|
|
This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
|
|
Author
|
Topic: The IMAX alternative?
|
|
|
|
|
John Pytlak
Film God
Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000
|
posted 03-11-2003 01:57 PM
Kodak introduced low-fade color print films in 1979, but full implementation was in 1982:
Kodak Film Chronology 1960-1979
Kodak Film Chronology 1980-Present
The fading mechanism that caused earlier prints to turn red/magenta occured with long term "dark" storage, and was greatly slowed by storing the films under recommended cool and dry conditions. Also, the acids released by triacetate base degradation ("vinegar syndrome") can cause dye fading. Cool, dry, and vented storage (or using Molecular Sieves to adsorb moisture and acid vapors) greatly slows the onset of BOTH "vinegar syndrome" and dye fading:
Kodak Molecular Sieves
Vinegar Syndrome
Kodak Film Storage Guidelines
Unfortunately, most release prints are stored in unconditioned warehouse conditions, where temperature and humidity are poorly controlled, and often at very high levels. The Image Permanence Institute has an on-line "Preservation Calculator" to help predict the effect of adverse temperature and humidity on long-term film storage:
RIT Image Permanence Institute
Kodak ESTAR base has been in use since the late 1950's and has shown itself to be very stable and not prone to the hydrolysis reaction that causes "vinegar syndrome". It is also very durable, and dimensionally stable (little shrinkage).
Exposure to light can also cause fading, usually in a slightly green direction. Effective filtering of the ultraviolet energy in the light source greatly reduces light fading. Kodak color print films have shown themselves to be very resistant to light fading, with theme parks running prints tens of thousands of times before noticeable light-related fading occurs with normal xenon lamphouse illumination.
Here is a discussion of recent work to improve dye stability in color paper, outlining the methods used to predict fading:
Kodak R&D to Improve Dye Stability
| IP: Logged
|
|
Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.
Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000
|
posted 03-11-2003 02:06 PM
The Navy Pier theater is owned by Navy Pier. Cineplex was just managing it for them. I guess the management fee Navy Pier was paying wasn't worth their while to continue operating it. Now Imax runs the theater for Navy Pier.
The Cedar Point theater was converted to a Peanuts on Ice show, not a ride. This behemoth of a theater seated 950 and, in 1975, was (I think) the ninth system installed in the world. I think 26 years is a pretty good run, and the park was probably just looking for something new. The last film to play there was Michael Jordan to the Max. Who the hell wants to see a film about Michael Jordan at an amusement park? With programming like that, of course Peanuts on Ice makes much more sense.
quote:
if Imax wants to survive they should use all high quality equipment at every location, hold to certain standards
Amen, brother. So should 35mm theaters.
quote:
do a local study and tailor a buisness plan to each location that is meaningful and profitable for both parties
Again, the business plan is the responsibility of the client, not the vendor. Does Kinoton reduce the cost of their platters for small markets? Does CLACO reduce the price of installation and service for small or underperforming theaters? I think not. The cost to the vendor is the same, whether the theater does 300,000 visitors a year or 3 million; just like projection costs are the same for one person or a sold out show.
Imax does not require a theater to purchase a service contract. You're a fool if you don't, but they don't make you. And now, with the shared service program, the service contracts can be much more reasonable. From what I understand (obviously, every system contract is different), the equipment lease fees are based on ticket sales just like film royalties, so it's in Imax's best interest for a theater to perform well.
| IP: Logged
|
|
Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster
Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 03-11-2003 07:01 PM
"Again, the business plan is the responsibility of the client, not the vendor."
______________________________________________________________
And with the fees that Imax is collecting that is one of my main beefs!! Not too many people, or theatre chains for that matter are knowledgable enough about how the LF type films might relate to a specific market. Imax of course knows this better than anyone does, and they SHOULD provide perspective clients with assistance in this area if they feel they need it as well as tailoring a system costs to that area. This is certainly one area that Imax can bend a bit in, especially since it is a lease arrangement. Gee, Imax providing that sort of assistance might have saved quite a number of locations they once had, and It might have also kept some of the systems out of markets thay were very marginal in. Even McDonalds provides perspective franchise clients with this basic and necessary service!! They don't want a franchise to fail....ever, and they rarely ever do.
Yes, CLACO will assist a customer with this sort of thing as far as regular theaters go. We will certainly tailor any system, or systems to a specific budget, and in some cases perhaps consider our margin at least a little bit for certain needy customers. We gladly put our customers in touch with people that can help them make accurate projections for a particuluar market they are considering....if they need that assistance. ALL DEALERS do this to some extent. We would rather see a sucessful customer than not as repeat buisness is what keeps us in buisness. To many of us in the industry it appears that Imax could care less about a locations and clients ultimate sucess or not. That is a pretty sad thing....
Mark
As far as Navy Pier goes they have never had great numbers from that location. It is also a marginal location in fact. Occasional big weekends don't cut it for that kind of thing and I'd be willing to bet that many people in charge of Navy Pier had wished they'd dome something else with the property. Same situation in Boise, ID where there is a closed Imax at an Edwards site. The peoperty people are still trying to figure out what to do with the 4.5 million dollar abandoned building. Imax apparently wasn't insterested in running that site????
I'm quite familiar with the arrangements there. Of course the manufacturer can operate a location for much less cost than can someone paying the exorbatent costs of the system.
It will be very interesting to see how the new Imax opening here in SLC fares.....it has a museum location, in a childrens museum / Planetarium type setup. Unfortnately, its also a poor location for a LF system, and in this case we'll see how long SL County will be willing to bear the costs of it all. Personally I hope it suceeds well, as I too enjoy the occasional LF film once in a while.
Mark
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster
Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 03-11-2003 11:34 PM
Adam,
Yes I was aware that Imax was thinking about re-opening the Boise location. The fact that they are re-opening it really makes me wonder even more about them.....And Edwards margin was in the negative or so slim when it was open......that it hardly made any sense to have any film format installed there??? even converted for multipurpose use I still don't see how they can expect to do any better than Edwards did with it. Edwards actually did a pretty good job running the theatre end of it. It was always well taken care of. Again, they obviously didn't pay any atttention to what happened there when Edwards ran it....but the tax write off from the operating loss may also be helpful to them too. Personally it seems to me that they are only trying to save their face in a number of those situations. I'd bet that ultimately it will close again. It is indeed sad though that the Navy Pier and Boise locations will be mainly playing to only a few patrons per show anyway, except for weekends. Its way too hard for LF system to compete with a 20 screen complex a stones throw away.
Steve, My statements about Navy Pier are not assertions. They are facts that I have gotten from people that worked there over the years. You may even know a couple of them yourself. It does good at certain times of the year and sometimes on weekends, its deadsville at night time. Also depends greatly on what type of film is playing and when. Compare its grosess to the MSI Omnimax where there is huge volume traffic to constantly feed the theatre. Now thats the right type of location and amount of traffic needed to make it really happen, and not become a burden. I would bet that the Imax opening here does similar to the Navy Pier situation, especially after the opening newness wears off.
Sometimes CLACO will make some concessions to certain customers. As long as we can still make a fair profit and help the small guy out it works great for both parties. Any progressive dealer out there will do this. If enough profit is there we would rather do, than not do. For instance, my boss would rather I fix something I find wrong on a service visit even if we don't get paid for quite some time for that repair.....I've even used this approach for theatre locations that are not our regular customers. If I'm in the area and they have a problem, I gladly fix it if they desire it. It usually amazes them that I'd be willing to do it as we don't usually service them, but it saves them alot of money, and at the same time it builds alot of good will. Some of those customers eventually end up doing all their buisness with us because of that type of relation. Few dealers do buisness like this, but its worked for us for close to 30 years. I would say that our service and willingness to help out anyone on a moments notice is old fashioned, but perhaps thats some of whats missing from this industry. I can only think of one or two other dealers that do buisness like this....they too have been around for decades. If it turns out that there are more than two other dealers doing buisness this way, then thats a good sign that someone else in this buisness still cares about making it better for all involved.
Mark
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Stephen Furley
Film God
Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
|
posted 03-13-2003 09:49 AM
Elena,
It's a long time since I was in Russia, it will be 29 years in just a couple of days. There was still a lot of snow around, even that late in the year, and it was very cold. I remember looking at what we call downpipes, I don't know what your word for them is, but the pipes that carry the rainwater from the roofs of the buildings, and wondering why they were so large, about 250mm diameter. When I looked more closely, there was just a small hole left in the centre, the rest of the pipe was completely full of ice that had built up during the winter!
While we were there we were taken to an exhibition which included a film show on a 360 degree circular screen made up of about nine or eleven panels, with a projector behind each gap between the screens, projecting onto the screen opposite. Do you know what that was, and whether it's still there.
I learned a little Russian in the few weeks before I went, enough to read signs, and ask the way; I have forgotten most of it now, but I think It would come back to me. I went to New York last October, and rode down to Brighton Beach; nearly all the shops there are Russian, and I could read quite a lot of the signs. Some of the ticket machines on the Subway were in Russian, as well as English and Spanish.
I have never seen a 8/70 installation, nor any non Imax 15/70, so I can't comment on these systems, the only recommendations I could make would be to go and see an installation of any system you are considering, talk to the people who are actually running it on a day to day basis, and find out what product is available for it (unless you are gong to be making your own films) before buying into it.
With the re-opening of Cinerama in both Britain and America, have there been any moves to bring back Kinopanorama in Russia?
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Elena N. Solovyova
Film Handler
Posts: 44
From: Voronezh, Russia
Registered: Feb 2003
|
posted 03-14-2003 09:47 AM
Stephen,
quote:
There was still a lot of snow around, even that late in the year, and it was very cold.
We had a nice little snowstorm here yesterday. But all this ice will melt down in a week or two. The spring is coming ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
quote:
While we were there we were taken to an exhibition which included a film show on a 360 degree circular screen made up of about nine or eleven panels, with a projector behind each gap between the screens, projecting onto the screen opposite. Do you know what that was, and whether it's still there.
It was "Krugovaya panorama", a single "circle" sinema in the USSR, located at VDNKH (BDHX) exhibition complex in Moscow. I think it was already closed down when I visited VDNKH in 1985.
The building is still here, now used as ordinary exhibition hall. No screens, probably the projection system is dismantled too. The strips are probably still preserved in Gosfilmofond.
One of the "circular" shorts was a hand-drawn cartoon directed by Dmitriy Babichenko, 1958. Didn't find any information on others.
quote:
With the re-opening of Cinerama in both Britain and America, have there been any moves to bring back Kinopanorama in Russia?
In fact, the Kinopanorama (3-strip), unfortunately, was never popular. I think it lived only for a few years.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|
Home
Printer-friendly view of this topic