— Matīss Kaža, co-writer and co-producer of Flow (2024)

Visual and immersive storytelling is central to how a film is experienced on the big screen by moviegoers. As more people seek premier theater experiences, filmmakers are increasingly embracing cinema LED screens over projectors to deliver their creations in a way audiences haven’t experienced before, fully immersing the viewer in the worlds they create.

Following the launch of the latest Samsung Onyx (ICD), Matīss Kaža, Golden Globes® winner, Academy Award® winner and producer of the film Flow, shared his insights on how Onyx is pushing the boundaries in cinema.

Q. Could you tell us a bit about what the film Flow is about?

Flow is an animated film, without any dialogue, telling the story of a solitary, individualist cat who likes to be by himself. Then suddenly comes this huge flood, destroying the cat’s home and forcing it upon a boat with other animals. On this boat, the cat learns to collaborate and become friends with these animals to survive this new, beautiful and humanless world.

▲ Matīss Kaža shares his experience of watching his work on Samsung Onyx. (Poster: Courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films)

Q. As a dialogue-free film, how does a Cinema LED screen enhance the viewing experience for the audience?

One of the goals of Flow as a dialogue-free film is to essentially have the audience come as close to the cat’s experience as possible, since the film is built around the contrast between the main protagonist and the world around it. Cinema is all about detailing in the visual storytelling, and this comes through on Onyx very well. The world is vividly colorful with the yellows, greens and blues — and then the cat is dark gray. There’s a huge contrast that shines through when watching on the Onyx screen, with its vivid colors and deep blacks.

▲ Flow, played on Samsung Onyx

Q. How did the team work through the movements of each of the animals?

We studied the movements of these real animals, down to the most meticulous detail, to make sure our approach to the film was naturalistic for the audience. For example, when something attracts the cat’s attention, rather than twisting its head to look, it would just twist the ear.

Each animal moves in different ways and has different silhouettes, weights and verticality. It was important for us to nail this process when making the film for the audience to feel fully immersed in this world.

▲ Courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films

Q. How did it feel to watch Flow on the Samsung Onyx Cinema LED screen?

Many scenes in the film feature foreground and background interactions, and the audience can fully enjoy and experience exactly how we wanted the film to look. The movements are also very clear, and you can see how all the different characters have their particularities, down to the most subtle interactions. From the smallest twitching in the ear and the smallest gaze of the eye, or any little interaction, the level of detail on Onyx makes these perfectly visible for the audience.

“I would have to say that Flow on the Onyx screen really flows.”

Q. Did you notice anything new or different about Flow after seeing it on Samsung Onyx?

How vivid the color was in the beginning — where the cat is still in its home, which is a lovely sculpture garden — really stood out to me. The finer details, like the little butterflies and critters flying around, give this emotion of calmness that might not be noticeable on other screens. The Onyx truly shows the film for what it is — there is very crisp detail and clarity — and it displays things that would go unnoticed in other situations.

“On the Onyx, these little details were perfectly visible —
details which give a lot to the atmosphere, to the peaceful tone of the scene.”

▲ Flow, played on Samsung Onyx

Q. Water is a core element of the film. Can you tell us more about its purpose and how the team uses it to add to the story?

The most difficult part of making this movie is the water effect. The dynamics of the water in the storytelling is really important because it’s one of the central metaphors of the film.

On an Onyx screen, you can explicitly see the difference between the little waves in the puddle at the beginning and end of the film. These details are so important to the storytelling, and it really comes through here on the Onyx.

▲ Courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films

Q. How do the color, image details and storytelling jump out more on a screen like Onyx compared to other traditional methods?

Because there is no dialogue in this film, we relied solely on visual storytelling. In terms of visual storytelling, color is essential — setting the right levels of contrast and the exact color palette — for the scene. It’s what creates the mood and the atmosphere.

These aspects are fundamental to the film and are captured precisely, just as we intended. Every detail and color really shines on the Onyx screen.

▲ “Cinema is all about detailing in the storytelling, it always comes through detail. And that comes through on the Onyx,” says Matīss Kaža, co-writer and co-producer of animated film Flow (2024).

Q. As a filmmaker, do the capabilities of Onyx help inspire your creative direction for upcoming projects?

I love it when the theatrical experience has me in the middle of the experience, trying to decode what is going on. Filmmakers can do a lot of interesting things using environments, visuals and powerful storytelling to put audience members in an active relationship with the film. The crispness and range of colors offered on the Onyx bring us back to why we love seeing motion pictures on the big screen. It’s super immersive, and the level of detailing is just incredible.

Q. Anything else you would like us to know?

“I do filmmaking for the cinema-going experience;
that’s where the film really shines.”

Cinemas are where you see the picture as you’re supposed to see it. Every cinematographer and director, I think, has had to come to terms with different cinemas showing different images when using traditional projection. With the uniform approach that the Onyx has, I think that problem might be solved.

“Every detail and color really shines on the Onyx screen,” says Matīss Kaža, co-writer and co-producer of animated film Flow (2024).

Virtual reality (VR) is more than just watching content—it’s about experiencing media in an entirely new way. It can take you places you’ve never been. Show you things you’ve never seen. Open your mind to realities you have only dreamed of.

Pickup, a France-based entertainment company that produces and distributes VR content, hopes to illustrate this point through the Samsung Gear VR at its recently opened PickupVRcinema, the first movie theater offering VR screenings in Paris, France.

PickupVRcinema aims to make VR a truly collective experience by bringing together more than 30 people at a time who simultaneously immerse themselves in the world of virtual reality.

During a typical VR screening at PickupVRcinema, the rush of emotion is tangible. The screams of couples, the laughter of families and the general excitement of the audience are just a few indicators of the uniqueness of the experience.

For their efforts to make VR a reality, Pickup was selected by this year’s Cannes Film Festival committee to manage the VR screening room of the festival’s Marché du Film. Discover VR firsthand at pickupVRcinema, located in the center of Paris, at 113 rue de Turenne.