ETH Theatre Upgrade Has An Eye On The Future

By Nancy K. Crevier

Edmond Town Hall Theatre’s future upgrade to digital technology should not spell disaster for cinephiles.

While the local theater will soon be moving away from the 35 mm film technology that it has used to show movies since the theater opened in 1930, the Blu-ray technology that is being pursued as the next step will mean an increased number of films available for showing, including any classics that have been digitized.

 Digital movies are sharp and give a bright picture, said Edmond Town Hall (ETH) theater manager Tom Mahoney, although he remains a true fan of celluloid film.

“Film, to me, has a soul. It has a depth and emotion to it. I think digital is very cold,” Mr Mahoney said. “Good filmmakers can [use film to] soften or make the way it looks a part of the story,” he said, and added that there are still well-known movie directors who prefer 35 mm film.

Nonetheless, “Technology is changing,” he admitted, “and we will be going to a Blu-ray projection system.” The theater will be keeping the 35 mm projector for some films, so long as space allows, Mr Mahoney added.

With the movie industry determined to go digital, said Mr Mahoney, “I think Blu-ray is the best step for us next.”

Blu-ray technology utilizes a blue-violet laser to read and write data. The optical disc format replaces DVD technology, and enables the playback of high definition (HD) video, according to blu-ray.com. That site also notes that there is broad support from major movie studios to move away from film.

“There aren’t going to be any 35 mm reels available in the near future,” said Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers Chairman Jim Juliano. “That’s why we’ve started doing a high-profile push to get a Blu-ray system,” he said.

ETH Board of Manager’s members have had the opportunity to experience vendor presentations of Blu-ray technology twice at the theater, he said, and both times were very impressed.

“The sound is unbelievable and the picture filled the whole screen, a beautiful picture,” said Mr Juliano.

Moving to the new technology will also be a cost- and timesaving move for the theater in the long run, he said. “With 35 mm, we sometimes need three or four reels sent by post, and the cost is between $138 and $150 per movie. Then they have to be spliced together and put on the reel,” Mr Juliano explained. When it is time to send the movie back to the studio, the splices have to be taken apart and each reel put back into its case for mailing.

Digital technology means one disc in a small package, back and forth. “It’s a lot less expensive,” he said. Of the $2 charged for entrance to a movie at ETH, half of that goes to the studio. Any money saved would be a boon to the theater budget.

“We’re looking to get 3D capable Blu-ray,” Mr Juliano said, which could draw a larger audience. “Our theater is not always filled to capacity,” he said.

Blu-ray technology would also improve live performances. “With a piece of Blu-ray equipment placed in our orchestra pit, it would no longer be necessary to rent a generator to run all of the microphones and equipment. That’s another outstanding feature,” he said.

Hayden Bates, a Newtown resident, has been instrumental in past months in promoting concerts at Edmond Town Hall to benefit the small theater that he calls “a treasure.” Two concerts have raised close to $10,000 to help upgrade the facility.

“We are moving toward the purchase of a Blu-ray system,” said Mr Bates. “I have met with the Board of Managers [of Edmond Town Hall] and we agree that a Blu-ray system, a new screen, and a new sound system would be great. My goal would be to play all films and have them look and sound better [than they do now, with the 35 mm projector],” said Mr Bates.

He is confused by comments he has heard that new technology provides fewer classic films. “What films are we going to miss out on [by going to a digital format]?” asked Mr Bates. “Edmond Town Hall Theatre only plays fairly recent films. I’d love it if it were an art theater or showed a lot of the classics, but it really doesn’t,” he said.

So far as fears that thousands of classics on 35 mm would be lost to viewers, Mr Bates said that by going to Blu-ray, it would be exactly the reverse. “Very few 35 mm films are now available. Being a film buff myself, I’d like to know what those films are that wouldn’t be available, except on 35 mm,” he said.

Moviegoers would have a superior experience with Blu-ray, Mr Bates said. “35 mm film doesn’t have to be viewed in 35 mm, even. For instance, the Rolling Stones movie, Gimme Shelter, comes across far, far better in Blu-ray. And going forward, I think you’ll see a lot of studios stop releasing 35 mm films,” he said.

Local television producer Craig Rogers, of Stone House Productions in South Norwalk and Manhattan, noted that television moved into digital production years ago. While television and movie production differ, he said that he believed that being able to deliver films digitally is a boon to the movie industry. Not only is distributing 35 mm one of the greatest costs for movie studios, but digital films will retain quality over the years.

“[A digital film] will always look as good as the first time it ran,” said Mr Rogers.

There are movie fans who find the worn films “endearing,” he said, but personally, he finds digital production to be beautiful. “I’m happy when I go into a theater and see it will be a digital production,” Mr Rogers said.

But before Edmond Town Hall Theatre can go to any kind of digital format, there are fundamental issues that need to be addressed. “There needs to be a total overhaul of the electrical system there. That’s where the money needs to go first,” Mr Bates said.

Mr Juliano agreed that there are electrical upgrades that are necessary, but said that recent looks at the present electrical system “are not as bad as we thought.”

There is a tremendous cost involved in moving from 35 mm projection to digital technology, he said. “I think it would be about $15,000 for the first phase,” which would include a Blu-ray projector and sound system. While the concerts promoted by Mr Bates are helpful, additional fundraisers will be needed to raise the money for improvements to the ETH Theatre, said Mr Juliano. He is hopeful that the transition will take place within the next year.

“[Digital technology] has to happen,” Mr Juliano said, “or we won’t have a show. Nobody has 35 mm anymore.”