I saw about 15 films in England, about a third were projected digitally rather than on film. These were the first real digital presentations I had seen other than demonstrations.
The cinemas in England were much more expensive than here so they maybe could afford top of the line equipment but things are going to go the same way here sooner or later.
Anyone who thinks film is going to be around for more than a few years is wrong.
The best presentation I saw in England was at the Empire in Leicester Square. I saw Speed Racer there. It was a old movie palace that had been plexed but there was still one big theatre. The screen was huge, maybe 60 feet wide. The Digital image was amazing in it's clarity and color and there weren't any of the physical problems that can be associated with film such as scratches.
I will admit movies like Speed Racer were made to show on Digital screens like this, bright colors, high contrast and distinct elements. It's similar to animated CGI films on digital TVs. Ever notice when you go to a place that sells TV the films playing are almost always animated films like Shrek or Toy Story? They look way better than anything with live people on those kind of TVs.
I would be curious to know what a film like No Country for Old Men with it's more subdued colour palate and lower contrast would look like on the Empire's screen.
Some of the films I saw would only have been distributed digitally as film would be too expensive. I saw an Anime film called Vexille at the Institute for Contemporary Art in a Digital theatre. Here the film went straight to DVD. It was one of the most exciting films I've seen in a long time and deserved to be seen on the big screen.
I predict as soon as the Studios and Exhibitors get their acts together and come up with some agreements a complete transition to Digital projectors will be quite rapid. All that will be left on film will be small independents, hopefully Western Film won't be one of them.
