Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: No Discussion?

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Posted by Justin Gorka (Member # 3727) on 03-28-2009, 03:10 PM:

I find it strange that there has been very little about the and con's of the on the future of cinema....why?

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-28-2009, 03:23 PM:

[Confused]

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-28-2009, 04:15 PM:

As a person who has been frequenting the cinema since my early childhood, much of what I have come to love about watching movies with others in theatres is not the same anymore. There are many factors that had made me prefer watching movies in the comfort of my home. First of all, the aura of going to the movies is long gone. It used to be very exciting to dress up just to go to movies especially whenever we went to the celebrated Kuhio and the Waikiki Theatre ( later to be the Waikiki #3) in Honolulu. Even watching a movie at my local Waipahu Theatre was exciting because of the large screen, fantastic sound and the classy satin uniform the ushers and usherettes wore. People during that time were very respectful to others by not talking and behaving properly. There were no cel phones and food at the concession stand was reasonably priced in the old days. Although some theatres today are very attractive with comfortable seats and awesome picture and sound like our Regal Dole Cannery Theatres with Digital 3-D and IMAX as well as Reading's Ward Center 16 also with Digital 3-D, parking, bad behavior by some as well as the high cost of admission has become a turn off for me. In addition to my wonderful sound system, I now have HDTV and Blu Ray that makes it possible to watch a movie with a picture and sound that is just as good as most theatres. The movies I can watch are only a few months old like TWILIGHT and BOLT I watched last week and SUUMDOG MILLIONAIRE I plan to watch on Tuesday night on Blu Ray.

I still see some movies in a theatre when there are something special that I cannot wait until they are released to home video or when they are in IMAX or 3-D. Although I now see most of my movies at home, I do not feel the motion picture industry will cease to exist because of people like me. As long as their are a lot of young people who go out a lot, going to movies is something they will continue to do and because of that and other factors, the industry will continue to prosper.

-Claude

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 03-28-2009, 05:54 PM:

I'm not sure what "the and con's of the on the future of cinema" is really about. Ground Level, I guess.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 03-28-2009, 06:09 PM:

[Confused]

LOVE the teaser header too. [thumbsdown]

[ 03-28-2009, 10:59 PM: Message edited by: John Wilson ]

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 03-28-2009, 07:39 PM:

Dovetailing into what Claude talked about above, I mentioned to one of the managers here just this afternoon about showmanship and how the old-school guys back when our theater opened used to do things. One old manager I recall would always wear a three-piece suit if he knew one of his auditoriums was going to sell out. In the 90's we had an assistant manager who was at the very minimum in a sport coat.

Things are changing for sure, but there is a future in this industry. In fact, for many independents who bide their time and don't just jump on digital because they think they have to, I predict a very bright future and even possible opportunities for expansion.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-28-2009, 08:56 PM:

Aaron: AMEN!!

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-29-2009, 02:18 PM:

The cinema industry will always continue as the cheapest form of entertainment no matter how fancy and expensive an individual can set up a home cinema system..since people STILL want to be entertained and will go to all means to achieve just that for the simple reason is that the cinemas will ALWAYS show the new movies first..

But, I've noticed, in these economical hard times, that the folks are heading to where their spending monies are being used to the value of what they want to spend. In short: these people are heading to where they feel that they're getting a good deal for how much they have to spend for movie entertainment.

For example: I know of one small complex -with no digital nor 3D capabilities - that is playing "Monsters and Aliens" and their tix prices are the same as the larger, more excitable complexes that are playing the same movie - in digital and the option of the extra price for 3D presentation. Thus, where are the people going? ... to where the dollar holds the better value spent.

Sadly, in some markets, it's gonna be the 'survival of the fittest' who's gonna gradually win out. And these theates/circuits who are definitely doing their best to win are making the adjustment to continue as such.

-Monte

Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 04-01-2009, 02:24 PM:

When I managed (late 90's!) we had a fairly relaxed dress code but I'd be sure to wear shirt and tie on Fridays and Saturdays. If I had been older than 21 I would have probably worn some sort of coat.

I wish I could have been part of the days where theatre managers were revered and all were part of a larger community. Now everything is so Chain vs. Chain vs. Independent that I think few managers take pride in what they're actually doing. Most managers seem to take pride only in beating the competition. Even within chains there doesn't seem to be much excitement or actual pride beyond making budget.

I love reading the old Boxoffice listings talking about which manager took over which theatre. Or who went on vacation and who was running their theatre in the meantime.

I wonder how many managers know any sort of detail about their competition's manager? I know when I managed, I didn't... I probably never even met the person.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-01-2009, 03:12 PM:

This thread will be removed if the author does not comply with our "no teaser subjects" rule by editing this thread title very soon.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 04-01-2009, 04:50 PM:

Scott: competitive theatres loaned equipment and even labor in emergencies; then back to the fray of competition. Do that now and get fired! Class versus no class! Louis

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 04-02-2009, 01:15 PM:

Well said, Louis. As for class...it's like pornography -- difficult to define, but you know it when you see it. The industry doesn't just lack class nowadays, it has an abundance of anti-class.