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

[DenonCI]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

You never know when you might need a good quote to make a point -
http://flash.sonypictures.com/video/...screenplay.pdf

Thanks for the link to the screenplay. The Social Network is one of my favorites films of 2010 (although I saw it for the first time in 2011). I love the opening scene!

[horseflesh]

Penton, re: (the presumed upcoming release of) Taxi Driver; I love you and GC.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by horseflesh

Penton, re: (the presumed upcoming release of) Taxi Driver; I love you and GC.

Well, it’s not ‘presumed’, it’s definite. What is/was somewhat upsetting to me was that no exact street date was supposed to be listed on a certain retailer’s pre-order page until after the official announcement from the studio. You see, many people worked very hard toward completing this project and I think they deserve the opportunity to toot their own Blu-ray horn first, if only momentarily in a press release, without the information being diluted or losing its impact secondary to a North America’s retailer’s street date listing.

As to GC, few folks may be aware of the back story but, he was specifically requested by Marty to do the Q&A at Blu-Con 2.0, which I think speaks for itself as to the mutual respect for each other’s work ….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9d1Z...eature=related

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by micks_address

Hi Penton,

I've seen reference to Will Smith remaking 'Annie' with his daughther Willow in the lead part.. any news you can share on this? Will this lead to a blu-ray release of the original Annie? Does it need a restoration?

Cheers,
Mick

Sorry, nope.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

cool, will they be available for purchase soon? I think we need some classic 3D movies in real BD 3D to show that it can help with catalogue 3D movies.

I would say ‘ultimately’. As to exactly how ‘soon’….that depends upon the marketing folks’ decision-making.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by DenonCI

Penton,
My family enjoyed this as well. It was nice to see the "story" behind the historic horse.

http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/No...riat/page1.php

As a wee young thing, my parents took me to the Preakness (back when we lived in Maryland) the day Secretariat won that race in his quest for the Triple Crown.

I had tears in my eyes back then and subsequently, many years later upon viewing the Blu-ray last Tuesday night.

[cjamescook]

Originally Posted by DenonCI

Thanks for the link to the screenplay. The Social Network is one of my favorites films of 2010...

Well, if you like that, perhaps you would also like this NPR interview with Aaron Sorkin, Jesse Eisenburg, and Armie Hammer.

[cjamescook]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

...Last night at home, I projected the Secretariat Blu-ray to an audience of both adults and children. ... the female executives in the audience had a broad smile on their faces throughout the entire flick.

The female executives would include Mrs. Penton?

(My 11-year old daughter has been giving me an earful about wanting this flick. I regretted it was not available until after the holidays.)

[DenonCI]

Originally Posted by cjamescook

Well, if you like that, perhaps you would also like this NPR interview with Aaron Sorkin, Jesse Eisenburg, and Armie Hammer.

Thanks!

[Bobby Henderson]

Kudos for posting the link to The Social Network screenplay in PDF.

Been pretty busy lately and not able to keep up with all the discussions. Walter Murch and Roger Ebert's salvo on 3D has been a topic of discussion over at Film-Tech. 3D in movie theaters is far from perfect, but 3D really seems like it is here to stay and that will force the technology to improve.

There is far more interest in 3D now than ever before in film history. The current "fad" in 3D has easily surpassed all the previous periods where Hollywood studios dabbled in 3D (1950's, 1980's, etc.) and it seems to have grown beyond just being a fad.

It's still possible for Hollywood movie studios, commercial movie theaters and electronics companies to ruin a good thing and turn off the general public to 3D.

I think the studios need to cut it out with the 2D>3D conversions and just shoot the live action movies they intend for 3D release in native stereo-scopic 3D.

The general public is experiencing some sticker shock with the premiums some theaters are charging. Those theaters must improve their level of technology, atmosphere and showmanship to justify the high price tag. Standard multiplex procedure isn't going to fly. Theater operators need to seriously study how successful restaurants are run and emulate that. You get away with delivering McDonald's quality at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse price.

The electronics companies have to get off it already with the insanely stupid exclusive Blu-ray 3D movie bundles with HDTV sets and BD3D players. The practice is keeping a lot of customers sitting on the fence undecided. Or they're just buying a 2D only setup instead. Customers are further confused by differences & possible drawbacks in passive/polarized glasses versus active shutter glass based systems. 3D gaming may end up being the real thing that cements full color 3D into home theater rather than Blu-ray 3D movies if the current nonsense continues.

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

They conclude that (when seated at an acceptable viewing distance from the screen), there is *a comfort zone* on either side of this vergence-accommodation conflict (which Mr. Murch calls the “convergence/focus issue”) and to which the vast majority of the audience indeed find tolerable and comfortable without experiencing any temporary symptoms like eye strain, headaches, etc. "after 20 minutes or so".

I think "comfort zone" factor is a very good point. If I'm able to do so I'll move forward or back a few rows of seats during previews to find the appropriate "sweet spot." Often the best 3D sweet spot will be near where the surround sound is imaging best. It's pretty easy to change to a better seat during a weeknight screening of a movie that's already been in theaters for a couple or so weeks. Just remember where you sat the next time you're in that auditorium. If the theater has a reserved seating setup, well then you're pretty much screwed.

True IMAX is designed to fill much of your periphreal vision. But you can't move too close to the screen to do the same thing in a digital 3D equipped theater. I did that once and the movie trailer for Coraline made my eyes go wonky. During the trailer a knitting needle pokes through fabric toward the viewer. In the 3D sweet spot zone the effect works well. When you're sitting too close the needle splits in two and you feel like you're going cross-eyed!

[Penton-Man]

Hi Bobby. In case you missed some of my previous posts during your absence, the same concept (i.e. a visual comfort zone regarding the “convergence/focus issue”) is also applicable to TV viewing of 3D material rendered for home viewing.

Namely, as production values are refined and experience is gained, *best/recommended practices* are/will be implemented for rendering home media product, be it Blu-ray movies or broadcast regarding positive and negative parallax conflicting with accommodation (focusing), like so –https://forum.blu-ray.com/insider-di...ml#post4200165

And another important pertinent real-world observation noted and experienced by stereographers and 3D filmmakers is that over time (hours and hours of watching 3D content) they even become accustomed or tolerant to the “convergence/focus issue” (see paragraphs 3 and 4 here – https://forum.blu-ray.com/insider-di...ml#post4094231

completely contrary to the notion put forward by Roger E. that “it doesn't work with our brains and it never will”.

[sharkshark]

On a related note, in case some missed it:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011...ture_of_f.html

[4K2K]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

On a related note, in case some missed it:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011...ture_of_f.html

Looks good, but aren't there digital projectors capable (or going to be capable, with new standards eg. 21DC) of the same sort of thing (if the source content was made differently) eg. 4K up to 30 fps, 2K up to 60 - in 2D but not 48 in 3D like MaxiVision48 could?, and digital cameras capable of the same sort of thing?

[42041]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

On a related note, in case some missed it:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011...ture_of_f.html

Somehow I'm not sure that new film projectors running through twice as much film is what movie theaters are looking for

[4K2K]

Originally Posted by 42041

Somehow I'm not sure that new film projectors running through twice as much film is what movie theaters are looking for

Same projectors, with a modification, and 50% more film according to the article.

[Objectivity]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

The general public is experiencing some sticker shock with the premiums some theaters are charging. Those theaters must improve their level of technology, atmosphere and showmanship to justify the high price tag. Standard multiplex procedure isn't going to fly. Theater operators need to seriously study how successful restaurants are run and emulate that. You get away with delivering McDonald's quality at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse price.

I don't know if you can raise the level of presentation to a point where the price is no longer anymore, at least not on your non-premium, eye-candy releases.

I took my five year old daughter to see Yogi Bear - first show of the day, 11:30am in the morning. Cost of two tickets, $19.50. Add on basic popcorn and soda, $27.50. For Yogi Bear. In a matter of months, I'll be able to own the movie and watch it multiple times for years for less than it cost to see it in theaters (and with a one-year-old in the house as well, I'm sure I will see it more multiple times than I care to count).

I'm not knocking Yogi Bear, although it's an easy target for some. It is the most G-rated of G-rated movies I've seen in a long time, and I love it for that. Still, I paid $27.50 to see a movie where I accurately told my wife the whole plot before I even saw the trailer.

There are only two types of movies I'm willing to pay $27.50 or more for two tickets - kids movies my children will enjoy, so I can see them get sucked into the magic of movies, and movies that absolutely must be seen on the big screen.

I'll even concede there might be a time where 3D might be a reason why a movie must be seen on the big screen, but I'd argue that for most of them, the same number of people would see them regardless.

Ironically, the reason more movies are being made in 3D is the same reason why it's quickly losing its pull in theaters. They want a reason for people to not rely on their home theaters, then they push the movies to home in 3D so you still don't have to go to the movies to see them.

[Penton-Man]

I would like the 3D mindset to slowly evolve beyond some peoples’ perception and prognostications that 3D is/will only be worthwhile for major *event* type motion pictures. As an example, personally for me, I would love seeing a short independent documentary showing glass blowing in 3D from Venice (Italy)….stuff like that, as well as grand feature films. On that note, an excerpt from a recent article on nytimes.com by Virginia Heffernan -

[For a sense of how deep 3-D might be one day, consider the latest 3-D film and TV projects, like the ones by Jed Weintrob’s Arena Films 3D. These are not thrill-a-minute blockbusters for the roller-coaster set. They’re documentaries and independent fiction films. As Weintrob told me by e-mail, “Most people assume that 3-D works best for ‘big’ event films, concerts and IMAX-style documentaries, but I have actually found that some of the most gorgeous 3-D imagery has been in ‘small’ dramatic scenes and intimate moments in the real world.”

Earlier this month, I saw some of Arena’s work in postproduction in Los Angeles. Editing broadcast-¬quality high-def 3-D involves synching up two digital “reels” — painstakingly shot by the company’s proprietary camera systems — and adjusting the convergence of the two images to heighten the 3-D effect. Achieving this near-convergence ensures that, when seen through glasses on a new 3-D TV, the image appears beautiful and not nauseating.

The film I saw is an hourlong episode of “Experience 3D,” which will appear later this year on 3net, a new 3-D channel to be introduced by Discovery Communications, Sony and IMAX. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The episode documents, among other things, a voyage on the Clearwater, a boat built by Pete Seeger as a replica of a 19th-century sloop, up the Hudson River. Without the glasses, the image looks like one you would see drunk. With the glasses, the ship comes into brilliant relief — but the sparkling river is the real showpiece. The Hudson looks as it must look to sailors on calm days: a highway so supportive and broad and horizontal you think you could walk on it. In 3-D, a river does not look like an extension of the sky the way it often does in movies and watercolors; it looks like an extension of the earth, with which it shares a plane. A revelation.]

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by cjamescook

The female executives would include Mrs. Penton? ...

Yep, I've referred to her as "the boss" in some of my prior postings.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

On a related note, in case some missed it:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011...ture_of_f.html

I sympathize with the newest letter writer (Dean) to Roger’s website. Good luck selling his tech to modern day audiences…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T482i...eature=related

But, I’m personally far more interested in this new tech…http://broadcastengineering.com/news...124/index.html

- of which they’ve already built a working prototype.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

...SPC

Like so? – https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Anima.../17558/#Review. Keep an eye out for the future work of D.P. Adam Arkapaw because he’s a very gifted young cinematographer (still in his 20’s, only having graduated film school in ’05 or ’06), who has the potential to accomplish much in his career.

His C.V. - http://www.adamarkapaw.com/cv.html though could stand being updated at least a tad, to include Blind Company and Animal Kingdom (the later along with True Grit being my favorite cinematographic picks of the 2010 litter) but, I guess the guy is too busy shooting fine-looking images. He’s got a good creative eye.