The New Wave of Cinema

Brian Parker

Brian Parker

Well-known member
Hey guys,

This is my first post and I gotta say what a great community this is. I just signed up like a week ago but I've been lurking for about a month and I've learned more in that time that I have from all the other film-based message boards that I've ever been to. :laugh:

So seeing how there are a lot of people in various stages of their careers in various parts of the industry, I have a question that I'd like to pose. Where do you guys see the film industry evolving to in say the next 10 to 20 years. It just seems that with the advent of "inexpensive" equipment and now HD and 35 mm adapters, that the wall between Hollywood and Indie is crumbling. Indie filmmakers are making more and more films and Hollywood seems to be phoning it in more, maybe because they are bitter about piracy. Are theaters becoming obsolete? Is web distribution the next big thing? It just feels like we're on the cusp of one of the biggest paradigm shifts in a long time and I would like to know where the heads of the people on the front line, the revolutionaries, are.

Sorry about the long post. I know it might be kind of a strange first one but hey. Any opinions and discussion are appreciated. Thanks!
 
This year will probably see less sales than last, but it would only be the 6th year since 1980 that has happened. Hollywood big budget films are still bringing in the vast majority of money and nothing indicates it has slowed down or will stop. Sure indie movies seem to be popular among many of us 'film buffs', but when I look at the average movie goer, they rarely see them over big budget films.

Internet piracy will only continue to grow and of course it is an all time high, but it really hasn't had a negative impact in terms of the industry increasing its gross. (PLEASE NOTE: Of course it has had negative impacts and hurt the maximum potential for film gross)

On average we are also seeing the release of an average of 100 more movies than we did 10 years ago, which may be part of why 'our' perspective may have changed about the wall between indie vs. Hollywood, but the percentage may be the same.

I am personally interested in seeing the growth of web distribution, but there are a lot of limiting factors which is and will continue to hold it back. Such as bandwidth, non universal technology, user end need for 'proper' equipment to justify the purchase, increased piracy, how fast corporates want to push their technology, etc.

I don't see theatres being obsolete with our current technology or anything I am aware of that is coming out in the future. Not to mention, I hope that it never will.

The great thing with the 'low' cost of film equipment and 'extremely low' cost of viewing equipment, there are a lot of options that are opening up and this is good for filmmakers as well as the viewers.
 
I certainly hope theaters don't become obsolete- ever. It's true the world of film is changing and evolving but I'm still a strong believer in the studio system to a certain extent. Indies are great and I think it's wonderful that we now have the technology to make indie films looks so good and I hope we keep seeing new and innovative indie films.

I just hope that doesn't negate the bigger mainstream pictures, I'm not trying to say that big studio pictures are better then indies or that most of these films are really good, no like every forum of media the majority of what is produced is garbage. However there are still lots terrific big budget pictures that come out every year. I'm just glad that the ratio of what we as viewers see- indies and big budget films is evening out because I think both have there merits and should be seen as equals.

Personally I am pretty much opposed to web distribution for the time being, generally online downloads have lower quality, and for what you get- just the movie- are over priced. I'd rather go out and buy a 2 disc edition of a film on dvd for $25 or $30 then get just the movie for $9. When you get a film online you give up all the extra features including the very basic ones like subtitles, you also give up a nice case and the hard disc. Most of the time you also give up some extra video and audio quality. Until online downloads can give you superior audio and video, and special features I don't plan on buying them.

Those are pretty much my thoughts on the industry.
 
The quality level is a misconception, currently I believe Microsoft is providing downloadable (maybe streaming?) 720p movies for their xbox 360 users.
 
paradigm shift

paradigm shift

I believe this. Things have changed. We're in a new age now; there's no going back.

Home theaters are very popular. The screens in home theaters are just as big as movie houses' screens relative to where one sits in front of the screen in a small room.

DVD distribution over the Internet is happening. People order DVDs from various websites.

More and more TV programming is through the Internet.

Of course, as a filmmaker still shooting 35mm as the originating medium, I'd love to see the 35mm screening rooms remain. For me they are the entertainment experience of choice. And I think 35mm prints still look better than digital projection even with the $85,000 theater projectors.

I think that the Internet is great for seeing a lot of independent work of all lengths. A filmmaker doesn't have to make 2 hour movies to make money anymore. Short films, documentaries, experimental films are all viable options now.
 
If you want a glimpse of the future, look at the porn industry. No theaters. Even revenue from DVD is drying up. It is almost entirely on the internet now, and polluted by a glut of amateur content. Anyone with a webcam and a website can compete with the bigger companies. Granted, all you need to make a porno are some attractive people who know how to screw, and pornography is more popular on the net because it eliminates the embarrasing factor of being seen at the video store, but I think it's more or less indicative of the future. There will still be theaters, but I think it will be more like broadway today, where there's a handful of gigantic productions people see every few years and not much else. The rest will be streamed to your house in high definition. How we'll make money is a big question mark, as once in the digital domain content has a way of escaping any attempts at media rights management. Ad money seems like the only way to generate income, but that opens another can of worms...Who knows, maybe in 20 years artificial intelligence will arrive, quickly overtake us and solve all our problems for us. Resources will be unlimited, no one will ever have to work again for money, and we can make movies just for the fun of it.
 
jpeck said:
The quality level is a misconception, currently I believe Microsoft is providing downloadable (maybe streaming?) 720p movies for their xbox 360 users.
Click to expand...

Oh I know, you can get some real high quality stuff, and what's not high quality now will be in a year or too. But there's other things I miss with downloads.
 
It's hard to replace the experience of seeing it with an audience. That is part of the fun with some of your bigger movies.

Plus, I don't care how big your home theatre is...the big screen is the big screen.
 
doesnt matter though people barley can watch stuff on t,v internet content is where it is at... I mean thats why were on strike.
 
DeSica said:
It's hard to replace the experience of seeing it with an audience. That is part of the fun with some of your bigger movies.

Plus, I don't care how big your home theatre is...the big screen is the big screen.
Click to expand...
I saw Naked Lunch at a special screening at an arthouse theatre in my home city.

The sound sucked, the picture was all messed up and the film cut out a couple of times, but it was still exponentially better than my Criterion DVD with full resolution and sound up the arse.

Nothing can replace the synergy and feeling of watching a film on 35 with a crowd. Nothing.

Speaking of which this movement towards digital reels is frightening. Say it ain't so, champ :crybaby:.
 
I don't mind the digital revolution. It is inevetibale.

I saw THE DEPARTED in similiar circumstances; small theatre, half full, an old system ..

Loved it.
 
There is something 'magical' about old theatres. I was recently talking to my friends about this and compared it to sports arenas as well.
 
The 300 plex theatres can be nice and comfy, but something about sitting in some old school cinema feels right sometimes. I wouldn't want to see The Lord of the Rings in there but watching The Departed with all of its grain enhanced and outdated sound system worked.
 
Thanks for all of the feedback guys. It would be shame for traditional cinemas to disappear. I still make it a point to go see the films that I'm excited about in a theater.

I'm not someone who is gunning for the fall of the Hollywood system because it has provided us with entertainment for years, despite the issues. I could go on and on but I'd just be rehashing what you guys already said. Thanks!
 
really good post

really good post

The line between major studios is not based on technology but rather cost of talent and creativity.

The are many indy folks who have been able to raise millions of dollars and still made crap movies that tanked heavily.
 
I agree. Grade A talent is far more expensive then Grade A technology; film or digital. Technology is not the main barrier, really.

The big studios use expensive film technology because it costs them "nothing" relative to the cost of hiring consistently good directors, actors, writers, etc.
 
One thing is for sure: Nowadays, an independent can produce something that can be displayed on the big screen and not annoy an audience with poor picture quality.

However, it is unrealistic to say that Independently one can produce a "Spider-Man", or a "300", or a "Cloverfield".

If the independent knows the craft and its limitations, it can succeed. But Blockbuster movies are not all about the capture equipment- they are about art departments, cinematographers, actors, CGI artists, music composers, orchestra scores, Hundreds of Extras, Sound Stages and studios, etc.

If one knows its limitations, and is talented, it can bring a good story to the big screen and even surprise the industry. But it needs talented support, from actors to a small and great technical team.

The Hollywood Blockbuster is still pretty much a sport of Kings. But Independent film will more and more push the quality of the Hollywood blockbuster.

In my opinion, this Digital revolution is giving an oportunity for poor, talented "drivers" to be able to compete and show their skills. It will help push for more talent to jump to "formula 1" (Hollywood/Blockbuster movie making)
 
Indie? What is Indie? I'm not even sure I can recognize it. More than half the films we see nowadays are "Indie". The big studios do not produce many movies a year. Only a couple. They distribute. Thats what they do. So, many of the movies you see were created by a conglomerate of very small production firms. Its only when the big guys come along, offer to pour money into marketing and distribution, do the films get legs and subsequently a wide release.

As for Theaters? They aren't going anytime soon. In the 50's, the pundits thought TV was going to be the dragon slayer but it never happened. Compare going to a movie theater to going to live theater. Its the communal experience that allows theater to persevere. Live theater has been around for centuries. It isn't going anywhere anytime soon either.
 
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