3D has a long history in movies. The first full-length 3D movies, House of Wax and Man in the Dark, premiered in cinemas in 1953, and kicked off a short-lived boom in 3D. In the early 1980s, 3D made something of a comeback, to the extent that the third entries in the popular Jaws, Friday the 13th and Amityville series were made for 3D.

Now it seems, 3D films are making yet another comeback, with directorJames Cameron an enthusiastic supporter of the format. Cameron has filmed his latest film, Avatar, in 3D. With such lucrative blockbusters as Terminator 2, Aliens, and Titanic already to his name, a James Cameron movie is probably the closest thing the industry has to a sure thing, but making Avatar in 3D has been eye-wateringly expensive – even by Cameron’s standards – and doubts are already surfacing about whether it can turn a profit. If Avatar is a commercial failure, does it mean that 3D cinema is dead on arrival?

Spencer Kelly reports from Hollywood, where he looks at the technology driving the latest batch of 3D films, and speaks to James Cameron about why he thinks Avatar will succeed where so many other 3D films have failed.

This clip is from Newsnight, originally broadcast 29 July, 2009.

You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of tv to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic tv clips from the BBC vaults.

Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a single stop on our amazing journey through the BBC Archive – https://www.youtube.com/c/BBCArchive?sub_confirmation=1

source