I absolutely love that this little bit of news got out there, not because it shows how obsessive Terrrence Malick is about The Tree of Life, but because it sheds light on a part of the film industry we never really talk about. Actually, perhaps “obsessive” isn’t the right word as much as Malick simply hopes his film will be projected onto the big screen the way it was intended and not in some mangled format that’s too dark, too light, too loud, too quiet or in the improper aspect ratio that will ultimately show audiences portions of the image that were never intended to be seen.
Thanks to the San Diego Reader (via The Playlist) we have the following list of instructions Malick left for each projectionist in hopes the film will be shown as he intended.
- Project the film in it’s proper 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
- The correct fader setting on Dolby and DTS systems is 7. Malick asks that faders be kept at 7.5 or even 7.7, system permitting.
- The film has no opening credits, and the booth operator is asked to make sure the “lights down cue is well before the opening frame of reel 1.”
- With all the recent talk of “darkier, lousier” images, operators are asked that lamps are at “proper standard (5400 Kelvin)” and that the “foot Lambert level is at Standard 14.”
I’m sure some people will look at this and think, “Who cares? Why is he obsessing over such minor details? Seriously? The Dolby fader? The lamp brightness?” However, when it comes to a projecting a movie, attention to detail is of the utmost importance.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen in comment threads on my movie reviews people have come in to complain about boom mics being seen in every single shot and how horrible the director must have been to allow such a thing. No, it’s not the director’s fault when that happens, it’s the projectionist’s fault considering he matte the film for the improper aspect ratio and that caused for larger portions of the image to be seen than the director intended.
How many times have you been in the theater and the sound has been too low, or how many times have sat in the light as the film began?
The last point is one I find particularly interesting. I have had two press screenings here in Seattle lately where the lamps remained at a setting for a 3D film, therefore making the image of the 2D movie I was about to watch without tinted 3D glasses almost too bright to tolerate. I have a hard time believing this same thing hasn’t happened in regular 2D showings of movies all across the country.
As Scott Marks at the San Diego Reader says in his piece, the projectionist has final cut, and they can really mangle a movie if they’re not careful. I would still wager Malick’s instructions won’t be followed in every house his film plays in, but I would be willing to bet there’s a much better chance than it would have had had he not said anything at all.
