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In a tiny private theater in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts, filmmaker Douglas Trumbull is screening one of his latest creations. At first, the movie looks familiar: it's footage of astronaut Chris Hadfield singing David Bowie's "Space Oddity" in a clip that went viral on YouTube a couple of years ago. But halfway through the song, the film shifts from Hadfield strumming his guitar in the International Space Station to 3-D shots of planets and stars so detailed that I feel as though I'm on the ISS itself, looking through its cupola windows. A huge image of Earth fills my field of view and begins rotating. I'm wearing 3-D glasses, but the picture is far brighter and sharper than is typical in 3-D movies. Next to me, people mumble things like "Completely unreal" and "Awesome."
This is Magi, a system that captures images in 3-D and "4K" ultrahigh resolution and displays the resulting frames at five times the usual rate. Trumbull developed the technology as a way to create movie experiences more immersive than regular 3-D or giant-screen IMAX—and restore the joy of going out to the movies.
[...] The movie industry could use some magic. North American box office receipts have been relatively flat for years. Many consumers prefer the convenience and affordability of watching movies on their TVs and mobile devices, especially since manufacturers keep developing sharper, brighter, more color-accurate screens.
To develop something far better, Trumbull built a studio on his sprawling Berkshires property; hired a multitasking crew that ranges from four to 50 people, depending on the project; and produced a series of demos that tested new cinematic techniques, such as how to combine different frame rates and resolution levels in one movie. On top of all that, he has created a new type of movie theater optimized for showing Magi films.
Presumably, not showing 45 minutes of TV commercials before the feature is not on the list of things that could bring some magic back to the movie industry...
(Score: 5, Insightful) by looorg on Friday October 07 2016, @11:39AM
I used to love to go the movies, used to go weekly sometimes several times a week. Now it just doesn't seem worth it anymore. I think I went twice last year and so far this year I have only been once.
3D, 4k, IMAX or whatever other system comes next in the various audio-visual-department isn't going to restore the magic of cinema for me. Twice the ticket price to wear a pair of very uncomfortable glasses that give a fairly shitty 3d effect? Pass.
Good movies, story and acting wise, would restore cinema and the movie experience, something that is clearly lacking these days of visual effects overload and (shitty) remakes. I get that I'm not young anymore and I'm not the target demographic for most movies. but good and cool effects does not a good movie make. I guess it's easy to confuse great effects and a lens flare overload with the movie actually being good (Hi JJ Abrams!).
Then there is that whole audience problem that there seem to be no technical solution for, people just suck. I went to see a movie not to listen to their running commentary of the movie and life in general or to being interrupted by cellphones, people stuffing their face with candy like the zombie apocalypse was around the corner and candy would be a thing of the past or the (young) people having a popcorn fight. The ads before the movie just never really bothered me all that much.
(Score: 1) by Oakenshield on Friday October 07 2016, @12:16PM
You got that right. I go to the cinema about as often as you do. Last year, I went to see a movie and after the lights went down and the twenty minutes of commercials began, some asshole began taking photos of his family using flash photography. ...in a darkened theater. A blinding light popped off at least ten times. I have no idea why it was so important to take pictures of his family in their seats, that wouldn't be served at least as well in the lobby. People suck.
(Score: 3, Informative) by zocalo on Friday October 07 2016, @12:31PM
Sure there is [theoatmeal.com], I just don't see it catching on. I did like the suggestion about in-chair sockets you can plug a pair of noise cancelling headphones into though - that really could make a huge difference with some audiences. Of course, Hollywood will just see it as a means to aid in the production of camrips by grabbing a HiQ sound track, and since their desire for profit trumps their desire to have happy customers every time...
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 07 2016, @10:50PM
That's a page with a lot of chintz.
...with the payload split into 2 pieces.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/theoatmeal-img/comics/movie_theater_layout/1.png [amazonaws.com]
http://s3.amazonaws.com/theoatmeal-img/comics/movie_theater_layout/2.png [amazonaws.com]
...and to those who create graphics:
Tip 1: If you're going to put text on a dark background, do the text in a light color that has a high contrast with the background.
Tip 1a: A dull red on a black background is a terrible choice.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Grishnakh on Friday October 07 2016, @07:27PM
The last movie I saw in a theater was The Martian. It was great, except for that silly scene at the beginning about a storm on Mars, since that's impossible.
Anyway, what was great was the other theater-goers: there weren't any! I think there might have been two other people in the theater actually, besides me and my companion.
Basically, we waited until the movie had been out a few weeks, and went to see it on a weeknight IIRC. If you're going to spend the money to see a movie in a theater, that's the magic formula I've found: go at an odd time (early on a Saturday or Sunday is good too, plus the prices are lower), and make sure the movie has been out a while so you can read the reviews, and everyone else has already seen it so the theater will be empty.
Of course, none of this will help if the movie itself sucks, which is one of two big reasons I still don't bother seeing movies much. There just aren't many good movies being made any more. And it's more fun usually to just watch them at home on a big-screen LCD while sitting on a recliner, and having a remote control so you can pause it when you need to use the restroom. And if you have a girlfriend, you can snuggle with her on the couch; oh wait, this is Slashdot, that doesn't apply here.