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This topic comprises 6 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
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Author
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Topic: Looking for thoughts from those who have run a 'Classic Film Series'
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Tony L. Hernandez
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 158
From: Windsor, CO, USA
Registered: Dec 2005
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posted 11-27-2011 09:39 PM
Yes, Geoff, I do, although it's closer to you than it is to me...I'm a commuter.
It's the International Film Series in the Muenzinger Theater-Boulder,co. www.internationalfilmseries.com
I'd say about 95% of the classic stuff we show is 35mm, 4% 16mm & 1% (or less) is digital. We are a dual-projector booth. Again, it is a calendar film series and although we cater to newer arthouse/documentary/foreign fair, we usually screen at least 1 classic per week. Most of what we get is the really nice archival stuff...some of it is also quite rare; just last week we ran several Masumura films, stright out of an archive in Japan. None of the titles can be purchased on any past or present consumer format and a few had never even screened in the U.S.!
The Esquire Theater (Landmark Theaters) in Denver (Cap Hill neighborhood) also screens classics, albeit usually 1970-1990s fair on 35mm at midnight every Friday and Saturday. That series is programmed by a nice youger guy named Matt Morris who is a true cinephile and excellent projectionist. They are a platter house, so they rarely get the pristine archival prints, but they are the one platter house I would trust my nice prints with, given Matt's attention to detail.
If you are interested in venues screening classics in 16mm or digital, PM me and I will send a list of those. We are also hoping to start screening classics at our drive in in Commerce City at the end of our seasons...we have a great booth that is still dual projector (with a platter, when we need it) and I would be the one running the stuff so now we just need to get through the red tape.
The reason I asked about The Rialto is because I am one of the volunteer projectionists there on the very rare occasion they decide to run film. They have a beautiful booth with dual projector 35mm and 16mm and it is equipped with everything any operator could ever want. Unfortunately, the upper management feels that DVD is the best thing on earth and screen their films that way whenever possible. They will not even upgrade to Blu-Ray or proper Digital Cinema since they think DVDs are so great. Keep in mind that it is entirely a volunteer operation and all aspects of their film projection would be taken care of by myself or one of 2 other experienced operators, free of charge...go figure! Ironically, they ran "Jaws" off DVD about a year ago while a pristine 35mm print sat in the manager's office!
John W., I also cannot understand what Disney's problem is. Most other major studios are thrilled to reap profits by screening their older titles. Disney is also a nightmare in a number of other booking matters but I digress...
It even took them forever just to release the lovely classic short "Donald in Mathmagic Land" on consumer DVD and this was only after damned near every k-12 teacher on the continent bitched and moaned at them for over a decade, because their 50 year old 16mm prints were about to bite the dust.
Since I have so rarely run Disney in my life, I was searching though my memory and I can remember running "The Little Mermaid" and "The Shaggy Dog" (1959) back in 2002 on 16mm via Swank prints in a 2,000 seat theater as well as a 16mm Swank print of "Finding Nemo" in a 400 seat theater some 4 years ago. I wonder why these exceptions were made??? I know that the Swank stuff is considered "Non-Theatrical" but I think anyone with a brain can tell you that anything run (especially these days) in 16 or 35mm wil be in something of a theatrical atmosphere...hmmmmm.
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Randy Riddle
Film Handler
Posts: 7
From: Mebane, NC, USA
Registered: Sep 2006
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posted 02-01-2013 08:59 PM
I know this is an older thread, but I'll offer up a few thoughts based on my experience as an avid movie goer and someone that's closely watched the history of the business.
I think the key to running older titles successfully is to closely look at the market in your specific location. And I think it's important to think of the movie-going experience as something social.
With the advent of home video, streaming movies and nice home theaters, we can really get pretty much any catalogue titles we want. What seems to motivate people to turn out for older titles is the opportunity to see a film with friends.
The Carolina Theater in Durham has done this pretty successfully. Durham, NC is in the Triangle area of our state with three big universities. Their usual fare includes the latest art-hous flicks, but they run different series throughout the year to appeal to different parts of the market.
To appeal to the university faculty crowd, they've run things like the Chaplin or Kurosawa retrospectives in recent years. To appeal to the "geek" crowd, they run series of 70s and 80s blockbusters that include titles like "The Goonies", "Flash Gordon" or horror flicks from the period. And they host a gay and lesbian film fest each year.
If I wanted to go for older crowds, I might think about different segments of the market and the kind of "movie night out" that would be enjoyable to them. For example, how about a series of "rock and roll" movies advertised through groups, like classic car clubs, that appeal to baby boomers. In the south, where Westerns were always big, a series of these pics might work well, especially if you worked in things that show off the big screen format.
If you're in a university town, see if there's a group of Anime enthusiasts at your local university - working with them, you might do a series of anime and Japanese kung fu and samurai flicks. If you've got a strong gay and lesbian community, think about a series of movies like "My Own Private Idaho", "Priscilla Queen of the Desert", "Can't Stop the Music", "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and John Waters flicks, all favorites that the community can support through word of mouth.
What I'm finding in my own movie going habits is that I'm more likely to turn out for older movies if it's something I can enjoy with friends that have similar interests - revisiting an old favorite or seeing something a little rarer that we can talk about over dinner.
It's a little more work than just running the same classics, like "Casablanca", and aiming for a general audience that keep turning up, but you'd be taking advantage of the built-in fan base there is out there for specific genres or types of films.
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