cbspt005@abnjh.UUCP (Bob Giordano) (04/29/84)
70MM Exhibition Craze The number of theaters with 70MM Six Track Dolby Stereo presentation capability is rapidly expanding, with Dolby Labs estimating that some 600 screens will be in operation in the U.S. by the end of 1984. At this point in time, some 470 U.S. theaters have Dolby's CP200 six track stereo sound processor for 70MM and 51 additional packages have been sold in the past four months, a combination of new screens and upgrading existing facilities. Since Dolby Labs will only build 12 units a month through December, this translates to some 600 units by Christmas. The prospective 600 screen total does not include specialized 70MM theaters, including IMAX and OMNIMAX theaters, Douglas Trumbull's Showscan sites and Walt Disney's shows at EPCOT, Disney World, and Disneyland. 18 70MM Releases Scheduled Paramount is aiming at having the widest release yet in the wide gauge for its May 23 opening of Lucasfilm's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", targeted for some 200 prints in 70MM! The final total will be between 175 and 210 screens. This should break the record of 169 70MM prints held by MGM/UA's "Brainstorm" in September, 1983. "Jones" will have an additional 1200 35MM houses playing from day one. A week later (June 1), Paramount will debut "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" on a massive 1700 theater break, including 100 70MM sites. Last summer, "Return of the Jedi" set boxoffice records when it opened wide at 1002 theaters including 164 70MM houses. Other upcoming 70MM fare from the major distributors will probably have less populous wide-gauge print runs, following Warner Brothers' current use of 15 70MM prints for "Greystoke". The final decision of whether to blow up a particular picture to 70MM for release is still tentative, but the distributors summer plans for 70MM are as follows: Columbia's "Ghostbusters" and "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle" Universal's "Streets of Fire" and "The Last Starfighter" Warner Brothers "Gremlins", "Once Upon A Time in America" (Ladd Co.) and "Tightrope" There is no word yet on other likely candidates for 70MM, such as Warner Brothers' "Supergirl" and 20th-Fox/Sherwood's "Buckaroo Banzai", latter title currently being mixed in six-track stereo, just in case. Unlike "Brainstorm", which featured Super Panavision (65MM) principal photography for many scenes, the upcoming films are generally being shot in 35MM formats, later to be blown up to 70MM release prints. Several, such as "Indiana Jones" and "Ghostbusters", feature special visual effects material filmed in wide screen processes such as VistaVision or Super Panavision, but not for the live action. This is different from Showscan and IMAX, which actually film in the larger formats. Fall releases in 70MM are planned for Orion's "Amadeus" and Columbia's remake of "The Razor's Edge". The big news come Christmas is the impressive lineup of pictures earmarked for 70MM release: Columbia's "A Passage to India" by David Lean, whose 1960's productions were also 70MM releases. Disney-Buena Vista's "Baby" MGM/UA's "2010: Odyssey II" Universal's "Dune" and "The River" Warner Brothers "City Heat" No decision has yet been made on Orion's "The Cotton Club" and other Yuletide fare, which could add to the list. For 1985, so far Disney-Buena Vista's "OZ" and "The Black Cauldron" (latter animated picture being filmed in VistaVision to facilitate wide gauge release prints) will be in 70MM, with the intention of servicing every exhibitor request for a 70MM print with same. Tri-Star Pictures' $50M production of "Santa Claus" will also be released in 70MM. -Eric Carter AT&T-IS Morristown, NJ allegra!abnjh!cbspt005
dmmartindale@watcgl.UUCP (Dave Martindale) (04/29/84)
What is the reason for releasing a 70mm print of a film that was originally shot on 35mm stock? The resolution is going to be determined by the original 35mm film. (I would expect that the film stock used for the release prints would have grain at least as fine as the original negative, since it can be made as slow as the film manufacturer likes).
cbspt005@abnjh.UUCP (Bob Giordano) (04/29/84)
When blowing up a 35MM negative to 70MM, it is true that one gets no improvement in the resolution of the original image (something from nothing?), but the image is sharper and clearer and suffers less geometric distortion because you are not using the anamorphic lenses that 35MM Panavision uses, for instance, to make a wide screen image. These lenses "unsqueeze" the image from the film to fill out the screen in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Flat 70MM projection will give you a 2.21:1 aspect ratio and a brighter image to boot. The six-track Magnetic Dolby Stereo sound quality is much better than the 4-track 35MM Dolby Stereo optical soundtrack, as well. More extended low and high frequency response, larger dynamic range, and superior signal to noise ratios are some of the benefits. The result of a 70MM release print, which costs about 6-7 times as much to make as a 35MM print, is greater impact of the movie-going experience. I challenge anyone to view a properly presented film in 70MM and then in 35MM and to state their preference. "To better films and better film venues!" -Eric Carter AT&T-IS Morristown, NJ allegra!abnjh!cbspt005
oscar@utcsrgv.UUCP (Oscar M. Nierstrasz) (04/30/84)
A 35 mm print of a 35 mm original is of *poorer* quality than the 35 mm original. By making a 70 mm print you can minimize the loss of detail. Of course, a 70 mm original is better yet. You can see the same sort of thing when you get a super 8 contact print of a super 8 original and a 16 mm optical print of the same original. The 16 mm print will be much better. Oscar Nierstrasz
pournell@sdcsvax.UUCP (Alex Pournelle) (05/16/84)
It's not strictly true that "35mm neg ---> 70mm release == 35mm neg ---> 35mm release". In addition to the 4 or 5 extra sound tracks on the film, the extra print area helps decrease The Creeping Grainies. Also, 70mm projectionists tend to take better care of their charges then the jackfools who run 35mm prints on Christies. Also, magnetic sound is much better than the horrible optical sound on most 35mm.