While this illusion was a little overused some experimentation did pay off well. A flashback sequence in Friday the 13th Part III featured a woman remembering the event in the foreground while the memory itself appeared in the background- a nifty use of the 3D effect.
Wrapping up the main events of 3D Week was The Greatest Ever 3D Moments. Oddly enough it seemed to focus more on the oddities of 3D rather than the most ground-breaking moments. Covering various 3D projects from Dimensions in Time (a strange combination of Doctor Who and Eastenders created for Children in Need in 1993) to 3D pornography, the program certainly highlighted the novelty of 3D video.
It's a good thing that by this point in the week the audience was well trained in donning the specs as the pace of 3D to 2D switching increased to an almost frenetic level. Unfortunately this program gave little warning when a switch was going to occur and this meant for the occasional scramble to get the specs on.
The show concluded with the optimistic notion that the greatest moment in 3D history is now - referring of course to the recent boom in both 3D technology and audience interest. There's no question that 3D is catching on in a big way at the cinemas but is Channel 4's 3D Week the vanguard of a new revolution in 3D TV?
Certainly there is a push in 3D technology for the small screen at the moment, but 3D Week wasn't really about that. The week felt more like a nostalgic reflection on the recurring attempts to make 3D TV happen - a nod to each of the steps (and stumbles) that have brought us this far. If anything 3D Week highlighted the obstacles that need to be overcome to bring 3D into the home.
Most importantly the week has shown that 3D has to move beyond being a novelty and a gimmick if it is going to become a regular part of home entertainment. The time of audiences marvelling at the monster reaching out of the screen has passed and if 3D is going to thrive, it's going to have to augment the experience rather than dominate it.
Technologically 3D is also competing with the high definition craze of the last few years. Audiences want a pristine image and blurry colours dulled by a pair of cardboard spectacles won't do much to help in that regard. New technologies are in development which could help to make the viewing experience more pleasurable; a good candidate is the autostereoscopic display which removes the need for eye-gear. Ultimately for 3D to thrive it's going to have to reconcile itself with the desire for a high quality image.
3D Week was a glance at the past and it didn't aim to offer a modern 3D experience. Short of spending several grand on a state of the art 3D screen that's how it's going to stay for now, but 3D is coming and this time it's looking like more than a passing novelty.