The Future of Movies (Maybe)
- Thread starter MovieBob
- Start date
Interesting ideas, but just one thing - surely 3d glasses can't make elements *visible* that are otherwise *invisible*, but only the other way round. So you'd wear the glasses in order to *hide* the subtitles, not to show them - or else you'd have to wear one polarization to see things in one form, and another polarization to see them in a different form.
I think the obvious change will be theaters themselves will go away. Many people have giant flat screen TV's and surround sound systems in their homes. Why go to a theater when they've effectively made a theater in their living room? What this means, I am uncertain. It could mean feature-length films will go away in favor of a series format. I thought Pacific Rim would have been better as a series. Wall-E would have been better as the series of shorts involving a robot cleaning up the planet. But these were made into features because that's what sells. It just doesn't sell as well as videos of cats on Youtube. If streaming can be done with theaters inexpensively, then it can be done with end users just as cheaply... maybe not as cheaply with server traffic and all. But it's already being done, anyway. Some movies can be streamed while they are in theaters. It's already going that way. And there's no reason to think people give a shit enough about the tradition of going to a theater to want to keep it alive for its own sake.
Here's a thing about 3D: it doesn't work. For all the work and technological advances, 3D still doesn't look like real life. Not even close. And since they have to flatten 3D presentations or else everyone would get headaches and discomfort... yes, they really do flatten it... it winds-up looking like a card board diorama. In Wolverine there is a shot of Logan and Mariko in bed. The camera goes past Tao Okamoto's shoulder to Hugh Jackman and she looked like a cardboard cutout that was a mile away from him. it just looks terrible.
Television had been slowly killing movie theaters for years. Technical innovations were quickly matched. Color movies came out and then color televisions were produced. It's an arms race. It's why theaters feature a wide screen and surround sound. It took a while, but now home theaters have that. And 3D as 3D televisions are also available. What do theaters off besides a reason to get out of the house besides the mini-golf course?
Here's a thing about 3D: it doesn't work. For all the work and technological advances, 3D still doesn't look like real life. Not even close. And since they have to flatten 3D presentations or else everyone would get headaches and discomfort... yes, they really do flatten it... it winds-up looking like a card board diorama. In Wolverine there is a shot of Logan and Mariko in bed. The camera goes past Tao Okamoto's shoulder to Hugh Jackman and she looked like a cardboard cutout that was a mile away from him. it just looks terrible.
Television had been slowly killing movie theaters for years. Technical innovations were quickly matched. Color movies came out and then color televisions were produced. It's an arms race. It's why theaters feature a wide screen and surround sound. It took a while, but now home theaters have that. And 3D as 3D televisions are also available. What do theaters off besides a reason to get out of the house besides the mini-golf course?
I'm kind of surprised Bob didn't mention the growing trend of movie theatre grills/restaurants. That is, movie theatres with table space in front of the rows of chairs and full food/drink menus available. I've seen places do it old-school style where you order your food and drinks outside the theatre and then bring them in and find a seat, and others (like Alamo Drafthouse and Studio Movie Grill) where you write your order down on a provided card or slip of paper (there are dim lights under the table-top so you can see the menu and your own order card once the movie actually starts) and waiters come by every now and then before and during the film to pickup orders, drop off food, re-fill beverages, and drop off/pick up bills.
It's a pretty great system that didn't exist in my area before the turn of the millennium, and I still run into people all of the time who have never heard of or consider going to a theatre that serves full meals (and alcohol!) during the showing.
*shrugs*
It's a pretty great system that didn't exist in my area before the turn of the millennium, and I still run into people all of the time who have never heard of or consider going to a theatre that serves full meals (and alcohol!) during the showing.
*shrugs*
Was actually talking to a colleague the other day about similar uses of 3D glasses like example 3. You could potentially be showing 2 different versions of the movie, depending on what glasses were worn, and potentially what soundtrack would be playing (depending on whether you've got some kind of earbuds).
Another potential use could be to show both 24 and 48 fps versions. Didn't like the look of The Hobbit? Just use the glasses that are set to receive the 24fps version. Like the new 48p version better? Switch glasses.
Some other idea was movies with variable fps. Keeping the classic 24p for dramatic character interaction, while expanding with 48p for bigger area and action shots. Much like how certain movies change aspect ratio with scenes filmed in IMAX format.
We didn't really get much work done that day...
Another potential use could be to show both 24 and 48 fps versions. Didn't like the look of The Hobbit? Just use the glasses that are set to receive the 24fps version. Like the new 48p version better? Switch glasses.
Some other idea was movies with variable fps. Keeping the classic 24p for dramatic character interaction, while expanding with 48p for bigger area and action shots. Much like how certain movies change aspect ratio with scenes filmed in IMAX format.
We didn't really get much work done that day...
!@%!# Madigan, you stole my thunder.
That is the future of movies. Not the movies itself, but the experience. Private viewings, Food, alcohol, reclining seats. It's going to come down to the actual viewing experience as much as the movie itself. As much as people harp on the comforts of home when viewing a movie, I just can't afford the type of hardware that kind of experience it takes. I'd rather blow the 20-30$ on a relaxed atmosphere catered food and loud speakers every couple of months.
That is the future of movies. Not the movies itself, but the experience. Private viewings, Food, alcohol, reclining seats. It's going to come down to the actual viewing experience as much as the movie itself. As much as people harp on the comforts of home when viewing a movie, I just can't afford the type of hardware that kind of experience it takes. I'd rather blow the 20-30$ on a relaxed atmosphere catered food and loud speakers every couple of months.
I've heard of such places, and it only makes me sad that AMC is still gagging my local cinema scene like the oversized turd that it is.madigan said:
The glasses stuff was really damn clever, though I think with current technology, some of the applications you describe are less than possible. The glasses can make something that's visible invisible, but they can't reveal something that's invisible without the glasses, at least not as far as I know. So the whole R/PG-13 simultaneous screening thing seems less than possible since the R version would have to be the one on-screen while the PG-13 version would have to be the one that requires glasses, and what kid is going to willingly watch the "lame" version of the movie? I guess you could make it so that both versions require glasses, but that just seems like more of an inconvenience than anything.
I don't see why you need to wait for digital streaming to do old film revivals. The theatre chains near me have been doing it for years with DVDs and Blu-ray discs. Unless it's an IMAX or AVX theatre, most movies are still in 2K resolution. That's practically equivalent to your 1080p HD television. You just need to secure the public performance rights.
You don't experience real-life in 24-30 frames per second either, but movies and TV have been shown that way for almost a century, and everyone was pretty cool with it.the antithesis said:
Sorry but people who use phones in the cinema can go die in a fire! If you can't be away from it for the run time of a film don't go to the fucking cinema!
Strictly speaking this is true, but the problem is more technical than absolute. For instance, with subtitles, you can make the subtitles "invisible" to people not wearing glasses by disguising them with the normal movie, then have the glasses remove the "disguise", allowing the subtitles to be "visible" to people wearing the glasses.Flatfrog said:
Don't know about the future of movies, but..
wheee! RiffTrax mention. Love those guys(since they were doing MST3K)!
wheee! RiffTrax mention. Love those guys(since they were doing MST3K)!
Streaming is potentially really cool because it could actually drop entry prices if shipping is less of a factor. When reading this I'm guessing that everyone is worrying about one thing: The "Star Wars" effect. If a producer can patch a movie whenever he wants, what is to stop them from eternally tweaking a movie? If I'm going to see a movie and talk to my friends about it, it damn well better be the same movie that they saw. Constant patching of movies would kill the entire social atmosphere of movie-going, unless you consider peopler raging at 'special edition' changes to be an enjoyable experience.MovieBob said:
I could deal with light screens, as any really good movie has me glued to the screen without noticing my surroundings, but my worst case scenario is worse. If we get phones or computers in theatres then we have to deal with THE KEYBOARD CLACKING. Oh god, I want to stab my ears thinking about it. They've been trying to make silent key presses for a century now and aren't anywhere closer. It may never happen.MovieBob said:
Nope. You're crazy.MovieBob said:
Captcha: Your Feedback
This is indeed my feedback. Very observant.
Ya know Bob, I've long been interested to have you go see a movie in Sweden, I'd be curious to see your reaction. In Sweden, I've seen someone texting like once, and never had to even see someone desperately trying to turn of the sound to their phone as someone is calling them mid-movie. The last time I was mildly annoyed at the movies were when some kids behind me tended to snicker to loudly at inappropriate times. People talking in theaters is virtually non-existing, the most you can expect is some banter during the trailers.
Not only are people well-behaved you never have to worry about finding a seat. You can only book numbered seats, most easily done online. This greatly simplifies big premiers, because once you've spent your nights in a tent to get tickets, you can pick the best seats then and there, no need to stand in line again. Also, there are no rules about bringing snacks from outside, near most cinemas in Sweden, you can find a big candy-store within spitting distance.
Whenever I read about your (or other people from US) frustration with movie-going, I get eternally thankful for this country and our civil and structured way of life.
Not only are people well-behaved you never have to worry about finding a seat. You can only book numbered seats, most easily done online. This greatly simplifies big premiers, because once you've spent your nights in a tent to get tickets, you can pick the best seats then and there, no need to stand in line again. Also, there are no rules about bringing snacks from outside, near most cinemas in Sweden, you can find a big candy-store within spitting distance.
Whenever I read about your (or other people from US) frustration with movie-going, I get eternally thankful for this country and our civil and structured way of life.
I've only ever seen the Buncha-Crunch combination. I have to wonder, is chocolate candy all that good if you get the popcorn buttery? I can't imagine it is.
1) Cell phones could already be used for texting or anything else that is 100% text in a movie theater, very easily. Either have the screen be mostly back with the words be a darker color than white (yellow is a good color for this). The amount of light coming out, in that case is very minimal and would not disturb others around you, as long as the phone is kept low. Also, something like google glasses could take care of it.
2) No, the future of movies is not "wear more/different crap to make movies magically change!" No one wants to wear stuff. You know what happens if the choices are, "pay more asshole, or get blasted with ads all over the place"? More people stay home, wait for a home release, or just pirate the movie. This is what happens when you antagonize your audience. See: video games.
3) You're right about streaming/digital distribution of movies changing things, drastically. When it comes to the end-user (read: us), it's really not going to be much different, unfortunately. Yes, we might have some more niche/oddball choices here and there, but the savings of not distributing movies will not be passed onto us and as much as a world where a film could be "fixed" while in the theaters sounds cool, it won't happen. There's no real money in it.
Honestly, what's going to change most in going to the movies is what's offered. It's not the 1950's, people don't need to go to the theater to see something, there are MANY other options. Going to the movies is expensive and compared to home, it's not a great experience. Offer more. Better seats. Better/more reasonable priced concessions. A better guarantee of silence and not having my seat kicked by the brat behind me. Then, and only then, will stacking things like "pop-up video," rifftrax, and other fun stuff will make me care.
2) No, the future of movies is not "wear more/different crap to make movies magically change!" No one wants to wear stuff. You know what happens if the choices are, "pay more asshole, or get blasted with ads all over the place"? More people stay home, wait for a home release, or just pirate the movie. This is what happens when you antagonize your audience. See: video games.
3) You're right about streaming/digital distribution of movies changing things, drastically. When it comes to the end-user (read: us), it's really not going to be much different, unfortunately. Yes, we might have some more niche/oddball choices here and there, but the savings of not distributing movies will not be passed onto us and as much as a world where a film could be "fixed" while in the theaters sounds cool, it won't happen. There's no real money in it.
Honestly, what's going to change most in going to the movies is what's offered. It's not the 1950's, people don't need to go to the theater to see something, there are MANY other options. Going to the movies is expensive and compared to home, it's not a great experience. Offer more. Better seats. Better/more reasonable priced concessions. A better guarantee of silence and not having my seat kicked by the brat behind me. Then, and only then, will stacking things like "pop-up video," rifftrax, and other fun stuff will make me care.