Paul Schrader: "Cinema, as we know it, is dying"

[Sabin]

I suppose he's right. Cinema, AS WE KNOW IT, is dying. But as a whole it's changing. Look at Paranormal Activity for god's sake. That alone is evidence of a phenomenon that has largely been dead for the past decade coming very much back into style. Right project, right time, difficult climate.

[OscarGuy]

I think the big screen will stay around. Despite the proliferation of illegal downloads, the movie business is still recording record box office results and most of the people my age still go to the movies to see them on a huge screen, which isn't as easy on a small TV or even a wide-screen TV.

And if 3D can stick around, people won't be able to get that as easily at home.

[Greg]

Free television didn't put movies out of business. I think it will all move to the Internet, with the "big" movies being pay-per-view and the "smaller" and older movies being what is already done on YouTube, where people watch the movies for free, but they have embedded commercials.

[dreaMaker]

I basicly agree, but i don't think it's necessarily dying. Maybe one day it will become a thing of the past, but somehow i think people will find the way to keep movies profitable.

[anonymous1980]

I went to a talk with Paul Schrader today (he signed my Taxi Driver DVD - *squeal*). He was in town for a film festival. He basically talked about his career and the film business in general.

He said something interesting: Cinema, as we know it, is dying. Pretty soon, going to a movie theater with a projected image on the screen will become a thing of the past due to the influx of new media and the internet. He doesn't see how movies, particularly independent films, can make money if they can just download movies for free.

Do you agree or disagree?