We all know the fable of the tortoise and the hare. The hare takes off running at the starting gun while the tortoise lumbers on down the path. Throughout the race the hare becomes cocky and in his infinite wisdom stops for a bite to eat and settles down for a nap. Meanwhile the good tortoise, never changing his pace nor style, continues on. The hare wakens to find the tortoise within reach of the finish line and takes off in mad sprint but it is too late, the tortoise crosses first and claims victory.
So what does this story have to do with April Showers? Everything. You see no matter what stage of production you find yourself in (preproduction, production, post or distribution) you are constantly balancing the pros and cons of the methodology of filmmaking and distribution (the tortoise) with technology (the hare) to create, hopefully, a wonderful film. But the two often go together like oil and water, aided largely by decades of complacency and non-change. For example, during pre-production we had made the decision to film April Showers in true cinema 4K, which at the time, was a largely untested and new format. We knew that digital cinema was growing but still in its infancy and that the bulk of digital cinemas in the US featured mostly 2K projectors. However, I argued that by having a 4K “negative” the downres to 2K would look superior, as would all ancillary formats such as DVD and Blu-ray.
In postproduction the 4K arguments became harder to sustain, for while cameras had risen to the 4K level many of the postproduction services and software had not. 2K has and continues to be the digital theatrical standard when it comes to postproduction and distribution for it is the equivalent (digitally) of projected 35mm film. Now, I argue that even at the 2K level we’re still acting like the hare, which is a good thing, for a vast majority of films are still projected via analog film i.e. the tortoise.
Here’s where that balancing act comes in, you see while April Showers was able to remain digital from start to finish and project in the highest possible quality around the country it came at a price…convenience. One thing the tortoise has taught audiences is that slow and steady wins and also allows for you to take in some of the sights. In the case of theaters, analog film has had decades to stake its claim and in that time audiences have become accustomed to being able drive no more than 3-5 minutes to their local theater and see whatever movie is currently out. The tortoise created convenience.
Beyond convenience another byproduct of the tortoise’s efforts has been the creation of the environment in which digital cinema must now operate. New, all digital, theaters are not being built at record pace, instead digital projectors are being fitted into existing cinemas once housing 35mm analog projectors, but the conversion has been slow and costly to the theater chains, hence why there are still so few digital cinemas in comparison to their 35mm counterparts. This is precisely why many of you commented about the lack of convenience when it came to seeing April Showers in theaters. We simply couldn’t be everywhere the way Star Trek is, partially because it wasn’t cost effective and partially because there just wasn’t a digital screen in key areas to be had. The good news, for our future endeavors, is that many analog theater chains are converting to digital and will be partially/fully digital by the end of 2010 when Dancing Carl is rumored to be releasing in theaters. Slow and steady wins the race and it appears, once again, the tortoise (theaters) will eventually win in the digital theatrical race as well.
In terms of home entertainment, i.e. DVD, Blu-ray and iTunes things become even more of a balancing act. I don’t mean to sound harsh so please don’t take my comments as being overly critical but audiences are a mirror image of the system and/or Hollywood, in that they usually buy into certain formats and technology when the system/Hollywood deems it necessary, save one, Blu-ray. For years movies were available to the home markets on VHS, which eventually gave way to DVD. Now, when DVD launched there was some backlash for consumers had accumulated vast VHS video libraries and weren’t too keen on the idea of having to replicate those collections on DVD despite the inherent benefits. To combat this the creators of DVD made it hugely affordable for everyone involved be it the consumer or distributor and did so at some cost to themselves. DVD took off and became the standard for the home video market and remains the standard to this day, effectively becoming the tortoise despite its hare like beginnings.
I call DVD a tortoise because, like theaters, it has had a long and successful run as the sole format consumers turn to for their home entertainment and convenience. You would think that the manufacturers and creators of Blu-ray, many if not all had a hand in the formation of DVD, would’ve learned from DVD’s success and used that knowledge in the formation and release of Blu-ray to the general public. However they have not. Instead of making Blu-ray affordable and more convenient than DVD they’ve priced it in the stratosphere and built in such stringent copy protections that consumers are often faced with long load times, non-functioning menus and beyond. Blu-ray, like the hare, stopped to fatten their tummies and took a nap. This in turn results in slow Blu-ray sales and waning interest because, for the first time, the consumer is thinking ahead and embracing downloads and Internet based content, as evident in iTunes, Hulu and YouTube’s growing success. Unlike the creators of Blu-ray the hares over at Apple and Hulu have curbed the technological leap with something the tortoise can get behind, convenience. Slowly but surely their products and services are catching on and growing and while their current iterations may not become the standard, the inevitable standard will no doubt share a common lineage with these formats.
Getting back to Blu-ray for a moment if I may, I’m a supporter of the format and have been since the day it launched, however my support has not been met with equal appreciation from its creators. I’ve owned countless Blu-ray players as well as amassed an impressive library and done everything in my power to get people to see the light that is Blu-ray. Yet with the cancellation of April Showers on Blu-ray I now ask myself why. Why have I done this when I personally view Blu-ray as a half measure; a stopgap between DVD and where we are all ultimately heading…downloads. Blu-ray is like a hybrid car. We know how and can make far more efficient vehicles but we took a detour in order to cash in very narrow window of opportunity before ultimately needing to take the next step. Is Blu-ray better than DVD? Absolutely, without question, Blu-ray is the current king of home video as it pertains to picture and sound quality. However, and pardon my language, it sucks compared to DVD in terms of convenience, market share and ultimate affordability. And it seems I’m not alone in my assessment for consumers aren’t flocking to Blu-ray the way I think many manufacturers thought they would. It appears another format war was more than customers were willing to bear, hence why DVD is still the winner and will remain the winner until downloads takes its place. Do I regret my decision to support Blu-ray? Not at all, for it has afforded me much entertainment at the highest levels which is something that I value, however, to take an elitist approach and say it’s something all consumers must value along with me is a mistake. As a businessman Blu-ray doesn’t make sense at this time for far too many of our customers and potential customers do not see the value and are not investing in Blu-ray.
But there is a dark side to DVD. Like the 35mm theaters of yore DVD has had time to stake its claim within arms reach of whoever wants it for everyone owns a player and everyone can go down to their local store to pick up a copy. How is that bad you ask? Well, for an independent film like April Showers it’s hard to break into those circles just as it’s hard to break into the 35mm theatrical space with digital projection. It’s now all supremely controlled and you have to pay to play. Being a hare I like to think of ways around a system because in doing so you can often retain better control and interaction with your customer. However, I understand the importance of being where the customer is, which is why we’re constantly working and negotiating with the various outlets that sell DVDs and making those outlets available to April Showers.
You have to know and be willing to take risks and push boundaries when necessary but also be comfortable and understanding of the fact that any film, be it April Showers or Star Trek, prevails only with patience. It’s a balancing act for sure and one few can appreciate until they’ve witnessed it first-hand. While the tortoise may have won the race in the fable, the life of a film is not a race but a triathlon, for there is more than one way to bring your film to an audience. Throughout a film’s life its success lies in the sum of its parts not in its individual achievements. So it seems, for the time being, a filmmaker must become both the tortoise and the hare, willing to run when necessary but know that slow and steady in some instances still prevails.
