The digital age is upon us and Exeter is leading the way with the Picturehouse and Vue’s spectacular digital projections.

What is digital and why is it better?

For over 100 years, watching a film in the cinema has been pretty much the same. Some celluloid is shot at high speed past a light and, voila, a movie appears. Is this bad? Not especially, but after a few times of running around, the celluloid begins to deteriorate. For classic films or those that have been on release for a while, the viewing experience is severely diminished. Digital, however, shoots images from a disc or via a live digital stream, meaning the quality will never change no matter how many times you watch the film. Plus, with no need for manual focus, the image is crystal-clear all the time.

What does this mean?

Brand new films, like Picturehouse’s recent showing of Elizabeth: The Golden Age, appear at maximum potential with the projection doing justice to the funky new cameras the filmmakers used. Even better is the showcasing of classic films that look better than you have ever seen them before. The renewed and remastered Blade Runner: The Final Cut, shown at the Picturehouse last term, looked newer than new, drawing you deeper into the world of Los Angeles 2019.

Wait… it gets better!

What’s more, digital is cheaper. Rather than lugging around six boxes of heavy celluloid, digital just involves a little disc or even waves in the air, severely reducing costs which means (eventually) cheaper cinema. With quicker and cheaper distribution the range of films available is increasing. Picturehouse’s screening of 1921 classic Nosferatu accompanied by a live soundtrack was an experience beyond that of much modern cinema.

Picturehouse, 51 Bartholomew Street West, 0871 704 2057

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James White