It looks like Sony plans to make the most out of the digital theatre upgrades coming down the pipe. We get wind of their 4K plans from our friends at the movieweb:
Sony Pictures Entertainment will use 4K digital technology in the making of most of its filmed productions, it was announced by Sony Electronics.
“With the industry moving rapidly to embrace the improvement in quality that digital cinema can offer, we believe that 4K resolution gives audiences the best seat in the house,” said Gary Martin, president of Production Administration and Studio Operations for Sony Pictures Entertainment. “That’s why we will be making more of our filmed productions at full 4K resolution, scanning at 4K, using a 4K workflow process, and releasing a 4K DCP to theaters. The crisp and vibrant images provided by 4K are the only way to ensure that audiences both today and in the future will really be able to see the full range of what we can capture on film.”
With a huge push in the home television market for greater sound and resolution, it makes sense that the theaters will have to follow suit. If the theatre experience ever becomes better at home – they will certainly have a problem on their hands.
Higher resolution makes no difference to me with some projects, but has drastically changed the way some images are able to be shown. Nature shows in particular benefit greatly from a better resolution. You can see extreme, disturbing close-ups of the alien insect world and their barbarous means of hunting prey. Landscapes become clear, crisp and awe inspiring instead of being dull and muted.
With higher resolution the details jump out at you, and if you use details to create atmosphere and enrich your characters, then this is a great asset. Wes Anderson is a man who pays very close attention to all the details in his films; and I enjoy his meticulous efforts. What the characters wear is carefully thought out; down to the amount of buttons they have on their suits, or the types of animal pictures that decorate the luggage they carry. These details are reasoned, and the more we see of them the better.
I look forward to greater resolution in the theaters; for films that are able to take advantage of this greater clarity – they (and we) will be better for it.
