“Have to…vomit…how much longer…do I have to…gaze purposefully…at horizon…”
It seems like Hollywood has a real vendetta against people (like me) with weak stomachs. Over the past few years they’ve rolled out one gut-churning gimmick after another — first it was shaky-cam, then it was 3D, and now it’s movies being filmed at 48 fps.
Fps stands for “frames per second”, and 48 is twice the number of a regular movie. The Hobbit is the first major movie to be filmed at 48 fps. Adding more frames is supposed to cut down on motion blur and make 3D more immersive, but in practice it mostly just makes everything look like a soap opera. Also, as preview audiences are discovering, it might make you puke. Here’s why…
“When you watch a film […] your eye combines long and fast horizontal sweeps with short and slower vertical movements to process the picture. But this faster camera speed requires the eye to sweep up and down faster than usual in close-ups to absorb unparalleled detail on a big screen, causing a significant amount of cognitive and eye strain.”
Of course most theatres aren’t showing The Hobbit in 48 fps, but if a theatre near you actually is, you may want to skip this exciting new viewing experience if you’re prone to motion sickness. Or go and bring raincoats for the people in front of you.
via The Week