Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Help with my movie...

This is topic Help with my movie... in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Jenn Jennings (Member # 6455) on 08-06-2011, 07:26 AM:

Hi all,
I am working on a documentary on how digital is changing the way we see movies and how this potentially will kill a lot of independent movie houses. The pros, cons and confusion of what exactly is happening out there. I have received multiple answers on what is happenings with the VPF deals, the fact that you need to sign a non-disclosure to even talk with Cinedigm, and how this is effecting the small mom & pop theaters out there. If you are a theater owner/operator I would like to know how you feel about this and if possible, document you on camera. Please post here if you like. Also, if you wish to speak out about this issue in private we can do so with undercover precision.

I look forward to hearing and learning more about this.

[ 08-06-2011, 07:56 AM: Message edited by: Brad Miller ]

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 08-06-2011, 07:49 AM:

Someone didn't read the site rules...

Namely the one against teaser titles.

Posted by Jenn Jennings (Member # 6455) on 08-06-2011, 07:55 AM:

Sorry about that, fixed it I hope that's better

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-06-2011, 07:56 AM:

Jenn - welcome to the forums, but do not post again until you have read all of the rules. You broke 2 rules in your first post.

Posted by Jenn Jennings (Member # 6455) on 08-06-2011, 07:58 AM:

I have and you beat me to my edit..i was on my way to remove my email...so sorry about that.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 08-06-2011, 09:31 AM:

I hope that this will be shot on film. Or else with a really crappy Handycam.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-06-2011, 02:11 PM:

One simple instruction to independents: "Don't sign any contracts!"

Posted by Greg Anderson (Member # 235) on 08-07-2011, 01:44 PM:

As I read the idea for your documentary I interpret it to mean, “I'm exploring how the world of cinema is changing and I'm looking for people who will whine about it either openly or secretly.” I fail to see why this is a compelling story for anyone who doesn't already work in the industry and who hasn't already seen the writing on the wall for years. If you hope to turn back the tide then you'll have to convince the general public that this is something worth thinking about. And that's not going to happen. And if you merely want to document this moment without hoping to change anything then... yawn... I still don't see the appeal.

As projectionists, we are like blacksmiths in a world where people don't use horses to commute to work anymore. We can complain that our skills and craftsmanship will be lost to history but, on the other hand, the market doesn't need us the way it used to. And there's no turning back the clock.

You'll find people who'll say that movies don't look as good since theatres stopped using carbon arc lamps. It doesn't matter. We're never going back to that. Digital sound isn't as good as analog 6-track magnetic sound, they say. But it doesn't matter because we're never going back to that.

If you want to explore the switch from film to digital you're just taking a snapshot of what's happening right now. But “bad things” have been happening to the business for over 30 years. In the 1970s, the switch from changeover systems to platter systems was a blow to the projectionist trade. In the 1980s, the trend towards multiplexes hurt the smaller venues. The early 1990s brought us a lot of multiplexes with 8 or more screens, which hurt the 2-screen and 4-screen businesses. Then the 8-plexes were hurt in the late-1990s because all of the newer 8-plexes and 12-plexes had stadium seating. And never mind how Hollywood has pushed the emphasis towards opening weekend grosses (and nobody cares to wait all summer for a movie to make its money).

So now the big, bad bully on the playground is digital. Meanwhile, the customer is getting what they want. Let's face it, there hasn't been a designated projectionist keeping a constant eye on each screen to ensure a flawless performance since... before most of us were born. And, with that kind of business model, a digital system does seem to offer a more predictable, trouble-free experience for the customer. They also don't have to wait weeks before a movie has a non-sold-out show on a Saturday night. And if they miss the movie they can watch it on their iPhone at the end of the summer anyway. Most people don't have a state-of-the-art sound system or monitor at home but DVDs with Dolby Digital are still so much better than the VHS we grew up with. So, as much as some around here would deny it, the bar has generally been raised anyway.

In summary: If the customers aren't upset then where's your story?

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-07-2011, 06:10 PM:

It's supposedly the theater owners that are upset... Although all of the theater owners I've put in digital for were very happy with it when all was said and done. I can't get systems installed fast enough! What the world does need is a documentary on the conversion to digital from 100 year old existing Edison technology. In reality, digital projection accomplishes a huge chunk of what film only strives to do. The conversion to digital is a big deal for the movie buisness historically speaking... just like sound and color movies were and how Cinerama and Cinemascope saved the movies. Weather you want to agree with it or not the general public DOES notice the difference... especially older people do. Digital has improved the presentations at countless cinemas all over the world. Indeed, the industry conversion to digital deserves a story of it's own.

@ Monte... What do you mean by that? What contract? The present VPF contract is not all that bad of a deal. One gets back about 75% of what one puts in. How can that be a bad deal?

Mark

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-07-2011, 08:24 PM:

quote: Greg Anderson
the big, bad bully on the playground is digital.

...I like this one - picking on "poor" digital once again when it's really not digital's fault in the first place to appear prominent where, once again, it's the user that began the need for digital. Thus, it's quite a very unfair statement to make.

But, that's more of a complicated situation that caused digital to come forth outside of film machine operators ... and we can point some of the finger to the high budgets of filmmaking...and the price of oil to make the prints and not getting any return for the use...why carbon arc went out the window for xenon since there was no gain in using this procedure.

Goes back to the old cliche of: "Motorcycles kills people!" No.."people kill people!" I'm a biker and I know how to handle a motorcycle and seeing some of the goons on these
"bullet bikes" deserves to place themselves in jeparody of facing death.

True, VPF contracts are good, but it's getting 3rd parties involved to acquire the equipment that could have its consequences.

Posted by Jenn Jennings (Member # 6455) on 08-07-2011, 09:39 PM:

@Greg Don't interpet anything...also, I am doing this as my thesis for film school so relax.
I am not really looking for the projectionist perspective(I have plenty of that) but rather the owner that is not qualified for the VPF deals and can't really afford to get a 3rd party digital system and is torn on what to do. Some are making the choices to close their doors after many years of business, some are switching to non-profits to keep the places alive and community supported. Some folks are just really confused and some are denying that film will ever go away.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-07-2011, 10:07 PM:

quote: Jenn Jennings
Some folks are just really confused and some are denying that film will ever go away.

..and I do really believe, it's the latter. This whole digital thing also has a similie of the "Y2K" thing that all computers and computer related equipment will cease to operate when the clocks hits "010100" ... and that really did raise quite the stir.

That comment that Fithian made at CinemaCom was not a quote to be taken as gospel, but just a subjective comment due to facts laid out and the progress laid out by digital conversions, that film will be extinct by 2013...and once again, it's raising a stir...

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-07-2011, 10:44 PM:

Monte.... Actually his quote is pretty much on target and it is based on several things, not speculation. With filum labs increasingly shutting down and or consolidating and at the present rate of conversion the 2013 date is pretty firm. It's just that simple. Film on a large scale will be gone. What film prints are still struck will be extremely expensive to produce.

quote: Jenn Jennings
and some are denying that film will ever go away.

There are a plenty of those here on this board!

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-08-2011, 12:39 AM:

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
What film prints are still struck will be extremely expensive to produce.

...in which we'll prob be seeing prints being circulated like it was in the olden days: a market demand where large cities got the prints first, then were trickled down to the smaller towns...used and abused by then.

quote:
There are a plenty of those here on this board!

.....fully agree!

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 08-08-2011, 09:56 AM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
...in which we'll prob be seeing prints being circulated like it was in the olden days: a market demand where large cities got the prints first, then were trickled down to the smaller towns...used and abused by then.

The large cities will be converted...

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 08-08-2011, 10:49 AM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
...in which we'll prob be seeing prints being circulated like it was in the olden days: a market demand where large cities got the prints first, then were trickled down to the smaller towns...used and abused by then.

Which is how it is in the art film business right now (though I take exception to the abuse part, big cities are just as capable of abusing film). A lot of us are very concerned about the "end of film" because there is no feasible way currently for us to afford switching to digital and because it seems unlikely the major studios, who have been eliminating prints of classics will be converting their archives to DCI digital anytime soon.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-08-2011, 04:25 PM:

But, isn't the 'art film' industry still geared to film releases - being that the demand for DCI content in this area isn't as demanding.

Plus, indie filmmakers - mainly in Europe and Asia - and their respective releasing companies be more prone to keep film as their standard media for releases, or is that market also gearing up for the DCI changeover?

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 08-08-2011, 06:27 PM:

Right now, at least to the art distribs I've talked to, film is going to be around for awhile. But, if as speculated here, the labs start closing and the price of film skyrockets, the art film world will be under assault from all sides.

Many indies are distributing on DVD or BluRay (with the option of things like HDCAM). The Major Studio art arms (Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, Focus) do DCI and film, but as minor players in the overall studio hierarchy, will end up doing what their parent companies make them do.

And then there is the whole rep world. If we can't get WB, etc to strike prints now, and are a really pushing DVD, I doubt they are going to spend the money to convert their back catalogs to DCI, thus shrinking the rep market even more.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-08-2011, 08:18 PM:

Martin...

I think what you'll see is a lot of the smaller and indie studios going to Blu-Ray. They can be almost indistinguishable from a 2K DCP as long as the scan is done well. Anyone can author a Blu-Ray disk and even doing a decent scan of the negative... if what you are going to run is even shot on film in the first place is less than a few one off 35mm prints. So even when filum does go away it isn't going to present much of a problem for any entity. For 8 grand or even less depending on what software anyone can buy a DCP creator software package and make your own KDM protected DCP for distribution. Hence... no real worry there. You just need the equipment for your theater... What some of my customers have done is to forgo buying that new car for a couple more years... One took out a low interest loan through the VA.

Mark

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-08-2011, 08:49 PM:

quote: Greg Anderson
In the 1980s, the trend towards multiplexes hurt the smaller venues.

I don't really agree with this. The multiplex trend helped us, because it caused more prints to be struck, which meant we could get films faster. Back in the early 80s, I would suggest to our booker "We could play that brand new movie this week!" and he would laugh at my hilarious joke. Now, we play 10 to 15 new movies on the break every year (and would play more if not for the lengthy play-time requirements by the studios).

Posted by Greg Anderson (Member # 235) on 08-08-2011, 09:39 PM:

I'm generalizing, of course. But I am inclined to ask: How far away to the nearest, competing 6-or-more-plex?

Posted by Jenn Jennings (Member # 6455) on 08-09-2011, 06:03 AM:

@Mark, I know that there are A LOT of blu-ray player failures out there and I would think that exhibitors (and filmmakers) would want more reliability than that. I can't tell you how many times lonny has had to deal with blu-ray player issues. I don't feel that is the best solution.
It has been interesting to read the responses. I am hearing from folks that have mixed opinions of what exactly is going on. The research I have done thus far indicates that film is going away between the end of 2012-2013. That some exhibitors are eligible for the VPF deals and many are not. That when the "have nots" look into going with a 3rd party digital option that it HAS to be DCI compliant or they will not get distribution from the major studios. What is your opinion about this? It is even legal? And why is it that cinedigm makes you sign a non disclosure? What are they hiding? Ive heard the statements " there are some back door deals going on" and that intrigues me.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 08-09-2011, 08:51 AM:

Mark:
As was hashed out in this thread
http://www.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=002436#000000
lots of people here have a strong aversion to considering DVD/BluRay a professional format, though it may be forced upon us. Some of the really low level (and I don't mean that as an insult) filmmakers may be ok with their work being exhibited in a consumer format, but I can't believe it would be acceptable to the upper levels.

Which leads to the problem of alternatives to DCI. Currently there are several alternative e-cinema all with their own propriatary standards. Some have deals with the mini-majors (Emerging for example) and some are creating their own markets which just adds even more havoc to the indie world.

Digital may be wonderful for the multi-plex world, but it is going to be hell for those of us on the margins.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 08-09-2011, 11:39 AM:

quote: Jenn Jennings
That when the "have nots" look into going with a 3rd party digital option that it HAS to be DCI compliant or they will not get distribution from the major studios. What is your opinion about this? It is even legal?

What would possibly be illegal about requiring the equipment used to play digital cinema content conform to the specs of digital cinema? Are you suggesting that if I make a movie, I am legally obligated to make a version of it compatible with the oddball projector some theater owner decided to buy?

Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 08-09-2011, 12:20 PM:

quote: Jenn Jennings
I know that there are A LOT of blu-ray player failures out there and I would think that exhibitors (and filmmakers) would want more reliability than that. I can't tell you how many times lonny has had to deal with blu-ray player issues. I don't feel that is the best solution.

That's an issue of using consumer-grade equipment in a commercial environment. Anyone using a $100 Blu-ray player in such a setting should expect that there will be issues from time to time.

If the theatrical market does embrace Blu-ray as a medium, commercial-grade equipment will become more available, but it's not going to be at a $100 price point. At the very least, something on the higher end of the spectrum should be considered, such as the Oppo unit, or something from Denon or similar. Not only should you get better reliability, but you'll probably get better performance (tighter adherence to color specs, etc.).

I would bet that if NATO or at least a semi-large chain were to go to Oppo (a company known for its engineering and appealing to a niche base) and specify some needs in regards to on-screen displays, operational parameters, etc., they'd probably produce a custom firmware to better serve the commercial market.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-09-2011, 02:13 PM:

Martin...That just adds another system you'd have to buy. Don't forget that any D-Cinema projector can accept DVI and mostcan do dual DVI.

Mark

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-09-2011, 08:45 PM:

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
do dual DVI.

...like BARCO's ...

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-10-2011, 01:55 AM:

Scott, for what it's worth, we have tons of Panasonic blu-ray players in use and they have been more bulletproof than the high end (expensive) units. In fact, I don't think we have had a single failure/skip/refuse-to-read situation come up yet.

Posted by William F Green (Member # 3192) on 08-10-2011, 11:17 AM:

Martin you said

quote: Martin McCaffery
lots of people here have a strong aversion to considering DVD/BluRay a professional format, though it may be forced upon us.

This is true - and I was one of them! If you see the thread "will series 1 projectors play new movies" you will see that we are really struggling with the justification to spend tens of thousands of pounds on even 'old' DCI equipment.
We have experimented with BluRay & DVD which is something I was initially against, based on some sort of vague notion of 'principle'. However, I have to say I was wrong as we have been able to successfully screen a lot of stuff on BluRay and DVD over the last few months rather than 35mm. In fact we ask for DVD/BD of material rather than 35mm when we get the chance as it saves film-handling work.

The customers really don't notice (ok, I should say 'most' of the customers) and the type of 'arty' programme we run really does not suffer even if we have to wait a few extra weeks for the BluRay's or DVD's. Incidentally nowadays upscaling is good enough to make the DVD's almost as good on-screen as BluRay's. We burn our own trailers to DVD and I must admit I am still surprised at how well the DVD/BD screenings have gone.

Only once did somebody notice it was DVD and that was a particularly poorly compressed DVD supplied by the distributor - and even then they certainly were not complaining, just noticing.

The only real issue we have (again it's more of a point of principle for me) is that if we abandon 35mm altogether and don't go DCI that we will lose our ability to screen stuff close to release date - but I dunno, I still think the jury's out as far as we are concerned.

Posted by Jen Pelto (Member # 6447) on 08-13-2011, 10:23 AM:

Hey, Jenn...I'm from the Harbor Theater in Muskegon. I think we've met before! [Smile]

My husband Brendan and I own a 2-screen art theater. We feel like in the years to come (or possibly near future), we will be very affected by the "switchover to digital". The film depot in Detroit is closing soon, so all of our prints are going to be coming from further away, costing us more money to ship those heavy prints.

We're talking with film studios about how switching to digital will give us the upper hand over our competition. Some claim it will, and beg us to go digital, enticing us with promises of films that would have been unobtainable to us before. Some smaller studios, like IFC, have remained totally resistant in their willingness to convert, and threatened that if we went digital now, they would never work with us again. (I would have to find out who said that exactly, I 'think' it was a rep at IFC. Seems pretty harsh, right?!)

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 08-13-2011, 03:07 PM:

So even if you kept your 35mm projector in alongside the other for those you deal with who can't distribute digital yet, they'd still not work with you?

Posted by Jen Pelto (Member # 6447) on 08-13-2011, 04:34 PM:

I think this was a threat if we did away with our 35mm altogether.

(My husband was the one who actually had the conversation with the film rep).

IFC puts out a lot of blu-rays for theatrical exhibition, so I'm not really sure what the problem is.

Posted by Jenn Jennings (Member # 6455) on 08-14-2011, 06:00 PM:

Hi,
Yes we did meet when I came with Michael Moore to your fundraiser. I used to be his assistant and am now in film school (with his blessing). I've been collecting a lot of stories like yours. We are planning to come to MI to film a few other theaters and if we do, I'll contact you to see if you want to be a part of it as well.

Thanks for your post!

Jenn Jennnings

Posted by Victor Liorentas (Member # 5272) on 08-14-2011, 08:38 PM:

Hi Jen and Jenn! I am a projectionist at the Hyland Cinema in London Ontario.I also help run the theater in general and we are one of those single screen theaters playing art,indie,international and rep classics whose future is a big unknown in regards to forced digital conversion.
I gave a interview about film in general which is on youtube under Hyland Cinema.
We tried to get Michael Moore to come to our theater when we played Sicko.Some of it was shot in London.The man from Windsor Ontario who explained the origins of the Canadian Health care system to Michael on the golf course drove 2 hours several times to see Sicko at the Hyland!
The best of luck with your film.
[Smile]

Posted by Joseph Matteo (Member # 4096) on 08-14-2011, 09:10 PM:

Film News

Posted: Mon., Jul. 18, 2011, 9:00am PT -- Variety online
Print edition, Daily Variety, July 19, 2011

Lab pact heralds twilight of film
Deluxe, Technicolor agree to combine film services
By David S. Cohen

The death knell for 35mm film production has just gotten a lot louder.

Citing collapsing demand for film prints as theaters shift to digital projectors, lab giants Technicolor and Deluxe have struck subcontracting agreements that edge them toward an end to their century-old competition in 35mm release printing.

Under the agreements, Deluxe will take over 35mm release printing for the major studios in the U.S. and Canada beginning this week. Technicolor will exit the 35mm print business in those territories and Monday shuttered its print plant in Mirabel, Quebec, resulting in the loss of 178 jobs. It will retain its print lab in Montreal for small orders. (The new Technicolor plant in Glendale, Calif., will specialize in 65mm and 70mm prints.)

Deluxe will exit the film print distribution business in the U.S., contracting that work out to Technicolor facilities in Ontario, Canada, and Wilmington, Ohio. As a result, Deluxe will close its print distribution depots in the U.S. in September. Once the deals are in full effect, almost all U.S. film prints will be struck at a Deluxe lab but distributed by Technicolor.

Outside North America, Technicolor's Thailand plant will take over release printing for Deluxe in the territory, ending Deluxe's existing relationship with a local affiliate; and within a week Technicolor will take over front-end processing of 35mm and 16mm film negatives for Deluxe in the U.K. That processing will be done out of Technicolor's Pinewood facility.

Deluxe said in a statement that the move comes "as a result of digital image capture overtaking film capture."

Drabinsky

"There is still a very good business on the release print side in North America," Cyril Drabinsky, prexy-CEO of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group told Variety, adding, "35mm release printing in Europe is still very, very healthy."

Drabinsky predicted film printing will continue to decline but that the decline will flatten out over the next five years.

Technicolor, which is governed by French securities laws, is under a quiet period in advance of its July 28 earnings report and could not make its executives available for comment.

However, both companies stress that these are subcontracting agreements, and that they are not forming a new joint venture. In effect, each of the long-standing rivals becomes the other's client in a narrow part of their business.

And those areas are indeed narrow. Technicolor and Deluxe continue to have rival printing operations, at least for now, in London, Rome and Spain. Deluxe has a print plant in Australia serving the Asia-Pacific region; Technicolor serves that region from its Thai facility. Companies will also continue to offer competing front-end services such as color grading and mastering.

The companies cited the rapidly diminishing demand for film prints as the driver behind the deals. They expect more than half the screens in North America to be digital by the end of 2011.

Both companies have been shifting their business away from photochemical processing and printing and diversifying into post-production and digital services. The deals do not affect production or distribution of digital cinema packages.

Both companies' plants will continue to use both Kodak and Fuji print stock and the companies say they are committed to maintaining the same quality their clients are used to. Deluxe and Technicolor expect their existing studio deals to continue unaffected by these subcontracting arrangements.

The studios were not apprised of the deals in advance, nor were Technicolor's employees at Mirabel, who got pinkslips Monday.

Posted by Jenn Jennings (Member # 6455) on 08-15-2011, 08:32 AM:

Thanks to all that have given me direction! It is so very helpful!

Jenn

Posted by Jen Pelto (Member # 6447) on 08-15-2011, 04:34 PM:

Give us a ring -- we've had plenty of support to go digital (including high pressure and threats) as well as digital opposition, for us to stay loyal to 35mm.

I think you do have a good story here -- the film industry is on the cusp of some major changes. Going digital is expensive and scary (for me). Some argue a lot of indie theaters are going to be closing their doors if they don't make the switch.

I personally think it's going to dramatically change the way people make movies, the types of venues available for audiences, and yes -- I'm going to say it! -- the content that is released to theaters.

Making film is probably a lot more expensive than a digital version, but with the smaller arthouses left in the dust, are big chains really going to jump on picking up arthouse titles and allowing them a hearty theatrical run? Not the megaplex I love to hate in my neck of the woods!

Posted by Victor Liorentas (Member # 5272) on 08-15-2011, 05:59 PM:

I agree that the hecktoplex will not typically pick up the films we currently play.

Posted by William F Green (Member # 3192) on 08-23-2011, 01:41 PM:

Just to give people an update on the 35mm print situation here in the UK..

We have just tried to book a 35mm print of an 'Arty' title and were told that there were only 3 prints around so we are in for a long wait!

Looking back to when that film was released it was showing on just over 40 screens which although a very small release (even by UK standards) just shows how much things are weighted towards an almost all-digital release already.
Another long established 'art-film' distributor here seems to only produce 1 single 35mm print and absolutely no 35mm trailers at all so it seems fairly clear where this is headed even for the art-house market or perhaps even more so than mainstream.

The doc SENNA was also a digital only release here and despite howls of protest from many cinemas that can only run 35mm they never did strike a print. We are not digital yet and have to wait until it's available on DVD/BluRay but that's not a big problem - just a little frustrating to have to wait.

I can't imagine distributors refusing to deal with you for converting to digital BUT I have heard some negative comments from smaller independent distributors about not looking favourably booking films to people on VPF deals - particularly for one-day bookings. For that reason we have avoided VPF's and financed our forthcoming digital kit ourselves.

Posted by Jenn Jennings (Member # 6455) on 10-10-2011, 05:52 PM:

Hi,
We launched our fundraising campaign today and have the teaser trailer. Have a look and if you can, help us get the word out! We want to tell all sides of the story.
http://www.indiegogo.com/TheLostPictureShow

Best,
Jenn Jennings

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 10-10-2011, 06:00 PM:

quote: William F Green
The doc SENNA was also a digital only release here and despite howls of protest from many cinemas that can only run 35mm they never did strike a print.

Not to stir things up... but here in the States it had at least one 35mm print (I ran one of them).

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-10-2011, 07:30 PM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
in which we'll prob be seeing prints being circulated like it was in the olden days

Given the acceleration in digital installs that has happened in the last few months, we are really wondering how this will affect our drive-in for the 2012 season.

Our drive-in has always acted as a move-over screen for our cinema with most movies playing for a week or two at the drive-in following the cinema run. However, it appears virtually every first run theatre within 100 miles will be 100% digital within the next six months.

It's really going to be interesting to see how the dynamics of the market have changed with regard to 35mm prints by summer 2012.