by Nick Moenssens
Digital cinema is not taking off like gangbusters in motion picture theatres. The name "Digital Cinema" is still little more than marketing hype, resembling every other digital catch phrase.
Digital sound, digital watches, digital radio, digital bathroom scales -- if it's digital, it must be good!
Today, digital cinema is simply high- definition video projection with the movie stored on a digital medium. That's a product already available to consumers in their homes: Most computer monitors are capable of higher resolution than digital cinema projectors, and a theatre running a print made from an original EK negative, properly projected, could double the resolution of a digital venue. Texas Instruments DLP chips are available in relatively inexpensive, small video projectors. For consumers, this is an improvement over NTSC home projection. But at a theatre, audiences may not be getting anything more for their money. While film scratches may be absent, dim images, color problems, failed hard-drive interruptions and digital defects are a possibility. In some theatres, there will be the same old worn-out xenon lamps, the same lack of staff attention to the presentation, blown-out speaker systems, and the same procrastination in repairing problems.
Theatre owners do not want to splurge for the new equipment. At this point they have nothing to gain but an unproven marketing advantage for a handful of titles. And there's hardly universal agreement that the current digital picture resolution is equal to the film release print that is being delivered now. An investment of over $100,000, plus sound upgrades and technical support to handle computer and HD maintenance, threatens exhibitors' balance sheets. And they'll have to retain support and maintenance for 35mm projection as well.
So, where does this leave the studio projectionist and projection engineer? Will we be running film forever? Should projectionists put aside the learning of new digital technologies for projection and sound? The answer is an emphatic "No!" HD video projection is going to improve, and like other computer technologies, it will become less expensive. And although your local multiplex doesn't yet have a digital projector, digital video is taking off in production and post production. Running dailies digitally from hard drives and optical disks is becoming an everyday occurrence at studios. HD video is used for previews or to evaluate effects and animation. Electronic projection can save money for producers, eliminating the expense of printing dailies and effects to film, so whether it makes it to a theatre near you or not, it will still affect your role in the projection booth.
How should projectionists and engineers train for these new digital technologies?
Acquaint yourself with computers: Become computer literate. This doesn't mean you have to become a computer expert. But if you are not able to learn the basic operation of a
computer, you probably won't catch on to most of the picture and sound equipment on the horizon. Basic computer techniques are used to navigate through the playback menus of digital projection systems. If you have never operated a computer or touch-screen system, your neighborhood fast-food cashier has more experience in this area than you do! One major studio's staff projectionists are all trained to operate computers for digital sound quality-control checks. Computers are playing an important role in their jobs well beyond basic tasks such as sending and receiving e-mail.
Become familiar with digital audio playback equipment: Digital audio is becoming a standard part of dailies projection. Both Tascam and Akai make hard disk recorders that can lock to film projectors or video decks for dailies and full-length feature presentations. Training on this equipment is highly desirable. Operating manuals for this gear are available on the Tascam and Akai websites, so if you are Internet savvy you already have an advantage. Ask your department head to let you train with recordists who operate Tascam's MMR-8 and Akai's recorders. Learn to pull up the files, load the tracks for the reels, and lock the unit to the projector. Learn how to read the level tones on these units as you would a loop of Dolby level test film.
Learn video projector setup and operation: Video projection has advanced to the stage that it is now an acceptable substitute for film dailies. If you have ignored learning about video setup, it's now time to get with it. Seek training on every video projector your studio A/V or projection department owns. It's important to know how to look at color bars to quickly tell if the system is producing an accurate image. Your experience with film projection comes in handy here -- you already know about lenses and picture quality. If you don't learn basic A/V setup, you might find your boss asking his secretary to run the show.
Operate professional video decks: Learn to set up and operate video decks using all professional formats: DV, Betacam, Digi-Beta, Panasonic D-5 and Philips D-6. Many of the new machines have features meant for editing and recording, so it's just as important to learn what not to mess with as what to do for playback. D-5 and D-6 formats can be used for digital cinema playback, so learning them kills two birds with one stone.
Master the operation of digital cinema storage systems: All digital cinema systems require you to know fundamental computer skills in order to start the show. Technicolor's Qualcomm system, the QuVis QuBit and others require the operator to pull up the show file and select play (after you turn on the HD Projector and check the color bars and light levels). Setup is the projection engineer's job -- the projectionist's job is to run the show. Some studios may require you to load the feature into the hard drives. But you won't be doing anything if you don't get trained on these devices.
Explore editing systems: An Avid or Final Cut Pro system might be connected to a video projector and audio system for dailies. An assistant editor will probably come glued to the editing system. If not, you may be required to pull up the clips at the viewer's request. Subsidized training on these systems is available through the Editors Guild.
Maintain showmanship: The difference between an HD video and a film presentation is only a matter of equipment. It's still about putting on a good show. Experience in showmanship is something most projectionists already have. It's a key advantage and difficult to learn, so don't underestimate it. Even when you project a feature in video, use the curtain as you would if you were running film. Don't let audiences see countdown leaders, color bars, slates or let the audio pop on when the video begins. After all, the play is the thing: It's just old wine in new bottles.
Editors and sound professionals have learned new technology in the last decade. Many of them accepted new technologies, and their jobs are more exciting than ever. Some call these changes a revolution; others call it an evolution. If you want to be part of it, your job abilities need to evolve with it.
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Nick Moenssens is a Guild board member representing studio projectionists and
projection engineers. Formerly Chief of Video and Film Projection at the ATAS
Goldenson Theatre, he is currently a staff projectionist at Walt Disney Studios.
He can be reached at
shutterghost@earthlink.net
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