I would call the petition "The King Canute Memorial Cinema Hopefuls (or Romantics)"
C'mon folks, just a few points from a Canadian newspaper:
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Digital movies are typically delivered on a hard drive that can be held in the hand. Or in some cases, the signal can be beamed in by satellite. That means no heavy 35-mm film canisters or movie projectionists to thread spools.
The economics are even more compelling for studios to encourage exhibitors to switch over. One 35-mm print could cost $1,000 versus $200 for a digital hard drive. Multiply that by 10,000 screens for a wide release film and the difference in distribution costs are staggering.
If you want to continue playing relatively contemporary movies, then you need digital. Thats the way the market is going, says Demois. The theatre usually shows movies four to five weeks after the first run. Currently its showing My Week With Marilyn and Margin Call.
Were coming to the tipping point where prints wont be available, says Rui Pereira, general manager of the Kingsway Theatre in the citys west end.
BUT ALSO:
While celluloid used trained projectionists, who are now something of an endangered species, digital equipment was supposed to be easier. But not always.
The hard drives are always encrypted, and many times Peel estimates at least 10 per cent of the time the encryption doesnt work, or the drive may be damaged.
You end up with delays, you have to call the distributor, try and get a new code. Theyre still working out the bugs.
Peel says he has both 35-mm and digital capability. But he doesnt have a preference for either.
The world has spoken. The world is going digital, says Peel. We are dealing with a huge transition.
With the push to digital, Peel says there has been equal pushback from some fans who are used to 35-mm film.
Film has its own look and its been around for more than 100 years, says Peel. But theres no reason we cant celebrate both.
Theatre manager Demois agrees. Film certainly looks different. It has nicks and scratches, and it erodes over time. But there is a romance to it, says Demois. Digital actually looks too clear for some people. Its the same reason some people like the sound of old vacuum tube stereos as opposed to digital equipment. But they both have their advantages and disadvantages.
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I believe that the real concern is that Kodak and Fuji will stop making the various motion picture stocks that have probably been supporting our photographic supplies.
