Michael Bay Persuades Theaters Owners to Lighten Up

With the 3D movie fad steadily losing momentum, Hollywood must be panicking at the thought of lost revenue. With many big event 3D movies still in the pipeline, they must be doing everything in their power to keep moviegoers interested. There are many factors to blame for the public’s waning interest, chief of which are the quality of the movies themselves. A bad movie is a bad movie, whether in 3D or not. However, it has been shown that audiences are willing to shell out a premium for a worthwhile film. But as much effort as that which goes into the making of a movie, if theaters owners sabotage their screenings by diminishing their cinema experience, then nobody wins. A good movie badly presented is a wasted opportunity.
A recurring problem with 3D films is that the projection must be much brighter than an ordinary film. Keep in mind that the projector light must pass through a polarizing filter before reaching the screen. Coupled with the fact that the viewer must also wear what essentially amounts to a pair of sunglasses, and you can see how a sufficiently bright light source is crucial. However, as Eldon Tyrell says, “the candle that burns twice as bright, burns half as long,” and theater owners know this. Projector bulbs are not cheap and when you go through bulbs twice as quickly, well, the cost per screening goes up and it is not unthinkable that an unscrupulous theater manager might turn the brightness down to extend the bulb’s life.
I, myself, have sat in such a screening where the picture was so dark that I took off my glasses, preferring to watch the movie in blurred 2D rather than strain my eyes to see through the murk. This is not an isolated incident it seems, but a frequently occurring problem, and an unhappy moviegoing experience translates to decreased attendance for 3D movies.
That’s why Michael Bay has been personally calling up theater chain executives to impress upon them the importance of keeping projection standards up, reports The NY Times. And according to Variety, the prints for Transformers: Dark of the Moon were enhanced to be sharper and brighter. “We want the best presentation possible. We have created a special version with extra sharpening, color and contrast. It is a superior look in the format. The brighter the image, the brain processes in a different way (sic) and the result sharpens and makes it more vibrant.”
There’s no denying that the early footage looks incredible, but we expected no less from a Transformers movie. However, this time it looks like they’ve gone a step further, and the trailer is utterly epic. Eye candy, surely. Cohesive story? Well, this is a Michael Bay film, after all. However, if early buzz is any indication, Mr. Bay seems to have done his job and delivered the goods. What remains to be seen is whether you will get to see the movie the way he designed it to be seen: big, bright and in your face.