my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » 'The Maze Runner' will be shown in three-screen panoramic format (Page 2)

This topic comprises 6 pages: 1  2  3  4  5  6

Author Topic: 'The Maze Runner' will be shown in three-screen panoramic format Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 09-08-2014 12:07 AM                     More gimmicks to come out of "Hollyrock" to keep one step ahead their foe of over 50 years now .. being Television. What's wrong with just a good story and plot instead of this fool "eye candy" to get the crowds to come back to the cinema - as above has already mentioned?  |  IP: Logged Buck Wilson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 894 From: St. Joseph MO, USA Registered: Sep 2010 posted 09-08-2014 12:42 AM                     Or better yet, a cinema that actually cares about proper presentation with existing technology?  |  IP: Logged Terry Monohan Master Film Handler Posts: 379 From: San Francisco CA USA Registered: May 2014 posted 09-10-2014 11:01 AM                     This will work for some large theatres that still have room on the left and right sides of the main screen. Many cinemas have exits on both sides. It will be very costly to move them and the bright side wall lights that wreck all the pre show ads. It will look bad If the two new side screens are not on a good angle and just go on the side walls. Great If you sit in the first 10 rows. People will be looking right and left and won't see the nice effect as they would in the back like the old Cinerama days. The next gimmick will be screens on the ceiling for clouds ect.  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 09-10-2014 06:20 PM                     I propose the screen under your feet too... Like the IMAX Magic Carpet, of which exactly one installation exists. We should burn those stupid gimmicks before they even get the slightest form of following. This isn't Cinerama. Cinerama was a whole new format, it required purpose built auditoria, large adaptations tocinematography, etc. This one is a cheap-ass bolt-on, invented by a bunch of morons (yes Barco, I'm looking at you at the moment) to squeeze a few more dollars out of exhibitors and moviegoers, without adding anything of real, lasting value.  |  IP: Logged Terry Lynn-Stevens Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1081 From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Registered: Dec 2012 posted 09-10-2014 07:47 PM                     I wouldn't mind trying it put before I rule it out.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-10-2014 09:21 PM                        If you could provide one good reason for this to exist, I'd be in agreement with you. But you can't, because there is NO good reason for it. For one thing, they won't be able to put anything on the sides except for "extensions" of the scenery behind the main action, because they'll need to make the movie work in regular, non-whatever-this-is-called auditoriums. Just imagine how unnatural it would look anytime the camera pans across a scene....or consider how weird it'd look if a character was to walk through one of those "corner creases." Unless you happen to be sitting in the exact right spot, it'll look oblique and weird when the pan or character or any building (or anything, really) goes across those corners. The photo shown is obviously a Photoshop job. Just because something is a new idea doesn't mean it's a good idea.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 09-10-2014 09:44 PM                     quote: Mike Blakesley Just because something is a new idea doesn't mean it's a good idea. ... think we heard this one before in many, many occasions ...  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-10-2014 10:42 PM                        quote: Mike Blakesley If you could provide one good reason for this to exist, I'd be in agreement with you. Well, the possibilities for having some real fun are there. Multiple story lines one has to follow simultaneously, for example (think Warhol's Chelsea Girls). Of course, that's too risky for big budget films, though the way they edit fight scenes these days is pretty close. In fact, they can use the screens more like comic book panels for all of the comic book movies they make. It's always fun to experiment with the medium, but there are very few talented enough to make the artistic breakthrough.  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 09-16-2014 05:08 AM                     It's not just about talent, it's also about guts and costs. Like it has been already mentioned before, nobody is going to make a big budget movie exclusively for this format, since there will be just a handful of those installs. Independent releases that could use the format will probably never play in the theaters equipped with this system, because it will probably only end up in the bigger rooms. It seems that Kinepolis Antwerp is getting one of these, just in time for the Maze Runner release. As somewhat of a Barco testbed, that's not entirely surprising. If I'm in the neighborhood, I might take a look, just to have myself convinced that this is just hogwash. I'm also wondering how this will look during normal presentations. Those big white screens on the side with nothing on them, just reflecting ambient light. The idea of properly masking your screen must finally have died with this one.  |  IP: Logged Mark Hajducki Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 500 From: Edinburgh, UK Registered: May 2003 posted 09-16-2014 05:33 PM                     I think Escape would only work in special venue (theme park etc.) situations showing a film exclusive to that venue. Looking at the pictures all the seats seem to be behind the side screens, being surrounded by screens would be far more effective but also far more expensive to retrofit. Films made for Escape will not be, easily, downloadable to conventional projection, unless they don't make full use of the escape format. By contrast the premium sound systems (Atmos and Aurora) will downconvert more easily, some of the experience would be lost but not as much as loosing two thirds of the screen.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-16-2014 07:10 PM                        quote: Marcel Birgelen I'm also wondering how this will look during normal presentations. Those big white screens on the side with nothing on them, just reflecting ambient light. Hadn't thought about that...there's another reason it's a dopey idea. To be fair though, I will point out that I didn't quite understand the configuration of the screens when I first heard of this. I thought they were going to be in sort of a box shape like |_| But instead the two side screens are angled, as in \_/ It's still a stupid idea but at least it won't look quite as horrible to the side seats as I first envisioned.  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 09-17-2014 02:33 AM                     Well, I asked myself the same thing, because if you Google around a bit you see both the |_| and \_/ configuration. The \_/ configuration would be more "Cinerama style", but it comes at the cost of a reduced main-screen and I doubt this will neatly fit in any odd theater. There's another interesting question: Where do you place the two additional projectors? At those odd angles, I guess it's rather impossible to put them in the booth...  |  IP: Logged Terry Lynn-Stevens Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1081 From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Registered: Dec 2012 posted 09-18-2014 05:12 PM                     Attached is a link to a report with an actual demo. I really like the idea, but how on earth could they of not merged the screens together so there is no space between the screens? web page  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-18-2014 06:24 PM                        I read that article, but it is just a "puff piece" about the guy at Fox who is one of the driving forces behind this new concept. There is a picture of him Photoshopped in front of the same phony screen we saw in the picture you posted earlier in this thread. I didn't see anything in the article or the various links about a demo or a review. Maybe you posted the wrong link? I would be interested in reading something like that, though -- but from an unbiased source, not from some guy who's main interest is in promoting this gimmick.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-19-2014 06:40 AM                     I've see "Escape" in real life. I don't think it will go anywhere. I think mosaic images are just not a good cinema experience. Cinerama did everything it could to hide the join lines...Escape almost highlights them! Bringing back a deeply curved screen by use of suitable lenses would have a bigger wow-factor, be more universally acceptable (as it would work for all sources) and even if you wanted to do a mosaic image via blending (that is doable with digital rather well) again a large deep curved screen would be more impressive than three flat screens in a trapezoid fashion. One thing is for sure right now...NOBODY is looking for new ways to spend money on just showing the movie! People are quite poor on the cash front and this summer of 2014 has hurt a great many cinemas. Would you rather spend money on those fancy electric recliner chairs that would affect EVERY show or buy two extra projectors and screens (and curtains if you are doing it right) so a couple of shows may have a wow-moment? Which will benefit your business better financially? Which will put more butts in those seats you have? I get the idea that cinemas want to distinguish themselves from the home by providing something they don't have...but it is a WHOLE lot cheaper for the home to put up three flat-panels to simulate Escape than to do it in a cinema. IN the home, one WILL be in the sweet spot...not so in the cinema. A large deep curve screen, that is something that very few can/will do in the home, even if the technology becomes available for them. I think this is more driven by a company that is trying to find new ways to sell the product they make.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 6 pages: 1  2  3  4  5  6

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

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.