Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
I<br />
a<br />
!<br />
last year's awardee, picked up on some of<br />
Krtozian's points during his award acceptance<br />
s<br />
ech. Campbell stated Dickensianly that "it is the<br />
b of times in exhibition, and the worst of times in<br />
t<br />
I e libition." reasoning that all the advances going<br />
plex development and construction today, such<br />
nsolidation, stadium seating and state-of-the-art<br />
s ind systems, are also driving operating costs skyh<br />
h and profit margins into the ground.<br />
__ater that evening, the ShoWest Awards Banquet,<br />
^ II sored by the Coca-Cola Company, officially<br />
, :an. Hosted by Pat O'Brien of TV's "Access<br />
1 Jly wood," the evening kicked off with an award<br />
|;sentation to Pacific Theatres president Jerome<br />
Imian. Forman was honored with the ShoWest<br />
J \ er Jubilee Award, which, according to ShoWest<br />
! leral chairman Milt Moritz, pays special tribute to<br />
•<br />
le man who was there ft-om the beginning and has<br />
( erseen the evolution of the convention over its<br />
( ire quarter-century." This was followed by an-<br />
( ler special honor that was bestowed upon Fredrick<br />
Meg Ryan and Will Smith, who made a late,<br />
arm-in-arm appearance together at the preceding<br />
press conference, took home the Actress and Actor<br />
of the Year Awards. Smith had remarked that Sho-<br />
West was a good opportunity for people like himself<br />
and Ryan to meet, considering that it was otherwise<br />
rather impossible for the two to "bump into each<br />
other at the Beverly Center [shc^ping complex in<br />
Los Angeles]."<br />
The only awardee unable to attend the event was<br />
Boxofifice Star of the Decade Tom Hanks, who was<br />
hospitahzed due to a knee infection. Hanks instead<br />
sent a videotaped thank-you acceptance speech to<br />
ShoWest. From a hospital bed. Hanks recounted a<br />
recent visit to a multiplex and declared how much he<br />
enjoyed the "stadium seating and cupholders" as well<br />
as, of course, his beloved Red Vines.<br />
FJ).<br />
ShoWest Showdown Between<br />
Digital Projection and 35mm Fihn<br />
William H. Macy<br />
.hnson, a USC film student. His production,<br />
'<br />
lirough Thick and Thin," eamed him tfie Reftesh-<br />
: Filmmaker Award from Coca-Cola.<br />
After the first two awards were presented, the stars<br />
ik their tums to shine. Before each awardee came<br />
'<br />
stage to accept his or her award, a retrospective of<br />
artist's work was shown on a giant screen to the<br />
-.pacity crowd. Sean Connery, who joked in a preremony<br />
press conference that his Lifetime<br />
;hievement Award seemed to suggest that he "had<br />
e foot in the grave," listened as chps highlighting<br />
^ James Bond days, his Academy Award-winning<br />
rformance in "The Untouchables" and his upcom-<br />
2 project "Entrapment" were met with thunderous<br />
plause ftx)m the audience. Connery also served as<br />
presenter, bestowing his "Entrapmenf co-star<br />
itherine Zeta-Jones with her Supporting Actress of<br />
9 e Year Award.<br />
Other famous presenters<br />
on-hand included<br />
Iwyneth Paltrow, who conferred the Director of the<br />
fear Award to "Shakespeare in Love" helmer John<br />
Madden, and Drew Barrymore, who presented her<br />
'Vedding Singer" co-star Adam Sandler with his<br />
Dmedy Star of the Year Award. In addition, Mike<br />
fyers presented his "Austin Powers: The Spy Who<br />
"lagged Me" co-star. Heather Graham, with her<br />
Jjmale Star of Tomorrow Award. Graham, when<br />
ked by BOXOFFICE to describe her reaction at<br />
';ing named a star of tomorrow considering she has<br />
«n acting for more than a third of her life, commented<br />
that she "was just happy to be with [all the<br />
'her ShoWest award winners]," and that "it didn't<br />
latter that I've been in movies for 10 years."<br />
Fratemal team Peter and Bobby Farrelly enthusi-<br />
;tically accepted their Screenwriters of the Year<br />
wards after a mock on-stage argument about which<br />
f the two wrote the funnierjokes in "There's Somedng<br />
About Mary" (although all-natural hair gel vs.<br />
3g-bites-crotch is indeed a toss-up). Three-time<br />
roducer of the Year awardee Jerry Bruckheimer<br />
xepted his honor after scenes ftr)m last year's<br />
Armageddon" and "Enemy of the State" literally<br />
x:ked the room, and Giovanni Ribisi accepted his<br />
lale Star of Tomorrow Award after his stoic scenes<br />
1 "Saving Private Ryan," 'The Other Sister" and<br />
The Mod Squad" were played for the audience. In<br />
ddition, William H. Macy received his Supporting<br />
iCtor of the Year Award following enthusiastically<br />
Capacity audiences ofexhibitors and film industry<br />
afifihates at this year's ShoWest convention had the<br />
opportunity to view digital cinema for the first time<br />
in Bally's Jubilee Theatre. This latest electronic advancement<br />
was contrasted side-by-side with traditional<br />
film.<br />
Two identical saies of short, dialogue-fiiee scenes<br />
were played adjacently, utilizing digital projection on<br />
the left and Eastman Kodak 35mm film on the right.<br />
The presentation ran twice, first comparing<br />
CineComm's technology against fihn, then that of<br />
Texas Instruments. Eastman Kodak's John Pytlak<br />
served as the narrator for the presentation's successive<br />
images and pointed out which details to look for<br />
throughout the viewing.<br />
The first<br />
presentation featured 20' x 37' digital<br />
images from CineComm placed alongside 20' x 36"<br />
35mm film images from Kodak. In the second presentation,<br />
CineComm's images were replaced with<br />
Texas Instruments' digital version, while the configurations<br />
and Kodak's 35mm film half of the screen<br />
remained the same. Among the various fine points of<br />
the presentations referred to by Pytlak were the<br />
brighmess, contrast, color and resolution of the images.<br />
Examples ofitems that viewers were told to pay<br />
special attention to included colors in outdoor scenes,<br />
such as the blue in skies and the green in trees; the<br />
natural appearance of skin tones, including the abihty<br />
to see details such as freckles; and shadows in daricer<br />
scenes, to see if details were "crushed" by the overall<br />
blackness.<br />
CineComm representative Russ Wintner and<br />
Texas Instruments' representative Paul Breedlove<br />
pointed out the merits of digital cinema to audience<br />
members. Among the most important advantages<br />
named in switching to digital were unlimited film<br />
openings; the non-degrading image quahty of digital<br />
in comparison to fihn; and the reduction of expenditures<br />
related to the manufacturing and shipping of<br />
film. However, Kodak representative Robert <strong>May</strong>son,<br />
who discussed the pitfalls of digital cinema,<br />
including the possible high price of training digital<br />
projectionists and the questionable security of digital<br />
encryption codes, asked the $11 billion question.<br />
"Who will pay the bill?" Exhibitors feel that distributors<br />
should pay for digital conversion as they will<br />
benefit the most fix)m print cost elimination; distributors<br />
argue that they've never subsidized theatre<br />
Adam Sandler<br />
John Madden<br />
pplauded clips that showcased his performances in<br />
Boogie Nights," "Air Force One" and "Fargo."<br />
equipment upgrades, and they don't plan to start<br />
now. F.D.<br />
Jerry Bruckheimer<br />
Mav. IQQQ<br />
M
Change language