By Once considered one of the innovating pioneers of the format, Oscar-winning director Ang Lee appears to have fallen out of love with 3D filmmaking.
Lee’s not afraid to get experimental in his work and his 3D take on “Life of Pi” is considered a minor classic to this day. However when experimenting with 3D and high frame rates in his films “Gemini Man” and “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” the results…. weren’t good.
Critics slammed the films and both ended up flopping, with ‘Gemini’ reportedly causing Paramount to swallow an estimated $111 million in losses.
In a recent interview with IndieWire, the director confirms he’s done with the technology and puts the blame on exhibition rushing forward with 3D before it was ready:
“In general, not only my two movies, 3D in general … so bad. The filmmakers are bad. The theaters are bad. The whole ecosystem is bad. It’s not made for [3D]. I refuse to complain, to blame it on the medium… it’s the audience and the industry, [who] were not prepared.
The theaters are stingy. It’s really dim; you can’t see it. It’s flickering, and the 3D. People do a poor job, [it] gives you a headache, it’s purely bad. You can’t blame the audience for not liking it because it’s bad. And they’re asked to pay more money.”
His dissatisfaction led him to develop new (four times brighter) projectors, but even then it’s a “new language” both filmmakers and audiences would have to get used to. That’s unlikely in the near future, so he’s going back to more regular filmmaking:
“It’s too hard, especially after the two movies. The 3D is just too hard. I’ll go back to the regular way, the old way of making movies. There’s a great story to be told and a lot to explore. I’m still working on it. But it won’t be in 3D.”
Lee is trying to get a Bruce Lee biopic, backed by Bruce Lee’s family, up and running ASAP.
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