Apr 07 2009
What, exactly, does 3-D do to your eyesight?
Okay, so Monsters vs. Aliens is obviously one of the bigger hits of the season, and I figure it’s highly probable that the earlier, more artistically satisfying animated feature Coraline wouldn’t have made even a half of its box-office take without the help of 3-D or, if we’re to refer to stereoscopic projection by its current high-tech moniker, RealD.
The thing is, have you ever wondered how 3-D worked? Or why you register those axes or spears as somewhat physical entities flying towards you? Even more importantly, did you ever question how your vision might be affected by viewing films or other media in this way? Why you might feel a bit of a headache or some slight nausea afterwards? As 3-D increasingly becomes Hollywood’s Holy Grail in its crusade for maximum profits, I’m admittedly thankful that someone like Slate’s senior editor Daniel Engber has focused his investigative eye on its overall effects. I’m not trying to be Chicken Little here, but I do think, when so many of these films are geared towards families and, even more importantly, children whose eyesight has not yet fully developed, Engber’s points should prompt us to view these movies in moderation, and keep our fingers crossed that 3-D will remain a novelty rather than the norm.
Read the article here on Slate.
