In the case of Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, it was the opening Millennium Bridge sequence that got a post-production 3D bolt-on. However, it’s a very dimly lit sequence, and one that needed very carefully curated work to bring the best out of in 3D. Most would agree that it didn’t really get that. Instead, it was all a bit of a best-forgotten mess. Notably, the assorted home releases you can buy today of Harry Potter all omit the 3D footage. Warner Bros was notably one of the first to do so, with its infamous 3D bolt-on conversation of Clash Of The Titans. That particular remake’s release date was delayed by a few weeks to accommodate the work, but it was such a rush job, even director Louis Letterier was in the queue to suggest that a good job had not been done. To this day, Clash Of The Titans remains the poster child for cynical use of 3D, with the process if anything detracting from the film rather than adding to it. The stench of that work certainly had ramifications. Warner Bros originally had plans to release 2010’s Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 1 in the 3D format. Again, the film hadn’t been shot in 3D, and thus this would be a post-production conversion that needed to be done. For this was in the midst of the 3D land rush, with companies stumbling over one-another to quickly convert already-shot movies. As such, there were a finite number of effects houses that could do the work, and they were hitting capacity. So much so, in fact, that Warner Bros and IMAX struggled to find a company that could handle the Potter project in enough time. Capacity had become as big a challenge as the ticking clock. Work did commence, however, and Warner Bros announced that the film would get a 3D release. But it became clear that as work progressed that the deadline was ridiculous tight. By the start of October, it was apparent that the whole film’s 3D couldn’t be completed in time for the November release date. A decision had to be made. The studio was determined not to be caught out again, though, as instead it pressed ahead a lot earlier on the 3D conversion for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2. This time, it was completed in good time, and as such, the final Harry Potter film became the only one to get a full 3D release in cinemas. Not a particularly loved 3D conversion, granted, but at least one that spanned the entire film. 43% of American moviegoers who saw the film on its opening weekend opted for the 3D version, and so Warner Bros, financially at least, benefitted to a degree in the end. Still, James Cameron for one had harsh words for the studio. A few weeks after the announcement that Part 1’s theatrical 3D release was being dropped (a decision estimated to have cost Warner Bros around tens of millions), he took to the stage at a Blu-ray conference and slammed Warner Bros. It was already on Cameron’s shitlist following Clash Of The Titans, and with Potter he stormed that “the same studio, making the same mistake, except really getting spanked for it now because they didn’t get the film done. They announced it in 3D, they threw a bunch of money at it, trying to convert it to 3D in post-production – and it simply didn’t work. They just didn’t get it done.” In recent times, consumer enthusiasm for 3D has dwindled, and many have pointed the finger at the botched job many studios did with post-production conversions, dampening what advantages the format was supposed to bring. Ironically, Warner Bros, with Gravity, would prove to be one of those that deployed it the best. The bubble, though, duly burst, with 3D audiences in the minority. However, with James Cameron back making Avatar films, and believed to be experimenting in ways to make 3D movies without the need for the audience to wear special specs, there’s a sporting chance that the cycle may begin again…
