"Can This Man Save The Movies? (Again?)" is an excellent article from TIME magazine featuring George Lucas and other prominient filmmakers arguing both sides of the future of digital cinema...
Here's a magic glimpse into the future of movies. A big blockbuster opens. Some people see it in sparkling digital clarity on wraparound screens in ultraswank theaters; others watch the same movie the same day on an 8-ft.-wide screen in their home media center; still others get it transmitted instantly through their computer, iPod or cell phone. It's a looking-glass scenario that could happen in a future near you--if the people who finance and exhibit Hollywood movies want it to.
We are at the bright dawn of the movies' digital age, but the Hollywood establishment still has its shades drawn. In the Oscar show at the Kodak Theatre (named after a company that is crucially invested in the film-stock status quo), the most popular live-action digital movie in history, George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith, won no awards, not even one for technical achievement. The year's boldest, most innovative digital experiment, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's Sin City, got no nominations at all.
The Oscar revelers seemed unaware that movies have two big problems: the way they're made and the way they're shown.
This is just a small taste of the article. Definitely read it if you're interested in this topic at all. It's really, really well done and very informative.
-Blake
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2 comments to "Can This Man Save The Movies? (Again?)"
Anonymous says:
I listened to Todd Wagner at a panel at SXSW. The guy's a genius...he is one to keep your eye on. Yes, Bubble wasn't successful, but as he admitted, the story, film, etc...it all was experimental. It might have been different if they had used name actors and the such. After listening to Todd, I think day/date might have a future. It was amusing to watch him talk circles around the likes of Landmark and Magnolia theater execs. The audience applauded him several times. It really opened my eyes to thinking outside the box.
Blake Calhoun says:
Yeah, I read some blog coverage from that panel and they mentioned Todd spoke well and got some nice applause. I would've liked to have been there.
I personally think "Bubble" didn't do well not because of lack of star power (Soderbergh is a star himself) or even that it was experimental... it was just BORING and NOT INTERESTING and didn't have much of a story. In the end, with all movies, the story has to be there. I have posted my dislike for "Bubble" several times on my blog. So, I don't personally think it was a good test for day & date. I think that concept is the future for a lot of movies - not all per se - but a lot. And, it will drastically help with piracy concerns too.
BTW, keep in mind of course that Todd is the BOSS of the Landmark and Magnolia execs, so they may have to let him talk a lot. :)
-Blake