Do you remember going to the movies? Now that we have been in a pandemic, it may seem a thing in the past, but they are still there! Just close your eyes and envision that delicious, fresh popcorn smell, the sound of ice cracking under freshly dispensed soda, and those funky carpets that look like they came from a roller skating rink. We love the movies. Now here’s the “reel” question here...Have you ever attended a movie where there was an intermission?
Not in a while (or for some of you, ever) right?
Back in the day, movie theaters would have intermissions in the middle of the movie. Not so you can go buy candy, not to give you a bathroom break, but to swap out the film reels! That’s right - now you can take this fun fact and use it at your next trivia night. Theater attendants would work in the upper booth of a movie theatre and wait to change out the film reels since the movies were filmed on actual reels.
I’m sure you’re not missing the old days where a movie has to be stopped for a solid 10-15 minutes in order to swap out the reel. Don’t worry, it’s not making a huge trend back. But, when did movie reels stop? When did most production companies stop using film reels to record and release their movies? Well, let’s add more knowledge for your trivia nights!
You’ll be surprised…
When doing a little digging, I too was shocked to learn that the switch from film to digital for movie productions was only 8 years ago. Yep, 8 years ago. “Say what?!” Movies were filmed and shot on celluloid film, typically 35mm stock. Hollywood started to capture films digitally in the 2000s, but it wasn’t until 2013 that digitally shot films were more common than celluloid productions.
Sure, we have gradually made the transition from film to digital, but some large companies that dominated the film camera market back then are still major players. There are independent, short films that are still using reels because they are trying to make their short films on a budget (some digital cameras can be worth a pretty dime). Here is a chart showing the increase in digital movies vs. film movies in the US.
What about the movie theaters?
So, now that we know not many movie productions are using film, what are they doing in the movie theaters to show the movie? By 2009, movie theaters started replacing film projectors with digital projectors. In 2013, it was estimated that 92% of movie theaters in the United States had converted to digital, with 8% still playing film. Crazy right?
That said, there are a handful of directors and filmmakers who still fancy a good 35mm film movie. Quentin Tarantino and Christoper Nolan lobbied large studios to commit to purchase a minimum amount of 35mm film from Kodak. If you saw Tarantino’s Hateful Eight in theaters and wondered why you had an intermission...it was because someone had to be there to change out the film! That’s right, his movie has an intermission. I bet you’re thankful it was shot on film, considering it’s a 3 hour and 7 minute movie - anyone watching would need a quick break!
I hope this gives you a new found appreciation for those working in movie theaters. You have to have some serious skill and brains to connect the film reels, make sure the film is matching up to where the viewers left off, and how to operate the dang thing!
So, go watch Sound of Music or the Hateful Eight - find a movie with an intermission and realize, “This was shot on 35mm film.” And, if your local movie theatre has opened back up, go show them some love! Get some popcorn, that fresh soda and enjoy a good movie. Who knows, it might have an intermission!
