Hello all:
I started a Substack page back in March as a place to express (read: vent) my thoughts on a wide variety of matters in the world of movies. The focus is on filmmaking, but also touches on projection, with side glances at The Beatles and growing up in New Orleans.
Although there is a paid subscription level, there is no paywall for anything. Indeed, the primary benefit of a free subscription is the notification of that week's posting. I alternate between writings on the 1st and 15th of every month, and podcast interviews on the 8th and 22nd.
Speaking of podcasts…today’s is the first of two parts with my old projectionist buddy Paul Rayton. To those of you who don’t know Paul, he’s been working in booths since the early Sixties, and for 20 years was the head projectionist at the American Cinematheque and their Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.
In addition to overall memories of Paul’s from 65 years behind the projector, I’m also posting today an “extra credit” podcast chat with Paul that goes into very geeky projection minutiae that might scare away non-projection-centric listeners. This one covers carbon arc and nitrate projection, among other nerdy topics.
I have previously been focusing the podcast chats with friends in filmmaking but outside my immediate realm of film sound: Among the first victims were buddies of mine who know film timing (Dana Ross) and digital timing (Jan Yarbrough) as well as anyone.
I recently wrapped up an eleven-part series called “The History of Photochemicalphilia” in which I deal with what I think is the “unnatural” and unwarranted attention paid to shooting and projecting on film, compared to today’s digital offerings. In the first nine parts I went through a comprehensive look at history of widescreen systems—focusing on VistaVision and Todd-AO/post-Star Wars resurrection—and then transitioned into the use of them (and IMAX) in both shooting and projection today. Movies covered in detail include 2001: A Space Odyssey (and Christopher Nolan’s ridiculous “unrestored” presentation), The Master, Samsara, The Hateful Eight, Oppenheimer, The Brutalist, Sinners, One Battle After Another, and finally, The Odyssey. The latter is discussed in detail in the last two parts.
Here’s the link to the last post about my seeing The Odyssey five times, three on film (35mm, 70mm 5-perf, and IMAX 70mm) and twice on digital (Dolby CInema and standard IMAX).
https://larryblake.substack.com/p/th...icalphilia-b5f
Of course, starting earlier in the series would give you the history and context leading up to it. Here’s a link to the whole series:
https://larryblake.substack.com/t/th...chemicalphilia
Would love to hear any comments from anyone. Most importantly, while I know there will be disagreements, please let me know of any errors of fact or context. I’ve been v. diligent in my research, so I hope there are none.
my best from New Orleans,
Larry Blake
I started a Substack page back in March as a place to express (read: vent) my thoughts on a wide variety of matters in the world of movies. The focus is on filmmaking, but also touches on projection, with side glances at The Beatles and growing up in New Orleans.
Although there is a paid subscription level, there is no paywall for anything. Indeed, the primary benefit of a free subscription is the notification of that week's posting. I alternate between writings on the 1st and 15th of every month, and podcast interviews on the 8th and 22nd.
Speaking of podcasts…today’s is the first of two parts with my old projectionist buddy Paul Rayton. To those of you who don’t know Paul, he’s been working in booths since the early Sixties, and for 20 years was the head projectionist at the American Cinematheque and their Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.
In addition to overall memories of Paul’s from 65 years behind the projector, I’m also posting today an “extra credit” podcast chat with Paul that goes into very geeky projection minutiae that might scare away non-projection-centric listeners. This one covers carbon arc and nitrate projection, among other nerdy topics.
I have previously been focusing the podcast chats with friends in filmmaking but outside my immediate realm of film sound: Among the first victims were buddies of mine who know film timing (Dana Ross) and digital timing (Jan Yarbrough) as well as anyone.
I recently wrapped up an eleven-part series called “The History of Photochemicalphilia” in which I deal with what I think is the “unnatural” and unwarranted attention paid to shooting and projecting on film, compared to today’s digital offerings. In the first nine parts I went through a comprehensive look at history of widescreen systems—focusing on VistaVision and Todd-AO/post-Star Wars resurrection—and then transitioned into the use of them (and IMAX) in both shooting and projection today. Movies covered in detail include 2001: A Space Odyssey (and Christopher Nolan’s ridiculous “unrestored” presentation), The Master, Samsara, The Hateful Eight, Oppenheimer, The Brutalist, Sinners, One Battle After Another, and finally, The Odyssey. The latter is discussed in detail in the last two parts.
Here’s the link to the last post about my seeing The Odyssey five times, three on film (35mm, 70mm 5-perf, and IMAX 70mm) and twice on digital (Dolby CInema and standard IMAX).
https://larryblake.substack.com/p/th...icalphilia-b5f
Of course, starting earlier in the series would give you the history and context leading up to it. Here’s a link to the whole series:
https://larryblake.substack.com/t/th...chemicalphilia
Would love to hear any comments from anyone. Most importantly, while I know there will be disagreements, please let me know of any errors of fact or context. I’ve been v. diligent in my research, so I hope there are none.
my best from New Orleans,
Larry Blake