I went to take my nephew to the 3d film “journey to the centre of the earth”. We were given our glasses made by real d technology. My nephew lost his by the time we screened so we had to get another pair. The movie was garbage. It could have been cool. they seemed to be on to something about the untouched earth. the effects that are supposed to dazzle you took precedent to story but to no real effect. When we left the theatre I went to return our sunglasses. I asked the usher where we should put our glasses (after noticing a bunch was being put next to the garbage) and he said “throw them out.” I was shocked and thought I heard wrong (after immediately doing the math and imagining a huge pile of these glasses in a landfill somewhere) and I said “what?, in the garbage?!?” to which he replied, “or you can take them home, it doesn’t matter to us”
I turned around and watched the people of the theatre all coming out with glasses in their hands waiting to be discarded. Most of them were putting their glasses NEXT to the garbage as if that didn’t make them responsible for actually throwing them out. I couldn’t believe that in this day and age we were still making new technology as if we were still living in the dark ages. I needed to do something about it but my nephew was complaining about a sore stomach (from all the coke he drank against my better judgment) so I approached the manager with just one question: “how many people are in this theatre?” to which he replied “385”. “How many shows a day?” “5” he said. “And you throw all these out afterwards?” I ask showing him the sunglasses to which he replied “oh don’t worry, the distributor pays for it.”
He didn’t care. He wasn’t able to see. All these people in this theatre, all the theatres in this country and the US all the people making the films with this technology, those people involved, no one cares about the waste? Who is taking responsibility? I find even myself not having the time to look into this and if I drop it, then who will do this? Are we blindly relying on corporations to do the right thing? How come I don’t have anyone to complain to? Where do I start?
Some initial research shows that Real D started with the need to make National Geographic films. That’s kind of ironic. A company whose mission states: “Join us as we continue our non-profit mission to explore the planet and sustain its extraordinary places, creatures, and cultures.” That’s funny. I guess the human race isn’t included in this and the future of the planet is somewhat disregarded here. I am sure that its important to bring kids in the movie seats and show them what the planet looked like in the past before we started doing ignorant things like making these films without having a solution of what to do with the glasses and these places in the film are now being used as a landfill site – but its cool because its in 3D! Press Release shows that Peter Gabriel is doing the music an ongoing activist in environmental issues. People are moving on this technology and film format and exhibition. I can’t figure out why this red flag has not been raised. How many theatres? How many people? What’s going on? I thought the movie industry was trying to be sustainable? I now have three pairs of sunglasses that I refuse to throw out. What am I going to do with them????
I’m still waiting on phone calls from Cineplex, National Geographic and Real D.
8 Comments
Wow! Billie, thank-you for posting this. I assume you saw this film at the recent 3 D Festival in Toronto. I am totally shocked at this and would like to see someone take responsibility. If you have not already, let’s make sure the Festival Organizers are aware of this. I may have some names for you.
Wow that’s terrible. Why can’t people re-use glasses? It’s not like its re-using someone else’s cup. They reuse shoes at the bowling alley. We sit in public seats. What is the big deal.
no idea. the manager just didnt care. its like he had no idea that it was a problem. he didnt get what I was getting at. i spoke to the communications office at cineplex today and they “Thought they had re-used them and had a washing site on hand but weren’t too sure because they were not to familiar with it.” there was definately no washing site because this manager certainly knew nothing about it.
While I think that it’s criminal to callously throw the glasses away repeatedly, performance after performance, what’s really criminal is that it’s not even necessary. I believe Sony, Samsung, and Toshiba all have real 3D screens that do not require glasses. I have seen one of these (I think it was a Toshiba) in action and it was awesome! No glasses required, images off the screen and right in your face. The technology is available, but I guess it’s too expensive to mass-produce for theatres right now. What a waste. Literally.
yes. criminal being the key word. for every sunglass in the landfill site bleaching who knows what chemicals into the water bed and not disappearing for a million years they should be fined. i wonder who will take responsibility for this, if at all?
what can i do about it?!? i’m enraged!
Not that you have time (who does) but some organizations you may want to alert to this are as follows:
In Toronto - try the Recycling Council of Ontario, or Environmental Defence (they did the toxic plastic water bottle campaign) Canada wide try the Sierra Club or the David Suzuki Foundation ( the Sustainability Program would be best)
In America - In California to be exact - land of Hollywood films there is an organization called Grassroots Reclycling Network. They seem more radical and might light to blow the whistle on something high profile. In particular they mightrespond to some of the ironies you point out (National Geographic? Peter Gabriel): http://www.grrn.org/general/contact_us.html
Keep me posted
Cherise Burda
The Pembina Institute
Ontario Policy Director
http://www.pembina.org/
I was going to buy a 3D/HD monitor from one of my vendors (completely outrageous in price - but a necessity since I was about to shoot 3D) the “Real D” glasses are rediculous. I’m sure if they put another $1m into the research of the glasses, they could have designed it to be eco-friendly since they are disposable! I give it 3 more theatrical features before someone outside the industry realizes and just has a field-day on the topic.
Cheers!
Billie,
Why are people now a days so interested in only instant gratification? Almost the movies we watch have almost no educational value, and the few that do like the occasional documentary. Then the movies like “V for Vendetta”, “Batman: The Dark Knight” almost no one sees how the trend of movies (other than chick flicks) are getting more apocalyptic then they used to be even a few years ago. Everything about the world going to hell, and some hero rises to the scene, but we can’t just rely on someone to pop out right in the nick of time, and save our sorry asses, we need to start acting now. Why doesn’t anyone seem to have some foresight. Things on earth are not going the way they have been in the last several millennium. But maybe this is exactly how things are meant to go. Maybe America is supposed to be hated, maybe we are supposed to blow all our money on a war over oil. Imagine if we spent a fraction of the money we have spent on Operation Iraqi Liberation on fuel alternatives how many amazing different, ways we would have to sit on our asses while getting places. It is so sad to think of that, but then again maybe that’s exactly the way it’s meant to go. I believe we are in for a interesting ride, and I would be prepared for just about anything at this point. For now lets all just hope that these problems are pushed down to our grand-children, shall we?
Billie, you sound surprised when people speak to you in their agnorant way. That’s the way it is now, people like to live in a world where as long as they don’t kill someone everything is fair game. People think “Hey nature’s not going to call the cops on me so who cares about it? It isn’t going to effect me I rule the world and everything on it. Nature is my plaything. It exists to please me.” Nooooo, you are natures toy, think about all the “odd” happenings lately, thousands of people dying, and I’m not talking about terrorists (surprise surprise!) I’m talking about hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, these are at bigger scales then usual. Not necessarily because the wave is bigger, or the wind is stronger, but because we have crammed all of these “S*** boxes” all over the planet, and they aren’t meant to survive in so called “extreme” conditions. Because we are ignorant, and arrogant to these happenings. So the earth comes and spanks us into submission, but we are then left with no one to blame. We are shocked for about two months tops, then it blows over, just like every single other thing that has ever happened on earth. So why is it surprising when people say “Who cares shit in mother natures mouth, she won’t mind.” So Billie that’s why we’re here to show people that it does matter when you put crap into the thing that gives you life.
Daniel Silverman