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Topic: 70mm Alive And Well In San Francisco

Andy Summers
Master Film Handler

Posts: 397
From: Bournemouth Dorset United kingdom
Registered: Jun 2005

posted 07-21-2005 07:39 PM

70mm 5pef as left the building!!!!

Like the dinosaur, its had its shot, and that saddens me, all there is, is the memories of the good ole days… Long

Long live 70mm 5perf…

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 07-21-2005 07:48 PM

What the heck is 5pef?

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Phil Hill
I love my cootie bug

Posts: 7595
From: Hollywood, CA USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 07-21-2005 08:09 PM

Andy, you ***REALLY*** have to clean up your act.

In your posts, you're coming across as a 12 y/o kid and/or someone that has NO clue of the English language.

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Andy Summers
Master Film Handler

Posts: 397
From: Bournemouth Dorset United kingdom
Registered: Jun 2005

posted 07-21-2005 08:23 PM

Phil

Sorry about that, I’m just enjoying the evening with some “cream soda” and a good ole DVD running “Chicago” Dolby THX via the JBL, I don’t always proof read the whole thing that I’m typing out.

Its juts the way I type, and my hand writing is a whole lot worse…

So guys please bare with me, as I do with others…

And by the way I’m 38, acting like a 16 year old tonight not 12 as that’s not best time in my life!

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 07-21-2005 08:23 PM

quote: Andy Summers
What did Indiana Jones and the Temple of doom sound and feel like in Dolby A type and did you have the boys from TAP/THX around to do any alignments for the the exclusive 70mm presentation.

Yes, yes we did have TAP inspections. Mr. Larry Shaw of Boston Light & Sound fame came down to do the K-B Cinema...we even passed.

quote: Phil Hill
Gosh, replace "70mm" with the word "Digital" and ya have what's happening in the cinemas with those TV projectors...

The problem there is that the Digital shows are NOT doing the numbers that 70mm did. Furthermore...digital shows are stiving to replace 35mm film as a mainstream format. 70mm was always a premium format denoted by being superior to its counterparts. That would appear to be true in the Digital TV era until their resolution gets up there.

quote:
Were you thinking of this from a 1982 issue of Variety:

WOW...to remember an article that happened 23 years ago! To get the numbers right too! Damn I must be right about everything! [Wink]

quote: Bobby Henderson
Isn't that already happening with some of these IMAX DMR releases

That was my point earlier...that the IMAX DMR stuff of widescreen films is showing the power of 70mm only that 5/70 can be done for a whole lot less $$.

quote: Stephen Furley
However, the number of people who will see the film in 70mm will be only a small proportation of the total number who see it in all formats. Let's say that 10% see it in 70mm.

You say this and yet two articles posted above yours just gave numbers where 70mm representing less than 5% of the theatres yielded 20% or better of the gross.

Those articles allude to the fact that 70mm draws considerably more than the same theatre running 35mm.

quote: Stephen Furley
What do you mean by a 'good' film, or a 'bad' film?

I was referring to grosses...not content. A film that only does 5 million dollars in 35mm will not shoot up to 100 million by the mere presence of 70mm theatres showing the film. I do feel that a 100 million dollar film will do more than the increased cost of the prints in increased sales and ticket revenue to justtify the prints.

quote: Stephen Furley
I'm certainly not opposed to 70mm projection, but I don't think it will ever account for more than a few percent of the total audience for a film.

Again, Michael has already posted financial evidence to the contrary.

quote: Phil Hill
Video is the wave of the future

Of this, I have no doubt. However, there is no reason why 70mm releases can not resume. IMAX has proven their viability in this day and age. Past experience with the format has shown it only helps overall attendance. Digital presentations move the preception of the "theatre experience" closer to the home experience. 70mm has always pushed the "theatre experience" as something far superior than what you can get at home. There is no reason to shun it.

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Andy Summers
Master Film Handler

Posts: 397
From: Bournemouth Dorset United kingdom
Registered: Jun 2005

posted 07-21-2005 08:31 PM

What would the cost be to buy “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” today be that is to own it for your self?

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 07-21-2005 08:44 PM

$13.46 ($1.26 used) from Amazon, on VHS. $55.48 for the trilogy on DVD.

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Andy Summers
Master Film Handler

Posts: 397
From: Bournemouth Dorset United kingdom
Registered: Jun 2005

posted 07-21-2005 09:14 PM

Sorry about that Daryl, I meant…

The 70mm print, how much will “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” cost….

And yes I have the DVD trilogy, “Last Crusade” looks and sounds, like it did 16 years ago fantastic.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 07-21-2005 09:22 PM

The films are not for sale, Andy.

Further replies need to be on topic.

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Andy Summers
Master Film Handler

Posts: 397
From: Bournemouth Dorset United kingdom
Registered: Jun 2005

posted 07-21-2005 09:27 PM

Sorry about that Brad, thanks for that bit of information, will do...

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 07-21-2005 09:42 PM

Phil is correct (unfortunately). 70mm in regular theatres is DEAD and it ain't coming back. Not gonna happen. It may be fun to discuss it, but it's all irrelevant. Video is the future.

Why isn't anyone beating the drum for better 35mm print quality? As it is, it seems that 35mm release prints are rarely as good as they could be (according to knowledgable people on this forum). So if video gives the perception of improved quality over current release prints, then we will have moved forward.

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Phil Hill
I love my cootie bug

Posts: 7595
From: Hollywood, CA USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 07-21-2005 09:48 PM

quote: Steve Guttag
The problem there is that the Digital shows are NOT doing the numbers that 70mm did...

But Steve, back when 70mm was "THE THING", a release, whether 35 only or 35/70mm, was NOT showing on 3500+ screens like today's releases. The ratio is totally different... There is NO comparison.

quote: Steve Guttag
70mm was always a premium format denoted by being superior to its counterparts. That would appear to be true in the Digital TV era until their resolution gets up there.

That was true way back when... but today's theatre-going generation is bombarded by and tuned into the marketing HYPE of "Digital! Therefore it MUST be better!"...NO MATTER the resolution. (Duh.... "Resolution"? ...isn't that something you promise for the New Year?)

Just look at Kodak and Dolby as to what "they" say is acceptable digital picture quality. While us pros know the facts, it's a sad commentary on the selling off of (and by) the industry to the general public for the sake of saving a few $$$.

quote: Steve Guttag
...there is no reason why 70mm releases can not resume. IMAX has proven their viability in this day and age...

Oh PULEEZE! That is sooo lame! You know as well as I do it's all about the "IMAX" name and hype. Nothing to do with what is better!

EDIT:

quote: David Stambaugh
Phil is correct (unfortunately)

So Dave, it's unfortunate that ***I'M*** correct, me, myself as a person?
OR,
It's unfortunate I'm correct in what I'm spouting?
[Big Grin]

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 07-21-2005 10:48 PM

Video may be the future.

However, video is a format that typically plays in homes. As video of HDTV quality gets pushed off on movie theaters I think that will be just one of a number of other factors that threatens the very existence of traditional commercial movie theaters.

Many insist 70mm isn't coming back. Perhaps not for commercial releases. But the business model of regular feature films is not doing a Goddamned thing to support traditional movie theaters. In the long run special venue may be the only thing left standing.

I was talking with a friend who is an assistant manager at the Carmike location here in Lawton. We were comparing the home video climate of 10 years ago to that of today. It's an extremely different climate, and I think it is one of the things making business tougher for movie theaters.

A decade ago, it would take as much as a year for a movie to hit VHS. And when movies arrived on VHS, most were priced for rental -that is something along the lines of $89.95 for a freaking VHS tape. It would take another six months or longer for the movie to go to "sell through" pricing. If the movie was a really good show, you had to see it at the commercial theater or wait a fairly significant amount of time for the video, especially if you wanted to buy it.

DVD has always been priced as a sell through item. But even in the early days of DVD most movies would take at least several months to debut on the format. The players were more expensive as well. And the majority of VHS tapes were still debuting with rental pricing. Some movies would take more than a year after release to hit DVD. Remember "Saving Private Ryan"? I seem to remember "American Beauty" taking around a year to hit DVD. Again, if you just had to see the show soon after it debuted you had to watch it on the big screen.

Now that isn't the case. It typically takes less than 6 months for a major event release to appear on DVD. A good number of releases may take 3 months or less to go from big screen release to discs hitting store shelves.

With all the "video is the future" push of digital projection in theaters, the combination of video projection, rising ticket prices and generally bland releases spells a lot of trouble for commercial cinemas, IMHO. I can see people installing decent quality HDTV setups in their home -all with the claims that it is every bit as good as anything in the theater. And you know what they're going to do with that setup? They're going to play their Goddamned X-Box 360 games on it.

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Phil Hill
I love my cootie bug

Posts: 7595
From: Hollywood, CA USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 07-21-2005 11:03 PM

Bobby, calm down...take a valium.

No matter how bleak of a picture you paint for commercial movie houses, they will survive. Perhaps NOT in the current numbers, but simply because people WANT to get away from their home NO MATTER how kewl their home theatre is.

That includes mom and dad as well as the teens wanting to "get lucky" that night without adult constraints..

All that will NEVER change.

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 07-21-2005 11:11 PM

Phil, I meant it's unfortunately correct that 70mm is NOT coming back. Never, ever, no how, no way. We can crunch the numbers till we're blue in the face and talk about how 70mm could work and be cost-effective and draw crowds, but it's just not gonna happen. Though I would be happy to be proven wrong.

Looking 10 years down the road, I bet there will be 30%-40% fewer screens nationwide than we have now (I pulled those numbers out of my ass - the point is there will be substantially fewer screens). Marginal theatres that today are barely profitable, will be shut down. Those are the ones where the digital conversion doesn't pencil out due to a combination of dated amenities (like no stadium seating), poor original design, neglect that's reached the point of no return, and/or lousy locations. Viable locations will be converted to digital (and of course new builds will be digital within a few years). But to survive they will have to put on a pretty darned good show. Which is why d-cinema has to be damned good and not just good enough.

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