The end of paper posters - will digital displays mean no more printed posters?

[agentprovocateur]

I have been thinking about this question and am not sure what will happen, it'd be interesting to know what other people think.

With the advent of digital displays in cinemas, although at quite an early stage, what do people think about their effect on the continued printing of paper posters for films!?

If the printed page is used as an example I would probably say 'not', or very slowly, as technology companies have been trying to design digital books for quite a while (ipad and kindle) but there doesn't seem to be a big take up. Consumers still like the 'artifact' of the printed book, something tangible the reader can touch.

The concept of the printed film poster comes from a slightly different angle tho, they're not an interactive object where the viewer actually handles the paper but advertising that promotes a specific film visually.

There are a couple of benefits I can see with digital film posters, economically it would benefit the film companies as they would not have print and distribution costs, just the design fee and an email to get the visual to the cinemas for them to upload (of course there would be the initial one-off cost to produce the screens). I think it would also have quite an impact on the public as we're all so savvy with computers and the internet, seeing animated digital displays rather than static paper posters allows movement and sound join the images giving the displays more impact.

This said, and if digital displays do begin to supercede printed posters, what direction do you think this would take film poster collecting!? Posters would stop being printed leaving a finite list of posters available to buy. Would prices automatically start to rise? Could it be the death of film poster collecting!? Would more people begin collecting as they know no more are going to be printed? Would people begin to collect the original digital files?

I've never done a poll before so hopefully this works! I have done a quick search and didn't see this subject mentioned before, but if it has been covered feel free to remove the offending thread.

Looking forward to hearing your thought.
AP

[jayn_j]

Not sure this requires a crystal ball.  Look how digital billboards are replacing conventional paper ones.

The movie poster is just more of the same in that an electronic poster can make more efficient use of the space by cycling through posters instead of having to have a frame for every one displayed.  It also allows for trailers and clips to be displayed.  Finally changing them out is quick and can be done in a batch remotely from the corporate offices.

The only reason I hedged my response as "possibly" is because paper will live on for awhile in specials like standees and in smaller venues.  This will all be eventually replaced as well, but no timeframe was given in the poll.

[bondposters.com]

I think this was touched on a while back on MPF if I remember correctly.
Not sure if it was T or Holiday, or it may have been someone else!?

Anyway, I think it's a dead cert paper will be made redundant - how long that process takes is another matter, but one thing's for sure, echoing the last time this was talked about, collecting the digital versions will be the next thing.

The death of poster collecting? I doubt it.
It will only make it stronger in my opinion.

Best,
Adam

[paul waines]

I have mentioned this subject a couple of times on this board, I still think it will push paper poster prices up, as there will be no more!! as i said before we'll be carrying our poster collection around on a i-pod type device... Not for me I'm afraid.

[eatbrie]

I cannot wait.  I'm sick and tired of collecting new paper just because I started themed collections I cannot stop now.  At least that will force me to stop.  It will take some time, though.  Years after the birth of Dolby, THX, Digital and 3D, a lot of theaters around the country still can't afford the new formats.  It will be the same with digital posters.

T

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

The end draws nigh for sure.  As I was walking to the subway tonight, I snapped this photo of a digital display at a bus shelter a couple of blocks from the White House.  If it's feasible to add large displays to bus shelters, it's feasible to add them to theater lobbies:

[ddilts399]

It will happen, but not until the studio's or the Deluxe and Technicolor foot the bill for some of the small guys. You would not believe how stubborn the small town single screen owners can be. It will be a ways out, but I would imagine within the next decade or two. You would have thought everybody would be digital buy now, but there is still a large percentage that are running good ol' 35mm and it is going to be that way for quite sometime. At some point, the digital exclusives will force them to convert.

[MoviePosterBid.com]

dale, after the infrastructure is in place at the big multiplexes all over the country, the distributors will all use actuarial scales to see how long before the costs of them doing business with paper products shipped etc will be absorbed by creating a plan where the small theatres can get some kind of grants to pay for the system. I'd say within 6-10 year 90+% of all theatres will have gone totally digital. This will either drive smaller exhibitors out of business or they'll have to update.

this of course will never happen with revival houses and art theatres which work on an entirely different economic philosophy, at least for more than 10 years.. after that they'll probably have a combination of digital and standard projection and displays

[Dr Hackenbush]

I have seen the future and it is here

[bondposters.com]

I have seen the future and it is here

Seeing that above the entrance to a cinema would look awesome, especially at night.
As a visual display on it's own it would be stunning IMO.

Best,
Adam

[ddilts399]

Yeah, the latest craze of motion posters are pretty neat. How many theaters are going to put 15 digital displays out front where they can get ripped off though? Inside, I see the transition happening fairly quickly for the multiplexes, outside, at least in my neck of the woods, they will have to come up with something to keep them from disappearing.

[jayn_j]

Yeah, the latest craze of motion posters are pretty neat. How many theaters are going to put 15 digital displays out front where they can get ripped off though? Inside, I see the transition happening fairly quickly for the multiplexes, outside, at least in my neck of the woods, they will have to come up with something to keep them from disappearing.

I guess that's not how I see it happening.  I think the multiple poster cases will disappear and be replaced with a single but larger display.  That display will cycle through material and will likely be mounted higher and out of reach.

[bondposters.com]

At the end of the day, though, if someone wants to steal something so bad, they will no matter the obstacle.

Best,
Adam

[MoviePosterBid.com]

oh there are very easy ways to install and prevent theft.

first way would be to recess them back into the brick or concrete outer wall with access from the rear. The enclosure would be too small to remove the display from outside. this is most likely how they would be mounted

what I think we'll see also though is a large array at marquee level that shows trailers, posters and the like outside the theatre. Nothing like trailers outside to draw people in. Can you imagine driving into an outdoor parking lot & seeing the theatre marquee showing trailers from across the parking lot, especially at night.

[jayn_j]

The variables that will keep paper around are the international market and the resale market.

If 80% of the posters sold never hang in a theater, the studios will probably want to hang on to that revenue source.  It will just be tougher for us collectors to rationalize that these posters are "genuine"

By the same token, many foreign markets are not going to invest in digital displays for some time.

[MoviePosterBid.com]

The variables that will keep paper around are the international market and the resale market.

If 80% of the posters sold never hang in a theater, the studios will probably want to hang on to that revenue source.  It will just be tougher for us collectors to rationalize that these posters are "genuine"

By the same token, many foreign markets are not going to invest in digital displays for some time.

the studios I don't beleive get one penny from posters, though the distributors do - in actual violation of their contracts probably. I don't know a single studio owned store or website where you can buy their posters except in some very unique situations.

[ddilts399]

What Rich said. 95% of the new posters are sold by theater employees or owners, I will not touch on the other 5% other than to say, the studios do not know they are being sold either.

The problem with the display theory is, it takes a massive redesign of existing structures. New builds, which are verrryy slow right now, will probably digitize everything.

I think the 80% collector saturation rate estimate is also very high. The poster collecting market is not really that large of a market. The most I have sold through on a title is in the range of 200 to single buyers. Now figure 100 other sellers sell that quantity, that is still only 2000 posters. I talked to an independent studio a few months ago and the minimum run they can get from a printer is 1000 posters, which they ran at least twice, and that is for a very low distributed flim. Something that hits 3000 screens more than likely is going to have 10K plus posters printed and that is more than likely on the low side. So say Iron Man has 10K posters, 2000 go to collectors and ever theater manager and his cousins. That is still 8K used for marketing purposes.

My math is probably off here and there, and I'm sure Rich will correct me  , but the hobby is still VERY much black market.

[MoviePosterBid.com]

My math is probably off here and there, and I'm sure Rich will correct me  , but the hobby is still VERY much black market.

the only thing to correct is this, your math really is off

The most I have sold through on a title is in the range of 200 to single buyers. Now figure 100 other sellers sell that quantity, that is still only 2000 posters.

[CineMasterpieces]

paper? who needs friggin' paper!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7t90X8qpEA

[ddilts399]

the only thing to correct is this, your math really is off

Whoops, drop a zero on one!

[Simes]

If the printed page is used as an example I would probably say 'not', or very slowly, as technology companies have been trying to design digital books for quite a while (ipad and kindle) but there doesn't seem to be a big take up. Consumers still like the 'artifact' of the printed book, something tangible the reader can touch.

I think reports are now being released to the effect that Amazon are selling more e-books than the conventional sort.

Yes, I do think the paper posters will disappear in favour of electronic screens.  The screens are already everywhere; the underground, bus shelters, ad boards.  There will soon be no need for the paper poster.

[agentprovocateur]

I didn't realise this had been discussed so much, had a quick search on MPF and saw the previous threads, loads of interesting comments.

On the move from paper posters to digital displays I'd agree with the consensus that over a period of time we'll see the gradual transfer from ink to light. I still think there are a couple of areas within film advertising that effect how fast and how much the digital revolution will go. An important part of the marketing for a film is early/press/vip/royal/public screenings that have designed and printed material handed out, and on national and local level there will still need to be newspaper and magazine adverts designed. Also, from small art house cinemas up to large chains, programmes/listings that advertise up-coming shows are a vital part of marketing films.

I think my point is that because there will still be so much information/advertising for each film designed to be printed is it that (financially) simple to say digital is the definitive way to go?

Probably my main reason for this thread (which didn't come across well in my first post!) was the more esoteric and emotional angle from film poster collectors such as ourselves. I'm quite surprised that everyone's so sanguine about the possibility there may be a time when we can't get a (paper) poster for the latest release.

Will people start collecting the digital files for each film? Some may, but won't the whole ethos and desirability of a paper poster in it's limited availability be lost. There will be no need for grading, all the digital files will be perfect, the word 'authentic' will be consigned to history, and with the ability and ease to copy the files where's the excitement of the hunt!?

I've even got a CD somewhere with the original 'Spiderman 2' digital file on it (spidey head and shoulders side on with the '2' at the bottom), full resolution and sharp as the day it was created. But what do I do with it?

I for one will be very sad to see the end of film poster paper in my lifetime.

[bondposters.com]

On the move from paper posters to digital displays I'd agree with the consensus that over a period of time we'll see the gradual transfer from ink to light. I still think there are a couple of areas within film advertising that effect how fast and how much the digital revolution will go. An important part of the marketing for a film is early/press/vip/royal/public screenings that have designed and printed material handed out, and on national and local level there will still need to be newspaper and magazine adverts designed. Also, from small art house cinemas up to large chains, programmes/listings that advertise up-coming shows are a vital part of marketing films.

Some very good points in there, mate.

[jayn_j]

On the move from paper posters to digital displays I'd agree with the consensus that over a period of time we'll see the gradual transfer from ink to light. I still think there are a couple of areas within film advertising that effect how fast and how much the digital revolution will go. An important part of the marketing for a film is early/press/vip/royal/public screenings that have designed and printed material handed out, and on national and local level there will still need to be newspaper and magazine adverts designed. Also, from small art house cinemas up to large chains, programmes/listings that advertise up-coming shows are a vital part of marketing films.

I've even got a CD somewhere with the original 'Spiderman 2' digital file on it (spidey head and shoulders side on with the '2' at the bottom), full resolution and sharp as the day it was created. But what do I do with it?

Except that the newspaper itself is dying and being replaced with online content.  Magazines are in much the same boat.  Just look at how healthy something like Slate is (online only).  Many of my trade mags are now online content only as well.  Many nationals have folded recently.

Why bother to get upset?  It is going to happen.  I think one thing we should be concerned about is how we handle the transition.  With legitimate digital masters floating around, reproductions are going to be extremely difficult to detect.  Kind of like counterfeit money, which has gotten so sophisticated that only the tight control on the paper itself is saving us.

Some have also mentioned the expense of converting to digital displays.  I think you will find that will cost less than you think.  A small theater can get in the game for $1k by adding a 42-50" display and placing it in a recessed display.  At worst, small venues will be expected to take the artwork over to Kinkos and have a poster made.

As for collecting digital content, why not, but don't expect it to be 'collectable'.  Go type in a google search for any 10 year old movie trailer and see how it is still available online.  Poster artwork will be the same.

[bondposters.com]

Except that the newspaper itself is dying and being replaced with online content.  Magazines are in much the same boat.  Just look at how healthy something like Slate is (online only).  Many of my trade mags are now online content only as well.  Many nationals have folded recently.

There will always be a place for printed media though.
Waterstone's, a book store here in the UK, I know are currently working on a new advertising campaign to get people back into reading the printed word. There is a huge reason why the printed word will never die - digital can be turned off. Printed cannot.