Diclaimer: I do not fully state that the follwing is neither 100% true nor accurate. I state the following to be my perception on the subject matter and all views are subject to the reader. I may or may not use some words that make complete sense, as I just thought them to be fancy words. Sorry for any future confusion.
Proceed...
The Magic of the Pulfrich Effect:
Although, most 3D movies require a 3D-TV, shutter glasses, etc.
Some you can find in anaglyph (red/cyan, amber/blue, pink/mangenta) from people who took the 3D blu-ray and converted it to proper 3D anaglyph.
Or if the movie is initially released as anaglyph on DVD (My Bloody Valentine, Coraline, Amityville 3D, Jaws 3D, Freddy's Dead, Final Destination 5).
I'm more than willing to buy some glasses for anyone who wants to take on this feat :joker lightning:
I have: anaglyph: red/cyan and amber/blue. shutter glasses (came with Monsters VS Aliens blu-ray promo). and Pulfrich (2D-to-3D on the fly).
My favorite is using the Pulfrich Effect, as it requires no conversion or extra hardware (like a 3D-TV or a 3D-DVD/BD).
You can achieve the Pulfrich Effect by simply buying a cheap pair of sunglasses from the dollar store and popping out one of the lenses.
Watch a movie with those glasses and you will perceive a 3D effect.
What happens is that the darker content of the image is received last, while the brighter contents are received first.
Your brain converts this into a 3D effect, since light travels faster than dark, your eyes will see the difference, or "lag" of the two fields of contrast.
It's ideal if you give your pre-dominant eye the dark lense. You can always reverse the glasses to see which one gives you optimal effect.
The best scenes that work best with Pulfrich Effect are slow, panoramic scenes. Anything where objects move across the screen. Scenes that move in slow motion. Where shadows play a significant role. If the camera rotates around the object of focus.
Granted that the entire movie will not be in 3D, but the best scenes will definitely make their presence known to your brain.
Most websites selling Pulfrich glasses (paper, plastic or metal framed if you're fancy-shmancy) will often say that these glasses are best for viewing sports events, as most sports programs have cameras in a stationary place while it pans from side to side. Whether it's football, soccer, hockey or tennis, you will definitely see the Pulfrich Effect as intended.
Other points of interest:
Some directors are extremely noteable in their directing techniques, how they love to move the camera. Peter Jackson is one such. JJ Abhrams is another. You get the idea.
Movies, especially older ones, where the CG is very discernible on-screen often tend to be slightly less noticeable through Pulfrich glasses. The CG edges are somewhat smoothed out as the animation occurs from frame to frame and the time-dilation of the Pulfrich Effect.
Of course, movies intended to be 3D in nature are always going to deliver satisfactory results.
Well, this has been another SparkTech article, brought to you by:
Carl Pulfrich, bringing 2D environments into your 3D world since 1922.
