'Social Aspect Of Cinema In Theatres Can’t Be Replicated At Home'

V. Senthil Kumar, co-foun­der of Chennai-based Qube Cinema Technologies that pioneered digital cinema concepts in India and provides digital cinema technologies and solutions worldwide, has received the honour of being invited to be a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In an interview to G.C. Shekhar, he discusses the future of post-Covid cinema, the impact of OTT and future technology that will bring people back to theatres.

Are you the first technology person from India to receive this honour?

I will fit into the category of ‘members at large’, who are associated with the film industry but do not get film credit. Since we are in the technology side of cinema, like creating a movie in the correct digital format, delivering it to theatres and giving them the keys to play it, we have been chosen under the ‘members at large’ category.

The movie industry, like others, is reeling from the impact of corona. No movies are being produced, distributed or screened. Even those waiting for theatre release are going the OTT way. How do you see the industry recovering from this setback?

Optimistically, by mid-August theatres will open and start screening old movies. If audiences feel comfortable, by mid-September new movies could release and if the trend continues Diwali could be a bumper occasion. On the pessimistic side, if cases continue to grow people will be scared and we may see a reopening by March or April in 2021, when a vaccine might be available.

Will OTT overtake theatre releases, since it costs money to build and maintain cinema halls and multiplexes?

I don’t think so. Anything at home is under your control, so your attention is not as high as in a theatre. You know that if you look at your phone in the theatre you’d miss something, and a rewind isn’t possible. That loss of control and that you are in an isolated environment without distractions are one part. Also, you are part of a group of likeminded persons who came to see a film. Their emotions influence yours and yours influence theirs. So the social aspect of cinema cannot be replicated at home.

On the business side, every person is charged a ticket fee. You can never charge that kind of money in OTT--even if you create a category called premium OTT you can at the most charge Rs 500 a month. The moment you charge more the movie will get pirated. Even if you charge more legally, you will never make the kind of money that you do in theatre. If theatres do not work out as an outlet for movies then movie budgets are going to be terribly constrained.

Will theatres be able to command the same price from producers, since they will have fewer seats on offer due to restrictions, and thus must screen more shows to generate collections? OTTs may offer more money to producers for a direct release. Also, with restrictions on food stalls, theatres will need other avenues for income. Even advertisers in cinema halls will be targeting smaller audiences. The near future does not look rosy.

OTTs can pay the cost of production plus a small margin of say 15 per cent. But then nobody makes a movie with a small margin in mind. Everyone aims to make a superhit and land the jackpot. If that confidence is lacking, you will never make a movie. You need that confidence for the industry to bounce back.

Your company pioneered the digital projection and distribution of cinema. What technological leap do you think will bridge the huge time lag that the industry has suffered?

Immersive audio was a big jump in making sound so real. The next big jump will be in picture where you will have LED screens that are far bigger in size and quality compared to TV screens.

Have 3D movies hit a plateau? Why has IMAX really not taken off in India even after the success of Baahubali?

3D definitely needs better technology to make it more acceptable to audiences. Having to watch 3D movies with glasses and low brightness will always be a compromise. Only when we have really bright 3D without glasses will it make a comeback. As for IMAX, it has a business model that is so expensive that their franchisees in India are unable to make money. That is why other premium large formats that are less expensive but with excellent visual and audio experience will find a market in India. We introduced the EPIQ format--with large screens and immersive audio but not prohibitively expensive for the exhibitor.

In Bollywood or South Indian cinema movies with better content are outperforming even those featuring big stars. Do you think techno-wizardry will be replaced by better story-telling? In that case, will the theatre experience give way to at home viewing of movies via OTT or DTH?

There will be both types. True, simpler story lines that do not require special effects or the grand vista of a big screen may take the OTT route. But there will always be place for a mid-size film and large productions with a larger vista which will be an enjoyable experience only on the big screen. Also in India movies are driven by fans for whom nothing less that the theatre experience would suffice.

How will movie production be impacted by the COVID-19 protocols of social distancing, masks etc? Or will there be a natural pause till a vaccine arrives?

Some stars may have reservations about shooting till a vaccine arrives. Shoots with those actors who have recovered and are likely more resistant may resume. On the post production side it will move more towards cloud based workflow where you don’t need to sit next to an editor or colorist. We need to come up with a practical system. So that would lead to an Indian film being edited by someone in Hollywood or a Hollywood movie using a music composer here. There will be greater collaboration of technical talents across the world.

Indian films have not seen much success at the Academy awards. Are we sending the wrong movies? For example, our last entry, Gullyboy was a copy of 8 Mile. Should we not send more original content with greater nativity, like Iran does?

Absolutely. We are sending movies that are catering only to the Indian elite who are not any different from the elite of the rest of the world. What will truly capture the imagination of the world will be when we show the reality and culture of India, which is being captured better by regional films than Hindi movies. That is what the West will be amazed about. Parasite was unabashedly a Korean movie. It did not try to be anything else. That is why it clicked.