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Author Topic: The Psychology of Showing DVD/BluRay Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-26-2010 04:10 PM                        Last week we showed Psycho. Great turnout for us and most of the audience enjoyed it. We did, however, have two complaints about it being shown from DVD. Neither complaint was about the lower quality of DVD vs Film. One even said we should have shown it on 16mm if 35mm wasn't available. Both complained they did not want to see a film they already "owned." So their objection was they could have seen the same thing at home. Granted, a good 35mm print would have looked better (and we tried to get a 35mm), but that wasn't their complaint. It seems to be they think there is something different about the actual film. They can't watch the film they "own" on a big screen, in a theatre, with 100 other people at their house, so what is it about "owning" the DVD that makes them feel ripped off seeing one in the theatre? I bring this up to see if anyone else has run into this. Not objecting to DVD presentation, but because they already own it. What were they expecting to see at the theatre that would be different than owning the DVD? Or do they just have inarticulated magical expectations about film?  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 10-26-2010 04:34 PM                     What happened when you tried to get a 35mm print? I know for a fact that Universal has stunning 35mm prints of PSYCHO and all of the Hitchcock features (that he made there). Were they just not available or do you not have a relationship with Universal that lets you run their repertory titles? Are you running platters or something?  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-26-2010 04:36 PM                     I hear the BluRay is awesome of Psycho. Psycho on BluRay review  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 10-26-2010 05:07 PM                        Regal played "Psycho" here in 35mm as part of the Spring 2010 Flashback series. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around what the complainers expected. They came to see "Psycho" in a theater and are disappointed that it wasn't some other "Psycho"? Next time give them the 1998 shot-for-shot remake by Gus Van Sant.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-26-2010 05:27 PM                        We tried getting the 35mm print, but they were all booked up, which is understandable in October. We thought about showing the BluRay, but it came out 2 days before our showing and we didn't want to risk not getting it or some other problem. Maybe we can show the 35mm print for Mother's Day next year;>  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 10-26-2010 05:38 PM                     The DVD undoubtedly looked better than 16mm and it was in the correct aspect ratio  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-26-2010 05:46 PM                     quote: David Stambaugh Next time give them the 1998 shot-for-shot remake by Gus Van Sant. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.  |  IP: Logged Mike Frese Master Film Handler Posts: 465 From: Holts Summit, MO Registered: Jun 2007 posted 10-26-2010 09:14 PM                        What do you mean not getting it? (the blu-ray copy)  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-26-2010 10:25 PM                        It was released on the 19th, we showed on the 21st. If it didn't really arrive overnight, or if it wouldn't play, we'd be screwed. A bird in the hand, and all of that stuff.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 10-27-2010 07:28 AM                     this is gonna make me sound like a prick... ...but i would've ordered the damn blu-ray and set up for both blu-ray and dvd. the dvd would've been the backup plan.  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 10-27-2010 10:11 AM                     To answer the original question... Film, to many of us, has a different look and feel, for lack of better words, from video. Both can look good, but it is not the same. Additionally, for many of us so-called "film buffs", the reason we go out to see a classic film in a theatre is to see it the way it was originally shown. It's all part of the total experience. As to picture quality, it may look acceptable, it is not. We are not talking about 2K-4K D-Cinema, but DVD at ½K or BluRay at 1K. Upconversion always leaves artifacts. Maybe you can't see the difference, but I sure can on a big screen. For myself, I can think of no circumstance where I would pay money to see a DVD/BluRay in a public venue. These are consumer home formats, and I am quite capable of watching them at home. I would feel cheated.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-27-2010 11:01 AM                        Can somebody describe these "artifacts" that result from upconverting? I've got this Oppo Blu-Ray player here and we've used it for one public show (Urban Cowboy) and I thought the picture quality was great for a 25-year-old film on a standard DVD. I will agree that it's definitely "not the same" though.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-27-2010 12:00 PM                        Totally agree DVD is not the same and the differences are obvious. Alas, that is what the industry is pushing us to. Fewer and fewer old films are available on 35mm, and many of those are junky prints. In many cases I've seen, the DVD is the better choice, especially if the film is in B&W. We'll be showing Stripes on DVD for Veterans' Day. No 35mm prints exist according to the distrib. Showing It's A Wonderful Life on BluRay because the 35mm prints are being held for more lucrative engagements. Whadda ya gonna do? At least with a good transfer on DVD you get better sound, no scratches or breaks and not a 27th generation transfer. Having grown up going to rep theatres in the DC area, I watched many a print on 16mm. The quality was way below DVD for many, if not most, of those prints. Still people would sometimes pack the house. Sometimes there are trade offs in quality, but the movie going experience is, at least partly, the going to a theatre part.  |  IP: Logged Mike Olpin Chop Chop! Posts: 1852 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Jan 2002 posted 10-27-2010 01:26 PM                     Small world. My freind went to that showing and posted on facebook about how disappointed he was about it being on DVD. I'm interested to know how you scalled and projected it. ECinema done right, with a high end scaller and projector (Perhaps even DCI compliant) can look outstanding, while ecinema done wrong with a business or home class "tabletop" style projector looks terrible. We never advertise what format our films are show in. Our audience knows that I'm going to do my best to select the best available option. If an "A" print is available, I'll show it. If not, I have no qualms against running a properly scalled bluray. In some cases, when the only prints available are beat way up or no print at all can be obtained, I'll even run an anamorphic dvd of a flat movie. I will never publicly run a scope DVD or a widescreen dvd that isn't anamorphic. They just don't scale well. quote: Mitchell Dvoskin We are not talking about 2K-4K D-Cinema, but DVD at ½K or BluRay at 1K. BluRay is VERY close to 2k. The major difference is color depth, not resolution. Pyscho is B & W, so that argument doesn't play out. 1920x1080 (Blu) 2048x1080 (Dcinema)  |  IP: Logged Jarret Chessell Master Film Handler Posts: 288 From: London, Ontario, Canada Registered: Jan 2009 posted 10-27-2010 01:57 PM                     I prefer film as well, however, I've received prints missing entire scenes and beat to hell. Another bonus is showing films that are shot in different aspect ratios (ex. 1.66, 1.33 -assuming you don't have lenses and apertures for those scenarios). It's also worth mentioning that sometimes a blu-ray will have a superior audio track than what might be available to you on film. I have however had a few people over the last few years ask if a movie was on film - then be upset that it was.  |  IP: Logged

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