A Look at How 3D Movies Work
3D movie technology is sweeping the nation. More and more theaters are starting to prepare themselves for the day when every movie is in 3D. This revolution of technology has already started when DreamWorks announced that starting next year all animated features will be shown only in 3D, starting with “Monsters vs. Aliens”, releasing March 27. The 3D image is actually two images that are overlapped and slightly different from each other. This effect is first created during filming when the images are captured by two separate cameras. Each camera is positioned to capture the same image from a different point of view, ranging from a few inches to a few feet. The two sets of film are then shot onto the same screen creating the blur effect you see before putting on a pair of polarized glasses. By using special polarized glasses, your eyes capture one of the images for each eye and your brain turns them into 3D images that look incredibly realistic. Light travels in waves, both up to down and left to right. Each projector is fitted with a polarized lens filter. The filter only lets light traveling in a specific direction through and onto the screen. This means that one projector is displaying images with up to down light waves, and the other projector is displaying images with left to right light waves. The lenses in the glasses are fitted with similar filters, allowing each eye to see only one of the projected images. Your brain then translates the data from your eyes to create the 3D effect.
[via Kansas City]
