Sweeps Weeks Stunt-Mania!
by The Perfessor Posted on Nov 28, 2005 under Network Madness |
Anyone out there (besides me, I mean) watching Medium (NBC, Monday nights 9 P.M. on the East Coast)? Sure, sure it isn’t as whip-smart-cool as Lost, or Sexy/sordid as Desperate Housewives, but it is entertaining, and doesn’t require a great deal of thought or emotional attachment to enjoy.
Anyway, did you see it this past week (November 21st)? You know, the 3D version? Well, it was hyped for a couple of weeks in advance, and it came with a pair of cardboard 3D specs in TV Guide (you had to assemble the specs yourself). Well, the show turned out pretty good (a little image flashed in the upper left corner of the screen to let you know the show was going 3D, and to put on your specs.)
This same procedure was used for the film Spy Kids 3D (easily the worse of the three Spy Kids films). Very often, when a film or TV show resorts to a stunt like this it is a sure indication that there is no point to the film save for the 3D effect (anyone out there remember Jaws 3-D?). However, here the 3D effect was utilized to enhance the already engaging show rather than to simply give it a reason for existing in the first place.
In fact, the only complaint that I have is the one that I have always had with 3D films, comics, and shows — those damn glasses. Annoying enough to wear, but doubly so when (like me) you already wear glasses. Fortunately, I had a couple of pair left over from Spy Kids 3D which were a tad more rugged then the TV Guide pair, (and came with a strap that held them in place).
A stunt? Sure, but kind of a cool stunt that enhanced, rather than justified the show. I wonder if they will hype it again (and re-issue the TV Guide Specs) during reruns?
The Perfessor
November 28th, 2005 at 3:01 pm
3-D analgyphs are plentiful around the web. It’s a cheap and easy way of creating three dimensional images from two separate 2-D photos.
As a matter of fact, I got my cheapie 3-D glasses in the mail for free by dropping a line to a website that puts up dozens and dozens of 3-D space images on the web.
If you have your glasses on, try this link at MarsUnearthed.com:
http://marsunearthed.com/Anaglyphs/3D194/3D194.htm
It’s a valley on Mars. (www.marsunearthed.com is where I got my glasses)
I’ve made a few of these on my own as well from the Martian rover pics. Lots of fun, and easy, too! (The Martian rovers have a left and a right camera, and once you take out a bit of the paralax, they quickly pop into place. The ones that NASA/JPL does from the Martian rovers are often a bit too dark for my tastes, so I used to make my own and lighten them to my personal taste. It takes longer for my eyes to adjust to the NASA/JPL images, anyway.