Genre-dependent effects of 3D film on presence, motion sickness, and protagonist perception

• Three movie genres were crossed with director’s 3D, artificial 3D, and 2D conditions.
• Both 3D conditions were more nauseating and produced more presence than 2D viewing.
• Artificial 3D was indistinguishable in terms of presence from the director’s 3D.
• Protagonists were rated more agreeable in documentaries presented in 2D.
• Protagonist was judged to be less extroverted when viewed in director’s 3D.

Do the increasingly popular 3D movies change how we perceive the content of the movie? We presented short (3.21 min) film sequences to observers equipped with shutter glasses. Three genres (horror, action, and documentary) were crossed with three between-subjects viewing conditions (director’s 3D, artificial 3D, and 2D). Observers had to rate how the film impressed them in terms of arousal, motion sickness, presence, and immersion. They also judged the personality, attractiveness, and intelligence of the protagonist in all viewing conditions. Not surprisingly, horror films produced more arousal and presence than action films. Documentaries scored lowest on presence. Action movies produced the highest immersion ratings. 2D viewing tended to produce less presence than 3D viewing. Surprisingly, artificial 3D was indistinguishable in terms of presence from the director’s 3D. The same was true for motion sickness: 3D viewing, regardless whether intended by the director or introduced artificially, was more nauseating than 2D viewing. We also found a genre effect regarding the impression of the protagonist, the latter was more agreeable in documentaries presented in 2D. The same protagonist was judged to be less extroverted and weighing more when viewed in director’s 3D. We conclude that 3D film has complex effects that interact with the film genre. Directors should consider these interactions when planning to produce a 3D movie.