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Author
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Topic: The End Of The Blockbuster
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Graham Ritchie
Film God
Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted September 28, 2007 11:06 PM
Well reflecting back over this year, I cant remember a time where the screen life of films such as Spiderman, Pirates, and Harry Potter were so short, they say as you get older time passes quicker, ![[Eek!]](eek.gif) so I wonder if thats it, ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif) however with a blink of an eye they came and went, are the days of the blockbuster gone? and possibly the days of going to the movies numbered?. I wonder if DVD and high definition Plasma, LCD, etc, etc, "home entertainment" is where things are heading, what do you think?
Graham.
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Graham Ritchie
Film God
Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted September 29, 2007 04:39 PM
Someone recently told me they thought cinemas were just being used to promote future DVD sales of films. It does make you wonder if there is some truth to this considering the very short time scale between when a movie finishing its run at the cinema and its DVD release. The down side to this and I often here these comments from people are "we will watch it when it comes out on DVD" although I often tell people nothing can beat the big screen, you feel at times such comments are falling on deaf ears, across the road from the cinema where I work there is a large discount store with thousands of cheap DVDs the quality of many are very good, and with a trend now of buying triple packs at at a price of a couple of movie tickets. The cinema owners out here are really up against it. Spiderman as an example, for the first few weeks did really well then it crashed, the numbers dropped dramatically the feedback from the public was the movie was OK but nobody was saying that it was great, just OK! after four weeks I pulled the plug on it, we were the first cinema in the city to do this and I noticed soon after other cinemas were doing the same. It seems strange to me that people measure the success of a film in dollars, is it a good film because it has made X number of $'s in its first week, or is it through an expensive advertising campaign which is encouraging people to see a film which sometimes in truth might not be that good, when this happens it can put people off coming back to the cinema, and in future hire or buy a DVD instead.
Graham.
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted September 30, 2007 01:51 PM
This is a very interesting subject.
The advent of video sales has really changed the motion picture industy. I remember when "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" was first in the movie theater. I was astounded that it actually played for over a year in oine movie theater alone in Boise Idaho here. Star wars was constantly in movie theaters all the way until Empire Strikes back came out ...
But that was back when you couldn't simply see it on video or DVD or even network TV, (at least, not for a number of years). You hyad no option except except to buy a edited version on Super 8mm or 16mm.
DVD and video changed all that. Coupled with peoples incredibly short attention span today. It seems most everybody want somethin g new every day or so, and if it isn't new, then screw it.
Quite frankly, I play the "wait until it's out on DVD" game, but this is for two reasons :
1. I rarely see a movie that I would plaster out almost ten bucks to see in the theaters to see in the theater.
2.. The public habits of the average theater goer are so abysmal. The last time I went to a movie theater was when "Star wars part 3 " I tell you the truth, I was never EVER so close to truly beating the living shit out of some parents as I was that day, who thought "little Timmy" was so cute running all over the damned place screaming his little assinine head off during the film, only to stop for a brief second when something exploded on screen!
There ought to be a pamplet handed out at your local theater explaining "proper film going ediquette" for the average person, who wouldn't good manners if it came up and bit them on thier ignorant asses!!
Enough venting.
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted October 01, 2007 08:45 PM
Eric, you had a very good point. I have a (now old fashioned) Dolby digital 5.1, (as well as the classic 70's style Dolby Surround set up), and I never get as good of sound in the theater than I do at home. Mostly due to surface noise, (the inevitable slight "human noise". All the subtle high's and lows really knock you out.
But i still prefer seeing a good print of "Big Business" (laurel and hardy, 1929, silent) on super 8 from Blackhawk, than seeing it on some pristine "restored" DVD.
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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David Kilderry
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 963
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted October 02, 2007 05:35 AM
I love running my films at home, but I enjoy the thrill of going to the cinema even more. I am constantly searching for the total two hour escape and with the right film (about 1 in 5 these days)it is totally worth the cinema experience.
Films I have enjoyed lately are Ratatouille, Waitress and Super Bad. You can see my tastes are varied but I enjoyed each one completly in the cinema. It allows me to forget all other thoughts and distractions; the screens are big, the sound excellent.
True there are negatives about todays cinemas, but when I was a kid the sound was mostly mono, screens were trapped in small proceniums and people talked and ate loudly just as much as today. I remember childrens matinees where I could not hear the dialogue for 30 seconds at a time due to the noise!
Don't get me wrong, as a projectionist at Australia's formerly largest cinema the magnificent atmospheric Forum, nee State Melbourne (3400 seats), I love the picture palaces and all that went along with them. The presentation was special we had banks of coloured lights, two massive Cinemeccanica Victoria X 70mm projectors and the last film we ran before the theatre closed was Back To The Future....for an entire year!
The business is has drastically changed, some for better some for worse, but it is still here and as relevant as ever. I recall my old projectionist telling me that when he was an assistant projectionist his chief told him that the business went to the pack when sound came in and the talkies ruined the business.
Sure films come and go fast today but there is more choice than ever before. The former Hoyts suburban circuit here in Melbourne once numbered almost 50 single screen theatres, yet the choice of films on any given night was as little as five (plus supports). Art/foreign films were almost impossible to find and even classics were censored.
Yesterday was great, but today I still love the movie business.
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted October 02, 2007 10:59 AM
You know, it's strange. (I mentioned it before), but here I can get a fully restored film, that even looks better than the original negative, (or at least, better than any person ever saw it in the movie theaters ... a good example of this is the DVD of Metropolis, restored) ...
... and yet, I really prefer the grain, the slight dust that occasionally pops up on the screen. On old silent movies, I actually like some scratches on the screen as it reminds me of the passing of time.
Perhaps it's because when I watch a film like "Big Business" (1929 laurel and hardy), on an actual screen from my film print, I feel akin to the audience, in 1929, and I'm laughing WITH THEM, I'm in the theater with them. No time has passed.
DVD may outnumber the number of film prints I have someday, but they will never take the place of what film prints ,mean to me.
Let's face it boys, (as we are mostly men on this forum), we are the last gteneration who will enjoy celluloid. Our L.P.P. prints will last perhaps awhile longer than we do, but as a general rule, all our Blackhawk and such prints will age against our will. Our projectors will age and someday become un-usable, hopefully after we die ...
We have the joy that young people will never understand or really value. Most young people these days are absolutely fascinated when they actually see a reel of film unspooled
but do not understand the significance of celluloid. They do not understand that these seperate images frame by frame, make up what they see on those DVD's (as a general rule).
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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