Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Non-DTS Movies

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

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Ground Level » Non-DTS Movies

Author

Topic: Non-DTS Movies

Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 09-19-2002 09:18 PM

I am not sure where to put this, but here goes...

We are now running three movies that are non-DTS. This is the first time I can recall having this many non-DTS movies in years! What's going on? Can we expect to see more of this on the upswing?

| IP: Logged

John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 09-19-2002 09:32 PM

It really depends on the mix of distributors you are playing, doesn't it? Probably not a trend, just a seasonal variation with the particular product playing.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

| IP: Logged

Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 09-20-2002 01:27 AM

It was easy to figure "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" as a non-DTS film. Then you have other Dolby Digital only movies like that Martin Lawrence stand up thing. I think "Swimfan" is also Dolby Digital only.

A lot of this stuff just depends on the distributors and their expectations for the film. If they think it will tank, or has a very mediocre sound mix, or both, then it may go out in Dolby Digital only or just plain SR optical. I'm pretty sure if Miramax knew how popular "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" would be they would have at least gotten together a 5.1 surround sound track or do Quad Format.

| IP: Logged

Charles Everett
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1470
From: New Jersey
Registered: May 2001

posted 09-20-2002 07:33 AM

All titles from Fox Searchlight are SRD/SR only. That includes The Banger Sisters (opens today in wide release), One Hour Photo (went wide last week) and The Good Girl.

Bobby: Miramax was never approached on Greek Wedding AFAIK. IFC Films picked up US theatrical rights when Lions Gate dropped it.

| IP: Logged

Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-20-2002 08:27 AM

Paul -- I take it that you're not working at an art house.

I often work Thursday nights in a 6-plex art house and none of the seven prints playing there this week is in DTS, though most are in SRD. This place doesn't have DTS anyway, though, so it's not an issue.

DTS is great for first-run houses that play mainstream product, but SRD is the way to go for houses that run specialized programming, as the title availability is so much greater.

| IP: Logged

Dave Williams
Wet nipple scene

Posts: 1836
From: Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 09-20-2002 10:54 AM

Nice move on Lions Gate part. Someone there deserves an award for that bit of ball handling.

Dave

| IP: Logged

Jesse Skeen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1517
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 09-20-2002 01:44 PM

Dolby=VHS, DTS=Beta!

| IP: Logged

Martin Brooks
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 900
From: Forest Hills, NY, USA
Registered: May 2002

posted 09-20-2002 06:19 PM

quote:
All titles from Fox Searchlight are SRD/SR only. That includes The Banger Sisters (opens today in wide release), One Hour Photo (went wide last week) and The Good Girl.

Not a single theatre in Manhattan played One Hour Photo in digital sound. Are you sure it's SRD and not just SR? And if memory serves me, the same was true for The Good Girl. Analog only.

| IP: Logged

Bill Gabel
Film God

Posts: 3873
From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 09-20-2002 06:46 PM

Not one theatre in Manhattan played those films in Digital.

I ran prints of all those pictures ("Banger Sisters" , "One Hour Photo" and "The Good Girl"), they are all SRD / SR prints.
You should check with maybe the projectionist of the theatre listed
in Manhattan. Because Fox / Fox Seachlight only uses the plain
wrap Dolby Logo. Maybe someone at Fox does not want to take the
time to use the Right Dolby Logo for the paper lists. But the
theatres that are playing those picture all have SRD screens.

| IP: Logged

Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 09-22-2002 10:34 PM

Oops. I just assumed Miramax handled the US release of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." That's because it seems like they handle ALL the art house stuff that gets released in this country.

Although I cannot think of a title just from memory, I'm pretty sure Fox Searchlight has released at least a couple quad format prints. But I would agree much of their product does go out in Dolby Digital only. Sometimes that release strategy doesn't make any sense at all, with "The Banger Sisters" being a good example of a film doing DD-only when it should have did quad-format. This is a film which has received lots and lots of press hype and a wide release. It is playing at two different theaters here in Lawton alone (both of which have DTS capability).

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

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.