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Topic: AMC in Toronto opens with all 4k Sonys

Paul Gordon
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 580
From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 03-29-2008 07:54 AM

The new AMC in Toronto at Younge and Dundas just opened with 24-4k Sony projectors. Its also more expensive since its digital at $13.00 a ticket. Pretty good article below.

http://torontoist.com/2008/03/do_the_resoluti.php#more

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-29-2008 11:57 AM

Yet they are now apparently installing 35mm in several screens as well

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 03-29-2008 12:00 PM

quote:
This results in massive savings to the distributors and lets AMC operate at about a third of the cost of a traditional film-based multiplex.

Wow, who knew that AMC paid their projectionists such an amazing wage!

quote:
Instead of projectionists, there are one or two non-union workers overseeing all 24 screens from a single console; their duties are essentially limited to pressing a "play" button and being aware of any error messages that might pop up.

So AMC would normally hire a projectionist per screen???

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Jon Miller
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 973
From: San Diego, CA, USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 03-29-2008 03:33 PM

At least the article is refreshingly honest in the film-versus-digital debate in rebutting the digital-is-superior hype with facts. I wish more articles on [dlp]

were researched and written this way, without an industry agenda to force-feed...

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Demetris Thoupis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1240
From: Aradippou, Larnaca, Cyprus
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 03-31-2008 12:31 AM

And the article proves for one more time that:

FILM RULES!

D

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Mark J. Marshall
Film God

Posts: 3188
From: New Castle, DE, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 03-31-2008 09:05 AM

quote: Thread Title (abridged)
AMC ... opens with all ... Sonys

I failed history, but something about that sounds familiar...

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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 03-31-2008 09:54 AM

LOL!

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Brian Guckian
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 594
From: Dublin, Ireland
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 03-31-2008 04:05 PM

From the article:

quote:
People who prefer digital tend to fault the medium of film for things that are really problems with indifferent theatrical presentation: old or poor-quality prints, old or poor-quality projection equipment, and young or poor-quality projectionists. If a print is good, if a projector is good, and if the projectionist is at least decent, film is superior for showing movies originally shot on film.

At last! Somebody finally telling the Truth [thumbsup]

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Sam D. Chavez
Film God

Posts: 2153
From: Martinez, CA USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 03-31-2008 06:08 PM

This guy is way too spot on. He must have been one of us back in the day.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 03-31-2008 06:41 PM

We have an AMC opening here next week with all digital projection. Not sure if it is all 4k or not. However I do know that $13 a ticket is a great way to get people to stay home and wait for the DVD.

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John Joseph Fink
Film Handler

Posts: 60
From: West Hartford, CT
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 03-31-2008 07:41 PM

What's the big deal over the $13 ticket, the crappy Cumberland Four (yes, an art house) is $12.95 and doesn't have that new carpet smell and wide stadium seats. I too, am not a fan of everyone rushing to digital - it's fine for a documentary shot on video playing at an art house but for a commercial feature film, its not an improvement. Will AMC have a rough time with the availability of digital prints from certain Canadian distributors as the move to go digital doesn't seem as wide spread there as it does here? I assumed when I was at TIFF last year the Christie projectors were brought in for the festival and Alliance, Scotiabank and ROM don't typically project digital?

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-31-2008 07:48 PM

They are fools if they don't sprinkle in some 35mm at a site like that. Also, there have not been that many actual 4K releases... just a handful as far as I know. Anyone know what titles are/were released in 4K? And just because there are now a handful of 4K projectors do you all think we will see more 4K releases or will they just be bumping them up to 4K from 2K?

The ticket price may be because... and if my memory serves me correctly... the SRXD projector requires either 2 or 4 special Sony Brand 2-kw short gap lamps operating all at once to make the 16,000 lumen level... I'd have to go back and read the Sony do-do on that teenie weenie cd-rom they were handing out last Showeast to be 100% sure on that.

I also have this funny bone tickling me inside wondering how long the Sony 4K will last... Like the SDDS debacle AMC will more than likely soon be replacing these Sonys with all Dolby Servers and Christie Digital Projectors [Big Grin]

.

Mark

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Dave Macaulay
Film God

Posts: 2321
From: Toronto, Canada
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 03-31-2008 09:09 PM

I don't know the history, but AMC seems to avoid Dolby stuff whenever possible. Sony must have given them some kind of deal and if actual 4K product is available they will have a "real" benefit to advertise over competing 2K digital venues - not that there are many in Toronto yet. Knowing the way marketing people think, I expect the "4K Advantage" to be pushed hard even though the data is 2K. Sigh.
AMC 35mm cinema complexes here normally run with two weekday projection staff for 24 screens from what I've seen - one opens up and starts the matinees, there are two for the evening starts, and the late one closes: weekends may be different. They need extra staff for makeup but I can't see where the savings quoted could come from - I think you still need one person in charge of the booths at all times to do the starts and checks and be on hand for problems (or is Digital really perfect?) so that would potentially cut the booth labour in half. Doing show loading and key management stuff will take some time as well.
I haven't seen the Sony digital projection systems but they are described as a "big box" with everything integrated. No details on the sound system.
The rumour I hear is that the Toronto Film Festival wants some 35mm systems in the AMC Dundas Square complex for their use during the festival but AMC planned to be all-digital. The AMC location is pretty ideal for the festival, and TIFF has had a 35mm system in the existing Ryerson theatre (only used for the festival, otherwise it's a live house) about a block away for one of their "downtown" premiere locations for several years. Ryerson University is already involved in the AMC Dundas Square operation, they (IIRC) traded some land rights of some sort for the use of several auditoriums as classrooms on weekdays.
I hope to see a show there soon, anyway, and see how it looks and sounds.

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Geoff Jones
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 579
From: Broomfield, CO, USA
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 03-31-2008 10:33 PM

quote: Sam D. Chavez
This guy is way too spot on. He must have been one of us back in the day.

Heh - he linked to my blog a couple of times in the article, much of which was partially informed by reading this site.

Cheers,
Geoff

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Mike Perju
Film Handler

Posts: 90
From: Toronto, Canada
Registered: Nov 2002

posted 04-01-2008 01:08 AM

DiOrio: "Almost all features today are shot and released in native 2K..."

Really? Maybe he means they get a DI.

Dalsa has not provided cameras for one or two features so far (none with a wide release) and a few commercials. Maybe he couldn't think of the Genesis camera...

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