InFocus on Digital Cinema and transition from Film

InFocus on Digital Cinema and transition from Film

Various forms of electronic cinema have been around for many years.

For example, early colour projectors were used to demonstrate medical procedures conducted at Hollywood Hospital in Nedlands, during the early 1960s.

But it was not until 1999 that public demonstrations of modern day digital cinema began as an experimental effort, privately funded by major motion picture studios.

"Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace" and "An Ideal Husband" were the first motion pictures to be shown on the big screen in digital in June of 1999.

The Phantom Menace was the final Star Wars film to be shot on 35mm film though some scenes were shot on high definition digital video to reduce the amount of digitising of the 35mm film for the compositing of computer-generated effects and the increased use of computer editing. This cumbersome process then required the digital image to be transferred back to film for projecting, an unnecessary step if the movie stays in the digital format for projection.

Digitising films requires special scanners to achieve high definition results. Devices that have evolved from the telecine equipment employed by television stations.

Converting the computer generated effects into film images required the reverse process, which has evolved from the telerecording equipment of yesteryear.

The increased use and sophistication of computer-generated imagery (CGI) has avoided the need to use miniature models, matte paintings, and on-set visual effects that were achieved through the camera tricks that were traditional for many years of movie special effects.

In June 1999, George Lucas announced that Episode II of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy would be the first major motion picture to be shot 100% digitally. Sony and Panavision had teamed up to develop the High Definition 24p camera that Lucas would use to accomplish this.

Sophisticated electronic cameras, that can trace their heritage directly back to television and early digital still cameras.

The principal photography took place at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, Australia.

All future Star Wars films would be shot using Sony CineAlta high-definition video cameras.

These cameras can replicate many of the same features of 35mm film motion picture cameras.

The modern day cameras have the ability to shoot at various frame rates including 24fps and a resolution of up to 8K.

Filmmakers now take for granted the low-light capabilities of digital cameras. There is no film stock that will allow you to shoot without any lights and still get noise-free results.

While film cameras are cheaper and less complex, film stocks and processing are still quite expensive for filmmakers, whilst there is virtually no turnaround time when processing digital dailies. Digital also allows for long, or virtually unlimited, record times.

The projector technology of choice quickly became DLP Cinema™ from Texas Instruments. With Digital Light Processing technology, the image is created by microscopically small mirrors laid out in a matrix on a semiconductor chip to project images onto a large screen.

Other methods soon evolved using LCD and laser principles.

Digital has many advantages as film will degrade with time, whilst digital images do not.

With digital movies, the 1,000th showing is as good as the first showing. This isn’t always the case with analog films, which can have scratches, breaks or other flaws.

A digital cinema is less labour intensive.

Digital content can be distributed electronically via the Internet, satellites or hard disks, making it simpler, fast and less expensive than the time taken and cost incurred for the shipping and handling of heavy film reels in boxes.

The films used in analog cinemas need dedicated personnel for receiving, prepping, showing, dismantling and returning the movies.

There are management software tools available for digital cinemas which can automatically schedule the movies showing in various screens in a multiplex without manual intervention.

The biggest stumbling block of digital projectors is cost. In early 2011, installation of digital projectors cost between $50,000 to $150,000 per auditorium. Retrofitting a multiplex with 12 screens could cost anywhere from half a million to $2 million. Digital is more expensive to operate on a daily basis because digital projectors use twice as much energy to operate and require larger lamps for projection that burn out quicker.

In most film theatres, staff is usually skilled enough to effect repairs if a projector malfunctions. However, digital projectors can only be repaired and maintained by studio-certified companies. This increases costs and may even lead to dark screens if a repairman cannot get to the theatre quickly enough, a potential issue in rural areas.

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