# Why no 4-D movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [May 19, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006 "2004-05-19T18:36:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/21 "2004-05-21T15:28:36Z")
As for movies, I guess [Mr. Payback](http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1995/02/966121.html) never played in most areas. Looks like a turkey anyway. The play that **Dex** remembers seeing might have been [Night of January 16th,](http://www.noblesoul.com/orc/books/rand/night.html) by none other than Ayn Rand! ---
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/22 "2004-05-21T15:43:01Z")
**Dantheman** I have a book by Keith Johnston _Impro for Storytellers_ In which he details work with something called _TheatreSports_ in which two teams of actors compete against each other in various Improv situations, often taking direction from the audience. There are teams all over the world. For more information see [http://www.theatresports.org/](http://www.theatresports.org/) -G ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/23 "2004-05-22T02:13:13Z")
Ah, improv theatre, an excellent source of creativity. Looks like they don’t come too close to me, but thanks for the head’s up, **Gartog**. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/24 "2004-05-22T03:02:29Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > Has there ever been a commercially available movie with multiple story lines allowing the audiance to “vote” on the way the story unfolds? My ten year old son enjoys books written that way, and he asked why there are no movies that use the technique. There is a deleted scene from the Raging Bender episode of Futurama: **Calculon:** I have no choice but to- **Mr Moviefone:** If you want Calculon to race to the lasergun battle in his hover-Ferrari, press one. If you want Calculon to double check his paperwork, press two. **Fry** (to Leela): What the hell’s going on?? **Leela:** Movies are interactive now, Fry. You get to choose exactly how you want them to surprise you. Fry (presses one) **Mr Moviefone:** You have pressed two. **Fry:** No I didn’t! **Mr Moviefone:** I’m almost positive you did. There has been a filibuster. To force a floor vote, press one. **Fry:** Interactivity sucks. If they expect me to choose, one of the options better be a naked werewolf attack! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/25 "2004-05-22T05:05:46Z")
The play (based on an unfinished story by Charles Dickens) _The Mystery of Edwin Drood_ allowed the audience to pick an ending. An interesting way of playing up the fact that Dickens never wrote one. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Gutgore\_Blooddrink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Captain\_Gutgore\_Blooddrink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Gutgore_Blooddrink)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/26 "2004-05-22T05:20:05Z")
There is at least one, maybe two, interactive DVDs based on the old choose-your-own-adventure books. I’ve been meaning to pick one up just to see what it’s all about. I can see this type of thing being fairly easy, and if done right, fairly neat on DVD. As far as at theaters, however, it would be a big pain in the arse. I would probably never go and see one, this being based on working at a movie theater for 3.5 years earlier in life. _shudder_ One might be horrified to think of what a bunch of loud mouthed 18-year-olds on cell phones could turn a possibly decent movie into. Might as well stay home and watch Skinamax! ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/27 "2004-05-22T15:04:33Z")
> [@](#): > > The play that Dex remembers seeing might have been Night of January 16th, by none other than Ayn Rand! That’s certainly it, **Neidhart** , thanks! Wow! … the miracle of the internet in answering trivia questions. The minute I saw “Night of …” it hit a strong memory chord. I never knew it was Ayn Rand, so I must have seen it pre-1962 or so. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/28 "2004-05-22T16:37:09Z")
I remember my sister telling me she’d seen a local-theater play based on the story of Orestes. The audience served in the role of the village elders, giving the goddess Athena (acting as judge) their votes on whether Orestes should be punished by the Furies or not. But she said that when she saw it Athena overruled the audience’s vote, so the ending was probably essentially the same no matter which way the vote went. Although it’s not interactive, the successful horror play _The Woman in Black_ does have an ending that includes the audience. More than that, it suggests that by watching the play they’re doomed to share the sad fate of the main character! ---
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/29 "2004-05-22T17:15:27Z")
I almost saw _The Woman in Black_ a couple of weeks ago - but couldn’t get to the theatre, unfortuatley. I guess it will remain on my ‘to see’ list a little longer… ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/30 "2004-05-23T17:16:15Z")
You’re welcome. I don’t think it’s performed too often nowadays; it has a dated feel. ---
**Author:** ![Beauty\_Personified](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Beauty\_Personified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauty_Personified)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/31 "2004-05-25T09:41:35Z")
Interesting thread. I wasn’t planning on adding anything, but then I remembered that bastion of technological advancement known as the porn industry… _“Would people really rent movies on tape and watch them at home?” “Let’s let the porno people try it out and see what happens.” “Will people be willing to switch from VHS to DVD?” “Let’s let the porno people try it out and see what happens.”_ The porn industry took full advantage of DVD technology before the mainstream studios decided to take a chance on it. And one aspect of DVD that the porn industry has used, but the mainstream studios have yet to fully exploit, is the option to view a film from different camera angles. Alternate endings and deleted scenes from films have been made available as DVD “bonuses”, and watching a film in any number of languages is now standard, but I’ve yet to hear of a mainstream film which can be watched on DVD from alternate angles. Many films use quite a few different cameras when filming single scenes, so the footage is available. Expanding on the use of alternate angles, I’d love to see a film where you can watch from alternate perspectives. Video games (many of which look just as good, if not better than some films), use both these ideas. Though I suspect most players use alternate angles in a more functional way, choosing to play the same game with a different character can be fun. (I believe there’s a DVD version of _Memento_ which has the option of viewing the film in chronological order.) Anyhoo… ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/32 "2004-06-01T04:50:59Z")
I waited and I waited, but still no one’s mentioned _Shear Madness_. It’s been running continuoulsy for 24 years in Boston (a World Record) and 17 years in Washinton, DC (where I saw it many years ago before moving here). It’s a murder mystery/comedy in which the audience gets to interrogate the suspects and then votes on which character did it. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/33 "2004-06-03T20:02:22Z")
> [@Beauty Personified](#): > > I wasn’t planning on adding anything, but then I remembered that bastion of technological advancement known as the porn industry… Me too! I’ve just remembered that, in my tender youth, there were still pornographic movie theaters. I distinctly remember seeing an ad for a porn film touting it as being shown in “ **4-D** ”. Apparently, it was a 3-D movie shown on a huge screen than ran the entire width of the theater. > [@Beauty Personified](#): > > but I’ve yet to hear of a mainstream film which can be watched on DVD from alternate angles. Many films use quite a few different cameras when filming single scenes, so the footage is available. Probably because having the footage available is only a small part of the story. You’d still have to do all the same post-production work on that different-camera-angle footage. Unless you were producing a huge DVD release (like the “extended edition” of the various _Lord of the Rings_ movies), it wouldn’t be worth the expense. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006/34 "2004-06-03T23:39:20Z")
> [@Beauty Personified](#): > > …but I’ve yet to hear of a mainstream film which can be watched on DVD from alternate angles. Many films use quite a few different cameras when filming single scenes, so the footage is available. Actually, this isn’t really accurate. True, some scenes (usually involving stunts or action/destruction sequences that are difficult to replicate) have multiple camera angles, but this is not typical. When you see, say, a simple conversation between two people, this is typically a one-camera set-up, with the scene repeated again and again and again from 5 or 6 different angles, multiple takes from each angle, from your master to your action coverage to your assorted close-ups. What this means is that in order to use the “alternate” footage, you would have to utilize performances that are different from one angle to the next. Editing a film is about pacing and continuity, but it’s also about using the best footage available. Often times, an alternate angle may not have been used simply because the actor(s) in question had a brilliant moment of improvisation (or luck) from one perspective that the other angles didn’t catch. Or conversely, the actor may have been having a hard time with a sequence from a certain angle, so that footage would be considered unusable. Having the different “angle” option would be a continuity nightmare for the DVD production crew (and that’s if you could actually find all the dailies necessary to construct such a tool). And I suspect even then, the results wouldn’t be quite as cool or seamless as you’d imagine: an action sequence that looks good from one angle might very well look fake from the other angles (which may be why that one was used). DVDs are all about cost-effectiveness, and the challenges involved are far greater and more complex than the porn examples you cite. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-4-d-movies/246006.md?page=1)