3-D or Not 3-D Part 1: The Science Behind 3-D

A form, image, style or representation visible in ‘three dimensions’(possessing length, width and height) is known in common vernacular as ‘3D’ or ‘3-D.’

A popular device developed by Charles Wheatstone in 1832 was the stereoscope which provided separate versions of a singular image which were viewed by each eye and adjusted by one’s brain to create the proper image. Polaroid filters were similarly married to this process by scientist Edwin H. Land in 1929.

Inventors had been experimenting with stereoscopic photography since the late 19th Century but its application in the filming and exhibition of motion pictures would not proliferate until the early 1950s. Projection of film with polarized filters necessitated two separate prints and likewise required special screens, not to mention large and expensive camera equipment and apparatuses.

Specially polarized 3-D glasses were also needed for the viewer to see the stereoscopic effect with color-coded images being read by each eye looking through a similarly colored filter lens. Polarized lenses, which assign images in two separate polarized projections to each lens are now popular in theaters that feature 3-D movies, especially Disney World.

Now that we’re familiarized with some of its basic principles, we’ll look back at some of the classic films of 3-D’s golden era in next week’s post. Be there (in the dimension of your choice)!

Editor's Note: Thank you to Wikipedia for the photos and captions that appear in this story. 

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Christopher Robinson