BCM325: 2050 and the Future of Cinemas

The year is 1999. Cinemas are being treated to A new Star Wars movie, and people loved it (they now hate it). They were also treated to Fight Club, and they hated it (They now love it). Charlie Kaufman wrote his first major film with Being John Malkovich (Incredible movie). Stanley Kubrick released his last movie Eyes Wide Shut and died shortly after (biggest loss in cinema history). The Matrix was released and people we’re freaking out about reality (and the technology it brought with it that would define films to come). Y2K was in full swing and people thought the world was going to end and planes were going to fall out of the sky. A little Mitchell was about to be born (the downfall begins). 25 years have past and the state of cinemas has evolved to the point where Artificial intelligence has started to become integrated and streaming services are dominating to the point where some films that would have been wide releases in 1999 are now available on our 4K televisions. 25 years is a long time for technology to evolve and major events and changes to impact industries. So what will cinema look like in 2050?

POSSIBLE FUTURE

When looking at what the future of cinemas could look like in 2050, there’s a lot of possibilities. I’m still of the belief that cinemas are too engrained and integral to the way we view movies to become a thing of the past. In saying that though it is still a possibility. Streaming could become the main way we watch new movies and cinemas could be phased out. This would be the worst timeline. Assuming they will still be around by 2050, what are some of the technologies and changes we could see to cinemas, what we watch in them? ChatGPT believes these are some of the changes we could see come 2050:

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Holographic Displays
Interactive Elements
Biometric Feedback
Artificial Intelligence
Advanced Audio-visual Technologies
Smart Seating
Environmental Controls
Sustainable Practices
Streaming Integration

Some of these seem like quite a stretch, but we need to remember, things like Artificial intelligence and Virtual Reality were technologies we only saw in science fiction films. I own a virtual reality headset (I’m currently using the box as a foot rest) and had some of the most immersive experiences in my gaming life on it. Artificial intelligence can now be used anyone. It helped me write my resume (and this assessment). It can write a script for a short film. While this isn’t anything ground-breaking, it’s still pretty impressive. Imagine telling someone in 1999 that a program can write a full blown script for you. Here’s one example with the prompt “horror movie set in an apartment and a serial killer”:

PROBABLE FUTURE

Script writing could be only the start of AI and its relationship with film. As stated in my previous posts, I think we could see scripts being written by or at least assisted by AI within the next 10 or so years. I think by 2050 things could go further than that. AI films/videos are already a thing.

This is a new thing right now, but come 2050, I think its probable AI will be well and truly engrained in the filmmaking process, and we will be seeing AI generated/Involved films on our silver screens. Whether we like it or not, this is a technology that is now a part of ever evolving world, and our entertainment industry constantly inaugurates emerging technology into the production of films. We only need to look back at how movies were originally made, from analogue to digital, to realise this change is enormous for the industry. As Priya Parikh states in her thesis on AI and Film “By introducing AI as part of the production process, the preoccupation with formal aesthetics turns into questioning the function of the changes in the methods of film production, and consequent exhibition, and spectatorship.” (P.5) . We are already seeing backlash for AI produced marketing, and the idea of production methods introducing AI is something people aren’t comfortable with. This technology isn’t something that will be stopped being used and experimented with though. Its only going to get better, and with that will only be used more and come 2050, I don’t doubt we will be seeing AI films on our screens.

PREFERABLE FUTURE

I’ll be 51 by the time 2050 rolls around. For the 25 years I’ve been around, Films and cinemas have been a huge part of my life. Cinemas aren’t something I want to see disappear and while I’m certain they won’t, what were seeing them most certainly will. The most preferable outcome is that AI is kept to a minimum in the filmmaking process. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, without humans driving the production, we lose all humanity the film has. And without human emotions behind the scenes, what’s the point of watching the movie. I don’t doubt that it would be an interesting gimmick to see a completely AI generated film, but for it to be a norm when it comes to production and script writing would be the death of films and the places we watch them in my eyes.

On a lighter note, there are some of technologies ChatGPT brought up that would be nice to see. These include:

Advanced Audio-visual Technologies
Smart Seating
Sustainable Practices
Holographic Displays

CONCLUSION

To wrap up these three posts on the what the next 25 years of cinemas looks like, I just wanted to say I’m hopeful for the future. They’re an important part of society and brings joy to many, myself included, but it seems things are changing quicker now than ever before. These changes can be both exciting and scary, but I’m hopeful either way. If cinemas and films survived through the pandemic, I don’t see them being phased out any time soon. As long as AI is kept in check and doesn’t take everyone’s jobs, I’ll be pretty happy with whatever future we have in store for cinemas and what we’re watching there.

REFERENCES

Parikh Chetan, Priya 2019, ‘AI Film Aesthetics: A Construction of a New Media Identity for AI Films’ https://www.proquest.com/docview/2383043097%20Theses&accountid=15112&parentSessionId=IIJGU4RXkFUfljWutMDs7QTN%2Bebxp8lx2m%2FrKGwUKEc%3D&sourcetype=Dissertations%20 [24 May 2024]

Hibberd, J 2024, ‘A24’s New AI-Generated ‘Civil War’ Ads Generate Controversy’ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/a24-civil-war-posters-controversy-1235876340/ [26 May]

Andriasyan, Siranush 2022, ‘How Artificial Intelligence Is Used in the Film Industry’ https://smartclick.ai/articles/how-artificial-intelligence-is-used-in-the-film-industry/ [27th May 2024]

BCM325 – Live Analysis of Ready Player One and Arrival

This is the final live film analysis post for class BCM325. Over the past two weeks we have watched Steven Spielberg’s 2018 gamers dream, Ready Player One, and Denis Villeneuve’s 2016 alien “arrival” masterpiece, Arrival. Once again these films have been analysed through the lens of class themes and ideas.

Ready Player One

I am going to preface in saying, I’m not the biggest Ready Player One fan. It is pretty fun, but the endless amount of references get a bit tiring after a while and at times feels like that’s all the movie has going for it (other than the soundtrack). I will say on a re-watch, and more specifically, re-watching it through the theme of cyberspace made me appreciate it more. Cyberspaces are the places we inhabit digitally. We spend a good portion of our lives in cyberspaces , whether that be on our phones, computers or televisions. In Ready Player One we are thrown into a world where VR gaming is so advanced that most people choose this cyberspace over their reality. Here is what I had to say about it:

1 references/member-berries the movie. Not the biggest fan of this movie but within the context of this class It fits in quite well with the themes it explores.
2 Can see why everyone is escaping reality to this VR world. Reality in RP1 looks so ass. Caravan/trailer park high-rises, the worst kind of dystopia.
3 The VR in this world isn’t too far from our own, with not only the headsets being a thing we can all go out and buy right now, but the treadmills for running and haptic suits becoming more available too
4 Explores not only the possible future of virtual reality but the current state of it and gaming as a whole. VR/gaming to escape reality, make friends, be someone else, immerse oneself, have fun in.
5 In my own experience with VR, I have an oculus headset and certain games can be the most immersive experiences I’ve had with entertainment in my life.
6 Playing Half Life Alyx for the first time and messing around in the first area with whiteboard markers on a glass window and picking up things and throwing them off a balcony was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. It’s easy to see why these people are addicted to this world (just wish I didn’t want to spew every time I used a headset).

7 I do like how they mention the fact that best friends can be people you’ve never even met before in the OASIS. I’ve had people I’ve met through gaming that have turned out to be really good real life friends. I remember meeting someone on CS:GO a few years back and then catching up with them at IEM (CS:GO tournament) in Sydney a year ago. Pretty interesting that someone you’ve never even seen before can become a genuine friend.
8 IOI is an interesting antagonist. A group of people only studying pop culture and engaging with this game so they can own it. Lifeless and goes against everything the game stands for. Big gaming corps feel the same lately with Nintendo and Sony being the absolute worst when it comes to old IP.
9 Alright I do kind of get annoyed at the constant barrage of references but ill eat my own words, cause it is pretty sick seeing battle toads, the Akira bike and the swordfish from cowboy bebop here
10 As much shit as I talk about this movie I actually kind of enjoyed it on a re-watch, Yeah its references the movie but I guess its within context of the story. Pretty fun movie with a decent story and genuinely sick concept for a VR game world.

As stated, I did have fun with this movie on re-watch, and the theme of cyberspace helped me to see things from a new perspective. I really like the point I brought up about my own experiences with VR and how immersive the worlds it has to offer can be. Half Life Alyx still remains one of, if not the most immersive and impressive gaming experiences I’ve ever had. I was completely sucked into that world. So I have an understanding of how the technology from the film is a very possible future tech. I would spend hundreds if not thousands of hours in that world (if it didn’t give me motion sickness). But I think the main point I’d like to touch on is the escape from reality. At its core, this is what cyberspaces are. Online, you can be someone else, have a different personality, make new friends, immerse oneself. Our daily lives often revolve around these cyberspaces and we spend a large portion of our time in them, just as the characters of Ready Player One spend their time in the Oasis. Whether we like it or not, we rely on our cyberspaces for a good portion of our wellbeing, whether it be communications, information, personal data, and escapism.

Arrival

I fucking love this movie so goddamn much. I hadn’t watched this since it first came out in cinemas back in 2016, and re-watching it hit me so hard. What a beautiful movie and a completely fresh take on the stale genre of alien invasions. Alright I’ll stop glazing over the movie now. The themes we viewed the film through were Time, Death and the Anthropocene. Time and death are thoroughly explored in the film with the aliens sense of time being non-linear through language. They can see their lives from beginning to end at any given time and travel to different times in their lives. Here is what I had to say:

1 Based on a short story, ‘Story of your life’ by Ted Chiang, Arrival tells the story of a linguistics professor who is tasked to discover how to communicate with a newly arrived extra-terrestrial life form. The film delves into the nature of language, time and memory.
2 The design of the Ship and its surroundings are so haunting but beautiful at the same time. Especially accompanied by the score. Its suspenseful and mysterious. Absolutely love the atmosphere and cinematography of this film.
3 Love the divide between characters in the movie and what they think the motivations of the extra-terrestrials are. Some are so keen to jump straight into violence just because they don’t know the reasons they’re here. Others want to communicate and gain an understanding.
4 This is the key theme of the movie, Language and furthermore, understanding. So many problems whether it be smaller scale issues with love, relationships, and everyday encounters, to larger issues like politics and war can be better resolved with trying to communicate and gain an understanding instead of just attacking, ignoring or disregarding the intentions and feelings of others.
5 Almost saying something about how we communicate with each other and how some can be so quick to ignore the opinions of others instead of trying to understand them. I’m sure the state of the world would be better if more people tried to understand one another.
6 This same theme is explored with what other countries our team is communicating with in regards to the aliens. All English speaking countries. Whether its through an ease of speaking the same language or the cultural differences, the characters we follow aren’t trying to communicate with foreign countries and are doing the same thing they are doing with the aliens. Seeing them as threats, for example China.
7 She we-wiring her brain IYKYK
8 Louise’s conversation with Whittaker’s character describes what were talking about amazingly. If all you ever see is an opposition that’s all you understand. If all I gave you was a hammer, everything is a nail.
9 Its all coming together ahhhh. Louise now sees understands their language and in turn, sees time the way they do. She is no longer limited to seeing things presently but can see her life from beginning to end, in turn bringing peace. Fuck man this shit so emotional.
10 I fucking love this movie, such a different take on an alien invasion (arrival) movie. Instead of aliens wanting to destroy or conquer earth they’re here to help us sort out our differences through communication. its so different from the genre tropes and makes it so emotional and resonant. The human side of the narrative is so powerful and as Louise says as she now understands their language and in turn can see her life from start to finish, she still welcomes all of it. Bruh I’m fucking crying fuck off

I lied , I’m gonna glaze again because this movie emotionally resonates with me so much. Re-watching it after a not having seen it since release helped me to see so much more of what was going on with the themes of time and death. I really think I’ve hit some of the key themes on the head here with the non linear memories of ones entire life and the idea of language being a barrier for clear communication. The language and communication barrier between humans and aliens used as a metaphor for human to human communication is so well executed. The Anthropocene (originating from human activity) theme is something also explored through humans inability to communicate with each properly in ways that benefit not just human life, but all life on earth, thus ensuring a stable future to come. I do wish I talked more about love and the eventual death of all living things. With the daughter character dying Louise knowing the outcome, she still chooses to live her life and welcomes all things that come with it. That’s so fucking beautiful.

BCM325: 2030 and the Future of Cinemas

In a little less than 6 years, the year 2030 will be upon us. The future of cinema is uncertain, just as any future is uncertain. Look back 6 years ago from today in 2018, could we have predicted our current landscape of cinema? I mean its only 6 years right? 2018 was quite an important year for cinema. There were Oscar favourites like The Favourite and… eh, that’s about it. Mitchell Favourites like Under the Silver Lake, and Hereditary. An animated masterpiece with Into the Spider-verse. Straight up masterpiece’s with The Meg and Venom. But it was Marvel who was on top of the world with Avengers: Infinity War. Nothing could stop them or the hype train their movies brought. Nothing except… time (and Covid sorta). Six years have past, and the current state of comic book movies isn’t looking too good, and what can only be described as a fatigue has set in in regards to these types of films. But the impact that these movies have had on cinema cannot be understated. While Covid has had a huge impact on cinemas and the way we watch movies, I strongly believe cinemas are currently too integral to the way we watch films and more prominently, the way we watch blockbuster films. So for 2030, I want to focus on what kinds of films we might possibly, probably, and preferably see in Cinemas.

POSSIBLE FUTURE

As stated previously, the superhero genre seems to be going through a bit of a dip (and I’m not buying it) and fatigue in general audiences has set in. Over the past few years though, another genre of adaptations has become wildly popular. Video game adaptations. No doubt we will continue to be bombarded with an endless string of these flicks until the dead horse has been well and truly beaten. Over the past year we’ve received five wide release video game adaptations with Gran Turismo, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Super Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Borderlands. This trend in what is being made, and the audiences that are consuming them only seems to be on the incline. Look at the current list of upcoming video game film adaptations (not including TV shows which is another can of worms).

When asking ChatGPT the kinds of films we may see in 2030, It gave some unlikely examples such as Holographic and Augmented Reality Films. I just don’t believe our technology will be quite at that point come 2030. It also gave some obvious answers like Expanded Cinematic Universes, Diverse Representation, and the previously mentioned Video Game Adaptations. An interesting example that seems to be a common topic when it comes to art in general lately is AI generated films. While I think it may be a stretch to see a fully produced work solely from AI that’s shown on screens by 2030, we might at a future time (2050 perhaps?). What I think might be likely though is AI generated scripts.

I think a lot of what ChatGPT is saying here is the reason why we could see AI used more frequently in films come 2030. Already we are seeing AI being used for marketing with the new A24 film Civil War, and in production design with Late Night with the Devil. Its not too much of a stretch to say producers might start incorporating AI generated or assisted scripts into films.

PROBABLE FUTURE

So we’ve looked at the possible futures of films we could be seeing in cinemas come 2030, but what are we probably going to see? I think Video game adaptations are a sure fire considering the amount of content producers have for the picking. There’s already an audience for the IP so taking the existing franchise and adapting it for the big screen is a safer bet than taking a risk on something new. We’ve seen it done with comic book movies and were seeing it done right now with video game adaptations so it likely not to stop anytime soon.

What about AI though? I think a lot of what ChatGPT is say about AI generated scripts is the reason why we could see AI used more frequently in films come 2030. Already we are seeing AI being used for marketing with the new A24 film Civil War, and in production design with Late Night with the Devil. Its not too much of a stretch to say producers might start incorporating AI generated or at least, assisted scripts into films. I think these are some of the key ways and reasons we might see Artificial intelligence being used for scripts:

Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness

Collaboration with Human Writers

Continual Improvement

PREFERABLE FUTURE

I’m not opposed to seeing more video game adaptations. I do think eventually things will get stale and audiences will become sick of seeing them though. AI is a different story though. The change isn’t being wildly accepted. Industry professionals feel they could lose not only their jobs to AI, but films overall could lose the element that makes them human stories. While AI wasn’t the concern of the recent screenwriters and actors strike, it was a major concern for both parties with “screenwriters having experienced an existential crisis due to the invasion of these new technologies, and actors are against their faces being used without their permission or compensation. “ (E Noticias Financieras English, 2023). I am of the same sentiment that if films start incorporating more AI driven stories and film production element in general, we not only lose human stories, we lose human made art. A reason the Civil War marketing and Late Night with the Devil AI art designs caused such a stir, is because that’s someone job which has now been taken over by AI for the sake of cost cutting. The more and more AI is incorporated, the more jobs become obsolete. AI just isn’t something I’m comfortable seeing in film and honestly, would rather it just be kept at an arms length away from it.

REFERENCES

CE Noticias Financieras English, 2023, ‘It’s not a movie: AI sparks Hollywood strike’ https://www.proquest.com/docview/2836916446?parentSessionId=c7BVpk0PS5vbeAJjtzv1yVN94F9nlt3iwG2S5EwDXu4%3D&pq-origsite=primo&accountid=15112&sourcetype=Wire%20Feeds [15 May]

Frank, J 2023, ‘The 2023 Hollywood strike for Dummies’ https://www.vulture.com/article/wga-strike-2023.html [14 May]

Bankhurst, A 2024 ‘Upcoming New Video Game Movies and TV Shows: 2024 Release Dates and Beyond’ https://www.ign.com/articles/upcoming-video-game-movies-and-tv-shows [15 May]

Hibberd, J 2024, ‘A24’s New AI-Generated ‘Civil War’ Ads Generate Controversy’ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/a24-civil-war-posters-controversy-1235876340/ [16 May]

Earl, W 2024, ‘Late Night With the Devil’ Directors Explain Using AI Art in the Film, Say They ‘Experimented’ With Three Images Only (EXCLUSIVE)’ https://variety.com/2024/film/news/late-night-with-the-devil-ai-images-clarification-1235947599/ [16 May]

BCM325: 2040 and the Future of Cinemas

Movie theatres have been around since 1895 when the Lumiere brothers first opened a small cinema in Paris showing a short film showing workers leaving the Lumiere factory. Since then, the cinema industry has been the juggernaut of the entertainment industry, making billions worldwide off of single movies alone. But since the pandemic the film industry seems to be in a flux. Ticket sales are no longer the sole driver of revenue like it was 30 years ago and even before the pandemic. So with the ever changing landscape of technology affecting the ways we view films, how will the cinemas look in 2040?

POSSIBLE FUTURE

Now lets get the big one out of the way. Streaming services. Already streaming services have had a major impact on the way audiences consume movies. The cinema is no longer the be-all end-all of films making money. There has been a huge change in how movies are being distributed. Studios are now considering whether or not some titles are worth putting on big screens or sending straight to streaming. By 2040 we could see a combination of traditional theatrical releases, hybrid theatrical releases and more of an emphasis on direct to streaming content. Traditional releases might only be saved for the biggest blockbusters. We already see a shift in how smaller releases are being distributed with some films screening at cinemas while simultaneously being available to watch on streaming. A recent example is Oscar winning Poor Things. The movie is available to watch right now on Disney+ but Dendy Newtown has two screenings tomorrow.

By 2040, if this trend continues, distributors may put more of an emphasis on direct to streaming content, which could in turn kill smaller chains, independent cinemas, such as the Ritz that make their money off of screening these smaller movies. Hybrid releases could also prove fatal for larger chains as well, with smaller release windows for blockbuster movies, this could potentially lead to a decline in traditional cinema attendance and the closure of some theatres.

To combat this from happening we could see a range of different technologies integrated into the theatre experience. Over the past few years, we’ve already seen Dolby Atmos and Screen X being added to larger chains like Event and Reading cinemas.

When asking ChatGPT what sort of technologies could be seen in theatres by 2030 it suggested a list of possible integrations:

Virtual Reality Integration
Augmented Reality Enhancements
Holographic Displays
Personalized Content and Experiences
Hybrid Viewing Experiences
Advanced Audiovisual Technologies
Interactive Elements and Audience Participation
Sustainable Practices
Expanded Social Spaces
Health and Safety Innovations

PROBABLE FUTURE

A possible future does not mean a definite future though. Theatres aren’t currently showing any signs of dying. In fact, they’re doing quite well with recent examples of Barbie making $1,445,638,421 worldwide and Oppenheimer making $965,100,540. Both of these films released the same weekend. So we can pretty confidently rule out the idea (what many have been saying for decades) that cinemas will die by 2040. Even ChatGPT agrees with idea cinemas are unlikely to die out. When prompted this question, here is what its opinion was:

So while uncertainty looms over the cinema industry, It is highly unlikely they will just disappear. Cinemas are and always have been a social experience. They provide a unique setting that cant be replicated at home. Its also culturally important to many countries around the world. So the cinema experience most certainly will not die out, it most certainly will change. New technology and expansions will be added to improve the cinema experience. Referring to ChatGPT’s list of possible technologies that could be seen in cinemas by 2040, I think it hit the nail on the head with a few, but The technology must not only significantly and tangibly improve the cinema experience, but do so in an economical way. (ACADEMIC). I don’t believe we will see VR/AR or holographic technology any time soon but some we may see are:

Expanded Social Spaces

This I believe has one of the highest possibilities of happening. Cinemas have already started adopting some elements of this adding bars and arcade. But I think we will see more spaces being added to cinemas to be not only a cinema experience but multiple experiences. Restaurants, bars, gaming areas and themed escape rooms are a few examples of likely additions.

Health and Safety Innovations

Another focus cinemas will focus on will be public health concerns. Implementations include Air Quality Management, continued use sanitization stations and social distance seating, Contactless Transactions, and Post-Pandemic Resilience.

Advanced Audiovisual Technologies

Advancements in screen and audio technology are always happening. The recent introduction of 4K projectors assures inclusions of 8K projectors in the foreseeable future.

PREFERABLE FUTURE

The obvious preferable future would be that all cinemas, chains and independents alike will be alive and thriving. While this is most likely going to happen, there are a few preferable changes and addition that could be added to make going to the cinema a more inclusive, eco-conscious and overall better experience. These changes and additions include:

Sustainable Practices

More cinemas could increase their focus on sustainability, adopting eco-friendly practices such as solar-powered facilities and energy-efficient equipment.

Community Events

Community events including more film festivals, local filmmaker showcases and guest appearances could be implemented into more cinemas.

Inclusive spaces

This would include theatres designed to accommodate people with disabilities, including more accessible seating and hearing impairments. Some screens already do open captioning but more could probably adopt this, with younger audiences opting to watch content with subtitles.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, cinemas are very unlikely to die out by 2040, but that doesn’t mean there wont be any changes to them. The current landscape of our ever changing digital and technology driven world forces cinemas to adapt to stay alive. If we want to keep the culture of the cinema experience alive and well, we need to support them through these changes and adapt with them. In my next post on The Future of Cinemas in 2050, I will focus on AI and how it will affect how movies will be made and the future technology we could see integrated into cinemas.

ACADEMIC

The Next (R)evolution. By: Claypool, Brian, Film Journal International, 15269884, May2012, Vol. 115, Issue 5

Claypool, B 2012, ‘The Next (R)evolution’ https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=de950edb-a75a-491f-b4ab-3ee32d4ab868%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=74741811&db=f6h [29 March 2024]

REFERENCES

Zipin, D 2021, ‘How Exactly Do Movies Make Money?’ https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/093015/how-exactly-do-movies-make-money.asp [1 April 2024]

Hellermen, J 2023, ‘What’s The Future of Cinema and Theatrical Distribution?’ https://nofilmschool.com/whats-future-cinema-and-theatrical-distribution [1 April 2024]

Enthoven, J 2024, ‘80% of People Prefer Video Subtitles. Here’s How they Affect Engagement.’ https://www.kapwing.com/resources/subtitle-statistics/ [4 April 2024]

This blog was made with the inclusion of AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and COPILOT