Sharing Light
Some moments ring out throughout your life. As a passionate cinephile, I look back with awe and wonder the first time I saw an acetate-based print of Alfred Hitchcock’s "Rear Window" play on the big screen. The colors were so defined and had a depth that was lush and deep. Shot originally in a 3-strip Technicolor process. "Rear Window" was shot using the classic Technicolor three-strip film process, where the camera captured three separate black and white negatives, each representing a color (red, green, and blue), which were then combined during printing to create the final color image on the screen. It was terrific; it was day and night compared to the prints I was used to seeing, polyester-based and mass-produced. I was privileged to see one of these cameras while visiting the Museum of the Moving Image in London before the museum shut down in 1999. It was a fantastic place, with a genuine reverence for cinema.
?It was a rare privilege to witness the screening of "Rear Window" in a theater that still utilized a two projector changeover system, operated by old union projectionists. The moment Grace Kelly descended into the frame, waking a sleeping Jimmy Stewart, the breath left the theater. She was transcendent and filled the screen with well-scrubbed radiance. Similar experiences were had when I screened an authentic print of John Ford's "The Searchers". The sparse dialog, set in a luminescent Monument Valley with an angled approach regarding a foreboding horizon was a sight to behold.
?rilliant imaging in movies, such as Gordon Willis's cinematography in "The Godfather 1 and 2", Russel Boyd's camerawork in "Picnic At Hanging Rock", or Nestor Almendros for "Days of Heaven", all share a common thread; the ability to create a visual intimacy with the audience. This is a quality that has become increasingly rare in today's cinema, a loss that is deeply felt. Like much in Hollywood, the wound is self-inflicted, leaving us longing for the cinematic experiences of the past.
An excellent truism for all aspects of the human experience is "that you can't be all things to all people.” Hollywood has repeatedly tried to do this and failed. With rising budgets, the interest in attempting to control Chinese markets (how did that work out for you), and an increased detachment from the audience, the studios have set themselves up for a perfect storm, one that has seriously impacted the exhibitors and more critical the affinity of the movie-going audience as a whole. This perfect storm has given rise to a 'real ghost in the machine of movies ', a metaphor for the unseen but deeply felt issues plaguing the film industry.
Digital is often touted as a cost saver in the world of movies, but it frequently becomes a bit of a financial drain. From digital cinematography to stadium seating, the new and improved always come with a price tag attached. Movie budgets have risen, driven by talent agencies' greed and the availability of third-party money. Hollywood loves it when they can spend Other People's Money or OPM. If movies cost more money, they demand a wider release and a bigger audience.
?The budget for the original Star Wars in 1977 was $11 million, and it made? $775 million. Like money, dreams of Star Wars float around studio executives' dreams. Now, to be fair, because Hollywood was always spending money like a sailor on shore leave, the 1959 film Ben-Hur had a budget of approximately $159 million when adjusted for inflation. The version made in the 20’s had a budget of $65 million when adjusted for inflation.
?The movie "Evan Almighty" had a budget of $218,000,000, not a period piece or a single chariot race scene, go figure. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” cost $379 million smackers. As of late, a large budget has often been used as an attribute when it comes to the marketing of the movie,
Being in business, I aim to spend as little money as possible. One of my favorite movies is American Graffiti, Produced on a $777,000 budget or? $5,332,993 in 2023, has become one of @gianluthe most profitable films ever. Since its initial release, American Graffiti has earned an estimated return well over $200 million in box-office gross and home video sales, not including merchandising. Some movies have low negative costs that have shown higher returns. It is probably a good idea for Hollywood to revisit the idea of lower-cost movies. Most businesses would be moving to this form of a production economy. Other successful lower-budget films include: “Rear Window” was made on this day for a budget of? $1 million, $11,675,427.51 in 2024 dollars, and grossed $37 million that is? 431,990,817.84 in 2024 bucks. “The Searchers” was made for $3.5 million in the year it was made or $37 million. Good, all in all.
?It is high time that the economy surrounding movies reintroduce itself to reality, mitigate risk, and create an economic model that would allow it to reconnect with their audiences again. This change is not just necessary, but also promising, offering a new direction for the future of cinema and a renewed hope for the art form. John Sullivan Rob Arthur Laura Peralta-Jones Chuck Goldwater Gianluca Chakra Domenico Del Priore Tony Franks Shawn Dawes Steve Winn Kevin Mitchell Jeffrey P. Benson