISBEHAVIN' trailer
2) the tray in the Arch Oboler film THE BUBBLE
3) the "guts" hanging off of the spear in ANDY WARHOL'S FRANKENSTEIN

Things can come out of the screen, but it needs to be done carefully. You have to give the eyes time to make the adjustment, so slower things look better.

What WAS ridiculous was the trailer for MY BLOODY VALENTINE where they showed a side view of the theatre and things popping out of the screen. That does NOT work.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-10-2009, 05:03 PM:

quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
the CAPTAIN EO film I saw at Disneyland many years ago

The current film "Mickey's PhilharMagic" at Walt Disney World is excellent too...stuff appears to be right in front of your face, but it's not overdone.

I think Joe was referring to things looking "bigger than the screen is" when they're in right front of you. Which they can't, since they're part of the image that is contained by the screen.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-10-2009, 07:41 PM:

I'm actually talking about the borders of the screen (the ads promote things going beyond the borders because people in marketing enjoy lying). Unless an object does not touch one of the four borders, having it "pop out" looks very wrong. With IMAX 3D they can pretty much do whatever they want since the borders are generally not in your main viewing area. That is why IMAX 3D is much better than 3D at a theater for peasants which have shit-ass tiny screens. In one spot of the crappy 3D job they did on Coraline, something popped out of the screen, but I couldn't focus on it and I was seeing dual images. It wasn't even very close. Real D sucks.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-10-2009, 08:28 PM:

quote:
The three best examples of 3D images coming out of the screen are:

Mark... Let me revise that list for you.

Three best 3-D effects are...

Paddle Ball sequence in "House Of Wax"

Wax Museum burns down and theater you're watching this movie in fills with smoke from "House Of Wax" (made even more realistic by drunk man in front row coughing)
The above film was directed by a one eyed director(Andre DeToth)who never saw his film in 3-D!

Scissors scene with Grace Kelly in "Dial M For Murder"

Those are the three scenes by which I compare all others.

Mark

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 03-11-2009, 06:14 AM:

Mark, I agree that those are very effective scenes. I do love the paddle ball man. And the arm stretching back toward the audience is especially effective because Hitchcock did not do any other "gimmick" type shots, so when that arm comes back, you really notice it.

I have found that the most when things coming out of the screen are done slowly, they look more realistic. There is an Imax 3-D film called CYBERWORLD that is filled with short 3-D excerpts, and there is a Pet Shop Boys song with ornate flying heads that is VERY effective. (But that film is best know for its 3-D Simpsons piece.)

Posted by Hillary Charles (Member # 769) on 03-11-2009, 07:16 AM:

Joe is describing the concept of the "stereo window." The borders of the image determine where something within the image is placed. Anything intruding into theater space cannot touch the edges, or as he says, it looks wrong.

He's also right (as usual) about IMAX 3D not being tied down by the stereo window. Because unlike most cinema screens, the edges of the IMAX screen are only in the peripheral vision, and any violations of the stereo window go largely unnoticed. Because of that, IMAX 3D allows the entire image to extend from infinity, right up to the viewer, rather than just small elements like paddle balls, etc.

A couple of weeks ago, we saw "Under The Sea 3D" at the local IMAX, and it is among the best projected 3D I've ever seen. Usually, when done right, good projected 3D (motion or still) appears as a real scene as viewed through a window, but in IMAX, with no window borders, the illusion is one of near total immersion.

I wish I could project my stereo slides IMAX size, but even if I can't, I can still depict it realistically (more or less) from my stereo photography website.

Posted by Julio Roberto (Member # 4976) on 03-11-2009, 08:31 AM:

Very well explained, Hillary [beer]

There are, of course, a few tricks here and there to simulate that an object is in theater space violating the stereo window (i.e. virtual window), but the rules of physics always apply [Smile]

Very good and effective use of out-of-the-screen (known as "viewer space") is in the Terminator 3D attraction in Universal Studios Orlando.

3 large dual-70mm screens (six 70mm projectors in synch) cover a nice field of view and the CGI is well done to convey the illusion of all sort of stuff coming out of the screen.

Also, in Island of Adventures, also in Orlando, the shot of real-life sized Spiderman landing on top of the cart you are riding, just inches from you, is really well acomplished.

Another film with good out-of-the-screen effects is Comin' at Ya. Actually, it has shots that copy other effects in other movies just for the heck of it.

Flesh for Frankenstein was also shot with lots of stuff in the viewer's space.

And the Bubble's floating tray scene was also copied in the indian 3D movie Dear Kuttichathan.

Personally, I prefer the shot of Charles Bronson jumping into the screen in House of Wax to the racket-ball thing [Wink]

I remember watching that Imax movie with the Simpsons "sketch" in Imax solido (LCS shutter glasses). I remember because it run out of batteries before the movie was over [Frown]

I also like the out-of-the-screen effects on a lot of the kung-fu chinese 3D movies. They are outragous. Throw all kind of weapons at you ... from an axe to a guy's pony tail (you read that right).

Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 03-12-2009, 04:58 PM:

quote:
The three best examples of 3D images coming out of the screen are:

Let me enter my vote for the spider-thing in the T2-3D attraction at Universal Studios. Both the tentacles and the liquid metal orbs floating in the air after the explosion.

Joe - I think the borders are the issue. Too many times an "off-screen" effect is ruined by touching a border destroying the illusion. An example of it done right is in the trailer for "The Maze" when Richard Carlson reaches his hand out toward the audience. It looks like he is reaching through a window into the theater. (BTW - if you've ever seen "The Maze" remember - PLEASE do not reveal the amazing climax to your friends!)

[ 03-13-2009, 10:58 AM: Message edited by: Joe Tommassello ]

Posted by Julio Roberto (Member # 4976) on 03-12-2009, 07:13 PM:

quote:
you've ever seen "The Maze" remember - PLEASE do not reveal the amazing climax to your friends!

Only an ugly frog would dare ruin the fantastic ending for that 3D movie! It gives me the goosebumps everytime I think about it!

***WARNING: Spoilers!!***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b92iwO1XIx4
[link is to a video of The Maze (1953) movie trailer]

Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 03-13-2009, 11:04 AM:

Yes, Julio, that is the trailer I referred to. I have it in anaglyph 3D on the "World 3D Festival" DVD. If I were a little more technically savvy I would be able to rip it and post it somewhere. It is surprisingly good for an anaglyph - probably the best I have seen on video - but looked even more amazing in the theater projected by two projectors via the polarized process as intended.

Posted by Julio Roberto (Member # 4976) on 03-13-2009, 12:53 PM:

[Smile]

Black and white material can be made look good in anaglyphic. The movie "The mask" had parts in 3D that worked very well in anag.

A moderm (2008) movie that looks reasonably good in anaglyphic DVD is Scar 3D, also because they put it in video in almost-black-and-white.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYpnHLSisAM&fmt=18
[Link is for a 3D anaglyphic version of The Maze trailer]

[ 03-14-2009, 01:33 PM: Message edited by: Julio Roberto ]

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 03-13-2009, 01:12 PM:

Now that week 3 of this has started, it is sharing the screen with CORALINE for over 1/2 of the day at all local theatres with only 1 3-D screen (Rave now has 2). One theatre has even dredged out MY BLOODY VALENTINE for a single show.