Film to be gone from US theatres in 2013

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Film to be gone from US theatres in 2013

Post by James » June 11th, 2012, 11:32 am

End of an era?

http://www.deadline.com/2012/06/studios ... 13-report/
Time is running out for theaters that haven’t made the switch to digital projection. Studios’ use of conventional 35 mm prints “is projected to cease in the United States and other major markets by the end of next year, with global cutoff likely to happen by the end of 2015,” according to the latest IHS Screen Digest Cinema Intelligence Service report...

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Re: Film to be gone from US theatres in 2013

Post by LotsoA113 » June 11th, 2012, 11:49 am

Sad, but the time has come I guess. For my generation, digital projectors are just easier. Having used many of hte digital projectors, it's as simple as adjusting an iTunes playlist to play movies and movie previews themselves come on flash drives! While I personally believe 35mm film delivers better quality picture, it might be time to let Digital at least be used in the majority of theatres...though Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg will probably have their 35mm prints dragged from their cold dead hands... :)
I love all things cinema, from silent movies to world cinema to animated cinema to big blockbusters to documentaries and everything in between!

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Re: Film to be gone from US theatres in 2013

Post by GeorgeC » June 18th, 2012, 1:03 pm

Lotso,

Spielberg and Lucas DON'T CARE if 35mm film goes the way of the dodo!

The film studios and biggest names in entertainment generally WANT 35mm film to die out. It's far cheaper NOT having to develop all that film footage at a film lab and much more convenient not having to worry about all those reels of film. A digital cassette is easier to keep track and store than a reel that's at least the diameter of a 12" record and weighs several times as much! (As owner of several hundred laser discs, you begin to appreciate size in media...!)

The idea that most of these guys are artists is a joke... They're businessmen. The last time they made films that weren't a joke was probably around 20 years ago (Spielberg) and longer (Lucas). They are making films to support the lifestyle they've become accustomed to and also to keep their businesses going otherwise they would have retired a LONG time ago... They don't care whether their latest works are art or not! (In fact, Spielberg has gone out of his way his entire career to avoid putting ANY of HIS money at risk in major productions. Lucas, wanting to control and micro-manage all aspects of his films, HAS put his own money into his films since The Empire Strikes Back. I believe he had to buy back at least part of Star Wars to control the footage. Since Day One, he's had control over the merchandizing rights for the Star Wars series which has made him billions more than the ticket sales AND video releases put together! Again, not art -- commerce!)

Now, just because 35mm film will not be in mass-production much longer doesn't mean it won't still be around. In addition to a few indie rebels, there will probably be production overseas that still uses 35mm film as well as professional photographers. They will just have to set up their own labs and process their own film like many already do.

Existing 35mm film reels also aren't going away. Right now, most of the classics are stored in temperature-controlled mines. (Usually salt mines.) Those that haven't been already are in the process of being scanned hi-res at 2k or 4k resolution for preservation and future theatrical and home video re-releases. With all those releases, it will take a LONG time to digitally convert many films. Even then, there aren't plans to throw away or sell these collections so long as megacorporations see the re-sell value in the them.

The real danger with the loss of regular 35mm (mass) film production is the loss of knowledge that happens when a technology becomes archaic/obsolete. The brain drain is already happening... The only reason a couple of films have been successfully restored from the brink is because of obsessive film fans and chemists who bothered to research vintage film stocks otherwise there'd be a number of very famous films that would have vanished in the last 20-30 years. As it stands now, there are dozens of films that are still in danger of vanishing because of neglect due to political correctness (which I could get into a long diatribe about) and the fact that the powers-that-be don't see a value in re-releasing/taking care of these properties.

(>SIGH< Case in point -- The Tex Avery MGM animated shorts. Still no DVD or Blu ray collection. It's been 20 years since the big laserdisc collection was released!)

That last part is why I think the copyrights should be invalidated on a bunch of film and TV properties and independents/companies who DO care about these films and TV series should be allowed to care for and market them! The megacompanies of today don't care about taking care of films unless it's a property they can turn around quickly and make money off of! In the meantime, there are a bunch of films in storage that are turning into goop as we speak.

Some of that film footage has historic and legal importance far beyond any fiction...

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Re: Film to be gone from US theatres in 2013

Post by LotsoA113 » June 18th, 2012, 2:40 pm

Agree on the idea of George not longer being an artist, but c'mon man...the double whammy of Tintin and War Horse proves the guy still has it. Though you ARE right in terms of him never spending his own money. One of my favorite Hollywood-centered books entitled The Men Who Would Be Kings details the origins of DreamWorks notes, when times got rough economically, Steven was nowhere to be found. Certainly odd :?

Anyway, back to our regularly scheaduled topic, only digital prints is going to be interesting, especially since I just discovered that the great Quentin Tarantino will quite movies once film is stopped. Say it ain't so!!!! (though if we go out on Django Unchained, there are worse things to end on...)
I love all things cinema, from silent movies to world cinema to animated cinema to big blockbusters to documentaries and everything in between!

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Re: Film to be gone from US theatres in 2013

Post by Ben » June 21st, 2012, 1:59 pm

When Elstree Film Studios - where Spielberg and Lucas had made (deep breath) Star Wars, Empire, Raiders, Jedi, Temple Of Doom, Young Sherlock, Roger Rabbit, Willow, Labyrinth, Empire Of The Sun, Last Crusade and probably one or two more that I can't think of - was in the doldrums and threatened with being closed down, they each signed letters of support to a local SOS: Save Our Studios campaign that residents petitioned for...but they never looked at providing the funds (small change to them) that would have saved the place instantly.

This was the place that so many of their most successful films had been based and shot at, but they never blinked once at putting their own money in. Elstree could have become Amblin Europe, or LucasFilm London, or something like that, or as a joint venture it would have halved their investments even more. But they just signed a letter of support and left it to the locals to save the place (which we did and, when it reopened, Private Ryan and the Star Wars prequels spent some time here). We even named a stage after Lucas.

In the meantime, the Scott brothers joined up to merge Pinewood and Shepperton, and Warners have developed the Leavesden site around 15 minutes from Elstree into a world class studio. It's a shame Lucas/Spielberg didn't see ahead then: even though it may have meant a bit of their own cash upfront, they'd be coining it in now since Phantom Menace could have been at Elstree and the whole Harry Potter phenomenon might have been shot here instead of up the road!


Money, basically, drives the movie industry, but the trick is to balance art and commerce. I think Lucas sold out years ago (Ewok toys in Jedi was the beginning) but Spielberg still knows how to make a great film...even if they are Oscar bait and/or intended blockbusters.

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Re: Film to be gone from US theatres in 2013

Post by Macaluso » June 22nd, 2012, 6:37 am

who cares get with the times grandpas!

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Re: Film to be gone from US theatres in 2013

Post by laughingoctopus » June 22nd, 2012, 7:18 pm

Macaluso wrote:who cares get with the times grandpas!
While this is far from how I would have worded it (between this and your random unpunctuated "superman sucks" post, I'm convinced you are either ten years old or acting like a ten year old for some reason), I think there is nothing wrong with moving forward with a cheaper, easier, way to project films.

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Re: Film to be gone from US theatres in 2013

Post by James » June 22nd, 2012, 8:21 pm

Mac has a gift of cutting straight to the heart of the matter in a lot less words than anyone else!

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Re: Film to be gone from US theatres in 2013

Post by Macaluso » June 22nd, 2012, 8:35 pm

^word

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Re: Film to be gone from US theatres in 2013

Post by Dan » June 23rd, 2012, 1:01 am

Spielberg and Tarantino are the only ones I know of who use film any more.

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Re: Film to be gone from US theatres in 2013

Post by MrsTashlin » July 17th, 2012, 8:46 pm

I know the theatre in my little burg has went digital

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