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Topic: Tarantino Gets 50 70mm Projectors For The Hateful Eight
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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!
Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 06-09-2015 04:39 PM
From Doddle:
quote:
Tarantino Walks the Walk, Gets 70mm Film Projectors For The Hateful Eight
June 9, 2015
By James DeRuvo (doddleNEWS)
The news about film’s death has been greatly exaggerated. If you believe the likes of Christopher Nolan, JJ Abrams, and Quentin Tarantino (and many others), the larter of which has put his money where his mouth is. For the release of his next film The Hateful Eight, Tarantino has managed to secure fifty 70mm projectors to put all around the world to show it off. Now that’s commitment. Since 70mm is my all-time favorite film format, I say, “Yes, please!”
quote:
[Tarantino] really wants to get people back into theaters. You’re not going to get this [at home]. He did something really great to bring that [experience] back. Quentin wanted an epic Western [with The Hateful Eight], something that hasn’t been seen in forever, that would really wow people. [When he saw this test,] he started bouncing in his seat. - Dan Sasaki of Panavision told THR,
As part of last weekend’s Cine Gear expo, Tarantinto screened test footage of The Hateful Eight showing sweeping vistas, stunning interiors, and some close up of the cast. The 70mm old school classic western left everyone cheering, with one cinematographer, Bill Bennett, stating on Twitter that the film was “Crazy beautiful. An entirely chemical analog process.”
Bennett went on to say that projected in Anamorphic Ultra Panavision 70mm, The Hateful Eight yielded an extremely wide aspect ratio of 2.76:1. The film, shot on a 65mm negative, is believed to be the first movie that has shot with Ultra Panavision 70 anamorphic lenses since Khartoum in 1966.
Panavision jumped at the chance to be part of such an ambitious event, working to refurbish 19 of their anamorphic lenses for the productions. Those same lenses are also planned to be used on the first Star Wars Anthology film “Rogue One,” being shot by cinematographer Greig Fraser. (Star Wars: The Force Awakens was shot on film, as was Jurassic World.)
In addition, Tarantino and Panavision also created a unique 2,000 foot film magazine for their cameras, in order to allow the director to shoot extremely long takes as part of the film’s unique flow. Kodak and Fotochem also participated in developing this new film magazine.
But while you can expect Tarantino to be sure his privately owned movie theater would have the exact specifications to showcase the work to fit his overall vision, it’s fantastic that Tarantino is putting his money where his mouth is. He’s working with select theaters all around the world to retrofit at least one screen with a 70mm projector to show The Hateful Eight as it should be seen.
Tarantino is also working with digital video houses to find a way to present The Hateful Eight in digital format that would mimic the ultra widescreen look as faithfully as possible. So while the director would like it if people would seek out one of the fifty 70mm houses he’s arranged to showcase the film, he understands that not every theater can have such a setup. Therefore, he’s trying to make it so that others can get a taste of what the pure 70mm experience is like at your local mega-theater.
Here’s hoping he succeeds, because there’s talk he’s going to hang up his spurs after The Hateful Eight and retire. He keeps threatening that anyway. And if true, going out with a cinematic bang is much better than a digital whimper.
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Brad Miller
Administrator
Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99
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posted 06-10-2015 05:51 PM
I believe Weinstein's goal is 100 screens, but more if it's possible. BL&S has done a great job of tracking down gear and is furiously refurbishing them, but remember there are no new parts!!! Because of this nobody can realistically state how many screens there will actually be because:
*There is no way to predict how much part-robbing will have to happen to some machines to bring others up to proper functionality.
*Existing 70mm venues might be already booked to run other movies. For example a single screen like the Cinerama in Seattle (which I finally got to visit last week and it was quite lovely) could end up being booked for another movie and being a single screen that might prevent them from playing Hateful Eight in 70mm.
*Non-first run commercial theaters may not be able to play the movie due to booking contracts. For example the AFI is well equipped, but they couldn't play Interstellar. The same thing could happen here.
*It's also entirely possible that even though new anamorphic lenses are being manufactured for this movie, if a suitable prime backup lens isn't available for a given auditorium, then it's a no-go.
There is just no way to know. That's why I think the articles are stating 50, as that's a pretty solid number to advertise. If/when more become available, then all the better.
As far as changeover, only existing installs will run reel to reel. ALL of the new systems will be platter only because there just isn't enough projectors to go around. Better to have twice as many screens playing this in 70mm than to have half as many running reel to reel. Running the same film repeatedly for a month assuming a good to average operator, the platter would inflict less wear anyway. (Obviously the super projectionists it wouldn't matter the film transport method, and the children running the candy counter will trash anything they touch.)
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 06-11-2015 12:36 PM
Sadly, I agree with Scott. BLSI appears to be taking ownership of the process right up until the moment the equipment is installed, commissioned and operating in the venues. I have chatted about this to someone who knows people involved in it from their end, and from what I can gather they are not getting involved in projectionist training, or anything to do with ensuring that the operators have at least the basic craft skills needed to show these prints without damaging them.
Given that so many new (as in, not pre-existing 70mm capable) venues are involved in this project, it would make sense to me to fly all the projectionists involved - or at least, one from each venue - to a central location and give them 2-3 days' intensive training. I'd have thought that, if the training was thoughtfully designed, it should be enough to provide a 90% guarantee that they won't damage a print by straightforward operator error or omission. And in the context of the overall budget for the movie's promotion, distribution and release, the cost would be negligible.
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Brad Miller
Administrator
Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99
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posted 06-11-2015 03:59 PM
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Tarantino (whom I have nothing but the utmost respect for and is one of my favorite directors) has good intentions here, but I am concerned that instead of his efforts successfully reviving film as an exhibition medium that it will actually be the final definitive nail in the coffin.
Most of these prints will be handled by people who have never even ran 35mm before. Of those that have ran 35mm before, we all know that most projectionists of years past weren't all that great to begin with. Now this release will effectively be asking managers who have no film experience (let alone 70mm) or more likely ushers and concessionists to deal with it.
I'm sure we all remember how effectively the Cinebistro destroyed their 70mm Interstellar beyond playability in less than 5 days.
The one really smart thing Tarantino is doing is forcing the 30 day exclusive on 70mm engagements, but how bad will most of those prints look by the end of that month? And will Weinstein back down like Paramount did at Cinebistro and provide a KDM to let them continue their shows digitally? If Tarantino permits that to happen, then it's going to be a complete fail.
Training is going to be desperately needed, but the problem is that this isn't a matter of installing 100 projectors. They aren't all the same! Proper training cannot be done on theory. It must be done on the actual equipment the people will be running it on, and it needs to be in the same configuration as it will be in their actual booth. I am envisioning some platters will be to the left, right, behind or even have the film flying over digital projectors and around sound racks. How do you do a centralized training course effectively without a standardized install?
Then we start thinking about the automations and so forth. I've no idea if BL&S is installing some sort of basic automation or not, and how it will (or most likely will not) interface with the theater's existing automation. Will it even bring house lights up at the end of the movie? If something goes wrong, will it simply keep running and dump film all over the floor? These projectors are old. Most likely many of them will have oil leaking from them. What sort of training will the managers have on refilling it so the intermittents don't die? Will film cleaners be provided as part of the system? Who will do the actual building of the prints? Will this be left to these new managers that haven't even handled film of any gauge before?
There are a ridiculous amount of unanswered questions and unless someone steps in and starts providing proper solutions, it will be a blood bath of a mess (just like a Tarantino movie).
BL&S is smart if they have bowed out of taking responsibility of training. Remember if they get 100 installs, that's a MINIMUM of 300 people that need individual training...and that won't happen with a group of people all spending a day in a lecture hall with a powerpoint.
The best chance of success would be to make sure all of the DP70s go into one area of the country, all the JJs go in another area of the country, all the Simplex3570s go into another area of the country and so forth. At least that way there would be some tiny amount of chance that training could be done in small groups without people having to travel too far, and in the instance of whatever few spare parts there are, could be kept at whichever tech's office was closest to get them back up and running.
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or 35mm-from-DI can provide, but I am not optimistic at this point.
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