quote:

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He writes this to fans today:

Thank You Note From Michael Bay
06/26/2011

I just want to take the opportunity to thank all the fans around the world for letting me have fun with the Transformers franchise. It has been a wonderful opportunity to have worked with about 4000 crew members around the world. These artists are some of the very best in the entire film business. I’m honored to have had you work along side me. We had an amazing time.

‘Dark of the Moon’ has some of the most technically challenging sequences ever shot. And shot in 3D. I must urge you to find the very best theatre and see this movie in that format. 3D was a forethought, not an afterthought in this movie. I’m glad Jim Cameron and Steven Spielberg really convinced me to shoot in this new technology. We used and invented many new techniques to make the 3D sharper, brighter and more color contrast. I think theatre owners heard their audience that they need to respect the specs of the projectors and not dim the bulbs to save money.

Many theaters are presenting it in the brand new 7.1 sound, which is awesome. This is the most complex, intricate sound track that me and my Academy Awarding winning sound team have done. They really out did themselves to make this a big picture experience. Hopefully you will have as much fun watching this movie as we all had making it.

Thanks,
Michael Bay

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Michael Bay now writes to projectionists after he'd already called the chief executives of major theater chains to implore them to show Transformers: Dark Of The Moon in a way that burns out projector bulbs more quickly but makes 3D look brighter and sharper. Talk about being pushy: you'd think there was a lot riding on Transformers 3.

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quote: Mike Blakesley

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He simply asks projectionists not to dim the bulb, but to use it at full brightness. Which is what should be done anyway, especially with 3D.

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quote: Martin McCaffery

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Who are these "certified theaters" who get to play the "Platinum Six" version and who is doing the certifying?

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quote:

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The special brighter digital prints will go to about 2,000 theaters, all using the RealD 3D system. Remaining screens, including all RealD competitors, will run at standard brightness.

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quote: Frank Cox

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I don't see the word "certified" in that thread anywhere.

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I assume this means you didn't read the article that's in the thread. The article is about the exact same thing as mentioned in this thread.
 

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Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 06-27-2011, 12:58 PM:
 
The article doesn't mention anything about "certified"; it just talks about Real D vs all the other 3D systems.

Are we to assume that "certified" means "has Real D"?

I have Real D but as far as I know I don't have any special certification for it. The tech set up the Real D stuff when he installed the rest of my digital system.
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 06-27-2011, 02:09 PM:
 
If he really cared, he would restrict bookings to theatres that meet the relevant specifications.

Am I the only one who thinks that most of these "letters to the projectionist" are completely pointless? Operators who have good equipment and care about presentation will put on a good show regardless of the presense or absense of these letters. Those who either do not care or do not have equipment that is capable of meeting the relevant specifications are not going to magically improve things overnight due to one of these letters.

I can understand and appreciate these letters when there is something unusual about a particular print (e.g. films that start with sound and no picture or vice-versa, have hard-to-see changeover cues, are shot in non-obvious aspect ratios, etc.), but they are a waste of time in cases where they say, essentially, "show the film properly." They might as well start saying things like "show the reels in the correct order" and "focus the picture." In any case, these letters usually make the director come across as a pompous ass, who expects his film to be treated differently from any other.
 

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Posted by Victor Liorentas (Member # 5272) on 06-27-2011, 02:41 PM:
 
I want a letter to urge keeping keeping 35 mm alive inspite of digital!
 

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Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 06-27-2011, 03:06 PM:
 

quote:

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have hard-to-see changeover cues,

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This I have never understood. Some bright light decides to put the reel start or end in the middle of black nothing with no framing lines.

It's like the way that they design cars -- the engineer isn't the one who has to service it; lets make it so you have to drop the whole engine to change the air filter.

"Lets hide the reel change." And projectionists around the world are dragging out light boxes and flashlights trying to find a marker.

If it's hard to find, it's a bad place for a reel change. Seems obvious to me...
 

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Posted by Dan Biegner (Member # 6026) on 06-27-2011, 03:42 PM:
 
I got a similar kind of letter from Terrence Malick for "Tree of Life." Unfortunately, I don't have the equipment to do some of what he's asking. So I just do what I can to provide the best presentation.
 

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Posted by Christian Appelt (Member # 1067) on 06-27-2011, 04:35 PM:
 
I hear from three projectionists that the TREE OF LIFE 35mm prints here in Germany have a soft image and steadiness issues from printing, so Terence Malick should check what his studio/distributor delivers - a bad print won't look better if a nice letter goes with it.
 

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Posted by Bryan Parkhurst (Member # 6072) on 06-27-2011, 08:40 PM:
 
I received the same letter with the standard info packet that accompanied the transformers hard drive. I wouldn't know the first thing about increasing or decreasing the brightness on our digital projector. On a 35mm lamphouse? sure, but on that digital monstrosity? I don't have a clue.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-27-2011, 09:11 PM:
 
The letter just means to run the bulb at 100%, not 60% or whatever the "suits" in the front office want it run at to save money.
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 06-27-2011, 09:40 PM:
 
Do the "suits" actually tell their techs to artificially lower bulb amperage, or does this all come from the recommendation that new bulbs start off below 100%?

Seems that if a big chain told their techs to underrate the bulbs, especially those on 3D systems, it would leak out and be common knowledge. Funny, that some film producer is running on an assumption that nobody in the tech business talks about... at least not in those specifics.
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-29-2011, 07:24 PM:
 

 

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Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 06-30-2011, 09:52 PM:
 
Mike: it doesn't get any better than that!

fyi: the Digital deals are ALL SUITS. Suits sell the suits in the boardroom. There are notably NO TECHS in a decision making position, by design. Louis
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 07-01-2011, 12:46 AM:
 
Ya, kinda interesting when bankers, lawyers, investors, merchandise owners, and all others forms buys up these cinemas and think they know how to run the business when they never started from the ground up like as a floor or booth person in the business itself..and really turn into "suits" and "sell their wares" to the public on their knowledge while we 'blue collar' types know exactly in how to run the show.

Then, what's really sad is when we 'blue collar' type try to show the suits on how it really goes to benefit in all directions and the suits refuse to listen since they don't like being proved wrong and it has to go their way.

...thus, "goodbye" to the projectionist and "hello" to the min wage employee.

Also, saw the 6fL version and I really couldn't see the difference ... think it's just a ploy to keep Bay and 3D alive.

I've never been told by any uppers to run a bulb down below recommended current. In fact, I always thought it was a digital standard to run bulbs at their highest to have that bright presentation. Plus some digital units automatically adjust bulb current according to what is presented - in either 2D, or 3D form-and usually I've seen them get overdriven when doing 3D, like 105% over max wattage.

Just keep the bulbs changed before warranty time is the usual motto, and true, they do get ugly in the last 100 hrs of warranty life.

-Monte
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 07-03-2011, 09:18 PM:
 
I'm surprised this letter wasn't already included in this thread.



Is there really a Projectionist's Guild of America? Or is this letter "fake" as the author's name kind-of suggests..? I don't see the IATSE emblem on this document, so I'm honestly not sure.

Regardless - an entertaining read!
 

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Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 07-03-2011, 09:30 PM:
 
I think the "555" telephone number pretty much makes it a fake, but funny one.
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 07-03-2011, 09:34 PM:
 
It's still a good letter - and it's "out there" now. So it's possible that Mr. Bay has seen it.
 

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Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 07-04-2011, 05:08 AM:
 
Oh, he's seen it.

quote:

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“Also, congratulations are in order for making a movie based on a children’s toy that’s ten minutes longer than 2001!”

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