One month after the American opening
dates of "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace" (henceforth
referred to as "SWEOPM"), an even more historic debut took place:
the exhibition of the "film" via a "non film" medium.
Some people involved in the program are calling it "electronic
cinema", but others (this writer included) are more reserved, and the
term cinema is allowed only for actual exhibition. All the rest is mere
video, no matter how you dress it up with a fancy name.
A sizeable crowd of press people were attracted to
the AMC 14 in Burbank, California, on June 17, 1999 (The day before the
public could buy tickets), at the invitation of Texas Instruments Co., for a
presentation and demonstration of the process. This was not the first time
that film and video projection have been compared. However, it would go on
the books as part of the first commercial dramatic film to be run in this
mode for which members of the public would be allowed to but tickets. (Their
claim for "first" was somewhat diluted by a simultaneous opening
of "An Ideal Husband" at competing LA and NY area theatres).
Among the VIPs at the front of the house were Tom
Sherak, director of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox, Monica
Dashwood, general manager of Lucas Filmīs THX program, and Rick McCallum,
who is listed as producer of "SWEOPM". In addition, there were key
people from Texas Instruments and CineComm present at the dais. It is
interesting to note that there was not one representative of
"film" at this gathering. The TI system utilizes 1.310.000
miniature mirrors, mounted on a tiny chip. Tha native resolution is 1280 x
1024, and the program was transferred (high definition) at 1920 x 1024
compressed. The mirror positions are updated (adjusted) at up to 50.000
times per second (!), which is how they shade the colors. The sound was from
interlocked digital, 6 discrete channels, at 44.1 sampling rate. The picture
was stored on 18 hard drives, a Pluto HyperDrive Raid array, compressed 4:1
with a Panasonic drive.
The Texas Instruments digital projector.
After some brief presentations, it was time for
demonstrations. First was video only (the scene where young Luke Skywalker
teaches himself to fly), followed by a side-by-side comparison of video on
the left/film on the right of an early sequence in the filmīs story line in
which, in their intergalactic Senate, the constituents are complaining about
their treatment by the Federation.
The screen was 42 ft (12,80 m), and TI claims its
system is suitable and capable for screen sizes up to 55 of 60 ft (16,8 -
18,3 m) wide. TI does not make a projector, per se, but plans to license the
technology to other companies to make their brand of projectors. Hughes/JVC,
on the other hand, are concentrating on a different brand of projection
process (proprietary to JVC/Hughes) and developing (with CineComm) and
integrated system for delivery by satellite to the local venues.
Even to this prejudiced (for film) observer, the
video images were, to put it mildly, very good. Since there were no
advocates of "film" present, one has to wonder, however, if they
may have pushed up the screen illumination of the video side a bit... There
was no one present to be sure it was a "level playing field" for
film advocates. No one from Kodak or Fuji, for example...
After the demonstrations, the floor was opened up
for questions. Most of the questions were straight forward ("How does
it work?"). Other, more speculative questions also came out ("What
are implications for theatres?"), which were unable to be answered at
the moment. There are a lot of unanswered questions about who will build the
"projectors" and how will the programming be distributed and
stored.
Using figures from unspecified sources, Mr. McCallum
stated that, in the United States, there are currently approximately 32.000
theatrical screens. Of those 32.000, he said, only 350 (!) are what they
(Lucas Film) consider top-notch, "quality" theatres. Rounding off
those numbers a bit, only 1% of the screens in America are up to proper
presentation quality! Mr. McCallum did not explain how converting to
expensive new technology (video) would improve presentation in the 99% (!)
of American screens whose owners do not already see fir to run their films
somewhere near to appropriate standards. What if that percentage runs even
lower...?
These video projection devices are expected to cost
somewhere on the order of (USD) $100.000 each. Who is to pay this cost is
one of the unanswered questions, and since theatre owners have historically
declined to spend money on top-notch equipment, it appears to this observer
that, should this change become mandatory, perhaps 1% of American screens
will continue to have top-notch presentation (via video), and 99% will
continue to suffer from substandard presentation, but now from even worse
video. In the long-run, we will all have lost, because of the other
limitations of "video".
Video projection may be the juggernaut heading
towards us, because George Lucas says it is "good". Or (wait a
minute), maybe itīs a Trojan Horse...! Who appointed George Lucas the
visionary of the 21st century? Iīd like to hear Marshall McLuhanīs take on
this.
After July 15, the video demonstrations disappeared,
so we now have to wait and see what happens next, here in Hollywood. Itīs
clear that many film distribution executives are literally drooling at the
prospect of eliminating the cost of film prints...but at what cost to the
public, who enjoys the benefits of seeing their programming of film, not
video? OOps, I forgot: the executives donīt care about the audiences. It
seems no matter what bilge they produce, people spend money to see their
shows.
If there was ever an occasion for the
"rebirth" of 65mm/70mm and its superior image quality, that moment
seems to be now. The watchword from Fox and TI seems to be that you should
"come see the future"... This observer, at least, hopes that
Hollywood wakes up and brings back 70mm filming. But donīt hold your
breath! There seem to be many who donīt care about the audience experience,
only the dollars and nonsense of converting to exhibition by video. Someone
in the audience asked if they (TI) had considered comparing their image to
IMAX. ("No!") Me, I would have been happyy if someone from the
film club had been there with a demonstration of 65mm/70mm. Maybe that will
happen next year. Or am I dreaming....?
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Further in 70mm reading:
Life With THX In Hollywood Part
1
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