Storaro's interview in Filmmaker

[zak forrest]

Beyond focus, the next common problem is dirt, dust, and scratches.

Below that, poor registration, jitter.

Below that, annoying light leaks coming into the theater.

Below that, it's film breakage or jamming. Like I said, it's pretty rare in most theaters.

Badly designed theaters with light leaks won't really be solved by a switch to digital projection. And digital projectors still need to be focused, though there is less reason for it to drift during the day.

yeah my biggest peeve is the red light from exit signs going all over the corners of the screen. i forget what its like in los angeles (i go back and forth from LA and Maryland a lot) but in maryland every single theater i go to (theres a lot) always have red light on the screen. dark/black scenes just suck like that.. and the "best" theater in DC, the "Uptown" is the worst, they dont have double doors, so when you see a movie in the daytime and someone leaves the theater, BRIGHT as hell daylight floods the ENTIRE screen and you even see lots of white bars streaming across the screen (reflections from cars driving by) its been that way for years, ive complained countless times, i cant BELIEVE nobody has ever fixed that. seriously what is wrong with people. running a theater doesnt seem to be that hard. make sure theres no light on the screen, make sure its focused, make sure its loud. why do they always screw it up?

ps david you came to my class in calarts, maybe even twice actually. it was always the best. your book of stills is awesome. harris savides is one of my faves and when you pulled out deborah kara unger in the cab as an example of what a "good closeup" is, well, my heart just swelled..