Veri-Vision was a system for recording and presenting stereoscopic films. It was developed in the 1930s, and early 1940s, by Dutch doctor Frans Reijnders – following World War II, it was further elaborated by Reijnders, in collaboration with technician Frank Anton Weber.

During the 1920s, Reijnders was stationed as a military doctor at Soesterberg airbase, near Utrecht. While working there, he noticed big differences in the way that individual pilots landed their aircraft. He investigated this phenomenon, and concluded that there was wide variance between individuals, in their ability to perceive depth. He devoted himself to researching depth perception – he subsequently qualified for a private pilot’s license, so that he could self-test his ideas, in practice.

After his time at the airbase, Reijnders settled as a village doctor in Schipluiden, a small community near the city of Delft. His particular interest in depth perception continued, and, as an amateur photographer and filmmaker, he turned his attentions to stereoscopic photography. At this time, he made his first stereoscopic amateur film recordings, and began to develop his theoretical principles.

During the 1930s and 1940s, Reijnders patented several of his stereoscopic inventions – in a number of Western European countries, in the United States, and in Canada.

After the end of World War II, Reijnders came into contact with engineer Frank Weber. They started working together, to perfect the system. They founded the company Veri-Vision to further develop and commercially exploit Reijnders’ ideas. 

In the summer of 1948, they completed a some stereoscopic demonstration films, on 16mm – including a film of the newly crowned Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, capturing her first official appearances; and a film of the Dutch female athletics 100m relay team setting a new World Record during a preparatory meet, before the 1948 Summer Olympics, in London – they went on to win the Olympic Gold.

On September 24, 1948, the first presentation of the stereoscopic Veri-Vision system took place, in a private apartment in The Hague. A small gathering witnessed the screening of a number of 3-D demonstration films. The screening proved successful, and about 50 more demonstration screenings followed during the next six months. Most of the guests were scientists, ministry officials and military authorities – but, journalists, representatives of film companies and potential financiers were also invited. In December 1948, Reijnders and Weber even organized a special public screening, at a cinema in The Hague.

Reijnders foresaw a future scientific role for his stereoscopic invention – recording educational films of medical operations and procedures, and other uses in scientific experiments. In contrast, Weber wished to use the system to simulate military exercises, and for commissioned industrial films. He also dreamed of commercial success with professional theatrical exhibition, but, initially, Veri-Vision's future seemed to be focused on science and instruction.

Shortly after the demonstrations, Reijnders and Weber got into a conflict and parted ways. This more, or less, marked the end of Veri Vision. Reijnders did still make a stereoscopic film about an eye operation, as part of his PhD research – and, together with Joop Geesink, he produced the short, color stereoscopic promotional film Star of the Screen (1953) for the Philips Company. It’s the only Veri-Vision film shot on 35mm – all the other films and experiments were shot on 16mm.

Weber kept working on improving the technology – especially the projection of 3-D films. He invented a technique that no longer required viewers to wear color-filtered, or polarised glasses. Spectators sat in fixed seats in an amphitheater-like arrangement. Using a system of rotating slats around the film screen, the image was shuttered alternately to one eye, then the other. This was a mechanically cumbersome system that was never utilized – the concept soon fell into oblivion.

For almost fifty years, Reijnders and Weber’s experiments were forgotten – until 1998, when the Netherlands Film Museum (now Eye Filmmuseum), Amsterdam, restored the films and screened them during a programme of stereoscopic films. The films were screened using the original projector, from the Reijnders and Weber collection at the Netherlands Film Museum. 

Since then, the films have been digitised by Eye Filmmuseum and, with the help of amateur 3-D cinematographer Gerard de Boer, processed in such a way that they can now be watched digitally.