A recent article in a prestigious journal has inspired this blog.  In it was included a foldout chart classifying stereoscopic moving image systems.  The chart was obscure and confusing.  I prefer to have people understand stereoscopic...

Every field has its mythology.  Myths can build a collective spirit, and help people reach for a goal.  But sometimes myths are destructive because they are based on fiction and can prevent people from making properly informed decisions. ...

A change has taken place in the way some stereographers look at the most basic aspect of stereoscopic composition.  This change made its appearance only a few years ago.  It provides what could well be described by that tired cliche as a paradigm...

One of the most confusing and misused terms in the field of stereoscopic cinematography is the word convergence.  In common usage the word means a coming together.  Marketing people in consumer electronics like to use it to refer to the coming...

IntroductionThose of us who love stereoscopic filmmaking are also interested in its history.  Our most distinguished stereoscopic cinematographer, Peter Anderson ASC, has put together the chronology that is reproduced here.  It’s meant to be...

The history of western art, of painting and then photography, has been informed by the rectangle.  Virtually all painting and photography exists within the confines of a rectangular frame, and it is the edges of the rectangle that create the compositional...

IntroductionIn any discipline nomenclature turns out to be of obvious importance.  It’s crucial for all the people who are doing the thing to agree on the same set of definitions.  Without that, it’s impossible to communicate – or it’s impossible...

The revival of the stereoscopic theatrical cinema is intimately linked to the rise of digital technology for the production and projection of motion pictures. The term “digital” when applied to cinema means many things. Most people would assume...

Attached to this post is an article I wrote for the November/December 2007 issue of SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal. Enjoy.Download the article here....

In 1972 or 73 (and I admit it’s so long ago that I can’t remember which year it was) I began to devote myself to stereoscopic filmmaking and technology. That led eventually to the publication of my book Foundations of the Stereoscopic Cinema, and...

The history of motion pictures is an interesting one, and I am learning more about it in the context of my present work inventing stereoscopic motion picture systems, and in connection with the work I am doing with studios and filmmakers. ...

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2007 My passion for stereoscopic displays guided me to the booths and displays I’ll describe. My method, which has not varied over the years, is to start at one corner of the hall and work my way to the other end of the hall, passing...

Inventors have been obsessed, and rightfully so, with creating stereoscopic displays that do not require eyewear, or what in the jargon of the field are called “individual selection devices.” I have put some considerable effort into devising...

I thought it would be interesting to show those of you who are following the blog what the REAL D headquarters and theater look like. We developed the theatrical version of the ZScreen, the basis for the modern stereoscopic cinema, in the Clarity Theater...

One day early in February I headed to Laika Studios outside of Portland, Oregon. “Laika” means “friend” in Russian, and it is the former Will Vinton studio – a claymation house that had a good reputation for producing short...

I have attended the SPIE (the Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers – but they no longer use that name and call themselves the International Society for Optical Engineering, even though the initials would be ISOP) Conference on Stereoscopic...

This interview was shot by Jason Goodman of 21st Century 3D.  Ray Zone interviews yours truly in front of the Egyptian Theater during the 3D film Expo. I showed the interview to my kids who knew that Ray and I were at least amused if not amusing...

An improved technique for displaying stereoscopic moving images is described that makes for a more comfortable and enjoyable viewing experience by reducing the conflict of cues that occurs at the vertical edges of the screen surround when objects with...

This is the introduction for a book by Ray Zone called Stereoscopic Cinema and the Origins of 3-D Film, 1838 - 1952. It was Christmas vacation in 1952. The snow was falling in Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, but I was warm and dry as I stood in the queue...

This was the basis for a presentation at the 3D Workshop sponsored by the USDC and Insight Media in South San Francisco, on Nov. 16, 2006. Stereoscopic displays have a curious history, because the invention of the fundamental display medium and the...

Depending upon how you look at life Robot Monster is either depressingly bad or so bad it’s fun. Robot Monster is the kind of film that makes a reviewer reach for hyperbole like this is the worst film ever made, but to say that you’d have...

After coming back from the Egyptian Theatre, where we saw some stereoscopic movies at the 3D Expo, my 10-1/2-year-old son Jonah had this to say about the film we'd just seen: “There weren't enough off-screen effects.” He was disappointed and...

The World 3D Film Expo II is currently (September 8–17) running at the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. For me, that’s a few minutes drive down Laurel Canyon Boulevard, a left turn on Hollywood Boulevard and I am there. If I had traveled from...

I met with Max Penner one day in August, in my office at REAL D. I first met Max something like 20 years ago, when he was working for Ed DiGiulio at Cinema Products. He was designing special camera equipment for Ed in those days. Over the years,...

In the last couple of years, with my wife and kids and I have visited many of the theme parks in Southern California and have been in their 3-D theaters. Here I report on my experiences and make some observations about stereo projection. I’ll start...