Do Movie Theaters Still Use Film?

Nowadays, everything is possible on a smartphone. If you want to capture a video, all you need to do is pull your smartphone out of your pocket and start recording the video. However, things were not simple like this back in the day. 

Before smartphones were a thing, camcorders were used to record videos. The filming process by using a camcorder was complex and required a lot of planning. 

It was not only super expensive but also very time-consuming because it took a lot of time to develop the film after recording. Are you wondering if they still use film at the movie theatres?

Yes, there are some theatres where they are still using reels of film for projection. But this method is diminishing with time. The reason is that it is too expensive and difficult to maintain.

This article will discuss if they are still using film at the movie theatres. So keep on reading to find out more information below!

Do They Still Use Films In The Theatres?

Yes, some theatres are still using film or DVDs to project the film in the cinema. But the number of those theatres is diminishing day by day, and it has become rare now. Most of the theatres are using digital projection or a hard drive system now.

What Is The Reason Behind Not Using Film Anymore?

Nowadays, the theatres which use film for projection is in a small percentage because it is too expensive to maintain. Only people from the old times know how to keep things running in an old-style cinema. It is costly to print the entire film and then splice it together to create an automatic film projection system.

What Is The Standard Of Today In Theatres?

The film reels have been successfully replaced by the portable hard drive now. These portable hard drives are the standard because of security and copyright issues. These portable drives are shifted to a portable box from the film distributor. 

After shipping, it is plugged into a custom digital projection system. These additional measures are taken as a safeguard against theft.

Watch this video to learn more about how movie theatres work:

Why Did Digital Projectors Replace The Film In Theatres?

Digital movies are easy to maintain and save time because there is no need to change the film reels. The most significant advantage is that there is no time constant or barrier anymore. This is why we can make longer movies nowadays because maintenance is easy and low cost. 

Digital projectors are all over the place now because it is easy to edit the films and transfer the files in digital form. It used to be a hassle back when people had to ship bulky film reels to the cinema whenever a film was released.

When Was The Trend Of Film Replaced In Theatres?

The trend of using film reels was changed back in 1991. This was the time when digital audio was in trend. The first-ever movie to be filmed and transferred digitally was The Last Broadcast in 1998.

Now you are aware of why films are gradually not being used and can flaunt your newfound knowledge in front of your friends!

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