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Topic: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Presented in 70MM)

Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 12-21-2010 12:16 PM

quote: Tom Petrov
3. Having a projectionist change the reels every 15 minutes or so added to the experience. This was film presentation of the highest quality.

Not to nitpick, but exactly HOW did this add to the experience? If the projectionist was doing his job right, you in theory wouldn't have been able to tell if it was ran off of a platter or changeover.

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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 12-21-2010 12:22 PM

I saw 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY at it's original road show engagement at Honolulu's Cinerama Theatre and I was very impressed with the 70mm presentation and the film itself. THe Cinerama in Hawaii was a three strip Cinerama house and the original equipment from the theatre has been refurbished and now at the Archlight Cinerama Dome Theatre in Los Angeles. "2001" projected on the deeply curved screen was an awesome sight and so was the sound. I saw the movie again in 70mm at another theatre in Honolulu and the presentation at the Varsity was good but the sonic and visual splendor of what I saw at the Cinerama was missing.

-Claude

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

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

posted 12-21-2010 01:00 PM

quote: John Wilson
Except 'Stranger Than Fiction'

While I agree that is probably the best project that Will Ferrell will ever be involved in in his entire life, a movie like that wouldn't be better at a theater than on a 13-inch black and white TV with an RF connection to a VHS VCR (non-HQ) playing back a grocery store brand tape recorded in EQ off of someone's camcordering of the movie off of a drive-in screen from 3 miles away with super RF gain to pick up the sound.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-21-2010 01:21 PM

quote: Tom Petrov
1. The social aspect of watching 2001 in 70mm was differnent than watching a film in 35mm. The crowd was about 150 in attendance and all for some reason sat very close to one another. It was like we all wanted to be close together to share this experience. There were people sitting so close to me whereas at a 35mm movie, we would be sitting farther apart.

It had nothing to do with the size of the film; the fans at an event like this are like a "community." You would have all been crammed together even if you were watching it on Super 8.

Besides, you said there was no indication anywhere that the movie was in 70mm, so most people probably weren't aware of it and I'd bet at least half of them don't know what "70mm" is anyway.

Personally I prefer to have "my own space" if possible when watching a movie. I don't mind sitting in a big crowd but if I can find a row or group of seats and have an empty few on each side, I'm all over that.

quote:
Personally, I think ALL movie reviews belong in the movie review section,

I agree, to me the Afterlife is for discussions on video equipment and so on, but this topic is about a theatrical experience so it's properly placed IMHO.

quote: Joe Redifer
This shit happens all the time, several per decade at least.

This was the only "total lunar eclipse to happen on the winter solstice" since 1638 and the next one won't happen for another few hundred years, or something.

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 12-21-2010 01:36 PM

It's been a while since I followed the reviews on here.

So, since others brought it up...I've always wondered -- Are there two threads for some movies? One set of reviews by folks who caught in theatres...and then another for folks who watched the same movie on video?

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

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

posted 12-21-2010 01:46 PM

I hope not. That would be awfully cluttered. Like I said, all movie reviews should be here regardless of where or how you saw it. It's a review of a movie. This is the movie review forum.

quote: Mike Blakesley
This was the only "total lunar eclipse to happen on the winter solstice" since 1638 and the next one won't happen for another few hundred years, or something.

Yes, but just because I rarely remove a lab splice at the exact moment that Prince Charles is taking a huge dump doesn't make that lab splice removal any more special.

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Tom Petrov
Five Guys Lover

Posts: 1121
From: El Paso, TX
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 12-21-2010 01:47 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
It had nothing to do with the size of the film; the fans at an event like this are like a "community." You would have all been crammed together even if you were watching it on Super 8.

Sorry but 60 of 150 people do not usually sit in the first 6 rows of the lower part of a stadium seating theatre that has a balcony, and seats 541 people. The rest were right behind the front aisle. There was nobody near the back (which would actually be middle because of the balcony).

quote: Mike Blakesley
Besides, you said there was no indication anywhere that the movie was in 70mm, so most people probably weren't aware of it and I'd bet at least half of them don't know what "70mm" is anyway.

Well the people in my section sure did. So did the 25 year old women who was talking up the 70mm film festival in Ottawa and actually mentioned something from Hartford.

quote: Brad Miller
Not to nitpick, but exactly HOW did this add to the experience? If the projectionist was doing his job right, you in theory wouldn't have been able to tell if it was ran off of a platter or changeover.

To look back at view the projectionist cleaning the equipment between reels and taking some pride over his work was nice to see.

It sure beats that pops that are often found on splices at the Silvercity or that annoying voice sound that says "Cinema 1 has started" for the automation.

A good film, the community, a projectionist all together. It beats an experience at a local megaplex. To know that the projectionist was pretty much with us the whole time is something you do not get anywhere else.

It was nice to have someone personally take care and have pride of our experience watching the movie.

More than likely, way back in 1968, the film would of been presented the same way.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-21-2010 03:35 PM

quote: Tom Petrov
Sorry but 60 of 150 people do not usually sit in the first 6 rows of the lower part of a stadium seating theatre that has a balcony, and seats 541 people. The rest were right behind the front aisle. There was nobody near the back

Sorry but all of that crap has absolutely nothing to do with how wide the film is.

When we played the last Star Wars movie, there were a bunch of Star Wars geeks who rushed to sit in the first few rows. Not a one of them said they were doing that because they knew it was a 35mm film. It was because they wanted to immerse themselves in the big screen.

You are giving the format more credit than it deserves.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 12-21-2010 04:04 PM

Nah Mike, those Star Wars nerds understand that sitting in the front row, they will get to see the movie before everyone behind them. Sure it will only buy them an instant (the speed of light), but damnit it's Star Wars!

Tom - was the movie that boring you felt the need to turn around and watch the projectionist??? Oh wait, we are talking about half an hour of apes grunting and flinging poo aren't we? Maybe the projectionist's job was more entertaining.

Regardless, that's the dumbest reasoning I've ever heard. (Plus btw we hate it when people turn around and stare at us.) The projectionists is supposed to be an invisible entity. You shouldn't even know he is there. Everything should just be perfect regardless of what is going on in the booth. Whatever the projectionist is doing in the booth makes NO difference in the content of the movie, unless he is changing over to out of frame reels or botching up the timing. At least with the platter assuming the print has been screened once, the show will stay in frame, stay in focus, etc.

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Tim Asten
Film Handler

Posts: 98
From: Brighton, United Kingdom
Registered: Nov 2006

posted 12-21-2010 05:18 PM

quote: Brad Miller
The projectionists is supposed to be an invisible entity. You shouldn't even know he is there.

I dont think this is the issue. The thought of a professional projectionist (I assume he is a professional if he is running an expensive 70mm print) carefully monitoring a show from the start of the show, right through the changeovers to the very last end credit would give the technically aware customer a sense that he is a VIP and not just a ticket number.

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Mark Ogden
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 943
From: Little Falls, N.J.
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-21-2010 07:08 PM

quote: Brad Miller
was the movie that boring you felt the need to turn around and watch the projectionist?

Oh, I don't know. I used to watch projectionists all the time, when I went to theatres that had them. I always wanted to see if there was somebody there to monitor the start, check the focus and framing and such. The last changeover show I saw was this last summer at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto. I sat in the balcony, and when I saw the motor cue, I instinctively turned around to see if I could see anybody at the port glass.

Now that I think about it, the last time I saw 2001 in 70mm was at the Uptown in November of 2001, during it's last re-release (it was the night that the curtain tore while opening after the intermission). I remember looking back at the booth at almost every change, yet this is one of my favorite movies.

I guess you can take the boy out of the booth, but you can never take the booth out of the boy, if you know what I mean.

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Robert W. Jones
Film Handler

Posts: 74
From: San Antonio, TX
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 12-21-2010 07:20 PM

quote: Christian Appelt
The Dawn of Man backgrounds in 2001 were slides indeed, but not 35mm. They were shot and projected on 8x10 Ektachrome sheet film.

Right! The plates were projected against a silver screen on the sound stage. Incredible still today.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

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

posted 12-21-2010 07:42 PM

quote: Mark Ogden
it was the night that the curtain tore while opening after the intermission

Now you've gone and embarrassed Guttag. The Uptown is supposed to be perfect.

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 12-21-2010 11:58 PM

quote: Tom Petrov
Sorry but 60 of 150 people do not usually sit in the first 6 rows of the lower part of a stadium seating theatre

The few times I have seen 2001 in 70mm -- and even the times I have shown it in 35mm -- there were clusters of die-hards in the first few rows. They choose those seats because of the slit-scan sequence. It has nothing to do with wanting to be close to each other.

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Tom Petrov
Five Guys Lover

Posts: 1121
From: El Paso, TX
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 12-22-2010 01:00 AM

quote: Joe Redifer
The Uptown is supposed to be perfect.

The Uptown no longer exists.

quote: Brad Miller
Tom - was the movie that boring you felt the need to turn around and watch the projectionist??? Oh wait, we are talking about half an hour of apes grunting and flinging poo aren't we? Maybe the projectionist's job was more entertaining.

2001 is playing over 125 shows in Toronto. All are reel to reel, not a changeover of 3-4 reels, but instead each reel one by one. This is significant IMO. Thats why I wanted to observe how it was shown.

The projectors had a computer betweeen them and I was curious to know if the changeover of reel was manual or auto. It was manual as he was right there doing it. I only watched the second reel to reel changeover and then the intermission.

Furthermore. the projectionist cleaned the port glass and lenses between intermission. I was shocked at the level of care they were giving this screening, seeing how TIFF is supposed to take movies seriously, I didn't think they go to this extreme.

quote: Tim Asten
I dont think this is the issue. The thought of a professional projectionist (I assume he is a professional if he is running an expensive 70mm print) carefully monitoring a show from the start of the show, right through the changeovers to the very last end credit would give the technically aware customer a sense that he is a VIP and not just a ticket number.

Yes it was like we were treated to something special. I personally have never seen film projection done this perfect.

Just an FYI for those who care. The equipment being used in cinema #1 at the TIFF Lightbox is:

Kinoton FP 75E dual-format projector
Christie CP2230 digital projector
Dolby 3D
Dolby CP650 digital processor
Meyer Sound with vivid surrounds and absolutely clear audio separation

You could see the three projectors lined up one by one by one.

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