"Of Buggy Whips and Celluloid
Technology is depriving us of what makes movies special: each other
by James Burrus
I have seen the end of film, and while it may not be pretty, it is certainly sharp. Movies aren’t about to disappear. As long as there is an auteur with a digital recording device and iMovie on his or her Mac Book Pro, there will be movies.
But movies will not be immune from the carnage of digital isolationism and the loss of what amounts to the soul of cinema: its social element.
Oddly, this will not be due to a lack of quality. Quite the contrary; the end of movies will be projected in high-def digital glory on walls and plasma screens and laptops and cell phones across the nation.
Because as the technology gets better and cheaper, more and more people are bringing it home—and therein lies the danger. If you think NetFlix is giving theaters a financial Charlie horse, Blu-ray discs, players and projectors are set to turn the once-communal experience of watching a movie into a relic of the past, just as pulling into the local drive-in for a burger has become an icon of the Good Ol’ Days.
I know this is true because my film aficionado friend, Pablo “Keelsetter,” told me so. In fact, there’s a lot more to the loss of the group experience of watching a film. As he wrote in his film blog—found at moviemorlocks.com:
“…there is a collection of pheromones and audible and physical communications emitted by a large crowd of people reacting to a film that can definitely accentuate the experience. Also, let’s face it: true immersion into a film is more likely in a theater where you cannot pause the action and where your silence and attention are part of the understood bond of that setting.”
In addition is the demise of viewing a story told via a classic medium: film.
Just as a gearhead can tell by the sound of an idling motor that he’s in the presence of a 1968 Cobra Jet Mustang, a film connoisseur appreciates knowing details like aspect ratios and print quality. Because they matter in the same way aspiration and compression matter in an engine or brush strokes matter in a Van Gogh painting..." Continued here
Even blu-ray has an uncertain future with digital downloads becoming more practical. The Roku box is a killer device.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the number one reason why I don't go to the theaters is the people. It is an important fact to realize that people suck. I saw the brilliant film Coraline twice in the theater, and both times there were obnoxious people who wouldn't shut up, stop texting, or have any concept of self-awareness. Mr. Burrus over-thinks the problem and completely misses the real reason why movie theaters are struggling. People are sinking money into home theaters because they don't want to pay a lot of money for a ticket then deal with the jackasses who degrade the experience, or for that matter, pay obscene amounts for crappy food. People like doing stuff on their terms. If theaters made any sort of effort at improving the actual experience of seeing a movie, then they'd see an about-face in attendance.
Plus, it is a pet peeve of mine when people say how much "warmer" and "richer" old analogue formats are. It's not true. I'll take an 8K digital projection over 35mm (or even 70mm) any day of the week. A film print may look good once are twice through the projector, but then it's a steady decline to crapville. That's even under the best of conditions with a good projector with a competent projectionist.
We just don't live in an analogue universe, people. Take your crappy scratched-up formats elsewhere, they are no longer needed. :)
I agree that digital downloads are the big thing.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, people (more specifically; rude behavior), can ruin the cinematic experience. But it's all relative. Watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show on a great home entertainment system is not really watching that film at all, is it?
As to the digital/analog divide, why beat a dead horse? All 16 screens at the CineMark will be digital within two years. It's the future. Even so, watching 16mm films in my backyard on a cool summer evening with a crowd of friends will still be way more fun - no matter how many scratches are on the print.
I can't stand the Cinemark. They pack people in there like sardines, which means I get jostled when somebody behind me gets up to go to the bathroom. Plus the soundsystem sounds like it's underwater (the Muenzinger system actually sounds a lot better.)
ReplyDeleteOh, I agree, a 16mm print looks awesome when you're with friends, and a RHPS screening is great fun (does that even go on anymore?) But those are exceptions, and aren't the typical movie-going experience. The typical experience is $7 popcorn and a theater full of people who probably aren't as invested in the movie as you are.
SPEAKING IN CODE is a documentary on all aspects of electronic music.
ReplyDelete___________________
Julie
Online Marketing of your brand
If theaters made any sort of effort at improving the actual experience of seeing a movie, then they'd see an about-face in attendance.
ReplyDeleteJenifer
Are you scared to be alone at home need security
There is a variety of philosophies, artistic processes, and theatrical approaches to creating plays and drama. Some are connected to political or spiritual ideologies, and some are based on purely "artistic" concerns. Some processes focus on a story, some on theatre as event, and some on theatre as catalyst for social change.
ReplyDeletegood information about cinema lovers.
ReplyDelete- resume