The Future of Film, Television (& More): 5 New Mind Blowing Technologies
There are so many scintillating technologies in the works one imagines looking back on James Cameron’s Avatar as almost quaint. As absurd as that sounds, looking around the technology space is like looking into a future that would have seemed nearly impossibly only a decade ago. With the truly mind blowing speed with which the internet, smart phones and digital cameras have increased in functionality and ubiquity, so to has the ways in which you can shoot,
The Science of Streaming: How You’re Able to Binge-Watch Breaking Bad
We’ve come a long way since the days of rushing to Blockbuster on a Sunday evening to avoid paying the late fee on that VHS rental of Independence Day. Now, with a decent Internet connection and a few clicks of your mouse you can legally and easily stream and download movies to just about any device–something that your 90s-self would have probably assumed to be the sole reserve of science fiction.
“If you were to go back a decade and tell people that the Internet would be fast enough to stream video they wouldn’t believe it.
Earth Day: The Studios Go Green Behind the Screen
For years, Hollywood has celebrated Earth Day in order to raise awareness about environmental issues and to strike up a memorable dialogue about sustainable practices. And the film studios' embrace of Earth Day has only strengthened over time. From PSAs to Paramount's new micro-turbines, we take a look at the industry's dedication to spotlighting one of the most important advocacy dates on the calendar.
In 1990, the holiday got a pretty big boost from Hollywood when Time Warner called on some of their favorite talent to hammer home proactive things Americans could do to reduce their footprint on the planet.
So Long, Sold Out Shows: The Best Movie Ticket Apps For Smartphones
With so many blockbusters slated for upcoming releases, 2013 is pretty much guaranteed to be a banner year for movie theaters. Don’t get us wrong – content everywhere is great, but there’s no denying that G.I. Joe: Retaliation, The Great Gatsby, and Iron Man 3 are simply too epic to be viewed upon a tablet screen for the first time. And have you seen the trailer for Pacific Rim?
With Twitter’s New Vine App, Life Is But a Meme
If new developments in technology are a driving force in cinematic innovation, it should only follow that the same applies to the marketing of the final work. And as such, it has been a golden few weeks for the new Twitter-based, 6-second video loop application Vine.
Launched just three months ago, the extreme constrictions and meme-like novelty of 6-second looping video has naturally captured the imagination of the film world—interestingly,
The Sky’s the Limit: Cinematography’s Technological Revolution
Just as smart phones and tablets are changing the way we experience daily life, other technologies are dramatically shifting the cinematic landscape. Directors today can harness these tools in order to express their artistic vision on the screen as never before. We spoke with two of the most significant players in this field in order to find out what’s possible now, and what we can expect to see in the future.
3D moves beyond ‘next big thing’
We’re Fans of Fandor: New Streaming Platform Supports Creative Communities
Streaming content services like Netflix, Hulu, HBOGo, and AmazonInstant have made the impossible plausible: we can now stream movies on our phones, iPads, and portable gaming devices in the most unlikely of places. Whether it’s watching The Wizard of Oz in the backseat of a taxi or Avatar on a leisurely gondola ride through the idyllic Venice canals—so long as you have a working Internet connection, the limitations of where, when,
Qualcomm and Paramount Release New Star Trek App for Smartphones
Star Trek fans who caught the Super Bowl were likely thrilled by the debut of Paramount’s new innovative smartphone app for the highly-anticipated Star Trek Into Darkness, which opens May 17th, with advance screenings in IMAX for the app's users on May 15th. It’s the official spot for Trekkie fans to gain exclusive access to content, info, and giveaways related to J.J. Abrams’ upcoming action thriller.
Offering a high-tech app alongside any franchise in the sci-fi realm is a no-brainer,
Innovation in the Studio: A Conversation With Warner Bros. Tech Ops President Darcy Antonellis
To the uninitiated, Warner Bros.' innovation-focused Technical Operations department–or 'Tech-Ops,' as it's affectionately dubbed–sounds like a futuristic invention from an upcoming J.J. Abrams flick. But Warner Bros.' flourishing technology department is hardly a work of fiction. The department is devoted to the future of film; whether it's all things digital, content in the cloud, piracy protection, or game-changing industry advancements like 3D, 4K, and 48 frames-per-second. Warner Bros.' Tech-Ops Department is the crux of the studio's forward-looking endeavors,
Sony’s Movie Touch iPad App Revolutionizes the Viewing Experience With Integrated Trivia and Digital Extras
In November, two of Sony Pictures' tent-pole home video releases were Men In Black III (2012) and Total Recall (2012). For tablet users, the home release of these blockbusters were enhanced with an innovative new iPad app called Movie Touch. It’s available as a free download from The App Store and once installed, iPad owners get a score of options to optimize their personal viewing experience.
Greening Up The Film Industry: Dutch Filmmakers Clean Up On Set
Environmentally, the Netherlands has a lot going for it. The country excels at climate change mitigation and an extensive recycling system keeps all but 10 percent of Holland’s waste out of landfills. Yet until recently, the Dutch movie industry seemed oblivious to the green movement. Now, a group of innovative Dutch filmmakers have set out to shift their country’s productions to a deeper shade of green.
“There’s been a whole wave of environmental entrepreneurs in Holland over the last four or five years who really developed their business model by thinking in sustainable,
Disney Gets Awesomely Technical on Latest Wonder Wreck-It Ralph
To satisfy today’s sophisticated audiences, the technical demands of animation continue to grow exponentially. With the hit film Wreck-It Ralph in theaters now, The Credits takes a look at animation technology today at the studio that’s been a leader in the field for over 85 years, Walt Disney Animation Studios.
From Steamboat Willie and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to The Lion King and Tangled,
Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems Goes Green on the Set of Think Like A Man
Sony Pictures Screen Gems Goes Green on the Set of "Think Like A Man" from The Credits on Vimeo.
In Hollywood, screens aren’t the only things going green. In the recent Screen Gems picture Think Like a Man, the studios went full-throttle in adapting environmentally-friendly filming practices by employing 100 percent LED and energy efficient light-bulbs on set. The romantic comedy,
Coming to a Theater Near You: Tugg.com and The Burgeoning Screen-Anywhere Movement
If you thought private screenings were reserved for episodes of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Beverly Hills-centered reality shows, think again. A brand new trend in movie watching is gaining footing in the public sphere and it’s evincing that anyone can host and enjoy a private screening—no private yacht or Italian villa required. Around the globe, on-demand screenings are popping up in an effort to promote cinema literacy, preserve historic movie theaters,
The Wired Theater: Audiences Get Social At The Cinema
There is a well-known myth of movie audiences in the late 19th century fleeing for the exits at the sight of a train that seemed to be barreling straight toward them. In reality, audiences’ early fascination with motion pictures quickly turned to admiration, a sacred respect for the movie going experience. Talking during movies became, almost instantaneously, strictly verboten. Decades later, other rules reared their heads to stomp out social distractions in the cinema. First it was,
The Return of Smell-O-Vision, the Advent of 4D Cinema, and the Brave New World of Sensory Film
TIME Magazine might have deemed it one of the worst 100 ideas in history, but it’s hard not to harbor a fond nostalgia for the wonderfully bizarre promise Smell-O-Vision once afforded moviegoers. Making movies that smelled was a bold and definitively quirky concept intended to persuade the television-hooked masses of 1950s Americana to migrate from their plastic-covered couches and microwaved TV dinners in order to experience movies in a ‘scent’sational new way. Of course,
Special Effects for Everyone: The Democratization of CGI Technology
You could say independent filmmaker Gareth Edwards is a surprising champion for CGI technology. After all, his feature film Monsters (2010) wasn’t a big-budget summer blockbuster, nor did it star Tom Cruise, Matt Damon or any other major A-list actor. In fact, he made his film for a mere $800,000—and that’s with CGI technology included. In an interview with film critic Mark Kermode, Edwards said, “You can go in [a] shop now and buy a computer that’s faster than the computers they made Jurassic Park on.”
Social Cinema: Start-Up Screens Viral Videos At Local Theaters
Surely, it’s happened to you: While watching a favorite flick at home, you suddenly realize that the laughs you found tear-inducing and stomach-ravaging in the theater are, on this solitary viewing at least, sadly amiss. What gives? According to an innovative Dutch start-up called Upload Cinema, not only are you missing out on the infectious and sporadic laugh-track of dozens of other moviegoers, you’re also missing out on the effervescent, hard-to-define ambiance of the traditional movie theater experience.
