Star Wars' creator George Lucas wants cinemas to go digital to fulfil his high-tech ambitions, writes Angus Kidman.

Published in The Bulletin, May 21 2002

George Lucas has ditched film forever. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was shot using digital cameras and Lucas, together with producer Rick McCallum, wants to convince moviegoers that digital movies should be seen in digital cinemas. "We must work together to enhance the theatrical film experience," McCallum told American cinema-owners at the ShoWest convention in March, urging them to install digital projection systems.

Not many cinema owners, however, are heeding the call. When Attack of the Clones opens on May 16, just 19 cinemas across the United States will be projecting the film digitally (up from the four that showed Episode I: The Phantom Menace in digital in 1999). In Australia, the situation is even more stark: there is not a single commercial cinema equipped for digital projection.

Digital production is cheaper than using film; it's also easier to integrate computer-generated characters into a wholly digital movie. But it must still be converted to celluloid stock for projection.

Moving to digital projection eliminates this step, allowing films to be delivered directly to cinemas via high-speed data networks. While this might raise piracy concerns, it would work to the advantage of exhibitors, who could quickly feature a popular movie on more screens without having to acquire more physical copies. It would also cut shipping and replication costs for profit-hungry studios.

So what's in it for audiences? Mainly quality, says Dave Evans, president of Technicolor Digital Cinema. He argues that conventional film degrades every time it's shown, while digital is always pristine.

Not everyone is convinced. Some critics believe digital projection will accelerate a trend towards films in which story and character are entirely subjugated by effects. The failure of last year's totally computer-generated Final Fantasy and the muted public response to the heavily digital Phantom Menace suggest the public believes there's more to film than high-tech effects.

The reason cinema owners are dragging their feet is expense and a lack of standards. The latter is being addressed by a technical alliance between seven studios, but the initial cost of going digital will still pose problems for independent cinema owners and lean chains.

Lucasfilm remains confident that digital uptake will continue to grow before the release of Star Wars: Episode III in 2005, and Lucas has even said he would like to restrict distribution of the movie to digitally equipped cinemas. But the question remains: if a guaranteed blockbuster such as a Star Wars movie can't induce cinema owners to upgrade their equipment, what will?