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The Irish Times printed an article today 'A Focus on the Bigger Picture' highlighting the problems
indie and arthouse cinemas have adapting to compete with the cineplex. In the article, the author
saviour for independent and arthouse venues is “digital cinema”. Storing and
distributing films on hard drives, for example, costs a tiny fraction of the price
involved in creating and shipping 35mm prints, and should in theory lead to a
attractive, the cost of replacing 35mm projectors with a digital system remains
prohibitive for many. There are also concerns that such systems could quickly
A fundamental problem with cinema cost is that they rely on two outdated traditions- overpriced
concessions (food and drink) for cinema profits- and overpriced and over-hyped projection
technologies.
If indie cinema is to survive these two elements need to be changed. If we can recognise the
value of cinema-going as a cheap night out and break the taboo of having a meal and maybe an
alcoholic drink during the screening (a slight redesign of the seating arrangements will help this)-
Projection technologies can be a fraction of the price too- by using home theatre 2K HD
projectors with a lower lumen value and shorter throw (a fraction of the price of cineplex style
Digital Cinema projectors) running movies from cheap household computers (which u can get a
higher quality than bluray, providing the film companies supply the file), and cheaper sound
systems (THX sound/"Digital Sound" etc is an irrelevent and outmoded commercial gimmick). A
slight loss of quality maybe, but the average cinema goer will only notice a slight difference. The
I recently attended a screening of 'Into Eternity' off of a low res digital file in the ICA last
December. The resolution was around 640x480, it was a desaturated and faded image- but it was
a great film. I asked around after the screening- nobody noticed the difference in quality- except
me (I'm a film-quality nerd of the highest order). I even had to inform the management that
they seemed to be screening the wrong file. If this is the reality with a 640x480 file, why bother
worrying about the difference between a slightly less bright 1920x1080 h264 image and a 2K D-
Cinema projection?
Cinemas that bring these two changes in will (a) reduce costs for presentation and (b) have the
opportunity to make a lot more money with food and drink. These cost savings can be both
Another added bonus; the (tiny) digital movie file distribution becomes effortless - transferred
over the net on an average business internet connection in a matter of minutes- so effortless it
can be controlled by filmmakers or very small, independent distribution companies. This will
guarantee a more diverse range of movies suited to the available audience- be it a tentpole
movie spectacular, a classic indie or a new indie film that hasn't got distribution from a major.
I do not think that this just an idea, I think it is a natural evolution of cinema. I see the
beginnings of it taking root over the past decade with digital film festivals such as Darklight Film
Festival, cinema eateries such as Alama Drafthouse in Austin andReRun in Brooklyn, pop up
cinemas such as Cinema in the Park in Dublin and TheSecret Cinema in London, Pub & Club
screenings of "classic" movies, "Open-Mouse" nights, Youtube Lounges etc etc... Projection
technology is advancing at an exponential rate. Mike Figgis, director of Timecode, Leaving Las
"I do not pay attention to the current cinema distribution system, that whole
thing is fucked. The future is pop ups. That's what I'm doing now- my current
I do believe that these new cinemas will not only be more profitable for the cinema owners,
they will encourage a new wave of indie distribution and stimulate the film industry into
showing the right films to the right people- which means ticket sales not just for the