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Author Topic: Distrib Getting Rid of (repertory) Prints Thomas Pitt Master Film Handler Posts: 266 From: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: May 2007 posted 02-20-2010 01:58 AM                     If other distributors around the world follow this lead, theaters would either have to upgrade all screens to digital, only show in digital screens, or even close down. In the case of my local theater, only 3 of their 13 screens are equipped for digital (two of them having Real D installations). If this happened and they didn't upgrade to digital, they would be transformed from a 13-plex into a mere 'triple' theater Incidentally, how much does it cost (per screen) to replace the 35mm projector with a D-cinema projector and server?  |  IP: Logged Cameron Glendinning Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 845 From: West Ryde, Sydney, NSW Australia Registered: Dec 2005 posted 02-20-2010 02:51 AM                     Hi Thomas, I can see that the title is a bit of a teaser but this thread is more about repertory cinema. Distributors will still be making first release prints but will no longer be keeping the 35mm prints in their archives in the quantities that they once did. Repertory Cinema was still a money earner 20 years ago but VHS and DVD has pretty much killed that market for cinemas. I doubt that in the 21st century the old prints which must take up enormous space could pay for the storage. Also one does not need an expensive d cinema grade projector to run a dvd or a blu ray disc which seems to be the only way for cinemas to now run classic titles, even the ones released last year.  |  IP: Logged Michael Marini Film Handler Posts: 27 From: issue maryland/ USA Registered: Dec 2005 posted 02-20-2010 09:57 PM                     guys they are not getting rid of prints they just do not want to give them to theatres that will F them up. hear at the AFI we never have problems getting film  |  IP: Logged Alex Shultz Film Handler Posts: 54 From: Marysville, KS, US Registered: Nov 2008 posted 02-20-2010 10:46 PM                        Thanks, Martin. I'm trying to find the best way to show older titles using the digital equipment. I'm not thrilled with using Blu-Ray if a "real" digital print is available somewhere.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-21-2010 10:02 AM                        quote: Michael Marini guys they are not getting rid of prints they just do not want to give them to theatres that will F them up. hear at the AFI we never have problems getting film Mike, I don't think they were really worried about the prints of Space Chimps;> And for the most part, they don't care about the shape of the prints, period. I'm sure there are archive prints of most of the classics AFI shows, and those are not available to general theatres. The prints they are getting rid of are fairly new releases that would normally go rep houses or, in our case, kiddie shows. If this is a widespread policy, rep houses will be down to showing DVD/BluRay for anything that has come out in the last few years. Not good.  |  IP: Logged Mike Frese Master Film Handler Posts: 465 From: Holts Summit, MO Registered: Jun 2007 posted 02-21-2010 12:51 PM                        Don't shoot me please, but Blu-Ray IMHO looks pretty damn good on a theater screen and I never worry about it skipping or anything.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-21-2010 12:58 PM                        BANG!!!!  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 02-21-2010 01:47 PM                     quote: Mike Frese and I never worry about it skipping or anything. Oh just give it time. Optical media is a terrible way to run an important show, as it is prone to getting 3/4 through the show and then lock up at a mark on the disc.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-21-2010 02:28 PM                     What Brad said...DVDs and BluRays are all but guaranteed to glitch.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 02-21-2010 03:49 PM                        Which is why I give the discs a close visual inspection before playing them. If they look at all dodgy I give them a thorough cleaning. I also preview them on the machine that will be playing them for the money show. Just as most of us would avoid running a print without at least a quick edge and splice inspection, I wouldn't expect to be able to drop a disc into a player and run it without problems. Fortunately I've never had a disc skip or crash during any of the public screenings I've done. I have had skips and crashes during test runs though, occasionally even with new discs.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-21-2010 04:25 PM                        I've had plenty of skips and freezes, even cleaned and right out of the box -- and even after clean test runs. The worst are various independent touring indie things (filmmakers or short collections) that are not factory copied. Sometimes, they'll freeze in one place sometimes another. Sometimes you have backup copies and they freeze in the same place, or different places. I've had at least a couple of total freezeups with an audience. DVD/BluRay is a semi-acceptable emergency backup, but it is no substitute for a print.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-21-2010 05:06 PM                     Unlike with a film print or even a broadcast grade tape, a preview run on a DVD or BluRay is not guarantee that the same result will occur on the show (same for DCinema). Steve  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 02-22-2010 08:10 AM                        A funny thing we have a dennon Blu-Ray in one house and a dennon DVD in the other. They are identical looking units except one has a Blu-Ray logo and one doesn't. Anyways Some burned DVD's will not play in the Blu-Ray player but will play in the DVD only player. Kind of odd huh?  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-22-2010 08:35 AM                     No, not really...they are likely completely different drives. Denon, like many companies...try for uniform looks to their equipment on any given year. On the DVD players...I've noted that the DN-V310 will play discs that the DN-V300 would not...and they are identical appearing units. Burned discs are always a crapshoot though. Oddly enough...WalMart special, el-cheapo, DVD players tend to play the burned discs better than the better DVD players. Steve  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 02-22-2010 09:48 AM                     We've played hundreds of DVDs without a glitch, even on burned discs and maybe 50 BluRays. Steve's correct on the player too, we started with a high end "commerical" DVD player and always had freezes etc. We replaced it with a couple of middle priced players from Best Buy and have never had a problem. The BluRay will sometimes refuse to play a DVD that the DVD only players play OK. On especially presentations we start 2 discs about 30 seconds apart so that if there is a problem we can switch to the other machine with the push af a button. The $70. Insignia DVD machines also play PAL and any region.  |  IP: Logged

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