Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Looking for thoughts from those who have run a 'Classic Film Series'

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-10-2011, 07:53 PM:

We are planning to run a classic film series starting January 2012. I'm just looking for observations from any others who have been involved with such a series in the past.

Specifically, I'm curious to know:

What titles were popular?
Did you do anything different to promote the series which proved successful?
What time of the day did you run the shows? Did you try both matinees and evenings?
How did your snack bar do? Did you do anything different from normal?
Anything else that might be relevant.
Have you run others themed series with were successful?

We're still in the process of trying to compile a list of titles to send to our booker to get licensing availability and terms.
All titles will be shown on Blu-Ray when available through our digital projectors.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 10-10-2011, 09:23 PM:

Maybe, while your assembling a list, put a suggestion box in your lobby and ask your patrons on features that they would like to see in this series...

Good luck with it - Monte

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 10-11-2011, 06:34 PM:

Raiders always works. [Wink]

(No, really...)

When asking for suggestions, don't forget 90% of people who say they'll come if you put 'Such and Such' on screen...won't.

The standard 80's 'classics' are probably your best bet. Older movies have to be stand out things like Casablanca or Breakfast At Tiffany's and the like. Nostalgia is all well and good, but you need the audience to be able to relate to the movie to get them out of the house and pay some dollars to see it. Older folk generally won't (unless it's a matinee).

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-11-2011, 07:00 PM:

For a first attempt, especially one in a market where something like this has not been tried before (or at least recently), I would try to go for mainstream American titles that people have heard of. Print up flyers and hand them out at the box office. Advertise the entire schedule well in advance so that people can plan their lives around it.

A local theatre (which normally shows first-run mainstream titles and is located in an area with a young-ish adult population) that I am tangentially involved with did pretty well with the following titles over the summer:

Double Indemnity
African Queen
Dr. Strangelove
Singin' In The Rain
Wizard of Oz
Jaws

They also did a midnight show series which included these titles:

Animal House
Pulp Fiction
Goonies
Breakfast Club
Back to School
Clockwork Orange
and others

The same place also did a series of Buster Keaton silent films with live accompaniment by an excellent pianist (well, keyboardist). Attendance grew significantly for each successive show (I think that they had 250+ for the third one). If you do silents, I would start with comedies (Chaplin, Lloyd, Keaton, etc.).

All of these titles were on 35mm film and the theatre made a point of getting top-quality prints of everything.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-11-2011, 09:37 PM:

We did a series of classics for our 60th anniversary. This was quite a while ago, but we ran:

Casablanca
The Wizard of Oz
The Sound of Music
The Ten Commandments
Gone With The Wind

We played the movies three days each, Wed-Thur-Fri, over five weeks. We did it in August thru early September, so the great summer movies were pretty much history by then.

We got the best crowds with the last two. The worst was Sound of Music, which was OK with me because we got stuck with a HORRIBLE print of it. (The others were all pretty good, especially Commandments which was a nearly-new print.)

For promotion, we ran a large newspaper ad (probably not such a good bet now) and we also got a lengthy article placed in the paper. This was pre-website, so no online promo at all.

I was able to find onesheets for all the features, but no trailers unfortunately. We also made up some smaller posters that we put around town. For Gone With The Wind, we timed that show so it played on our anniversary date and we gave out free champagne to the adults during the intermissions.

Overall the whole thing was a success.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-11-2011, 09:59 PM:

Every place is different and the only way to find out is to try. But this is 100% on target

quote: John Wilson
When asking for suggestions, don't forget 90% of people who say they'll come if you put 'Such and Such' on screen...won't.

Title suggestions above are pretty good bets, 80's may work with your crowd or not. Big Lebowski has done well for us. Stripes tanked. Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein were hits. Philadelphia Story or a Tracy/Hepburn are good. And of course, It's A Wonderful Life for Christmas (though other christmas movies can work in different ways).

If you're not going to get into the film education biz, keep it light and show things that are instantly recognizable.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-11-2011, 10:57 PM:

Are you planning on running off DVD/Blu-Ray or are you going to try and get DCPs? Disney doesn't do a lot of either, and most other studios have yet to get around to digitizing their older titles. If you're going to go off a disc, make sure you choose titles that are available on Blu-Ray and have a scaler with HDMI inputs, for the best possible picture.

Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 10-12-2011, 01:22 AM:

Classics are tricky but can be profitable if done well. You definitely need a promotional partner to help spread the word. Media outlets can be good. Friends organizations are also excellent. It is important to know the audience you are looking to attract. If the target audience is seniors then Big Lebowski ins't gonna work. Start with the "touchstone" classics like Breakfast at Tiffany's, White Christmas, etc. Context is important. Last year, I wouldn't have programmed Days of Heaven but this summer because of Tree of Life we were able to bring in Days of Heaven because it once again had context.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-12-2011, 02:12 AM:

At this point we're planning to run from Blu-Ray when we can. My target audience at this point is senior citizens, so I'm think pre-1980s for the most part. I've already considered the obvious titles like Breakfast at Tiffany's, Casablanca, and so forth.

I figure we'll probably start out with something like a 1:00-2:00 matinee and then look at an evening showing if the interest is there.

I also want to do a series of free midnight movies to target the high school/college crowd, although we don't really have a huge college population. This is where I would look at things like The Big Lebowski, Breakfast Club, and other 80s and 90s classics.

At Christmas I would like to do a couple weeks of Christmas themed classics like Miracle on 34th Street and A Christmas Story - maybe Miracle on Christmas Eve morning.

The only thing we've ever done like this is a canned food show of Ice Age a few years ago - 2 cans of food was the price of admission. Despite advertising for several weeks, we only had about 30 people show up.

I know our growth opportunities from first run movies is very limited, but I think these other ideas could help us grow.

I'm also thinking about working with the local high schools to put together a student film festival of some kind.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 10-12-2011, 07:27 AM:

Reach out to the retirement communities in your area. There's at least one community here that busses residents in for some our weekend matinees (3pm). The older titles from the classic era (1940s and 50s) seem more popular, but they patronize newer stuff too.

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 10-12-2011, 11:07 AM:

You might try to contact these guys , I did some work for them years ago and had to sit through subtitled movies. The only two I remember are Like Water for Chocolate and Cinema Paradiso.

Rick

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-12-2011, 06:28 PM:

Put some cards in your lobby and ask YOUR patrons what they'd like to see. If they don't come then you can blame them since they picked the titles!
Also, considering doing a shows worth of short films. Look on You-Tube... there are many many very clever shorts that people would enjoy seeing.

Cinema Paradiso [thumbsup]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-13-2011, 11:44 AM:

Cards in the lobby aren't great though because some of the classic movies will attract a lot of people who are never IN the lobby otherwise!

Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 10-19-2011, 10:20 AM:

While running a limited film series makes it easier to market initially, especially in the dregs of the post-holiday season, have you considered making throwback movies an ongoing thing?

Chains like Alamo Drafthouse and Hollywood Blvd seem to have them on a regular basis, where they will bring in something from years ago that is themed to a particular date on the calendar, season, or just because it would be a fun thing to do.

I don't have any first-hand knowledge of the relative success of particular movies or the approach of doing a limited-time series of movies vs. an ongoing "throwback Thursdays" series, but I would think that doing a one-off event does nothing to elevate your brand long-term, whereas doing fun things on an ongoing basis helps people to think of your theater as more than just a place to see a movie before it comes out on home video.

As far as titles go, some of the obvious ones are pretty tired, but maybe they continue to get audiences, which is why theaters keep running them from time to time. I don't think people's attention spans can handle some of the epics that go for hours...

I'm actually surprised that theaters haven't brought Avatar back on a yearly basis. It's one of those movies that did gangbuster business a very short time ago, and its impact can't be matched at home, even on a large TV. Is it not available?

My personal choices for throwback movies would be some of the more popular/people-friendly John Wayne westerns (Rooster Cogburn, True Grit, Big Jake), the Christmas season invites quite a few enjoyable and non-obvious movies, like Scrooged, While You Were Sleeping, or maybe one of the Bing Crosby movies like White Christmas or Going My Way. Valentine's Day invites any number of the classic romantic comedies that have stood the test of time.

Whatever you do, make it as much about the experience as it is about the movie. Any movie you play can be watched at home, so there has to be a reason for people to come to the theater instead. Standing in line for a new iPhone is as much about the experience of standing in line as it is about getting the phone on Day 1. Look at the people that stood in line for hours to get into the last Harry Potter or Twilight movie!

If I were running a theater, I would pay Robert Osborne to do the intros for those movies. If he's not available, then find an actor that has the same presence and give him a good script for the intro. Osborne's intros are always the highlight of watching a movie on TCM, and I would think that having an in-person intro would resonate with the audience if it's done well.

Whatever you end up doing, send me the information when you have everything figured out, and we'll do a Journal Article about it for our readers!

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-19-2011, 01:38 PM:

No matter what you do, don't expect the box office grosses to be that huge. Do it because you want to have fun. We've been doing a midnight horror series for a month now, Friday and Saturday nights, and we're barely getting enough patrons to cover the rental of the title for the week. But we sure are having fun doing it!

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-19-2011, 01:52 PM:

@Ed: we are looking at this as a way to grow our business. I don't expect huge returns, but I think the additional concession revenue is where the growth will be. But I'm also looking at this as a way to create a new entertainment opportunity for the community.

In addition to a classics series, I'm also looking to run a few Christmas themed movies on Saturdays in December (Elf, Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street, and It's a Wonderful Life are my first choices). And we plan to do the kiddie shows next summer.

I realize that much of this will be trial and error to see what works.

@Scott: I like the idea of doing something on an ongoing basis throughout the year, but I want to start with a short series so I can make it something of an event.

I have been soliciting requests through a flyer in our lobby and a posting on our web site, but the response has not been overly enthusiastic so far. And most of the suggestions so far have been for the usual suspects like Breakfast at Tiffanys, Casablanca and so forth.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 10-19-2011, 01:57 PM:

..maybe, once a month type of scheduling could be something and see what happens there for a few months afterwards..

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 10-19-2011, 05:31 PM:

From reading your posts it looks like you need to decide on whether you're doing a 'Classics' season with broad appeal or a 'Seniors' season with classic films. Both are massively different, both from a booking perspective and operationally. With the latter feel free to PM me and I can go in to more detail for you on what I believe works over here in the UK.

I remain to be convinced a regular classics season can work, here in London the Prince Charles Cinema (google and facebook them its worth looking at) do a very good job at it but they're the only ones in a city of eight million people. What Edward writes is very true though, if you're in a position to do it at low risk and have fun then take the opportunity. I'm sure most of us are in the business because we want to watch and play cool movies.

Posted by Keith Paynter (Member # 6532) on 10-19-2011, 07:07 PM:

Here's a new guy's opinion...

When I was living in Toronto briefly in the summer of '85, I lived close to a repertory theater that regularly ran rock films like 'Pink Floyd: The Wall' and 'The Song Remains The Same' during the evening. Screenings for 'The Wall' were always packed, and the stereo house rig was appropriately loud...a matrixed surround setup if I recall...if you've got a powerful enough sound system, and good promotion, you could probably do well, especially with the film's 30th anniversary coming up next summer, assuming there low-fade prints still to be found...I have an original 35mm trailer on faded Eastman stock, but a 16mm P&S reduction on lowfade LPP, so who can say what type of prints are still available...

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 10-19-2011, 08:13 PM:

GOONIES and PRINCESS BRIDE seem to be very popular with older screenings around here.

Young movie goers like to see things from their childhood. Nickolodeon now has a channel running things like DOUBLE DARE and CLARISA. So, movies from the early 90's or late 80's might work.

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 10-19-2011, 08:44 PM:

quote: Justin Hamaker
All titles will be shown on Blu-Ray when available through our digital projectors.

I do hope that your advertising will let folks know up front that you will be presenting a home video format.

I once drove an hour to see Jaws in the theatre, only to discover that the place was showing it on DVD. I felt deceived and cheated, and would never return to that place again.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-19-2011, 09:16 PM:

quote: Geoff Jones
I do hope that your advertising will let folks know up front that you will be presenting a home video format.

I ran Avatar on Blu-Ray a few nights ago. There is absolutely no apparent difference between the Blu-Ray and our regular DCI movies. Granted, Avatar is probably not the best movie to use for this test, but the point still stands.

More to the point, this is about seeing the movie up on the big screen - most likely at a huge discount from our regular ticket price. Most moviegoers won't notice.

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 10-20-2011, 01:11 AM:

We run classics often as part of our programming. They can be hit or miss, but overall, they do decent. Some popular ones include:

Casablanca
The Godfather
Lawrence of Arabia
It's a Wonderful Life
Jaws

We've also had some moderate success with a midnight movies series:

Rocky Horror Picture Show
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (this did exceptionally well)
The Big Lebowski

All of the above were run on film, with most prints looking rather good. Sadly, Casablanca was a bit rough but watchable. The Godfather (I and II) were from the most recent Harris restoration and looked drop dead amazing.

AJG

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-20-2011, 09:30 AM:

quote: Justin Hamaker
More to the point, this is about seeing the movie up on the big screen - most likely at a huge discount from our regular ticket price. Most moviegoers won't notice.

True, but as we've gone into in previous threads, there is always the one who will and will be pissed off. The average movie goer kinda thinks movies are on DVD's now anyway. You can advertise "In Glorious Blu-Ray" and not chase anyone away other than the one purist who will be a pain.

Honesty is often a good policy [Wink]

Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 10-20-2011, 10:06 AM:

I understand that some people might get peeved about a Blu-ray being shown instead of film, but personally, I think that's focusing too much on the media and not enough on the end result.

For example, is a badly scratched film print of Casablanca better than a great Blu-ray transfer? How bad can the film print be before the audience deserves some sort of disclaimer about what gets put on the screen?

Some on other threads have said that Blu-rays on the big screen have color space issues and other picture quality problems. If that is so, then I think there is a valid point.

In the case of a classic B&W movie, it may be part of the charm to have a beat-up print, but I say put up the best possible image and don't let people know about the magic that makes it happen. As long as you're not advertising it as a film presentation and then showing a Blu-ray, I see nothing wrong with putting forth the best presentation possible, no matter what the medium used.

If you are going to use a Blu-ray, don't make them see the menu and on-screen displays and such. That's not classy for a theater to do, and it takes the viewer of the special experience they came to have. I don't expect to see cue tape or leaders or anything else used to present a movie during a normal film presentation, so the same care should be used to avoid those items as well.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-20-2011, 11:04 AM:

We just did Young Frankenstein on 35mm. Turns out the only print in the country is in English with Spanish subtitles (and, it turns out, a badly under exposed reel 2). We not only notified the audience in advance about the subtitle, we pushed it. The audience thought it was just another bizarre addition and enjoyed them.

I think if we didn't tell them there would be a few annoyed people. And certainly, if we showed the blu-ray with the subtitles on it would just have been annoying. But there was some weird magic about having the only 35mm print that made having the subtitles on it fun.

Ya just never know with people.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-20-2011, 01:55 PM:

quote: Scott Jentsch

For example, is a badly scratched film print of Casablanca better than a great Blu-ray transfer?

That depends on the VIDEO PROJECTOR that is being used. Without knowing that, the question cannot be properly answered. Too many theaters use LCD or single chip DLP projectors for this sort of stuff and it looks terrible. In fact I know of one chain that runs rep stuff and in their one film complex the rep business has dwindled to the point of only having a couple of people show up, while the rest of the locations do quite well (sourced mostly from blu-ray, but through D-Cinema projectors). The crap video projectors at that film complex have TRAINED the customers to not go to them there.

quote: Scott Jentsch
How bad can the film print be before the audience deserves some sort of disclaimer about what gets put on the screen?

At GCC Northpark we did rep shows all the time and if we didn't get a print damn near mint we had a slide we would run before the show, we had a disclaimer at the box office and let everyone know we would issue refunds in the first half hour. Of course we never let anything hit the screen that had much wear at all, we would cancel the show before we would do that. Regardless I'm not aware of anyone actually asking for a refund, but we made it clear and we upheld our extremely high standards of presentation of which our audience came to expect.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-20-2011, 02:01 PM:

Just to be clear, we would be running the Blu-Ray through our DCinema projector. No other option is even available.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-20-2011, 10:00 PM:

quote: Scott Jentsch
If I were running a theater, I would pay Robert Osborne to do the intros for those movies.

He does this for the Sedona Film Fest. This year, he was not available, so he sent DVDs (recorded in a TV studio) of his introductions. In the past, he has been present to do them in person (or so I am told). I don't know who there knows the man or how they convinced him to do this for them.

As for Young Frankenstein--the Loews Jersey had a good print of this a few years ago (2005-ish?). You might check with them and see where they got it.

As for BR vs. 35mm: I have never seen B&W video projection that looked anything like film. An argument can be made for color material, but B&W just never looks right on video.

Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 10-21-2011, 02:35 AM:

Here's the thing, many times you can license blu-ray/dvd exhibition with less hassle than 35mm. And the print shipping savings can mean the difference between making and losing money. Good quality digital projection (DCI or LCD) is perfectly acceptable with good showmanship. And FYI, you can license dvd/blu-ray exhibition of Fox titles directly through Fox whereas if you want 35mm you have to deal with Criterion. I don't know about most of you but some of the worst rep prints I've ever seen came from Criterion. I've been told by someone who knows that WB has been very busy making DCPs for their most popular repertory titles, so if you have the ability that is also an option.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-21-2011, 02:44 PM:

There should be a website somewhere that lists all of the "old" movies that are available as DCPs. Right here on F-T would be a good place, if it wouldn't be too much hassle to keep up the data.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-21-2011, 03:04 PM:

quote: Scott Norwood
As for BR vs. 35mm: I have never seen B&W video projection that looked anything like film. An argument can be made for color material, but B&W just never looks right on video.

Certainly doesn't look as good as a GOOD 35mm B&W, but if you are not getting them from the archives the BR/DVD's look much better than what generally circulates.

We don't do classics enough right now to go through the hassle of dealing with archives, but it is definitely in our future. Have to redo the theatre first.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-22-2011, 11:24 AM:

Mike, good luck with that. I recently asked the person in charge of repertory titles at one of the major for this very list ("Can you please give me a list of your titles currently available as DCPs?"), and the response I got was essentially "We don't have a lot of DCP titles, and we don't do DVD/Blu-Ray licensing."

I didn't ask about DVD/Blu-Ray licensing, and I know this company has at least 50 titles available as DCPs, since my theatre has been all digital since the day it opened three years ago this week and I've played every single one of their releases in those three years.

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 10-23-2011, 10:37 AM:

> Can you please give me a list of your titles currently available as DCPs...

For repertory, that is only a third of the question. For anything other than the "big" titles, you need to know what resolution the source material was mastered at, and the condition of the source material. The fact that it is a DCP file may mean it will look stunning, or it may mean that it will look no better than a dvd.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 10-23-2011, 01:06 PM:

The only titles that reliably bring significant audience are "Goonies", "Princess Bride", and "Big Lebowski", and "It's A Wonderful Life" on Dec. 24 & 25. Wonderful Life typically brings
600 to 800 on Dec 24 @ 8:00pm. We also screen lots of others for rental groups. We use Blu-Ray whenever possible and project using a Barco 2048 scaler and Barco DP100 projector. Last Dec. one of our nut case film aficionados commented how nice it was to finally see Wonderful Life on the big screen with an excellent print. We told him no different.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-23-2011, 03:48 PM:

I had not thought of doing It's a Wonderful Life at 8:00pm on Christmas Eve. Normally we are completely dead Christmas Even and run our last shows in the 5:00 hour. I was planning on running Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street as a free show on Christmas Eve morning.

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 10-23-2011, 10:43 PM:

quote: Justin Hamaker
There is absolutely no apparent difference between the Blu-Ray and our regular DCI movies.

Digital cinema - Indistinguishable from what you can watch at home!

quote: Justin Hamaker
More to the point, this is about seeing the movie up on the big screen

How big? The average movie-goer tends to sit in the back third of the auditorium. I wonder how big a screen has to be for it to *seem* bigger at that distance than their 40 inch plasma *seems" from the couch.

Sorry to make hay over this Justin, but if you are showing someone's favorite older movie, you are probably the only theatre showing it on the planet. And if someone makes that trip thinking that he's going to see a film, only to find out that you are showing something he has sitting on his shelf at home... Well that sucks, in my opinion.

Posted by Michael Putlack (Member # 6523) on 10-23-2011, 10:49 PM:

quote: Geoff Jones
If someone makes that trip thinking that he's going to see a film, only to find out that you are showing something he has sitting on his shelf at home... Well that sucks, in my opinion.

I've been to two classic screenings at an AMC in town. The first was a very scratched DVD, the second was a BluRay played through a standard def preshow projector, and that one froze in the last scene and everyone got readmits. D'oh.

Posted by Peter Castle (Member # 1997) on 10-24-2011, 12:01 AM:

Has anyone dealt with a company called MPLC (Motion Picture Licensing Corporation) who supposedly provide blanket licenses for screening from DVD (and I presume BluRay). They seem international (have their own UK website version) and provide coverage for non-profit and for paying presentations.

I'd like to be able to show movies that are no longer available in Australia on 35mm or DCP, but which can be purchased on disc, perhaps even from Warner Archive. I don't really want to charge for these screenings, but sometimes we have short (admission charged) movies which we'd like to turn into double bills by having a free show, after a suitable intermission.

We do not advertise off-campus, although our website is read by non-university people who do come to our screenings.

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 10-24-2011, 03:39 AM:

screening a blu-ray of a "classic" movie (i.e. something made and originally shown on film) is anathema to me. i'm probably in the minority there, but i'll agree with geoff that the very least you can do is be upfront about it so you don't piss off diehards like me, and do a little to educate the whole audience.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-24-2011, 04:30 AM:

quote: Carl Martin
so you don't piss off diehards like me

Basically what you're saying is the story, characters, and performances are all secondary to the way the picture is presented. That you can't enjoy a good movie unless you know it's projected through film.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 10-24-2011, 04:58 AM:

If you're worried about what it's going to look like and their reaction, just stick to Blu Ray and say 'In Digital Projection'. People love the DIGITAL word and they will rarely be actually able to complain with any real grounds.

DVD on the other hand...well, you're pushing it on a big screen.

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 10-24-2011, 09:06 AM:

> Basically what you're saying is the story, characters, and performances are all secondary to the way the picture is presented.

No. What is being said is that if you are running video, we can see that at home, and those of us who care about seeing it big, can see it proportionally big at home. We go out to see classic films to experience it as the original audience did, not an electronic reproduction of it.

Look at it this way, how many people would go to art museums if they replaced their oil paintings with actual size photo's of them? It may look the same to many, but not to those who care. It would not be the same experience.

Finally, hiding consumer video behind the word DIGITAL is getting old fast, and trashing the words value for promotion. A patron who sees a crappy DIGITAL presentation will not know or care that it came from a DVD, they will look upon all DIGITAL as crappy, or at least inconsistent in quality. That will not be a good thing.

My favorite way of annoying theatre managers is when they say it is a DIGITAL presentation, I ask "are you streaming this from Netflix?". DIGITAL means nothing, all current consumer video is digital.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-24-2011, 10:09 AM:

quote: Mitchell Dvoskin
We go out to see classic films to experience it as the original audience did, not an electronic reproduction of it.

Of course, the irony of this statement is that, even if you see a 35mm print of a classic movie like The Wizard of Oz or Gone With the Wind today, 99.99% of the time it's not going to be the same experience as the original audience. The print is likely to not be the same kind of film base as the original audience saw, not out of the same kind of projectors, in the same kind of theatre, with the same kind of sound system.

So the question becomes whether it's more important to present classic titles with the best presentation one is possible of, or only presenting these films if one can duplicate the exact experience as the original release. The vast majority of us cannot do the latter, but if we can do the former and do it well, then that is more than merely acceptable.

After all, why do we go out to the movies at all? Why do we not wait for everything to be available on Blu-Ray or Netflix or VOD or HBO or ABC Family? It's because going out to a cinema and experiencing a movie with others is important to us on a social level, and it's important to us to get out of our dwellings from time to time. It's not only about the movie or the way it is presented.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-24-2011, 10:36 AM:

There's also the "size" of the sound in the room. That's something that can never be duplicated at home, unless you happen to have a 3000-square foot room at your house.

And there's also "getting out of the damn house" which can absolutely never be duplicated in the home.

Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 10-24-2011, 07:08 PM:

You got that right Mike. It's the "theatre experience" that can never be duplicated in a house with consumer electronics.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-24-2011, 07:44 PM:

Rightly or wrongly, and regardless of the other virtues of the cinema experience, cinephiles tend to want to see classics in their original format. If you are doing a French New Wave series and the screening format is not 35mm, you will have some very unhappy customers who will not return to your theatre. On the other hand, if you are doing a series of '80s comedies, you might be able to get away with Blu-Ray.

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 10-31-2011, 02:34 PM:

> It's the "theatre experience" that can never be duplicated in a house with consumer electronics.

Yes, the theatre experience of total strangers talking during the movie and lighting up their cell phones while checking text messages is hard to duplicate at home. While we can, at home, duplicate sticky dirty floors to simulate inadequately cleaned floors in many theatres, and run the bulb in our video projectors far beyond their recommended life to simulate the dim picture in some theatres, and of course blow out our speakers so they buzz like some theatres, why would we want to do that?

Yes, there are certainly some well run theatres in every market, but there are also a lot of poorly run theatres that did film done wrong, and now are doing video done wrong.

As too seeing classic films on film, film is part of the "magic" that makes it worth attending for many of us. Some people only care about seeing the movie, and don't care. Some people only want a night out and don't care. Others want to see the movie as close to how it was originally shown as possible. For us, that is the experience. The question for every theatre owner running classic films is whether or not enough people care to make it worth the extra expense and hassle to run on film.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-31-2011, 03:07 PM:

The thing that blows me away about some of the opinions expressed in this thread is they seem to think it comes down to choosing Bluray over 35mm film. That's not the choice at all. The choice is showing something via Bluray or not showing it at all.

If you're such a purist you think a BR presentation is not worthwhile, then stay home. Or maybe alter your expectations a bit: be happy to see a beloved classic on the big screen, and be even happier if it happens to be presented on film. But don't dismiss something other than film as not being worthwhile.

I am trying to give my patrons the opportunity to watch some movies on the big screen. Something which they would not have at all if I did not have the ability to play BR.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 10-31-2011, 05:22 PM:

To be frank, you brought on the opinions by claiming that DCP's weren't discernibly better than Blu-Ray.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-31-2011, 05:40 PM:

Yes Chris, I did mention that after some people started making the media a bigger point than the title. That wasn't the point of this thread to begin with. More to the point, being insistent about 35mm when it isn't even an option is pointless.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-31-2011, 06:12 PM:

quote: Mitchell Dvoskin
While we can, at home, duplicate sticky dirty floors to simulate inadequately cleaned floors in many theatres

Here's another thing that drives me nuts. I can't remember the last time I was in a theatre that had a sticky floor. Yet it's always the first item on anybody's list of all the horrible things about going to the movies.

I'm sure there are sticky-floor theatres out there, but it's not like they are in the majority or even close to it. Cup-holders have done more to alleviate the sticky-floor problem than anything else.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-31-2011, 11:11 PM:

It's what Film-Techers do, Mike. We don't stay on topic, but insert our personal opinions, no matter how far off-base it may be from the original question. We think everyone thinks and acts like us, we ignore facts and observations that do not mesh with our mindset, and we look for and find minor points to argue about if the main thrust of someone's points are inarguable.

I think Justin's got a lot of good suggestions here, and I will gladly talk to him face to face about my personal experiences at next week's NATO product seminar, because that is what I think Film-Techers should be doing: supporting our own.

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 10-31-2011, 11:24 PM:

quote: Justin Hamaker
If you're such a purist you think a BR presentation is not worthwhile, then stay home.

Unless you advertise that you are presenting BluRay, your patrons won't have the information needed to make that choice until they have bought their tickets and the movie has started. And some of them might have driven from far away.

I recommended that you make this clear several posts back and you were dismissive.

quote: Justin Hamaker
Most moviegoers won't notice.

If you are showing BluRay, you are showing the exact same thing I could watch at home in 2 days if I bump it to the top of my Netflix queue.

Project whatever you want. Project VHS for all I care. But not being upfront about it is deceitful and dishonest, in my opinion.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-31-2011, 11:56 PM:

My main objection to advertising the media used for the presentation is that it could creates confusion for the customers. Customers are not going to know what DCP means or how it's different from DVD. If we hype BR, then we run the risk of making consumers think it's something better than what we normally run. If we point out that it is not a 35mm presentation, then we undermine our digital brand.

My opinion is the onus is on the cinephile to do his research if the method of projection is a make or break issue - especially if he's driving over 100 miles to see the movie. And even more so if the theatre is not promoting a specific presentation. As I've said over and over, my feeling is that it's about the event and the movie, not the method of presentation.

To be fair, I will say that in the past we have done some private events using consumer grade digital projector. Mostly to run Schindler's List for high school history classes. While the presentation was adequate, it was far short of anything I would want to use for an advertised event. The first few years we did this showing it was on VHS because there was no DVD available. Later we ran on DVD and there was a noticeable improvement. Just for grins, I would like to do a side by side with the original VHS presentation and a BluRay through our dcinema projector.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 11-01-2011, 01:45 AM:

New month. Time for my stupid question.
Some Fathom events are played from a DVR into the digital cinema projector. Is this really any different from playing a Blu Ray?

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 11-01-2011, 09:08 AM:

> Some Fathom events are played from a DVR into the digital
> cinema projector. Is this really any different from playing a
> Blu Ray?

As I understand it, and I may be wrong, Fathom events are at Bluray 1080p resolution.

> I can't remember the last time I was in a theatre that had a
> sticky floor.

Mike, you clearly don't go to the movie in northern New Jersey.

> If we hype BR, then we run the risk of making consumers think
> it's something better than what we normally run.

And if you don't, when you run a less than well mastered BR, your consumers will think all digital video has compression artifacts are less than perfect focus.

> If we point out that it is not a 35mm presentation, then we
> undermine our digital brand.

You have already undermined your "digital brand" by running Bluray. At least if you advertised what you are running, people would learn to differentiate between the different types of video.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 11-01-2011, 10:56 AM:

For the record, 1080p is used far more than just on Blu-Ray.

I'd also like to thank Mitchell for proving my point.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 11-01-2011, 11:45 AM:

quote: Justin Hamaker
Customers are not going to know what DCP means or how it's different from DVD.

No one was suggesting you advertise it as DCP.

You can easily advertise your presentations as being on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital Cinema. Most of your customers will immediately understand that those are different. And the few who don't will simply ask you what the difference is. You've given the information that at least some of your customers want while not soiling your digital reputation.

And I agree with the earlier comment that not advertising this can soil the reputation since they'll think the rest of your digital shows are of equal quality. Or if they saw a previous show then came to a DVD/Blu-Ray show, they could see your quality of presentations having dropped and decide next time to try someplace else.

Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 11-01-2011, 02:38 PM:

quote: Justin Hamaker
The thing that blows me away about some of the opinions expressed in this thread is they seem to think it comes down to choosing Bluray over 35mm film. That's not the choice at all. The choice is showing something via Bluray or not showing it at all.

Justin:
Are you saying that when the digital conversion is completed you believe distributors are going to destroy the thousands of classic 35mm prints they now have in storage?

Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 11-01-2011, 02:59 PM:

If you run a summer series of children's shows now you have to book them and then get either a DVD or BluRay to show them with. The film companies are not shipping prints for repertory, at least not to small outfits.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 11-01-2011, 03:16 PM:

quote: Robert E. Allen
Are you saying that when the digital conversion is completed you believe distributors are going to destroy the thousands of classic 35mm prints they now have in storage?

No, what I'm saying is my theatre no longer has 35mm equipment installed so a 35mm presentation is not an option. I was speaking about my location only.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 11-01-2011, 03:32 PM:

Some are already getting very tight with them and are pushing BluRay REAL hard. Not just with the classics. One distributor is not even keeping year old 35mm in distribution. And we can be pretty sure they are not going to strike new prints of older films, classic or not. As they don't keep their 35mm catalogs up to date, I don't have lots of hope for them making DCP's of their more obscure titles.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 11-01-2011, 04:32 PM:

I would not have agreed with this notion a few years ago...but in some cases, the Blurays are better than the (available) 35mm prints. And, yes, that includes Black-and-White.

That's right. I said it out loud!

I'm seeing a lot of trashed 35mm prints of repertory titles. One can only wonder how long the studios will want to pay to keep storing those prints.

Just last week, I had to repair sprockets about once per foot for over 100 feet. Another recent reel (not the same film) had a section containing over a dozen splices in about 50 feet. Still another reel was clearly missing footage from the start of Reel-3. And then there are issues of faded color...and the dirt and scratches, crescendo-ing into the parade of changeover cues. (Just one of the reasons why those pesky grease-pencil cues are necessary.)

I'll never understand the so-called "purists" (aka "film huggers") who claim to actually prefer seeing these defects. [Roll Eyes]

So much for what the filmmakers intended.

If you are still running film -- and you're lucky enough to get your hand on a good print -- then, by all means, roll with film.

But, yeah... Good luck with that! [Wink]

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 11-04-2011, 08:41 AM:

This list might be helpful. Movie Tavern polled the customers of its Retro series for the movies they most wanted to see for the remainder of this year. These are their top ten:

Batman (Michael Keaton)
Big Trouble in Little China
Casablanca
Shawshank Redemption
Stripes
Backdraft
Fletch
Tron (original)
This is Spinal Tap
The Wizard of Oz

They also indicate Neverending Story will be shown.

(Note: Movie Tavern is 100% digital so film prints aren't an issue.)

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 11-25-2011, 06:33 PM:

quote: Justin Hamaker
I ran Avatar on Blu-Ray a few nights ago. There is absolutely no apparent difference between the Blu-Ray and our regular DCI movies. Granted, Avatar is probably not the best movie to use for this test, but the point still stands.

This speaks more to your lack of qualifications. If you can't tell the difference between color representation and compression artifacts that are clearly visible (like cue marks in film...once you see them, you will always see them but if you haven't seen them, you won't believe that they have always been there).

Running BluRays (or worse) DVDs lowers our industry standards and reduces the distinction between the cinema experience and the home to just the crowd.

Just who should be the judge on what is "good enough" in a professional environment? The consumer should NOT have to know the technicalities but the customer should reasonably expect that the most professional show possible is used. BluRays and DVDs though convenient, are not professional formats. They truly represent what the customer can obtain at home (sans the theatre itself). I don't discount their use of these formats completely but our industry should be forced to provide professional formats of all titles licensed for presentation. That is, strike a print, make a DCP or even an HDCAM-SR (or even D5).

-Steve

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 11-25-2011, 08:47 PM:

Can I just bring this back to the point that I am not considering using Blu-Ray for any normal presentation. I would only be using Blu-Ray for something special where my choices are playing Blu-Ray or playing nothing at all.

Maybe I don't see the things you're talking about because my eye isn't trained to see them. I never missed a cue mark, cap code, or a splice; but that was because I knew what I was seeing and so my mind registered it. For as seldom as I might be running something on Blu-Ray, I'm happy to not have my eye trained to pick-up "flaws" or "defects". That way I can actually enjoy the show without being "aware" of the presentation.

One other point that I had not thought of until you pointed it out is that I am able to loose myself in a digital presentation much easier than I can with a film presentation. With film I was always aware of splices, cue marks, cap code, poorly filed aperture plates, poorly hung masking, flickering lamps, projector "chatter", and all the other distracting issues. I have yet to see a digital presentation where I was distracted by any of these technical issues.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-26-2011, 08:42 PM:

quote: Steve Guttag
our industry should be forced to provide professional formats of all titles licensed for presentation.

I totally agree. But how can we get the studios to DCP-ize (or make occasional new prints of) their classic properties?

And in the case of Disney, how can we even get them to ALLOW the use of their older properties?

Seems like the studios are leaving a lot of money on the table.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 11-26-2011, 08:54 PM:

I would love to sit in a board meeting with Disney and bring that up. Whether it's a DCP drive or licensing a Blu-Ray presentation, it's an additional revenue stream with virtually no work or expense on their end.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-26-2011, 10:15 PM:

The rationalization when they stopped licensing older titles was, they didn't want their old product competing with their new product. As if people only go to one movie at a time.

Posted by Tony L. Hernandez (Member # 3524) on 11-26-2011, 10:51 PM:

Well, you really have to advertise what you are screening your classic/specialty films on. It's just a win win for you and the customer.
1. There are folks that feel digital anything is better; these folks will be overjoyed and most likely to come to your screening.
2. There are true cinephiles that feel that film is the only way to see a classic. Many of these cinephiles are willing to drive a long distance (I had one travel 145 miles to one of my classic screenings) to see their favorite classic on film but are leery of doing so if not advertised since many classic screenings are on DVD/Blu-Ray. If you say it is film, this will encourage them to come while if you say digital, you leave the final decision up to them and give them no room to be pissed off at you if they still choose to come.
3. The rest of the average joes could not care less what it is shown on so weather you advertise a new, 70mm print or a DVD, they will still come and have the same experience in the end.

My arthouse is a calendar film series and at the bottom of the listing of each movie, we state the country of origin, release year, aspect ratio AND the format ( 16mm, 35mm, DCP, DVD, Blu-Ray,Beta-cam,etc). This clears everything up nice n' early and keeps us from having customers unhappy with the surprise 10min to showtime.
I also strongly disagree that saying "digital presentation" in your advertising degrades digital...it is simply stating the facts. If I write you a simple line about my home saying that "my basement has avacado green shag carpet", I am neither touting it as "a beautiful room with a delightful retro feel" nor am I degrading it by saying "it is an outdated dungeon that desperately needs improvement". I am simply stating a naked fact and allowing YOU to decide weather or not you like the facts; with as many tastes as there are in the world, everyone has their own opinion and must draw their own conclusion based on the facts present.

Digital for classics never goes at my Arthouse. It is a community of cinephiles who prefer film and given the fact that I visit with almost each and every customer at 75% of my shows, I know them all too well to ever try pulling the wool over their eyes by "sneaking" an unannounced digital show in. We have had issues with prints getting lost in shipping, in most cases we are able to scare up a digital back up. When this happens and we end up switching a film advertised as 16/35mm to digital, we discount the tickets, put a breaking news headline on our website/phone announcement and warn them before they go in.

With the exception of classic foreign and arthouse films, which usually range from fair to abysmal in condition, I have actually had really good luck with my classic prints. Everything I have gotten from Criterion (Fox Classics), Universal Classics and Janus in the past two years has been great. The prints are almost brand new and have little to no wear and absolutely no damage. Criterion does not seem to be quite as strict as Universal and Janus (heads and tails can be cut, no threatening notes in cans, etc) but to date, I have not had any serious issues with their stuff. Even the 16mm prints I get from them are very old but in excellent condition. I heard a rumor that they just discontinued ther 16mm library so that may be a moot point now.
The Japan Foundation is also slowly but surly striking new 16 AND 35mm prints of their stuff. Just ran "A Woman's Testament" (1960) and "The Woman who Touched Legs" (1960) from their archive and discovered these to be excellent prints, both in lab work (very beautiful color) and condition. They were both struck within the last year.

I am not totally against DVDs and Blu-Ray classics screenings. It has been a godsend allowing your average, first run theater to offer classics for the first time ever since most of these theaters are not set up with adequate staffing, facilities or equipment to use archival prints. These theaters also do not have the contacts or prestige to allow archives to rent to them. In this case, as Justin said, it comes down to "show on Blu-Ray or not at all". For this, I am forever grateful to these versatile digital formats because they allow our classics to hit more screens, more often.
Furthermore, while there are plenty of fair to beautiful prints of classics, there are just as many, if not more, that have no prints available. In this case, this leaves digital (in any format) the best option for specialty and average theaters alike since it is better to show it in some form than not at all.

That said if you have a specialty venue with a dual-projector booth, experienced and full-time operators and ties to archives and the classic departments of the major studios, you have no excuse to bastardize a classic by showing a DVD/Blu-Ray. You can be ashamed of yourself if you do not at least try to get a 16/35/70mm print and you can consider yourself a crook if you do not warn your audience. Remember, specialty venues cater to specialty people, not your average, oblivious to everything Joe. If you cannot at least try to understand them and their desire for quality arts (yes, film is strongly considered an art), you'd best take your time and energy elsewhere.
I personally will not attend a classic screening on digital although I will make an exception if it is one of my favorite movies AND the theater is within 20 miles of my house. Since I have a thing for technicolor musicals, anything Astair/Rogers and specifically "White Christmas", seeing these on "the big screen" with the "big sound" and theater setting will allow me to temporarily forgive the digital presentation for a few select titles. However, you'd best warn me of this before I go out of my way to your theater.

GEOFF: was your "Jaws" disappointment,by any chance, at The Rialto Theater in Loveland, Colorado?

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 11-27-2011, 09:31 AM:

It's almost as if people are completely ignoring the fact that Justin has said two or three times that his only options are show the titles in question on Blu-Ray or not show them at all...

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 11-27-2011, 12:47 PM:

If one is set up to run classics on film, you'd be amazed at what is available. I've seen within the last 12-months JAWS on film that was in near mint condition. No, that sort of print is not going to be available to a "platter" house or even any old 2-projector with inexperience people running the equipment and equipment that isn't really up to keeping the print in good condition.

So yes, I can see where a venue like Justin's (typical cinema) will have no options but run a BluRay (if a DCP is not made available). However, it is a cheapening of the cinema experience that I don't like...it is an arbitrary lowering of standards to suit convenience. It is better to have a theatre in the area that caters to that sort of thing present a classic that is no longer available to 1st run and will present it in a manner that maximizes its enjoyment. If it is just about seeing the movie, then the BluRay was also available to the patron for their home pleasure.

Note, I'm personally more tolerant of seasonal presentations where it truly is the communal experience and it would be impractical for a studio to strike many prints for a one day event...for instance, if a theatre wanted to run a John Carpenter Holloween "scare fest". For something like that, people are not coming for the presentation, per say. Conversely, if a theatre was running a John Carpenter retrospective series, then yes, I would expect that 35mm prints were used or possibly DCPs (particularly if they are 4K resolution or above).

The "better than nothing" excuse doesn't fly. It is better than nothing at YOUR theatre, not everywhere.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 11-27-2011, 07:28 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
The rationalization when they stopped licensing older titles was, they didn't want their old product competing with their new product. As if people only go to one movie at a time.

Then why don't they remove all their old product from the DVD store shelves when they release a new title?

I'm not sure why they do what they do, but it's always been a silly model and without any obvious logic.

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 11-27-2011, 08:43 PM:

quote: Tony L. Hernandez
GEOFF: was your "Jaws" disappointment,by any chance, at The Rialto Theater in Loveland, Colorado?

Nope, it was at the Cameo Cinema in St. Helena, Ca, in 2008.

Tony, are you claiming that you work at a cinema somewhere near Windsor, Colorado that shows older films in 35mm???? What's the name? Got a link?

Geoff

Posted by Tony L. Hernandez (Member # 3524) on 11-27-2011, 09:39 PM:

Yes, Geoff, I do, although it's closer to you than it is to me...I'm a commuter.
It's the International Film Series in the Muenzinger Theater-Boulder,co. www.internationalfilmseries.com
I'd say about 95% of the classic stuff we show is 35mm, 4% 16mm & 1% (or less) is digital. We are a dual-projector booth. Again, it is a calendar film series and although we cater to newer arthouse/documentary/foreign fair, we usually screen at least 1 classic per week. Most of what we get is the really nice archival stuff...some of it is also quite rare; just last week we ran several Masumura films, stright out of an archive in Japan. None of the titles can be purchased on any past or present consumer format and a few had never even screened in the U.S.!

The Esquire Theater (Landmark Theaters) in Denver (Cap Hill neighborhood) also screens classics, albeit usually 1970-1990s fair on 35mm at midnight every Friday and Saturday. That series is programmed by a nice youger guy named Matt Morris who is a true cinephile and excellent projectionist. They are a platter house, so they rarely get the pristine archival prints, but they are the one platter house I would trust my nice prints with, given Matt's attention to detail.

If you are interested in venues screening classics in 16mm or digital, PM me and I will send a list of those. We are also hoping to start screening classics at our drive in in Commerce City at the end of our seasons...we have a great booth that is still dual projector (with a platter, when we need it) and I would be the one running the stuff so now we just need to get through the red tape.

The reason I asked about The Rialto is because I am one of the volunteer projectionists there on the very rare occasion they decide to run film. They have a beautiful booth with dual projector 35mm and 16mm and it is equipped with everything any operator could ever want. Unfortunately, the upper management feels that DVD is the best thing on earth and screen their films that way whenever possible. They will not even upgrade to Blu-Ray or proper Digital Cinema since they think DVDs are so great. Keep in mind that it is entirely a volunteer operation and all aspects of their film projection would be taken care of by myself or one of 2 other experienced operators, free of charge...go figure! Ironically, they ran "Jaws" off DVD about a year ago while a pristine 35mm print sat in the manager's office!

John W., I also cannot understand what Disney's problem is. Most other major studios are thrilled to reap profits by screening their older titles. Disney is also a nightmare in a number of other booking matters but I digress...
It even took them forever just to release the lovely classic short "Donald in Mathmagic Land" on consumer DVD and this was only after damned near every k-12 teacher on the continent bitched and moaned at them for over a decade, because their 50 year old 16mm prints were about to bite the dust.
Since I have so rarely run Disney in my life, I was searching though my memory and I can remember running "The Little Mermaid" and "The Shaggy Dog" (1959) back in 2002 on 16mm via Swank prints in a 2,000 seat theater as well as a 16mm Swank print of "Finding Nemo" in a 400 seat theater some 4 years ago. I wonder why these exceptions were made??? I know that the Swank stuff is considered "Non-Theatrical" but I think anyone with a brain can tell you that anything run (especially these days) in 16 or 35mm wil be in something of a theatrical atmosphere...hmmmmm.

Posted by Eric Robinson (Member # 2966) on 11-27-2011, 09:47 PM:

I'm a film hugger. I like to see the film jump when a splice goes through. I like the reel change cues. I don't like the extremely smooth look of digital, nor the sharp focus on the pixel edges (I'm talking about 2K.) At some point though, in either format, I do loose myself in the film rather than the presentation unless there is an obviously horrible presentation flaw.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 11-28-2011, 11:05 PM:

Steve, I believe Justin is speaking solely for himself and his theatre. Actually, I don't believe it. I know it, since I've had this conversation with him in person in the past two weeks.

Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 02-01-2013, 08:59 PM:

It has been 430 days since the last post.

Posted by Randy Riddle (Member # 3989) on 02-01-2013, 08:59 PM:

I know this is an older thread, but I'll offer up a few thoughts based on my experience as an avid movie goer and someone that's closely watched the history of the business.

I think the key to running older titles successfully is to closely look at the market in your specific location. And I think it's important to think of the movie-going experience as something social.

With the advent of home video, streaming movies and nice home theaters, we can really get pretty much any catalogue titles we want. What seems to motivate people to turn out for older titles is the opportunity to see a film with friends.

The Carolina Theater in Durham has done this pretty successfully. Durham, NC is in the Triangle area of our state with three big universities. Their usual fare includes the latest art-hous flicks, but they run different series throughout the year to appeal to different parts of the market.

To appeal to the university faculty crowd, they've run things like the Chaplin or Kurosawa retrospectives in recent years. To appeal to the "geek" crowd, they run series of 70s and 80s blockbusters that include titles like "The Goonies", "Flash Gordon" or horror flicks from the period. And they host a gay and lesbian film fest each year.

If I wanted to go for older crowds, I might think about different segments of the market and the kind of "movie night out" that would be enjoyable to them. For example, how about a series of "rock and roll" movies advertised through groups, like classic car clubs, that appeal to baby boomers. In the south, where Westerns were always big, a series of these pics might work well, especially if you worked in things that show off the big screen format.

If you're in a university town, see if there's a group of Anime enthusiasts at your local university - working with them, you might do a series of anime and Japanese kung fu and samurai flicks. If you've got a strong gay and lesbian community, think about a series of movies like "My Own Private Idaho", "Priscilla Queen of the Desert", "Can't Stop the Music", "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and John Waters flicks, all favorites that the community can support through word of mouth.

What I'm finding in my own movie going habits is that I'm more likely to turn out for older movies if it's something I can enjoy with friends that have similar interests - revisiting an old favorite or seeing something a little rarer that we can talk about over dinner.

It's a little more work than just running the same classics, like "Casablanca", and aiming for a general audience that keep turning up, but you'd be taking advantage of the built-in fan base there is out there for specific genres or types of films.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 02-03-2013, 03:56 AM:

quote: Tony L. Hernandez
There are true cinephiles that feel that film is the only way to see a classic.

Bull. Shit.

They aren't TRUE cinephiles. All this means is that they have fetishized "celluloid" but that's about it.

The medium is not the message.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 02-03-2013, 10:41 AM:

Manny...you equate what you see as what EVERYONE sees and it isn't the case. There are MANY times I'll take a film show over a digital one...especially a 2K digital. It all depends on the print, the equipment and the presentation.

I do agree, it isn't the medium but there are film prints that digital do not either exist or equal in quality. Again, I know that I perfer many film shows over digital...especially of classic titles where the film print, though possibly worn, will likely have better resolution, better contrast...etc. It all depends on what print and a lot of the old title prints I see are pretty darn good. That, unfortunately does not apply to all venues though.

Posted by Robert Crabtree (Member # 4795) on 06-11-2013, 03:09 AM:

Thought I'd give this thread a bump as I've just noticed my local Movie Palace from the roaring 20s, Tampa Theatre, is running an awesome classics series- Jaws! From Russia With Love! American Graffiti! Forbidden Planet! Last two of the series- Gone With The Wind and Casablanca. It may be digital, but I'll take it. Now I just have to get off work for a few Sundays....

And for those that care...yes, there is a Wurlitzer : )

Tampa Summer Classics Schedule

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 06-11-2013, 12:53 PM:

> There are true cinephiles that feel that film is the only way to see a classic.

It's not so much that "film" is the only way to see a classic, but more a matter of wanting to experience a movie the way it was originally show. Honestly, we can all stay home and watch Blurays if just seeing the movie is what motivates us. When we go out to a "classic" film, we want to relive the way the original audiences saw it.

I am not particular anti-digital. In fact, around northern New Jersey, digital is a big improvement at most of the commercial venues. In addition, I would much rather watch a digital presentation than a faded/scratched/splicy film print. That being said however, I generally do not go out of my way to see classic films digitally projected.