Digital Technology and the Movie Industry
Delivery and Consumption of Films
Digital projectors: In the United States, cinema houses have been required to make the conversion to digital, even at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars for new digital projectors. This move threatened to put smaller art houses out of the business, and to survive Hollywood’s digital movement, they had to find new ways to fund the purchase of the necessary technology.
Movie premieres and previews: According to Steve Ralsten (2015), member of the Disney History Institute Facebook page who worked with Glen Glenn Sound Studio in Hollywood, Comedian Bob Hope would shoot his monologues for his TV shows (also filmed on reels) close to the air date so that they would be current. In 1976, Hope shot his monologue so close to the airdate that the film reel in its canister had to have a police escort from the Glen Glenn Sound Studio to NBC in Burbank and was delivered after the first part of the show was already on the air. Because of the bulk and physicality of film, previews were more difficult to do, especially if the film is being shown to audiences to test for reactions. Film can be re-edited, but digital media is much easier to change.
Now, previews can be sent out to multiple audiences throughout the world. In Salt Lake City, previews are held regularly. The data is sent out via satellite to the cinema, and the audience never knows that there is no physical copy of the film available. This protects the content of the film because there is no remnant, nothing to steal, after it is shown.
Changes can be made more easily to digital copies of a film. Captain America: The Winter Soldier had one sequence that was different for every region of the world. When Steve Rogers consults his list of things to learn about the modern age, people in Japan saw a different list than those in America or China. This flexibility can also be a problem if a director is unsure of what cuts he wants to make. An indecisive director can cause post production costs to sky-rocket while trying to decide which scenes, and which version of those scenes, to use.
Watching Movies: With tablets and the iPad having a display quality that is better than an HDTV (Lhooq, 2012), consumers are even more likely to continue watching movies from their download library or from streaming websites – whether legal or not.
This does not mean that movie theaters are out of the picture. Currently, large screen formats like IMAX offer the consumer more detail and better picture quality than available at home or on the go. This gives special effect spectaculars like Interstellar and Jurassic World and added dimension and creates more visual enjoyment. Combined with 3D, larger film types create a more immersive experience.
According to Scheeden (2010), the first commercially released 3D film to make use of anaglyph glasses was 1922’s The Power of Love. However, 3D didn’t really catch on until the 1950s. Used mostly in the horror and suspense film genres, 3D films eventually lost their popularity because the reels and equipment were difficult to maintain, and shows that were not well synchronized caused viewers to complain about headaches. While 3D televisions are just hitting the market to flat reviews, 3D movies have made a comeback in a huge way. Theaters charge a premium for 3D showings, and movie box office numbers are counted in terms of both 2D showings and 3D showings – the breakdown for The Avengers opening weekend show that the film earned 52 percent of its box office from 3D viewings (Acuna, 2013).
Movies are looking to add the viewer into the film with showings that include technology like Second Screen to give audiences added value during the film. Trivia, deleted scenes and photos are part of the information that is synchronized with the movie (Lhooq, 2012). Directors are now experimenting with interactive films that allow the audience to choose what happens during key plot points. While these films have not made it to the theaters yet, they are a small step away from making a splash on the cinema screen
Movie premieres and previews: According to Steve Ralsten (2015), member of the Disney History Institute Facebook page who worked with Glen Glenn Sound Studio in Hollywood, Comedian Bob Hope would shoot his monologues for his TV shows (also filmed on reels) close to the air date so that they would be current. In 1976, Hope shot his monologue so close to the airdate that the film reel in its canister had to have a police escort from the Glen Glenn Sound Studio to NBC in Burbank and was delivered after the first part of the show was already on the air. Because of the bulk and physicality of film, previews were more difficult to do, especially if the film is being shown to audiences to test for reactions. Film can be re-edited, but digital media is much easier to change.
Now, previews can be sent out to multiple audiences throughout the world. In Salt Lake City, previews are held regularly. The data is sent out via satellite to the cinema, and the audience never knows that there is no physical copy of the film available. This protects the content of the film because there is no remnant, nothing to steal, after it is shown.
Changes can be made more easily to digital copies of a film. Captain America: The Winter Soldier had one sequence that was different for every region of the world. When Steve Rogers consults his list of things to learn about the modern age, people in Japan saw a different list than those in America or China. This flexibility can also be a problem if a director is unsure of what cuts he wants to make. An indecisive director can cause post production costs to sky-rocket while trying to decide which scenes, and which version of those scenes, to use.
Watching Movies: With tablets and the iPad having a display quality that is better than an HDTV (Lhooq, 2012), consumers are even more likely to continue watching movies from their download library or from streaming websites – whether legal or not.
This does not mean that movie theaters are out of the picture. Currently, large screen formats like IMAX offer the consumer more detail and better picture quality than available at home or on the go. This gives special effect spectaculars like Interstellar and Jurassic World and added dimension and creates more visual enjoyment. Combined with 3D, larger film types create a more immersive experience.
According to Scheeden (2010), the first commercially released 3D film to make use of anaglyph glasses was 1922’s The Power of Love. However, 3D didn’t really catch on until the 1950s. Used mostly in the horror and suspense film genres, 3D films eventually lost their popularity because the reels and equipment were difficult to maintain, and shows that were not well synchronized caused viewers to complain about headaches. While 3D televisions are just hitting the market to flat reviews, 3D movies have made a comeback in a huge way. Theaters charge a premium for 3D showings, and movie box office numbers are counted in terms of both 2D showings and 3D showings – the breakdown for The Avengers opening weekend show that the film earned 52 percent of its box office from 3D viewings (Acuna, 2013).
Movies are looking to add the viewer into the film with showings that include technology like Second Screen to give audiences added value during the film. Trivia, deleted scenes and photos are part of the information that is synchronized with the movie (Lhooq, 2012). Directors are now experimenting with interactive films that allow the audience to choose what happens during key plot points. While these films have not made it to the theaters yet, they are a small step away from making a splash on the cinema screen