1. Section B: Audiences and Institutions

2.  Limited Release – A film released to a small number of screens  This is England and Pirate Radio were both limited releases  Wide Release – A film released to the majority of film screens (Avatar & The Boat That Rocked)  Video On Demand (VOD) - a system in which viewers choose their own filmed entertainment, by means of a PC or interactive TV system, from a wide available selection.

3.  Traditionally films are made up images printed on to acetate negatives.  These are then “spliced” together to form a reel of film.  These are then feed through a projector at a constant speed of 24 frames a second which makes the pictures appear to be moving.  This is known as analogue 

4.  Digital cinema uses bits and bytes (strings of 1s and 0s) to record, transmit and reply images, instead of chemicals on film.  The whole process is electronic so there is no printing or “splicing” involved.

5.  Digital cinema has grown rapidly in the last 10 years.  Star Wars: Episode II, the Attack of the Clones (2002) was the first big budget live action film shot entirely on digital video.  However, transferred to 35mm film to be exhibited in cinemas  Film makers were far from convinced that digital was the future of cinema.

6. Advantages  Digital technology can store, transmit and retrieve a huge amount of data exactly as it was originally recorded.  The quality of digital film does not deteriorate.  Analogue technology (film) loses information in transmission and generally degrades with each viewing  There are greater possibilities for the manipulation of the image itself, the editing process becoming more creative and composite images can be produced to incorporate digital animation.

7.  Digital information is a lot more flexible than analogue information  A computer can manipulate bytes of data very easily  E.g. ease of editing using a program such as iMovie/Final Cut/Final Cut Express  This saves time and therefore saves money.

8. Digital cinema affects the three stages of film-making:  Production – how the film is made  Distribution – how the film gets from the production company to the cinema  Exhibition – how the cinema shows the film

9. How has digital cinema changed:  Production  Distribution  Exhibition  Prepare to feedback to the class

10. 1. Production  New digital camera technology rivals traditional film for quality  Digital camcorders using a high-definition format called HD-CAM are much cheaper than standard film cameras.

11.  Virtually no processing necessary before the editing stage  Tapes can be re-used many times – unlike film  Footage can be viewed on immediately on set  Production time is cut and so are costs  BY HOLLYWOOD STANDARDS DIGITAL VIDEO COSTS VIRTUALLY NOTHING

12.  Example:  Attack of the Clones  $16,000 on 220 hours of digital tape  Would have spent:  $1.8million on 220 hours of film

13. 2. Distribution  Film prints are very expensive (£1500-£3000 per print)  Expensive to ship heavy reels of film and then to collect them when film finishes its run

14.  Digital films are basically big computer files  Can be written to DVD-ROM  Sent via broadband  Transmitted via satellite  Virtually no shipping costs  Not much more expensive to show in 100 cinemas as 1

15.  Because of cost you have to very cautious about where films are played – unless it is a guaranteed hit it is a risk to send film to a lot of cinemas  This is one reason why there is such a limited choice at multiplexes  Films can be opened simultaneously all over the world (The Boat That Rocked)

16. 3. Exhibition  A good analogue film projector produces a clear, crisp vibrant image but every time the print is projected the film is damaged.  A digital projector produces a high quality image and sound every time.  The 1000 th view is a good as the first!

17.  High quality, low cost home exhibition  BluRay  HD Television  Video On Demand services (Amazon Prime, Hulu, NetFlix, HBO Go, etc)

18. Disadvantages  Piracy – much easier to make illegal copies  Pirated copies may be of a much higher quality than before  Needs to be more advanced encryption systems

19.  Piracy – the illegal distribution of media without the permission of its owner. E.g. Downloading, Pirate DVDs  Advances in digital technology (see digital cinema notes) have made piracy easier, cheaper and has improved the quality of the content.  Electronic files can be leaked in advance of a films release.  The internet allows pirate material to be distributed all over the world very quickly  A 2014 IPSOS report discovered that almost 30% of Britons are now watching movies illegally online or buying counterfeit DVDs, costing the industry £500m a year

20.  However, Hollywood director Lexi Alexander states “You know what statistics are bullshit? The ones stated by the MPAA about losses due to piracy,” she said emphatically. “Piracy has NOT been proven to hurt box-office numbers - on the contrary, several studies say it may have boosted the bottom line.”due to piracy  Alexander also states that region- blocking is a huge reason behind piracy. I’m inclined to agree.

21.  Digital cameras and sound equipment used in cinemas to record pirate copies of a film have improved greatly in quality  This technology is now far cheaper and easier to use.

22.  Digital technology has allowed films to be released simultaneously across the world. Previously the delay in films reaching the UK from America meant that piracy was a more popular option. (The Boat That Rocked)  Digital encryption means that films can be securely distributed.  The rise in digital film production and exhibition has paved the way for 3D cinema. (Avatar)  3D cinema is currently more difficult to “pirate”.  It can not be filmed effectively in cinemas.  The cost of watching good quality 3D material at home currently means mass audiences aren’t yet interested.

24.  Everything we mentioned about piracy with Avatar is still true but it’s not going to stop people taking it for free once it’s available  Did the limited release of the Blu-Ray through Panasonic make it harder for the piraters to find or did it actually create a demand where paying customers were left with no other option  small production companies are actually hurt more by piracy than multinational conglomerates, as they cannot bear the impact with already acquired capital

25.  With much cheaper home entertainment technology and professional cinema technology - will people still bother to visit cinemas?  We don’t need to but we will… we think  Consider Sean Parker’s new proposal  $50 (£35) to watch a film at home

26. HollywoodIndependent The digitalisation of the film industry has affected Hollywood Studios and Independent film makers in different ways.

27.  Opens up competition to Hollywood through decreased production and distribution costs  Could break Hollywood hold on exhibition in Britain

28.  DIGITAL CINEMA IN THE UK 2005  The UK Film Council is investing £12m of National Lottery money into a DIGITAL SCREEN NETWORK  ‘Digital distribution is significantly cheaper than 35mm and will allow a richer diet of films to be distributed’  John Woodward – Chief Executive UK Film Council

29.  ‘Digital will give the public unprecedented choice and filmmakers more opportunity to get their films onto the big screen’ (John Woodward – Chief Executive of the UK Film Council)

30.  The UK Film Council pledged to have more than 200 cinemas – including multiplexes – with digital projectors by 2007.  In return they would be required to devote more screen time to British and non- mainstream Hollywood films  Therefore – significantly improving the choice for viewing for audiences

31.  The average Hollywood blockbuster opens on 300+ UK screens – but most independent films, restored classics, documentaries and foreign language films struggle to reach 30.  Digital copies of films are ten times cheaper than 35mm

32.  In 2009, the Academy Award for Best Cinematography was awarded for a film mostly shot digitally, Slumdog Millionaire.  Other digitally shot films include:  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button  Apocalypto  Gamer  Che: Parts 1 and 2  Public Enemies

33.  New digitally enabled venues have been able to show a new generation of digitally produced 3D films.  The popularity of 3D has grown rapidly.  Recent releases include:  Final Destination 3D  Up  Avatar

34.  Most 3D films are released alongside a 2D version.  Although it is becoming very popular among young audiences the jury is definitely still “out” on whether 3D is here to stay.  Many viewers find it difficult to watch and lots of films simply don’t suit being watched in 3D. Imagine watching The King’s Speech or This is England in 3D – it just isn’t necessary!

35.  Not everyone has been happy about the move to digital film  These directors still stand firm against using digital film:  Steven Spielberg  Quentin Tarantino (Is threatening to retire over the issue)  Christopher Nolan  M. Night Shyamalan  Oliver Stone  Paul Thomas Anderson

36.  How has digital cinema affected the film industry ? The Third Revolution in film? 1. Sound (1928) 2. Colour (1930s) 3. Digital (21 st Century?)

37.  In 2005 the UK Film Council introduced 240 digital projectors into cinemas as part of Film Council’s Digital Screen Network initiative.  This was designed to enable cinemas to show a greater variety of films including UK and foreign language which would normally be too expensive or difficult to distribute.

38.  The pace of change was initially slow but accelerated rapidly due to the boom in 3D films which can’t be projected on the old equipment

39.  2009 – 650 digital screens  2010 – 1,400 digital screens with 1,080 of them enabled to project 3D  In 2010 416 films were released wholly or partly on digital prints in the UK, which is 80% of all releases  By 2012 – 92% of UK cinema screens were digital

40.  100% of UK Cinema screens are now digital

41.  This compares to 20% in France  35% in Holland  The UK is the country in the world which is farthest down the digital route – currently by a long way

42.  Film prints will no longer be damaged – it will always look like new  There should be a more varied, flexible programme  Cinemas are able to show one-off events like live opera and major sports  However, it will be very difficult to show older films that have not yet been transferred to digital

43.  Digital projectors require fewer people in the projection box so staffing costs can be cut & overheads reduced  However, staff will still be needed to ensure that films are projected correctly, at the right time and on the right screen  With no need for a big projection booth, the space needed to build a cinema may shrink

44.  Edward Fletcher of the distribution company Soda has predicted that:  ‘In the next few years there will be an increase in smaller, high street cinemas that will show a good mix of mainstream and indie films’  Is this happening enough?

45.  Staff could be cut to a bare minimum.  According to Edward Fletcher:  ‘In place of the projectionist, you could have one person in a business park in Stevenage sat in front of a bank of screens. That person could programme their entire group of cinemas by doing some drag-and-drops on a laptop’

46.  Probably not  Survived advent of Television  Survived advent of VCR  Survived advent of DVD  Survived advent of internet  How?  By securing first rights to distribution and marketing themselves as a leisure and social experience  A warning  The textbook warns that Netflix hasn’t put Blockbuster video out of business yet as a proof that the cinema is safe

47.  3D films  41% of screens in the UK are 3D  4K screens  4 times the pixels than the current industry standard (2K)  Costs 11 times as much to store though (who can afford that? The big studios) – Will it make a big difference? - See the next slide  But a Sony report from last year suggests that it’s not maths that matters – it’s comfort. That’s an interesting finding not least because Sony have a large vested interested in 4k as they are a major supplier of 4k projecting equipment. Sony report

48.  When the audience were sitting in a position in which there was a visual difference between 4k and 2k they found that the audience thought the movie was better in every way they were asked. This included  “This is something I would tell my friends about”  “This is worth paying more for”  “I would go out of my way to go to a theater that offered this type of picture quality”  It also matters how the film was shot and post- produced. A 4k projection of a movie shot (or finished) at 2k then upscaled 4k will have little benefit to audiences.

49.  Some would think that the digitalization of the film industry would open up competition for the independent companies but that’s simply not the case  96.5% of box office gross belongs to the top ten distributors – a number that’s actually increased since 2000 (94%)  Although we cannot deny the options available via Netflix and other VOD platforms which are content driven due to business model (subscriber vs ala carte – although cinema business is getting in here too)  Are cinemas still needed? No  Will we still use them? Yes