Do you know the specs on the camera's (using two at two different angles). Do you know what the ideal spacing would be? I would assume that after this is done, I would lay one over top the other and blend them and render? I would also assume that I would need some kind of viewing filter to look through to see the effect. Do you know exactly what that would be or do I just need to contact my local movie theater for a pair of the newer glasses? Thanks for the answer.

For clarification, when I asked for specs, I was meaning the space between the cameras (how they should be set up). "lay one over top the other...", I am referring to the captured footage. Thanks.

Ideally the cameras should be as far apart as normal human eye spacing. Moving them farther apart will enhance the effect.

If you're planning on a color 3D release you'll have to render two separate files, one from each camera. Both files will be played simultaneously using two projectors with polarizing filters over the lenses. The newer style 'color' 3D glasses are also polarizing filters. This allows each eye to see only one of the projections.

The old B&W style could be combined into a single file by coloring them opposite colors and using those color filters in the glasses.

Thanks for your answers...
If I am making this to put on a dvd for my niece so she can watch it on her tv, is there a way to combine it? It will be color and I don't intend on using it on a projector. I have seen some 3-D movies before on VHS and they may have been the old style, but is there some way to make them play on 1 source instead of two? Thanks again for your comments and help!

If you want "true" 3D, then that requires specialized equipment, both for shooting and subsequent viewing. However, if you just want a 3D "effect" then there is the "Pulfrich Effect." It's a way of seeing a fairly convincing 3D effect on either a standard or HD TV. To create it and view it requires absolutely no additional hardware other than a pair of old sunglasses. Just take the pair of sunglasses and remove one of the lenses or, if you don't want to destroy a good pair of sunglasses, just hold a lens over one eye. The secret of the Pulfrich effect is merely that one eye is darkened. Although both eyes see the same image, the darkened eye transmits the image to the brain somewhat later because of a differential between the response times of the rods and cones in the eye. The brain calculates spatial depth information from this parallax that does not actually exist. It only works on video with a lot of horizontal movement, like an automobile race or certain parts of a football game. I shot a music video once that was all horizontal movement and we distributed cheap cardboard "Pulfrich" glasses, everyone was amazed and was convinced that I had done some sort of post-production trickery to achieve the effect. Of course, I hadn't, but the effect was quite convincing. The Rolling Stones did a music video once and made a really big promotional deal of it. The sitcom, "Third Rock from the Sun" did it too and had a huge promotional blitz behind that one episode as well. There is a lot of information about the "Pulfrich effect" on the net, Google it.

John

Thanks for the input John and Chienworks; I will google it and maybe do some test runs to see what effects I get from that method. Thanks again.

As I recall, the camera lenses must be absolutely identical, without zooms and fixed lenses and not telephotos will give best performance. Zooms are almost impossible to match. Of course this is old film type information which primarily used standard fixed lenses for maximum effect. The articles I have read intimated it was a pain in the neck.

JJK

you will need to make a ANAGLYPH DVD..

See here on how to make them http://features.engadget.com/entry/1253716493759137/

or google search "ANAGLYPH" ..

You will need some glasses first ..

Now a issue you will find right away is that when you encode to mpeg2 the ANAGLYPH effect will not be the same as on your monitor or even from your NTSC preview monitor out of VEGAS .. when you encode to mpeg2 the encoder will change the color just enough .. so you will to do a couple of trials to get it right..

btw - i work with 3D for the film and entertainment industry..

I forgot to mention that Canon has available an $8000.00 lens for 3 D.

JJK