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9. 2012: A Media Look-back and Look-forward
Penny airs her views on the year that has just been and notes some of the things coming in the year ahead in the media world
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Some things I hated about last year
· The annoying and unnecessary boom of 3D technology
Enough said really. I hate how 3D is the new thing and is being applied to everything in post-production. Studios are forcing producers and directors to either shoot in 3D or apply it later because they want to make more money from the gimmick. Even Mr Martin Scorsese has done it with Hugo (but to be honest, anything he does has a sense of quality about it) and yet 3D in general really is just taking away from any quality or positive reputation a film could have. Jon Favreau who recently directed Cowboys and Aliens is the only director that I’ve heard of who refused to use 3D technology for his film. Although it didn’t really make his film any better, I still respect his decision to defy the studio, stating that he thought 3D would take away from the Old West atmosphere. 3D would probably take away from the initial surprise of aliens and superior technology existing in this period, or pummel the film with a big visual overload. Go on Jon! I salute you for standing up to them!
· Remakes Galore
Seriously. You know my opinions on lazy filmmaking. Last year was made up of the big three Penny’s rants no no’s: Remakes, Adaptations, Sequels. Around 70 percent of the films last year fit into these categories, making me lose faith in the brilliant script writers and directors of cinema. In no way am I insinuating that all of these films are bad, I’m just annoyed at the lack of originality.
· Useless Celebrities and Pointless Drivel
Yeah, we all know the ones. The ones who are famous because they are rich and idiotic. They litter the front pages of our newspapers and magazines instead of pressing issues. They take away the limelight from anything else worth knowing. I just can’t be bothered to remember who they are! Has anyone heard of that machine that will allow doctors to communicate with people in comas? Did you know that people are worried it could turn into a form of mind reading in the future? No, most people didn’t. They were too concerned about when a certain spoilt girl was coming out of jail and when another was going back in for constant drink and drugs offences.
· Newer isn’t necessarily better
I really hate this perception. New iPhones that can be activated with your voice. New 3D technology and how amazing flying objects seem to fly at you effortlessly. New C.G.I. that can replace practical special effects and even characters in films. Newer is not better I assure you. It is more advanced, but not better. It is the effort that filmmakers put in that really impresses people and shows audiences how much they care about a project. What can that fancy touchscreen do that a little pen and paper can’t? My dumb touch-screen phone constantly freezes and I’ve had to replace it three times. Nice. Oh, and Apple can just go away.
Easing into the Year ahead
· The annoying and unnecessary boom of 3D technology
Enough said really. I hate how 3D is the new thing and is being applied to everything in post-
· Remakes Galore
Seriously. You know my opinions on lazy filmmaking. Last year was made up of the big three Penny’s rants no no’s: Remakes, Adaptations, Sequels. Around 70 percent of the films last year fit into these categories, making me lose faith in the brilliant script writers and directors of cinema. In no way am I insinuating that all of these films are bad, I’m just annoyed at the lack of originality.
· Useless Celebrities and Pointless Drivel
Yeah, we all know the ones. The ones who are famous because they are rich and idiotic. They litter the front pages of our newspapers and magazines instead of pressing issues. They take away the limelight from anything else worth knowing. I just can’t be bothered to remember who they are! Has anyone heard of that machine that will allow doctors to communicate with people in comas? Did you know that people are worried it could turn into a form of mind reading in the future? No, most people didn’t. They were too concerned about when a certain spoilt girl was coming out of jail and when another was going back in for constant drink and drugs offences.
· Newer isn’t necessarily better
I really hate this perception. New iPhones that can be activated with your voice. New 3D technology and how amazing flying objects seem to fly at you effortlessly. New C.G.I. that can replace practical special effects and even characters in films. Newer is not better I assure you. It is more advanced, but not better. It is the effort that filmmakers put in that really impresses people and shows audiences how much they care about a project. What can that fancy touchscreen do that a little pen and paper can’t? My dumb touch-
Easing into the Year ahead
- The Americans have arrived and finally are sharing their ‘Netflix’ technology with us! It is the magical world of streaming ladies and gentlemen and unfortunately it IS the future. Basically, it eliminates the need for discs and just allows you to download the information from the Netflix server. This means that if you want to watch a film, you don’t have to go to Blockbuster, you don’t have to join Lovefilm and wait for discs for both companies. You can open your laptop, or telly, or games console, or tablet or next generation phone and watch films directly from the site. Give it a try. The only thing I’ve heard of that can limit the awesomeness of this idea is the size of the download server. Basically, if they crash – you crash. The download time is very long for some films or in some situations, so some people just get bored of waiting, cancel the download and run off to their nearest rental store. It’s whatever you find easiest guys – but with the good always comes the bad.
For those of you who received a Blu-ray player for Christmas – congrats! I’ll include my personal top five Blu-ray films to test out your new toy with:
The Terminator. This was my first Blu-ray and I LOVE it. Everything has been enhanced and it truly does show off the high definition with pride.
Die Hard. See all that blood, sweat and tears on Bruce Willis’s face? Well on Blu-ray you can see and hear a whole lot more. Not sure whether this is a good thing, but you’ll just have to see it for yourself.
Avatar. This film is what high definition was created for. We just had to wait quite a few years before it was ready for us. And until 2016 until the next one is finished. Drat.
Tron Legacy. Unfortunately, the original cannot be made prettier with all the high tech gizmos in the world. The visuals are dated and no amount of high definition can take away from those neon, saggy and unflattering jumpsuits. The sequel however is visually beautiful and is definitely one of the films I love recommending in High Def.
Jurassic Park. Classic. End of
Right then! There is something else I’d love to talk about that’s happening this year, before we get to the big kahuna later in this piece.
I’d like to talk about IMAX.
I’ve been very excited for the past couple of months, the reason being that Mr Christopher Nolan is releasing the third epic instalment of his Batman series; The Dark Knight Rises. He has also shot most of it (and we’re talking approximately 60 to 70%) using the awesome IMAX cameras, that are huge, clunky and difficult to manoeuvre. However, the results shown after using an IMAX camera to shoot most of the scenes are astounding. The screen is widened quite a bit, above and below and the cameras are specially formulated to capture and display images at a far higher resolution and size than standard formats. To put it bluntly – it is made for the cinema and it is specifically made for an IMAX screen.
Luckily for us Essex dwellers, London is home to the largest IMAX screen (or the largest of any screen for that matter) in Europe. You’ve probably seen it, near to the waterfront – its the BFI IMAX in that huge circular glass building. You think it looks spectacular on the outside? Just wait until you get inside.
In 2008, I went to see the Dark Knight with my friends. The tickets are a little more expensive for an IMAX viewing, but trust me – it’s worth it. When entering the room, I knew that the screen was the largest I had ever seen, and when I sat down I realised that even though I was in the middle of the seats – the screen still went several metres above my head and below my feet. Quite a surreal experience, but it got even better when the opening scene started playing. If you’ve seen the Dark Knight, the opening scene is up high and going through buildings until you come to one that is being robbed – forty stories up. This scene was entirely shot in IMAX and let me tell you – it is amazing. The screen being above and below gives you the sense of looking over a building and getting vertigo, the visuals are perfect and the larger set pieces can be fully appreciated e.g. a large transport lorry completely flipping upside down later on in the film. So much fun! As IMAX was created to increase the visual impact of film, I think they have succeeded and made a fan out of me.
The Dark Knight was only around 30% shot in IMAX, so if you are paying attention you will be able to see the scenes change from the larger IMAX ones to the smaller standard ones. The Dark Knight Rises is shot in around 60-70% IMAX. It will be amazing. It will be epic....
Join me everyone! It will be a cinematic experience not to miss this year.
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Tron Legacy. Unfortunately, the original cannot be made prettier with all the high tech gizmos in the world. The visuals are dated and no amount of high definition can take away from those neon, saggy and unflattering jumpsuits. The sequel however is visually beautiful and is definitely one of the films I love recommending in High Def.
Jurassic Park. Classic. End of
Right then! There is something else I’d love to talk about that’s happening this year, before we get to the big kahuna later in this piece.
I’d like to talk about IMAX.
I’ve been very excited for the past couple of months, the reason being that Mr Christopher Nolan is releasing the third epic instalment of his Batman series; The Dark Knight Rises. He has also shot most of it (and we’re talking approximately 60 to 70%) using the awesome IMAX cameras, that are huge, clunky and difficult to manoeuvre. However, the results shown after using an IMAX camera to shoot most of the scenes are astounding. The screen is widened quite a bit, above and below and the cameras are specially formulated to capture and display images at a far higher resolution and size than standard formats. To put it bluntly – it is made for the cinema and it is specifically made for an IMAX screen.
Luckily for us Essex dwellers, London is home to the largest IMAX screen (or the largest of any screen for that matter) in Europe. You’ve probably seen it, near to the waterfront – its the BFI IMAX in that huge circular glass building. You think it looks spectacular on the outside? Just wait until you get inside.
In 2008, I went to see the Dark Knight with my friends. The tickets are a little more expensive for an IMAX viewing, but trust me – it’s worth it. When entering the room, I knew that the screen was the largest I had ever seen, and when I sat down I realised that even though I was in the middle of the seats – the screen still went several metres above my head and below my feet. Quite a surreal experience, but it got even better when the opening scene started playing. If you’ve seen the Dark Knight, the opening scene is up high and going through buildings until you come to one that is being robbed – forty stories up. This scene was entirely shot in IMAX and let me tell you – it is amazing. The screen being above and below gives you the sense of looking over a building and getting vertigo, the visuals are perfect and the larger set pieces can be fully appreciated e.g. a large transport lorry completely flipping upside down later on in the film. So much fun! As IMAX was created to increase the visual impact of film, I think they have succeeded and made a fan out of me.
The Dark Knight was only around 30% shot in IMAX, so if you are paying attention you will be able to see the scenes change from the larger IMAX ones to the smaller standard ones. The Dark Knight Rises is shot in around 60-
Join me everyone! It will be a cinematic experience not to miss this year.
Top of page
Penny Glen Investigates