For a smaller, independently run arthouse, spending between $70,000 and $120,000 to convert to digital is a huge expense to shoulder, but might be unavoidable if 35mm prints can?t be found anymore. Also hurt are places like the UW-Cinematheque, the free on-campus film series that specializes in foreign and classic films often on loan from studios and private collections. The Cinematheque theater at Vilas Hall shows only 35mm film, as do the Marquee Theater in Union South and the Chazen Museum of Art?s screening room. But that may have to change down the road if studios stop making their movies available on film.
…UW professor emeritus David Bordwell said he was caught off guard by how swift and total digital?s rise to dominance came, and decided to chronicle the changeover through a series of detailed blog entries on his website, davidbordwell.net.