Jack's Rant July 28

Walter Cronkite

November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009

Walter Cronkite passed away last week, he was 92. I grew up with Cronkite, he was the one who told me President Kennedy had been shot, that a man had walked on the moon, he reported from Viet Nam on the war there and he updated us on the Watergate scandal that was the down fall of Richard Nixon. The iconic news reporter; fair, honest news reporting, giving the facts and staying away from the sensational news that dominates today’s “news” reporters. If a story was breaking, it was Cronkite who threw himself in front of the camera, jacketless, his tie askew and his shirt sleeves rolled out.

I had the opportunity to meet Cronkite once, right after he retired from CBS, in the fall of 1981. He was speaking at some gala affair in Portland, Oregon where I lived at the time. They held a private party for a few guests to meet the man in person before the event, and somehow I managed to wrangle an invitation to this meet and greet.

The day arrived, and I showed my very official looking invite at the door, where several people guarded the entrance. After careful examination of the card, one of the doormen opened the heavy oak door that led to a private salon at Portland’s finest hotel and allowed me to enter.

And there he was, in the flesh, available for anyone to walk up and say “Hi” which of course I did. For some reason, I expected a bigger man. He always looked bigger on TV. I reckon when you sit behind a news desk, the viewer really doesn’t have any reference as to how tall you might be. But he stood about five feet seven or so. I introduced myself, and shook his hand, and gushed at how honored I was to meet him, and how I had grown up with his news. I guess I sounded pretty stupid, but he took the time to ask me what I was doing in Portland, and did I like it here. HE, engaged ME in a conversation. I was truly amazed at how witty and cleaver of a person he was, as we chatted about the joys of living in the northwest.

When Cronkite left CBS on March 6, 1981 he left a huge shoes to fill, which I have to say Dan Rathers did very well, but, there can only ever be one Cronkite. And I don’t believe that we’ll ever see that level of reporting again. You only have to turn on any national news program to realize that; when the lead story is again about Michael Jackson’s death. There’s something very wrong about the “news media” today. But that’s a whole other rant!

And that’s the way it was!

Jack's Rant, July 11

Coming to a Theatre Near You, Eventually…

Since the advent of sound and large screen formats, your local Cineplex has not had to consider upgrading its projection systems for some time. Even with the invention of THX and Dolby surround sound, those systems were a retrofit to the existing projection systems. Theatre projection systems of course use film that is projected through a gate, one frame at a time and fools the eye into thinking that it is moving. But you already knew that.

Typically, a feature is fit onto five or six reels of film that are then, in most cases, spliced together to make one piece of film stored on a horizontal platter where it is projected in its entirety. This cuts down on labor for the exhibitor as it does not require someone in the projection booth at all times, nor does it require two projectors, where, when one reel is nearing the end, the projectionist, on the correct cue, starts the second projector, and turns off the first, then loads the third reel, on the first projector, and so on.

Theatre projection systems are relatively inexpensive, and you can always find parts and bulbs available for them if there is a problem. Additionally, most theatres have paid off their projectors, having amortized the cost over a period of years, making the projection of film fairly inexpensive for the exhibitor.

But not so to the distributor. A six reel print of a film costs the distributor over $2,000 per copy. Now if you want to have a major release of your film to 3,000 theatres across the country, your costs of prints, alone, will run $600,000 plus shipping to and from the theatre and handling. And these reels, that are shipped in bulky metal shipping containers, are heavy and difficult to handle. So, at the end of the day, prints, shipping and handling could easily run over a million dollars for a single release.

And, unfortunately for the distributor, those single platter projection systems are very hard on film and have a tendency to once in a while eat a film instead of projecting it, where by rendering it useless and the distributor is required to FedEx out another set.

Enter digital cinema projection. Digital cinema projection requires no film at all, and pending on the compression rate, can be stored on 55 to 100 gigs of storage.

The process of projecting film digitally has been around for over 10 years. Distributors look at it as an easy solution to solve their distribution problems, as a film can be downloaded over a fiber optic cable or off of a satellite whereby eliminating the need to shuttle heavy film cans to the theatre for release of your favorite block buster. And, the picture is clearer, more stable as it does not have gate flutter that projected film has, and it never scratches, tears or gets damaged in any way. Also, the contrast ratio among colors, hue and contrast is better. That’s the good news. The bad news is that unless you were to project the two side by side you’ll likely not know you were watching a movie projected digitally or on film.

The first film to be released for digital projection was “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” in June of 1999. Being the technocrat that I am, I of course, had to attend the very first digital screening of the film at the Burbank AMC. I even have a badge that they gave out, commemorating the event. The major difference that I noticed was that the star fields in the background were crisp and clean.

As Lucas had produced much of the film digitally (not using film at all) to begin with, this clearly marked the threshold of a new way to make, and distribute films.

Everyone jumped on the digital projection wagon. Texas Instruments (remember them, they manufactured the first digital calculator in the ‘70’s) is a leading manufacture of the projectors, and Sony now has both a 2K and 4K digital projector on the market. Eastman Kodak, seeing the writing on the wall, in 2001 invested millions of dollars in the idea and came up with an elaborate digital distribution and projection system that they clearly thought could jam down the throats of exhibitors. Think again.

Although the digital distribution and projection system gives the movie watcher a better viewing experience, and it’s a huge cost saving for the distributor, installation of a digital projection system costs about $150,000 per theatre. YIKES! And there in is the basic problem. Exhibitors are unwilling to pay for the upgraded equipment and distributors have not been able to stay in the same room long enough to pool their resources and equip the theatres with the digital cinema projectors, whereby saving them millions every year in film copies.

Enter 3D

Remember 3D films? Previously, 3D using 35mm film was a tedious process to project and you were limited to wearing those odd-looking red and blue 3D glasses. Today's 3D digital cinema systems still use glasses, but they are mostly clear and are capable of delivering a better 3D experience than the red-blue anaglyph process. There’s just one hook. The 3D has to be projected digitally. So, in order to experience the total movie going experience to see “Monster’s Vs. Aliens”, “Up” or “Ice Age 3, the Dawn of the Dinosaurs” in 3D your local Cineplex has to invest in digital cinema projection.
And finally, as more and more animated films are being released in 3D, exhibitors are begrudgingly upgrading to digital cinema projection to accommodate this new hybrid of movie exhibition.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I visited the local Cineplex here in Podunk Lake Elsinore, on the marquee, in big black letters it read “3D DIGITAL PROJECTION COMING SOON!” And it isn’t soon enough!

Jack's Rant July 9

Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson

Of all the favorite celebrities that the pulp press enjoyed, Michael Jackson had to be at the top of the list. His quirky lifestyle was by far the best fodder for the sensational weekly rags sold at your local supermarket checkout. And the best part of it was, is that most of it they didn’t even have to make up.

From his constant obsession with plastic surgery to his Montecello estate, Neverland, these were the things that gave headlines to numb the senses while waiting in line to buy your weekly food supply.

And then the unthinkable happened. Michael Jackson, at the ripe old age of 50 years, died on June 26. Never in my life have I seen the media go into such a feeding frenzy. This, according to any media you care to choose, is an event of biblical proportion. Not since Moses parted the Red Sea has an event received such notoriety or coverage. I don't believe that Princess Dia or the assassination of John F. Kennedy got so much coverage. I'm surprised they didn't close the banks and have a national day of mourning!

Even NPR, who I consider to be the bastion of intellectual news reporting, every 15 minutes gave updates about Jackson’s demise, to the extent that angry listeners, such as myself, emailed complaints to them. And it seems that this is all that’s peppered the news ever since.

Never mind that we’re at war in Afghanistan, Cher is giving a phone interview to Larry King about the Pop legend, showing dated ’70’s footage of Jackson and she singing together in sequined bell bottomed jump suits ; let’s not talk about the uprising in western China, Rev. Jessie Jackson has an interview on ABC news on the subject; and who cares that there is a G-8 Summit in Italy to talk about global warming when there’s an exclusive interview with Jackson’s dermatologist on CBS news.

And, the one reporter whom I felt would not venture into the murky water of Jackson’s death, Anderson Cooper, has devoted not one, but now three programs on this subject. Shame on you Anderson, and shame on the national media seeing an opportunity to gain a few rating points reporting on this tawdry event.

Yes, Michael Jackson was a great performer, he had a wonderful stage presence and put on a fantastic show. Yes, he sold the most records ever, and yes he is a pop icon of the highest degree. However, in the larger scheme of things, he is just that, an entertainer, plain and simple. There will be no mention of him in the history books, and other than an occasional tribute that some aging pop singer will perform to make a few more bucks, that’s all she wrote.

His fame took him to the strangest of places with the most bazaar behavior, rivaling that of Howard Hughes (well, maybe not quite that strange), obsessed with becoming white, and with a distorted view of what morality was, case in point his unnatural attention toward young boys and having enough money to buy his way out of any situation.

I am tired of all of this, it is time for Michael Jackson to rest in peace and it’s time for the media to put the story to bed and move on to something that is really news worthy.

Jack's Rant, July Fourth

Oh, Say Can You See…

“…that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

Thus ended the Declaration of Independence penned by a then 33 year old Thomas Jefferson, and gave birth to a new nation, conceived in liberty and justice for all.

Independence Day, or more commonly referred to as The 4th of July, has been celebrated almost ever since – I say almost, as it wasn’t until after the war of 1812 when the U.S. became irritated that the British had not withdrawn their troops along the Great Lakes and fought the British again, that is was celebrated outside of Philadelphia.

It was during that 3 year war that Francis Scott Key wrote “Defence of Fort McHenry” in 1814, not during the Revolutionary war, whose first eight stanzas, renamed “The Star Spangled Banner” became our national anthem, passed by congress in 1931.

Although I have found no evidence to support this hypnosis, it could very well be that “And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there” might well have given birth the use of fireworks on this national holiday.

The 4th of July held special importance in our family. My father’s birthday was on July 5th, so the two celebrations became one. It was a day filled with friends, food and fireworks.

We had a large peach tree in our backyard and they ripened this time of year. My mother always made home made peach ice cream. I think it was actually dreamed up to keep us kids out of her hair as the task of cranking the ice cream maker was delegated to us. In any case, it was the best ice cream I ever had.

No 4th was complete without our own fireworks. Now banned from most cities in California, it was part of a national tradition to light your own. We would buy a pre-assembled box of fireworks just for the occasion and I would use my own hard earned allowance (someone had to mow the lawn) to buy more sparklers. All I recall is that we’d set off an array of pinwheels, roman candles and other fireworks that for a brief moment lit up the backyard.

Today, we plan a barbeque. No peach ice cream and no personal fireworks, at least I didn’t think so. When I went to turn on the drip system in the yard this morning I noticed something remarkable. The aloe cactus chose to bloom today, sending up spikes of bright orange red flowers looking like sparklers.

It has brightened my day, and put a smile on my face. And something else: despite what political views you may have, or feelings toward our current government, we are still the freest people on this planet. Blessing to you all, and a Happy Independence Day!