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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Where’s the innovation? Or, where’s the Steve Jobs of the exhibition business? (Page 1)

 
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Author Topic: Where’s the innovation? Or, where’s the Steve Jobs of the exhibition business?
Gary Davidson
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 101
From: Santa Monica, CA
Registered: Jan 2004


 - posted 04-04-2006 01:14 PM      Profile for Gary Davidson   Email Gary Davidson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Movie theatres have taken an economic hit lately as everyone knows; so is there any INNOVATION on the horizon (other than D cinema) that has the possibility of injecting the business with some customer excitement and cash flow for the theater? I mean, where is the Steve Jobs of the exhibition business? Just wondering.

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Brian D. Whitish
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 103
From: Seattle, WA, USA
Registered: Apr 2001


 - posted 04-04-2006 01:26 PM      Profile for Brian D. Whitish   Email Brian D. Whitish   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Thats the very problem. There is no more creativity or showmanship in Hollywood. When TV threatened the movies we got color, stereo sound, cinerama, cinemascope, the list goes on. Now that the exhibitors and studios are run by bean counters the only thing they care about is the bottom line. Its very sad. I have been working in theatres since 1979 and even though I work for one of the better exhibitors I have become very disillusioned about this business. I bust my butt to make sure my theatre runs as well as it can and I put a great deal of work into my booth and how the films run. And I know there are many out there who do the same and more that would do so if they knew better. But in my estimation the exhibitors have ruined things. Im sure theatres will go on, but I fear the best days are past.

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Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005


 - posted 04-04-2006 02:37 PM      Profile for Louis Bornwasser   Author's Homepage   Email Louis Bornwasser   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Bean counters.....judging by the number of exhibitor bankrupcies, we don't even have very good counters of beans. Louis

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John T. Hendrickson, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 889
From: Freehold, NJ, USA
Registered: Apr 2001


 - posted 04-04-2006 06:39 PM      Profile for John T. Hendrickson, Jr   Email John T. Hendrickson, Jr   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
And yet, the Mike Blakesleys, Richard Wolfes and Jim Bedfords of the world (and many others) still manage to carry on. It's not the independent exhibs who are killing the industry. They are still the showmen- the people who really care.

You have only to look to the big chains and the distribs, who don't give a rat's ass about anything except the bottom line.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

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


 - posted 04-04-2006 08:47 PM      Profile for Bobby Henderson   Email Bobby Henderson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The movie business has, much like the music business, counted on the cusomters always being there. The bean counters have taken customers for granted.

The movie industry has done very little to respond to other market forces now fighting for the attention of customers. Instead the bean counters are just trying to sell the same old shit -and tell investors they're going to sell even higher percentages of that shit in successive quarters!

I think what the bean counters are doing is the equivalent of feeding a hot dog to, um, a dog. The dog shits out the, ahem, hot dog. The bean counters pick up that turd (only after it has cooled and hardened), repackage it and then try to resell it as a fresh hot dog!
[Roll Eyes]

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 04-05-2006 06:45 AM      Profile for Steve Guttag   Email Steve Guttag   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Actually, a better name to throw out for this industry...Mike Todd rather than Steve Jobs.

Mike Todd brought us the modern 70mm format back in the mid 1950s...the clowns of today STILL can't top that in picture or sound. 70mm film, wide aspect ratio, 6-channels of sound, 30 frames per second...it was/is better than current presentations and digital ones in most all respects. Not bad for a 50+ year old design.

Maybe it would be easier for the modern people to do better if they would at least choose the best shoulders to stand on.

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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003


 - posted 04-05-2006 11:23 AM      Profile for Scott Jentsch   Author's Homepage   Email Scott Jentsch   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The correllation to Steve Jobs and the "exhibition" business is probably a mismatch. Steve Jobs isn't in the computer enjoyment business, he's in the electronics hardware business.

If you're looking for an equivalent to Steve Jobs in the "movie" business, you already have him. His name is Mark Cuban.

Considering how most people in the exhibition business probably feel about Mark Cuban, that's probably not the guy you're looking for. [Smile]

But, like him or not, he is an innovator and he's got the money to try out the things he believes in.

And by the way, Steve Jobs is actively trying to get people to watch movies on the small screen of an iPod for $x.99 a pop.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

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


 - posted 04-05-2006 01:35 PM      Profile for Bobby Henderson   Email Bobby Henderson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I don't agree with the comparison between Mike Todd and Mark Cuban.

Mike Todd spearheaded the development of the modern 5-perf 70mm format. He helped bring a new way to show movies into reality. I think Mike Todd cared a great deal about the long term health of the movie industry, including commercial theaters.

Mark Cuban didn't invent (or even fund) the development of modern HDTV formats or the 2K and 4K digital imaging standards in use for CGI, digital intermediate and commercial video projection. Cuban came aboard after such technologies were developed and is looking for the best business opportunities to exploit. He's a real cheerleader for the format -even to the point of spinning inaccurate claims about how those video formats are better than film. That's the main area where he draws the ire of many film fans.

Cuban is also a proponent of getting rid of release windows between commercial theaters and home video. That and some of the other ideas he has do not have good benefits for commercial theaters. In regard to collasping release windows, such would be extremely destructive to the commercial theater industry. I think that's a big difference between Cuban and Mike Todd.

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Bob Koch
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 183
From: williams ca
Registered: Nov 2001


 - posted 04-05-2006 02:27 PM      Profile for Bob Koch   Email Bob Koch   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I certainly agree with Steve on this one. It was the best; and Louis, how much longer have we,when even the bean counters of today, are so far inferior to the ones we used to hate years ago.

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Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 593
From: London, UK
Registered: Mar 2006


 - posted 04-05-2006 08:31 PM      Profile for Caleb Johnstone-Cowan   Email Caleb Johnstone-Cowan   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Problem lies in Hollywood and the amount of rubbish they produce. There doesn't look like there will be another Titanic on the horizon, especially after King Kong didn't do as well as predicted. Theres a need for more films that are well-produced and have popular themes that engage with the audience.

Digital cinema as a new technology isn't going to bring people in beyond the odd 2k or 3D presentation in a few cinemas. What it will bring is a greater range of films to exhibit and greater flexibility. With no need for prints the costs of distribution will go down over time.

I can see a future where you will have 30 or 40 screeners as the norm with an average screen size of 150-200 seats. That way you can show indies and 'limited release' or foreign films and not have loads of empty seats and also show the biggest popcorn movies every 30-40mins. IMAX will cater increasingly for those of us who value the cinematic experience.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

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From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 04-05-2006 09:25 PM      Profile for Mike Blakesley   Author's Homepage   Email Mike Blakesley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I can't believe there were actually people who expected King Kong to do Titanic-sized numbers. I'm certainly no expert, but from talking to my staff and about 5 other people around here, I could tell there was no blockbuster "buzz" on that movie. "Narnia," on the other hand....as soon as the poster went up, I had people asking me daily when it was coming.

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Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 593
From: London, UK
Registered: Mar 2006


 - posted 04-05-2006 09:46 PM      Profile for Caleb Johnstone-Cowan   Email Caleb Johnstone-Cowan   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The marketing machine was hyping up King Kong far more than Narnia. Thought similarly that those expecting $1bn takings were off the mark however personally thought it would do better than Narnia and break the $500m barrier.

Can only talk for Narnia as we didn't show King Kong but it was busiest weekend I have worked and it was on at two other cinemas that are literally across the road.

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Matt Kerekes
Film Handler

Posts: 73
From: Rio Rancho, NM
Registered: Oct 2004


 - posted 04-06-2006 12:01 AM      Profile for Matt Kerekes   Email Matt Kerekes   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Is digital cinema not good enough innovation? They just need to stop worrying about same date dvd releases, and get some better movies out.

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John Hegel
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 166
From: Lake Mills, Iowa
Registered: Sep 2000


 - posted 04-06-2006 02:47 AM      Profile for John Hegel   Author's Homepage   Email John Hegel   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I think the biggest problem is that theaters have priced themselves out of the game. When 2 tickets and a pop cost the same as a DVD why would people want to go to a theatre?

For an example if AMC took a 30% price drop across the board. They would almost definitely make more money at a lesser price and higher volume. You would think there bean counters would know exactly what the point of equal librium is but the falling attendance seems to prove otherwise.

I think this industry will soon be reverting to the beginning of the business cycle to survive. I'm not saying that we will be going back to the movie palaces, but we may look at some of there functions of high capacity auditoriums, limited movie selections, and making the whole experience an event.

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Matt Kerekes
Film Handler

Posts: 73
From: Rio Rancho, NM
Registered: Oct 2004


 - posted 04-06-2006 11:14 AM      Profile for Matt Kerekes   Email Matt Kerekes   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I agree that prices are too high everywhere, I don't understand why before every blockbuster season prices have to up, just seems like greed to me.

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