Abstract
The immersive cinematic experience is influenced by many factors, including, but not limited to, the production, narrative, technology and screening environment of the film. Since the introduction of digital cinema, directors have provided increased immersion through 3-D imagery and immersive 3-D sound technologies. Despite excitement in the production industry, new immersive technologies are being introduced into the cinema exhibition space with caution. Cinema managers are not rushing to upgrade to new technologies despite increased production of 3-D and immersive sound films. The cost of upgrading equipment, and with many new technologies not yet standardised, makes any technological investment a costly risk. This risk also factors in audience (customer) demand. John Kellogg warns that the immersive technologies need to be affordable for theatre owners, if not they will invest in upgrading their chairs (Giardina 2014). This cautious approach to upgrading technology is reminiscent of the format war that occurred during the introduction of wide screen and Cinerama. With 3-D introduced to bring the audience back to the cinema, how much of an attraction are immersive exhibition formats? Many are now stating that the 3-D experience is underwhelming, especially considering the premium price of tickets. In addition to changes in digital vision technologies, the digital soundtrack is also undergoing development with competing immersive sound formats vying for cinema standardisation. During 2014, the author conducted an online survey with 201 participants to investigate audience awareness of contemporary and emerging cinema technologies. This paper analyses the results and identifies audience literacies of contemporary cinema technologies and formats. Although vendors are pushing the benefits of their new technologies, what influence does the audience have? Is the audience demanding more from the cinema? What is the technical literacy of the cinema audience? Does the cinema audience understand the differences in new immersive technologies, including the immersive sound formats, or is contemporary cinema exhibition adequate?
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | aspera 2016 |
| Subtitle of host publication | The big questions |
| Place of Publication | Australia |
| Publisher | Australian Screen Production Education and Research |
| Pages | 1-15 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
| Event | ASPERA Annual Conference 2016 - University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia Duration: 05 Jul 2016 → 07 Jul 2016 http://www.aspera.org.au/annual-conference/2016-2/ |
Conference
| Conference | ASPERA Annual Conference 2016 |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | Screen production research: The big questions |
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| City | Canberra |
| Period | 05/07/16 → 07/07/16 |
| Internet address |