3D Cinema of Attractions

Abstract

The hyper-haptic qualities of 3D cinema are most strongly activated through the use of negative parallax space to produce presence within the auditorium. While depth construction in positive parallax space plays an important role in the construction of tactile visual fields, the seeming manifestation of objects in the viewer’s physical space draws most attention to the film’s distinct aesthetic presence. It is unsurprising, then, that discussion of stereoscopic films is often concerned with the production of negative parallax space, and film reviews frequently call attention to the extent to which 3D films place objects in the auditorium. Although William Paul notes that ‘there are strong connections between 3-D and the move to deep-focus photography/ his focus on the ‘emergence aesthetic’ displays a greater concern with the way in which images project into the auditorium (1993: 3333). In a similar way, R.M. Hayes’ (1989) extensive overview of twentieth-century 3D films concentrates on the extent to which films pitch objects towards the audience.