Movie theater management using special effects: Still open!
(Baonghean) - Recently, 3D cinemas have really become a trend that attracts viewers, especially young people who love to enjoy movies and technology. To ensure that this type of entertainment operates in accordance with regulations, it needs to be managed and supervised by the authorities.
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| 3D cinema on Nguyen Van Cu street (Vinh city). |
The increasing demand for entertainment has led to the trend of opening cinemas with special effects (3D, 4D) developing quite rapidly. Walking around Vinh City, we can see many 3D, 4D cinemas such as: Cinema 3D (60 Doc Thiet), Cinema caphe 3D (5 Thai Phien), Cinecoffe 44 Nguyen Van Troi... Preliminary statistics in Vinh City currently have about 12 coffee shops and cinemas using special effects. Many young people come here to enjoy movies of their choice, the ticket prices are also very affordable. Phan Thi Thanh, a resident of Quan Bau Ward, said: “Although the image and sound quality of many movies in the cinemas are not very good, I still often go to this cinema with my friends because the atmosphere is quite comfortable, and there is no need to buy tickets in advance. The ticket price for each movie is only 20-30 thousand VND, and you can choose which movie you like to watch.”
The appeal of 3D cinema with realistic images and vivid sound really attracts young people. However, the quality of these cinemas is still a matter of discussion. 3D Cinema (Nguyen Van Cu Street) opened in 2012, is one of the first locations in Vinh City to do business in this type of cinema. Customers only need to spend 30 thousand VND to watch any 3D movie they like. The manager of the cinema on Nguyen Van Cu Street said: "To have movies that serve the tastes of customers, mostly young people, our source of movies is mainly downloaded from the internet; previously, we bought the copyright of a few movies but the cost was expensive, and they could only be shown for a short time, so we could not compete."
There are even cinemas that use 100% of their movie sources from the internet. The owner of the 3D Diamond cinema on Phong Dinh Cang Street, Truong Thi Ward, said: “Customers who watch movies are mainly students, most of whom like to watch ghost and horror movies... These types of movies are available on the internet, so we can always meet the needs of our customers. Of course, the content of the movies is also selective.” However, we cannot ignore the ability to compete and attract customers. The shop will show movies with content depending on the needs of the audience. Among them, there are many violent and unhealthy movies that directly affect the lifestyle of young people.
In addition to the issue of movie content, are the accompanying equipment in the "spontaneous" cinema rooms serving the screening and viewing of movies really guaranteed? According to the manager of the cinema room on Nguyen Van Cu Street, it is not too difficult to have a cinema room of this type. After learning about how to design a 3D cinema room in Hanoi, Mr. Minh (the owner's son) bought the equipment to install it himself. The room is about 30 square meters wide and is designed like a mini cinema with: a large screen of about 140 - 160 inches; a set of speakers, a computer system, 2 projectors with 40 seats... the initial installation cost is 180 million VND. According to our observations, the cinema room is arranged and set up completely according to the owner's design; even the accompanying equipment such as glasses are equipped to suit the "budget" of the cinema owner. “We only buy glasses that cost 100,000 VND each. If we buy expensive glasses and don't preserve them properly, they can easily be lost or damaged, which is very costly.”
It seems that the owners of these cinemas are not very concerned with issues related to technical regulations for screening films using special effects and affecting the health of viewers. According to Mr. Duc, the owner of the cinema on Phong Dinh Cang Street, it is important to have a good projector, and speakers depend on the budget; glasses are only bought for a few tens of thousands of VND/piece... The general ticket price is only 20,000 VND, so it is difficult to make a profit with a large investment. Apart from the equipment for screening films and seats for customers, this cinema is not equipped with any other equipment. When asked about whether the cinema must apply for a license to distribute films, the owner of this cinema said, we have not seen any agency inspect or ask for any permission, even though this cinema has been operating for nearly 2 years.
Discussing this issue, Mr. Bui Quang Phuong - Head of the Department of Culture, Information and Sports of Vinh City admitted that most of the cinemas in the area currently use film sources downloaded from the internet. With the current explosion of information technology, it is very easy for cinemas to download films from websites. However, it is very difficult to censor the content of these films...
Regarding the management of cinemas in the city which is currently “lax”; mainly operating “spontaneously”, self-designed to operate, Mr. Phuong further explained, “Because this is a new type of film screening, we have not yet organized inspections and reviews. In the near future, we will coordinate with professional departments, wards and communes to organize inspections, based on State regulations, from there, instruct the cinemas to comply with the technical conditions for screening films using special effects; any place that has not complied with the regulations will be required to temporarily stop for correction. Check the content of the film, instruct the facilities to ensure that the screening of copyrighted films, labels…”.
In order to ensure that the screening of 3D and 4D films, especially in the form of film cafes, is in accordance with regulations, it is necessary for the authorities to establish management, inspection and supervision mechanisms. The owners of the cinemas and the audience themselves need to be aware of how to enjoy art properly, in accordance with the cultural lifestyle and customs of the nation.
Don't wait until the horse is gone to build the barn. According to the definition of the cultural industry, films using special effects that affect viewers are films produced on the basis of combining the effectiveness of 3D and 4D films with special effects in the theater, created to suit the context of the film, directly affecting the viewer, creating the feeling that the viewer is participating in the scene of the film. Because of such special effects, this new form of entertainment is very attractive to audiences, especially the young generation. There would be nothing to complain about and worry about if these cinemas were used for their intended purpose as a healthy and beneficial means of entertainment. In the past, when karaoke was born, it created an opportunity for entertainment of a cultural nature that could be said to be "beyond wonderful" for the whole society. Initially, business people also built pure singing rooms, entertainment in the form of having fun together, singing together. But then, to create attraction and gain more profit, that type of entertainment quickly turned into a disguised service for prostitution, drugs, and gambling under the guise of singing rooms. To the point that this type of entertainment, which was originally very effective and very healthy, was equated with social evils by the whole society. The emergence of cinemas using special effects and having a strong attraction for young people has made many people, especially the management agencies of this field, worried that it will be transformed in a negative direction. Therefore, the most important thing is to have effective management solutions to maintain the health and usefulness of this new form of entertainment. Healthiness here includes both literal and figurative meanings. Because 3D movies themselves give viewers images and feelings that are as real as real, but if viewed incorrectly, it will be harmful to health. Specifically, 3D technology allows the display of many images in one second, so the eyes will have to work continuously, very quickly tired. Using substandard 3D glasses will have a negative impact on the eyes. Mild cases cause eye pain and watery eyes. Severe cases cause eye diseases with long-term effects. If you watch too much, you will get dizzy, even have a stroke, because the images change continuously, the feeling of joy, fear, speed... intertwined can cause immediate nervous disorders. Not to mention, too many people using the same 3D glasses can easily lead to eye diseases... However, in reality, due to limited budget and to ensure maximum profit, mini cinemas using special effects often use cheap, substandard equipment, making it difficult to meet safety standards for users. Therefore, the governing body needs to pay close attention so that the screening rooms meet the conditions stipulated in Circular No. 20/2013/TT-BVHTTDL stipulating a number of management contents for the dissemination of films using special effects that affect moviegoers issued by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and effective from April 1 this year. In addition, the content of the film must also be strictly managed. Because using copyrighted films is too expensive, most of them download films from the internet. And the criteria for attracting viewers is the newer and hotter the better. They do not need to care whether the film is allowed to be released by the state or not, whether the content is toxic or not, how it affects the viewers, etc. In addition, the screening room, if it meets the requirements, will become an "oasis". Sound and light cannot escape. And in those closed rooms, what people do is unknown to God. That is fertile ground for all kinds of social evils to hide. The cultural sector needs to anticipate this in order to have timely and effective management and supervision measures. Don’t wait until “the cow is gone before you build the barn.” Duy Huong |
Dinh Nguyet - Kieu Anh
