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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Author
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Topic: How many years does film have left?
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 06-16-2006 05:02 PM
There's a long-established precedent of consumer entertainment technology stimulating the development of theatre exhibition technology, not killing it. Part of the reason the talkies came along was the growth of domestic audio technology in the mid '20s - radio, telephones and recorded music. Television provided part of the impetus for the rollout of widescreen (which wasn't there when the first round of research and development for widescreen happened in the late '20s). Dolby SVA in the theatre happened partly because by the end of the '70s, Joe Public had stereo in his home and expected it in the theatre, too. Multiplexes happened as a response to the domestic VCR - for the first time, consumers had 'on demand' choice at home, and therefore expected that flexibility when they went to the theatre, hence the shift from a small number of auditoria with thousands of seats to large numbers of auditoria with 100-200 seats, plus the technology which made that cost-effective (i.e. xenon lamps, platters and automation). Logically, therefore, the consumer rollout of HD digital video should mean that theatre projection follows in its wake.
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Warren Smyth
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 158
From: Auckland ,New Zealand
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 06-17-2006 09:48 AM
Let me state that I sincerely wish that I could agree with those of you who believe that film and the current method of exhibiting motion pictures via theatre auditoriums, will continue. I would love to be proved wrong, but I know how easy it is to be influenced by the heart rather than the head.
I have experienced the pleasure of seeing and screening the very finest motion picture entertainment in picture palaces like, and including the civic Auckland that appears in the latter portion of King Kong. This was when projectionists were not only paid for their technical knowledge, but for their creativity of presentation as well. An age when we would work all night repairing a curtain just to avoid an audience seeing a naked screen on the following performance, a sight which is now the norm in muliplexes.
That was a long time ago when theatres had besides technical, a theatrical edge over home entertainment. Sadly this second advantage was killed off by the desire to maximise profit. The current audiences who wouldn't know what a waterfall curtain, overture or entr'act is, therefore cannot see anything special in multiplex entertainment. The only perceived margin of difference now between theatre and home entertainment is technical standards, convenience and price. Audiences have been conditioned away from maybe the only asset unique to the theatre, which can never be totally replicated in the home.
Those who think high wattage sound systems and large screens provide advantages which you cannot get at home, let me say, that you don't need 500 watts feeding into a surround channel at home unless you want to suffer hearing loss. It's the quality of the audio that matters, and home systems are getting very good now. On the subject of large screens ,the 11 foot screen in my home theatrette appears larger than the 60 foot screen at our local civic theatre, that is, if you are seated in the circle that King Kong jumps up on to and partly demolishes. You see, it's just a question of scale. If you want a big picture you can sit as close as you like to the screen. It's resolution that counts and that is getting better in the home all the time. Also, appropriate home theatre surroundings can easily surpass that of the local multiplex.
quote:
There is a long-established precedent of consumer entertainment technology stimulating the development of theatre exhibition technology - not killing it.
This may have happened with sound, but let's look at the improvement that has been made to the projected image over the last fifty years.
If you are fortunate to be able to see an original Technicolor Vista Vision print of the 1950's and compare it with a current film in 1 to 1.85 aspect ratio, you will find it very difficult to see any improvement over fifty years. Take a 70mm print shot on 65mm negative and compare it with the very best available today, then ask yourself, "What technical improvement has the industry provided for the patron for fifty years of development?" Sure, film emulsions have improved, providing finer grain for faster speed. It is however, of little consequence to the theatre customer if large amounts of light no longer has to be pumped into the sets during filming. Sure CGI has revolutionised special effects but it's now becoming apparent that films cannot rely on special effects alone.
Compare this lack of image improvement with home entertainment. In the 50s television was in black and white, the screens were small and the resolution was lower than that of 8mm film. After fifty years, we now have a high definition DVD format with another one about to be released for the home. The consumer market has not stimulated image improvement in theatres at all. While the exhibition industry sat on it's hands, the domestic industry progressed recently at an alarming rate. Will this drive the exhibitors into developing higher technical standards to re-establish a high technical margin between their entertainment and that of the home? - I don't think so.
The reason is, that in the past, improvements were driven at the production end because the studios and theatre interests were aligned. This is no longer so. The film companies can make money from films straight into the home via other delivery systems, some of which have yet to be developed. They have demonstrated a desire to get their investment back on films as fast as possible. The multiplex gave them this, but they may prefer even quicker methods in future, particularly if they think they can avoid the pirates.
Another reason is that the theatres are joining the same technology form as exists in the home - digital. As I stated, the domestic arm of this will have the advantage of a greater economy of scale which drives up standards and lowers cost. The home theatre systems in terms of resolution will be snapping at the heels of theatre equipment developers as they attempt to catch up. This means that exhibitors will be on a technilogical and financial treadmill and may be forced in the cost of the product, to finance research and development that the domestic market ultimately benefits from. To add further insult, systems will be redundant in just a few years and require constant upgrades just to sort out bugs. It's known in the computer industry as the "bleeding" edge. There will probably be major compatibility issues with new software, something that is already hitting the domestic market with HDDVD and Blue Ray but on a small scale, compared to what exhibitors may face.
The constant cost of maintaining a high technical margin between theatres and home entertainment to attract patrons will be extremely high. For many exhibitors, too high, and for how long? When home entertainment can one day provide the resolution of 70mm film, the margin probably won't matter anyway. Who knows when that will be, but if you consider the accelerated rate of improvement in home digital projector and DVD technology in the last three years, it's bound to be sooner than you think. Welcome to the race.
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John Koutsoumis
Master Film Handler
Posts: 261
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 06-18-2006 08:01 PM
quote: Ron Curran
Hi Cameron, the average ticket price in Australia is a lot less than $15, unless you want to sit through 20 minutes of ads in a multi.
Just to add...
Well people in the suburbs and Cities don't have much of a choice, if they want to go a cinema they have to go to a Multi/Megaplex. We've just lost another single screen Cinema here in Melbourne, with only one left which is second run. The tickets here range from $13-15.
I noticed in the paper on Saturday that Hoyts (worst company of all the multi's ![[bs]](graemlins/bs.gif) ) and Village (who are not much better)
have started a new advertising campaign:
"See it BIGGER
See it BETTER
See it FIRST
Only at the MOVIES!
Pfffftt, bleh. With the kind of staff, presentation and let's face it, quality many (but not all) 35mm prints I should give the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) a call
and make a claim of false advertising (in particular to
the "Better" claim.
From ACCC website ACCC : quote:
Staff and representatives must take care not to mislead or deceive. It doesn’t matter whether the misrepresentation is deliberate or accidental. What does matter is the impression that is left in the mind of the customer .
The Act tells business that it must not mislead or deceive, or take actions that are likely to mislead or deceive. It also specifically outlaws particular types of false or misleading representations, such as false or misleading claims about a product’s value, price, quality, place of origin or impact on the environment.
Heh-heh ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif) ![[evil]](graemlins/evil.gif) as if. (I think I need to get out more often)
In recent times The Village Cinemas at the Jam Factory were advertising Digital Screenings of "Chicken Little: 3-D" and that Narnia film (whatver that was called) as "The Future of Cinema". Well if that's the case then we're all doomed ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
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I love film but we are working on two projects for next year (1)35mm (1)HDTV based on the merits of each situation.
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