Film stock going to get way more expensive

K

Konrad

Active member
http://news.com.com/Top+theaters+on+path+to+digital+films/2100-1026_3-5997393.html?tag=fd_carsl.

The savings are so huge that digital projection is going to happen. But if the makers and processors of film stock don't have their biggest customer then prices go up, way up. Shooting film is already very expensive. Digital is getting better and cheaper every year. Looks like a big shift away from film in the next few years. I'm the son of a proffesional photographer so I understand the artistic arguments, but I know big corporate studios are run by bean counters.
 
It just makes sense to start the change now. Eventually, the majority of productions will be digital anyway.
 
The fact of the matter is however, that this argument is both highly flawed and will take decades upon decades to play out. Most of the theaters in the world are currently film projection, and even if there is a cost difference, it still is not cheap for studios to do digital projection over film, because they will still need to strike the film prints to tour foreign markets, esp. South America, Mexico, Central America, Canada, Europe and Asia, all huge film markets. If these markets do not go digital (and China/Japan are really the only countries that are actively embracing the concept, if quite slowly) then making digital projection a reality in the States will hurt distibution of films World Wide. If Studios tell theaters that it is too much of a pain in the ass and they will not supply, so as not to hurt foreign distro, then I don't forsee this becoming incredibly wide spread for quite some time.
 
clarification request

clarification request

Konrad said:
http://news.com.com/Top+theaters+on+path+to+digital+films/2100-1026_3-5997393.html?tag=fd_carsl.

The savings are so huge that digital projection is going to happen. But if the makers and processors of film stock don't have their biggest customer then prices go up, way up. Shooting film is already very expensive. Digital is getting better and cheaper every year. Looks like a big shift away from film in the next few years. I'm the son of a proffesional photographer so I understand the artistic arguments, but I know big corporate studios are run by bean counters.
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Do I understand that you believe that film will cost more all around
even for taking images?
I have seen an acceptable rise in that cost over many years due to some great tech advances .
I shot film and some digital .I like to think I am not oon any one side of the issue
But
I am interested to know if you started this thread because you
1) believe we should embrace digital projection as an inevitable thing ?
this I agree with
Or
2) were you suggesting that film even as a taking medium was finished ?
in which point I can not agree as yet since
there is basic issues of :
definition and latitude
archival value ,
morey patterns (wait for the fovion array ).
frame rate issues ,
Some on my film cameras shot at 500 fps pin registered!!! Is there a digital video system which does this ?
I actually hope so.!
Hope to hear a clarifcation on your post
Thanks
Bruce
 
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