Julian Clover finds 3D is still a presence, even if its star has somewhat faded.
3DTV was until not very long ago the next big thing, a title now taken by the possibility of Ultra High Definition.
But 3D is still very much with us, even if recent figures about how many people are actually watching are hard to come by. The 3D Creative Summit at the BFI in London this week was certainly well attended, both by filmmakers, and students of the art.
Sky is continuing to make a significant contribution and the BBC is continuing in its two-year test phase.
The actual amount of content being made in the 3D format continues to increase. At least two sporting events are being shown weekly on Sky 3D as part of what is branded as the Big Weekend. 3D movies will also get their premiere here.
But there is a more significant move for UK viewers. This week saw the premiere of Inside the Mind of Leonardo; a piece for Sky Arts that mixed some drama with animation and beautiful cinematography.
However in order to view the programme in 3D a Sky Arts viewer would need to have been a top-tier subscriber, taking sports and movies. Sky is moving the requirement down a notch so that in future to view the 3D channel you need only pay the £10 HD supplement.
Of course the viewer would still only see the shows they have subscribed to directly, so this won’t be a roundabout way of seeing the latest movies without a full subscription.
This maturing of sorts in the UK market is a far cry from the move in France this time last year when Canal+ shut down its 3D channel.
The BBC is drawing towards the end of its two year 3D experiment. There has been far less content than at Sky to the extent that one of the most recognisable faces in nature documentary, Sir David Attenborough, has been working for the subscription service.
There is a 3D documentary in the works at the BBC and the 50th anniversary of the sci-Fi show Doctor Who will also be marked by a 3D edition.
By this time the first approaches to the BBC Trust will have been made and it may well be the trustees that become the ultimate decision makers on whether 3D is for the audience at large.
