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

[sharkshark]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

White Pointers or sharks in general?

it was any water. I didn't at that (young) age distinguish between nurses and the bitey kind.

[ole geezer]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Yeah, but have you or others ever heard anything like this – sent to me from my friends at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, which has been known to have enjoyed numerous compliments from theater patrons in the past, such as - http://www.dangerousminds.net/commen...back_to_life_/

They bring you this *colorful feedback* from another vocal customer vis-à-vis a YouTube video clip which they tell me has gone viral with the number of hits –

YouTube - ‪Don't Talk - Angry Voicemail (Uncensored)‬‏

^ lol, that’ll wake you up in the morning without the need for a cup of coffee.

That's a funny piece Not so funny, but once I did have to tell a fellow that chose to sit right in front of me to turn off his phone ear piece. That irritating red diode was getting the better of me.

Shucks. I still prefer the full theatrical experience despite the occasional hiccups over my HT viewing. There's just something about sharing the experience (good or bad) with fellow movie patrons that I never really get tired of.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Paul H

From the article:

"Katzenberg: ………On every account for us, 3D is a win. It's not nearly as big a win as it should be, and it's certainly not the win it was headed toward being, and that's really heartbreaking to me because we have managed to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory as only Hollywood can do."

^ ^ IMHO, this is a necessary symptom of growing pains, a catharsis needed for reflection and helping to form a healthy path for future 3D artistic creation.

Paul Go - I finally got around to reading the article and Paul H’s comment above pretty much summarizes my thoughts on the matter….not to mention the fact that making a 3D animation movie is much easier than making a high quality 3D live action motion picture.
Also, everyone I know predicted that after a year or so, there would indeed be a dip in the theatrical audience attendance once the *novelty* of the format wore off. I don’t see this situation as “genuine distrust” by the audience of this material or “betraying the consumer” as noted in the piece.

I would leave the later two sentiments to the current state of affairs regarding the canned pronouncements by content providers of *Director approved* remasters or “the Director and/or the DP were involved in all decisions regarding transfer and color timing on these new BDs. Any alterations and corrections were at their request.”

I believe that such rubber-stamped PR announcements are doing an injustice to the restorations and/or remastering projects in which there was truly active participation by the original filmmakers with the digital colorists and, at the same time, such participation resulted in an expected level of competency which makes knowledgeable fans appreciative of their effort.

I see no “genuine distrust” by audiences of theatrical 3D at this particular moment in time. What I do see is a “genuine distrust” of the significance of “Director approved” regarding 2D restorations and remasters which make their way to the Blu-ray format and it demeans the otherwise good work being done by others.

Yes, some Blu-ray enthusiasts may not like or agree with creative decisions done in the DI suite regarding such things as increased or decreased color saturation or brightness or even more global alterations like gamma changes which effect the dynamic relationship of colors and tone (changing overall contrast and brightness), but it is stretching the limits of credibility when we have snow which traditionally has been pure white, off-white or even blue tinted (to give more of a cold or crisp look) turning green as a deliberate choice and claiming it was intended.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by ole geezer

That's a funny piece Not so funny, but once I did have to tell a fellow that chose to sit right in front of me to turn off his phone ear piece. That irritating red diode was getting the better of me.

Shucks. I still prefer the full theatrical experience despite the occasional hiccups over my HT viewing. There's just something about sharing the experience (good or bad) with fellow movie patrons that I never really get tired of.

Fabulous , if you live near an available location (see AMC link above) you can tell us if the DCP projected in the theater on the really big screen shows green snow too.

[Penton-Man]

Here’s a free color guide I offer folks who know how to adjust the color controls on a console in such a way that the whites of the image are approximately centered in the X/Y vector display and will theoretically produce an image where the whites appear neutral…or close to it.

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehou...060ea28a8a523e

[Alan Gordon]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Alan’s back.

Good to see you’re alive and kicking . I had thought you were affected by the tornados and such ….still haven’t heard recently, at least, from Bobby Henderson in Oklahoma.

I meant to reply to week before last, but every time I sat down to do so, something came up... and last week, I was sick.

For the most part, the tornadoes that affected Georgia were in the Northern part of the state, and I live in Southern part, so they didn't affect me. During some bad weather earlier in the year, there were some tornado warnings here, but I never heard anything about any touching down in my immediate area. The biggest concern here is drought... we haven't had any rain in weeks, all the grass is brown and dead, and I've heard that the local county fire department is staying busy keeping wildfires under control... including stopping one that started right next door (at my uncle and aunt's house) due to a spark from a vehicle. Add in triple digit temperatures, failing air conditioners, etc., and it's been miserable...

However, the reason for my disappearance was due mainly to bad timing. I was busy with a work project early last year, and once that was over, I had family visiting, and after that, I got sucked into someone else's drama, and then I got invested in a personal project, and after that was all finished, I stopped having as much free time due to trying to catch up with some of the things I had been neglecting. I did try and poke my head back into this thread again after a long hiatus, but that was when there was some... "ugliness," and I simply had no interest in getting involved. I peeked into it a few times more over the year, but never really saw anything I wanted to reply to during those times... and late last year, my HDTV apparently tore up, so I haven't been watching that many Blu-ray movies lately... so I've usually only been checking the deals thread of the forum regularly.


HOWEVER... switching the topic back to a more on-topic topic, my county is now "Camera-Ready", and has already had a upcoming motion picture shoot some outdoor scenes here earlier this year. I would have LOVED to have sat and watched a lot of the filming, but I had a imminent deadline looming at work, so I was only able to watch some of the filming from out of the window, but it was cool nonetheless. The movie is "The Odd Life Of Timothy Green." Sure, we've had movies filmed nearby before ("Facing The Giants" and "Fireproof"... both released on Blu-ray by Sony), but this one was actually filmed in the same county, and wasn't a local production, so that was very cool. Interestingly enough, one of the other two films to be partly filmed in my county made it's Blu-ray debut earlier this month.

~Alan

[Alan Gordon]

Originally Posted by CraigW

Also I think 3D was forced into CE devices too quickly. We just saw the expolsion of HD capable homes in the last 5 years and now the CE makers expected many of those same customers that had just paid four figures for a HDTV in the last couple of years to again pony up to be on the bleeding edge (nevermind, that good paying jobs have left the US at an alarming rate).

I've heard a similar complaint regarding Blu-ray: "We just spend umpteen $$$ building our DVD collections, and now those greedy studios are trying to get us to buy the movies all over again."

Look... 3DTVs are HDTVs... they simply have 3D capability, much like many HDTVs have 120hz, 240hz, 24p, etc. I fully believe that at some point in the next few years, 3D capability will pretty much be a standard on HDTVs... you can use it if you want, or don't if you're not interested in that sort of thing.

I'm replacing my HDTV in the next two months, and I am grateful to the CE companies for the fact that they now offer some 3DTVs for the same price (or lower) as what I paid for my dearly departed Sony LCD... which I managed to get a super good deal on (RIP Circuit City). Did I intend on getting a 3DTV this year? No... but I'm sure glad I have the option. The demo I saw at Sam's Club earlier this year was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!

Originally Posted by CraigW

Again I don't hate 3D, but the audiences are experiencing 3D fatigue on top of limited funds in the pocketbook.

John Tesh was speaking about this yesterday. I've personally never seen a film in 3D at the theater, so I can't comment, but I imagine the premium put on 3D movies is what is causing 3D fatigue, and NOT the 3D itself...

~Alan

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Alan Gordon

I imagine the premium put on 3D movies is what is causing 3D fatigue, and NOT the 3D itself...

I think you may have a theory there, Alan.

[Dennis M]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I am sad to inform folks that as fallout to the *green issue* recently expressed online by LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring aficionados, there has been collateral damage to an innocent bystander...

I’m hearing that sales of the Thomson VIPER FilmStream Camera over the weekend and today have plummeted….just plummeted I tell you!

YouTube - ‪Viper Stream HD Color Correction Reel By Luis Flores Jr‬‏

Please folks, please, for the sake of humanity and all things you hold dear, somebody attend the upcoming theatrical presented of FOTR to shed more light on the subject before the Blu-ray.com server is overwhelmed.

http://www.amctheatres.com/Lordofthe...c_id=nh_advtix

Wow, people are having a meltdown in the LOTR thread.

Not sure what to make of the situation as yet. As a rule I'm very suspicious of screen captures, especially when product is not available to the consumer.

The real question is if this is the original color timing for the film. If it is, then there's nothing to debate. Waiting to see if there is going to be a response from Warner Bros., or Mr. Peter Jackson.
Personally I think it needs to be address as things could get out of control very quickly, and unnecessarily effect public perception of this release.

If the color timing has been changed, well this brings us back to the whole Gladiator discussion. I'm in "the don't change the original color timing" camp.

[Post Prod]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

I think you may have a theory there, Alan.

I think it's a little early to even say there is 3D fatigue. Too many factors go into how well a film performs to make broad judgments after a few 3D films don't meet expectations. Now there is plenty of anecdotal evidence, but that stuff could be interpreted to mean anything you set your agenda watch to.

I personally have a bit of 3D fatigue after initially being very excited about it's rebirth. But I'm not everybody, nor are all the people I know. I understand the urge to either declare it failed or here for good, but it's really premature to say.

Especially before the Hobbit films come out.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Post Prod

I think it's a little early to even say there is 3D fatigue. Too many factors go into how well a film performs to make broad judgments after a few 3D films don't meet expectations.

I haven't read the full article, but I expect the data being discussed relates more to relative percentages of 3D/2D admissions than to total box office numbers for releases with 3D screenings.

[Post Prod]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

I haven't read the full article, but I expect the data being discussed relates more to relative percentages of 3D/2D admissions than to total box office numbers for releases with 3D screenings.

You're right it does. But still, personally I like to see more data to call it a trend.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I see no “genuine distrust” by audiences of theatrical 3D at this particular moment in time.

You may want to widen your pool for data capture.

Online and just talking to friends and co-workers (people in no way involved with the industry) a blowback is happening.

People are generally pi--ed about the higher premiums, poor 2D-3D conversions (conversion = kiss of death), poor presentation (dim screens, headaches, etc). They feel ripped off.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Alan Gordon

I meant to reply to week before last, but every time I sat down to do so, something came up

I hear ya.
I just stopped in for a quick look-see myself and have little time to comment right now. I'll read your entire reply later.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Dennis M

Wow, people are having a meltdown in the LOTR thread.

Well, I’ve got to get in there then before I run out to lunch. Likewise, I'll comment on your and thee other interim posts when I get more time.

[Tok]

I hate to be reactive to rumor, but I decided to cancel my pre-order due to the possible color grading mishap. I can't bring myself to spend $80 on these if they aren't near perfect.

[Tok]

Originally Posted by Alan Gordon

John Tesh was speaking about this yesterday. I've personally never seen a film in 3D at the theater, so I can't comment, but I imagine the premium put on 3D movies is what is causing 3D fatigue, and NOT the 3D itself...
~Alan

As I said limited entertainment funds are not helping 3D growth. When I took my wife and two kids to Up and TS3 even with 2 free admissions it still cost a family of four near $30 for an afternoon showing. If I didn't have the free admissions I would have skipped the showings all together. Although those are two decent examples of quality 3D they did not add anything significant to the story. 3D does not improve the quality of the story. It might help pull you into the frame, but it does not turn junk into gold. Have you seen shlock that it is being readied for 3D? Its the 1950s 3D horror period all over.

And like others have said cheap 2D->3D conversions are not helping. It is souring audiences on the experience. I am very disappointed in Disney taking some of their classic 2D movies and converting them. Making them a motion popup book is not something I am excited about.

[Alan Gordon]

Originally Posted by CraigW

As I said limited entertainment funds are not helping 3D growth. When I took my wife and two kids to Up and TS3 even with 2 free admissions it still cost a family of four near $30 for an afternoon showing. If I didn't have the free admissions I would have skipped the showings all together.

Preachin' to the converted here...

Years ago when the debut of TV sets were taking business away from movie theaters, widescreen was invented as a way to get people into the theaters. It's a shame that theaters didn't see 3D as a way to get people into the theaters in an effort to sell them $10 boxes of popcorn, $5 bags of raisinettes, and of course, $15 Cokes.

Originally Posted by CraigW

Although those are two decent examples of quality 3D they did not add anything significant to the story. 3D does not improve the quality of the story. It might help pull you into the frame, but it does not turn junk into gold. Have you seen shlock that it is being readied for 3D? Its the 1950s 3D horror period all over.

Good movies can be watched on a 3.5 inch smart phone that has been ripped from a DVD that was recorded from a VHS source and still be enjoyed. The same could be said of that same movie from a Blu-ray on a 46-inch 1080p HDTV hooked up to a great sound system.

Crap is crap no matter what you watch it on...

...but 3D can't be blamed for that. If people's complaint is that filmmakers and studios are focusing more on 3D effects than story, that might be a valid complaint (I honestly haven't been watching many films lately), but hopefully they will learn from that after they figure out what works and what doesn't.

Originally Posted by CraigW

And like others have said cheap 2D->3D conversions are not helping. It is souring audiences on the experience. I am very disappointed in Disney taking some of their classic 2D movies and converting them. Making them a motion popup book is not something I am excited about.

While I'm of general agreement when it comes to 2D->3D conversions, I am actually somewhat optimistic when it comes to "The Lion King" and "Beauty And The Beast"... and possibly "Star Wars"... though I believe converting "Titanic" to 3D is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard of.

If a studio is going to make a 3D film, and offer it in 3D, great! If a studio sees an older film and feels it would convert easily to 3D and look good, I don't really have a problem with that, but "half-@$$ed" jobs aren't helping people's perceptions.

~Alan

[ole geezer]

Originally Posted by CraigW

As I said limited entertainment funds are not helping 3D growth. When I took my wife and two kids to Up and TS3 even with 2 free admissions it still cost a family of four near $30 for an afternoon showing. If I didn't have the free admissions I would have skipped the showings all together.

Ouch. I feel your pain. At least in my section of the woods, we have a couple of secondary theaters that offer Real 3D presentations for $3.50 a pop. Not bad.

... Although those are two decent examples of quality 3D they did not add anything significant to the story. 3D does not improve the quality of the story. It might help pull you into the frame, but it does not turn junk into gold. Have you seen shlock that it is being readied for 3D? Its the 1950s 3D horror period all over.

You're right. I don't see any 3D Lawrence of Arabia type movies coming down the pike any time soon; but, to be fair, that kind of quality is kinda rare anyway. All I want right now with 3D is just to feel that I got my monies worth and so far, I have.

And like others have said cheap 2D->3D conversions are not helping. It is souring audiences on the experience. I am very disappointed in Disney taking some of their classic 2D movies and converting them. Making them a motion popup book is not something I am excited about.

I've seen just one 2D to 3D conversion (Thor) and I really liked everything about it. Amazing technology. It fills me with a lot of optimism that Titanic and Star Wars in 3D are probably going to look spectacular.

http://screenrant.com/thor-captain-a...3d-kofi-68484/.

[kurtlingle]

Originally Posted by CraigW

As I said limited entertainment funds are not helping 3D growth. When I took my wife and two kids to Up and TS3 even with 2 free admissions it still cost a family of four near $30 for an afternoon showing. If I didn't have the free admissions I would have skipped the showings all together...

I also spent the $$$ to see TS3 in 3D and it was great. Had to make the same choice last week with Kung Fu Panda - $40 for 2D or $60 for 3D (and these were the matinee prices!!!). Having a family to bring to movies is not cheap these days (a wife and 3 kids).

I enjoy (prefer) good 3D presentation - but it's just to much when you have 5 tix to buy.