Digital technology is racing to replace celluloid in the theatrical space at an incredible pace. With many of the top professionals in the industry moving solely to digital, the landscape is changing drastically. Just recently we had one of the more respected cinematographers working today, Roger Deakins, talking about his experience using the Arri Alexa. Now, Ridley Scott gives us a little bit about his experience working with the RED EPIC in 3D and also explains how we can get people back into movie theaters:
Often bigger Hollywood movies are the ones that get the huge screen (IMAX) treatment, but what's interesting is that even smaller movies can benefit from a giant screen. This is something that has been mentioned about Christopher Nolan's Batman films that have used IMAX extensively. Small, quiet moments are amplified when a face is 100 feet tall. While not quite RED's intention, there is something to be said for extremely high resolution in that case, as humans are very sensitive to small movements in a person's face. I generally prefer a digital image that feels closer to film without the "side effects" of silver halides and celluloid, and that usually means sharp without being "too sharp." Digital also has the ability to reach into the darker areas of an image like we've never been seen before, and it lets DPs light in a far more realistic way -- especially since the cameras are so sensitive to light.
While a partial advertisement for RED, the video above played before Loom at NAB 2012. Watching Loom on RED's 3D projector -- which utilizes lasers to achieve a truer frame rate without utilizing triple flashing -- was the least distracting 3D experience I've ever had. 3D may be losing favor among consumers, but there have been only a few films over the last few years that have really tried to take advantage of the format as a storytelling tool. Of course, the biggest takeaway from the video is that Ridley doesn't necessarily advocate 3D as a way to get people back into the theater, but better stories first and foremost, and then pristine picture quality and excellent audio. There's no question we can all strive to make our stories better, and the digital camera is simply another tool to help facilitate that.
Where do you guys prefer to watch movies? Would the theatrical experience be improved for you with much higher resolutions and bigger screens?
