History Main / PaddleballShot

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/DespicableMe http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paddleball_shot3_7472.png]]]]

* Amusingly, there are some really blatant 3D gags left in finished cut of 'Film/{{Them}}'' despite the fact that, due to a 3D camera malfunction on the day filming began, they ended up filming in 2D. They apparently didn't alter the shots they had planned at all, which is why most of the climax revolves around long tunnels and flamethrowers being fired directly towards the camera.

* ''TronLegacy'' has a memorable moment in which a grappling hook is fired directly into the camera at high speed, scaring the crap out of most audiences due to a lack of such shots prior to that.

* Parodied by TheCinemaSnob when [[http://www.thecinemasnob.com/the-cinema-snob/friday-the-13th-part-3-3d reviewing]] ''Film/FridayThe13thPart3'', given the movie is equally guilty.

* Parodied in a sketch on ''The LennyHenry Show'' in which one of two doomed men in the opening scene of a [[TheresNoBInMovie spoof horror film]] keeps waving his fishing pole around. The other guy asks him what he's doing, and the first says he's making the most of the 3D effects (the sketch is not shot in 3D, although the pole behaves like a [[StylisticSuck bad 3D effect]]).

** However, this was '''brilliantly''' ''inverted'' for the opening credits of their 2002 documentary ''Space Station 3D'', which, with the aid of rear and side surround-sound channels, gave the impression of massive block-letters, not jumping towards you from the screen, but flying from '''behind''' you, going '''into''' the screen. Sadly, encoding for the 3D Blu-Ray release has a glitch that makes the image for both eyes identical for the first three and a half minutes, negating this wonderful visual effect. The publisher has yet to issue a recall or correct the error at all. If you want to truly see this effect, you need to find an IMAX theater screening it in 3D. Good luck. With that.

** However, this was '''brilliantly''' inverted for the opening credits of their 2002 documentary ''Space Station 3D'', which, with the aid of rear and side surround-sound channels, gave the impression of massive block-letters, not jumping towards you from the screen, but flying from '''behind''' you, going '''into''' the screen. Sadly, encoding for the 3D Blu-Ray release has a glitch that makes the image for both eyes identical for the first three and a half minutes, negating this wonderful visual effect. The publisher has yet to issue a recall or correct the error at all. If you want to truly see this effect, you need to find an IMAX theater screening it in 3D. Good luck. With that.

* Taken to its logical conclusion at a ride at the amusement park Busch Gardens. [[NoFourthWall The witch reaches into the audience and pulls out one of its members]].

* Used in the 3D LooneyTunes short "Lumber Jack-Rabbit", where the WB shield flys into the audience in the opening.

* ''CaptainEO'', its replacement, has similar hijinks. Among them: a floating rock blown up by a laser in the opening shot, starship debris, the Supreme Leader's claws, and two extended bits in which Fuzzball floats out towards the audience.

-->-- '''[[Franchise/TheMuppets Fozzie Bear]]''', ''MuppetVision3D''

* ''MuppetVision3D'':

* ''MonstersVsAliens'' makes a shout-out to that same scene in the opening sequence, with a man at a radio station also playing with a paddleball.
* The Minions from ''DespicableMe'' deliberately do this in teasers for the film. The first one has them see who can reach out to the audience the farthest, and the second film's teaser involves a chorus of Minions singing a parody of "[[Music/TheBeachBoys Barbara Ann]]" while blowing a noisemaker at the screen.
* ''IceAge: Continental Drift'' has several instances, especially in the scenes involving the pirates, where their weapons constantly being swung, thrown or thrust towards the audience.

* ''CaptainEO'', its replacement, has similar hijinks. Among them a floating rock that was blown up by a laser in the opening shot, starship debris, the Supreme Leader's claws, and two extended bits in which Fuzzball floats out towards the audience.

* The 1982 [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disney theme park effort]] ''Magic Journeys'' consisted primarily of paddleball shots, the most famous of which was one of a kite in flight.
* ''CaptainEO'', its replacement, had similar hijinks: a floating rock that was blown up by a laser in the opening shot, starship debris, the Supreme Leader's claws, and two extended bits in which Fuzzball floats out towards the audience.

** Other examples include the flying remote controled pie and Waldo the Computer Graphic pointing at the audience. (Creator/JimHenson said in an interview that a goal of the film was to top the ''Magic Journeys'' kite.)

** Other examples include the flying remote controled pie and Waldo the Computer Graphic pointing at the audience.

-->-- '''[[TheMuppets Fozzie Bear]]''', ''MuppetVision3D''

!!Examples
* TropeNamer comes from the famous scene from ''Film/HouseOfWax'' where a person playing with a paddleball turns toward the camera and bounces it right at the audience.

* On the ''Series/HomeImprovement'' ThreeDimensionalEpisode, Tim and Al spend all of ''Tool Time'' shamelessly shoving things at the camera

* To put the page quote into context, Kermit the Frog had just assured the audience that they will not stoop to cheap 3D tricks, which is Fozzie's cue to blow a noisemaker at the audience.

"[[LampshadeHanging Did someone say]] ''cheap 3-D tricks''?"
-->[[TheMuppets Fozzie Bear]], ''MuppetVision3D''

"Did someone say ''cheap 3-D tricks''?"

A trope exclusive to 3-D movies. When making a film specifically for a [[ThreeDMovie 3D release]], many filmmakers like to play with the 3D effects by making people and objects appear to reach out from the screen at the audience. More often then not it's simply done for its own sake to show off the 3D effects, but this can also be used to invoke a sense of danger, such as throwing sharp objects or driving cars right at the camera. The effect is unfortunately lost, however, when the film is eventually released on DVD in 2D, leaving viewers wondering why these characters enjoy shoving stuff into the camera so much.

Depending on one's personal preference towards 3D movies, it can be seen as either using the medium to its full potential, or just adding a gimmick onto another gimmick.

* TropeNamer comes from the famous scene from ''HouseOfWax'' where a person playing with a paddle ball turns towards the camera and bounces it right at the audience.
* ''MonstersVsAliens'' makes a shout-out to that same scene in the opening sequence with a man at a radio station also playing with a paddle-ball.
* The Minions from ''DespicableMe'' deliberately do this in teasers for the film, with the first one having them try to see who can reach out the audience the farthest, and the second film's teaser involving a chorus of Minions singing a parody of "Barbara Ann" while blowing a noisemaker at the screen.

* Paddleball Shots are a staple of IMAX 3D films.
* Parodied in a ''The LennyHenry Show'' sketch in which one of two doomed men in the opening scene of a [[TheresNoBInMovie spoof horror film]] keeps waving his fishing pole around. The other guy asks him what he's doing, and he says he's making the most of the 3D effects (the sketch is not shot in 3D, although the pole behaves like a [[StylisticSuck bad 3D effect]]).
* To put the page quote into context, Kermit had just assured the audience that they will not stoop to cheap 3-D tricks, which is Fozzie's cue to blow a noisemaker at the audience.
* Taken to its logical conclusion at a ride at the amusement park Busch Gardens. [[NoFourthWall The witch reaches into the audience and pulls out one of its members.]]