‘Filmmaker Mode’ for HDTVs Gains Support From More Electronics Manufacturers, Hollywood Orgs
By Stephanie Prange
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – More companies and industry organizations have rallied around the UHD Alliance’s Filmmaker Mode, which brings a more cinematic viewing experience to home entertainment by turning off motion smoothing on TVs , among other setting adjustments.
Three Hollywood guilds, the Film Foundation, and consumer-electronics companies Samsung, TP Vision’s Philips and Kaleidescape have joined others in support of Filmmaker Mode, the announced Monday (Jan. 6) at the 2020 CES.
The guilds throwing their support behind the feature are the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and the International Cinematographers Guild. The CE companies join LG Electronics, Panasonic and Vizio, which announced support for the program in August. Also last summer, several high-profile directors and Hollywood studios hailed Filmmaker Mode.
“[Filmmaker Mode] sets the television in a way that maintains filmmaker intent,” Michael Zink, Warner Bros.’ VP of technology and chairman of the UHD Alliance, said at the group’s press conference.
With the addition of more CE companies, “we really do have that strong worldwide presence,” said UHD Alliance president Mike Fidler (pictured above).
Several industry notables lent support to the initiative. “Preserving intent is an important part of our creative rights work,” director Christopher Nolan, co-chair of the DGA creative rights committee, said in a statement.
“Most people today are watching classic films at home,” director Martin Scorsese, founder and chair of the , a film preservation and education organization, said in a statement. “With Filmmaker Mode, different works will be presented accurately as they were created and designed by the filmmaker. Filmmaker Mode is a long overdue and welcome innovation.”
“The ASC’s mission has always centered around advancing the art and science of cinematography,” ASC president Kees van Oostrum said in a statement. “Filmmaking is a true art form and Filmmaker Mode allows that artwork to be enjoyed as envisioned by the artist not just in the theater, but in the home.”
Earlier in the day, LG announced its support for Filmmaker Mode in new TV models. “We will include it in every new 4K and 8K TV that we introduce in 2020,” Tim Alessi, senior director of product marketing at LG Electronics USA, said at the UHD Alliance press conference. He added that LG would “aggressively promote it at retail.”
“We want to help the consumer watch all the great movies on a great TV without having to give it a second thought,” Alessi said.
Panasonic’s Makoto Morise also appeared at the UHD event and noted that the company’s 2020 OLED HD 2000 series will support Filmmaker Mode, an announcement made earlier at the Panasonic press conference. More models will be added, he said.
Ken Lowe, VP and co-founder of Vizio, said at the press conference that his company will use the automatic feature that engages Filmmaker Mode, “but customers may also activate it manually as well.”
Stephanie Prange is editor-in-chief of Media Play News.
