Definition:

depthsploitation
[depth-sploi-tey-shuhn]

As pertaining to motion pictures, describes any film that exploits, in its marketing or promotion, the use of stereoscopic (3-dimensional) filmmaking techniques.

This blog is my notepad as I research a nonfiction book spotlighting 3-D genre films of the last century. While the book will focus primarily on films from the 60's, 70's and 80's this blog has no restrictions.

All articles on this blog are copyright 2010-13 of its author,
Jason Pichonsky, unless otherwise stated.

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The World Loses 3-D Pioneer

Wow, I can't believe I missed this obit until now.


Chris Condon, producer and cinematographer of The Stewardesses (1969), passed away on Dec 19 in Encino, California after suffering a stroke at the age of 87.


Condon is best known in the 3-D world for designing stereoscopic lenses (through his company StereoVision Entertainment) that could be used with a single camera. The Stewardesses was a phenomenal hit, banking over $25M despite its budget of just $100,000 and its vignette style story telling that was extremely light on plot and heavy on soft core sexploitation. His lenses were used on a number of 70's features including Flesh For Frankenstien (1973) and into the the next decade. He served as a stereoscopic consultant on Owensby's first 3-D film Roitwettler: The Dogs of Hell (1982) and he consulted on many more films through the eighties 3-D boom; Parasite (1982) and Charles Band's empire building film Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared Syn (1983), and the Universal Studios release Jaws 3-D (1983).


Together with Joseph Mascelli the authored the American Cinematography Manual of The American Society of Cinematographers.


CHRIS J. CONDON
R.I.P.
1923-2010

1 comment:

  1. I don't know if you were aware, but we also lost 3-D pioneer Dan Symmes in September of 2011 to a heart attack. I first heard of him in 1982 when I got a copy of Amazing 3-D, a book he co-authored with Hal Morgan. I got to meet him at the 2nd Hollywood 3-D Film Fest, where I also got to see Chris Condon and some of his stereoscopic pre-September 11 footage of New York. They will both be missed.

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