(Source: flannelowl)
I still kind of want to be a projectionist; super-sad that there are like 2 non-digital theatres left in my city.
it really is a tragedy that most theatres across the world have changed to digital… it simply is not the same to watch a film projected.
dear athens people who would know,
does cine project their films? it seems like the type of thing they would do, if anything.
love,
katy
They do indeed! In fact Flannelowl on Tumblr is one of said Cine projectionists!
Shhh!!! It’s a secret!
But yeah, I’m pretty much opposed to digital films whenever it’s possible to be opposed to them. Obviously, we show a lot of films by smaller filmmakers who may not have the kind of money it requires to make film prints, so it’s not always possible. 99% of our regular-run features are on film; special screenings and one-offs usually end up being in some kind of digital format (bluray, dvd, digibeta, dvcam, etc.) out of necessity.
The industry is moving towards digital because it’s ultimately cheaper for them (all they have to do is send a hard drive with the film on it, whereas a print is big, heavy, and can cost thousands of dollars to make), and they can control the presentation because they don’t have to rely on the skill of individual projectionists (anyone can load the hard drive into the mainframe, enter the showtimes for the week into the computer, and voila! you’re showing movies!—In some cases, the presentation is just beamed into the digital projector via satellite and no one at the theater has to do a damn thing but sweep up the popcorn and over-charge you for it). The industry also likes digital because customers are drawn to the word “digital” and so they line up to see it. High tech! The average American consumer eats that shit up.
The unexpected result of all this is that, in my estimation, projection is becoming a “dying art.” Fewer skilled projectionists are required now, so it seems that maybe proper training has started to fall off. You can tell when another projectionist takes pride in his/her work, and I seem to be seeing that less often nowadays. When we get prints that have been through other theaters before ours, more often than not it seems that the other projectionists have mishandled or mistreated the film in some way. I even had this discussion with my Technicolor film distributor once when I was inquiring about getting a replacement of a damaged print; she said, “God, it’s like all these theaters are just letting the high-school-kid ushers and popcorn boys run their films now!” And for all I know, they probably are.
I’ve found that, at least at the big theaters, it’s hard to find someone who knows how to properly run a 35mm projector. The Carmike in town has one 35mm (otherwise fully digital), and last time I saw a film they were using it for, I couldn’t even sit through it because almost every splice was made out of frame and the previews were not matched to the lens type (so they would be stretched out or squashed); and it was, of course, out of focus. I didn’t have to pay to get in, but I can’t believe anyone else who did pay was willing to sit through that!
It’s sad because, in my estimation, real film—projected well—looks immensely better than even the most sharp digital presentation. There’s a depth to it that can not be mimicked by digital technology. (The best digital technology is only “the best” because it is the most successful at trying to mimic that depth.) Even though I know exactly how film works, I still think it’s magical.
If all the major theaters keep trending towards digital, small theaters like mine will be forced to make the change, too, because: a) the industry will stop making film prints altogether, and b) it will be impossible to find projectionists who know what the hell they are doing. Unfortunately I think being able to watch a film on film is going to become increasingly rare, so enjoy it while it lasts.
(You asked for an in-depth rant on this topic, right?)
(Source: sirveaux)
