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Topic: The Myth that DVD makes all the money

Barry Floyd
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1079
From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 07-23-2008 10:16 AM

We did a newspaper advertisement several years ago when we first opened that really got alot of attention.

We had a photo of a guy standing next to large rear projection bigscreen TV with the caption "Your Big Screen". The photo below that in the ad showed the same guy and the same TV was standing under our drive-in screen - panned out to reveal the full size of our screen with the caption "Our Big Screen".
The next line of text on the ad was simple... "Any Questions?"

I have a PDF of it somewhere... if I can find it, I'll post it.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-23-2008 01:49 PM

Barry, that's awesome! Even a smallish theatre screen looks huge next to the biggest "big screen" TV.

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Chris Slycord
Film God

Posts: 2986
From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 07-23-2008 03:51 PM

And size isn't the only factor... no one's big screen is gonna have anywhere near the resolution of a theater's "big screen."

Reminds me when my mom worked at Duke and we went to her boss's and her husband's house for some party. Since the couple were both big-shot doctors/researchers, they were also huge yuppies and seemed to feel the need to show off with all the fancy stuff they had. So they showed off their big-screen projection TV (front projection on a 7-foot screen). I was no videophile but when I saw the picture on that thing I thought "Goddamn that looks like crap." Granted this was the late 80s or very early 90s and the products have come a long way since then. Either way, I felt like if that was what "good money" got you then I was ok with our cheap stuff.

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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 07-28-2008 02:25 PM

quote: Geoff Jones
That got me wondering - why don't regular theatres do that? Why aren't there slides bragging about how much better their presentation vs the home?

* Here's how big this movie will be on DVD. (Pic of tiny tv at bottom of screen.)
* Now showing: 35mm film. More resolution, better color, and greater contrast than BluRay DVD!
* Tonight's feature will be presented in 5 gazillion watts of surround sound from 38 speakers (or whatever).
* Etc.

The IMAX Dome at the Museum of Science and Industry used to do that (I don't know if they still do).

They would do a type of a sound check where the speakers behind the screen would be illuminated as that group of speakers was playing something, and each bank of speakers was done in that way.

If I recall correctly, they did something like that with the movie as well. The image started out very small and the voice over talked about that being a standard movie image, and then the image expanded to fill the screen just as the music reached its peak, creating quite a visual and audible sensation.

It demonstrated to the audience that they were going to be experiencing something out of the ordinary, and it worked.

Personally, I would love to see a policy trailer that said straight out that rude patrons would be ejected, and that any technical issues with the presentation should be brought up to the staff for immediate attention.

A little imagination would go a long way to entertain and inform, and even market to audiences.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-28-2008 07:30 PM

Something similar was done with a trailer for the 1997 Star Wars reissue...it started with a TV set in the middle of the screen with James Earl Jones talking about a whole generation only experiencing Star Wars "this way...on the TV screen. But if you've only seen it this way, you haven't seen it at all." Then the sound and picture exploded to full size for the actual trailer. It was great.

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 07-28-2008 07:42 PM

You sure that was James Earl Jones?

Edit: No, it's not him... Here's the trailer Mike mentioned.

It would've worked better without the fullscreen Fox and Lucas tags on the beginning.

Agree though it's a great trailer. First ran it on the midnight screenings of ID4 (Independence Day, Joe) and when that image appeared of the TV screen they knew what it was straight away. I could hear 750 patrons a-hootin' and a-hollerin' from the booth (and it was very well soundproofed).

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-28-2008 08:50 PM

Oops, you're right...not James Earl. It's that other guy whose voice is in a million trailers (but I don't know his name). Is he still working?

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 07-28-2008 09:12 PM

quote: Barry Floyd
I have a PDF of it somewhere... if I can find it, I'll post it.

That'd be good to see.

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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 07-30-2008 11:14 AM

Seeing that Star Wars trailer brought back memories of seeing it in the theater (the trailer)!

That's exactly the kind of thing that we're talking about here. Toot your own horn and lead people by the hand so that they understand what is better about what your theater is able to offer over the home experience and maybe also that theater down the street.

Many people think they have good home theater systems, but many of those systems are in less than ideal conditions using less than ideal equipment. Show them what your big screen and multiple channels of sound can really do and then let them go back home to their Coby home-theater-in-a-box systems with their "big screen" 42" Vizio LCD's in their light-filled living rooms.

While you may not do much to impress the true enthusiasts who have put effort into their systems (nothing made by Coby in my house), you should be able to get your message across to the less apt crowd.

Theaters need to work hard for their audiences, in my opinion, and things like this can help them. But then, a theater that thinks that curtains are too much trouble and too expensive probably aren't going to spring for a unique and interesting policy trailer that does anything more than the generic "silence your cell phones" stuff that everyone has now...

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 07-30-2008 01:05 PM

The biggest thing I STILL see wrong with most theater's presentations is that the volume is adjusted for the previews (which are STILL recorded too loud if played at the industry standard 7.0 for features). If the MOVIE isn't played at the proper volume, you can have the best sound systems in the world and the movie just won't have the intended effect because most theaters are too lazy to automate the fader or pay someone to be there to turn it up after the previews are over (which should be played intentionally lower than the feature).

That is the #1 reason why most people seem to think their sound systems at home are better than commercial theaters, because you know damn good and well that people who built themselves a home video theater are going to reach for that remote and set the movie to a suitable volume. At that point, an inferior home system usually will have more impact than a great cinema sound system.

D-Cinema seriously needs to address this and make the Dolby and Doremi servers capable of assigning a fader offset to each trailer since few automations are capable of controlling the fader. Even automations like the DCA21s aren't being wired for fader control in the normal installs I've seen. It's insane.

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Brian Guckian
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 594
From: Dublin, Ireland
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 08-15-2008 05:56 PM

quote: Scott Jentsch
Theaters need to work hard for their audiences, in my opinion, and things like this can help them. But then, a theater that thinks that curtains are too much trouble and too expensive probably aren't going to spring for a unique and interesting policy trailer that does anything more than the generic "silence your cell phones" stuff that everyone has now...

I used to think the same thing Scott but have come to the conclusion (from experience) that it is the actual model currently used for cinema (i.e. the multi / megaplex) that mitigates against the kind of terrific experience and great presentation you so eloquently describe.

Rather than it being a case of lack of will on the part of the Exhibitor I think the truth is that the margin just doesn't allow it. You have the huge overhead required to do it right but insufficient income to meet it.

Mike is clearly an exception [thumbsup]

but with say, 10 screens and up it just seems to be a law of diminishing returns financially.

BTW it'll be interesting to see how Exhibs cope with ever-increasing heating, aircon and general energy costs in the years to come...this could be a "backdoor threat" that could finally do it for the multi / megaplex model.

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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 08-18-2008 11:57 AM

I understand your point about razor-thin margins, but I don't follow the logic.

If doing something in a one-screen house is a good idea (like curtains, extra attention paid to the experience), it should be just as good for 10 screens. The benefit of the 10-screen situation is economy of scale. Buying 10 sets of curtains should not cost 10 times as much as one set of curtains, should it?

If a theater can't afford to do this in every screen, then they should pick out their top screens (every theater has a few screens that are better than the others in terms of equipment, decorations, seats, etc.) and do it in them. Then, if the idea pays off, they can use the extra revenue and do it on the rest of the screens. At least, they could use the extra money to buy the same wattage light bulbs for their auditoriums so all the lights dim to the same brightness...

Whenever I've broached the idea of doing things as simple as running digital sound and THX trailers, much less using curtains and other more expensive things, I get this blank stare like I have two heads and am speaking in a foreign language that isn't understood by anyone in charge of theaters.

Quite a few chains are starting to open deluxe establishments, where there is reserved seating, in-theater dining, and alcoholic beverages. This stuff can't be cheap, but I'm seeing announcements every week or so of a new one being planned or developed.

I'm not asking for gut-jobs to do such drastic changes, but you would think so considering the response I've received to my ideas in the past. Heck, I can't even get one of the best clients I have to offer an alternative to that crappy nacho cheese substance for their soft pretzel sticks! That stuff is nasty!

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Brian Guckian
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 594
From: Dublin, Ireland
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 08-18-2008 03:55 PM

Ya, buying curtains for 10 screens should of course attract a discount but clearly it's the total overhead that's still the stumbling block.

Let's say it costs $ 7000 to install a basic draw curtain set...multiply by 10 = $ 70,000 and let's apply 10% discount to yield $ 63,000.

But there's the rub! Exhib still faces $ 63,000 that cannot in any way be "justified" by revenues. Plus, exhib faces other, increasingly penal "basic" overheads in terms of light, heat, etc.

However - you hit the money with your "top screen" idea.

If theatres initiated a modest "Premiere Screen" concept (giving special treatment for their top screens) they could reap perhaps significant additional patronage in those houses.

As you imply, outlay would be low (even allowing for the maintenance such installs would need) and the cost / benefit ratio would be far greater.

An idea that's clearly there for the taking [Wink]

(BTW you are talking a foreign language [Big Grin]

One must use the "language" of economics and accountancy in these situations...)

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-18-2008 05:20 PM

quote: Brian Guckian
Let's say it costs $ 7000 to install a basic draw curtain set...

Out here in the middle of nowhere it would probably cost double that, due to shipping, mileage, etc. I don't even like reminisching about what we spent for our side curtains/sound panels, and about half of that cost was travel time, mileage and freight. Therein lies the biggest reason we don't have curtains...sad as it is.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-18-2008 05:36 PM

quote: Brian Guckian
BTW it'll be interesting to see how Exhibs cope with ever-increasing heating, aircon and general energy costs in the years to come...this could be a "backdoor threat" that could finally do it for the multi / megaplex model.

Sadly, I'm afraid that the result may be the opposite of what we both want to see, since old "barn"-type theatres aren't well insulated and can be incredibly expensive to heat, especially if there is a full stage and the fly space isn't sealed up.

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