During Christmas of 1952, producer Sol Lesser quickly premiered the dual-strip showcase called "Stereo Techniques" in Chicago. Lesser acquired the rights to five dual-strip shorts. Two of them, "Now is the Time (to Put On Your Glasses)" and "Around is Around", were directed by Norman McLaren in 1951 for the National Film Board of Canada. The other three films were produced in Britain for Festival of Britain in 1951 by Raymond Spottiswoode. These were "A Solid Explanation", "Royal River", and "The Black Swan".