"Club Penton" - Ask questions to Hollywood insider "Penton-Man"

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

- not that Dorna would let such a "problem" last very long.

DORNA should never have reduced displacement from 990cc. A mistake.

When the "green" bikes began arriving, I saw this coming a mile away. It should have been time tabled from the start (all the classes).

Moto GP 990cc (1,000) by 2004
Moto 2 500cc/2cylndr by 200?
Moto 1 250cc/1cylnr by 201?

Ban launch control
Ban traction control
Ban wheelie control

Two-strokes were banned because of a "lack of relevance" LOL

Now the GP world is crying because of the economic down-turn. Gosh, maybe a two-stroke engine that costs half as much, makes double the HP, and can be rebuilt trackside, as opposed to being air-freighted to/from the factory isnt a bad idea.

I am a very Green minded person in my actions. (Wish I had the cash for a Tesla roadster ). The move to four strokes in Moto GP Didnt help the planet/atmosphere. It didnt help the sport. It helped Hondas image.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

I figured the limited budget anyone would be willing to throw at a support-class effort would keep the engine-potential of the class in check.
.

Actually, it would not. Simply limiting displacement is not enough. A team building 500cc 2 cylinder engines for budget reasons will be forced to re-evaluate their stradegy (and budget) after being beaten by a team building 500cc 4 cylinder engines. Winners want to win. Winners will find the money. The others will be forced to follow or perish.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

My goodness, are the Lake Forrest folk promoting the idea that they have produced a codec to distribute “4k quality” motion pictures (of at least 2 hr. in length) on a DVD?

That's a good one!

Actually, no it's not. It's just... dumb.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

DORNA should never have reduced displacement from 990cc. A mistake.

Yep. One we could've shown them before it left the first meeting.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Actually, it would not. Simply limiting displacement is not enough.

Of course. I didn't mean literally only that one regulation; I just meant that I favor rules sets which allow a plurality of engine configurations to be explored.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

. I figured the limited budget anyone would be willing to throw at a support-class effort would keep the engine-potential of the class in check.
.

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

Of course. I didn't mean literally only that one regulation; I just meant that I favor rules sets which allow a plurality of engine configurations to be explored.

Then your bolded statement does not make sense. You cant expect the teams to self regulate. Its competition. There will always be someone willing to spend more than the other guy.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Then your bolded statement does not make sense. You cant expect the teams to self regulate. Its competition. There will always be someone willing to spend more than the other guy.

Then how do you explain the current regulations which do allow for a plurality of engine configurations?

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

Then how do you explain the current regulations which do allow for a plurality of engine configurations?

One of us is misunderstanding the other one. We should probably take the conversation back to Blu-ray anyway.

[Bobby Henderson]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

Have you even been reading my replies? You're continuing to misunderstand me. I know *full well* that 70mm hasn't been supported. And that fact forms the very basis of my point!

You're guessing audiences will pick 3D over 70mm. My contention is audiences wouldn't be able to pick one over the other at all since they wouldn't know 70mm if 70mm sneaked up behind them and pounded them on the head with a shovel. They don't know what it is and Hollywood has never made a credible effort to help them understand what it is. That isn't a fault of 70mm technology. That's a fault of poor communication on the part of Hollywood studios.

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

Please forget I ever used the word "mall". I was trying to identify pre-stadium small-auditorium multiplexes, of which there are many still in service.

The majority of first run theaters currently in operation the U.S. are stadium seated. Many thousands of older movie theaters with standard sloped auditoriums have been closed over the last decade. Some truly great movie theaters, such as the General Cinemas Northpark 1-2 in Dallas were closed over this (the #1 screen there was one of the original THX sites to debut Return of the Jedi in 1983).

Circuits like AMC and Cinemark have been particularly aggressive in shutting down traditional sloped theaters. AMC even went into bankruptcy years ago due to a binge of building big new theaters and abandoning old sites and paying stiff penalties to get out of long term leases (bankruptcy also helped in that regard btw). Carmike Cinemas primarily operates in smaller markets, but even they spent a lot of money converting some of its older theaters to stadium seating while closing many others and replacing them with entirely new stadium seated builds.

Stadium seated auditoriums with huge "wall to wall" screens are significant attractions to movie-going audiences -even more so than things like THX sound systems and 5.1 digital sound. Exhibitors clearly demonstrated that preference in how they built a lot of new theaters in the late 1990s. One upside to this regarding digital 3D is audiences tend to gravitate to the highest, back rows of the room farthest from the screen where convergence problems are minimized. But when the theater screen is giant sized, the convergence problems return and the picture just isn't nearly bright enough.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

You're guessing audiences will pick 3D over 70mm. My contention is audiences wouldn't be able to pick one over the other at all since they wouldn't know 70mm if 70mm sneaked up behind them and pounded them on the head with a shovel.

So, they'd see "3D", which they'd recognize and they'd see "70mm", which they wouldn't recognize, and they wouldn't be able to chose the one they recognize because they'd be paralyzed by the unfamiliarity of the other one?

So, if KFC decided to offer both a "Giant Bucket of Wings" and a "Giant Flarp of Wings", they wouldn't sell any Buckets because no one knows what a Flarp is?

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

That isn't a fault of 70mm technology. That's a fault of poor communication on the part of Hollywood studios.

Right. And I never said it was a fault of any technology. I just said it was a market reality.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by aramis109

So... it's safe to say your opinion on the Red Ray camera and compression algorithms (and all of the stuff that goes into it that's way over my head) is that it's been overhyped? I've read a little about it but was hoping for an opinion of someone more "in the know" about such things. Seemed like a "too good to be true" technology.

I can’t resist that “in the know” characterization (see the imdb technical link further down).

RED produced a quality camera (Red One) retailing for an eye-opening low price and they should get a big tip of the hat for that.
It has its strengths, as well as its weaknesses, just like every other acquisition device on the market. However, when you buy the camera, it doesn’t come with the Steven Spielberg, David Fincher, etc. creative skills as an accessory. The aspect of the “hype” that I dislike is that I think some avenues of essentially online ‘advertisement’ pulled on the heart strings of aspiring young independent filmmakers who might have otherwise been better off served if they utilized their money more efficiently in the grand scheme of things for their filmmaking endeavors.

Not everyone is as level-headed as Stacey. I have a gut feeling that several years from now there is going to be a small glut of spiffy grainless wedding and industrial cinematography out there and the true undiscovered Christopher Nolans, etc. are going to be picking up these cameras on e-bay at bargain basement prices and you’ll be able to rent these cameras in the very near future at fees that will have some current Red owners kicking themselves in the buttocks, if that indeed hasn’t happened already.

As far as the resolution hype, to keep things in perspective, I posted awhile back that only a tiny handful of feature films have ever been exhibited anywhere in 4k.
Well, just a slightly larger handful have ever been processed in 4k – those having gone through a digital intermediate process of any type. It would be nice to see some of their 2 hr. stuff first being completely processed in 4k, since it was shot in “4k” to begin with, recent example being……….
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448011/technical

in order for people to ever eventually see it at home in “4k” whether or not they, or anyone else has invented an apparently revolutionary compression scheme to fit a two hour feature film on an optical disc with ‘4k quality’…..if they are truly implying that type of implementation for the future.

P.S.
Keep in mind, that with all the “4k” resolution hype touted by some digital camera manufacturers, for years, the resolution as measured on a 35mm ISO 250 film negative, is at least as high, if not higher than the true resolution of the capture from a Red One camera and the latitude of film is unquestionably superior.
I would be exceedingly jubilant if we could just get more future films processed in 4k master format than what is happening at the current rate.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Maxpower1987

I think that's along the lines of old hat tbh, I think her last budget was $75k for production and "promotion".

She's really awesome, I watched one of her docu's recently and I think it was really good, I said I would mail it off to SPE and get her name out there but she didn't want me to do that. Something about wanting to make it on her own...

Then, it seems she has got………The Right Stuff.

Just for some perspective, for you other guys out there, since I see you’ve recently been speaking a lot about upcoming TV shows on Blu-ray on the Digital Bits et. al. thread, the average budget per episode for a network drama is about $2 - $3.5 million.

To those TV show fans, what do you think is one of the most expensive major network dramas out there?

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Then, it seems she has got………The Right Stuff.

Just for some perspective, for you other guys out there, since I see you’ve recently been speaking a lot about upcoming TV shows on Blu-ray on the Digital Bits et. al. thread, the average budget per episode for a network drama is about $2 - $3.5 million.

To those TV show fans, what do you think is one of the most expensive major network dramas out there?

LOST

[Penton-Man]

To the former, I’m sure you are all familiar (as am I) with this wreck dive……..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Rhone

To the later (as am I), folklore tells it that Jacky Bisset inspired (with her appearance in this deep, insightful film) the present day wet T-shirt contests which we now see at various venues to this day. Not only that, she has been known to have “Goodthighs”, at least as a Miss.

To all those that have no idea what the heck I’m talking about, go out and rent or purchase this Blu-ray movie as reported by Josh yesterday in our news section……..
https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2614,
as it’s yet another catalogue title that will become shortly available on Blu-ray.

And have pleasant dreams of either bilaterally symmetric melons or giant moray eels.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

LOST

And I thought Squid (racers) were dumb and slow on the track.
My Gawd, that was straight and fast to the finish line!

Correcto-mundo.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

My contention....

Don’t give up Bobby H!
I think you’re wearing down the doctor and that in itself is a rare accomplishment round these parts.

Doctorossi, I see you really enjoy this marketing speculation sort of stuff. If this trading exchange ever takes off sometime this year, pending approval…….
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/s...90&newsLang=en

you may want to get in on some of that ^ action. Meanwhile you can try this…..
http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/iem/markets/movie_TWLT.html, although I think the maximum investment is something like $500.

[Penton-Man]

Final thought for the day, as I'm already 9 min. behind schedule, which is an eternity for ex-ISDT racers.

I watched Chelsea play last night against Barca and I must say that Chelsea reminded me of the Italians playing in many past World Cups.

[bbeck]

Wow, I was coming straight here to say LOST as well. Huge cast, wide wide range of sets, shooting in Hawaii (and with HD cameras from the very beginning), plus all the post-production work. ABC laid out what, $10-14 million for the pilot episode alone? Huge gamble that has (by and large) paid off for the network, though we've been seeing diminishing returns over the course of the seasons as the show charges like a steaming locomotive into its endgame. I think after the series is done and its reputation grows, ABC will see a big ramp-up in interest as disillusioned fans return to the show and sales of complete series sets go up.

At least, that's what I hope will happen. Speaking of which . . . new episode tonight.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

And I thought Squid (racers) were dumb and slow on the track.
My Gawd, that was straight and fast to the finish line!

Correcto-mundo.

I watched ALL the bonus material. They showd how the dailys had to be air freighted etc. Huge cast, Hawaii.....makes sense. Plus I read it somewhere a few weeks ago.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I would be exceedingly jubilant if we could just get more future films processed in 4k master format than what is happening at the current rate.

And I would join you at the party!