Disclosure: I'm a cinematographer. Prior to seeing the film, I was excited because I had read interviews with PJ about how HFR makes 3D so much better and cleaner. Looking back now, I don't know why I was fooled into thinking that there is something wrong with 3D. The supposed benefit of HFR is that it reduces headaches for people who get them from 3D. I don't get these headaches so there was nothing wrong with 3D for me before. Is it worth shooting all 3D films in HFR for the percentage of people who get headaches from 3D?
Regarding what you said about the "old guard" effect: It would be interesting to see some polls of audiences who have seen both versions. Unlike you, my non-film friends didn't have polarized reactions, they just thought it seemed different. The question I'm getting to is: Will the public fall in love with HFR enough for an industry shift in the way films are shot, despite the fact that many of the people in the film industry feel that the look of HFR cheapens the story?
All that aside, it's pretty interesting that we've gotten to the point where when single big films like "Avatar" and "The Hobbit" come out, it spurs conversations about huge industry shifts.
That's really interesting. Have you gone to watch both versions? I did just to make the comparison for myself. I don't usually get headaches from 3D, but I definitely found the HFR 3D do be much more attractive than the 24FPS version. I mean, no, it's not as mind-blowing as Peter Jackson might lead one to imagine, but I found (for example) a lot of the "geography porn" shots look nicer in the HFR version.
> Regarding what you said about the "old guard" effect: It would be interesting to see some polls of audiences who have seen both versions. Unlike you, my non-film friends didn't have polarized reactions, they just thought it seemed different.
I may not have expressed that well if that's the impression you got. They didn't all love it. Some loved it, some expressed mild approval along the lines of, "Huh, it was weird, but I think I like it." I was just saying that I didn't get a single "Ugh, I saw makeup!" or anything along those lines.
> Will the public fall in love with HFR enough for an industry shift in the way films are shot, despite the fact that many of the people in the film industry feel that the look of HFR cheapens the story?
I'm guessing they will. 24fps action scenes end up as a blurry numbing mess if there's too much motion. The 48fps action scenes were exciting and easy to follow. The landscape shots were also improved.
So I'm not a cinematographer but I find watching 3D at 24 FPS pretty annoying whenever the camera moves to quickly because you get a painful strobing effect. I had noticed it since the first 3D movie I saw and it has bothered me since. The Hobbit in 48 FPS was markedly better here (not perfect, but an incredible improvement).
I dunno, if it's a small group or not that gets headaches from the 3D but I definitely do. The HFR completely eliminated that though. I hope they keep it up (as long as they keep trying to do 3D that is) for purely selfish reasons :)
Regarding what you said about the "old guard" effect: It would be interesting to see some polls of audiences who have seen both versions. Unlike you, my non-film friends didn't have polarized reactions, they just thought it seemed different. The question I'm getting to is: Will the public fall in love with HFR enough for an industry shift in the way films are shot, despite the fact that many of the people in the film industry feel that the look of HFR cheapens the story?
All that aside, it's pretty interesting that we've gotten to the point where when single big films like "Avatar" and "The Hobbit" come out, it spurs conversations about huge industry shifts.