Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: DCI for majors, 35mm for indies?

This is topic DCI for majors, 35mm for indies? in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=16;t=000197

Posted by Ron Curran (Member # 3631) on 05-06-2007, 10:32 PM:

Reading posts throughout this forum, it appears that DCI will be the standard presentation system for major exhibitors and 35mm prints will be standard issue for smaller independents. (Relying on the pattern to date and my crystal ball). This has nothing to do with quality; it is purely about the business plan that will suit the distributors.

The mass market can not sustain production and shipping of thousands of film prints that will be spent within a month. Distributors can not justify the high capital cost of DCI projectors for independent exhibitors. Even if economies of scale disappear for film prints, so that a print costs $4,000 instead of $2,000, it will still make economic sense to distribute film to independents. $4,000 prints would serve first, second and budget independent houses and be the archival material. These cinemas do not usually require 4 or 5 prints of a title for each location.

Some product will go to second run on 2K files for later generation 1.3K 16x9 DLP projectors that independents will purchase themselves.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 05-07-2007, 07:53 AM:

Occasionally we Americans tend to think we are the world. In fact, the USA and even North America and Europe are by no means the beginning and end of the movie market. There is a big chunk of the third world that still uses and needs 35mm film. It will be a long time before they can afford any type of conversion to digital. The studios are not about to write them off. So as long as they still need to strike prints for world-wide distribution, those smaller US exhibitors who will op not to put themselves in economic harms way by converting to DC, there is little to worry about not being able to get 35mm prints for the long-term.

By the time the world has moved to digital, the projectors should be advance beyond what we have now, no to mention cheap enough to be purchased outright.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-07-2007, 01:45 PM:

Its a good idea overall but for third world countries it won't work at all. Shipping film is way too expensivve and they've been using video projection longer than many of us have been to alleviate that shippping expense. Digital will get the picture quality back in those countries and shipping the "print" will cost next to nothing. I also know alot of indies that can't wait to switch over to digital.

Mark

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-07-2007, 01:55 PM:

I wonder how long it will be until it's all done via satellite. No shipping expense at all.

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 05-07-2007, 02:18 PM:

...and not long after that, you'll be able to just order it and watch it (and record it) from your living room.

Posted by Ben Wales (Member # 92) on 05-07-2007, 02:44 PM:

May be it would be a good thing with D-Cinema and see the end of the (Fast Food)Mutilplex Boxes and bring back proper "Roadshow Cinemas", just look what Live Theatre can do!.

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 05-07-2007, 02:56 PM:

Mike, AccessIT already sends most of their movies to our server via satellite. Apparantly we're going to have two more dishes installed soon, one as a backup and the other for something else (they don't tell me these things). I'd assume the third would either be for live streaming of alternate content or for the other digital distributors (Technicolor, Deluxe, occasionaly Kodak) to start beaming in content.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 05-07-2007, 03:52 PM:

Intersting since in some local zoning locations forbid the use of visible satelite dishes and many malls as well will not permit them or charge extra for them

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 05-07-2007, 03:55 PM:

The FCC requires you to be able to install a satellite dish in a lease situation, as long as it is mounted in a "tenant-only" space. They did this to leave choices open to apartment tenants who were locked in to cable previously.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 05-07-2007, 06:03 PM:

In the US, many of the restrictions on antennas have been relaxed by the federal government to ensure that the conversion to digital TV for the home would happen. Many housing covenents prohibited outside antennas which were/are essential to pick up HDTV signals (depending on the area)...so it took government legislation to nullify these restrictions. I have no idea if the need for an outdoor antenna still exists for HDTV reception in a typical home serviced by over-the-air transmission (for example a baltimore served home of Baltimore stations, as opposed to picking up Washington DC stations or beyond).

Steve

Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 05-12-2007, 03:47 PM:

Can someone clarify what the FCC or Congress now permits in terms of outdoor antennas? I live in an apartment co-op and there is no way the co-op Board is permitting any outdoor antennas, aside from the one master antenna they already have on the roof (which doesn't pick up any digital transmissions) and the two cable services (RCN and Time-Warner) that they permit in the building. But it would be nice to know whether that prohibition violates the law.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 05-12-2007, 09:39 PM:

Here is a site that has the FCC rulings:

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

Steve

Posted by Ron Curran (Member # 3631) on 05-14-2007, 02:30 AM:

Greetings from Earth.
If you are receiving me via your cable tv rooftop dish, could I ask if any independent single screen theatre (Hello Mike) has been approached with an offer of a dci projector to replace their 35mm machine?

Australian independent distributors are actively promoting e-cinema over film prints to get earlier releases. Unfortunately, this includes features shot in 2.35 format while the files are strictly 16x9.

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 05-14-2007, 03:13 AM:

Ron,
here in the UK many of the cinemas included in the UK Film Council/Arts Alliance Digital Screen Network project are single screen independents, however this doesn't strictly meet your criteria for two reasons:

Firstly, cinemas had to apply to be included in the scheme, though I suppose that in some way they must have been invited to apply.

Secondly, the digital equipment is working alongside 35mm, not replacing it, though in some cases one 35mm machine has had to be removed to make room for it.

Posted by Ron Curran (Member # 3631) on 05-14-2007, 03:45 AM:

Yes Stephen,
there's a similar scheme in Australia for the local film industry, but with e-cinema. It is not the same business model as in the U.S.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-14-2007, 10:40 AM:

quote: Ron Curran
could I ask if any independent single screen theatre (Hello Mike) has been approached with an offer of a dci projector to replace their 35mm machine?

Hi Ron: Nope, but my phone number is on our website! [Big Grin]