Culminating Blog Reflection

During the course of my Capstone project I learned a lot of new things about my topic and myself. In the beginning one of the hardest parts was trying to communicate with my mentor and try to find a way to meet up, but I soon got over that because I had to do this project. I learned that communication is definitely the most important part of life. I learned to collaborate, because in order to complete my capstone I had to work with my mentor to learn new things. I used creativity while writing my research paper because although all the information was already  there for me, I had to come up with a way to put it all together. not to mention rewriting an entire paper over. Critical thinking was also involved in writing my research paper because I had to form my own judgement on my topic.

Throughout the capstone project I gained more knowledge about cinematic technology. This is very helpful to me because this is the sort of job field I wanted to get into. I learned that I need to be responsible and make sure I use my time wisely. But i think the most important thing I learned was that it's better just to do everything beforehand so that you're not rushing to finish a project. I also have to be able to talk to people and be more assertive in order to get things done. I learned that I can't be lazy and procrastinate, it won't help at all.

I think the biggest problem that I faced was actually meeting up with my mentor to get my hours done. He lives in Folsom and I don't drive so that was a major problem. He also has to travel often for his work because he goes and sets up theater and for concerts. Another problem I was challenged with was trying to remember all the abbreviations and what they did. I over came them by talking in depth about them with my mentor and him helping me understand what they did and how they functioned. He would often give me examples to help relate them to what we were talking about so it would be easier to remember. Throughout this experience I obviously learned more about this topic, but also more about myself.

Theater Management System

For my final blog my mentor and i decided to wrap it up with the Theater Management Systems(TMS). Theater management systems, to me, are probably the heart or foundation of movie theaters. They are used with everything digital.

 So once a theater has fully converted to digital, they can use this system to make it easier to manage. It is compatible with any digital product. Back before digital became the gold standard there would be a single person loading and reloading the film into film projectors, it was cheap and productive. But since the leap to digital, this is now available. what TMS does is it allows a manager or whoever at a theater to schedule what/when they want their movies to play. Not only does it operate with projectors but sound systems as well. I think TMS really helps with the workflow of theaters.If it's a large movie theater like Century Theaters at Tanforan, it makes it easier and cheaper to help operate all those theaters at once, especially if it's a busy day. As I mentioned in my second blog, most companies like Barco, will have  24/7 maintenance, so if something goes wrong they'll be there to fix the problem. Although Barco doesn't manufacturer these several other companies do such as, Cinedign, Doremi, GDC, and Dolby. This is pretty much the basics of the Theater Management System.

Hours: 2

Total Hours: 28

Projectors: the sequel

In my last blog I started talking about projectors. Everything that I have learned already is amazing! I knew there was a lot to projectors, especially now because of all the new innovative technology that has been created. So to continue where I left off. Too name some of the largest projector manufacturers out there; Barco, Sony, Texas Instruments, And NEC. IMAX just released it first laser projector.What this does is it uses lasers to project light onto the screen. There are even some projectors that are hybrids between LED and laser. Most projectors use xenon arc lamps to create the light, but they only last a little over 2,500 hours.before leading to be replaced. The main difference between laser and xenon is the higher contrast that laser projectors give off.  Newer projectors have higher frame rates(refer to third blog), great quality, system cooling, and brighter. Projectors are made to accommodate different sized screens(dimensions). Most projectors come with standard lens that are already set to match the distance and size of the screens. The cost of projectors from Barco usually cost an upward of $55,000 for 2k and $85,000 for 4k. When Robert told me this I didn't find it hard to believe. All this new technology is expensive. This then lead me to realize why ticket prices have gone up, they need to make a profit. In my final blog I want to know how modern cinemas manage all of their theaters.

Hours: 2
Total Hours: 27

The world of projectors

Today my mentor and I got into the topic of projectors. Projectors are probably the most important part of theaters. Back when good old film was the standard for shooting movies, every theater had film projectors. You would take the film and load it through all the gates and sprockets. When the film was set and loaded an intensely bright light would shine through the film and lens and then the film would project onto the screen. for the light they would just use a regular bulb but they started using xenon lamps. Then when everything went digital and theaters had to keep up and also convert to digital. a core piece of technology that's needed to help projectors function are digital micro mirror devices (DMD). As light passes through the DMD, it causes the micro mirror to split the light into red, blue, and green. depending on whether a projector is 2k or 4k, the micro mirror deice inside will have one micro mirror for each pixel. Projectors to correspond with different types of film; 8mm, super 8, 9.5mm, 16mm, 35mm, and 70mm(IMAX). There are so many digital cinema projectors that have been created; DCI, DLP, Stereo 3D, and Sony SXRD. DLP projectors were originally programmed 2k but soon upgraded to 4k. Their resolution is 1280 x 1024. Stereo 3D projectors use stereoscopic tech. Sony SXRD has 4k resolution. Sony had manufactured their own SXRD chip that worked with this projector. You can find most of these types of projectors at Barco or Sony. There's a lot more to learn about projectors and we're going to pick back up where we left off because if we continue my brain might explode from all this information.

Hours: 3
Total Hours: 25

3 Major types of Immersive Audio.

Today my mentor and I started talking about audio systems that are new and being used in cinemas at the moment. Over the last 100 years there have been a lot of changes in quality of audio. Now there can be multiple speakers all over the theater, (left,right,center, and surround. Immersive sound is a term that is used to categorize the new 3D surround sound formats. Three of the biggest pieces of surround sound systems include Auro 3D,Dolby Atmos, and DTS: X. Auro 3D(2011) was the first immersive sound format used in theaters. It basically take all sorts of sound from talking to background music to any audible noise, and distributes them to assorted speakers around the theater. In theaters, Dolby Atmos(2012) can support up to 64 speaker channels, and has 7.1 channels. Auro. it's Auro 11.1 uses 3 layers of speakers to create an amplified, more clarified, lifelike sound, not to mention the "smooth coherent sound waves that come from every direction."

Finally, DTS: X(2015), although it just recently came out last month, my mentor says that the sound flows through all the speakers creating a smooth audio effect; say when a helicopter is flying over moving from right to left in a movie, you would be able to experience that as if it was happening right above you. What all sound systems to are transmit audio signals that convert electrical audio to sound. All of these formats are surround sound. What "channels" are  is the amount of speakers with audio running through them plus a "sub-woofer." A sub-woofer is a produces a low frequency of audio, so technically, it's all about that bass. One of the main differences between Dolby Atmos and Auro 3D is that Dolby Atmos is object based while the other is channel based. Channel based means that that format produces an individual down track for each channel(speaker). A way that you can remember this is by thinking of your headphones. In both you right and left buds, you hear different things, whether it be volume, definition, voices etc. Object based is when you create a soundtrack for every speaker, every speaker gets its own audio. After Robert gave me the example using headphones, it was a lot easier to remember which one was which. Earlier sound formats had mono-sound in the center of the screen. you can imagine how sucky that would be. Robert's company, Barco, is actually just released a new version of

If you want to check it out you can go to select theaters to watch the animated movie, Home. These new advanced sound systems are simply amazing because the quality is superb and it can still be paired with movies that aren't in 3D format.

Hours: 3
Total Hours: 22

RealD 3D vs IMAX 3D

Today we started off by talking about RealD 3D and IMAX 3D, which are both two major companies in the digital cinema as well as two major forms if 3D tech.

RealD 3D and IMAX are very similar, but RealD 3D is more commonly used for 3D films throughout most movie theaters in America. Both use passive 3D technology, so they both rely on polarization. IMAX uses linear polarization and RealD 3D uses circular polarization. Polarization uses 3D glasses to create an illusion of 3 dimension by regulating light that hits the eye. When wearing the glasses it makes each eye see a different image. This is basically using stereoscopic 3D because S3D creates an illusion odmf depth. Both RealD 3D and IMAX are used specifically for digital movies. FUN FACT!!: Chicken Little was the first movie to be projected with RealD 3D. IMAX is really nice because since the screen is curved it creates an amazing look from all angles; there will be no fuzziness or blurriness, but you can't move your head too much while watching the movie or else it went have that great of an affect. This is why the seating in IMAX theaters face straight towards the screen. IMAX screens use a 4k screen, it explains the great quality for reasons that are discussed in previous blogs. The screens are also quite large measuring 72ft x 53ft. Because of the gigantic screens they require larger glasses. RealD 3D uses only one projector but it has a 3D lens on it. The size if the screen is the same as a regular movie screen. Both of the formats use silver coated screens so that the light reflects to help create a better 3D image. I was really pleased with what I learned today because I had always wonder what IMAX and RealD 3D were. Its nice to actually know what your paying for when you go to the movies. the next thing I want to know is how the different projectors work.

Hours: 3.5
Total Hours: 19

3D: Active and Passive

So today while with my mentor, he suggested that we talk about 3D. So basically it all started with film anaglyph 3D. Anaglyph 3D is the type of old 3D that used those cool red(L) and cyan(R) glasses.

The problem with anaglyph is that the quality wasn't very good and while watching the 3D flick random objects would be popping out at you. My mentor and i them both started to talk about Jaws 3, and how it basically the epitome of HORRIBLE 3D technology. 3D can also be referred to as stereoscopic 3D(s3D), which just means that it creates the depth in 3D movies. There are 2 main types of 3D tech; Active and passive. Active uses a 3D shutter system and relies mostly on the high tech liquid crystal glasses that manipulate your left and right eye, to be able to view 3D. Passive relies on an external device that polarizes the light coming out of the projector. This type also uses a high pixel silver screen. The type of glasses you wear with passive would be those black frame, transparent black lens glasses that look like the type 80's nerds wore.

My mentor believes that active is better because it has a nicer quality. The thing is its more expensive so the glasses cannot be thrown away or recycled like regular 3D glasses. Although passive does have its perks, it's easier and less expensive, but its quality does suffer where it strives. In america, most movie theaters use passive. Today i learned a lot of useful information about 3D technology. Tomorrow I hope to cover more about RealD 3D and IMAX 3D.

Hours: 4
Total Hours: 15.5

High frame rate and the resolution revolution.

Today we talked about high frame rate and resolution. On rolls of film, there are those squares; Frame rate is the amount of those that pass through a projector per second. The standard was usually amount 24 frames per second. Probably the most amazing thing I learned today was that with high frame rate is that every second that goes by, 24 frames go by in the screen. But what's amazing is that now they can feed up to 120 frames per second! Older movies had a 24 frame per rate and that's why they look grainy. But movies showed in theaters nowadays using 48, 60, and especially 120 fpr have a smoother and more detailed films. RESOLUTION REVOLUTION!!!!

Basically what resolution is... Is the amount of pixels across a screen. So your phones, TVs, computers etc all have pixels. In movie theaters they refer to resolution as 2k or 4k. 2k(2000 pixels) = 2048 x 1080, which most digital projectors are used to. 4k(4000 pixels) = 4096 x 2160. 4k is the latest and greatest right now in digital cinema because it has more pixel thus a  much cleaner and sharper image. 4k is also great for 3D movies, but I'll right more about that tomorrow.

Hours: 4

Hours Total: 11.5

TMS, Dbox, and FDX

Today my mentor and I started talking about many different pieces of technology used in movie theaters. Other than the obvious projectors and screens there's a wide range of other devices used for movie going entertainment. Media players (TMS) or, Theater Management System, is the basically the heart of modern day theaters. This allows theater runners to schedule when they want their movies to play instead of continuously and manually doing it. It also allows to input subtitles on some movies (foreign films). If the movie was already formatted for it, TMS allows the movie to automatically be played in 3D. Another really great system out there is called FDX, an interactive movie theater. What's amazing about this system is that when you're watching a movie, it makes you feel like you're actually there. Robert gave me an example to make this easier to explain. Take the movie captain Phillips, it takes place in the middle of the ocean. If watching this with FDX you would get water sprayed on you, seats moving with the motion of the ocean, feel the wind, and even smell the ocean. Disneyland also offers this in a ride called Soarin' over California. Lastly, another system like this is called Dbox, which is like FDX except it only allows the moving seats. If you're ever at Great America and go watch the Spongebob flick, you can experience it. When I work with my mentor again I hope to learn more about screens.

Hours:3.5

Total hours:7.5

Getting to know Barco

While working with my mentor, Robert, I needed to learn more about his company, Barco. Barco is one of the leading suppliers of projectors in the world. It's main purpose is to make your movie, or even a concert, a great experience. They manufacture all sorts of products; From projectors to screens, and everything in between. Barco's purpose is to "design and develop networked visualization products for entertainment markets." Barco has been around since 1934 to make your movie going experience worth the price of the tickets. Another great thing I learned about Barco is that they have 24/7 assistance.

If you bought one of their projectors and it starts to malfunction, you can connect to their staff around the clock. So they have amazing customer service. In a world where technology is everything, you have to stay up to date and keep coming up with new and innovative ideas; This is exactly what Barco has done. Last year Barco released it new system, Escape. 
Escape is a 3 screen movie format that allows broader view of the movie. The first film that movie goers had the chance to go watch was The Maze Runner. What's even more amazing about Escape is that my mentor actually had a hand in creating this system.

Hours:3
Total hours:4

Cinematic Technology

The topic of my Capstone/Senior Project is Advances in cinematic technology. I will be getting to know everything from the projectors to the screens. Over the past few years there have been many advances in technology including 3D, interactive entertainment(moving seats,4dx), and high resolution. One of the latest tings to emerge in cinematic technology is Escape. It's basically a wraparound screen that allows more a panoramic view. It was created by the company Barco; Which is known for selling its state of the art technology. They're one of the leading distributors for projectors. My mentor works for Barco so I will be getting a first hand view of all their newer items and even some older ones. During this project I'm hoping to learn more about how movie technology has gotten where it is today. Another reason I chose this topic is because when I'm older, I'm hoping to  go into this field of technology.  

Hours:1

Total hours 1