The Future of Exhibition and Aesthetics of High Frame Rate Cinema

“’The Hobbit’ gave us a chance to see a movie projected at 48 fps, and, unless he changes his mind, James Cameron plans to show us ‘Avatar 2’ at 60 fps. Others, including Douglas Trumbull, are talking — and working in — 120 fps,” writes Creative COW. While some embrace the change, others are less in favor of disrupting traditional filmmaking and exhibition. “It’s to be expected that many people who’ve spent a lifetime watching and making 24 fps movies object to the look, many calling it similar to TV or video. HFR Cinema simply goes against the grain,” notes the article.

“I prefer the romanticized version of 24 fps for films. I come from a generation that saw the difference between film and video because of frame rate,” says Rob Legato, ASC. “Anything that was 30 fps looked like a PBS documentary and anything in 24 fps looked like a film, which was what I was interested in.”

Trumball remains a proponent. “When he developed the Showscan Film process in the late 1970s, he added a twist to the 70mm wide screen presentation format: 60 fps. In fact, Trumbull was an advocate of HFR 3D before there was a name for it,” notes the article. And with the release of “The Hobbit” in HFR 3D, Trumball is encouraged. “In broad strokes, my guess is that ‘The Hobbit’ will be received very enthusiastically. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that improving frame rate improves all the bad aspects of 3D,” he claims.

Creative COW suggests that if “The Hobbit” is a success in this format, others are likely to follow. “Movie-making trends will go where the money is, and early box office for ‘The Hobbit’ is record-breaking: $27.3 million in 42 overseas markets and $13 million in U.S./Canada opening night. Granted, that’s not all on HFR 3D screens, but my guess is that when the bean-counters do the breakdown, HFR 3D will look even more promising — especially for studios and exhibitors — for the future of movie exhibition.”

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