I had my first exposure to Blu-Ray video's 'full' potential the other day while I was walking through a Best Buy. In the television section, the latest Pirates of the Caribbean was playing. As I watched a bit of the movie, I was stunned at how clear the image was. Every detail was visible; much more so then when I saw the film in the theatre. While I'm sure the future will bring about unimaginable advancements in video technology, I can't see how the picture can get any clearer.
The longer I watched, the more I noticed: the individual hairs on Kiera Knightley's arms, the grains of sand on Johnny Depp's face, the stitching of the clothing. In watching for only a minute or two, it became impossible to imagine these characters as pirates in story. It was quite obvious they were actors caked in makeup, stomping around freshly designed sets, under artificial three-key lighting. Now maybe other people might have a more forgiving imagination, but to me, the clarity of the image blinded me from the fantasy that the story attempted to crate.
I remember the first time I saw regular HD, and I was very impressed with its quality. Now I watch shows in HD all the time and I don't have that same attention to the visual element that I once had. Perhaps, the same will happen as I have more exposure to Blu-Ray. However, I anticipate that filmmakers will find it necessary to tone down makeup, utilize more natural lighting, and pay more attention to set and costume design now that everything is so strikingly visible. There is simply less room for traditional movie magic. There is no doubt that the industry will find new tricks to 'make movies more real', but for now we can see it all; for better or for worse.
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