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Topic: HATEFUL EIGHT 70mm - all discussion

Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 12-09-2015 09:55 PM

quote: Geoff
According to Harkins' website, star war is booked in the largest auditoriums on 12/25 at the Scottsdale and Tempe theaters, validating Bobby's point about H8 not being on screens that would truly benefit from all of the millimeters.

Man that's a point that we've been making for several months now. See glorious 70mm on the smallest screen 70mm has ever run on outside of a screening room! Wow! Such grandeur!

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-09-2015 10:15 PM

Going back to that late winter release of Lawrence of Arabia in 1989, LOA actually managed to keep the Ziegfeld screen well into the summer. I watched Batman in 70mm at Cinema One and then walked a few blocks to see a real 70mm movie, LOA, which was still playing at the Ziegfeld. BTW, the print was still in great shape at that point. But that was 1989.

Quentin Tarantino and/or the Weinstein Co. are kind of treating this 70mm release of The Hateful Eight as if it is still 1989. The days of opening an issue of the NY Times or LA Times and seeing a movie stack ad peppered with 70mm logos are long into the past. But it is still physically possible to do a 70mm release correctly.

quote: Geoff Jones
According to Harkins' website, star war is booked in the largest auditoriums on 12/25 at the Scottsdale and Tempe theaters, validating Bobby's point about H8 not being on screens that would truly benefit from all of the millimeters.

All of Harkins' big screen Cine Capri auditoriums are booked solid with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2D, but with Dolby Atmos. Those screens would have been pretty good for an Ultra Panavision 70mm show.

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Paul H. Rayton
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 210
From: Los Angeles, CA , USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 12-10-2015 12:09 AM

The premiere (at least the US premiere) was earlier this week (Monday evening) at the Cinerama Dome. Nice big picture on their massive (Cinerama) curved screen, hooray! That audience was pleased (based on press reporting seen), and they're the lucky ones.

BUT -- starting any time now, the Dome will be closed down (if they haven't already) in order to be set up for laser projection, for the express purpose of (you guessed it) the run of "Star Wars". So the chances of seeing any more "Hateful Eight" in there now is ... well, can you have a "less than zero" percent?

And it won't be at the El Capitan (Star Wars in Dolby Vision), and it won't be at the Chinese (Star Wars, presumably in the Imax version). There are a few of other "big screen" venues left in the greater Southern California area, but I'm not holding my breath. Maybe the big screen at the Regal in downtown L.A.? (We might hope). And, as I alluded to in an earlier post, the so-called "Big Newport" in Newport Beach. But I (we) live in fear of "H8" showing up in some place with a 25' screen. Whoopie-doo.

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Tyler Purcell
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 180
From: Van Nuys, CA
Registered: Dec 2015

posted 12-10-2015 12:34 AM

I think the Dome will run Hateful Eight. They obviously got a platter version of the film because they only have 1 70mm projector in that booth. I hope they run it a few times, just so we can get the experience. They'll absolutely run it in the down stairs theaters, which are really good and they do have other 70mm projectors around, both there and here in Sherman Oaks where I live. I'm surprised they aren't just showing it at the Egyptian. They could sure use the money, why not show it full-time? Maybe not enough money for marketing? eh... [Shrug]

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Eric Carter
Film Handler

Posts: 13
From: Redmond, WA, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 12-10-2015 02:22 AM

Sadly, the Dome is already selling tickets for STAR WARS shows on Christmas Day...

quote:
Going back to that late winter release of Lawrence of Arabia in 1989, LOA actually managed to keep the Ziegfeld screen well into the summer. I watched Batman in 70mm at Cinema One and then walked a few blocks to see a real 70mm movie, LOA, which was still playing at the Ziegfeld. BTW, the print was still in great shape at that point. But that was 1989.

The Ziegfeld ran the 1989 LOA restoration reel-to-reel. BTW, a friend who is a Hollywood D.P. saw it there and said "We don't have projection like that in L.A.!"

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Mike Babb
Master Film Handler

Posts: 250
From: Norwich UK
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 12-10-2015 08:31 AM

Brad, if I had rings I would happily use them, I have recommended them to my customers in the past. I am not arguing against, I am only saying not using them doesn't equate to a desire for the project to fail.

Joe, we'll see what happens. And the bonus question(s) I don't know enough to provide public forum answers. Remember, I posted to defend my friends and co-workers, not to speak on behalf of the project, even if I could answer authoritatively, which I can't.

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Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 12-10-2015 08:38 AM

I sold a number of 1960s JJs to BLSI. I toured their facility. Of course their attention to detail and quality workmanship has a long history. It is irrational to think of them as simply the Kinotone dealer. They were around for a very long time before Kinotone entered the picture. Larry, Chapin, Sam Chavez and I are similar age and technical background. Their selection as prime contractor to install and check out the equipment is a perfect match.

They were careful to state that training and operator qualification was beyond the scope of their contract.

Even if I were still in business, I would not be able to compete with them, except in terms of quality. They are doing quality on a grand scale. For this reason, they have no peers.

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Jonathan Althaus
Master Film Handler

Posts: 435
From: Bedford, TX
Registered: Dec 2008

posted 12-10-2015 09:17 AM

The West Plano Cinemark in Plano, TX is now listed on the official theatre list. Not sure which auditorium they'll put it in, but the XD will have SW

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Martin McCaffery
Film God

Posts: 2481
From: Montgomery, AL
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-10-2015 09:32 AM

If Tarantino really wanted to do it right, wouldn't he convert his own theatre? [evil]

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Jim Cassedy
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1661
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Dec 2006

posted 12-10-2015 10:11 AM

quote: Brad Miller
Was the test roll sent emulsion in or out?

I was not there when they unpacked the test roll.
I'm sure Stephan Shelly, who reads these forums, can answer that.

One thing Stephan & Sam told me to watch out for was this:

Do you see the potential problem?
The 35mm soundhead has been stripped of all rollers
and two 70mm "bypass" rollers are mounted on the front.
If you open the soundhead door, the hinge will smash into the
lower roller. Since I have a tendency, out of years of habit, to
open that door to check threading before starting a show, or
sometimes even during a show just to make sure things are
running smoothly, I'm thinking it would be a good idea to
duct-tape the door closed to avoid damaging the roller &/film.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-10-2015 10:15 AM

quote: Louis Bornwasser
They were careful to state that training and operator qualification was beyond the scope of their contract.

That's one of the biggest red flags with the whole endeavor. I think it's a safe bet not all the higher ups at the various theater chains participating in the 70mm shows understand it requires some significant projectionist experience to safely run 70mm without harming the print. It would be a recipe for disaster to dump the job of running a 70mm show into the lap of a popcorn jockey or assistant manager with little if any film projection experience. The task is nowhere near as simple as pressing a few buttons and doing some mouse clicks the way it is with digital.

quote: Jonathan Althaus
The West Plano Cinemark in Plano, TX is now listed on the official theatre list. Not sure which auditorium they'll put it in, but the XD will have SW

I thought that theater had two XD screens, one with Atmos and another with Auro, but after checking their web site it looks like it has one lone XD screen with Atmos. So I guess The Hateful Eight will probably be shown there substantially letter-boxed on a smaller "wall to wall" screen in a more modest sized auditorium.

Hooray for trying to do "the biggest 70mm release in over 20 years" at the same time as Star Wars. Considering all the 70mm projection systems are currently being installed it's pretty much too late to back out and re-schedule some of these shows now.

Perhaps if enough 70mm prints of this movie survive the original release some kind of re-release could be done later where the movie could be screened in a better environment.

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 12-10-2015 10:24 AM

quote: Tyler Purcell
I'm surprised they aren't just showing it at the Egyptian. They could sure use the money, why not show it full-time? Maybe not enough money for marketing? eh...

I'm not responsible for that side of things, but I'm sure that if they'd come to us asking about a two-week rental, my co-worker who takes care of theater rentals would have been delighted to work with TWC on that.

However, we're a non-profit with a mission to promote arthouse, world and classic cinema, and if we were to start playing long opening runs of a newly released mainstream movie (as our own show as distinct from a rental), awkward questions might well be asked in relation to our 501(c)(3) status, because it would look like we were competing directly with for profits. My guess is that if we'd used the proceeds of a rental to further our underlying mission, that would have been much less of an issue.

As we did with Interstellar, I suspect that we will be playing this one, both at the Egyptian and the Aero, a few times, once the initial release is done and it becomes effectively a rep title.

The really ironic thing is that unless he has a 35 'scope print made, Tarantino can't show it in his own theater.

quote: Fredrik Sandstrom
Hey, I saw that print and those scratches too, about that time (December last year). The damage was in two reels I think, and the rest of the print was perfect. I don't know if this is what Leo means by "seriously damaged"; I would not describe it as such because the lines were very thin and not really noticeable except in a few bright scenes.

A review in the national press described it as "a huge vertical green line in the middle of the screen," suggesting that the emulsion was being seriously gouged. I didn't see the print myself, but my remarks were based on this report.

In any case, even minor damage as you describe on a brand new 70mm print should not be considered acceptable. In the days when 5/70 was a mainstream format, one of the attractions of the format was that, as a general rule, you would be seeing an almost new print that had only ever been handled by professionals. Whereas in a suburban multiplex or main street 3-screen showing 35mm, light to moderate dirt and scratching was normal and you just had to live with it, 70mm prints showing at premium central London venues (and charging a premium price to match) were only ever shown on scrupulously maintained equipment and by projectionists with decades of experience and the desire to put on a good show: so you knew that the image would be clean. Nigel Wolland gave me a tour of the Odeon Leicester Square's booth in the early 1990s - it gleamed like a hospital's operating room, there were two projectionists looking after the show, and it was very clear looking at it that only the highest standards would do and that the company was willing to pay what those standards cost for their flagship venue.

The problem with the 70mm "vinyl revival" is that the few places remaining that can do it do not have the resources to achieve those maintenance standards, and the projectionists who show these prints do so once every few weeks at most (in my case probably 5-6 times a year), not every day. You're simply not going to be able to achieve those standards consistently in that situation.

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Martin McCaffery
Film God

Posts: 2481
From: Montgomery, AL
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-10-2015 10:40 AM

Shouldn't there be at least two people at each venue who can run 70mm? They are not going to have one person running 4-5 shows a day, 7 days a week, are they? Where are they going to find the number of people to run it?

It's been over 30 years since I last touched 70mm and I have a bad feeling I may be more qualified than the people who will be operating these special shows.

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Eric Hooper
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 532
From: Fort Worth, TX, USA
Registered: May 2003

posted 12-10-2015 10:48 AM

From the 70mm locations list:

San Francisco Area, CA
• Grand Lake, Oakland
• Sundance Kabuki
• AMC Mercado, Santa Clara
• Cinemark Pleasant Hill
• Century Cinema 16
• Century 20 Oakridge and XD
• Century 25 Union City and XD
• Tower Theater, Sacramento

What is up with all of these San Francisco Bay Area locations so close to each other getting 70mm prints? Yet, places like DFW only getting one print in Plano? Or the majority of the rest of the country getting none....?

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-10-2015 12:51 PM

quote: Eric Hooper
What is up with all of these San Francisco Bay Area locations so close to each other getting 70mm prints? Yet, places like DFW only getting one print in Plano? Or the majority of the rest of the country getting none....?

It's the sad consequence of releasing the movie at the same time as Star Wars. Of the 40 or so theaters in the US that will be playing the movie in 70mm, most of them will be playing the movie on some smaller screen while Star Wars, presented in HDTV resolution 2K 3D, gets all the big screens.
[Frown]

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