Public Lecture:

"Beyond Cheap Thrills: Space and Style in Contemporary 3D Cinema"
[ Download PDF flyer ]

By Prof. Barbara Klinger, President-Elect of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies & Interim Chair and Professor of the Department of Communication and Culture at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN

-- Q&A to follow with Prof. Barbara Klinger!

"One of the most debated aspects of contemporary 3D film is the illusion of depth that extends from the screen into the audience's space. Critics often equate this 'emergence effect' with the industry's exploitation of this technology for cheap thrills & quick profits. Critics ask instead for a more artistic use of 3D, which mines the space behind the screen, producing a dramatic sense of depth within the image. I want to investigate the emergence effect further to reset the terms by which it has been typically appraised. While because of its hypervisuality, 'comin' at ya' 3D illusionism seems contrary to the invisible style usually associated with classical Hollywood film, it has significant ties to cinematic techniques that have previously been deployed for visual emphasis. I contend that the dismissal of certain articulations of 3D as gimmickry has obscured the vital functions they serve in film, from identifying essential aspects of style & genre to forging intertextual relationships with other media. I hope to illuminate the roles some of the most overt displays of 3D have had in a variety of films today, including superhero blockbusters, horror and fantasy films, comedies, and art-house documentaries." -- Barbara Klinger

Related Event on March 29th at 7:30pm:

Free 3D screening of Wim Wenders’s PINA
(2011, 103 min, Germany/France/UK, Color, 3D DCP)
at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.
Limited space available!

For screening details (including reserved seating / transportation with Duke email address), click below:
http://tinyurl.com/Pina3D-NC

Cost: Free and Open to the Public!

Sponsors: The Franklin Humanities Institute (FHI), the Program in the Arts of the Moving Image (AMI), the Department of Theater Studies , the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), the German Department, the Office of the Dean of Humanities, and other generous co-sponsors at Duke University.