We all know how 3D works, and if you aren’t sure, hop over to Gizmodo and check out their explanation.  Outside of the technical jargon, 3D is no different than the way we see everyday images.  The only thing that 3D media does is add virtual depth to a two dimensional image.  That’s it.  No more, and no less.  What the creator of the media chooses to do with it, has nothing to do with the media itself.  I cannot stress this enough.

3D is only a gimmick if the creator of the content chooses to use it as a gimmick.

I had to put that in bold because it seems to be the key misunderstanding.  Depth is one more aspect of media that can be used in many ways.  It can be used for artistic purposes.  A great real world example would be a painting versus a sculpture.  I can’t imagine anyone calling a Rodan sculpture a gimmick because it utilizes three dimensions.  So a filmmaker or artist can incorporate 3D imagery beautifully into their work, if they choose.

Depth can be used for educational purposes as well.  We posted an article months ago about a surgery that used dual 4k Red cameras and created 3D imagery of a surgery as a learning tool.  It also allows exploration into the natural world in ways that most people will never have access too.  Seeing animals in their natural habitat in full depth.  If you think this is useless, next time you are at a zoo, start complaining that you would rather see a picture of a tiger in the cage rather than a real tiger walking around in three dimensions.  See what sort of looks you get from bystanders.

Interactive technology has limitless possibilities using depth and motion control.  Honestly, I cannot even wrap my mind around the applications.  I can only dream up what could be done with physics, or drafting, or modeling machinery.

So when you hear people start complaining and whining about the 3D gimmick, just remember that these are the people who didn’t want radio or moving pictures or color pictures or stereo sound or computers or internet.  People are scared of change, especially if they don’t understand it.  This ancient technology called 3D is merely adding one more dimension to the media forms we all love.  And that one extra dimension, depth, can open up a world of possibilities in an infinite cross section of genres and industries.  We could all use a little more depth in our lives.