Year 2013 :: 4D Cinema

If I ask you today, do you know what is 3D movie, I am sure that you will slap me :)

But there was a time when we had only silent movies, and then came "talkies"... in those days a common man did not have any idea what 3D can mean... and today we cannot imagine what 4D would mean. Or may be we can... we can at least imagine... like I did.

Well... we often talk about adding a new dimension to 3D movies. In many places I have seen people discussing about new dimensions like "smell" or "taste" to be added while a movie is being played in a theater. Some people think that the future generation of movies will have these extra dimensions. But truly speaking, this does not attract me. First of all, I do not think that the addition of "smell" or "taste" would be at all interesting... secondly, it does not really add a new dimension to the videography. It can merely make your movie watching experience little more enhanced. It does not elevate the 3D movie into 4D.

So, my way of thinking is very different. And it may bring a complete revolution in the movie world !

How

We already know what is 3D movie. As on date we only see some sci-fi movies and some Action or Cartoon movies in 3D. Soon there will be a time when large-scale commercial films will also be screened only in 3D. Let's say such a 3D movie is being played in a theater. 100 people are watching the film. But everyone's reaction to the scene may be different from the others. Some may be feeling little bored, some may be feeling happy, some may be sad about something, some may be still murmuring one song of the movie etc.

A 4D movie theater will be able to measure the psychological reaction of each viewer and the scenes will change based on the average reaction. Not exactly each scene, but the flow of events in the movie will change based on the reaction from the viewers. The story will no longer be a fixed story, it will be dynamic. That's the idea. Hold... Hold... Hold. Let me explain.

The viewers will be given a special cap to wear during the movie - very similar to the way we wear 3D glasses to watch a 3D movie today. This cap will be given to the viewers free of cost - to be returned after the movie. This cap will have a wireless connection to the Control Unit of the theater. The cap will be continuously scanning our brain and read certain nerves to get our second-by-second reaction. That information will then be transmitted to the Control Unit of the theater. This way the Control Unit will be able to get the average reaction of the viewers every moment. And it can then decide which way the story of the movie needs to be changed in order to make most of the viewers happy... or may be scarred (in case of a horror movie).

Well... this idea is great... but how to change the scenes based on the reaction ? It is understood that technology can read the reactions and can decide the pattern. But can the scenes be really changed ?

No. Not really. The scenes will not be changed. The original movie will have many different variations. You can think of a big tree which has many different branches and sub-branches. Likewise, the movie will have many different variations at many different points. And each sequence has to be filmed separately. That would mean, may be for a movie of 2 hours duration, the original movie will have a show reel of 10 hrs with many different variations. The whole of it will be programmed and loaded into the Control Unit of the theater. At each juncture of the movie, the Control Unit will decide which way to go... or rather which branch of the script to adopt. In this way we will see a "customized" dynamic version of the movie based on the viewers' reaction.

Of course the central plot of the script, the main songs, the lead characters will remain same for each variation. It should be after all the same movie with different variations - and not a different movie. The ending can be different, some variations may have 2-3 extra songs, some variations may have little more action sequences. Some variations may have a few more comedy scenes or a few more bed-scenes. Some variation may be heavy with English dialogues while another variation may use more Hindi. The purpose is to present a script to the viewers in the most attractive way - so that they enjoy it to the fullest.

How'z that ? Interesting ? Not interesting ? Anyway... this idea made a lot of appeals to me and hence I am writing it here. I am sure that you can think of more on this... and one day someone like you will even make it possible. May be tomorrow, may be after 10 years, may be 100 years ! But it will surely happen one day :)