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Author Topic: Looking for thoughts from those who have run a 'Classic Film Series' Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 10-24-2011 07:08 PM                     You got that right Mike. It's the "theatre experience" that can never be duplicated in a house with consumer electronics.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-24-2011 07:44 PM                        Rightly or wrongly, and regardless of the other virtues of the cinema experience, cinephiles tend to want to see classics in their original format. If you are doing a French New Wave series and the screening format is not 35mm, you will have some very unhappy customers who will not return to your theatre. On the other hand, if you are doing a series of '80s comedies, you might be able to get away with Blu-Ray.  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 10-31-2011 02:34 PM                     > It's the "theatre experience" that can never be duplicated in a house with consumer electronics. Yes, the theatre experience of total strangers talking during the movie and lighting up their cell phones while checking text messages is hard to duplicate at home. While we can, at home, duplicate sticky dirty floors to simulate inadequately cleaned floors in many theatres, and run the bulb in our video projectors far beyond their recommended life to simulate the dim picture in some theatres, and of course blow out our speakers so they buzz like some theatres, why would we want to do that? Yes, there are certainly some well run theatres in every market, but there are also a lot of poorly run theatres that did film done wrong, and now are doing video done wrong. As too seeing classic films on film, film is part of the "magic" that makes it worth attending for many of us. Some people only care about seeing the movie, and don't care. Some people only want a night out and don't care. Others want to see the movie as close to how it was originally shown as possible. For us, that is the experience. The question for every theatre owner running classic films is whether or not enough people care to make it worth the extra expense and hassle to run on film.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 10-31-2011 03:07 PM                        The thing that blows me away about some of the opinions expressed in this thread is they seem to think it comes down to choosing Bluray over 35mm film. That's not the choice at all. The choice is showing something via Bluray or not showing it at all. If you're such a purist you think a BR presentation is not worthwhile, then stay home. Or maybe alter your expectations a bit: be happy to see a beloved classic on the big screen, and be even happier if it happens to be presented on film. But don't dismiss something other than film as not being worthwhile. I am trying to give my patrons the opportunity to watch some movies on the big screen. Something which they would not have at all if I did not have the ability to play BR.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 10-31-2011 05:22 PM                     To be frank, you brought on the opinions by claiming that DCP's weren't discernibly better than Blu-Ray.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 10-31-2011 05:40 PM                        Yes Chris, I did mention that after some people started making the media a bigger point than the title. That wasn't the point of this thread to begin with. More to the point, being insistent about 35mm when it isn't even an option is pointless.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-31-2011 06:12 PM                        quote: Mitchell Dvoskin While we can, at home, duplicate sticky dirty floors to simulate inadequately cleaned floors in many theatres Here's another thing that drives me nuts. I can't remember the last time I was in a theatre that had a sticky floor. Yet it's always the first item on anybody's list of all the horrible things about going to the movies. I'm sure there are sticky-floor theatres out there, but it's not like they are in the majority or even close to it. Cup-holders have done more to alleviate the sticky-floor problem than anything else.  |  IP: Logged Edward Havens Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 614 From: Los Angeles, CA Registered: Mar 2008 posted 10-31-2011 11:11 PM                     It's what Film-Techers do, Mike. We don't stay on topic, but insert our personal opinions, no matter how far off-base it may be from the original question. We think everyone thinks and acts like us, we ignore facts and observations that do not mesh with our mindset, and we look for and find minor points to argue about if the main thrust of someone's points are inarguable. I think Justin's got a lot of good suggestions here, and I will gladly talk to him face to face about my personal experiences at next week's NATO product seminar, because that is what I think Film-Techers should be doing: supporting our own.  |  IP: Logged Geoff Jones Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 579 From: Broomfield, CO, USA Registered: Feb 2006 posted 10-31-2011 11:24 PM                        quote: Justin Hamaker If you're such a purist you think a BR presentation is not worthwhile, then stay home. Unless you advertise that you are presenting BluRay, your patrons won't have the information needed to make that choice until they have bought their tickets and the movie has started. And some of them might have driven from far away. I recommended that you make this clear several posts back and you were dismissive. quote: Justin Hamaker Most moviegoers won't notice. If you are showing BluRay, you are showing the exact same thing I could watch at home in 2 days if I bump it to the top of my Netflix queue. Project whatever you want. Project VHS for all I care. But not being upfront about it is deceitful and dishonest, in my opinion.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 10-31-2011 11:56 PM                        My main objection to advertising the media used for the presentation is that it could creates confusion for the customers. Customers are not going to know what DCP means or how it's different from DVD. If we hype BR, then we run the risk of making consumers think it's something better than what we normally run. If we point out that it is not a 35mm presentation, then we undermine our digital brand. My opinion is the onus is on the cinephile to do his research if the method of projection is a make or break issue - especially if he's driving over 100 miles to see the movie. And even more so if the theatre is not promoting a specific presentation. As I've said over and over, my feeling is that it's about the event and the movie, not the method of presentation. To be fair, I will say that in the past we have done some private events using consumer grade digital projector. Mostly to run Schindler's List for high school history classes. While the presentation was adequate, it was far short of anything I would want to use for an advertised event. The first few years we did this showing it was on VHS because there was no DVD available. Later we ran on DVD and there was a noticeable improvement. Just for grins, I would like to do a side by side with the original VHS presentation and a BluRay through our dcinema projector.  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 11-01-2011 01:45 AM                     New month. Time for my stupid question. Some Fathom events are played from a DVR into the digital cinema projector. Is this really any different from playing a Blu Ray?  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 11-01-2011 09:08 AM                     > Some Fathom events are played from a DVR into the digital > cinema projector. Is this really any different from playing a > Blu Ray? As I understand it, and I may be wrong, Fathom events are at Bluray 1080p resolution. > I can't remember the last time I was in a theatre that had a > sticky floor. Mike, you clearly don't go to the movie in northern New Jersey. > If we hype BR, then we run the risk of making consumers think > it's something better than what we normally run. And if you don't, when you run a less than well mastered BR, your consumers will think all digital video has compression artifacts are less than perfect focus. > If we point out that it is not a 35mm presentation, then we > undermine our digital brand. You have already undermined your "digital brand" by running Bluray. At least if you advertised what you are running, people would learn to differentiate between the different types of video.  |  IP: Logged Edward Havens Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 614 From: Los Angeles, CA Registered: Mar 2008 posted 11-01-2011 10:56 AM                     For the record, 1080p is used far more than just on Blu-Ray. I'd also like to thank Mitchell for proving my point.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 11-01-2011 11:45 AM                     quote: Justin Hamaker Customers are not going to know what DCP means or how it's different from DVD. No one was suggesting you advertise it as DCP. You can easily advertise your presentations as being on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital Cinema. Most of your customers will immediately understand that those are different. And the few who don't will simply ask you what the difference is. You've given the information that at least some of your customers want while not soiling your digital reputation. And I agree with the earlier comment that not advertising this can soil the reputation since they'll think the rest of your digital shows are of equal quality. Or if they saw a previous show then came to a DVD/Blu-Ray show, they could see your quality of presentations having dropped and decide next time to try someplace else.  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 11-01-2011 02:38 PM                     quote: Justin Hamaker The thing that blows me away about some of the opinions expressed in this thread is they seem to think it comes down to choosing Bluray over 35mm film. That's not the choice at all. The choice is showing something via Bluray or not showing it at all. Justin: Are you saying that when the digital conversion is completed you believe distributors are going to destroy the thousands of classic 35mm prints they now have in storage?  |  IP: Logged

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