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Die ästhetisch-narrativen Dimensionen des 3D-Films pp 19–34Cite as

The Aesthetic and Narrative Dimensions of 3D Film: New Perspectives on Stereoscopy

Part of the Neue Perspektiven der Medienästhetik book series (NPM)

Abstract

With the digital revival of stereoscopic films at the end of the new millennium, cinema once again attracted the attention of the public after a very long time: Not only that 3D films run incredibly successful with audiences, they are also widely discussed in critical and popular discourses and led to a renewal of the film industry and the modes of production. In addition, academic research in film and media studies, history of technology and sociology of film shows a trend towards the stereoscopic film. Although in the recent past a range of basic research has been provided on the history of the stereoscopic film and the corresponding technological developments, the production and use of stereoscopic images, consumption and reception as well as the dynamics of the film and franchise economy, research on the stereoscopic film in general seems to be underrepresented. This especially becomes evident with respect to the fact that stereoscopic films have existed since early cinema and whilst there have been attempts to “revive” it ever since, this has long been neglected in academic discourse. Only gradually is the stereoscopic film becoming a subject of historiographical revision and film theoretical and narratological examinations.

Keywords

  • Stereoscopic Image
  • Film Industry
  • Narrative Device
  • Stylistic Device
  • Narrative Dimension

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    However, research on the history of the technological development of stereoscopy was provided much earlier: Hayes 1989; Lipton 1982; Limbacher 1969; Hawkins 1953.

  2. 2.

    For the theoretical and media aesthetic aspects of the stereoscopic image see Schröter 2014. Also see Miriam Ross’ and Leon Gurevitch’s research project “Stereoscopic Cinema”, Barbara Klinger’s current book project The 3D Experiment: Style and Storytelling in Contemporary Stereoscopic Film, Owen Weetch’s (unpublished) dissertation with the title “Images in Depth“: Spectacle, Narrative and Meaning Construction in Contemporary 3D Cinema and also Luisa Feiersinger’s current dissertation project with the working title Raumfilm: Die Erweiterung des Filmraums um die dritte Dimension im digitalen stereoskopischen Film.

  3. 3.

    For example the movie poster for Bwana Devil announced the movie with the slogan “A lion in your lap—a lover in your arms”, which strikingly refers to the “off screen” effects of the film (cf. Zone 2012, p. 13; Hagemann 1980).

  4. 4.

    Also see the chapters by Kerstin Rubes and Jens Schröter in this book.

  5. 5.

    Exceptions are the fundamental book on 3D films by Jesko Jockenhövel (2014), the film analytical observations by Sarah Atkinson, the works by Miriam Ross (2011, 2012) and Owen Weetch’s dissertation (see footnote 2).

  6. 6.

    Also cf. Sarah Atkinson’s chapter in this book.

  7. 7.

    Also see Luisa Feiersinger’s chapter in this book.

  8. 8.

    Also see Konrad Schmid’s and Sarah Atkinson’s chapters in this book.

  9. 9.

    “A photogenic moment is a link of variable space-times […] A moment is photogenic, if it is moving and transforming in space and time simultaneously” (trans. M.S.).

  10. 10.

    See for example Owen Weetch’s chapter in this book.

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    Dr. des Markus Spöhrer

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Spöhrer, M. (2016). The Aesthetic and Narrative Dimensions of 3D Film: New Perspectives on Stereoscopy. In: Spöhrer, M. (eds) Die ästhetisch-narrativen Dimensionen des 3D-Films. Neue Perspektiven der Medienästhetik. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-09422-5_2

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