James Cameron talks 3D and “TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY 3D”!

The creator of the Terminator franchise, James Cameron, has always been a driving force behind the progression of all aspects of film technology, in the forefront as well as behind the scenes.  And one of those technologies Cameron has been an advocate for, as well as key to its development, is 3D technology.  He predicted 3D would be a standard in cinemas by 2016, and wouldn’t you know it, Cameron was right.

Talking to Stuff, James Cameron had this to say about his prediction made many years ago:

JAMES CAMERON: “At that time we probably had 1500 screens 3D globally and we’re now up to 45,000 screens.  Pretty much every major film that’s made is offered in both 3D and 2D. I’d call that pretty standard.  Now that doesn’t mean that everybody chooses it. We’re running at, depending on the title, anywhere from 40 to 60 per cent of ticket-buyers choosing the stereo option.

“But the total number of people viewing movies in 3D is about a 10 times multiple of what it was when I released Avatar. And probably a 4 or 5 timed multiple of where we were [in 2012] so I consider that a pretty resounding success story.”

In response to 3D losing some of its wonder with audiences, and people are not buzzing about it now like they were back when “Avatar” was released in theaters, Cameron had this to say:

JAMES CAMERON: “They shouldn’t be.  In 1961, the expensive movies were in color and the cheap ones were in black and white. They put a big sign on the poster or the marquee that said ‘In Color” and people would go to a movie because it was in color.  Cut to five or 10 years later, people weren’t buzzing about color. It was just a fact of life.

“Honestly, I can point to any number of interviews where I predicted in our best case scenario, we would measure success when it was no longer remarkable. And that’s exactly where we are now.”

Regarding the failure of the television industry to accept 3D, Cameron blames that on the studios. Specifically he points to their actions of hastily converting new movies into 3D rather than shooting them in the format with true 3D cameras, as well as lack of advancements in projection technology.

JAMES CAMERON: “The conversion of classic titles where you have the time and energy to do it properly is not a problem.  The problem is when you’re trying to jam it in in post-production on a new Avengers film or whatever …

“I also think the industry has done itself a disservice by not stepping up on the projection technology to get the light levels up. That’s now on the horizon … there’ll be a big incremental evolution over the next few years where the 3D experience gets much more vibrant and dynamic.”

Cameron knows most people have already seen T2. But he hopes his 3D conversion of Terminator 2: Judgment Day will help lure audiences into movie theaters, especially the ones who have only watched it on home video, and never on the big screen.

The entire remastering plus 3D conversion of ‘T2 in 3D’ required a crew of 1000 workers, with a reported cost 6 Million dollars.  So, needless to say, there is a lot riding on this re-release being a success.

JAMES CAMERON: “We’re offering a hell of an experience. But the big question mark hanging over the whole thing is ‘Will people show up? Will they care?’ We’ll know in a month, I guess.”

We predict they will. 

We’ll be back.