The Sunday NYT Arts section is often a forum for unpaid advertisements – the long story about some about to be released movie or soon to open play in which the reporter has nothing much to say beyond, ‘gee, ain’t it great!’. This week encomium was to Polar Express, to be released in a couple of weeks. The story was dressed up as a report about some new technology used in creating the movie, but it was, all the same, a long advertisement. It was also a little but funny.
“But there is a revolution hiding inside this seemingly innocuous family film, to be released by Warner Brothers on Nov. 10. The first star-driven film to cross completely over to the digital domain, it might change the way movies are made and seen.”
Well, obviously not the first purely digital film, so it must be that “star-driven film” marks some category. How one distinguishes this film as star-driven from Shrek, someone else will have to figure out.
“In the process it does away with many of the most basic elements of filmmaking: there are no expensive sets to be built, no elaborate lighting to be rigged, no bulky camera to be painstakingly hauled into place.”
This is interesting: “no expensive sets to be built.” The film has production costs of $160 million. I take it savings are industry-wide at some undisclosed time in the future. Sort of like net job gains from a Wal-Mart.
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