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The End of The Silver Screen Reading Ilets 1 Matching Week 10

The passage discusses the potential transition of cinema from analog film to digital formats. It notes that while modern films use digital sound and effects, they are still recorded and projected using over 100-year old film technology. The industry is considering a transition to digital production, distribution and projection that could make the process more efficient and reduce costs. However, some argue that digital lacks the warmth of film and updating equipment across cinemas would be challenging. Alternative approaches propose integrating cinema with other live events using digital video and projection technologies.

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Yulyanti Syakinah Perangin-angin Keliat
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144 views2 pages

The End of The Silver Screen Reading Ilets 1 Matching Week 10

The passage discusses the potential transition of cinema from analog film to digital formats. It notes that while modern films use digital sound and effects, they are still recorded and projected using over 100-year old film technology. The industry is considering a transition to digital production, distribution and projection that could make the process more efficient and reduce costs. However, some argue that digital lacks the warmth of film and updating equipment across cinemas would be challenging. Alternative approaches propose integrating cinema with other live events using digital video and projection technologies.

Uploaded by

Yulyanti Syakinah Perangin-angin Keliat
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The end of the silver screen?

Cinema technology has remained much the same for a century, so when will it go digital? Kevin Hilton views the
projections.
A.  Cinema is full of contradictions. It is high-tech and old-fashioned at the same time. Today's films are full of digital sound
and computer-generated special effects. Yet they are still stored on celluloid film, the basis of which is more than 100 years
old. They are also displayed with projectors and screens that seem to belong to our great grandparents' generation.
B.  Now that we are in the second century of cinema, there are moves to bring the medium right up to date. This will involve
revolutionising not just how films are made but also how they are distributed and presented. The aim is not only to produce
and prepare films digitally, but to be able to send them to movie theatres by digital, electronic means. High-resolution digital
projectors would then show the film. Supporters say this will make considerable savings at all stages of this chain,
particularly for distribution.
C.  With such a major technological revolution on the horizon, it seems strange that the industry is still not sure what to call
itself This may appear a minor point, but the choices, 'digital' cinema and 'electronic' cinema (e-cinema), suggest different
approaches to, and aspects of, the business. Digital cinema refers to the physical capture of images; e-cinema covers the
whole chain, from production through post-production (editing, addition of special effects and construction of soundtrack) to
distribution and projection.
D.  And what about the effects of the new medium? The main selling point of digital cinema is the high resolution and
sharpness of the final image. But those who support the old-fashioned approach to film point to the celluloid medium's
quality of warmth. A recurring criticism of video is that it may be too good: uncomfortably real, rather like looking through an
open window. In 1989, the director of the first full-length American digital high-definition movie admitted that the picture had
a 'stark, strange reality to it'.
E.  Even the money-saving aspect of e-cinema is doubted. One expert says that existing cinemas will have to show the new
material and not all of them will readily or rapidly furnish themselves with the right equipment. 'E-cinema is seen as a way of
saving money, because print costs a lot,' he says. Tut for that to work, cinemas have to be showing the films because
cinemas are the engine that drives the film industry.'
F.  This view has prompted some pro-digital entrepreneurs to take a slightly different approach. HD Thames is looking at
reinventing the existing cinema market, moving towards e-theatre, which would use digital video and projection to present
plays, musicals and some sporting events to the public. This is not that different from the large-screen TV system that was
set up in New York in 1930, and John Logie Baird's experiments with TV in the late 1920s and early 30s.
Questions 1-6
The Reading Passage has six paragraphs A–F.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.

List of Headings

iIndecision about a name

iiCurrent problems with distribution

iiiUncertainty about financial advantages

ivThe contrasts of cinema today

vThe history of cinema

viIntegrating other events into cinema

viiThe plans for the future of films

viiiAn unexpected advantage

ixToo true to life?

1Paragraph A ..........
2Paragraph B ..........
3Paragraph C ..........
4Paragraph D ..........
5Paragraph E ..........
6Paragraph F ..........

Questions 7-11

Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.


Write your answers in boxes 7-11 on your answer sheet.
There are big changes ahead for cinema if digital production takes place and the industry no longer uses (7)………….  and
gets rid of the old-fashioned (8) ………………… and used to show movies. The main advantage is likely to be that the final
image will be clearer. However, some people argue that the digital picture will lack (9) ……………….. In addition, digital
production will only reduce costs if cinemas are willing to buy new (10) . As a result, experiments with what is called (11) ''
may mark a change in the whole entertainment industry.

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