Campaign to get Digital Projection in Knoxville

Anybody else interested in trying to get at least one of our local theaters to host digital projection?

After reading several reviews of digital projection, like this one, I am convinced it is the only way to see films in the future. And I want my theatrical AOTC experience to be the best one possible.

So, with that said, what would it take to convince one our local theaters (somewhere in East TN or the surrounding area) to take the next step?

Petition?

Phone Calls?

Harassing phone calls?

DEATH THREATS!

Anybody else interested, or have any suggestions?

I would also like to provide the argument to them that whichever theater is the first to get this, it will automatically draw attendance to that theater.

Researching and providing the plethora of rave reviews over digital projection found all over the internet would be another good way to state our case.

If this idea is proposed by fans, regular movie-goers, and customers...rather than somebody who is marketing their product when they have financial interests to gain from it...perhaps these theaters will strongly consider it.

i'm all for it. i'm sure the TSWCG/Knoxville stands behind this too. there is a digital theater in Cincy, so i'm planning to see AOTC there while passing through to the annual Detroit Motorcity Con in May. i want to see just how much better the experience can be over conventional theaters. let me know how we can help.

--tennesseejedi--
TSWCG site administrator

All the reviews I've ever of DLP suggest to me that it is superior in every way. Having said that, I've never seen it in person. I'm thinking about making the trip up to Ohio some time after the AOTC release to see for myself.

Every indication is that I will not be let down.

It wouldn't just benefit us Star Wars fans, but it would benefit all kinds of fans of many different movies.

Hopefully we can get some people interested in this. Having the backing of TSWCG would be great. Maybe we can discuss this at the next meeting, as I definately plan to attend this time.

While I would love to see this happen, I don't see it happening anytime in the near future in Knoxville... with the slump the movie *theatre* business has been in, they're not looking to spend tons of money on something like this without help from the distributors and/or the manufacturers...

The only way I see this possibly happening is if a new theatre goes in downtown as part of the redevelopment package... a theatre chain might be more predisposed to consider it if they were building from scratch, as opposed to refitting an existing operation....

Fenn

just give it time. there will be one in Tennessee in the future but it may not be in Knoxville. it will most likely not be with the Carmike or Regal chains though. Digital is the wave of the future so we will just have to wait and see. we can talk more about the "trek" to Ohio at our next April 13th meeting. see ya then jedi-tin-buk-tu.

--tennesseejedi--

Jedi_Tin-Buk_Tu,

Though I've never seen true 'theatre quality' digital projection, I have seen an HD projector that used DLP technology at NOW Audio/Video. It was beautiful...check it out.

I think we're going to have to wait a while to get a digital screen here in Knoxville. It's not up to the locals, so there isn't much we could do to influence the decision. Nice idea, though. Atlanta?

I considered Atlanta, and they do stand a much better chance than we do. In fact, it baffles me as to why they don't have one already. It would probably be worth the road trip to drive to Atlanta to see it. It's not that bad a drive.

Maybe I should start a campaign in the general Southern FanForce board...

Several of us in the Atlanta FanForce have considered starting a campaign to get a theater in our area to switch to digital projection. As someone here already mentioned, with the theater business in a slump, it's going to be a difficult thing to accomplish. We will possibly look into it further, once Episode II has been released. Right now, most of our resources are tied up in the planning of our Episode II campout/line-up.

EDIT: If anyone would like to see how our discussion of digital projection for Atlanta started and where it has lead so far, go to this thread.

Thanks, Minacia.

If I can help in anyway, let me know. I guess if I get really desperate I can make the drive up to Ohio.

Thanks for your offer of help.

I'll keep everyone updated, once we actually decide to try to do something about the lack of digital projection in Atlanta.

As of right now, we are thinking of waiting until August, as that will give us plenty of time to recover from all of our AOTC activities.

i plan to see AOTC this May at the digital theater in Cincinnati, Ohio. the Ohio Star Wars Collectors Club has great things to say about the theater. my wife and i are heading up then for MotorCityCon in Detroit. this is an annual media convention similar to Dragoncon that i highly recommend to every Star Wars fan. if there is enough interest to make the 4 hour trip to Cincy together, lets try to get some sort of plan of action. i'm looking forward to seeing it as it should be seen on the big screen. anyone intereted in seeing it then or even at a later date?

by the way, i hear that AOTC will be showing at Carmike theaters in Nashville so if that is any indication, maybe the Carmike Wynnsong in Knoxville may get AOTC after all. i would be happy with that.

--tennesseejedi--

Tennesseejedi, if you do get to see AOTC at the digital theater in Ohio, I would very much like a review. Sure, it will probably just make the rest of us jealous ( ), but I really would like to know the difference digital projection makes in the presentation of AOTC.

Right now, it's almost a 90% done deal (after talking to various managers and newspaper informant) that the theatres that'll be playing AOTC in the Knoxville area will be: West Town Mall, Farragut, Millertown 10, Foothills, and Tinseltown...

Another thing to consider on the WestTown/Wynnsong debate... Fox's distribution policy for their releases of late has been to alternate bewteen West Town and Wynnsong.... West Town had ICE AGE (laughed my ass off... very funny), but Fox has only one release between that and AOTC... so the April release goes to Wynnsong, AOTC goes to WestTown...

Things may always change, but it looks pretty certain that the West Knoxville AOTC party will be at the mall....

Fenn

Tinseltown here we come......
the "other" AOTC Knoxville party will be there!!

Minacia--i will give a full review of "AOTC-the digital version" when i return from the Detroit Con. where Mr. Billy Dee Williams will be attending. later.

--tennesseejedi--

Hey I'd be interested in a a trip to Cincy! Even closer though is Cinemall in Abington. Go here to check it out!

While DLP is cool and all and I'd love to see the film that way.. 60+ speakers roaring with god only knows how many watts!? Oh JEEZ that would be outstanding! Let me know if this is going to happen either way and I will get a day off here and go to it!

Does that Abington theater have DLP, or are you simply referring to the sound?

No they do not have DLP, but according to them they have the best lenses in film projection. They really would be perfect if they had DLP, but they likely will by episode 3. The sound is what they have going for them so that would be awesome enough for me to see it in something beyond even Sony SDDS or current cutting-edge THX! They are rated in the top 3 theaters in the world so that's good enough for me.

Good enough. Hearing the sonic mines in that would be worth the trip.

Apparently, some theaters in Memphis are getting DLP. Any confirmation of this???

Yeah, the cordova malco 20 got DLP last week for EP2. Don't know if they have a digital print but probably they did. They talked like it on their website. Cincy s closer than memphs is so it's not worth it IMO. To me it's a toss up between Cinemall and Cincy if I had to choose. Oh well, we'll see.

Oh God, the Cinemall!!! I just finished four years at Emory & Henry College, about 10 minutes north of Abingdon. Four years of going to either the Cinemall or to Tinseltown in Bristol. Man, I'm glad to be home!! The Cinemall has awesome sound, but that's about it. It's really kinda ghetto, as the kids say. And it doesn't have digital projection. Just a side anecdote-one of my fraternity brothers took his parents to see AOTC at the Cinemall, and the film broke, as did their second AOTC reel. As the Cinemall is run by the Mob (so some say), it was probly a hit I'd love to get DLP here in Knoxville. I'm still toying with going to Memphis or DC to see it....maybe Cincinatti, but most likely one of the former cities.

Regal is in the process of installing a DLP system at their East Towne Mall theatre, but it'll be a while before it's operational...
But it is coming soon...

Fenn

Really?!?!?! Awesome, I assume by the time it's operational, AOTC will have finished its first run, but maybe they'll re-release it for that? I remember TPM was re-released for charity benefit, so maybe they'll do it with AOTC and we'll be able to see it in digital without leaving the general area

Hmmm? DLP at Regal East? Man! They really have it all here! DLP at one place, THX across the steet! AWESOME!