Film prints in theaters

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by WiWavelength

Film prints will continue to be exhibited in repertory theaters for decades, if not centuries to come. So, your "last day to watch a movie on film" will likely be the last day that you are alive. However, your last day to watch a new release on film may come soon.

AJ

I actually doubt that very much, except in the case of museums and universities who own their own prints.

The expected date for the end of film distribution in the U.S. is now expected to be at the end of 2013 and the end of 2015 globally. Once this happens, the majors are not going to want to pay for the storage costs of 35mm prints, so they're going to do what they've done so many times in the past: they're going to dump them (maybe they'll keep one copy for an archive.) Maybe some will be returned to a producer or director. Maybe some will be donated to museums, so they can take the donation as a tax break. But for the most part, they're going to be gone. Even before the advent of digital, the major studios didn't keep a lot of prints after the initial run.

We'll be lucky if they're smart enough to keep the negatives and intermediates. You know after the 3-strip Technicolor era, the idiot studios frequently tossed two of the three strips, thinking they were duplicates.

I don't think the theatre in the OP has anything to worry about right now, but they will after the end of the year. And by the way to the OP: NATO and Cinedigm via the "Cinema Buying Group" does have a program for small theaters. They've helped more than 3000 community and local theaters with funding, conversion, installation and operations. The theatre should contact NATO for details. (That's the National Association of Theater Owners, not the North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

As of the end of February, 2013, over 33,000 of the U.S.'s 40,000 screens have been converted to digital. Almost 14,000 of those are 3D capable. Over 2800 screens in Canada have been converted of which over 1100 are 3D capable.

According to BoxOffice magazine,

"it appears that a perfect storm of events may bring about the end of film around the end of 2013 due to either a worldwide lack of film stock and/or the closing of processing labs. Studios are weighing carefully the cost to make and distribute film versus the revenue from those limited prints."

And there are actually very few repertory theaters left. Home video and streaming killed them off. Some cities have one or two and some college towns have a few, but most of them are already playing movies digitally or using DVD or BD because prints are no longer available.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

loose="not tight", lose="can't find it, doesn't have anymore" or the opposite of "win".
their="belongs to", there="place", they're="they are", there's = "there is"
it's="it is", for everything else use "its"
then="after", than="compared with"
"a lot" not "alot"

Zoet, b.t.w. -

I like this better as the supplemental aids make it easier for me to remember….http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Flat, this film was exhibited in 4K 3D over a year ago in Galveston -
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180529/...ef_=tt_dt_spec

With their 1 GB data rate streaming capability, the Qube server manufacturer can also do (in 2D) up to 60 fps for 4K projection and up to 240 fps for 2K content….not to mention 2K 3D content up to 120 fps per eye….with supporting dual projectors.

At the current time, at least in the case of that particular manufacturer, the engineering has outpaced the standards organizations. Which actually brings up another interesting *sticky* situation, namely, the DCI...in terms of recommendations and specs… https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...00#post6639136

As there are many people in the industry who believe that the original 250 Mb/sec data rate set by the DCI years ago was too low for optimal 4K presentations of source content having a true resolution of 4K or more.

^
To clarify, when I said “streaming”, I was not referring to sending the data from outside to inside the theater, like with the Netflix 4K home distribution platform intentions recently announced to the press, but rather, sending the data (DCP) from the Qube server to Qube IMBs in the projectors in the facility itself.

Regarding standards and SMPTE, a final report from SMPTE’s Digital Cinema High Frame Rate (HFR) Study Group to ascertain recommended maximum compression bit rates for future equipment is expected in late 2013.

The interim report is included here - http://journal.smpte.org/content/121/6/26.full.pdf+html

[stts651]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

I actually doubt that very much, except in the case of museums and universities who own their own prints.

The expected date for the end of film distribution in the U.S. is now expected to be at the end of 2013 and the end of 2015 globally. Once this happens, the majors are not going to want to pay for the storage costs of 35mm prints, so they're going to do what they've done so many times in the past: they're going to dump them (maybe they'll keep one copy for an archive.) Maybe some will be returned to a producer or director. Maybe some will be donated to museums, so they can take the donation as a tax break. But for the most part, they're going to be gone. Even before the advent of digital, the major studios didn't keep a lot of prints after the initial run.

We'll be lucky if they're smart enough to keep the negatives and intermediates. You know after the 3-strip Technicolor era, the idiot studios frequently tossed two of the three strips, thinking they were duplicates.

I don't think the theatre in the OP has anything to worry about right now, but they will after the end of the year. And by the way to the OP: NATO and Cinedigm via the "Cinema Buying Group" does have a program for small theaters. They've helped more than 3000 community and local theaters with funding, conversion, installation and operations. The theatre should contact NATO for details. (That's the National Association of Theater Owners, not the North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

As of the end of February, 2013, over 33,000 of the U.S.'s 40,000 screens have been converted to digital. Almost 14,000 of those are 3D capable. Over 2800 screens in Canada have been converted of which over 1100 are 3D capable.

According to BoxOffice magazine,

And there are actually very few repertory theaters left. Home video and streaming killed them off. Some cities have one or two and some college towns have a few, but most of them are already playing movies digitally or using DVD or BD because prints are no longer available.

Studio people will not be smart enough to keep anything, they are only interested on the here and now rather than the future.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by stts651

Studio people will not be smart enough to keep anything, they are only interested on the here and now rather than the future.

Now don’t be too harsh as they’re not quite as bad as routinely portrayed in the media, whether it be in regards to old past issues -

The Brotherhood of Evil Studio Executives - YouTube

or more recent ones…http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...llywood-191709

which have finally achieved some public visibility -

NBC4 on VFX Protest - YouTube

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Zoet, b.t.w. -

I like this better as the supplemental aids make it easier for me to remember….http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

Yeah..I think I sent that poster to my daughter some years ago.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

Yeah..I think I sent that poster to my daughter some years ago.

They post some funny things (like the spelling advice ) but overall I find their site to have a weird kind of general anti-animal tone/theme , which I personally find troublesome because, if anything, I am diametrically opposed…that being obvious, I think, if one has read some of my past postings, like so -

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...lf#post7279123

or viewed some of my posted pics…
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...ya#post7133802

[pagemaster]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

I actually doubt that very much, except in the case of museums and universities who own their own prints.

The expected date for the end of film distribution in the U.S. is now expected to be at the end of 2013 and the end of 2015 globally. Once this happens, the majors are not going to want to pay for the storage costs of 35mm prints, so they're going to do what they've done so many times in the past: they're going to dump them (maybe they'll keep one copy for an archive.) Maybe some will be returned to a producer or director. Maybe some will be donated to museums, so they can take the donation as a tax break. But for the most part, they're going to be gone. Even before the advent of digital, the major studios didn't keep a lot of prints after the initial run.

We'll be lucky if they're smart enough to keep the negatives and intermediates. You know after the 3-strip Technicolor era, the idiot studios frequently tossed two of the three strips, thinking they were duplicates.

I don't think the theatre in the OP has anything to worry about right now, but they will after the end of the year. And by the way to the OP: NATO and Cinedigm via the "Cinema Buying Group" does have a program for small theaters. They've helped more than 3000 community and local theaters with funding, conversion, installation and operations. The theatre should contact NATO for details. (That's the National Association of Theater Owners, not the North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

As of the end of February, 2013, over 33,000 of the U.S.'s 40,000 screens have been converted to digital. Almost 14,000 of those are 3D capable. Over 2800 screens in Canada have been converted of which over 1100 are 3D capable.

According to BoxOffice magazine,

And there are actually very few repertory theaters left. Home video and streaming killed them off. Some cities have one or two and some college towns have a few, but most of them are already playing movies digitally or using DVD or BD because prints are no longer available.

Was reading your post and I agree with you, aside from the prints that are owned by the non studios, there is no reason for them to archive anything. They never archived anything before so why would they bother now. The studios right do have some prints lying around here and there, I know there are some 70mm prints still around and there are a number of 35mm here and there.

Studios don't care if you want film, if you accept a dcp, they will insist you accept a blu ray for older movies

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

...Regarding standards and SMPTE, a final report from SMPTE’s Digital Cinema High Frame Rate (HFR) Study Group to ascertain recommended maximum compression bit rates for future equipment is expected in late 2013...

And 48fps, 50fps and 60fps are all included in the standards amendment proposal coming up for vote at the SMPTE.

On that note, i.e. higher frame rate productions, even though the cinematic community has not yet discovered it, as it hasn’t been publicized by the press, Above My Head was not only shot in 3D as listed -

“Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1 (3-D version)”
here...http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2184101/...ef_=tt_dt_spec

But, also what is not listed in the imdb Tech specs ^ to date is that it was shot at 50fps/eye. This feature motion picture is currently in post production.

[stts651]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Now don’t be too harsh as they’re not quite as bad as routinely portrayed in the media, whether it be in regards to old past issues -

The Brotherhood of Evil Studio Executives - YouTube

or more recent ones…http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...llywood-191709

which have finally achieved some public visibility -

NBC4 on VFX Protest - YouTube

The Studio people are EVEN MORE STUPID & IDIOTIC than they are portrayed in media.

[Penton-Man]

They know how to protect their near-term assets…https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...on#post7316532

very well…https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...on#post7316728

[pagemaster]

Originally Posted by WiWavelength

Film prints will continue to be exhibited in repertory theaters for decades, if not centuries to come.

AJ

Here is one article for 70mm:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...music-box-70mm

And here is one against 70mm:

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/...310-2ftw4.html

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by stts651

The Studio people are EVEN MORE STUPID & IDIOTIC than they are portrayed in media.

stts651-
I meant to ask, given your perspective, are you one of those VFX folks who has been *encouraged* to move to Vancouver in order to keep your day job?

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Flatnate

The Last Days of Celluloid

For those shooters out there, still inclined toward the film look, these be good discount prices for Fujifilm. This independent company has purchased the last 2 million feet of Fuji film in Europe. Get it while it lasts.

Fuji’s 64-speed daylight stock is especially nice….
http://www.filmstockclearance.com/

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

For those shooters out there...

Get your FREE updated Kodak app- http://filmmakermagazine.com/66734-k...or-filmmakers/

[Penton-Man]

Ooops, for the Aussies reading, it’s soon onto Thailand for a lab -

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/indu...s-out-of-films

Welp, good thing is, what happens in Bangkok, stays in Bangkok.

[JacobJeans]

This series covers the film landscape from silent cinema to the modern day digital era. A new decade brought with it a wealth of new discoveries as Quentin Tarantino blasted the landscape, Baz Luhrmann's madcap frenetic film language sat alongside Iranian cinema, and new Japanese horror terrified global audiences.

[vveksuvarna]

I really hope we see a underground/cult/grassroots movements for film. Chris Nolan has already been pushing his friends, but we haven't seen many film productions pop up since.

Like others have mentioned, I too am hoping that 70mm picks up as a novelty format. If 4k/3D/Atmos can be marketed as a premium experience, so can 70mm.

[pagemaster]

Originally Posted by vveksuvarna

If 4k/3D/Atmos can be marketed as a premium experience, so can 70mm.

70mm always was marketing as a premium experience, not only for the presentation when the movie was shown in film, but also with the sound...

The Master commanded a premium for the ticket price.

[Penton-Man]

Film processing not dead (yet) in the U.K….http://www.screendaily.com/5053929.article