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Author
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Topic: HATEFUL EIGHT 70mm - all discussion
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Paul H. Rayton
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 210
From: Los Angeles, CA , USA
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 11-25-2015 04:08 PM
I think the Southern California screens are some of the most critical (and yet fiercely-fought over) territory for exposure of such a movie in the country. So, as of the moment, no one (that I know of) has yet seen anything "official" about who gets it. The battle of H8 with Star Wars for screen space out here could be the subject of the next epic movie!
Yes, the Dome would be "interesting", and they already have a Kinoton 35/70 installed; another one that could/would be fun would be the so-called Big Newport, in Newport Beach. Again, I have seen nothing to indicate that it will be one of "the chosen", so this is wishful thinking. But it was historically a nice place to see big screen epics, so might lend itself to such a movie. Possibly the powers that be are trying to keep the local 70mm "winners" quiet (for some reason), but soon enough word will leak out as projectors get put in.
Meanwhile:
I was speaking with Chapin Cutler (of Boston Light & Sound) last week, and he discussed a few of the details about this project. So, in no particular order, a few things that might be of interest:
► all 70mm prints (for platter houses) will be shipped out entirely assembled, none will be assembled in the venues. The prints are being built up by a selected crew working near Magic Mountain (Santa Clarita), CA.
► the prints will be in one single transport case, custom made for the show. A large, flat case, similar to those sometimes used to transport Imax 70mm prints, back in the day.
► even though the show will have an intermission, there will be only ONE ROLL of film. In other words, the intermission is built into the movie, with 12 minutes of black film (and DTS [Datasat] timecode printed in it) in the middle of the built-up platter print. There is no audio during the intermission, but there is a 45-second "entr'acte" music bit at the beginning of the second half of the show.
► the film print itself weighs about 220 pounds.
► with the shipping box, the total shipping weight is 350 pounds.
► the total running time is a little over 3 hours, including the intermission.
► BLSI tracked down about 120 projectors, including 20 from Cinemeccanica and some Simplex XL 70’s. About 90 of the machines are Century JJ’s.
► all the platters are Christie AW 3 R’s converted to 70 mm.
► the projectors being sent out are 70mm ONLY. Most 35mm-specific parts for allowing them to run that gage are removed and stored. This was to minimize the chances for accidentally flipping a roller (etc.) into a 35mm mode, or have a too large / too small loop hitting somewhere, as potential causes of scratching. All the systems will have an on board PTR film cleaner.
► Larry Shaw from BL&S had to commission about 125 different parts as they are no longer being made by the original suppliers.
► they had to commission a significant number of new primary lenses, taking an educated guess at the number of specific focal lengths which would be needed.
► they also had to have over 120 of the 1.25X anamorphic attachments built; some are based on the design of the anamorphic lens developed for d-cinema by ISCO, but are not identical. There is another design for longer throws and can be used in the reverse direction, i.e. as in the "reverse anamorphic" mode sometimes used by drive-ins with long throws.
► lamphouses are all from equipment sent into premature retirement when the digital juggernaut hit a few years ago. New reflectors were made for many of them.
► all the equipment that is shipped out to venues is on temporary install basis. The gear is scheduled to be taken out following the run. (This does not apply to venues which have pre-existing 70mm projection equipment, obviously!)
► FotoKem is producing the prints.
► BL&S is lining up projectionists to work through this run. They are contacting folks with film projection experience by approaching local Unions to see who might be available.
And no, Chapin did not give me even the slightest hint on which So. Calif. screens might get the show, if he even knows!
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Mike Rivest
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 185
From: Montréal QC Canada
Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 11-25-2015 04:21 PM
Montreal locations confirmed.
In this article about the closing of the Ex Centris, the article says that Hateful 8 will play at Cinéma Banque Scotia and Quartier Latin (French Version)
http://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/cinema-excentris-closes-its-doors-for-now
And that has been the pattern ever since, Blanchet noted, pointing to Lenny Abrahamson’s Oscar-buzz kidnapping drama Room as another that got away; and Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming The Hateful Eight, due Christmas day, as the final straw.
“We said, ‘We have a 70mm projector and we’re ready to show it.’ We had several discussions with the distributor (Seville), but they ultimately said no. One copy is going to Quartier Latin, the other to Scotiabank. Two weeks later, we were to get the truncated version — well, guess what cinephiles are going to do? They’re not going to wait two weeks (to see it at Excentris).”
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Paul H. Rayton
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 210
From: Los Angeles, CA , USA
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 11-25-2015 09:03 PM
^ Interesting thought, Sam. It's a cinch the tension quotient at TWC (The Weinstein Co.) is very high these days. About 10 days ago, they laid of just over 22% of their entire staff. How's that for setting up for happy holidays? Could this lack of cash have anything to do with the "no masking" edict, too? And now, in today's Variety ( web link ), there is evidence of further downsizing in the immediate future. "H8" now has an official production budget quote of $62 million (per the article) and they (TWC) need it to be a "massive holiday hit" over the holidays. How could this go wrong?
Article (which includes a couple of sidebar/infobox extras with some financial reporting about TWC) follows:
quote:
Harvey Weinstein to Release Fewer Indie Films
November 24, 2015 -- Variety (online)
By: Brent Lang, Senior Film and Media Reporter @BrentALang
& Ramin Setoodeh, Film Editor, New York @RaminSetoodeh
Harvey Weinstein relishes his status as the underdog mogul, championing maverick indies from “Pulp Fiction” to “The Artist.” But the larger-than-life impresario faces a daunting challenge that’s antithetical to the way he operates.
In response to the increasingly tough financial strains on the independent film business, Weinstein is shrinking his outsized ambitions, and slashing the bloated overhead at the company he runs with his brother Bob. He will cut back on the very thing that earned him cred in the creative community: the movies.
In a surprising move that comes as a big blow to the indie film business, TWC will distribute fewer movies and increase focus on its TV operations, Variety has learned.
The studio will cut the number of films it releases from 18 a year to between eight and 10, according to a knowledgeable source. Instead of loading up on new titles at film festivals like Sundance or Toronto, the company is going to make fewer bets. It will snap up more projects at the script stage, as it did with the Michael Keaton film “The Founder,” to allow for hands-on development, rather than acquiring finished pictures.
Moving forward, TWC plans to bulk up its television business, aiming the unit to fuel roughly half of the company’s earnings. Presently, 30% of TWC’s revenue comes from TV shows it produces, such as Netflix’s “Marco Polo” and VH1’s “Mob Wives.”
The company is seeking partners for its TV business, following the collapse last May of a $950 million deal to sell the division to British broadcaster ITV. Insiders say that three or four parties are circling, and that a stake could be sold by early next year.
As a result of the difficult economic market for small films — and such flops as “Burnt” and “No Escape” — TWC has slashed payroll. Last week, it laid off 50 people from the 225-person company. Board member and advertising giant WPP pushed aggressively for the cuts, according to sources.
Ups and Downs
TWC is already having a better year than last, even before “The Hateful Eight” release.
$283m 2015 B.O. through Nov. 22 for 12 films
$222m 2014 total B.O. for 19 films
$492m 2013 total B.O. for 21 films
“Our board has been on us to cut our overhead,” Weinstein told Variety. “And it’s a smart thing, but it hurts. Bob and I resisted the cuts for a few years because we still think of ourselves as a mom-and-pop organization. Maybe we need to grow up, but if this is the price of doing it, I hate growing up.”
Going forward, the multiplatform arm Radius-TWC will have its operations folded into the main studio with fewer employees. Radius founders Tom Quinn and Jason Janego left the company last summer to launch their own label, part of an executive exodus that includes marketing chief Stephen Bruno and TV head Meryl Poster.
Despite months of bad press, executives denied reports that the entire Weinstein company is being shopped around, with billionaire Ron Burkle as a potential buyer.
“Ron Burkle is an amazing business partner of ours, but there are no plans to sell him the Weinstein Co. at the present time,” said David Glasser, TWC chief operating officer.
Glasser vowed TWC would survive despite rumors of its financial doom. He also disputed ongoing speculation that the company is suffering cashflow concerns, and is not making money.
“We are an independent company — we’re not part of big conglomerate,” said Glasser. “We don’t have a TV station to fall back on. So it becomes: how to protect a company of this size so it can survive the cyclical nature of the business, and be profitable?”
Glasser, who in July said he would leave TWC, instead struck a new deal in September, and decided to stay. He was insistent with the Weinsteins about the need to tighten the company’s belt.
The board has been examining alternate scenarios for the company’s future. One option being weighed is to combine the television business with the company’s film library and on-demand operations and spin them off, possibly as a publicly traded entity. Also under discussion: merging the film studio with another media company. Some of these ideas are being debated by three new board members who have recently been brought on: hedge fund billionaire Paul Tudor Jones, investor Dirk Ziff and Cablevision CEO James Dolan.
Those who know Harvey Weinstein question if he can downsize. One source described an environment where he still uses private jets and round-the-clock town cars. But another insider said Weinstein cut his travel spending three years ago, at the board’s request, and pays personally for private plane trips.
Looking ahead at this year’s slate, the company has high hopes for “Carol,” which opened well in its first weekend of limited release.
Weinstein Co.’s hits & Misses
The year started off with Oscar gold, but a few big bets fell flat. Last weekend, “Carol” opened well in four theaters.
The Imitation Game
B.O.: $91 million
Benedict Cumberbatch pic kept Harvey’s Oscar nom streak alive this year.
The Woman in Gold
B.O.: $33 million
Helen Mirren’s appeal to older auds made this one of 2015’s biggest indies.
Burnt
B.O. $13 million (in release)
The Bradley Cooper chef comedy bombed after a wide opening.
Begin Again
B.O. $16 million
Harvey plopped down $7 million for this musical directed by John Carney
Insiders say TWC needs Quentin Tarantino’s $62 million Western “Hateful Eight” to be a massive holiday hit. Harvey Weinstein denied reports that he was fuming at the director’s controversial statements last month that equated police shootings with murder. In response, law enforcement groups said they would boycott the film.
“Bob and I are getting along better than ever with Quentin,” Weinstein said. “I think he’s been misunderstood and misinterpreted. I respect his right to speak out for what he believes in, while at the same time respecting the sacrifices made every day by the overwhelming majority of our police officers. The two are not mutually exclusive.”
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Fredrik Sandstrom
Film Handler
Posts: 63
From: Turku, Varsinais-Suomi, FINLAND
Registered: Mar 2014
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posted 11-27-2015 02:45 AM
quote: Paul H. Rayton
all 70mm prints (for platter houses) will be shipped out entirely assembled, none will be assembled in the venues. The prints are being built up by a selected crew working near Magic Mountain (Santa Clarita), CA.
That's interesting. Wonder if this will be the case for the prints shipped over here to Europe as well. Doesn't sound very practical.
quote: Scott Norwood
The fixed-length intermission with blank film will be annoying. I can see why they did it that way to simplify things for platter houses, but the time really should be longer for a sold-out show at a large theatre and shorter for a lightly attended mid-week show at a multiplex. Let's hope that it at least comes at a reel break so that the reel-to-reel houses can have some flexibility if needed.
Well, a platter house can stop the projector at a point, say, 15 seconds before the entr'acte music starts, if a longer intermission is needed. If this is only black film with no sound, I see no reason not to do this, unless it is expressly forbidden by the distributor. In which case I would probably do it anyway if the alternative is having lots of patrons still returning to their seats when the movie is already underway.
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