Tradition Meets the Modern Age

Paramount Pictures' centennial photograph.

Both Universal and Paramount Pictures celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2012. Universal Studios unleashed a new logo that will be played in front of all Universal movies, starting with Dr. Suess’s The Lorax. On January 10, 2012, the studio announced that their goals for 2012 are to make a commitment to film preservation, an extended home entertainment collection, as well as a more prominent social media campaign. Universal Studios will restore 13 classic films and release them to the public, including The Birds, Jaws, Schindler’s List, Out of Africa, To Kill a Mockingbird, and All Quiet on the Western Front. To celebrate their centennial, Paramount studios will also unveil a new logo. They also photographed 116 of the greatest talents to work at the studio, arranging the performers in the shape of a mountain: Paramount’s iconic symbol.

Universal Studios' new logo for their 100th anniversary.

While the studios pay lip service to film preservation, the long downturn of traditional 35mm film is finally spelling the demise of the traditional format. A 2012 report from the IHS Screen Digest found that by the end of 2013, movie studios will stop making 35mm film prints for major markets, and by 2015, all traditional film production will stop. Digital film is easier and less expensive to store, doesn’t degrade over time, and is less of a hassle to transport. Silver is needed to coat the film reels, and the price of silver shot up to $28 dollars an ounce in 2012. As many as 10 percent of US theaters could shut down over the cost, said Oregon Public Broadcasting in a report. However, the Joshua Siegel, associate curator of the department of film at the Museum of Modern Art, states: “I’m not entirely convinced that digital technology is sophisticated enough to compare with the quality of celluloid on a big screen.” This attitude was reflected in the film preservation celebration at the MOMA called To Save and Project, which opened early October 2012 for its 10th year.