3a How many of you have seen Gravity:

In 3D at the cinema?

In 2D at the cinema?

In 3D at home on a 3D television?

In 2D at home on a normal TV?

3b BFI Yearbook

Look at the material from the BFI Yearbook for 2014 (Top 20 3D titles at the UK Box Office for 2014, page 25) by clicking on the link. In small groups, discuss and make notes in order to answer the prompt questions before viewing the suggested responses.

According to this table, Gravity had the highest 3D takings and, at 79%, the highest proportion of total gross from 3D screens. Why do you think this was?

  • ‘Hype’ surrounding the film (marketing and promotion).
  • Main emphasis on the technology.
  • Reviews concentrating on the 3D spectacle.
  • An attempt by the film-makers to replicate the experience of being in space.
  • Word of mouth about the cinema 3D experience.
  • The sense that it is worth paying more money to see Gravity at the cinema.

Looking back at the table, the next highest grossing 3D titles were Walking with Dinosaurs (69%) and One Direction: This is Us (66%).
Why do you think these films were so successful in 3D and do they offer a template for the future?

  • Walking with Dinosaurs offers a similar ‘real’ experience to Gravity – in that it is attempting to show something that has already happened but cannot be now experienced.
  • One Direction: This is Us gives a sense of the ‘live’ experience of a pop concert – enabling the audience to ‘get closer’ to the group
  • Perhaps this sort of film is the way forward for 3D. This might also be extended to alternative content – theatre, ballet, opera, sports events.

The lowest proportion of 3D gross was for three extremely popular titles: Monsters University (22%), Frozen (23%) and Despicable Me 2 (25%).
Why do you think this is?

  • Family films – but the high ticket prices may be prohibitive for parents with a number of children.
  • A sense that the success of these films isn’t based on them being in 3D.
  • Two of these films are part of a franchise and the technological advances offered in the new titles may not have been that appealing.
  • The success of Frozen seemed to tap in to a younger, female audience for whom the 3D experience may not be that important as say the narrative / characters / merchandise.

If you were a film production company looking at the overwhelming success of Gravity as a 3D title, would it encourage you to make similar films in 3D?
What might be the problems with this?

  • Yes, if it was going to give the audience a unique experience like Gravity does.
  • You would need the technological know-how to try to expand the 3D experience.
  • An established director like Cuaron would help to give the film credibility.
  • The film would have to try to attract a wider audience than the standard multiplex goer – perhaps an older demographic. Also might it also appeal to an art-house spectator like Gravity does?
  • A carefully co-ordinated marketing campaign focusing on the advances offered in the film – perhaps using film festivals.
  • No, if it was going to cost a great deal of money to develop the technology.
  • What sort of unique experiences for the spectator can you find?
  • Some directors like Nolan have famously dismissed 3D. Might IMAX be a better way forward?
  • A one off idea is risky without an established property to support it such as a book / game / TV series.

Click on the question to reveal suggested responses

3c Gravity - The future of 3D

Read through the article from the American online magazine Wired. In groups, pull out the quotes that do the following:




  1. 1. Explain to the reader why Gravity works in 3D.
  2. 2. Provide statistics about Gravity’s early success.
  3. 3. Show how Gravity differs from other 3D films?
  4. 4. Point out negative issues about 3D.
  5. 5. Demonstrate the importance of 3D for the overseas market (outside North America).