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This topic comprises 10 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Author
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Topic: The digital revolution
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Neil Emiro
Film Handler
Posts: 14
From: Raton, NM, USA
Registered: Dec 2008
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posted 03-03-2011 03:34 PM
I own a small theatre, and I miss our Brenkert BX-60 immensely already. However, going digital (and 3D) has breathed new life into our small town cinema. We had people traveling 120 miles to go see a 3D movie in the multiplex in Pueblo, but now that we have 'upgraded' to all the latest Dolby equipment, they stay here, because we have a product they want. With film, unfortunately, we could not compete, despite lower costs and price of admission.
I agree that there is just something magical about film, and its presentation. However, showmanship is not the exclusive domain of film. We put together our own web based automation system that now handles a variety of tasks in the booth and around the building. The result is that we can now execute a string of events that give just as much a "show" to the customers as we had with film, and have all the latest, greatest technology to go along with it.
I see everyone's point about nostalgia, but the truth is, small town theatres like ours would simply fold up and go away, if we did not have a reason to keep people from going great distances to the multiplex, and to give them reason (3D, mainly) to watch here, rather than simply wait the (incredibly short) time for it to come out on DVD. For us, digital has been nothing but positive, and our balance sheet reflects it.
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 03-04-2011 05:07 PM
IMHO certain movies can be identified as ground-breaking game changers when it comes to movie sound. Many are simply there for being the first to use the new process or the first that used that process very well.
The Jazz Singer and Fantasia are both important historically in terms of placing sound on film and then using stereo. Oddly enough, Fantasia didn't earn an Oscar nomination for Best Sound -there were 10 nominees back then! The Academy gave Leopold Stokowski an honorary certificate for a new form of visualized music. They also gave Disney and RCA an honorary certificate for innovative work with stereo sound in the production of Fantasia.
This is Cinerama was one of the first examples of multi-channel surround sound; although it's controversial to show that movie in a single projector setup. Oklahoma! was the first Todd-AO movie, pioneering the 5/70mm 6-track mag sound process. Of course how many theaters can show that one in 70mm 30fps? BTW, Oklahoma! did win a Best Sound Oscar.
The King and I was a Best Sound Oscar winner. Did this movie's 55mm negatives ever get transferred to 70mm or was it only reduced to 35mm? Ben Hur is another important film from the 1950s regarding sound.
Quite a few true 70mm movies were released in the 1960s. I'm not sure which ones have the most historically important 6-track audio mixes. Lawrence of Arabia would have to be in there somewhere.
The choices are pretty easy for the 1970s. Star Wars was ground-breaking in terms of sound, among other things. Apocalypse Now wasn't the first 5.1 movie but it was the first movie to do 5.1 very well; Superman was mixed for Format 43 but my understanding is no theaters were able to play it and all 70mm showings were Format 42 instead.
In the 1980's I think you have to include Raiders of the Lost Ark as well as Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade. Aliens had some innovative sound effects. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is important for being the first film to use 70mm Dolby SR prints. I think Robocop was the first for 35mm Dolby SR optical. Finally, gotta have Dick Tracy, provided someone can get a CDS system working in some manner.
The 1990s are pretty easy too for picking important movies in terms of sound. Jurassic Park has to be in there and not just for being the first DTS release. Batman Returns was the first Dolby Digital movie, but not nearly the best of early mixes for SR•D. For Dolby Digital-only movies in the 1990s, I like The Lion King, Crimson Tide and The English Patient. Terminator 2 was big for sound, as was Cameron's True Lies and Titanic -all had 70mm prints of some sort. Speed had some great sound effects. Hudson Hawk was a crappy movie, but had the important distinction of being the first movie to show 6-track audio without any 70mm prints in its inventory (35mm CDS prints). The Last Action Hero was the first SDDS release, also pretty crappy. You can't cover movie sound of the 1990s without including Saving Private Ryan.
In 1999 digital cinema arrived, albeit in a more inferior form than what we see now. Surround•EX never really took off, but d-cinema did deliver 6-track uncompressed linear PCM audio. Now that's getting standardized with thousands of digital projection systems going into service.
This last decade (the 2000s) is actually harder to judge. What are the best sound movies of this past decade? Even in the late 1990s so many movies were being released with 5.1 surround it was tough to keep track of it all. 5.1 took over as the new standard during this past decade. The Lord of the Rings trilogy only comes to mind for its popularity.
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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"
Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-05-2011 04:48 PM
quote: Aaron Garman
I would love to see you all do a weekend dedicated to film sound. Perhaps start with the Jazz Singer, into possibly Fantasia, then through some multi-track stuff from the 60s-70s and into digital sound in the latter part of the century. Lawrence sounded great when I was there, but I'd love to hear a modern sound mix in that house.
I'm going to be a guest speaker for a couple of the film classes here next month and this is what I'm doing -- only clips though, and not EVERY format -- I only have 2 hours for each class.
Ioan Allen from Dolby goes to USC every semester and gives an AMAZING presentation where, in many cases, he uses examples from the actual media -- so Dolby A, SR and SRD are all shown on 35mm film and 70mm mag is presented via 70mm projection. He starts out with examples of very early recordings, but I believe those may be presented via 1/4" tape. The progression is stunning. IIRC he ends with a scene from GLADIATOR -- was that one EX?
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Jack Ondracek
Film God
Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 03-05-2011 05:42 PM
I've mentioned before about the one time I had ME, in a booth with MAG SOUND, and in comes a MAG PRINT. It was "Capricorn One".
Flat trailers, masking in, mono sound, drop (light gold) waterfall curtain, pull masking, hit mag switch, Sound track starts... big "BONNNNG" in all speakers... red letters on gold curtain "Sir Lew Grade Presents"... raise waterfall curtain.
You could see people sinking down into their seats.
Poor man's 70 or not, 35mm mag could be very impressive.
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