my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Theatrical print quality (Page 1)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: Theatrical print quality Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 07-28-2010 04:51 PM                        When I purchased a Blu-Ray disc of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON yesterday, there was a trailer for the current KARATE KID on it in 1080p HD and the picture and color quality was just gorgeous. unfortunately, this is not the way the movie looked in a theatre when I saw THE KARATE KID this past Sunday at the Pearlridge 16 in Aiea, Hawaii. The theatre did an excellent job with the presentation. The fault lies with the print and how sloppy the lab was with their lab work. when the struck the prints of this movie. Although it would be nice to see movies with Blu=Ray quality in theatres projected from 35mm prints, I would be satisfied with a picture quality that has nice contrast and color. The print I saw at the Pearlridge was in a very small auditorium with about 100 seats and the screen was only about twenty five feet wide but the picture projected on that screen had flat contrast, grainy, and the color was very flat. Watching the movie at this theatre made me feel I was watching it from a VHS tape. When I pay almost full price to see a movie in a theatre, I expect something better or at least equal to what I can see at home in Blu-Ray. -Claude  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-28-2010 04:53 PM                     It could've been dirty optics or port window, the screen type (plus curved is worse) and even the design of the auditorium in terms of drapery colors that caused those issues. Not necessarily the print (but it was probably mostly due to that).  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 07-28-2010 05:33 PM                        No disrespect intended, Brad but all of the possible reasons you have mentioned does not make any sense at all except when you acknowledged it could be due to poor print quality which it was in my opinion.. If the projection lens was dirty, the image on the screen would not be razor sharp as it was when I saw the movie. The color of the draperies also should not affect the quality of the projected image because the darkened auditorium would prevent it from happening. If what you say is true, why have I not noticed the projected image problem I had experienced last weekend with many other movies I had seen in this same auditorium over the years? -Claude  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-28-2010 06:14 PM                     Claude, Nowhere in your post did you say the print was razor sharp. You actually used the word grainy, to which many people would not associate the term "razor sharp" with (although yes large grain can be sharply focused). With everything else you threw into your post to work from, dirty optics are definitely a strong possibility. Remember, people make mistakes. I've seen people brush up against a lens and not even realize it. It happens. Likewise often port window glass is not kept clean, or inexpensive cleaners are used on it or the procedure is improperly done. Again, it happens. That's why one week the picture might look great and the next week, not so much. Curved screens DO kill contrast and along with that, color. This is a fact of life because the left side is reflecting light onto the right side and vice versa. This is why I detest curved screens. They are contrast killers and on top of that they add geometric distortion to the image. Similarly having anything but solid black at the front end of the auditorium will also affect your contrast, and with that the perceived color strength. Yes there are a lot of bad prints out there, but my point still stands even with your late addition of data that there are other factors involved other than the print.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 07-28-2010 11:09 PM                     Inadequate brightness would also cause colors to be lacking in intensity and contrast to be low. I've always suspected that the mpx. operators often don't pay much attention to the smallest houses in the complex simply because the pictures that are there have already earned all the bucks they're going to.  |  IP: Logged Demetris Thoupis Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1240 From: Aradippou, Larnaca, Cyprus Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-29-2010 12:16 AM                     Lately print labs do pretty bad job with lab printing. First of all they print shaky prints. I have seen this effect in Robin Hood and Prince of Persia from what I remember. The effect is clear that is NOT the projector as the international subtitling which was imposed after was rock steady. Either they are trying to kill film and boost digital sales or they simply don't give a damn anymore. Demetris  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 07-29-2010 12:45 AM                     A burned element in the scope lens may also cause the flat contrast problem.  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 07-29-2010 03:16 AM                        James, The KARATE KID was flat. Not scope Demitris, I am inclined to agree with you -Claude  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 07-29-2010 03:21 AM                    The new Karate Kid movie is SCOPE.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-29-2010 03:45 AM                     Isn't it that they make the DVD/BR's from 1st gen master negatives, or positives?  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-29-2010 03:51 AM                        Doesn't matter the format, any lens can have a burned element from an overfocused bulb. Monte, they probably make Blu-rays from the digital intermediate.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-29-2010 04:20 AM                     I wonder if by chance Claude saw a "drive-in" print, possibly timed for an IMAX auditorium, but ran in a normal one? I don't recall the new KK movie looking the way he described. It wasn't anything phenomenal, but it certainly didn't stand out in terms of poor quality the way he saw it.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-29-2010 07:06 AM                        I don't konw about the process with DI films. With conventional postproduction methods, a video transfer would typically be done from an intepositive, which is one generation away from the camera negative. Release prints are typically three generations away from the camera negative: camera negative->interpositive->internegative->release print. In the case of a DI, the camera negative is scanned, and the output is typically done to an interpositive. From that point, the rest of the process is as usual. My understanding is that it is possible to do digital output to multiple internegatives, but the time and cost involved is prohibitive.  |  IP: Logged Kirk Futrell Film Handler Posts: 95 From: Nashville, TN / U.S.A. Registered: Nov 2008 posted 07-29-2010 09:47 AM                        I'm not saying it wasn't a bad print, but couldn't at the least the large grain be from a short throw to a large screen in a small auditorium? Essentially magnifying the image a great deal. Or am I thinking about that wrong...  |  IP: Logged Victor Liorentas Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 800 From: london ontario canada Registered: May 2009 posted 07-29-2010 12:29 PM                     The fact that they make scope look flat is a bad sign!  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.