70mm Film Projectors VS Digital

Today, headlines in newspapers and web sites read: “This summer marks the end of reeled film distribution.” + What I really know about movies?

 

Today, headlines in newspapers and web sites read:

“This summer marks the end of reeled film distribution.”

In 2007, Jordan Commons in the Salt Lake City area was selected to be one of the first one hundred in the country to get its new digital projector. Digital means NO film is delivered in cans, and the projectionist doesn’t have to worry about "lacing it up" through the projector and film path to and from any long play device.

The whole movie is a small cartridge, loaded into the system’s hard drive. The film we have grown up with will be a thing of the past. For the last six years, older movie theaters, entities requiring movies, and drive-ins have been faced with “switch to survive.”

Some drive-ins have closed, as times change and the consumers moved indoors to theaters, and next, to TV, rentals, and Internet. Icons of the industry raise money to obtain expensive digital systems, by different means, a new one is crowdfunding. One drive-in owner mortgaged her family farm to continue bringing movies to us.

Clark Planetarium in SLC recently replaced their 70mm film projectors from 2003 with a state-of-the-art 3-D Digital projection system. The Planetarium’s business partner is Larry H. Miller Megaplex theater chain, including Jordan Commons.

                                    

Going to the movies was a treat when I was growing up.  Mom or Dad would call, “We are going to the movies,” without a lot of notice. It triggered a mad search " looking under the couch cushions, shaking pockets, and searching the whole house to find enough change to go, even at the price of movies in the 40s and 50s

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One of the first films was only a short clip. It showed a locomotive heading for the audience, and the patrons screamed and became alarmed. At the beginning, families and people, young and old, spent hours watching the newsreels, and serials, plus the latest adventures from Hollywood.

 

The children, hid their faces, as “King Kong swayed on top of the Empire State Building, biplanes swirling, as shots whizzed by him.”

 

They started with silent movies starring villains tying their hapless victim, usually a beautiful girl to the railroad track. Boo! Hiss! Came cries from the audience.

 

The film industries had their “heydays” " glamour stars, i.e. Mae West, pinups during World War II; movie stars touring the battle fields to cheer up the soldiers. Extravagant movies of all kinds with exotic people and locales that are classics to this day. One of my favorite channels is TCM, “I love those movies.”

 

Some of the stars made history serving “in the line of fire.” Among the group was Audie Murphy, the most decorated serviceman of WWII, Clark Cable, Jimmy Stewart, and Lee Marvin….

 

I discovered one of the actresses, Hedy Lamarr, of Samson and Delilah fame was a mathematician, and at the height of her Hollywood career, she made a tremendous contribution to the war. She and her co-inventor, George Anthiel, designed a torpedo guidance missile system that was two decades before its time!

 

I went to numerous drive-in movies in the 50s and 60s; sometimes, we would load up as many that could be squeezed in the car. Grabbed our pizza, popcorn, and ate under the stars.

 

At the time this was written, you could relive the 60s:

The Shooting Star Drive-in in Utah Red Rock Canyon Country is an unforgettable Airstream Resort " classic 1960s Drive-in, RV Park. Rent an Airstream “hotel” that was decorated for a Star on location, or furnish your own; when the sun goes down, select a sixties convertible to watch movies from the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and head for the Snack Bar….

 

“That’s all, Folks…”

Update:

Unfortunately, the Shooting Star Drive-in has been put up for sale, for anyone who is interested in a piece of history set in red-rock country….

The film that we've grown up with over the years will soon be a thing of the past…

Reviews

[Will Neill]

Alas Diane nothing stays the same, very informative as always-ineresting read.
Will

[Diane Lockard]

Very true - thanks for stopping by..... Diane