Comments on: The Great “Movies on an iPhone” Debate

By: bawdlerize « Arnold Zwicky’s Blog

bawdlerize « Arnold Zwicky’s Blog — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:26:14 +0000

[...] I’ve seen the beautiful 70mm print [of Lawrence of Arabia] owned by the Seattle Cinerama Theater; I’ve seen the pan-and-scanned, adbridged and bawdlerized version distributed on VHS; and I’ve seen the widescreen version on DVD in current circulation. (link) [...]

By: Optoma Pico Pocket Projector Delivers Big Pictures, for a Price [NewTeeVee] | BYOHosting.com Blogs

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 09:23:55 +0000

[...] videos on your iPod or cell phone is hardly ideal: If you’re lucky, the screen will be just slightly bigger than a postage stamp. Enter the [...]

By: Optoma Pico Pocket Projector Delivers Big Pictures, for a Price

Optoma Pico Pocket Projector Delivers Big Pictures, for a Price — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:02:09 +0000

[...] Projector Delivers Big Pictures, for a Price Watching videos on your iPod or cell phone is hardly ideal: If you’re lucky, the screen will be just slightly bigger than a postage stamp. Enter the [...]

By: Watch Movies on Iphone

Watch Movies on Iphone — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:37:44 +0000

If you'd like to watch movies on your Iphone, you've come to the right place. In order to do this, you have a few different choices and ways to go about it.

By: Jackson West

Jackson West — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:06:19 +0000

Sure, but unlike a typical IMAX film, Lawrence of Arabia is also a story, and works on that level regardless of the format.

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:46:11 +0000

I think you're missing the point. Many scenes in Lawrence of Arabia were designed with the express intent of conveying a sense of massive scale that is diminished by a small screen to a much greater degree than would be the case for, for example, Juno.

By: Jackson West

Jackson West — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:13:51 +0000

Sarahmeyers, of course the pic and player are from Gizmodo (to whom I’ve liberally linked as the only video provider thanks to the AMPAS diligence on the DMCA front).

And as I threatened my editors, I’d like to point any kvetching DPs to Walter Benjamin’s “Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” An essay to which I linked in my response to Kent Nichol’s piece in response to Lynch’s popularity.

http://kentnichols.com/2008/01/05/david-lynch-is-a-tool/

By: sarahmeyers

sarahmeyers — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:19:12 +0000

have to agree with @neovids :)

By: sarahmeyers

sarahmeyers — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:18:34 +0000

Love your post Jackson. It's always a pleasure engaging in the conversation.

He is right about the small screen though.

That's an interesting player. Where is it from?

By: Jackson West

Jackson West — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:07:58 +0000

Akshun J (great handle, BTW) -- I actually got on a Muni bus in "Multimedia Gulch" here in San Francisco and sat next to four people, all listening, watching or talking on iPhones. And I can only imagine how many iPhone owners will be on Southwest Airlines' Oakland to Austin non-stop flight the Friday before SXSWi.

But point taken. Still, when you include all the portable video devices (especially the cheap, portable DVD players with screens not much bigger than an iPhone) I think you've got a viable movie-watching audience that could care a whit if they're fulfilling the "director's intent" in terms of viewing experience.

By: Deepak

Deepak — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:13:39 +0000

I completely disagree. Lawrence of Arabia is my favorite movie of all time and I can't even fathom watching it on an iPhone screen (it's bad enough on a 14" laptop screen). The content has to be different (TV shows are fine) and that's OK. New content for new ways of delivering media is a good thing. Lawrence of Arabia barely looks good on a wide screen TV, why spoil the experience.

But then I think mp3's are the worst way of listening to music (at least the usually 128 mbps stuff that most people listen to)

By: Akshun J

Akshun J — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:26:16 +0000

"Would I watch Lawrence on an iPhone? Of course I would! But then I ride the bus and fly coach, something I doubt many in the audience last night can say."

??? I can't remember the last time I saw an iPhone owner on the bus or flying coach...

By: neovids

neovids — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:15:29 +0000

I have to disagree with you on this one. I certainly see the value of video on phones, but I think there will have to be new forms of storytelling that will be a better fit for this medium. I've worked with enough DP's to know that most would be horrified to have their work viewed in this way, and I don't really blame David Lynch for kvetching about it either.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:14:54 +0000

Every day at lunch I sit in my car on lunch and watch a movie on my iPhone. It is not for the experience of the movie, but an activity to pass the time while not sitting in a break room talking about work. I watch movies on my 52inch TV or my 22 inch computer monitor and the experience is not much different than the movie theater. WHAT????? you say, yup. I go to the theater and I have the 16 year old kids that are chatting and laughing at the parts they shouldn't be laughing at. Or you get that couple that brings in there 2 year old to a huge action movie. Tell me they aren't crying 15 minutes in!. I go for the story not the cinematic value. But, that's just me.

By: Sean Fitzroy

Sean Fitzroy — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:08:58 +0000

Someone might want to let David Lynch know that the iPhone's resolution is significantly higher than that of VHS (which served viewers quite well for many years). The sound is also better than VHS "hi-fi" and less prone to dropouts.

Perhaps he could tell us exactly what screen size would make "Inland Empire" bearable.

By: Matt_

Matt_ — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:22:31 +0000

A news report on a small screen absolutly but a 2 hour movie on a 2-4 inch screen is stupid .

I might watch a movie on a 8 inch screen like on a EEEPC or even on the back of a seat on a plane or car but on a mobile phone screen no way .