The Digital Emerge
(c) 2009 Puja Goyal
Magazine: Live IT
Month of Publication: April 2009
Of late trends in film making have gone through a massive change. Earlier great care was taken on how a film should be made. Now, a film strategically placed for distribution, enables it to be focused to the right audience, thus bringing in larger returns. In the age of faster communication, distributors want a system so arranged that the movie reaches the audience before the pirates can do any damage to the returns. The intent is to cut down the tedious and expensive process of duplicating and distributing prints, which are prone to be destroyed on the way.
Digital cinema is a recent phenomenon, and has started to pick up because of the advantages it offers to distributors and filmmakers. The film is transmitted in digital form to cinema halls, using satellite technology, and projected to the customers through an enhanced high-definition television system. The system, also known as cyber cinema, basically means that when a film is viewed digitally, you will see it as the maker intended for you to see it. The film will be presented before you in greater clarity and detail. The film is not prone to deterioration, scratches, fading, and damage as a result of repeated viewing, etc. and will be at its best quality, regardless.
Digital cinema includes every aspect of the film making process, from production and post-production to distribution and projection. While digital cameras are not new, and post production houses have of late been using digital equipment to edit and master films and animation, the all-digital distribution and projection of films has only recently arrived to complete the chain.
Directors abroad seemed to have fallen in love with this sort of technology, until recently. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was released in May 2002, and was the first all-digital live action feature, shot without a single roll of film. The response was tremendous. A number of major Hollywood studios joined hands and formed the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) body that has come up with standard formats for digital cinema content. Animation movies like Beowulf, Harry Potter and Spiderman soon followed, recording a major part of their box office collections through digital theatres around the world. It’s said that nearly 50% of the screens around the world are to go digital by 2013.
Luke Lieberman, President, Red Sonja LLC, has his doubts, “Digital cinema never took off the way people thought it would. In part, this is because HD (High Definition) doesn't really have that film magic quality and the DPs (Director of Photography) never took to it; in part it is because the cost savings, relative to the budget of a major motion picture, is really not much but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that digital stuff is too easy to rip off. If you are going to plow a bunch of cash into a project, you want to make sure people can't just duplicate it like they do with music. The film industry is trying to avoid the fate of the music industry.”
India's economy is not yet ready to fully adopt the DCI norms for digital cinema probably for the same reasons as cited by Lieberman. The biggest problem in India is piracy. High quality projections make it easy for pirates to record these films via camcorders to pirate the movie. Digital cinema system is said to cut down the cost of releasing actual celluloid prints and also ensure release throughout the network. At the same time, it is said to cut down the incentives of piracy. Also, the systems are not very bulky making it easy for exhibitors to adapt to this new system.
Indian cinema is geared up to converting its halls into a digital format and this is happening slowly but steadily. Talks with PVR Cinemas, Inox and other film screening units revealed that they believe digital cinema in India will revolutionize the way movies will be seen, in terms of space quality and operational convenience.
Security concerns will, however, remain the same as before and there’s not much that digital cinema can do in this respect. Websites would allow movies to be downloaded and pirate markets will still sell cheap versions. The only thing it will do is help cinema distributors in the advertisement point of view in terms of RTC Conversion. Advertisers, in order to advertise their products, can now simply give a CD, which can be run in between intervals. Unlike before where there would be many technicians working to get the film’s screening, with digital broadcasting one would require just one technician who will screen a film merely by inserting a DVD or CD into the player.
Filmmakers have to get their films converted from their pre existent formats for their film to get released in all the digital theatres. This might add up to the costs and discourage the industry to adopt digital cinema. Therefore, if digital cinema has to be adopted, the industry has to work together for the establishment of the same as a standard. Converting halls into the new format will take some time. Exposing format has to be revamped and this needs to be done without disturbing the process of screening and without affecting viewer turnover in theatre halls.
Conversion and multiplying costs have also come down as far as digital music is concerned. It has also helped reduce electronic waste in the market. Until recently, most digital music was sold in the compact disc format. But in the past few years, a new method of distributing digital music, i.e., MP3 has become very popular: transmission of container-less files via the Internet, followed by storage on computers, iPODs, etc. MP3 is an audio compression file format in which music occupy approximately 1/12 of the disk space occupied by uncompressed files, enabling them to be transmitted faster and stored more easily.
Musicians and other professionals, etc. have been embracing this technology for years. The former, unable to obtain contracts with record companies, have realized that, at modest cost, they can easily record their work in MP3 format and instantly make it available over the Internet. The rest have discovered that they can easily obtain MP3 copies of most of the songs of their favorite musicians via the Internet. Only last year did people realize the magnanimity of the situation both in terms of a boon and a curse. While music was easily available and cut down on production and distribution costs, a high percentage of the MP3 recordings available in this manner are prepared without the permission of the legal owners of the music.
When a CD was sold, most of the cost went to the manufacturer, distributor, the retail store, or the record company that produced the recording. The artist would hardly receive more than 16% of the purchase price. But if the music was distributed over the Internet by the artist himself, almost all cost associated with making and distributing of CDs could be eliminated. Thus, musicians could earn more or consumers could pay less or both. It would also be convenient for the musicians and consumers because tedious procedures could be eliminated like travelling, music being out of stock, etc. Internet distribution would allow the music to be available when the consumer would require, instantly.
The musicians would get a platform to exhibit their talent and not be dependent on flimsy production companies, which makes easy it easier to reach an ever larger audience. Most musicians now have websites and promotional music uploaded online for their listeners; even music companies are following suit. They upload samples of upcoming albums onto their websites for the consumers to have a taste of what’s next.
The greatest benefit that digital music/cinema has derived is that of decentralizing a monotonous power hold that production houses, music industries, distributors, etc. had on the product. The first, already mentioned, consists of the expansion of the set of musicians and filmmakers who can reach wide audiences, while shrinking the control of record companies and production houses. The second consists of the ease with which ‘consumers’ of digital music/cinema can manipulate it, recombine pieces of it, and blend it with their own material and remix – indirectly becoming producers of the same. The next generation of compression formats – MP4 – is increasing those opportunities for interaction and alteration.
Regrettably, distribution of digital music/cinema via the Internet also has a very substantial drawback: it undermines the ability of creators to earn money. The biggest reason for this is that MP3 files are unsecured. Nothing prevents a person who has acquired (with/without permission) an MP3 file to make unlimited copies. The copies made using digital technology are same as the original. Illegal MP3 copies of copyrighted recordings are available on the Internet for free. The boost of unauthorized free copies has become a big concern for music/cinema makers who now are trying to find remedies to this problem. Compact discs bearing Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) is another alternative to protect piracy of movies and music.
David Bowie’s suggested this option through his innovative website. People visiting Bowie’s website are invited to become members of the Bowie ‘Community’ after which they are encouraged to participate in the website programs, chat rooms, etc. They are also offered a wide variety of products and services, loosely related to Bowie's artistry.
The same has now been absorbed by other musicians and filmmakers who have started to offer incentives to viewers in the form of freebies, which could range from T-shirts, posters, videos, sheet music, mouse pads, etc. Some also offer Internet access, unlimited e-mail addresses and web spaces. In the end, one would think, why would viewers and browsers go to such websites and avail of these offers? It could be because they appreciate the artist or film and enjoy participating and encouraging the product.
Most artists and filmmakers have also started asking for donations indirectly through their websites. They don’t charge the visitor for downloading music or movies, but ask for a donation. This is an off-shoot idea taken from radio stations and religious organizations. For example: If you are interested in buying a copy of John Mayer’s latest song, you could simply Google his name.
The first search result that shows up would be his official website from where you can browse through a complete list of his songs, listen to a sample and download them if you want; all this, of course, for a small amount. This would be quite less compared to the amount you would pay for entire album. In the end, the object of this discussion remains whether digital cinema and music are a boon or a curse.
India is seeing its advent for the first time and is yet to pick up; therefore, the end result needs to be seen. But considering what has happened to digital music in the past few years, it would be wise to proceed with preparation and caution. What needs to be done is to derive maximum benefit by reducing the negativities. The idea now would be to reap the box office collections as soon as the prints are exposed to the viewers; before the pirates get to them. This way even if the prints are leaked, the returns are secured. The onus now lies on a perfectly laid plan of distribution.
Magazine: Live IT
Month of Publication: April 2009
Of late trends in film making have gone through a massive change. Earlier great care was taken on how a film should be made. Now, a film strategically placed for distribution, enables it to be focused to the right audience, thus bringing in larger returns. In the age of faster communication, distributors want a system so arranged that the movie reaches the audience before the pirates can do any damage to the returns. The intent is to cut down the tedious and expensive process of duplicating and distributing prints, which are prone to be destroyed on the way.
Digital cinema is a recent phenomenon, and has started to pick up because of the advantages it offers to distributors and filmmakers. The film is transmitted in digital form to cinema halls, using satellite technology, and projected to the customers through an enhanced high-definition television system. The system, also known as cyber cinema, basically means that when a film is viewed digitally, you will see it as the maker intended for you to see it. The film will be presented before you in greater clarity and detail. The film is not prone to deterioration, scratches, fading, and damage as a result of repeated viewing, etc. and will be at its best quality, regardless.
Digital cinema includes every aspect of the film making process, from production and post-production to distribution and projection. While digital cameras are not new, and post production houses have of late been using digital equipment to edit and master films and animation, the all-digital distribution and projection of films has only recently arrived to complete the chain.
Directors abroad seemed to have fallen in love with this sort of technology, until recently. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was released in May 2002, and was the first all-digital live action feature, shot without a single roll of film. The response was tremendous. A number of major Hollywood studios joined hands and formed the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) body that has come up with standard formats for digital cinema content. Animation movies like Beowulf, Harry Potter and Spiderman soon followed, recording a major part of their box office collections through digital theatres around the world. It’s said that nearly 50% of the screens around the world are to go digital by 2013.
Luke Lieberman, President, Red Sonja LLC, has his doubts, “Digital cinema never took off the way people thought it would. In part, this is because HD (High Definition) doesn't really have that film magic quality and the DPs (Director of Photography) never took to it; in part it is because the cost savings, relative to the budget of a major motion picture, is really not much but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that digital stuff is too easy to rip off. If you are going to plow a bunch of cash into a project, you want to make sure people can't just duplicate it like they do with music. The film industry is trying to avoid the fate of the music industry.”
India's economy is not yet ready to fully adopt the DCI norms for digital cinema probably for the same reasons as cited by Lieberman. The biggest problem in India is piracy. High quality projections make it easy for pirates to record these films via camcorders to pirate the movie. Digital cinema system is said to cut down the cost of releasing actual celluloid prints and also ensure release throughout the network. At the same time, it is said to cut down the incentives of piracy. Also, the systems are not very bulky making it easy for exhibitors to adapt to this new system.
One stream sure to reap the benefits of digitizing is the animation industry. The content produced is mainly in the digital format. To release in Indian cinemas, they have to release physical prints. The evolution of digital cinema will cut down this step saving a lot of the producer's money, which can be put into use for the other aspects of film production. A major challenge of digital cinema in India is the conversion cost.The film is transmitted in digital form,
using satellite technology,
and projected through an
enhanced high-definition television system.
Indian cinema is geared up to converting its halls into a digital format and this is happening slowly but steadily. Talks with PVR Cinemas, Inox and other film screening units revealed that they believe digital cinema in India will revolutionize the way movies will be seen, in terms of space quality and operational convenience.
Security concerns will, however, remain the same as before and there’s not much that digital cinema can do in this respect. Websites would allow movies to be downloaded and pirate markets will still sell cheap versions. The only thing it will do is help cinema distributors in the advertisement point of view in terms of RTC Conversion. Advertisers, in order to advertise their products, can now simply give a CD, which can be run in between intervals. Unlike before where there would be many technicians working to get the film’s screening, with digital broadcasting one would require just one technician who will screen a film merely by inserting a DVD or CD into the player.
Filmmakers have to get their films converted from their pre existent formats for their film to get released in all the digital theatres. This might add up to the costs and discourage the industry to adopt digital cinema. Therefore, if digital cinema has to be adopted, the industry has to work together for the establishment of the same as a standard. Converting halls into the new format will take some time. Exposing format has to be revamped and this needs to be done without disturbing the process of screening and without affecting viewer turnover in theatre halls.
Conversion and multiplying costs have also come down as far as digital music is concerned. It has also helped reduce electronic waste in the market. Until recently, most digital music was sold in the compact disc format. But in the past few years, a new method of distributing digital music, i.e., MP3 has become very popular: transmission of container-less files via the Internet, followed by storage on computers, iPODs, etc. MP3 is an audio compression file format in which music occupy approximately 1/12 of the disk space occupied by uncompressed files, enabling them to be transmitted faster and stored more easily.
Musicians and other professionals, etc. have been embracing this technology for years. The former, unable to obtain contracts with record companies, have realized that, at modest cost, they can easily record their work in MP3 format and instantly make it available over the Internet. The rest have discovered that they can easily obtain MP3 copies of most of the songs of their favorite musicians via the Internet. Only last year did people realize the magnanimity of the situation both in terms of a boon and a curse. While music was easily available and cut down on production and distribution costs, a high percentage of the MP3 recordings available in this manner are prepared without the permission of the legal owners of the music.
When a CD was sold, most of the cost went to the manufacturer, distributor, the retail store, or the record company that produced the recording. The artist would hardly receive more than 16% of the purchase price. But if the music was distributed over the Internet by the artist himself, almost all cost associated with making and distributing of CDs could be eliminated. Thus, musicians could earn more or consumers could pay less or both. It would also be convenient for the musicians and consumers because tedious procedures could be eliminated like travelling, music being out of stock, etc. Internet distribution would allow the music to be available when the consumer would require, instantly.
The musicians would get a platform to exhibit their talent and not be dependent on flimsy production companies, which makes easy it easier to reach an ever larger audience. Most musicians now have websites and promotional music uploaded online for their listeners; even music companies are following suit. They upload samples of upcoming albums onto their websites for the consumers to have a taste of what’s next.
The greatest benefit that digital music/cinema has derived is that of decentralizing a monotonous power hold that production houses, music industries, distributors, etc. had on the product. The first, already mentioned, consists of the expansion of the set of musicians and filmmakers who can reach wide audiences, while shrinking the control of record companies and production houses. The second consists of the ease with which ‘consumers’ of digital music/cinema can manipulate it, recombine pieces of it, and blend it with their own material and remix – indirectly becoming producers of the same. The next generation of compression formats – MP4 – is increasing those opportunities for interaction and alteration.
Regrettably, distribution of digital music/cinema via the Internet also has a very substantial drawback: it undermines the ability of creators to earn money. The biggest reason for this is that MP3 files are unsecured. Nothing prevents a person who has acquired (with/without permission) an MP3 file to make unlimited copies. The copies made using digital technology are same as the original. Illegal MP3 copies of copyrighted recordings are available on the Internet for free. The boost of unauthorized free copies has become a big concern for music/cinema makers who now are trying to find remedies to this problem. Compact discs bearing Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) is another alternative to protect piracy of movies and music.
David Bowie’s suggested this option through his innovative website. People visiting Bowie’s website are invited to become members of the Bowie ‘Community’ after which they are encouraged to participate in the website programs, chat rooms, etc. They are also offered a wide variety of products and services, loosely related to Bowie's artistry.
The same has now been absorbed by other musicians and filmmakers who have started to offer incentives to viewers in the form of freebies, which could range from T-shirts, posters, videos, sheet music, mouse pads, etc. Some also offer Internet access, unlimited e-mail addresses and web spaces. In the end, one would think, why would viewers and browsers go to such websites and avail of these offers? It could be because they appreciate the artist or film and enjoy participating and encouraging the product.
Most artists and filmmakers have also started asking for donations indirectly through their websites. They don’t charge the visitor for downloading music or movies, but ask for a donation. This is an off-shoot idea taken from radio stations and religious organizations. For example: If you are interested in buying a copy of John Mayer’s latest song, you could simply Google his name.
The first search result that shows up would be his official website from where you can browse through a complete list of his songs, listen to a sample and download them if you want; all this, of course, for a small amount. This would be quite less compared to the amount you would pay for entire album. In the end, the object of this discussion remains whether digital cinema and music are a boon or a curse.
India is seeing its advent for the first time and is yet to pick up; therefore, the end result needs to be seen. But considering what has happened to digital music in the past few years, it would be wise to proceed with preparation and caution. What needs to be done is to derive maximum benefit by reducing the negativities. The idea now would be to reap the box office collections as soon as the prints are exposed to the viewers; before the pirates get to them. This way even if the prints are leaked, the returns are secured. The onus now lies on a perfectly laid plan of distribution.
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