The popular train-based preschool series Chuggington hit the big screen nationwide at more than 135 Kidtoons locations this October. Kidtoons is an on-going matinee program that brings kid-friendly content to movie-going families every month at a variety of theatres around the country. Chuggington is a CGI-animated series that follows the adventures of Wilson Brewster and Koko trainee engines each with their own unique personality and learning style. The series is set in a world much like our own with cities villages and diverse cultures and geography. Entertainment and enjoyment are at the heart of Chuggington but embedded within each story are important educational and developmental messages centered on learning and social-emotional development. Chuggington is directed by Sarah Ball who won a BAFTA award for her work as a director and writer of Bob the Builder. The Chuggington crew has six fun-filled adventures in Chuggington: Traintastic Adventures! In the movie Brewster tests a speedy new invention Koko's stunt training saves the day Wilson gets stuck on the track lift and everybody competes in a big chug-of-war. Young trainees will learn to ride the rails of life alongside their Chuggington pals in this upbeat and fun episodic feature. “We are so proud to be partnered with such a fabulous children’s brand ” said Debbie Dunn account director Kidtoon Films. “No doubt that our Kidtoons audience is going to be mesmerized by the gorgeous animation and action of Chuggington on screen.” Kidtoons will also be conducting blog social media and theatre giveaways that will include an impressive array of Chuggington puzzles toys books and DVDs the entire month of October. “We are excited to partner with Kidtoons to bring popular Chuggington episodes to the big screen for the first time ” said Maureen Taxter senior vice president of consumer products at Ludorum. Over the years kids have enjoyed watching Chuggington on the Disney Junior programming block and most recently on the new Disney Junior channel and now we are excited to be able to share in their first theater experience as they enjoy their favorite characters in a larger than life format.” ,3604
The Big Squeeze,2012-10-13, Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated first Hobbit movie – set to be released by Warner Bros. in December – is suddenly at the center of a growing dispute over the technical issues involved with shooting and distributing movies in frame rates higher than the long-standing industry norm of 24 frames per second. The Hobbit is the first studio release of a 4K 3D feature film shot at a higher frame rate in this case 48 frames per second. And as is widely known director James Cameron has been lobbying hard to shoot all of his upcoming Avatar films at as much as 60 fps. This dispute gained momentum last month between the studios and many people in the technical and creative communities over the whole idea of how to handle higher frame rates through the entire production through exhibition process. This dispute will impact anyone who shoots edits distributes or exhibits a digital movie. Technically the heart of the issue is the level of the compression rate needed for high quality movies shot and projected at higher frame rates. Realistically the issue is as always money. The studios are always reluctant to spend any more money than they absolutely have to and shooting at 48 fps is more expensive than shooting 24 fps; 60 fps costs still more. 3D adds to the equation. There are also serious concerns that this dispute will confuse filmmakers and worse stall the transition of the thousands of exhibitors around the world who could be driven out of business very soon. In more ways than one the big squeeze is on. On September 28 the Digital Cinema Initiatives released a document entitled High Frame Rates Digital Cinema Recommended Practice. It reads in part: “This document is a recommended practice for the near-term mastering distribution and theatrical playback of motion picture [digital cinema] content that exceeds the frame rates defined in the DCI Digital Cinema System Specification. This recommended practice which is not a specification attempts to aid in the interoperability of this nascent High Frame Rate content and address insufficient stereoscopic (3D) specifications while recognizing that the [digital cinema] industry is necessarily constrained by an existing installed base of equipment.” The document concludes: “DCI has limited frame rates … for efficiency in terms of single inventory interoperability and supply chain. DCI believes that as was the case with the initial digital cinema specifications alternate frame rates … will be identified by the relevant proponents and standardized by SMPTE. The maximum compressed bit rate for support of all proposed frame rates should be 500 Mb/sec.” [Italics mine] While this proposal seems acceptable as far as it goes many in the creative and technical community believe strongly that it does not go nearly far enough. They are also concerned that DCI seems to have made no attempt to gather input from anyone in the production community. As one industry insider said “DCI operates with a cloak of secrecy which is not always beneficial to the community.” An even greater concern according to one source is that DCI’s statement could have the effect of stalling the ongoing digital cinema transition at what is a very critical point especially outside of North America. “There remain tens of thousands of exhibitors around the world who still need to convert ” the source said. “Most of them are dealing with banks [that] have no idea as to the resale value of this equipment. Their confidence in a high resale valuation affects the upfront capital contribution by the exhibitor. DCI's message confirms the worst suspicions that today's equipment will soon be obsolete making it harder for independents to convert.”
He said “DCI says a compression bit rate of 500 Mb/sec is enough for all of the frame rates listed including 4K 60fps. There is no evidence that 500 Mb/sec is sufficient. In fact there is substantial evidence that it is not sufficient for producing quality images and I will conjecture that it was one of several reasons for Hobbit being shot at 48 fps/eye rather than 60 fps/eye. If the compression bit rate for high frame rate formats is too low then JPEG2000 will soften the image. There's no point in having 4K 60fps images if the image is softened. There is healthy recognition in the industry that 4K HFR is a worthy goal and will find a market particularly for immersive cinema environments. Ironically DCI watered down that message by leaving out 4K 60 fps/eye 3D. DCI is pointing towards mediocrity not high quality.” I contacted DCI for their side of this issue and received no reply. There were not many people in fact who wanted to talk about this for the record in large part because the studios still control large purse strings in Hollywood and their funding is needed to move a wide range of projects forward. Loren Nielsen the co-founder and president of Entertainment Technology Consultants agreed to speak on the record. Her company has worked with all of the studios and exhibitors will recognize her work because each year her company supervises the presentation of CinemaCon’s Top 100 Reel which are highlights of all the movies the previous year that broke the $100 million box office mark. “I've been doing some testing at 450 Mb/sec per eye ” she said. “That's a total package of up to 900 Mb/sec. When compared to a traditional DCP at 250 Mb/sec total or 125 Mb/sec/eye there's a large visible difference. I haven't read the new DCI proposal but I’m thinking they're limiting to 500 Mb/sec total. This means that everything in the field would probably be backward compatible. 500 Mb/sec is probably good with one eye only but this could be problematic for some projects companies and people.” The Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers has been considering these same issues and its Digital Cinema Higher Frame Rate Study Group recently issued its own report which said “In addition to concerns over multiple inventory content distributors will experience larger file sizes with HFR content. Typically 90 percent of a digital cinema composition is occupied by image data. Assuming that the maximum compression bit rate scales with frame rate as the frame rate doubles from 24 to 48 frames/sec the file size of the composition could grow by 190 percent. If frame rate is increased from 24 to 60 frames/sec the file size of the composition could grow by 235 percent. The growth in file sizes also impacts the time required for content transmission ingest and movement as well as storage requirements.” “Not all digital cinema projection systems will accept high frame content ” it continued adding “In a world with HFR content a movie trailer sequence might have a mix of legacy 2D content legacy 3D 24 frames/sec per eye content and higher frame rate 2D and 3D content. When playing 3D content of different frame rates not all 3D add-on systems will respond instantaneously. Delays of 10 seconds between compositions are possible while the electro-mechanical components of some 3D add-on systems stabilize. With sequential 3D and HFR projection flash rates must change with frame rates and mechanisms to support such changes are needed. For example sequential 24 frames/sec per eye 3D requires triple flashing of the image while 48 frames/sec per eye 3D requires double flashing. More worrisome is that systems today are not designed to successfully manage all possible format changes through configuration of the system’s show playlist. The issues encountered on present-day equipment when managing shows containing mixed frame rates have been observed to confuse even industry experts. Smarter systems are needed to support the complex nature of forthcoming shows.” The SMPTE report concluded: “On the brighter side some if not all of these problems can be mitigated by streaming mixed frame rate shows over a fixed high frame rate stream to the projector. The fixed frame rate stream would emerge from the media block eliminating the need for the flashing of left-right images in sequential 3D projectors. More study of this technique is needed.” A participant in the SMPTE study who also asked not to be identified said “There are three messages in DCI's recommended practice that are problematic. One is that a filmmaker should be aware of the 500 Mb/sec-limitation in the field. It's not stated as clearly as that which could be a problem. The second message which is also not stated clearly should say that we're going to need more than 500 Mb/sec to do what filmmakers want to do. The third message is that of proposed frame rates. The proposed frame rates that came out of the SMPTE HFR Study Group go up to 4K 60 fps/eye for 3D not just 2D. In addition we included frame rates such as 50 fps/eye 3D and 100 fps 2D to acknowledge that content is produced in these frame rates elsewhere in the world.” He said “We don't need DCI to direct technology development. 3D did not develop because DCI blessed it in advance. In fact the minuscule effort that DCI put into 3D came long after the fact in an effort to create interoperable solutions. We have substantial equipment in the field today that is capable of 2K 120 fps none of which was manufactured because of DCI. To bring about interoperability we have SMPTE as the entity through which manufacturers can work together to solve problems. DCI is useful to address areas where contention exists and where banks need reassurance that new technologies have a market.”
This is a complicated issue and one that promises to be a part of the overall industry conversation for several years to come. On the production side few people other than Peter Jackson and James Cameron are wildly enthusiastic about shooting in higher frame rates. Some in the Hollywood community have taken to derisively referring to HFR as “hyper cinema.” In post-production the controversy appears to be business as usual. Post houses make their living with complex ever-changing technology issues like this and dealing with HFR is not all that different from what they do now. Exhibitors those that have already made the digital transition as well as those that have not may face the biggest burden. Again. The big squeeze is on. ,3606
Cinema Gotika,2012-10-13,Cinema Gotika is currently working on the restoration of hundreds of hours of film for the Malaysian Film Institute. ,3612
Blockbusters and Boundaries,2012-10-13,Derek Haas has seen a lot of slickly produced trailers full of pyrotechnics special effects and sexy women. They are often part of the marketing campaigns for the films whose screenplays he’s written films that include 3:10 to Yuma and Wanted. But it’s unusual for one of his spy novels to get the Hollywood treatment. Yet a trailer for The Right Hand Haas’ new book due out in November looks very much like a preview for a summer blockbuster. A silhouetted figure in a perfectly tailored suit appears in an ominous nighttime setting. There are guns bomb blasts roaring motorcycles and a naked woman with a Medusa’s crown of snakes. Dynamic images flood the screen at heart-pounding speed. A sonorous voice-over refers to “covert operations outside the boundaries of reality.” Chicago-based Filmworkers produced the trailer. Matt Egan director of the company’s in-house production unit conceived directed and edited the trailer. Filmworkers also provided additional post-production support (color grading editorial finishing and other services) and 3D animation was supplied by its affiliate the production studio Vitamin. Egan shot the live action elements on a special effects stage at Resolution Digital Studios. “The book is very cinematic—it reads like a James Bond or Bourne novel—and we felt it could benefit from a trailer with the emotional intensity of trailers for that type of movie ” Egan said. “I use a lot of visual metaphors to represent the complexity and suspense of the novel such as graphical mazes for the plot twists and turns and the Medusa character who represents a sense of foreboding and parallels the book’s female lead who is both attractive and dangerous.” Haas for one is impressed with the results. “It’s the best book trailer I’ve ever seen ” he said. “And the response is overwhelming. Entertainment Weekly launched it on their website and everyone is ecstatic. It’s certainly going to drive sales.” Cost is one reason that trailers are a relative rarity in book publishing but Filmworkers is hoping to change that. As a boutique option with a huge pool of talent and resources at its disposal Filmworkers provides soup-to-nuts creative and production services and does so far more efficiently than is possible through traditional production channels. “Filmworkers can develop write design and execute media using in-house resources alone ” said Bill Ryan co-founder (with Filmworkers president Reid Brody) of the independent film production company 2DS. Ryan introduced Haas to Filmworkers. “In today’s media landscape it is possible to promote a book the same way that you promote a movie so I think there is a lot of potential for the new model Filmworkers has created.” Credits Matt Egan director editor Lisa Long executive producer Frank Donnangelo director of photography Michael Siegel 3D animation (Vitamin) Linas Jodwalis 3D animation (Vitamin) Justin Winkler VFX/Flame artist Matt Darnell After Effects Composting Nathaniel Costa After Effects Composting Derek de Board Line Producer Fred Keller Colorist Kristin LeClair Make-Up
Clark Lichty Actor Erin Timm Actress View the video here: https://vimeo.com/47316693 ,3613
Exceptional 3D Claims 600 U.S. Networks,2012-10-14,Exceptional 3D says its patented auto-stereoscopic 3D technology has been successfully deployed as part of nine different 3D digital signage networks in 600 locations across the United States. “We believe this is a very validating moment for our glasses-free 3D technology and the future of the digital signage industry ” said Michael Egan CEO for Exceptional 3D. “We are proving that 3D digital signage is here to stay and we have shown that auto-stereo 3D is no longer a cost prohibitive medium for advertising. By offering the technology at a price point which allows for scaling to a network of any size we ask the question why buy a 2D display when you can buy a 3D display that can also play 2D content and is future proof?” Preliminary indications show some evidence that justifies glasses-free 3D can strengthen brand awareness through 3D advertising. Based on early quantifiable data forecasting shows auto-stereo 3D advertising is presenting a strong case for being more effective with potential customers and influential with undecided consumers. “When we were looking to launch the Convenience Store Digital Signage Network the core desire was for an advertisement medium that was going to get people’s attention ” said Stephen Newman president and CEO of Wow 3D Media Group. “We wanted to reassure advertisers that patrons would actually look at their ads playing on the in-store digital displays but struggled to consider 3D because we knew it was expensive however when we looked at Exceptional 3D’s business model and the solution they developed for digital signage we realized that we could install 3D displays at a economic cost. This made it an easy decision because they provide a future-proof solution which we believe is a natural progression for the digital signage industry.” Newman said “We have completed the installation of 150 displays both advertisers and C-Store owners are in love with the technology and have already seen an increase in dwell time by patrons as well as an uplift in sales of the products being advertised in 3D.” Click here for a detailed map of the 600 locations across the United States http://www.exceptional3d.com/map.html ,3616
Bollywood Single-Screen Cinemas Plan Indefinite Strike,2012-10-14, By Lynne Gardiner Single screen cinema owners in the state of Maharashtra the home of Bollywood intend to close their doors indefinitely to moviegoers this month in an attempt to abolish Government-imposed entertainment tax and to modify existing ‘change of use’ rules that apply across the state in the corporation area. The strike promises to hit hard with its message as it will coincide with what is traditionally an important time for the cinema industry in India with several festivals including Diwali taking place next month and a host of much-anticipated movies due to be released. Currently single screen cinemas in Mumbai the financial capital of Maharashtra are handing over 56 percent of their revenues in taxes including a hefty 45 percent entertainment tax while multiplexes have been granted a five-year exemption period. Some states in India have abolished entertainment tax altogether and give incentives to promote cinema while many cinema owners in Maharashtra are finding the taxes unbearable. Commenting on the decision to strike R. V. Vidhani president of the Cinema Owners’ and Exhibitors’ Association of India and vice president of the Film Federation of India said “We’ve had no help from the Government whatsoever and the situation now can no longer be tolerated. Not long ago there were 1 080 single screens in Maharashtra but many have closed down and many more are on the verge of closing. The various taxes imposed in the state are too much of a burden. “We are striking to make the point that the current situation is unfair and unless the rules are changed many more single screens will close. This will mean that the majority of Indian cinema-goers will be unable to visit cinemas as their budgets simply do not enable them to pay the higher prices charged by the multiplexes. With the film industry in India relying on the lower and middle class masses going to the cinema it’s easy to predict that the whole industry will suffer greatly if the single screens continue to close. The situation is particularly poignant with India celebrating 100 years of its film industry which took birth in single screen cinemas. These have now become the dead nails of the film industry at this juncture.” Sameer Joshi owner of 1 100-seat Chandan Cinema in Juhu Mumbai agrees wholeheartedly with the action: “We are fighting against the exorbitantly high taxes we have to pay. We need the entertainment tax in particular to be abolished completely or greatly reduced. The single screens have played a major role in the success of the Hindi movie industry and this should be better recognized and rewarded. Instead we have to put up with these demands.” However the tax rules are only half the story behind the proposed action. The strike also seeks to force the Government to ease its ‘change of use’ rules that apply to cinemas in Maharashtra. Currently single screens have no choice but to use their prime locations as cinemas ie once a cinema always a cinema. The rules provide no options for existing owners to develop their cinema sites by starting up new businesses themselves or for subsequent generations who may not be interested in the cinema business. However the tax rules are only half the story behind the proposed action. The strike also seeks to force the Government to ease its ‘change of use’ rules that apply to cinemas in Maharashtra. Currently single screens have no choice but to use their prime locations as cinemas: once a cinema always a cinema. The rules provide no options for existing owners to develop their cinema sites by starting up new businesses themselves or for subsequent generations who may not be interested in the cinema business. “It’s extremely unfair that struggling cinemas must continue operating as cinemas when to do so is not profitable. A change to these rules would bring about more employment improved revenues and make better use of these cinemas ” continued Vidhani. “Instead many are now lying as vacant warehouses. We’re even beginning to see some multiplexes close as their five-year entertainment tax exemption periods come to an end. The availability of movies over the Internet mobile phones and cable channels is putting a strain on all cinema owners in India. Film piracy also presents a big threat. The current situation is unjust and illogical.” “The ‘change of use’ rules are too restrictive ” said Joshi. “Personally I would like to be the one to decide how I use my premises but with the rules as they stand now there is no choice and no exit at any point into the future for our descendants.” “Without change everyone involved in the industry will feel the effects eventually ” added Vidhani. “My colleagues and I have been called by the Cultural Minister and various other departments and we’ve had some positive responses to our demands but we’ve had enough of lip-service. I have travelled around many parts of Maharashtra over the past few weeks and I know that single screen owners are adamant they will strike indefinitely until we get full assurances from the Government in writing. We can’t wait any longer.” According to UNESCO a country with the population of India could in theory support approximately 100 000 cinemas. However India has never reached anywhere near this number and its once 13 500-strong cinema total is now down to 10 561. “We would like to see the Government offering a package of incentives to support existing single screen cinema owners and to help new single screens to be opened up ” concluded Vidhani. Lynne Gardiner is Digital Cinema Report's India Correspondent. She is based in Mumbai. ,3620
Found-Footage Sound,2012-10-14,For director David Ayer’s new police thriller End of Watch supervising sound editor Michael D. Wilhoit and his crew from Soundelux were tasked with recreating the sonic world of a Los Angeles beat cop. Released by Open Road Films the movie tells the story of two young police officers Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala (played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña) who become the targets of a Mexican drug cartel. End of Watch is told in a found-footage manner. Taylor and Zavala use a handheld HD camera to covertly record their shifts in South Los Angeles for a film class. This stylistic device lends the story a sense of immediacy and verisimilitude that contributes to the ratcheting tension. The low-tech realism of the imagery is carried over into the soundtrack. “We did things on this film that we would normally never do ” Wilhoit recalls. “We recorded a lot of sounds including footsteps on a Foley stage with low quality video cameras because that made it sound more real. We usually work with the best quality professional microphones but here we sometimes used the cheapest stuff available.” “Our job was not to over-produce the soundtrack ” he adds. “We didn’t want it to sound like a ‘movie ’ but rather like it is happening ‘now.’ We wanted the audience to feel like they are with these guys wherever they go.” As a result Wilhoit relied primarily on his grungy original recordings rather than pristine sound library material. He and his crew (who included his daughter dialogue editor Kimberly Wilhoit and sound designer Roland Thai) made extensive field recordings. They spent a full day in an LAPD car lot recording police car engines and sirens that exactly matched those used in the film. They also employed an actual LAPD dispatcher for dialogue recording sessions. Wilhoit and crew spent another day recording authentic firearms. “There were several gun battles in the film ” Wilhoit recalls. “In most movies the gunshots don’t sound real—they are amped up. Real guns sound more like firecrackers and that’s what we wanted. We wanted it to sound like it does in real life.” A similarly minimalistic approach was taken during the final mix which was completed at Todd-AO Hollywood by re-recording mixers Joe Barnett and Christian Minkler. “Again the movie wasn’t mixed the way movies normally are ” Wilhoit says. “The mixers made it appear as though the sound is coming directly from the camera the characters are using. David Ayer’s direction was ‘make it sound great but don’t overdo it.’” Ayer was intimately involved throughout the sound process Wilhoit adds. “David was very good at directing sound ” he says. “He had a clear vision and made it easy to follow. He had a keen interest in the sound for his film which from our perspective made him a joy to work with.” ,3624
Things I Don’t Understand,2012-10-15,The filmmaking collective of writer-director David Spaltro and producer Lee Gillentine first formed in 2007 and created …Around based on Spaltro’s student life. After that went on to be well received they realized they needed to prove that their first film was neither a fluke or an anomaly and that they could once again produce a high quality feature film with production value at a budget under $200 000. The result of their efforts is the new film Things I Don’t Understand which is winning acclaim on the festival circuit. The movie tells the story of Violet Kubelick a brilliant young grad student studying near-death experiences now withdrawn and closed-off after a mysterious failed suicide attempt. She and her two artist-roommates are forced by financial matters to finally step out of the protective bubble they've created for themselves in their Brooklyn loft while Violet herself forms a cathartic relationship with a young terminally ill girl in a hospice she is interviewing for her thesis and the damaged bartender who lives downstairs. A story of changing relationships love life and what comes after we die. Casting took place in the summer of 2010 with Spaltro reuniting with his lead actress Molly Ryman (…Around Charlie on Parole) for a completely different role and New York tale. On a budget on par with …Around which cost an estimated $175 000 the filmmakers shot Things mainly in Greenpoint Brooklyn over a 20-day schedule in April 2011. They cut the film throughout the summer testing it and locking picture. Sound was another collaboration with Carlos Storm Martinez and Creativemixing.com and Vita Tanga who provided both original score and music starting in pre-production. Having shot the feature on a Red camera post-production color timing and VFX were done with Blase Theodore and Contact Post & DI on the DaVinci system and veteran title and visual effect artist for Lucas Film Tony Hudson who provided the title design and end credit sequence. Spaltro says “Things I Don’t Understand started out as a simple idea originally intended as a short ten-minute short for my thesis while at the School of Visual Arts. It focused on two characters in a hospice and was a meditation of spirituality life and death as seen through the eyes of a burned out atheist looking for a miracle and a young optimistic girl dealing with her eventual painful death. I didn’t have the experience as a filmmaker or know how to tell it right at twenty-one so I shelved it and a few years later while figuring out what story would be my first feature I once again realized I just wasn’t ready to tell it.” He continues: “It wasn’t until after …Around was wrapped and I was dealing with the personal loss of a few people and some burnout that I revisited the script as a purely cathartic exercise. The words and characters poured out of me as if they’d always been waiting for the right time and I began fleshing out the world and tailoring the lead role for an opportunity to work with Molly Ryman again. The project was always about the idea of faith and it’s individual meaning to every person. If my first film was about “finding home” then this film is it’s spiritual brother in it’s question of what do we do when our home is threatened and life makes changes for us we are unable to make for ourselves?” Technical Information Camera: Red One Camera; Baltar lenses Laboratory: Contact DI & Post New York NY (digital intermediate) Film negative format: Red Raw Files 4:4:4 HD Aspect ratio:1:85:1 Cinematographic process: Digital Intermediate (2K) (master format)
Raw Red – Pro Res LT 4:4:4 (1080/24p) (source format) ,3632
Gymnasium Transformation,2012-10-15,At the 2012 Telluride Film Festival in the scenic Colorado ski town a school gymnasium was once again skillfully transformed into a world-class screening room named the Galaxy. Festival staff and Boston Light & Sound handled system implementation. Here a Meyer Sound system based on Acheron screen channel loudspeakers played an instrumental part in creating an environment that left a favorable impression on festival guest director and English writer Geoff Dyer who selected several film revivals for this year’s event. “I'll never forget showing Baraka there in 70mm ” says Dyer who was surprised to learn that Galaxy was not a permanent entity. “The projection was amazing and the sound so incredible so crisp.” Film connoisseurs including esteemed guests from the film industry are drawn to Telluride every summer for its carefully curated program packed with sneak peeks of new movies as well as Q&A sessions and panels with the filmmakers. In addition to Baraka movies that were heard this year through the Meyer Sound system at the Galaxy included Argo by director Ben Affleck The Iceman by Ariel Vromen Hyde Park on Hudson by Roger Michell and Frances Ha by Noah Baumbach. “There were numerous instances throughout the four-day Telluride Film Festival when a filmmaker would remark how amazing the sound presentation was at the Galaxy theatre ” said Julie Huntsinger co-director of the festival. “Ariel Vromen and his colleagues with The Iceman were particularly thrilled when they heard their film presented—they couldn't believe the quality of sound.” The configuration deployed at the Galaxy included the Acheron screen channel loudspeakers HMS-10 cinema surround loudspeakers and X-800C subwoofers. Mina line array loudspeakers provided live sound reinforcement. At the Telluride Film Festival’s 40th anniversary in 2013 Meyer Sound will be supplying sound reinforcement for the Galaxy for the third straight year. Passes will be available beginning March 2013. ,3634
Creating a Holiday Classic,2012-10-31, One of the basic assumptions of media of all kinds – books television and movies – is that creating a holiday classic can result in both short-term and long-term success. One that I’m personally familiar with is the fact that among the joys of living in the New York metropolitan area is the opportunity every December to see the New York City Ballet’s annual performance of The Nutcracker. This holiday season an even larger audience will have the chance to experience the joy of seeing a new and sumptuous production of Tchaikovsky’s ballet brought to life on the big screen for the first time in 3D. This production was made all the richer because the performance was filmed at the historic Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg Russia the original home to the ballet when it made its worldwide debut in 1892. NCM Fathom and alternative content specialist More2Screen supported by Sony Digital Cinema are distributing the film to digital cinemas worldwide. A production of EuroArts Music International and Mariinsky Theatre in co-production with Ovation Samsung Electronics and Digital Images it was made under the direction of EuroArts producer Bernd Hellthaler and Valery Gergiev the Mariinsky’s artistic director and conductor. I was fortunate to be among a small group of people who were invited to a preview screening of the production and am pleased to say it was a great experience. The entire performance was as might be expected superb and the production values and 3D were solid. The screening took place in a Sony 4K auditorium with RealD 3D at the Loews Lincoln Center on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Both Gergiev and Hellthaler attended and answered questions. According to Hellthaler every effort was made to not compromise the integrity of the choreography or the dances themselves. To accomplish that they used one fixed camera to create a master shot of the entire performance and based the editing around that. The production crew worked around two sold-out performances as it happened and imposed no changes to the dance or the dancers he said. They shot for three days including one day with no audience in the theatre. Hellthaler and Gergiev both felt it was important to include footage of the audience and the theatre itself. “We wanted to create a feeling of being in St. Petersburg ” Gergiev said “and not just the Mariinsky dancers performing anywhere.” Neither man would discuss the final budget but Hellthaler did say it cost “about double a normal television shoot.” Gergiev said that at least some of that cost was attributed to the fact that the Mariinsky lost the revenue from one entire performance when they recorded the ballet without an audience. The movie was filmed in December 2011 using four 3D rigs as well as one 3D crane rig. Hellthaler could not say what rigs were used but they shot with Sony cameras. Post-production took six months.
Under Gergiev’s leadership the Mariinsky Theatre was the first ballet company to embrace 3D technology with the release of Giselle In 3D in 2011. He believes that filming ballet in 3D illustrates the space between dancers and the audience is drawn right into the performance on stage becoming instantly involved with the characters and the unfolding story. The Nutcracker will be shown at more than 400 RealD theatres at 7:30 on December 3 with a 2:00 matinee at select theatres. Christine Costello More2Screen’s co-founder and managing director said the rising number of screens – especially 3D screens – worldwide is contributing to the viability of ambitious alternative content ventures such as this one. It gives producers more confidence that they can recoup their investment and also encourages them to develop quality 3D content libraries. “The Mariinsky Theatre is one of the world's leading opera and ballet companies with a far-reaching global profile ” said Gergiev. “Through ground-breaking projects like The Nutcracker in 3D produced to the same exacting standards for the big screen as for the stage we are able to share our beautiful productions with many more people worldwide.” “Attending The Nutcracker ballet each year is a long-standing holiday tradition for many families across the world ” said Shelly Maxwell executive vice president of NCM Fathom Events. “With Tchaikovsky’s eternally popular score the grand staging and exquisite costumes this Mariinsky Theatre production of The Nutcracker in movie theatres will be a unique way to experience this beloved classic.” ,3641
Ridgecrest Completes Upgrade,2012-10-31,Ridgecrest Cinemas Ridgecrest California a locally owned and operated movie theater for 30 years is upgrading all eight screens to Sony Digital Cinema 4K projection technology. The transition to an all-digital projection completes a comprehensive theater renovation designed to provide an unparalleled movie and entertainment experience for the community and surrounding areas. The cinema unveiled its digital conversion on October 10th. The only movie theater in the area Ridgecrest Cinemas has been a community icon since its doors opened in 1983 as a two-screen location. The addition of six more screens followed over the years along with other enhancements – all part of the owners’ desire to continually give back to their hometown. “As a community-based theater providing our customers with the best possible projection solution on the market was very important to us ” said Michael McGee managing partner of Ridgecrest Cinemas. “This theater renovation – which will ultimately extend all the way down to new seats – started with the necessity to convert to digital and we realized that if we were going to commit to a technology we wanted to make the best choice possible for our future operation and that meant Sony 4K projection.” The upgrades are also in response to the theater’s loyal community fan base which had been expressing their desire for a projection upgrade especially for 3D screenings. McGee added that even with the new technology “We are still a small theater and it’s important to us that we retain that local ‘community’ feeling. The Sony technology helps us improve what we present without changing who we are.” Ridgecrest’s owners worked with Sony’s Digital Cinema Solutions group to leverage their 4K digital technology and affordable Virtual Print Fee financing options. “Ridgecrest Cinemas understands the value of offering local movie-goers the best cinema experience possible and the rollout of Sony Digital Cinema 4K technology at Ridgecrest Cinemas fits perfectly with the company’s vision ” said Christopher Simpson national account manager for Sony Electronics’ Digital Cinema Solutions Group. “4K content is the future of cinema and independent theaters like Ridgecrest understand that adopting the technology and taking advantage of Sony’s VPF program allows them to better serve their customers.” Ridgecrest Cinemas http://www.ridgecrestcinemas.com ,3649
Processing Dailies Made Easy,2012-10-31,The move to digital acquisition has transformed many film and television sets into something akin to the control center for a moon launch as they have taken on a hoard of high-tech equipment for capturing storing processing and backing-up digital camera data. Not so with Cuban Fury StudioCanal’s new romantic comedy which was among the first film productions to use The Vault Codex’s new on-set digital laboratory solution that reduces the technology required to manage camera data to a single box the size of a small suitcase. Released for production use earlier this year The Vault provides a standardized standalone workflow for digital productions including those using multiple camera systems. It can be deployed on-set or near-set and offers a simple and efficient way to process dailies for review editorial post production and archive. Cuban Fury directed by James Griffiths and lensed by cinematographer Dick Pope was shot with two Arri Alexa cameras with ArriRaw camera data captured by Codex Onboard M recorders. When the recorders’ data-packs were full they were ported to an on-set Vault and it was used to off-load the data and make back-ups. The ArriRaw data was then transferred to a second Vault located near-set for dailies processing. This second Vault produced media for review editorial visual effects and archival purposes. Movietech supplied all of the Codex gear. “The Vault was perfect for this production because it allowed us to remain small scale ” said Peter Marsden the production’s Digital Imaging Technician. “Normally on a digital feature you have lots of equipment that adds lots of weight to the camera truck but here all that was reduced to a single compact machine.” Marsden said the speed with which the system was able to off-load camera data allowed him to employ a minimum number of recorder datapacks six between two cameras. Production was never slowed by the need to process camera data he says and in fact The Vault could have easily accommodated a more complicated workflow. “The system had plenty of capacity ” he said. “I could have added a third camera and still kept everything 100 percent backed up.” Significantly this workflow eliminated the need for an external laboratory infrastructure. “We didn’t have the risk of sending original camera media off-set for processing ” he said. “It was all done within the confines of the location. It clones the media very quickly and provided the assurance that it was correct and secure.” “The Vault workflow is more like a traditional film workflow ” Marsden said. “On a film shoot you don’t send the magazines off to a lab; you unload them on the set. It kept everything simple and small scale.” The second Vault was set up in the film’s production office. “We used it to generate files for editorial ” Marsden said. “It allowed us to create Avid files with a customized burn-in including timecode and slate data as well as a standard Arri 3D LUT. It also allowed us to create 10-bit DPX frames as & when required for use by the visual effects company.” In addition to reducing costs and providing a more efficient means for processing camera data The Vault allowed the whole production team to be less focused on technology. Cinematographer Dick Pope Marsden said never had to worry about how his imagery was being processed. The Vault also made Marsden’s job easier simply by occupying a smaller footprint. “Someone on the set looked at The Vault and said to me ‘Is that it?’ ” he recalled. “The system occupied one end of the top tray of my magliner. That’s how compact it is. I’m carrying less equipment than I ever have before.” ,3656
Catching Rabbit Fever,2012-10-31,Wichita Kansas is home to this year's American Rabbit Breeders Association Convention the largest gathering of rabbits and rabbit enthusiasts in the world. Judges at the convention award Best in Show to the best rabbit out of all breeds and two lucky teenagers receive the most coveted honor in the rabbit community – to be crowned Rabbit King and Queen. All of these festivities and more are shown in Amy Do’s new documentary Rabbit Fever the first film to explore the hare-raising world of rabbit breeding and rabbit shows. With 64 274 rabbits shot on film Rabbit Fever shines a light on a world that most people don't know exists. With a light-hearted tone that Do the director of Rabbit Fever likens to the hilarious dog show mockumentary Best in Show the film follows five teenagers as they compete for recognition in the cutthroat world of professional rabbit breeders. However Do's film does not mock its subjects. The young people in Rabbit Fever have an honest love for their hobby with passion and rivalries between various breeders on full display. Although the intense competition drives the film forward to its climax the heart of Rabbit Fever lies within the passion charm and sometimes quirkiness of its subjects. The teens' love of rabbits is just another vehicle that young adults use to challenge and express themselves making Rabbit Fever not only a film about rabbits but also a very unique coming of age story she said. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Cinema-Television at the University of Southern California Do worked at Lucasfilm in Northern California working on the behind-the-scenes documentaries for Star Wars. After that she worked at a division of Fox Interactive Media producing videogame-related features for IGN Entertainment. Rabbit Fever is her first feature-length film. As the five teenagers compete for the coveted titles of Rabbit King and Queen viewers get to experience the wonderfully weird world that is rabbit breeding and the complex enterprise that surrounds the 100-year-old rabbit show industry. For the 2012 ARBA Convention more than 20 000 rabbits consisting of 47 recognized breeds with fanciful names like Lilac Checkered Giant Holland Lop and Silver Fox made Wichita's Century II Convention Center their home for the last few days of October. And while breeders competed for the prestigious Best in Show Fibber Trophy attendees were treated to a screening of Rabbit Fever at the ARBA Convention on October 28th. Recently acquired for distribution by SnagFilms which has released numerous documentaries for National Geographic and PBS as well as popular titles such as Super Size Me Rabbit Fever is currently available on Amazon Video on Demand Google Play Vudu and Xbox. Early next year the film will enjoy a wider release on Hulu SnagFilms Comcast Xfinity TV Netflix and iTunes. To watch the trailer for Rabbit Fever go to: www.rabbitfever.com/trailer/. ,3660
Downing Film Center Goes Digital,2012-10-31,With an intimate 60-seat screening room the not-for-profit Downing Film Center in Newburgh New York fills the void for movies outside the mainstream with a diverse presentation of independent and foreign films as well as celebrated classics in this waterfront town. As one of the Lower Hudson River Valley’s few independent cinemas the center offers moviegoers an experience unlike any other in the area – and its move to digital gives guests the best of new technology to enhance its unique cinematic range. Last month the theatre installed a Christie Solaria CP2210. “We certainly wouldn’t go with any other projector besides Christie ” said Brian Burke executive director of the Downing Film Center. “Christie has a strong reputation for quality with technology and service that have always been top-notch. Unlike other solutions that I researched I learned that Christie is always at the top when it came to digital projection.” Craig Sholder vice president Christie Entertainment Solutions applauded the Center’s support for the independent film artist. “With their move to digital Downing Film Center will provide the Hudson River Valley community with a quality movie-viewing experience that is second to none and Christie values the trust they have placed in us to provide them with the best projector technology in the industry to do so ” said Sholder. “We are committed to providing independent theatres such as Downing with the same high-quality products and services that larger chains take advantage of when converting to digital cinema.” Downing Film Center has been in the business of creating a memorable night out for community residents since the theatre first opened in July of 2006. Initially selling tickets in person using roll tickets and taking reservations by phone the theatre has always used a 35mm projector and a Christie platter system to light up its single screen. Over the years Burke recalls encountering “a few hiccups when loading the reel ” such as an incident where he and his wife spent hours rewinding a film by hand after the canister spilled out. Soon after changing to an automated ticketing service last January the Center began planning to convert to digital. It set in motion its Drive to Digital fundraising campaign which incorporates plans such as expanded film offerings and upgrades to its technology including the installation of a digital projector. A limited budget has presented challenges but creative use of social media such as weekly e-news a website and YouTube is helping them get the word out about the Center’s need for funding. “We’re moving ahead with the installation because we have a very generous and supportive community and we are confident our audience will come through for us and continue to support us down the road ” said Burke. “We’re also confident in Christie’s ability to provide the high standard of entertainment we are recognized for and once our audiences experience the brilliant colors and sharp images of digital cinema they’ll be more motivated than ever before to support our move to digital.” He added: “Having a digital projector from Christie will eliminate many of the headaches film can cause. And looking at the bigger picture digital projection will also dramatically expand the variety of movies and alternative content I can show on the screen. People will be absorbed by the bright beautiful images the Christie projector will provide and will be better able to appreciate the full intent of the artist’s vision.” ,3662
Createasphere Features Fourth Wall Founders,2012-10-31,The founders of Fourth Wall Studios will deliver a transmedia keynote at Createasphere’s Fall Entertainment Technology Expo taking place November 7-8 at the Burbank Marriott in Los Angeles. Fourth Wall Studios’ Jim Stewartson chief executive officer and co-founder and Elan Lee chief creative officer and co-founder are set to premiere one of the studios’ latest interactive programs that exemplifies the power of multi-screen experiences. The keynote will take place November 7 at 1:30pm. Fourth Wall Studios is an award-winning entertainment company whose pioneering techniques enable storytelling across multiple screens and devices. At the ETE Stewartson and Lee will also discuss the development of its innovative Rides.tv platform. Joining them is Sean Stewart head writer and co-founder; Steve Peters vice president of experience design; Jackie Turner head of production; and Zach Schiff-Abrams executive producer. Attendees of Createasphere’s ETE will have the opportunity to hear first-hand the story of Fourth Wall Studios’ rise to the top of the nascent field of transmedia and will be able to ask questions of the founders during this exclusive two-part session. Early registration for this keynote is required as space is strictly limited. Fourth Wall Studios develops distributes and markets content that crosses the traditional barrier between audience and onscreen action resulting in entertainment experiences that are more connected immersive and real. Founded in 2007 by Stewartson Lee and Stewart three award-winning next-generation storytellers the Culver City California-based company develops a wide range of interactive entertainment properties designed for Rides.tv their proprietary entertainment platform. Rides are immersive narrative experiences that deliver an unfolding story across multiple screens via web browsers smartphones and tablets. Fourth Wall’s first major series for Rides Dirty Work recently won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media: Original Interactive Television Programming. Other credits include Claire the Dark Wall anthology Home: A Ghost Story Whispers The Swarming and Flare among many other series now in development. The studio is also actively engaged with partners to create and develop more projects for Rides.tv as its popularity explodes. ,3663
Re-Mastering the Past,2012-10-31,Argentina’s Cinema Gotika one of the most respected digital film restoration and mastering facilities in Latin America recently completed the re-mastering of almost 250 features films for the Argentinian Film Institute television channel and is currently working on the restoration of hundreds of hours of film for the Malaysian Film Institute. The company relies on Digital Vision’s Phoenix Finish restoration tools to manage the work with a seamless workflow. “Integrating restoration and color grading empowers our artists to work on parallel paths creating beautiful images and solving the wide range of needs that come with these archival films at the same time ” says Sergio Rentero of Cinema Gotika. “Phoenix Finish has unbeatable speed and processing which is absolutely critical in projects of this size.” The work for the Malaysian Film Institute presented a number of challenges for the team at Cinema Gotika in addition to the sheer quantity of assets. “The first part of the work to Malaysia were more than 120 hours and we performed high-end image and sound scanning restoration and mastering. It was great footage but the entire project had to be turned around in less than10 weeks.” “The combination of the talent of our artists with the powerful grain reduction color grading and Phoenix restoration toolset meant that we were able to complete a massive assignment beautifully in a very tight timeframe ” adds Sergio Rentero. “I don’t believe that any other system except Phoenix Finish could have done it.” Cinema Gotika’s decision to go with Digital Vision tools came after careful analysis of the options. “We tried almost all the possibilities and analyzed them carefully. There were clear differences in the quality of the final output and the integration of toolsets. After close inspection we felt strongly that Phoenix Finish was right for us and working with them on these recent projects has made us certain we made a great choice.”
Schel Kuehnert head of American sales of Digital Vision said “Cinema Gotika is doing beautiful work and we’re delighted to support their efforts. Digital Vision has seen a marked increase in sales in Latin America over the past six months and the marketplace is vibrant with companies talent and content.” Kuehnert highlighted recent sales of Nucoda Film Master Phoenix and Golden Eye to TV Globo Universidad de Panama and Estudios Churubusco. ,3664
Paying Tribute to Cinerama,2012-10-31,It might be the era of digital cameras but Hollywood still has a sense of history often paying tribute to the groundbreaking technology that has brought the industry to this point. Recently cinematographers John Hora and Douglas Knapp came together to make the first Cinerama film to be shot in 50 years. It is part of In the Picture a Tribute to 60 Years of Cinerama. This introductory travelogue was shot with a combination of technology of the past; Cinerama camera #3 which was used on How the West Was Won a set of three Kodak Ektar 27mm lenses and today’s Fuji film stock as well as Litepanels LED lights. “For someone who loves film history and cameras this was a dream shoot ” said Knapp. “We tried to create a present-day travelogue in the style of the original Cinerama film to show off interesting and inexpensive or free things to do and see in the Los Angeles area.” The idea was to shoot in the historic three-panel Cinerama process with modern film stock and the refurbished Cinerama camera. Producer/director David Strohmaier wrote the script to highlight places like the Hollywood Museum the Mullholland outlook over the Hollywood Bowl Griffith Park Observatory Grauman’s Chinese Theatre Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard the Santa Monica Pier and more. “Because we were using old lenses that allowed less light and were shooting at 26 frames-per-second instead of 24 there were times when we needed a little extra light for good luck. That’s where Litepanels LEDs came in ” Knapp said. “One of the most beautiful locations was the merry-go-round at Griffith Park. We brought two Litepanels 1x1s with us and clamped them to a couple of the non-moving vertical poles within the merry-go-round. Easy because they can be battery operated. They provided just the right amount of light for our actors. “The other time that Litepanels was invaluable came when we were shooting Debbie Reynolds’ interview at the Cinerama Dome ” Knapp said. “Because we couldn’t run cables on the location the battery power came in handy once again. We attached the 1x1s to light stands and set them in the background for a nice fill. “Litepanels are some of the most valuable lights I’ve ever used ” said Knapp. “They are lightweight small and have a lot of punch. It’s tremendously helpful that they run on batteries. Because of the direct LED light they give an overall soft quality and still get a nice sparkle in the eye.” The finished 28-minute modern day travelogue follows actor Stanley Livingston (who played George Peppard’s older son in How the West Was Won) and his wife Paula Drake as they take a younger couple through Los Angeles’ landmarks. It is a supplement to the 60th anniversary showing of This is Cinerama. The initial one-week showing at the Cinerama Dome ran at the end of September of this year. It will be seen at various times in the future at the Cinerama Dome and the plan is to screen this tribute in subsequent years at Cineramas in Bradford UK or in Seattle (the only two other Cinerama theaters still in existence). ,3668
SpongeBob SquarePants 4D
,2012-11-01,Who lives in a pineapple under the sea and may be coming soon to a theme park zoo or aquarium near you in 4D? SpongeBob SquarePants. ,3672
Single-Minded ShowEast,2012-11-14,These are stressful times for the owners of small independent movie theatres around the world especially those whose theatres have only one screen. The situation is even more pronounced in North America where hardly a day passes without another news story about an urban art house owner or an exhibitor in a small rural town who faces the grim choice of finding some way to invest in digital cinema technology or closing the doors. While government subsidies are sometimes a possibility for international exhibitors they are out of the question in North America. And with a small theatre’s limited margins banks are increasingly reluctant to offer loans on new technology that may need to be upgraded in a matter of years. According to John Fithian president of the National Association of Theatre Owners 31 135 of the 39 908 movie auditoriums in North America or about 78 percent have made the transition to digital projectors. That leaves 8 773 film-only screens left. No one knows precisely how many of the remaining screens are single-screen movie theatres but they must number in the hundreds and probably in the thousands. Add to all this the fact that with one current exception virtual print fee financing deals are no longer a viable option and it comes as no surprise that smaller independent theatres got a lot of attention at ShowEast 2012 which wrapped up earlier this month in Miami. All four digital cinema projector manufacturers showed systems that were specifically designed for the smaller screens that are typical in independently owned theatres around the world. (More on those in a bit.) And all of the manufacturers say they are committed to working with independent exhibitors to ensure they are not left behind. While there were serious rumors coming out of the convention about the possibility of new perhaps limited VPF programs sometime early next year the lone company that is currently still offering VPF deals is Sony; their program runs through next March. Understandably Sony drew a lot of attention at the show and the message that Gary Johns senior vice president of Digital Cinema Solutions at Sony Electronics delivered then and now was simple: “Nobody should assume they can’t qualify. We absolutely try to work with them.” Dealing with smaller independent exhibitors “was our primary objective at the show ” said Jim Reisteter general manager of digital cinema at NEC Display Solutions. “NEC is committed to helping large- and small-screen theaters alike convert to digital cinema technology ” he said adding that “a little over half the visitors” to the NEC booth was exhibitors who run smaller independent theatres; exhibitors from Latin America were the other half. Reisteter estimated the remaining number of single screen theatres in North America at between 3 500-5 000 a number most of his competitors also cited. To address their needs NEC has introduced a domestic financing program that enables exhibitors to make the transition to digital and don’t have to pay interest for 90 days. He said the company is working on new even more aggressive financing plans that he hopes to announce sometime around the first of the year. Regarding VPF extensions he added “I know there are discussions going on.” Patrick Lee Barco vice president digital cinema for Barco North America called this “a critical time in our industry” and said that his company has a new low cost projector the DP2K-10Sx that is specifically aimed at the rural Mom & Pop theatres that serve a 100 square mile radius. The goal he said is to give them “a premium experience.” Christie unveiled the Christie Solaria One aimed at emerging markets and community theaters whose screen sizes are less than 10.6 meters (35 feet) wide. The projector is DCI-compliant and was recently certified by AegiSolve. Christie says that this is the first projector to ship in quantity that is based on Texas Instruments’ recently developed S2K chipset. The Solaria One will deliver fully DCI-compliant images at 8000 lumens within the DCI color space and as the Christie Solaria One+ 10 000 lumens when presenting alternative content. “The announcement of the high-value Christie Solaria One projector is indicative of Christie’s continuing digital cinema technology leadership as the company advances the ‘democratization of digital’ trend that will end in all audiences across the globe having access to the finest in digital cinema and alternative content ” said Kathryn Cress vice president of global and corporate marketing Christie. Everyone can join the digital cinema revolution courtesy of Christie and this announcement reflects what global exhibitors have come to expect of the world’s best-selling DCI-compliant digital cinema projector leader one that has shipped and installed more than 36 000 projectors to date.” “The DCI-compliant Solaria One projector won kudos from customers across the globe in our product previews for its all-in-one design as it ships with a zoom lens a high-performance Xenon lamp an Integrated Media Block for playing high frame rate movies and Screen Management System for controlling the system ” said Don Shaw senior director product management Christie Entertainment Solutions. “Exhibitors will also appreciate Christie Solaria One’s built-in dual DVI (HDMI) and network ports rendering it capable of displaying virtually any form of alternative content. And customers should also note that they are not locked into a projector-based proprietary storage system; we strongly believe that mechanical hard drive platters should not coexist within the projector chassis and that such systems featured in competing solutions are a failure waiting to happen. DCI-compliant robust external storage systems based on the very latest commercial RAID5 technology are available through Christie sales representatives for use with Solaria One.” Ster-Kinekor Theatres the largest cinema exhibitor in South Africa will be the first recipient and has ordered 198 projectors from the Christie Solaria One line. Ster-Kinekor Theatres CEO Fiaz Mahomed said “The Christie Solaria One projectors offer superb quality with a heightened viewing experience for movie lovers. These projectors are perfectly suited for smaller screens and are very cost effective. Ster-Kinekor is proud to be the first chain in the world to deploy this product and we believe that this partnership meets the very real demand from our valued audiences in seeing the best film content at its greatest.” “The DCI Digital Cinema System Specification helps to ensure a uniformity of excellence among products destined for the world’s cinemas and promotes deployment of high quality digital cinema equipment ” said Travis Spann president and laboratory director AegiSolve. The Christie Solaria One has clearly satisfied the applicable criteria for interoperability and rigorous content security as specified in the DCI Compliance Test Plan.” NEC announced updates to its NC900C digital cinema projection system for smaller screens in theaters art houses mobile cinemas universities and public buildings. The NC900C delivers 2K cinema image brightness of 14-ft-L (using a 1.8 gain screen) on screens up to 30ft/9m while adhering to DCI color specifications. It has the new S2K chip set from Texas Instruments as well as an Integrated Media Server with an Integrated Media Block and 2 TB RAID5 storage. “Our NC900C projector gives venues with smaller screens particularly those in Latin America the ability to delight their patrons with pristine images and a meaningful theater experience ” said Reisteter. “The NC900C is easy to install even in smaller projection booths and easy to transport for mobile cinema.” DCI Compliance is expected by the end of the month. Keio University a DCI-authorized lab has successfully completed DCI CTP procedural testing of the NC900C including projector image processing. The NC900C will be available in December with a two-year limited warranty (for U.S. and Canada only) including parts and labor. The estimated street price of the NC900C in North America is $29 999 and includes projector lens and IMS. Sony featured the SRX-R515P 4K digital cinema projection system. Introduced at CineEurope 2012 it was developed with small medium and independent theaters in mind and is now available to the U.S. market. The SRX-R515P system delivers 4K projection by using the 4K SXRD panel projected by a lens specifically made for 4K projection and the F2.5 large aperture lens made of Extra Low Dispersion glass. The new optical engine creates a high contrast image of more than 8000:1 (average) achieved by improving the separation of light reflected from SXRD panel. “This new projector will give small medium and independent exhibitors the opportunity to expand and become entertainment venues offering new services beyond traditional 35mm films to 4K and 3D programming ” said Sony’s Johns. “The addition of the SRX-R515P to the Sony portfolio with its outstanding image quality operational versatility and low cost of ownership showcases Sony’s long-term commitment to delivering the ultimate entertainment experience to the independent cinema market.” The projector uses multiple high-pressure mercury lamps – an industry first. Sony combined six units of 450W high output lamps to maximize the level of brightness using its original optical system that links the lamps to the SXRD panel. This new light source enables extremely easy quick and safe replacements without the need to wear gloves and goggles ultimately ensuring a lower cost of ownership for the exhibitor. The SRX-R515P also delivers unmatched 3D images compared to triple flash systems through the Sony dual lens system which completes projection of full sequence frames for both the right and left eye simultaneously without flashing. Additionally a built in High Frame Rate capability will extend 3D viewing to its maximum allowing the projector to be ready for upcoming HFR features. This 4K-projection system features a smaller more compact body than previous models to increase installation flexibility for smaller projection booths and create more operating space for smaller exhibitors. It also comes with a fully Sony qualified integrated media block and server enabling high speed content ingest and transfer that gives theater managers the authority to create flexible show scheduling. Remote operations which will make theater management more efficient and effective are also supported by a single 15-inch GUI control panel with Android tablet and planned iPad compatibility. Barco in partnership with Ballantyne Strong announced that it is installing a wide array of projectors to as many as 437 Caribbean Cinemas screens beginning with installations in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic followed by deployments in seven other islands. The cinemas showcase not only first-run theatrical releases and art house films in both English and Spanish but alternative content as well including the upcoming 2012-13 Metropolitan Opera season. “We are pleased to partner with Barco and Ballantyne to elevate movie presentation quality to the highest possible level for our valued patrons ” said Robert Carrady president of Caribbean Cinemas. “We chose the Barco projectors because of their superior image quality and excellent reliability and appreciate the added prestige of having the world’s brightest digital cinema projector – an essential quality for today’s immersive and 3D movies.” “Caribbean Cinemas have been a valued partner to Ballantyne Strong for over 20 years. We are delighted to continue this relationship and be part of their transition to the digital age. Barco projectors will dramatically elevate their presentation quality as they expand to showcase a wider range of entertainment from feature films to live broadcasts and alternative programming ” said Ray Boegner senior vice president Ballantyne Strong. “As a turnkey digital cinema integrator and service provider we’re proud to partner with Barco to provide our customers with the ultimate image quality at the lowest total cost of ownership.” The auditoriums will feature Barco’s DP2K-12C for screens up to 12 meters all the way up to its largest projector the DP2K-32B. “We’re very pleased to help Robert and his team capitalize on the opportunity to significantly enhance its entertainment offerings with projectors that match Caribbean Cinema’s commitment to quality and attention to detail ” said Barco’s Patrick Lee.
Chuggington Heads for Kidtoons
