Death Knell For Celluloid

Traditional celluloid cinema film reels are on the road to extinction, thanks to new digital technology which works out cheaper and promises better quality cinema pictures. Moving mirror chip technology, as it has been dubbed, was jointly developed by with British projector company Digital Projection. It will allow studios to complete production of films using current digital editing systems and transport them to cinemas around the world without having to print them on celluloid film. For theatres, digital projection promises clear pictures - with no cracks, pops, or scratches - that won't degrade over time. For studios, the technology could save them hundreds of millions of dollars a year - it currently, costs about $3,000 to put a movie on film, which can run into the tens of millions of dollars when you add on distribution costs. The movie industry is approaching the new technology cautiously so far though, and it will reportedly be at least five years before it comes into regular use.