A major portion of director Todd Robinson’s submarine thriller Phantom starring recent Golden Globe Award-winning actor Ed Harris was filmed in the confines of an actual Russian submarine. Blocking became extremely important for cinematographer Byron Werner and gaffer Steve Lundgren while down in the cramped sub. They had to have a very precise lighting approach. If an actor missed his mark by inches he would be out of his lighting. “While Todd and I spent a considerable amount of time establishing a look and feel that we wanted to accomplish in Phantom I have to credit gaffer Steve with the innovative lighting approach ” says cinematographer Werner. “He built a lot of custom lights but Litepanels bricks were the best and only movie lights we could use in many parts of the sub.” “We had to approach the lighting for the sub from a very minimalistic standpoint ” says Lundgren. “Whatever units we decided to use needed to provide versatility as well as concentrated output. Litepanels became one of the most obvious choices because of the amount of light they put out and their diversity. Since we were in confined spaces that could get uncomfortable for the actors the fact that Litepanels run heat-free was also a plus. Also important was that we needed to be able to put lights in areas where standard-rigging procedures would not prove possible. Litepanels made all this easy.” “In one scenario we had six of our main actors sitting around a table in the mess hall of the submarine ” recalls Lundgren. “The room was actually built on a stage but Todd wanted it to still feel as cramped as it was on the real submarine so we faced some real challenges lighting the actors individually. We ended up rigging ten Litepanels MiniPlus units to the ceiling using 5/8” rods. Each panel had a diffusion and color package we designed for the front of the units. They were then ‘sided’ off from light spilling on the walls or onto the actors in an undesirable way. We would not have been able to reach the result we got with any other units.” “One of the most beautiful Litepanels lit moments was a stirring scene with star Ed Harris as he sits on the bed in his stateroom trying to make sense of the challenge he faces in this nothing-is-what-it-seems-to-be underwater drama ” says Werner. “A mini grid of MiniPlus units was our only lighting. Throughout the whole movie Litepanels fixtures were always the perfect main key lighting for Ed.
“ Steve and I both own Litepanels MiniPlus kits ” Werner adds. “We always have them as our ‘go to’ tools. They are versatile give off great light and produce a tremendous amount of light for such a small footprint.”
Battery-operated Litepanels MiniPlus is a compact dimmable LED softlight available in daylight (flood and spot) and tungsten (flood) models that run cool and provide soft directional output and smooth dimming from 100 percent to 0.
Written and directed by Todd Robinson Phantom is inspired by actual events. The story follows an emotionally haunted captain (Ed Harris) of a Soviet submarine who holds the fate of the world in his hands when he’s challenged by a KGB rogue group bent on seizing the ship’s nuclear missile. It opens in theaters across the U.S. on March 1. ,3912
Finding Affordable Post,2013-02-28,As any good indie filmmaker knows post-production is an extremely important part of the puzzle when it comes to creating a great independent film. The process can often become overwhelming however and leave the indie filmmaker unsure of how to begin post-production or find a facility that caters to the specific needs of independent filmmaking. When director Matthan Harris was ready to finish his film titled The Inflicted he began searching for an indie friendly post house that would deliver the same quality as a big budget film. When he learned that AlphaDogs not only caters to the independent filmmaker but that they have also worked on award-winning movies he knew he had found the perfect fit. “Everyone at AlphaDogs is really professional and down to earth. The team is very passionate about their work and that’s really inspiring for the creative process ” said Harris. Post-production initially began with AlphaDogs editor and colorist Sean Stack working one-on-one with Harris to decide the best approach to meet the desired look for the film. After the final edit was completed Emmy Award nominated cinematographer Cira Felina Bolla joined the team to review master shots and help shape the cool dark feel of the story. Stack created this vibe by adding just the right amount of contrast and shadow consistently throughout the film with secondary color grading applied to balance and even out skin tones of the characters. Scenes shot with different camera angles required careful attention during post to make certain they matched surrounding shots. Stack said. “Sometimes errors happen during a shoot or an effect shot comes back from graphics with a gamma shift. With the use of powerful color correction tools external video scopes and professional monitoring those rare but extreme problems are technically analyzed and repaired so the actors' performance is saved.” In charge of audio for the film was AlphaDogs Emmy Award nominated vice president of audio Marcus Pardo. Harris said “I was pleasantly surprised when Marcus salvaged some less-than-stellar ADR lines by seamlessly combining the necessary parts with the original dialogue. Junior audio mixer Curtis Fritsch supervised the background sound effects adding suspense to the film. Fritsch said “I worked on finding a good balance of realistic and scary sounds to make sure they complimented the film. The biggest challenge was in making sure places like the hospital and the farm didn't interfere with music or dialogue.” The film’s Italian composer Marco Werba (Dario Argento’s Giallo) visited from Rome to assist Marcus and Matthan with the final audio mix. The Inflicted stars genre veterans Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects) Sid Haig (House of 1000 Corpses) Doug Bradley (Hellraiser) and Giovanni Lombardo Radice (The Omen) as well as Director Matthan Harris. The film takes audiences into the dark world of troubled medical student David O’Hara (Matthan Harris) who kidnaps and murders young women. Attempting to replace the family he lost as a boy he impregnates one of his victims. Once police rescue the victim the troubled student goes on a murderous rampage to get his family back. The team at AlphaDogs worked very hard on the film with everyone going above and beyond the call of duty ” said Harris. “I can confidently say that we made The Inflicted as good as we could within the budgetary limitations.” The film will be released May 21 by Osiris Entertainment on DVD and has already premiered in four countries: USA Italy Germany and South Africa with screenings at Texas Frightmare Weekend Fantafestival South African HorrorFest and Weekend of Horrors. Inflicted http://theinflictedmovie.com ,3917
Reimagining 2D Art,2013-02-28,Award-winning 3D director James Stewart founder of Canada’s Geneva Film Company presented the world premiere of his animated 3D short film Béatrice Coron's Daily Battles at last month’s TED Conference in Long Beach California. Stewart and celebrated New York City artist Coron attended the premiere. Stewart brings a new dimension to Coron's breathtaking 61-panel papercut masterwork of medieval life. An art film about a work of art Béatrice Coron's Daily Battles tells its story in an abstract montage created in stereoscopic 3D. With each medieval scene we enter a tale of struggle battle and trickery representing the challenges of life. The canvas that Coron and director Stewart have expressed in stunning 3D allows the viewer to transcend the traditional film narrative and fall into a world where non-linear abstraction is the only way out. Using animation sound light and shadows and a sprinkling of humor Stewart renders each scene of Coron's 2D cutouts in true 3D splendor depicting a new aspect of the medieval world. Together these vignettes make up the layers of a complex society where good and evil co-exist illustrating the daily battles of life through the ages. There is always a dragon to slay a baby to comfort a kingdom to be won or a meal to be prepared. We are honored to have our world premiere at the TED Conference in such a great environment of artists thinkers educators and activists said Stewart. I first met Béatrice at the 2011 TED Conference and was immediately captivated by the potential for depth in her traditionally flat artwork. Working with Béatrice to re-imagine her work with lighting and immersive 3D has been a joy. Daily Battles is a film we're all very proud of. Through his production company Stewart has produced more than 30 projects in digital 3D including cinema commercials concerts stop-motion and CG animation. He is a director storyteller artist digital innovator and multi-platform visual designer whose work ranges from mobile to giant screen from motion graphics to stereoscopic 3D installations. Recent spots include Samsung Toyota Lexus Sprint JCPenney. Béatrice Coron www.beatricecoron.com/ Geneva Film Co. www.genevafilmco.com/3d ,3926
Cinema Sound Gets a Lift,2013-02-28,Adaptive Technologies Group's overhead mounting system dubbed StarGrid is specifically developed for clustering ceiling-mounted cinema speakers. This new system which supports the latest ceiling speaker formats found in movie theaters is designed to reduce the cost of multi-channel surround sound installations. With digital cinema and 3D exhibition becoming mainstream directors and studios have begun implementing new object-based surround sound technologies such as the Atmos surround format from Dolby Laboratories and the Auro format from Barco to compliment the enhanced visual experience. Recent examples of this include the films Brave Life of Pi and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure to name a few as well as upcoming titles such as Star Trek: Into Darkness. Adaptive’s StarGrid system supports the adoption of such technologies with a safe easy-to-install ceiling grid that reduces total installation costs and optimizes the installation of surround speakers. “The engineering and design behind Adaptive’s StarGrid system has enabled us to complete our overhead installations quickly and confidently in order to meet our client's ever-shrinking installation timelines ” says Adam Peterson director of technical services Universal Cinema Services. “While an auditorium is under renovation it isn’t generating any revenue. The StarGrid allows us to get in and out of an overhead installation fast in order to help the client get back to selling tickets.” Proper placement and aiming of speakers in a cinema setting is vital to achieving the desired audio experience. Not every facility however is designed the same way. To address this Adaptive has developed a complete beam-to-speaker design that allows the StarGrid system to be easily retrofitted into almost any theater’s space. This system comes with a variety of components that accommodate most building materials and structures including trusses beams pipes and channels. Further design considerations take wire management sound isolation and seismic conditions into account. Adaptive also offers a variety of adjustable speaker mounts that accommodate standard cinema speaker models including those produced by Eastern Acoustic Works Electro-Voice JBL Professional Klipsch Meyer Audio and QSC Audio. “With Adaptive’s StarGrid there is finally a structurally engineered ceiling speaker attachment method that’s perfect for cinema ” says Jim Kappus director of sales and logistics ACS Enterprises Inc. “It is a safe and risk-free method for properly installing overhead speakers.” For this customized solution Adaptive can provide the installer with a complete ceiling grid design based on facility drawings that includes dimensioned drawings for installation a bill of materials working load and safety factors as well as auditorium-specific recommendations. Theater owners need only provide Adaptive with the drawings (preferably CAD files) of the facility and the placement of any acoustic wall treatment. Adaptive then creates the installation design for installers to follow detailing the exact location of the ceiling speakers and the grid components that support them. This can also provide support for the submittal of plans for approval. “It is really exciting to once again be a part of another major cinema technology build-out ” says Paul Allen CEO Adaptive Technologies Group. “For decades we have worked with leading theater chains and speaker manufacturers to develop cinema specific surround mounts for walls. With StarGrid we have created an easy way to safely and efficiently install ceiling surrounds in auditoriums making the whole process more predictable and less costly for theater owners. Adaptive has had a long history of supporting sound innovations and we are happy to continue this tradition with this latest offering.” Adaptive Technologies Group http://adapttechgroup.com ,3927
Distribution Dance Partners,2013-03-14,More2Screen has been appointed by the Dutch National Ballet and 3 Minutes West to distribute an all new Cinderella ballet to digital cinemas worldwide (except the US) beginning May 1. Choreographed by the internationally acclaimed Christopher Wheeldon Cinderella was premiered by the Dutch National Ballet last December and received a rapturous reception from both ballet fans and critics alike. A co-production by the Dutch National Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet Cinderella stars Anna Tsygankova and Matthew Golding the perfect pairing for this original 21st century take on the classic fairy story ballet. Influenced by the Brothers Grimm version of the story Wheeldon has created an enchanting ballet set to Prokofiev's magnificent score with stunning sets and costumes by British designer Julian Crouch. This is the second time More2Screen has worked with the Dutch National Ballet and 3 Minutes West having screened a live broadcast of the DNB’s Nutcracker & the Mouse King to cinemas across Europe in 2011. Cinderella is the latest in a long line of world-class ballets across all formats – 2D 3D and live – distributed by More2Screen. Christine Costello managing director More2Screen says We are thrilled to be working with 3 Minutes West and the Dutch National Ballet again on this stunning new production. It is a privilege to be able to offer a brand-new original ballet production by a choreographer of the international stature of Christopher Wheeldon to our digital cinema partners worldwide. Ted Brandsen director of The Dutch National Ballet says of the collaboration with More2Screen “With their impressive track record in distributing special events to cinemas across the globe and their proven expertise with ballet in particular More2Screen is the ideal partner to work with us on the theatrical release of this critically acclaimed new Cinderella ballet.” ,3931
The State of Independents,2013-03-14,To understand the current state of independent art house cinemas in the United States a good place to start would be downtown Ann Arbor Michigan where within a stone’s throw of each other sit the majestic Michigan Theatre and the smaller State Theatre. The theatres have something of a shared history which only serves to highlight their differences. Despite their close proximity and their significant business ties one theatre represents the potential that digital cinema technology can bring to a thriving cultural center while the other illustrates the many challenges that the transition presents to theatres that have yet to make the move. Russ Collins executive director and CEO of the Michigan Theatre is involved with both ventures and as the chairman of the trade group Art House Convergence has a solid perspective on the past present and future state of the independent art house cinema. The Michigan opened in 1928 and through the 1940s was a showplace for live concerts theatre production music community events and movies the same cultural mix it offers today. In the Fifties the Butterfield Theater Company modernized the theatre in a misguided attempt to compete with television. In 1979 with the advent of the multiplex Butterfield ceased operations and the Michigan’s future was uncertain. Community leaders banded together to save the theatre worked to have its outstanding debt forgiven and in 1982 hired Collins and his team to manage the theatre and to oversee a massive fund-raising and restoration effort. Built in 1942 the State Theater was the last commercial building to be completed in Ann Arbor after the start of World War II. The Art Deco cinema was designed strictly for movies and has a screen but no usable stage. In the early 1980s the George Kerasotes Corporation owners at the time quartered the theatre with two screens downstairs two in the balcony but pulled out in 1987. The first floor was gutted and converted to commercial retail space. In 1997 a private investment group acquired the State Theatre and hired Collins and his team to manage the programming and marketing. After more than thirty years at the Michigan Theatre Collins has overseen dramatic change. When he took over the building was in sad disrepair. With community support programming resumed and the painstaking renovation began. The theatre operated with 16mm 35mm and 70mm film projectors which it still has. Christie digital but not DCI-compliant projectors were added in 2005 to show programs on Blu-ray and other digital formats. Eventually the historic 1 700-seat majestic theatre was returned to its full glory and Collins and his team supervised the addition of a 200-seat dedicated screening room. Recently Sony 4K DCI-compliant projectors were installed in both venues. Collins said the theatre paid cash outright for one projector and secured a loan from a local bank for the other. While he doesn’t minimize the difficulties that many small exhibitors encounter when confronted with the need to convert to digital cinema Collins has a very matter-of-fact attitude about the situation. “It’s a significant change ” he said “but it’s a technology change. With technology changes sometimes you get to choose sometimes you don’t.” He compares this transition era to the earlier move from silent movies to sync sound. “Clearly [the transition to sound] created dislocation and upset ” he said but just as “clearly it didn’t kill the film business. The film industry didn’t change.” Collins said people in the business tend to romanticize earlier eras but the reality is that “showing movies has always been a hard business.” The earliest exhibitors were disparaged as low rent and the successful ones were the people who educated their audiences about the value of cinema. Collins said that the theatres that thrived in the silent era and “had a strong balance sheet” were able to survive the transition to sync sound. That pattern is being repeated in this era of transition from film to digital. Asked about the future of the State Theatre he doesn’t offer too many details. “We do programming and marketing for them ” he said suggesting the decision is not his to make. The venue which still operates with 35mm projection would require significant restoration and does not have a strong balance sheet. Its future seems uncertain. Collins concedes that his theatre benefits greatly from its location near the University of Michigan and there’s validity to the conventional wisdom that art house cinemas thrive in large cities and university towns. Nevertheless a recent survey by the Art House Convergence suggests that small towns may offer the easiest path to success because they don’t face competition from commercial exhibitors. In that regard Collins wishes that commercial cinemas didn’t feel so threatened by art house cinemas. He said art house cinemas differ from the bigger theatre chains in being “community-based mission-driven” cultural centers. Mainstream theatres are “commercial entertainment vehicles designed to make money.” Not that Collins is opposed to making money; he’s vigilant about maintaining a solid balance sheet for his operation but he strongly believes that art house theatres offer a value beyond commercial success. Although he accepts the animosity that many if not most commercial exhibitors have for art house theatres he strongly believes it’s misplaced. Even if in theory a ticket purchased at the Michigan Theatre takes money away from the local multiplex the reality he suggests is more subtle and complicated. Art house theatres especially in university towns teach people about movies as an art form. Once they develop a deeper appreciation for the art of cinema they invariably become better and more loyal fans of all kinds of movies. “Art houses actually create audiences for cinema ” Collins argued. “In the long run art houses are not going to take business away from multiplex theatres.” In many respects the Art House Convergence was born of that “community-based mission-driven” spirit that Collins often recites in conversation. As part of its 25th anniversary celebration in 2006 the Sundance invited 24 people including Collins from 12 independent theatres across the country to its annual January film festival in Park City Utah. The event was dubbed “The Art House Project” and was designed to thank the participants for their longstanding support on independent films. “We shared a meal and discussed our common experiences as theatre owners and managers ” Collins said and after the festival “we stayed in touch.” The group returned to Sundance the following year and by 2008 had grown to 25 people. They formalized their gathering as the Art House Convergence named officers including Collins as chairman and found sponsors. Art House Convergence 2013 held this past January attracted 350 delegates and has become Collins said “The largest gathering of art house theatres in North America.” Asked how many art house theatres there are in the country he said “We’ve tried to figure that out” and based on a recent initial survey he said the number in the United States is “more than 500 and probably close to 2 000.” One of the reasons for the wide range is that the number depends on how you define an art house cinema. It’s smaller if you only include movie houses like the Michigan Theatre but much larger if you include the growing number of museums that program independent films documentaries and alternative content and an also growing number of upscale senior centers that run sophisticated programs of classic films and alternative content. “I think most art houses will survive ” Collins said. “Especially those that are true to being a community-based mission driven cultural center.” ,3937
Collaborating on Sake-Bomb,2013-03-14,Junya Sakino’s comedy Sake-Bomb was one of many films to premiere at South by Southwest in Austin Texas. ,3939
Supernatural Magic,2013-03-14,Oblique FX continues to produce visual effects for the television series Being Human now in its third season. The Montreal facility was recently nominated for a 2013 Canadian Screen Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for best visual effects in television for its work on the second season of the program. Being Human tells the story of a trio of supernatural beings who live together in Boston. Oblique FX delivered 382 shots for the second season of Being Human including set extensions green screen work digital morphs and enhancements as well as being in charge of on-set VFX supervision. The facility was nominated last year in the same category for season one of Being Human and won a Gemini Award (the precursor to the Canadian Screen Awards) in 2010 for VFX on the television mini-series Ben Hur. This year’s Canadian Screen Award nomination honors the facility’s VFX work for an episode of Being Human called The Ties That Blind. Starting from scratch Oblique FX built the elements that became the supernatural and magical characters in Being Human which include a ghost a werewolf and a vampire living together in a house in Boston. “The Ties That Blind” is replete with paranormal phenomena that required extensive VFX work. A poltergeist splits a staircase in half as Sally the ghost runs frantically backwards to escape the unseen force. Later the ghost of her ex-boyfriend is shredded and sent into limbo by the Reaper a swirling amorphous character. Possibly the most remarkable scenes involve werewolves and culminate in a night fight in the woods between a pair of vampires and four werewolves who have just transformed from their human shape. “The werewolves have always been our most interesting challenge on this project ” said Pierre-Simon Lebrun-Chaput VFX supervisor for Oblique FX. “Each one is a complex character with emotions and individual traits that we need to convey convincingly. They get a lot of screen time and it’s crucial that we integrate them believably into their environments.” The terrifying fight in the woods is the most VFX-heavy sequence of Being Human to date. There are 15 werewolf shots during the night hunt accounting for over one full minute of CG. Every element was hand-built in Softimage lit and rendered with Arnold and composited in Nuke. Extensive rotoscopy was used to place the werewolves seamlessly among the leaves and trees of the forest. CG assets of the werewolves were built from designs that were sketched early in the first season of Being Human. Oblique FX then used these elements to depict the human transformation into the very different anatomy of the werewolves. In the case of a facial morph of werewolf twins the camera was close up with a large part of the transformation happening on screen. This sequence involved a painstaking 3D recreation of the actors’ faces and bodies. The 3D recreations were match-moved and then distorted to depict gradually sharpening teeth and extending bones and subsequently used to add growing CG hair and to animate changes in the color and texture of the skin. Oblique started with shots of the actors wearing prosthetic teeth then animated the plates. Hair was added to the face next. A prosthetic chest mimicked the expansion of the torso. Once the werewolf transformations were complete the creatures were animated to continue the action sequence. “It was easy to fall into in-between shapes that looked weird like a raccoon or a rat ” Lebrun-Chaput explained. “We overcame this by redrawing the details of the face to make it more wolf-like and realistic. Because we were playing with the details of a human face even a small error would have been immediately obvious to the audience.” “We love doing TV work ” said Benoît Brière president of Oblique FX. “With Being Human we’re involved in the creative process from the beginning creating concepts and storyboards. We have latitude to present ideas and design assets to the director. With Being Human all our artists get to pitch in.” Produced by Muse Entertainment Enterprises and shown on Space (Bell Media) in Canada and SyFy in the U.S. Being Human stars Sam Witwer Meaghan Rath and Sam Huntington as a trio of supernatural beings who live together in Boston. Oblique FX continues to deliver VFX for the series now in its third season. Oblique FX www.ObliqueFX.com ,3940
Gaining Valuable Space,2013-03-14,The Laemmle Royal Theatre in Santa Monica has worked with Christie to create the first booth-less cinema within Los Angeles. The conversion to digital was part of an upgrade made throughout the Laemmle chain. “Being 100 percent digital made the renovation easier as we were able to carve out multiple auditoriums without having to allocate additional space for a projection booth ” said Greg Laemmle president of the company. “We got back space in the old projection booth which has now been put to other uses ” Laemmle said. “And we also avoided the cost of building new booth space. It’s great to have all the equipment including our Library Management Server as part of the box office. That way staff can input movie files and set playlists while still being available to customers.” In addition to digital projection the newly-restored theatre has stadium seating and three screens instead of one which will allow it to expand its programming and offer more choices to its guests. Prior to the renovation The Royal was one of the last one screen theatres in the city. With eight locations and 41 screens throughout Los Angeles the independent Laemmle chain was started by Laemmle’s grandfather and great-uncle in 1938 and has highlighted the work of independent filmmakers. It also carries mainstream titles such as Hitchcock and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The Royal re-opened in late December 2012 with LA’s exclusive engagement of Amour. With the conversion of The Royal a traditional cinema built in the 1920s the chain is now 100 percent digital. “We have a long history of working with Christie. We had our share of hiccups during the conversion process but the Christie team has been very responsive. We truly feel they’ve been our partners in getting the art house scene switched over to digital. They took the time to understand how our world is a little different from the world of major studio exhibitors and were willing to adjust to come up with a better program ” said Laemmle. Craig Sholder vice president entertainment solutions Christie said the firm is proud to be part of the renovation of The Royal and the digital upgrade throughout the chain. “It’s important to Christie to work with each customer to create the solution that works best with their unique needs. Independent cinemas are a vibrant part of the industry and it’s our pleasure to help them make the transition from film to digital.” Christie integration partner Southern California Cinetech managed the conversion to digital throughout the chain. Cinetech installed Christie CP2210 and CP2220 projectors from the Christie Solaria Series digital projectors and orchestrated the Christie Virtual Print Fee financing plan with Christie’s Managed Services team providing monitoring and maintenance services. Christie Digital Systems www.christiedigital.com ,3943
Documenting a Mosaic of Life,2013-03-14, Director/producer Alicia Brauns had a very personal story to tell about her father’s journey from holocaust survivor to well-known surgeon. The documentary-in-progress is entitled Mosaic of Life. To depict that experience and Dr. Jack Brauns’ positive outlook on life she turned to her favorite cinematographer Rodney Charters ASC CSC. The two knew they would be covering an extensive amount of ground from inside the infamous camps to the trip through Germany and beyond—in a short shooting time. They had to build their camera package carefully so they chose Canon C300s supported by a fluid head and legs from Sachtler.
“We chose three Canon C300s to CF cards at 4:2:2 with either Angenieux 15- 40mm or 45-120mm lenses on A and B cameras ” said Charters. “For C-camera we used various EOS Canon lenses 8-15mm 24-105mm and 70- 300mm. We decided not to add anything additional because we wanted to move quickly. Each camera package weighed about eight pounds.”
“When Rodney came to us with this project it sounded exciting ” said Tobias Keuthen marketing manager for Sachtler. “We wanted to do all we could to help him tell this story. It was important to him to have a solid documentary-friendly tripod and head since he knew they would be on their own in remote locations. We decided the Video 18 S1 was the perfect choice allowing him to handle the lightweight camera package with ease and move as quickly as he needed.” “I remembered the Video 18 from my 16SR days coupled with a set of carbon fiber legs and integrated spreader ” said Charters. “It has a handle and when folded is easily carried in one hand allowing the other hand to carry the camera and lens. Or it can be elegantly shouldered with the camera and tripod. It turned out to be the perfect match just enough strength to support the longer lenses. And with its good viscosity it could also easily handle lens heights from the ground up to six feet.” “The Sachtler Video 18 S1s were perfect for shooting The Mosaic of Life on location in Germany because they were compact and easy to transport ” Brauns agreed. “They did not drag or weigh us down. We had to move through locations quickly. The clock was always ticking.”
It was that ability to pick up and move that helped Charters and Brauns get the amount of material they needed in the time allowed. Often they would pull up to a location pull their package out of their transportation grab a few shots and move on quickly. “In Kaufering Germany for example we saw a great opportunity for visual content in the train tracks not far off the road ” Brauns said. “The Sachtler’s ball-head mount made it very fast and easy to level the camera on a steep hillside right next to the tracks. The Sachtler Video 18 S1 made it easy to get out of the way quickly if a train approached.”
The Mosaic of Life is an inspirational documentary depicting the life and positive philosophy of Dr. Brauns who reveals how even the worst circumstances can still allow life’s colors to shine and illuminate even the most hopeless among us. Unlike other holocaust films this documentary is an empowering film encouraging light redemption and restoration. The project will be completed by 2014. ,3946
What Lies Beneath?,2013-03-14,The Trestle At Pope Lick Creek a film based on the play by Naomi Wallace is a coming-of-age story with a wicked twist that reaches into the depths of a nation and asks What lies beneath? For post-production American Film Institute AFI directing graduate and director of the film Vuk Mitrovic went to AlphaDogs upon recommendation of a friend’s client who had used the facility for their project. “Other companies I contacted didn’t seem to care much about the film ” said Mitrovic. “At AlphaDogs they worked on finding the best solution first and then we easily found common ground on everything else including budget. It became my second home and I could go there anytime of the day without an appointment to work on the film.” Sean Williams vice president of design at AlphaDogs worked on a number of visual effects for the film. Plans to shoot interior scenes on a location set involving a window looking outdoors were scrapped for a stage set with the use of a jury-rigged green screen that didn’t have optimal lighting. This presented a unique challenge during post-production as the cinematographer had also used several close medium and wide set ups with dramatic depth of field. Using After effects Williams was able to key and rotoscope background exterior plates into the interior scenes carefully matching focal blur scale and camera movement while preserving details in the scene as well as the characters’ hair and clothing. “Working with director Mitrovic was a breeze. Initial discussions and ongoing communication went very smoothly ” said Williams. Another particularly challenging scene required Williams to match two locked-off shots where a character is stepping off the tracks just as a train roars by. Unintended camera drifts in one of the plates made the compositing quite complicated. Williams comments “Once again I used After Effects and a great deal of rotoscoping and tracking matching the main character of the film into the train plate. I was able to complete about 31 shots and meet the client's high expectations while staying within the budget and time constraints.” The project was lensed with the Red camera and offlined in Avid Media Composer 6.0. Then founder and lead colorist at AlphaDogs Terence Curren worked collaboratively with director Mitrovic and Director of Photography Yong Jin Kim to achieve the desired look for the film. “The director and DP had a very specific vision of the look they wanted and it took some work to really dial in each scene ” said Curren. “One major issue we dealt with was a series of pickup shots that were done months later when all the green vegetation had died off. This took a combination of tricks to hide but in the end it isn't noticeable.” With Avid now offering native support of Avid Raw files Curren chose to complete all the color correction in Avid Symphony. Curren said “We did a lot of work affecting each part of the frame using the Spot Color Effect which allows you to color correct isolated sections of the frame without affecting the rest. This is great for focusing attention to specific areas or fixing uneven exposure in the frame.” AlphaDogs audio mixer Curtis Fritsch was in charge of the audio mix. Inconsistent background noises were a hurdle with some scenes being shot at different times of the year. A good part of the film was also recorded next to a river with airplanes passing over on occasion. To fix the drop out in the audio and keep the scene transitions smooth Fritsch used Pro Tools HD and AlphaDogs extensive sound library. Mitrovic said “The project was always the most important thing. The quality of the product was never compromised which is great and rare these days.” Since the train was essentially a character in the film it had to have it’s own unique voice. Making the train sound loud and menacing without distracting from the characters dialogue and film scoring proved challenging. “In the final 5.1 mix we achieved the desired result giving the film a rich sound that would not have been possible without director Mitrovic’s help and collaboration during the post-production process” Fritsch said. AlphaDogs http://www.alphadogs.tv ,3954
ArcLight Cinema Expands,2013-03-14,ArcLight Cinemas in its first expansion outside the greater Los Angeles market has selected Doremi technology to manage its unique new 14-screen 1 800-seat cinema in San Diego. The complex will feature both 2K and 4K Integrated Media Blocks and Doremi servers. In addition the installation includes a comprehensive accessibility package for the hearing and sight impaired. “To create the ideal movie-going experience the leading state-of-the-art technology is required ” said Joe Miraglia director of design construction and facilities Pacific Theatres. “Our decision to partner with Doremi and their integrated platform is representative of our commitment to an unprecedented combination of technology amenities reliability and customer service.” “Doremi’s superior level of customer service and technical support were among some of the factors that influenced ArcLight’s decision ” said Jose Alvarado president ACS Enterprises. ACS Enterprises managed the installation as well procurement of equipment. “By offering the most advanced and flexible feature set for their product lines partnering with Doremi was the right choice for us ” added Joe Miraglia. ArcLight Cinema’s signature theater amenities will be supplemented with the Doremi CaptiView and Fidelio. “The CaptiView provides a discrete in-seat caption display and the Fidelio wireless audio system delivers descriptive narration for the visually impaired and amplified sound for the hearing impaired ” said Beth Figge senior sales manager Doremi. “These exceptional accessories help ArcLight to champion its commitment to accessibility and provide unique entertainment experiences to a diverse marketplace.” ArcLight Cinemas created by Pacific Theatres represents an evolution in the movie going experience. With locations in Hollywood Sherman Oaks Pasadena El Segundo and La Jolla ArcLight Cinemas offers an unprecedented combination of technology amenities comfort and customer service. Facilities include the historic Cinerama Dome (only at the Hollywood location) and black box auditoriums as well as a café bar and a cinema-focused gift shop. Tickets can be purchased online without a fee and printed at home and at the theaters’ automated ticketing kiosks. ,3957
Storytelling Matters Most,2013-03-14, Academy Award and two-time Golden Globe winning producer Jon Landau will keynote the National Association of Broadcasters Show’s Technology Summit on Cinema on Sunday April 7 in Las Vegas. The Summit is co-produced by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Landau who has produced the two highest grossing movies of all-time Avatar and Titanic is likely to cover several topics – 3D 4K High Frame Rates Motion Capture – but his key message will be that nothing is more important as good storytelling. As he says “Technology has never made a bad movie good.” Landau also produced Steven Soderbergh's Solaris co-produced Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy and Honey I Shrunk the Kids. As executive vice president of feature film production at Twentieth Century Fox in the early 1990s he supervised production on all major motion pictures including Die Hard 2 Mrs. Doubtfire True Lies Power Rangers Aliens 3 and Last of the Mohicans. Landau thoroughly understands the most complex state-of-the-art visual effects technologies and has been instrumental in licensing and marketing his films across various global platforms. In addition to producing Landau pro-actively works with companies and individuals in the entertainment industry to push cinematic technologies to new levels. Kevin Gage NAB chief technology officer and head of NAB Labs said Jon Landau constantly works to improve the filmmaking process even after having achieved enormous success. Attendees at NAB Show’s Technology Summit on Cinema will benefit from his knowledge of how cutting-edge technologies enhance the art of storytelling. As much as Landau understands and appreciates new technology his focus is always on the story and finding the best way to present it to an audience. At the Summit he said “We’re going to have an open conversation about utilizing technology to tell our stories. How do we use it to improve what we do?” He and partner James Cameron are currently working on two sequels to Avatar about which he will say little except that they want to do them more cost-effectively than the first film and to hint that there is a possibility that some of the action will take place underwater. Think Atlantis. There are new worlds to explore. Production on the next Avatar film should begin this year he said.
Here is the rest of the line-up for this year’s Technology Summit on Cinema: When We’re Ready: A History of Cinema Technology Date: Saturday April 6
8:45 am - 9:15 am Location: S222 Speaker: Mark Schubin Description:
Are magnetic-levitation seats with tactile and olfactory feedback the future of cinema? Many of today's common technologies-sound widescreen giant screen high-speed electronic content delivery stereoscopic 3D etc.-were developed long ago but didn't take until the time was right. Technology historian Mark Schubin provides an illustrated trip back in time to when old technologies were new and no one was sure they'd be successful. Advancing Cameras for Cinema Date: Saturday April 6
9:15 am - 10:15 am Location: S222 Speakers: Eric Fossum Peter Centen Siegfried Foessel Takayuki Yamashita Description:
Moves from film to electronic acquisition from small-format to larger-format images sensors and from slow to high frame rates have already been accomplished in commercially available cameras. What's next? Higher resolution greater sensitivity more dynamic range greater color gamut even higher frame rates? How about correction of more lens aberrations the ability to change focus after capture and single-lens depth capture? What might we see in the next five years? Update on the Digital Cinema Worldwide Rollout Date: Saturday April 6
10:45 am - 11:15 am Location: S222 Speakers: Paul Hearty Michael Karagosian Description:
At the end of 2012 70% of the world's cinema screens were converted to digital projection. This session will review on a region-by-region basis the progress made in the digital cinema rollout. Special attention will be given to the enabling factors for the rollout in Latin America where the highest percentage growth of digital screens is taking place. New and Emerging Standards in Digital Cinema Date: Saturday April 6
11:15 am - 11:45 am Location: S222 Speakers: Hans Hoffmann Brian Vessa John Hurst Description:
The session is providing an overview about the standardisation work in SMPTE on new and emerging standards in Digital Cinema. Topics included will be a brief of the 21DC committee such as Higher Frame Rates DCP Subtitle and an overview about the activities being undertaken in the newly established Technology Committee on Digital Sound Systems (25CSS). The Good the Bad and the Ugly of 3D Films: An Essential Guide to the Advantages and Pitfalls of Conversion Date: Saturday April 6
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm Location: S222 Speaker: Barry Sandrew Description:
Whether it's a full feature film conversion or partial conversion in a film shot with stereo camera rigs conversion is becoming an essential tool in the filmmaker's arsenal for creating the highest quality believable 3D. This presentation discusses and demonstrates the advantages and pitfalls of conversion that are essential for the filmmaker to know and understand. Conversion offers the feature film director with unprecedented creative control in the process of storytelling. However this creative control like a driving a high performance car through an obstacle course cannot be accomplished in unskilled hands. This presentation discusses the various processes in conversion what can go wrong and how the filmmaker/director can spot significant errors. It also goes into the art and proper use of techniques such as floating windows in stereo conversion. Sound Advice: Let's Get Immersed Date: Saturday April 6
3:15 pm - 4:30 pm Location: S222 Speakers: Tom Scott Jeff Levison John Kellogg Kimio Hamasaki Stuart Bowling Wilfried Van Baelen Description:
No not climate change or personal hygiene we are talking Cinema Sound here. In the quest for more audience involvement with the essence- the movie- of the Cinema a number of researchers have been looking for ways to enhance our old friend the 5.1 channel soundtrack to immerse the viewer/listener in the aural action and environment.This session will introduce the many players in this area the technical challenges that they must surmount and their successes and failures to date in the quest for the audio holy grail: enough channels to convince the audience that there are an infinite number of channels-- or no channels at all. Improving Workflow for Digital Cinema Distribution Date: Saturday April 6
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Location: S222 Speaker: Michael Karagosian Description:
The workflows associated with motion picture booking fulfillment security key management and film rental reconciliation are unique to the cinema business. One of the promises of digital cinema technology that remains to be realized is the streamlining of these workflows. This session explores the improvements now sought in workflow efficiency for digital cinema from the booking of a movie through to reconciliation of film rental. A Tidal Wave of Pixels: New Workflows for Digital Production Date: Sunday April 7
8:45 am - 9:45 am Location: S222 Speakers: Freddy Goeske Jim Houston Peter Anderson Description:
Many filmmakers would like to make use of a bigger and better digital 'palette': high frame rates stereoscopic 3D wider color gamuts greater dynamic range and higher resolutions such as 4K -- and even 8K. All of these new technologies impose great demands on digital workflows and challenge productions to be pioneers in technology deployment. How do you create effective workflows with digital tools that are rapidly changing or inadequate for the desired volume of work. How can you produce content that is future-proof and yet achievable with current technologies? This session will discuss the issues in designing digital workflows to handle the oncoming tidal wave of pixels using examples from current productions. Distributed Post Production for Cinema: Technologies Issues and Business Opportunities Date: Sunday April 7
9:45 am - 10:45 am Location: S222 Speaker: Gary Thompson Description:
The post-production workflow was once a localized tightly integrated and highly controlled process where the content output was closely scrutinized at every step. The production ecosystem today has become one where production and post may occur via collaborative workflows and with creative individuals scattered around the globe. This session includes expert presenters who will discuss real-world challenges and effective strategies for distributed production post. Topics will include cloud storage security speed and integration with existing media platforms (VFX editorial color grading etc.). Can standard file system protocols be used? What are the options for establishing private secure media clouds? How does an organization work at LAN speeds allowing geographically separated users the ability to automate media sharing allowing the production and post-production teams' immediate access? How do you ensure that all contributors see the same quality image on different display system? Advanced Imaged Capture and Display in Cinema: Science and Technology Update Date: Sunday April 7
11:15 am - 12:15 pm Location: S222 Speakers: Pat Griffis Andrew Watson Bert Dunk Kenichiro Masaoka PhD Scott Daly Description:
4K display is becoming a mainstay in cinemas today but it is only one technical aspect of providing a compelling viewing experience. As new display technologies such as laser projection make possible brighter images with wider color gamut what does science tell us about how humans perceive brightness in a cinema context? In this session we will discuss the science and technology of advanced imaging in the cinema and what we can expect to see in the near future. Higher Cinema Frame Rates: It's Off and Running (at 48fps) Part I - What's the Big Deal Date: Sunday April 7
1:45 pm - 2:45 pm Location: S222 Speakers: Wendy Aylsworth Christopher Pack PhD Howard Lukk Stuart Hameroff MD Description:
With the first release of a High Frame Rate (HFR) movie much has been learned and there is room for improvements. Movie frame rates at 60fps are in development and higher rates are being planned for future generations of equipment. This session will look at the benefits of HFR in storytelling exploring the most recent research on the psychophysical audience response to HFR as well as hearing from creatives about how this tool could be employed to achieve a desired emotional audience response. A Brighter Future: Developments in Laser Projection Co-Produced with Laser Illuminated Projector Association Date: Sunday April 7
4:15 pm - 5:45 pm Location: S222 Speakers: Pete Lude Casey Stack Dr. David Sliney Description:
After sixty years of service in movie theaters around the globe traditional xenon short-arc projector lamps will soon be replaced with solid state laser illumination systems. In addition to brighter images laser projectors promise lower operating costs reduced power consumption longer life and in increased color gamut. The session will provide an overview of laser projector technology including new hybrid projectors incorporating both direct emission and laser-excited phosphor. Further the results of a recent study by LIPA (Laser Illuminated Projector Association) will be presented. In this pioneering study radiometric measurements were conducted to compare optical properties of new laser projectors with xenon lamp digital projectors and traditional 35mm film projectors. These findings will aide in updating safety standards to reflect the new laser technologies. The session will also include a report on the latest progress in this regulatory reform. ,3958
Team Player,2013-03-28,Proludio – which in Latin means “for player” – is the name of a company that says that it and its first product the Series A Playback system provide an inexpensive alternative to Hollywood’s costly DCI digital standard for theatres in effect a low cost replacement for the Digital Cinema Package. The company believes strongly that this can be a great benefit to independent theatres film festivals distributors and filmmakers everywhere. Proludio traces its beginnings to Portland Oregon’s Living Room Theatres one of the earliest all-digital cinemas in the country. Faced with the seemingly endless number of formats that independent films can come in Living Room Theatres decided to develop a method of converting all of them into a single digital format. Tony Trachel says he’s Proludio’s media specialist but he laughs when asked what his specific title is because he says it doesn’t mean that much since everyone of the company’s five employees wears many hats. “We’re a pretty small company ” he said. He says a prototype system that would eventually become the Series A Playback system was first installed in the Living Room Theatre 2010. The product was introduced to the market at large at the Art House Convergence conference in Park City Utah in January 2011. Today Proludio is a separate company but shares an office suite in the same building as the Living Room Theatre. “Depending on the logistics of your theater ” Trachsel says a Series A Playback system can be installed for as little as $250 per month per screen. The systems themselves are free (the exhibitor only pays for the price of shipping) unless that exhibitor requires someone from Proludio to install it in person. Trachsel says that’s rare adding that most of the systems they’ve placed have worked right out of the shipping box. The $250 per month per screen lease fee entitles an exhibitor to screen as many movies trailers and other programs as desired. The Series A Playback system is DCI compatible. One of the biggest potential benefits for independent theatres and art houses in particular is that unless that exhibitor wants or feels they must show first run Hollywood movies they do not have to have a DCI-complaint projector. “The Proludio hardware does not require a DCI-compliant projector ” Trachsel says. “We can plug into a huge spectrum of both consumer and professional projectors including DCI-complaint ones. Unfortunately the Proludio server will not give a theatre the option of playing first run mainstream Hollywood titles as we are not DCI compliant and so far the studios have been unwilling to budge. That said we plan to continue conversations with the studios about the possibilities of a future relationship and hope to gain access to their titles in some capacity.” “There’s a real fear with DCPs ” Trachsel says. Some of this stems from the fact that DCI specifications continue to evolve and change. “We’re trying to eliminate that fear.” The Series A Playback system can and has converted DCPs for use by its customers. Currently Proludio does not currently charge distributors for encodes and deliveries but it is under consideration once they reach a certain footprint of theaters probably around 30 locations or 50 screens. The Series A Playback system is installed in ten locations right now. “Depending on the master format ” says Trachsel “it can take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours to author an encode. Tape based masters such as HDCam or HDCam SR have to be captured from the tape into uncompressed digital files and then encoded. The capture happens in real time and the encode takes up to 10 hours and then everything is put through a quality control test. If the master originates as a file for instance an uncompressed or ProRes QT file the capture process is simplified to copying the file off of a drive but the encode time stays pretty consistent. From there the file is encrypted and then distributed to the servers over a secure network connection. Depending on a theater's Internet connection speed this can take as little as a couple of hours or up to 24 hours.”
“Another benefit to the system ” he continues “is that it allows users to ingest their own h.264 Quicktime files up to 20 minutes in duration. This is ideal for theaters that like to run a PreShow and are looking for a seamless transition into trailers and feature content. This process only takes seconds once the file is authored.” There are new products in the Proludio pipeline. The candidate for the product most likely one to be introduced next might be what Trachsel calls “a portable playback system” that would enable customers to screen a movie using their laptop or tablet. Trachsel says the next six-to-ten months are critical for the company’s success. At least one of their customers has nothing but rave reviews about the experience. Larry Ferber is the artistic director of the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival which is held in January each year for ten days in Boynton Beach Florida. Ferber says “Just three years ago we were still running 35mm film exclusively.” Film eventually gave way to a growing mixture of formats – DCDs Blu-Ray discs etc. – and there were an equally growing number of technical problems. Ferber says that it got so bad that during one screening the film stopped completely and no one could get it running again. A year or so ago a college professor friend of Ferber’s told him that he had heard about Proludio’s system and suggested that Ferber contact them. He did and he says this past January the Series A Playback system was used at six locations over ten nights and all of the screenings ran without a problem. Ferber says he will definitely work with Proludio again for the 2014 festival. A big part of the reason for that Ferber says is because the service he received went above simply making certain all the movies screened which was good enough by itself. “But the people at Proludio went above and beyond the call of duty ” he says. “I’ll give you one example. There was a comedy that I wanted to screen but the filmmakers were reluctant to have it shown digitally. ‘Just run the DVD ’ they told me. The Proludio people said to let them take care of it and in the end the movie ran [on the Series A Playback system] without a hitch. The movie was Only Human a Spanish comedy directed by Dominic Harari and Teresa Pelegri first released in 2004. It tells the story of Leni (Marian Aguilera) a television reporter from a Jewish family in Spain. One weekend Leni drops by her family's home for a visit with her new boyfriend college professor Rafi (Guillermo Toledo) in tow. Rafi is more than a bit nervous about meeting Leni's family but Leni quickly makes matters worse when she announces to her family that Rafi just happens to be Palestinian. “The film had been out ” says Ferber “but nobody here had seen it.” It was special for Ferber because his mind that movie typifies what the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival is all about: “A comedic look at how people do or do not get along.” As for how the costs of working with Proludio compare with the costs of screening at previous festival’s Ferber says “It was pretty much the same. I think it came out to about a thousand dollars more which for a ten-day festival is nothing.” Only Human turned out to be one of the highlights of the festival and Ferber doubts it could have been screened successfully without Proludio’s help. “Proludio made it happen ” he says. ,3967
Cleaning the Sound Mix ,2013-03-28,Director Junya Sakino new film Sake-Bomb premiered last month at South by Southwest in Austin Texas. Sake-Bomb is the comedic story of a sarcastic and self-deprecating Asian American who takes his naive Japanese cousin on a road trip along the California coast to find his ex-girlfriend while meeting colorful groups of characters along the way. Sakino’s decision to use AlphaDogs services to complete the audio mix came after consulting with audio mixer Curtis Fritsch. “When I talked to Curtis about the film ” said Sakino “he was very supportive and confident he could fix the problem areas within the tight deadline we had finish the mix. Though it was my first time in working with AlphaDogs I felt very comfortable in bringing my project to the facility.” Sakino and Fritsch worked collaboratively from the beginning to figure out the most efficient approach in completing the job in a speedy manner without compromising the audio quality. “Sakino pointed out some problem areas as well as details on how the film was shot on days where they had problems with location sound. This really helped speed the process along and helped me determine the workflow ahead of time ” said Fritsch. Using Pro Tools HD Fritsch imported the audio from the picture and identified where the most troublesome areas were. Sakino had specific concerns about a scene that was shot outdoors in windy conditions. Combinations of Izotope RX plugins combined with the Cedar DNS One were used on the best takes to remove wind noise. Sakino said “I originally thought we would need to ADR the entire scene because you could not hear what the characters were saying due to the wind. Curtis was able to remove all wind interference and saved us the cost of having to do ADR.” New music from the composer was also added near the end of the mix. Waves Renaissance Compressor and EQ were used in fixing the timing and audio levels allowing the higher quality music from the composer to really shine with the other elements in the film. “Curtis was very enthusiastic and we worked together well. Before I came in he had done a couple of passes so it was easier for me to get to the part where I wanted to spend time fixing ” said Sakino. Pro Tools HD ability to record multiple audio stems at the same time allowed Fritsch to record the different elements all at once instead of one at a time. Delivery of the film was completed on time and within budget. “Paul DeCham general manager of AlphaDogs really cared about the project and was very accommodating in providing a good pipeline between Curtis and I ” said Sakino. “They did not treat this as just another job everyone at the facility took pride in their work and I was very happy with the final delivery.” ,3970
Cinedom Upgrades Audio ,2013-03-28,The Cinedom in Cologne is Germany’s fifth-largest multiplex cinema featuring a total of 14 auditoriums. During its design phase special attention was paid to giving moviegoers a great experience for their money. Recently Kinoton installed new audio systems based on Dolby Surround 7.1 sound reproduction in two auditoriums. Kinoton supplied all of the components and sound processors and its technicians installed and adjusted and sized all of the equipment to suit conditions in the auditoriums. The new audio capability enhances the Kinoton D-Cinema 4K dual projection systems that were already in place. Highlights of the new audio package are a Dolby CP750 digital sound processor a comprehensive JBL speaker array consisting of five four-way full-range systems 24 effect speakers and a high-wattage subwoofer system (with 6 x 1200 W). In addition there is a network-controlled and -monitored amplification system (from Crown). Kinoton has also outfitted each of the other 12 auditoriums of the Cologne Cinedom with a Dolby CP750 sound processor. ,3974
Editing Dosa Hunt,2013-03-28,While most in the advertising industry know Edit1 as the leading pre-visualization studio they may be unaware of the many creative labors-of-love going on under its roof after hours. Case in point: Dosa Hunt an acclaimed new independent documentary short edited and produced by Edit1’s Zoe Schack and featuring members of Vampire Weekend Das Racist Neon Indian and Yeasayer. Dosa Hunt was screened last month at CAAMFest (formerly known as San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival) at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. Director Amrit Singh was in attendance. Schack and the film’s co-director producer editor Sam Carroll were on-hand as well. In the film an all-star cast of NYC musicians join filmmaker/executive editor of online music website Stereogum Singh to form a multicultural posse on a quest to find New York’s best South Indian crepe the dosa. For Schack it was a meaningful project that spoke to the cultural zeitgeist of the time and an opportunity to reignite her passion for documentary filmmaking. “Amrit and I spent countless hours in my edit suite making sure the film's intersecting themes of culture identity art and the immigration experience were incorporated into the film while maintaining a fun and light pace ” Schack says. “While the one-day/one-camera shoot meant we had a limited universe of footage to use we were lucky to have Carroll and DP Dan Levin. Their work ensured we always had enough to be covered. We used every possible bit of b-roll recorded.” The final result is an immersive energetic and intimately amusing film that maintains a high production value despite its limited resources thanks in part to Schack's editing and to some creative solutions from the Edit1 team. Late in the post-production stage Singh (literally) dreamt up a new animated intro. Schack brought the concept to Edit1's designer Erica Colby Jaffin and together they brought to life the witty animated sequence that strikes a perfect tone for the ensuing film completed just in time for the film's New York premiere. And while the film's premiere and opening run has enjoyed an enthusiastic response from fans and critics alike with positive reviews and profiles running in New York Magazine Interview Magazine BlackBook Billboard Gothamist Elle India and Fader among others for Edit1's owner and president Mike Zimbard the biggest reward is watching Zoe’s creative growth first-hand thanks to her work on the film. “A big part of Edit1’s culture is to support our talent in their artistic pursuits outside of the ad world ” Zimbard says. “We all work hard here and I believe the more we can encourage our designers editors and animators to tackle their own artistic endeavors the more they grow as both an artist and a person. Zoe and Dosa Hunt are a perfect example of that.” ,3977
Film Festivals in the Digital Age,2013-03-28, By Valentina I. Valentini Digital Cinema Report West Coast Correspondent Are film festivals relevant in this digital social media age? If you can sit at home and market your movie via Facebook Twitter LinkedIn even sell it yourself what makes the young filmmaker still travel to festivals all over the globe? With record-breaking attendance every year if SXSW isn’t there already it’s quickly becoming one of the most critical places to screen a new film. Last year the Los Angeles Times called it “a unique space in the festival landscape with a bigger presence than smaller regional fests yet still apart from the industry-driven markets at the film festivals in Cannes Toronto or even Sundance.” This year there were dozens of smaller films with bigger names as seems to be the trend in the independent film world and the distance between what is mainstream and what is indie grows smaller. We have yet to find out if that’s a good thing. For Matt Spicer a first-time SXSW participant and co-writer/director of the short film It’s Not You It’s Me the sheen of authenticity is still present. “At a festival you have a venue to screen it in ” he says during Canon’s Content Creators event in Austin “people to come and see it that might not otherwise see it. And when you tell people that your short got into SXSW suddenly it puts you at a different level. You see people’s eyes widen.” Although personally producer of the feature in competition This is Where We Live Benjamin Fuqua would rather watch a film on Netflix or Hulu somewhere from the comfort of his home he still understands the attraction to festivals and why it’s beneficial to filmmakers. “I haven’t gotten to see a single film ” he says “but I know that other people are of course seeing them. And seeing mine.” His cinematographer Ryan Booth believes that festivals aggregate a lot of people and that makes them still relevant. “No matter how that plays into the business side of things ” adds Booth “you still have to meet people in person and that’s why everyone still shows up and there’s something to be said for that.” Whether your film gets into a festival or many gets sold or doesn’t one of the most important things for up-and-coming filmmakers is to go into the filmmaking process with pure honesty. It will save everyone a lot of time a lot of money and a lot of egos. Knowing that you’re film isn’t going to play a theater and that it might actually be a more viably lucrative option to get your film distributed online especially if it isn’t getting sold otherwise is the first step at having a successful festival experience. “We were a strictly a VOD-type movie ” says Fuqua who made This is Where We Live with that in mind from the outset. “It’s a small story low-budget with phenomenal performances from mostly unknown actors. It’s something you’d choose on Netflix on a Friday night at home.” This is the type of honesty that breeds success. However there seems to be a cutoff age with this theory. It seems that a filmmaker around 32 or 33 years old is going to be a lot more set in their ways regarding a theatrical release versus a VOD release. There is a very small window maybe around 31 and under that will immediately turn to VOD as a real option for releasing a film. “Our director is 37 ” says Fuqua “and I told him from the beginning this is what we had. And true he does maybe think of it as just a bit of a failure if we’re not going to be in a theatre. But there’s so many opportunities to get our film out to many more people potentially than a small release in a couple cities that will cost a fortune.” That stigma of not getting a theatrical release is still omnipresent even for younger filmmakers but going to VOD distribution for your first or first few films could be the path to making the most money back and repaying investors so that you can put it back into your dream film that you want released in a theatre. Whether a filmmaker gets his or her first third or seventh film into theatres the audience for VOD is vast and growing each day offers Nolan Gallagher Founder and CEO of Gravitas Ventures who has seen success with combined theatrical and VOD releases like 3 2 1...Frankie Go Boom $ellebrity and Hunky Dory (all acquired at SXSW 2012). Increased VOD access means that most films will be viewed and compensated anywhere from tens of thousands to millions of times. Hopefully each film will start a dialogue down the line with movie lovers future investors and fellow filmmakers. That is progress for the artist and the film community as a whole. ,3986
G.I. Joe Gets 3D Laser Premiere,2013-03-28,Paramount Pictures’ G.I. Joe: Retaliation was screened at AMC Theatres Burbank 16’s ETX theatre last month using Christie Digital Systems laser projection technology to project the 3D movie at brightness levels of 14 foot lamberts (ft-L). This was a first in the world of commercial cinema projection – on a 65-foot wide screen. This technology test will last for a two-week period and will be the first time that the general public will be able to enjoy compelling immersive 3D images delivered at 2D light levels. Paramount Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Skydance Productions in association with Hasbro released G.I. Joe: Retaliation in digital 3D theaters across the U.S. and Canada beginning March 28. “As a leader in innovation in the movie exhibition industry AMC Theatres continues to push the envelope looking for new ways to improve the movie going experience for our guests ” said Dan Huerta vice president digital systems AMC. “We are delighted to work with Christie to host this technical demonstration that could equate to a major advancement in movie-illumination levels.” Mark Christiansen executive vice president of worldwide operations for Paramount Pictures said “We fully support the advancement of cutting edge technologies to further enhance the theatrical presentation for moviegoers. Laser projection provides incredible brightness making each film look all the greater but its impact on 3D is startling.” Dr. Don Shaw senior director product management Christie Entertainment Solutions said “Audiences will be impressed with 3D shown at 14 foot-lamberts utilizing this future technology which is much brighter than what current technology produces on most screens. This test of our laser technology will demonstrate how spectacularly a moviemaker’s vision can be realized when shown at light levels normally only possible for 2D movies. Audiences who attend the AMC Burbank 16 during the laser demonstration will see a significant increase in the typical contrast ratio for 3D on a crystal-clear 4K projector and we’re confident that the average moviegoer will relish this new level of immersive experience.” Shaw said “This is not the first time that Christie has employed laser technology to stretch the boundaries of digital cinema projection. Last year Christie also showed select exhibitors in Asia how 72 000 Lumens could be achieved in a demonstration of our prototype laser projector in Beijing. And at IBC 2012 Amsterdam this past September I was pleased to preface the showing of Hugo 3D – the first Cameron Pace Group certified movie – along with noted stereographers Demetri Portelli and Corey Turner (Transformers: Dark of the Moon) which was then projected using Christie’s laser-light projector prototype.” Christie hosted its first laser projector demo for cinema industry luminaries including Douglas Trumbull Gordon E. Sawyer Academy Award winner at its High Frame Rate Summit held in its manufacturing and engineering headquarters in Kitchener Ontario in April 2012. ,3989
Special Effects Oversights and Fairness ,2013-03-29, In a different time and place Abraham Lincoln said “These men ask for just the same thing fairness and fairness only. This so far as in my power they and all others shall have.” You have to wonder if the anger currently boiling over in the global effects community would be so intense if Steve Spielberg’s great film based on Lincoln’s life had won the 2013 Oscar for Best Director and Best Cinematography but it didn’t. Instead Ang Lee’s Life of Pi received those awards and when in their acceptance speeches he and DP Claudio Miranda failed to acknowledge the major contribution of VFX artists to that film – and the fact that effects house Rhythm & Hues was recently forced to file for bankcrupty – an angry fire was lit in the creative community. Since that February evening that anger has been gathering momentum online and the idea of fairness for the creative artists who toil in dark rooms to create major parts of the movies we all love is certain to dominate the conversation at the National Association of Broadcasters convention which begins April 6 in Las Vegas. The anger Oscar night began when a loud version of the Jaws theme music was used to cut off winner Bill Westenhofer of Rhythm & Hues as he was thanking his co-workers. Effects artists seemed not to notice that he was not the only winner to be rudely cut off that way. Never mind that Lee and Miranda’s failures to note the effects team that night may well have been a simple human oversight to the effects community at large it was simply the last straw. Effects artists as a whole are tired of seeing movies that are created largely by them go on to earn the studios millions of dollars while they are constantly asked (forced some would say) to deliver greater and more complex work at ever lower prices. That situation has forced many effects houses to close their doors; Rhythm & Hues was simply the latest. Caught up in all of this as well are the manufacturers of effects hardware and software who continue to push the bar of capabilities and are also trying to make a profit. This will be a key part of the production industry backdrop as some 90 000 people from 155 countries gather April 6-11 in Las Vegas. It is likely to fuel many of the conversations at the various sessions on creative filmmaking but also in the exhibit halls and in bars and restaurants. It’s doubtful that any resolution satisfactory to all sides will be found at this event but there is every reason to hope that bringing so many critical members of the effects world into the same place for a week could start that process. In a show the size and breadth of NAB there are of course a number of other topics likely to be covered related to motion picture production and post-production. There is still a debate going on about the benefits or detriments of shooting in frame rates higher than 24 frames per second. And although the Hollywood studios and major theatre chains continue to reap millions from movies released in 3D there are still many who strongly believe that 3D is nothing more yet again but a passing fad. And that brings us back to the beginning because many of the 3D films released are shot at least in part in 2D and require conversion to 3D at effects houses. As in past years there will undoubtedly be surprises at the show. What is certain is that much time and attention will focus on the hundreds of technology exhibits that line the miles of exhibit hall space in the vast convention center. Here are some of the highlights of what can be expected there. Production The new Codex XR Module provides several recording options in a single package. ArriRaw at up to 120 fps (16:9) can be recorded onto a high-performance Codex Capture Drive. In addition Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD can be recorded to a Capture Drive making longer recording times possible (up to 2.1 hours of ProRes 4444) or with an SxS adapter to an SxS PRO card. Codex co-developed with Arri a new extended recording module for Arri Alexa that allows internal recording of ArriRaw at up to 120 fps. The new XR Module incorporates Codex recording technology directly into the camera is available as an upgrade option for all current Alexa cameras (replacing the current SxS Module) and is standard on the new Arri Alexa XT. The Codex XR Capture Drives are identical in form to current Codex Capture Drives and are compatible with the Codex Vault Codex Capture Drive Transfer Station and Codex Capture Drive Dock (USB-3). The drives are high performance solid-state memory. Fresh from winning a prestigious SciTech Oscar Cooke Optics will have some major announcements at NAB related to lenses and film production. UK based Hocus Products will launch at NAB in Las Vegas a totally new advanced Wireless Remote Follow Focus system for cine lenses the Axis1. Production has already started and the first units will ship towards the end of April.
Company MD and system designer Peter Hoare said “The Axis1 is the most advanced single channel remote focus system out there at any price. Our motor control and drive electronics surpass all the competition.”
“This new product is designed specifically for the top movie production market where good design reliability and ease of use are paramount. The system is built to be simple straightforward robust and easy to use– there are no silly features and nothing that you need to get the manual out for – rental companies have tried it and already love it.” “I have this philosophy which I call OBOF – One Button One Function – no multiple button pushes or complicated menus to call up a function – that’s just not practical in a high pressure shooting situation.”
Although aimed at Hollywood and other higher end movie production markets it crosses also to Steadicam owner ops and Focus Pullers who want to own their own remote focus device.
Hoare added “The new digital drive motor is the cornerstone of the Axis1. It is compatible with many other existing follow focus devices supports auto end stops and auto torque calibration with our receiver so that there is always just sufficient power to rotate the lens without the risk of damage. The motor uses a unique drive train which leaves it with only two moving parts resulting in almost silent and very reliable operation”
The Axis1 has user updatable firmware via USB and is FCC certified for use in the USA. An earlier product – the Hocus Focus was a low cost solution for DSLR SLR and broadcast lenses and continues to sell world-wide. While it handles these types of lenses very effectively it was not intended for large heavy cine lenses used by most professional film makers hence the creation of the new Axis1.
Based in the UK Hocus Products produces wireless remote focus solutions for all types of lenses from DSLR broadcast right up to large 35mm prime and zoom lenses. Sales and service is handled directly or through dealers with service in North America being handled by its partner Hot Rod Cameras based in Hollywood near Paramount Studios. JVC will showcase its GY-HM70 ProHD shoulder-supported camcorder which delivers 60p full HD images and innovative features at a cost effective price point. With a 12-megapixel CMOS imager it records 1920x1080 footage in the AVCHD Progressive format at 28 Mbps to dual solid-state memory cards. The GY-HM70 is equipped with a 29.5mm wide-angle GT lens that offers smooth 16x dynamic zoom performance. Veteran shooters will appreciate the camera's manual focus iris and shutter controls as well as manual and automatic white balance. The camera also provides an optical image stabilizer auto focus and focus assist. At the core of the GY-HM70 is its 1/2.3-inch 12 megapixel CMOS imager. When combined with JVC's advanced Falconbrid high-speed processor it captures processes and records 1080/60p 1080/60i and 480/60i (SD) footage at various bit rates to SDHC/SDXC memory cards. It also allows high-speed video recording for slow motion footage at 300 fps (720x480 resolution) and captures 12 megapixel still images. JVC's unique hot swappable dual battery system allows hours of continuous uninterrupted shooting. For shoulder shooting the GY-HM70 has a .24-inch LCOS color viewfinder but it also includes a three-inch LCD flip-out touch screen display for tripod shots and playback. Audio features include a built-in zoom microphone 3.5mm microphone input and 3.5mm headphone jack. “With the introduction of the GY-HM70 JVC immediately focuses on the entry-level professional video market with a very cost effective shoulder-mount camera ” said Craig Yanagi JVC national marketing and brand manager. “At this price and packed with innovative features the GY-HM70 will appeal to various market segments where budget is limited but a full-sized camcorder is the preferred choice such as schools and universities as well as event and wedding videographers.” The GY-HM70 has an MSRP of $1 995 and will be available in May. Litepanels will show production models of the largest members of its Fresnel fixture family the Inca 12 (tungsten balanced) and Sola 12 (daylight balanced) fixtures. These cool-running powerhouses combine the performance of large Fresnel fixtures with the advantages of LED technology. Both versions supply powerful and controllable illumination comparable to a 2K while using just a small fraction of the energy required by traditional tungsten or daylight Fresnel fixtures. With custom designed lightweight Fresnel lenses they emit even collimated light that is easily controlled manually or via an integrated DMX module to facilitate remote dimming and flood-spot focusing simultaneously.
The new 1x1 LS Bi-Color is the latest in the Litepanels revolutionary family of flat panel 1-foot by 1-foot fixtures. This versatile light provides dependable soft directional output that is adjustable from daylight to tungsten and 100 percent to zero dimming with no color shift. Color and dimming adjustments are provided via convenient on-fixture knobs. LS Series fixtures maintain features such as flicker-free analog dimming and power by AC or DC but without studio-specific components such as DMX control for dimming and color changes. The entry-level priced 1x1 LS Bi-Color is perfect for budget-conscious markets.
Litepanels has three new traveling kits featuring the company’s new cost-effective 1x1 LS fixtures: the LS Traveler Duo Kit with one 1x1 LS Flood and one 1x1 LS Spot; the LS Traveler Trio Kit with two 1x1 LS Floods and one 1x1 LS Spot; and the LS Traveler Trio Plus Kit with two 1x1 LS Bi-Colors and one 1x1 LS Flood. The kits come with light stands for each fixture and a hard sided carrying case. Award-winning director/cinematographer Colin Rich will make special appearances at the Matthews Studio Equipment booth 5437 in the Central Hall at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on both Monday and Tuesday of the show. Rich will be showing footage from his groundbreaking time lapse films shot throughout the city of Los Angeles at night and also some of the ghostly shots from his short Town of Ghosts which was shot in Bodie California. Rich has used Matthews’ support equipment especially the FloatCam DC Slider and Motion Control System support for his last several projects. Matthews Studio Equipment will also debut five new products. The Makalu System is a remote head package designed for live action time lapse visual effects cinematography and videography. What makes this remote head different is the user interface which is a multi-axis jog box with a professional joystick connected via WiFi to an iPad Mini iPad 2 and 3 or iPhone. “We are excited about our new partnership with MotionPeak creator of the Makalu System ” said Robert Kulesh vice president sales and marketing for MSE. “The system gives the user the ability to connect to a Mac running the accompanying eSpinO software allowing for endless programming and tweaking of motion control camera moves.” Designed by gaffer/camera operator Alex Amyot the Matthews Slider is lighter sturdier maintenance free easily field adjustable. “The concept behind the Matthews Slider really came from the need for a really quiet product so we can use location sound and be unobtrusive to actors ” said Amyot. Also by popular demand a wireless motion control system to support FloatCam DC and HD-DC Slider. “The wireless FloatCam Motion Control with cable option allows for the same linear motion control functions for time lapse stop motion and visual effects ” said Kulesh. “It is the same easy to use remote control with the same menus but can control FloatCam’s many functions wirelessly up to 500 feet (150) meters. It also offers a cable connection when a radio is not allowed or there are distortions in the work area.” In addition MSE will introduce LazySuzy a quick and secure way to change camera positioning. This articulated double-swivel camera platform allows the cinematographer/videographer more creative opportunities. The camera can be placed anywhere within a 25-inch diameter circle without having to reposition the dolly tripod or car mount rig. Not too long ago MSE introduced the Intel-A-Jib to the production market. Many smaller-lighter format shooters began to request a lighter weight version and the Intel-A-JibLITE was created. This year MSE introduces UnderslingLITE a very simplistic addition to Intel-A-JibLITE that allows the operator to work freely under the jib arm from absolute ground level up to as high as one can reach without any obstruction form the arm itself. MSE will also be showing the Academy Award winning Matthews Max Menace Arm. Photon Beard will launch a new one-foot square fluorescent lighting panel that produces more light and that the company says is more economic than other 1’x1’ fixtures in the marketplace. The panel includes eight 5/8-inch diameter fluorescent tubes that deliver optimum broadcast-quality illumination using the same Osram daylight or tungsten-balanced phosphors that have become industry standard in television studios around the world. This provides predictable color results with fewer spikes and spectral variations typically associated with similar LED-based fixtures. At only 64W Photon Beard’s new panel delivers similar output at three meters to comparable fixtures pulling 100W. It is dimmable and can be powered from either mains or a V-mount camera battery for around one hour. According to Photon Beard managing director Peter Daffarn “While not aimed at studio lighting applications the consistent high quality light portability and low heat benefits are ideal for both broadcast and film either for on-the-fly pieces to camera or in relatively confined spaces like for example a car.” Sachtler will introduce a new model in its Ace tripod system. Also premiering will be a heavy-duty tripod and a 3-section telescoping tripod and demonstrations of Sachtler’s artemis camera stabilizer products.
The Ace L tripod system expands the Ace family of lightweight fluid head camera support systems that started with the lower capacity Ace M. With a payload range of 0 to 13.2 pounds (0 to 6 kg) the new 75mm Ace L fluid head is not only perfect for video-enabled DSLR and lightweight HDV camcorders but also for heavier set-ups with additional camera accessories. The fluid head with the patented SA drag damping system is available in a choice of two different tripod system configurations one with a mid level spreader and the second with the TT 75/2 legs for the greatest height range. Sachtler’s TT 75/2 CF 75mm tripod utilizes three-section single carbon fiber tubes. It offers an extensive height range from as low as 10.6-inch (27 cm) up to a maximum height of 67.3-inch (171 cm). In addition to working with the Ace L it is also available as a system with Sachtler’s FSB 6 FSB 8 fluid heads. Easy to set up and adjust to different leg angles the tripod comes with footpads and retractable spikes. The Sachtler ENG 75/2 D HD tripod features a wider tube diameter than standard tripods so it provides rock solid stability for high payloads of up to 77 lbs (35 kg). This 75mm system incorporates the tried-and-tested fast-action clamp from the 100mm range. The new tripod is available as a system with Sachtler’s FSB 6 and FSB 8 fluid heads. For every application Sachtler’s artemis provides a trusted professional stabilizer system whether it is the artemis Cine HD Pro EFP HD or DV Pro. NAB visitors can see a live demonstration of the practical and unique artemis features such as HiCap cabling and Hot Swap technology that provides an uninterrupted power supply when changing batteries. Sound Devices is taking its proven field technology into the studio with its PIX 260i Production Video Recorder. Based on Sound Devices’ PIX 240i Recorder the rack-mounted PIX 260i is a file-based audio/video recorder that seamlessly replaces tape-based video decks in production and post-production environments. Currently shipping PIX 260i also offers 32 tracks of audio record/playback as well as control functionality from browser-capable computers and tablets. The PIX 260i brings the features and tools needed by production companies and broadcasters looking to migrate to file-based recording and playback environments. The PIX 260i records QuickTime files in either Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD video formats. Files recorded in these intra-frame codecs are ready for editing directly from the recorder in common editing environments such as Avid Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere eliminating time-consuming transferring and transcoding. For color-critical applications the PIX 260i supports Apple ProRes 4444 through its 12-bit 4:4:4 3G-SDI I/O. Users can also play out files from the PIX 260i for real-time applications. Up to four SATA drives can be connected to the PIX 260i simultaneously. For RAID-type redundancy and to eliminate the need for post-record copying when multiple copies are required users can record to all four drives simultaneously. Building on the company’s deep heritage in production sound Sound Devices has infused the PIX 260i with 32-track record/playback capabilities. In addition to 16 channels of embedded SDI audio and eight channels of HDMI audio the PIX 260i also accepts eight channels of line-level analog I/O and eight channels of AES digital audio. Using Dante the PIX 260i can accept and transmit up to 32 channels of audio over Ethernet. The Tiffen Compnay will highlight the fact that it is now shipping its new Lowel Prime Power LED 800 studio light. Ideal for studio or EFP-style location productions the Lowel Prime Power LED Light collection includes the 200 400 and now the 800 models each available in dedicated Daylight or Tungsten color versions. With a CRI of 90+ for accurate color the company says that Lowel Prime Power LED lights have both a brighter and wider beam output than the LED competition in their price class. A trademark feature of the Prime 800 LED is its 50-degree beam angle that allows considerable light output to be spread across a wider area reducing the need for additional fixtures to light a set. With 126-foot candles at nine feet the 800 model has almost twice the output of the 400 model. Like all Lowel Prime Power LED Lights the new model 800 is dimmable (via DMX or manually on the back of the unit) with tweakable color for critical balancing against other light sources and offers silent fanless air convection cooling. Components are secured in a rugged all-metal housing. Each Lowel Prime Power LED comes with a hanging C-clamp and female Stand Fitting. Users can also choose from an assortment of light controls. The Lowel Prime Power LED Model 800 retails for 3 895. Vinten has created the Vision bluebridge an accessory that works with any of the pan and tilt heads in the Vision blue range to extend the payloads which can be perfectly balanced. The company says the new accessory offers the ultimate flexibility to camera operators whether using the original Vision blue the recently launched Vision blue3 or the Vision blue5. The Vision bluebridge works by shifting the payload range down and gives users a cost effective option by extending the payload capabilities of their chosen Vision blue system. This means operators effectively need one single tripod system for their shoots. The Vision blue family encompasses the three next generation head and tripod systems providing the perfect balance for payloads as low as 4.6 lbs/2.1kg to suit the lightest of camcorders and DSLRs right up to 26.5 lb/12kg for the larger professional cameras. The Vision bluebridge works by giving an additional offset (45mm) of the payload from the tilt axis. The counterbalance system is required to provide more output per unit weight of payload and therefore the total balance capability of the pan and tilt head is shifted downwards. Andrew Butler strategic planning and project manager Vinten says “We have created this simple accessory so that users can achieve the perfectly balanced and genuine broadcast performance they have come to expect from their Vision blue heads for an extended range of payloads. The hugely versatile Vision bluebridge now enables camera operators to satisfy all of their filming needs using a single Vision blue system.” Adorama video film and photography specialists as well as production experts from the Adorama Rental Center will be onsite providing attendees with information on the latest acquisition technology and digital media accessories available for filmmakers cinematographers and digital media enthusiasts. Adorama will showcase a wide-range of professional and prosumer cameras for attendees to test-drive and compare including the new Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera Canon’s C100 and C300 series and Sony’s F5 and PMW200. In addition to getting hands-on time with these and more popular cameras Adorama will be raffling off broadcast and digital cinema cameras each day at the booth. Cinedeck's file-based record monitor playback and transcode systems are revolutionizing traditional VTR-tape workflows from acquisition into post on high-profile productions. The dual-channel RX3G and quad-MX combine vast I/O connectivity options and support the widest range of codecs/file formats delivering unparalleled workflow flexibility for live on-set post or broadcast productions. Along with productivity gains Cinedeck RX3G and MX also deliver considerable cost/space savings versus tape. Zylight will showcase its new F8 LED Fresnel. Available in tungsten (3200K) or daylight (5600K) versions the compact lighting instrument collapses to less than four inches thick for easy transport and storage. “When we showed our F8 concept at NAB last year we received an overwhelmingly positive response ” said Charlie Collias senior vice president worldwide sales. “We’ve taken the traditionally hot and bulky Fresnel technology and replaced it with compact LED technology. The F8 delivers all the performance of a traditional Fresnel lighting instrument in a much more portable and energy efficient design.” As part of a special promotion Zylight is offering a $200 rebate on all F8 orders for NAB attendees through May 15. Details will be available at the booth. Equipped with an eight-inch Schott glass lens the fully dimmable F8 maintains single shadow traditional Fresnel beam shaping and offers a patented focusing system for spot and flood operations. Its beam spread is adjustable between 16-70 degrees for even coverage for widescreen HD productions. The F8 draws only 90 watts but has close to the light output of a traditional 1000-watt Fresnel. While its silent operation makes it ideal for studio use the F8 is also water resistant (IP54) so it can be used in challenging location conditions. The F8 can be powered by a worldwide AC adapter or standard 14.4V camera battery. “The F8 is a really versatile rugged light ” said Joseph Arnao president. “It’s bright like an HMI but better suited for run-and-gun news ENG applications – you just snap on a battery and go. It’s also a great choice for studios that need to save space and reduce operating costs.” Two speakers will share their shooting experiences with the F8 at Zylight’s NAB booth. Boston-based DP Tom Guilmette recently took the new Fresnel to the top of Mount Washington. On Monday April 8 at noon he will discuss how his Zylight performed in the mountain’s unforgiving weather conditions. On Tuesday April 9 at 1 p.m. Matt Kearney vice president of Fastec Imaging will show how his company’s ultra-portable TS3Cine high-speed handheld camera works with Zylight’s flicker-free LED lights. Like other Zylight models the F8 is equipped with ZyLink wireless technology which makes it easy to link multiple Zylights for simultaneous remote control. As a result several F8s can be grouped together and linked for unique lighting scenarios. The F8 can also be controlled via DMX. Barn doors and yoke mount ship with the F8. Additional options and accessories including DMX motorized focus pole yoke mounting ZyLink controlled multi-head mount handgrip and kit box are available separately. The F8 has an MSRP of $2 400 and will ship in June. Post-Production Assimilate will showcase the latest in advanced dailies/on-set-grading and VFX dailies with Scratch Lab plus the power of creative digital intermediates with Scratch. Expect fresh moves and partnerships from the company that has also delivered pay-as-you-go subscription models. Autodesk will unveil the Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite 2014 a versatile workflow that includes the award-winning 3D animation visual effects and creative tools Maya 2014 3ds Max 2014 MotionBuilder 2014 Mudbox 2014 Softimage 2014 and Sketchbook Designer 2014 all which have been updated to offer new workflow enhancements that help artists collaborate manage complexity and move data through their pipeline more efficiently.
Modern production teams must manage multiple complex visually demanding projects at any given time and Autodesk works closely with world renowned entertainment studios to develop the most powerful solutions said Chris Bradshaw senior vice president media and entertainment at Autodesk. The Entertainment Creation Suites provide a unified and flexible workflow offering teams of all sizes the ability to better manage across a globally distributed creative workforce. Each product in the toolset saves valuable production time while giving artists more creative freedom to work with the best tool for the job at hand. With three configurations the Suites scale to meet the demands of any sized team budget or project. The Standard edition includes 3D software and offers a choice of either Maya 2014 or 3ds Max 2014 with MotionBuilder 2014 Mudbox 2014 and Sketchbook Designer 2014. The Premium edition offers all the software of the Standard Suite but with the addition of Softimage 2014 3D animation and visual effects software.
With the Ultimate Suite customers have access to the value of the Premium edition with the added benefit of including both Maya 2014 and 3ds Max 2014.
Our objective is to create videogames that ... push the envelope in matters of emotion said Guillaume de Fondaumière co-CEO Quantic Dreams.
Hundreds of Autodesk customers harness the power of the Suites to create thrilling entertainment projects. Quantic Dream a 180-person Paris-based game studio took advantage of the Suites to create their next video game Beyond: Two Souls. Channeling the power of the Suites the Quantic Dream team created true-to-life characters to breathe life into their upcoming psychological action thriller.
The title stars Academy Award nominee Ellen Page (Inception Juno) as Jodie a young woman whose link to an unseen entity gives her supernatural powers. She is supported by another Oscar nominee in Willem Dafoe (Platoon Spider-Man) who plays Nathan Dawkins a government scientist who works with Jodie to analyze her powers. In Beyond gamers will play through fifteen years of Jodie's story experiencing the most striking moments of her life. Like its predecessor Heavy Rain Beyond will allow players to shape the course of the story through their decisions and actions taken in the game.
With Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suites all the characters of Beyond: Two Souls come to life with realistic textures emotions and reactions. Gamers will instantly recognize the critically acclaimed actors as their emotions bridge the virtual world to enter every gamer's living room.
Every tool in the Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suites offers new ways for artists to efficiently bring more life-like and realistic behaviors to their creations.
Autodesk Maya 2014 helps artists and developers create content to meet the increasing expectations of modern audiences. The 2014 update includes an expanded integrated modeling feature set; intuitive Grease Pencil; and innovative new Paint Effects features that are designed to improve productivity and enhance creativity. The Maya DX11Shader working with enhancements to Viewport 2.0 enables artists to work in a high-quality real-time environment that closely matches final output. New Scene Assembly a File Path Editor and URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) support tools allows for easier building and managing of large and complex worlds.
Autodesk 3ds Max 2014 offers new solutions to answer today's modern 3D challenges. The new Populate feature saves artists time and allows them to quickly and easily generate moving or idle crowds with life-like human reactions and activity. Additional updates include: a significantly enhanced and more efficient Particle Flow toolset; and a performance-enhanced viewport that now supports Microsoft DirectX 11 shaders. Perspective Match and Vector Map tools allow artists to extend their creative capabilities by crossing the 2D/3D divide.
The new Camera Sequencer toolset offers the ability to cut between multiple cameras to edit clips leaving the original animation data unchanged; directorial control over scenes; improved CrowdFX and ICE (Interactive Creative Environment) features enable artists to use the concept of passes and partitions in any combination with any aspect of ICE; and an improved High-Quality Viewport delivers a higher fidelity interactive experience. Autodesk Softimage 2014 now offers easier integration into existing pipelines through improved support for animation data exchange via the Autodesk FBX 2014 format.
With Autodesk MotionBuilder 2014 studios can more efficiently manipulate and refine motion capture and other character animation data for use in onset visualization previsualization virtual cinematography feature film production and game development. Linux operating system support is now available as well as new motion capture workflow options; artist-friendly methods for positioning measuring and selecting objects; the ability to use custom viewport renderers; and an API (Application Programming Interface) for file referencing. The latest update to Autodesk Mudbox offers single-click automatic and manual options to manipulate meshes or to precisely control various aspects of the output mesh with a user-directed solution. Artists can now concentrate purely on aesthetic considerations as they sculpt without altering the underlying structure. Enhanced multi-touch workflows now include support for stencils and additional touch-enabled input devices.
Autodesk SketchBook Designer 2014 is an intuitive hybrid paint and vector toolset that enables exploration and presentation of new ideas for characters props and environments. Additional benefits include: sketching painting and image compositing workflows; easy color manipulation; mixed media workflows and an industry-unique transformation tool. The dynamic scalable user interface is optimized for both pen and mouse interaction and is designed to offer maximum creative freedom.
Cache-A’s LTO-6 archive appliances meet media and entertainment industry need to safeguard ever-increasing volumes of priceless assets at minimal cost while delivering tools and performance for reliable future-proof archiving. They can be used in a wide variety of professional digital media workflows – from on-set carts to SAN/NAS storage systems in post. LTO-6 technology is available across Cache-A’s desktop Prime-Cache6 flagship Pro-Cache6 and Power-Cache and flexible Library 24/48 automation systems. Civolution will be demonstrating its NexGuard suite of forensic watermarking tools including SyncNow its interactive multiscreen range and the latest advancements to its Telextrax media monitoring product line. Visitors will be able to see how digital watermarking and fingerprinting applications are giving content owners broadcasters and operators the opportunity to gain new revenue streams. Deluxe Entertainment Services is launching a cloud-based MediaCloud playout platform. The company says that its significant benefits include low upfront infrastructure technology and staffing costs in playout and distribution that result in considerable savings and a quicker path to profitability. Deluxe MediaCloud facilitates very fast time-to-launch and offers opportunities such as Pop Up channels that enable content owners to fully exploit rights for brands and major events. Deluxe MediaCloud delivers in full HD with network resilience integrated into the architecture and security levels that rival those found in major banks and military operations. Full disaster recovery is implicit within the service offering. “Deluxe has been an innovator for nine decades and that tradition continues with the launch of Deluxe MediaCloud ” said Maurizio Cimelli managing director Deluxe MediaCloud. “A result of substantial R&D and significant investment MediaCloud furnishes a revolutionary and flexible playout and distribution service that provides the quality and assurance customers rightly expect from Deluxe.” In its 25th year in the image processing and enhancement business to celebrate Digital Vision will be unveiling some new hardware to take the company and its clients to 4K and beyond. The company will be demonstrating its new collaborative workflow DVO Stereo 3D Fix tool integration with MTI Cortex Dailies and Nucoda Look as well as its ongoing and improved integration with Avid. Also on display will be Phoenix Film and Video restoration and the Golden Eye film scanner. DV will also have Vintage Cloud experts on hand to discuss archive restoration needs. EditShare is featuring an all-star speaker lineup of talented editors. “You can always see product demonstrations that show every capability and new feature that EditShare offers but this does not compare to hearing from and talking with an industry peer who has put our products to use successfully in the real world ” says Andy Liebman founder and CEO EditShare. “So if you work in feature films live sports production education studio multi-cam productions or reality TV you can hear from an EditShare customer who has similar workflow challenges telling their personal success story on stage. These special presentations promise to be interactive and engaging and will go deep into the trials and triumphs of how prominent EditShare customers are using the latest tapeless technology to move their businesses forward.” The EditShare Theater will feature eight guest speakers including Hollywood film editor Scott Hill whose work includes Here Comes The Boom Zookeeper and Evan Almighty; Dylan Reeve of South Pacific Pictures the producer of New Zealand’s top soap Shortland Street; and award-winning director Emre Sahin of Karga Seven Pictures the LA-based facility behind smash hits airing on History Discovery and the Travel Channels. Kim Smith of Sasani Studios will also be joining the all-star cast to talk about the obstacles and achievements of the 13-year-old reality TV show Big Brother Africa. Mind Over Media’s director of post-production Nathan Wadding will discuss how its media initiative with FedEx may open new revenue streams for post-production professionals. The Foundry will showcase the recently launched Mari 2.0 a new version of its 3D digital paint tool that introduces a brand new artist-focused layer system. The release is focused on enhancing the painting experience for 3D artists. The company says the addition of the new layer system means Mari is easier to use than ever before and will be a familiar working environment for users of Adobe Photoshop and other layer based paint tools. Jack Greasley Mari product manager at The Foundry said “We have spent a long time working on the nuts and bolts of this layer system for Mari and we believe 2.0 surpasses anything else on the market today. We wanted to really push the limits and give artists a working environment that feels both familiar and revolutionary at the same time.” The streamlined Layer View in Mari 2.0 introduces powerful grouping tagging and filtering options making even highly complex stacks easy to navigate and control. Procedural Layers let artists easily create the look they want seamlessly blending procedural and painted detail with the same toolkit. Going beyond the functionality of any existing software on the market every layer has its own Mask Group. Every mask is effectively a full layer stack in its own right allowing artists to use blending groups adjustments and procedurals in all their masks. Shared Layers mean artists can cut down on the bookkeeping that goes hand in hand with reusing layers and masks. Now they can simply share the layer within a stack and any changes they make can be automatically updated across the rest. Justin Holt lead texture artist at Image Engine said “This is the version that we have all been patiently waiting for. I have to say that it has been an absolute joy to use Mari 2.0. With the introduction of the new layer system texture painters will be welcomed with a warm feeling of nostalgia from the days of painting in Photoshop alongside a renewed sense of excitement for the potential of what they will be able to paint entirely non-destructively with this revolutionary version of Mari.” Jens Kafitz senior texture artist at Weta Digital said “The new layer system in Mari 2.0 enhances the way you can work with masks and adjustment layers and is consistent with what you would find with Photoshop. There is also good compatibility between the two applications making the back and forth easier. A new projection mask system and new caching features to help manage the data on complex assets are also great additions to the new version of Mari. Mari 2.0 is available immediately for download. Fraunhofer will highlight developments in 3D production and post-production collaboration with Disney and Arri to deliver hybrid 2D/3D systems and the premier of what it is calling the ultimate 3D stereo recording system: Automatic Stereo Production. FujiFilm will debut two high-performance lenses the Premier PL 85-300 Cabrio lens (model ZK3.5x85) and the XA99x8.4 UltraWide field production lens. While the PL 85-300 is similar in size and weight as the PL 19-90mm Cabrio (Model ZK4.7x19) its longer focal length makes it ideal for shooting documentaries nature and wildlife and commercials. The PL 85-300 offers a focal length of 85-220mm at T2.9 and 300mm at T4.0 with 200-degree focus rotation. Designed using the latest optical simulation technology the PL 85-300 Cabrio not only offers exceptional optical performance in the center of the image but in the corners of the frame as well. Like the highly acclaimed PL 19-90 Cabrio the PL 85-300 is equipped with the same indispensable features including flange focal distance adjustment a MOD of 1.2m a macro function for objects as close as 97mm (3.8-inches) and covers a 31.5mm diagonal sensor size. The digital servo’s 16-bit encoding assures operators that all lens data output—such as the position of the zoom iris and focus—is extremely accurate and the lens supports Lens Data System and /i metadata formats. Like the PL 19-90 the new PL 85-300 Cabrio features an exclusive detachable servo drive unit making it suitable for use as a standard PL lens or as an ENG-style lens. And the PL 85-300 can be controlled using cinema industry standard wireless controllers as well as existing Fujinon wired and wireless units. The entire range of Premier PL 4K+ cine lenses will be in the booth. The 14.5-45mm T2.0 18-85mm T2.0 24-180mm T2.6 and 75-400 mm T2.8-T3.8 will all be on display. Maxon is showcasing the fact that it has entered into a strategic alliance with Adobe to further collaborate on technology that provides creatives in the motion graphics and visual effects industry with new levels of digital media content creation. As part of the alliance both companies are expected to collaborate and engineer a pipeline between Adobe After Effects software and Cinema 4D to give users a seamless 2D/3D foundation. “Cinema 4D is a leading 3D solution and the one After Effects users have come to know and love because of its ease-of-use speed stability and especially tight integration with the 2D compositing application ” said Harald Egel co-founder and CEO Maxon Computer GmbH. “We look forward to continued collaboration between our programming and marketing teams to ensure that the interoperability of our software products makes a positive impact on artists seeking to easily and fully integrate 3D into their production pipelines.” Adobe After Effects has a 20-year history of setting the standard for motion graphics and visual effects software ” said Steve Forde senior product manager for After Effects at Adobe. Collaborating with a market leader in 3D graphics programming like Maxon will further accelerate how After Effects users create rich engaging experiences. MTI Film will show a range of Cortex products. Cortex::Capture is an on-set playback and color correction application that also includes tools for audio/picture synchronization and metadata management. Cortex::Control Dailies is a complete dailies solution that brings efficiency usability and coherence to the process of managing file based workflows from set to screen. Cortex::Convey is a transcoding application designed for speed and simplicity. Powered by a multi-threaded background transcoding engine that utilizes the latest GPU accelerated image processing technology Convey can create all the deliverables needed for review editorial and mastering. Qube Cinema will be demonstrating its system for integrated 4K DCP review and playback. The Qube XP-I server Xi 4K Integrated Media Block (IMB) and the Quad 3G interface for digital cinema projectors allow integrated postproduction and digital cinema mastering workflows. Post-production facilities with 4K DI suites are now able to use one projector setup for both HD-4K uncompressed color grading and 2K-4K digital cinema playback providing comprehensive review and quality control with this one Qube system. The post-production version of the Xi IMB features a Quad 3G interface with four BNC connectors that can be connected to color grading or finishing systems to stream uncompressed 4K content directly to a Series 2 DLP cinema projector. The Xi IMB with Quad 3G inputs offers seamless switching between 4K color grading formats and 4K DCPs from the same projector. Color grading and 4K DCP review can be done using a single projector in the screening room allowing immediate comparisons and precise quality control of deliverables. “Thanks to Qube Cinema we have real-time color grading in our 4K DI theatre ” said Paul Korver executive producer at Cinelicious. “The Xi IMB allows us to view material at true 4K resolution from our 4K DLP cinema projector. The Qube Xi 4K IMB lets us go from color grading to DCP review with the flip of a switch. There are no cables to change no swapping of cards. One minute we’re looking at the uncompressed master image data for color grading and the next we’re reviewing the 4K DCP.” “Qube understands that directors cinematographers and colorists want to know how their 4K images are going to translate to the screen ” said Rajesh Ramachandran CTO Qube Cinema. “The simplicity of the user experience with the XP-I and Xi IMB with Quad 3G inputs ensures this happens.” “Needing only a single server is a huge plus for us ” said Korver. “We chose Qube because of their cutting-edge technology and willingness to push boundaries. They respond quickly to new technologies in the market whether it’s 4K 3D or high bit rate DCP mastering and playback.” ,3990
London Screening,2013-03-29,NBC Universal recently completed the refurbishment of its Central St Giles offices in London. The project included the creation of two state-of-the-art preview theatres for executive and private screenings. Alcons cinema specific C-series loudspeakers were chosen as an integral part of the installation. “For NBC Universal’s new facility at Central St. Giles we wanted to achieve the highest quality environment for sound and image ” says cinema optics consultant Laurence Claydon who engaged acoustic consultancy company White Mark on the project. “We already had experience of Alcons CR1 having achieved excellent results at Universal’s original Oxford Street facility and retained some of these components for the smaller screening room.” The larger room has a CR4 3-way screen system comprising two 15-inch LF four 6.5-inch MF and three 4-inch pro-ribbon HF tri-amplified by two 2kW ALC2 with two 4kW ALC4 amplified loudspeaker controllers with SDP processing. The room features the all-new CRS8 2-way 8-inch vented LF + 4-inch pro-ribbon HF surrounds with identical screen/surround components for perfect voice matching with two CB362 low-tuned double 18-inch woofers providing sub bass. The smaller room meanwhile benefits from a CR1 screen system 3-way passive system comprising one 12-inch LF 1x 6.5-inch MF a 4-inch pro-ribbon HF with only 18cm / 7-in. system depth 2-way CCS8 surrounds and a BF181i as subwoofer. All elements are powered and controlled by an ALC2 amplified loudspeaker controller. “To get the new screening room environment right was a significant engineering challenge and we engaged Acoustic designers White Mark Limited at an early stage ” Claydon continues. “Architect Renzo Piano’s new Central St Giles complex was primarily designed to house offices and didn’t really lend itself to building a heavy acoustically-isolated floating preview theatre of 64 seats. We certainly didn’t have enough floor-to-ceiling height or load-bearing capacity to build on the upper floors.” Eventually a double-height area with a mezzanine was located behind the main reception. With some careful design this was able to accommodate two preview theatres; one with 64 seats and one with 15 seats. Both screening rooms offer an optimum viewing and listening environment with the stadium seating raked sufficiently to ensure there is never a patron in the row in front obscuring the view. “The internal acoustic design was also excellent ” says Claydon. “White Mark has done an amazing job balancing excellent bass absorption with diffusion in both rooms. In combination with the Alcons C-Series we required very minimal EQ to tune the system.” Complementing this is an acoustically transparent woven screen from Screen Research. Claydon adds “These not only provide best audio quality but also have incredibly even reflective properties at any viewing angle and are completely free from any Moiré patterning we would see on perforated screens when projecting digitally.” Projection is provided by a 4K Christie CP4220 in the large theatre and 2K Christie CP2210 in the smaller room. Both rooms are ready for High Frame Rate 3D featuring Dolby and Doremi Integrated Media Blocks. A Dolby CP750 cinema sound processor is provided for professional sources and an Arcam AV888 for domestic sources. Future sound formats such as Dolby Atmos will also be easy to accommodate at a later stage. “Both rooms are now in almost full-time use ” says Claydon. “Universal Pictures are incredibly pleased with the results and we were delighted to have Andrew Lloyd Webber attend the larger theatre a few weeks back.” “These rooms are amongst the best we have ever heard ” adds Robin Sellars engineer – Jesus Christ Superstar. “ “Comments from the wider industry have also been incredibly positive ” Claydon says. “Many have been surprised at the step-change in quality we’ve been able to achieve.” ,3991
DCP Immersion,2013-03-29,Immersion Pictures a newly created post-house in the north of Paris has chosen Mist DCI Mastering from Marquise Technologies for the professional creation of state-of-the-art Digital Cinema Packages. Immersion Picture was already providing complete workflow services including production and image & sound post-production. They were in need for a professional DCP creating solution to reach their goal in terms of quality of deliverables. By using Mist DCI Mastering they have the ability to master and not only encode a compliant package: a real time-line is used to manage the video and audio layers as well as the editable subtitles. Immersion Pictures can also benefit from a unique feature the Color Space Chromatic Adaptation allowing the most precise DCI XYZ transformation available on the market today. As we are involved in cinematography color correction and sound mixing we have always been concerned about how color and sound were translated into a digital cinema package says Jean-Marie Belloteau cinematographer and colorist at Immersion Pictures. That's why we turned ourselves to Marquise Technologies' Mist DCI Mastering to improve our post production pipeline and we are glad to say that it has fulfilled our expectations. Immersion Pictures really understands the complexity of creating a digital cinema package that exactly reflects in projection the DP's intentions says Laurence Stoll CEO of Marquise Technologies We are proud of their choice and we strive to provide them and other customers with the best toolset. ,3993
Claudio Miranda,2013-03-29,Oscar-winning DP Claudio Miranda speaks about shooting Oblivion and about his role in the growing VFX dispute. ,3996
Candid Cameraman,2013-04-02,In recent years DP Claudio Miranda has used a wide range of digital cinema cameras to shoot an enviable string of remarkable movies. First there was 2008’s Curious Case of Benjamin Button for which he was nominated for the Academy Award. After that came two efforts in stereoscopic 3D: TRON: Legacy in 2010 and then last year’s Life of Pi for which he won the Oscar. This month his latest effort Oblivion is playing in theatres around the world. But what has dominated industry talk about him at least since the Academy Awards ceremonies is his inadvertent part in fueling a growing controversy in the visual effects community. Miranda was genuinely honest and candid when I asked his thoughts about all of this. Miranda sees using different cameras simply as the result of the natural progression of camera technology. He used the Grass Valley Viper a camera that is no longer being made on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Digital cinema technology was not for the faint-hearted just five years ago. “It was not an easy thing to make that movie look that good ” he said. He used the Arri Alexa on Life of Pi and might have used it on Oblivion had it not been for the fact that he first used the Sony CineAlta F65 on TRON: Legacy also directed by Joseph Kosinski. “Joe liked the camera a lot on TRON ” he said so they agreed to use it again when work began on Oblivion. The science-fiction story features Tom Cruise as a drone repairman living on an earth shattered by alien invasion whose discovery of a crashed spaceship and its 22 year-old female inhabitant call into question everything he knows. Kosinski directed Oblivion from a Radical Comics graphic novel by himself and Arvid Nelson. Asked why Oblivion was not being made in stereoscopic 3D Miranda said it was due to a variety of factors including financing and just as important freedom of camera movement. He said he and Kosinski decided early in the planning stages that as much as possible the movie was going to be created in camera. By way of explanation he said simply “It was something we wanted to do.” Miranda said about half the film was shot on locations including desolate parts of Iceland which stood in for post-Apocalypse Earth and into which the effects team later inserted recognizable images of war-damaged structures like famous bridges the Pentagon and the Empire State Building. The other half of the movie was shot in a massive studio at the Celtic Media Centre in Baton Rouge Louisiana. There a full-scale model of the ship and a smaller cockpit pod that Tom Cruise pilots were hand-assembled on set. Rather than shoot against a blue or green screen and insert sky scenes behind the ship in flight an enormous front projection system was installed. Twenty-one projectors were ganged together and images of clouds and sky were front-projected across a rear wall that was 500-feet wide by 42-feet high. “The projection was huge ” Miranda said adding “I mainly lit by the light from that projected image.” He had some concerns at the beginning about working with the projected backdrop mainly with possible parallax problems in wider shots. “It didn’t think [the projected image] would hold up to wide angle shots ” he said but he tested it on set and found that he could go just about as wide as either he or Konsinki wanted to go. “Clouds are very forgiving ” he said. “I’d be leery about using a recognizable structure.” One plus for Miranda of working in that kind of on-set environment was that the reflections off metal and glass surfaces were real and added a texture to the scenes that he and the director both liked. According to Miranda the cloud shots were taken with a Red Epic with Zeiss Master Prime and Fujinon Premiere Lenses but by far the majority of the film some 95 percent was shot using the Sony F65 and the same lens package. He was particularly pleased with how the Sony camera handled explosion scenes. “The F65 can capture that range of light beautifully ” he said. Miranda believes that high-end digital cameras such as the F65 now equal film cameras and he added “There are certain places where they exceed film.” This is especially true in lower light. Using the example of the Oblivion set he said “If I had been shooting film I would have needed 84 projectors” to get enough light to shoot the scenes he was able to capture with the F65. Miranda is of course well aware of the controversy that erupted after the Academy Awards ceremonies. Visual effects artists around the world expressed outrage that neither Ang Lee nor Miranda mentioned the VFX teams when they accepted their Oscars. “I did mention them on the carpet ” he said and acknowledged that he didn’t during his short acceptance speech. But he is not apologetic. “They weren’t on their own in making the movie ” Miranda said. “This is a group effort.” He said that he began working on the look of the film long before the start of shooting and that Lee had already spent months envisioning precisely what the movie would look like. “And I spent three months after we shot working on the look of Life of Pi during the digital intermediates ” he said adding “They don’t pay me for DI work.” If he had been given unlimited time during his Academy Awards acceptance speech to acknowledge everyone involved on Life of Pi he would no doubt have given the VFX team what it feels was its due. But he wasn’t. The light went on telling him to end his remarks and he did rather than suffer the embarrassment of the annoying Jaws theme music that several others had to endure. “My win was for the whole movie ” Miranda said. “I didn’t even thank my parents.” ,4000
Rising Sales in Wales,2013-04-02,An arts centre in Ceredigion Wales is bucking the economic downturn after a major expansion and conversion to digital last year has seen sales rise by nearly 40 percent and new jobs created. The not-for-profit Theatr Mwldan in Cardigan began life as a community theatre project in the 1980s and has since become an entertainment complex. A new 101-seat digital cinema opened its doors last year after Mwldan secured a Welsh government-backed loan. It was developed alongside the venue's two existing digital screens. In the past six months sales at the theatre have increased by 38 percent. It has also created three jobs and is on course to increase its cinema screenings by 1 000 to 3 000 a year. “We are now able to show an increased number of films on release date and have also been able to lengthen the runs of popular box office films such as Skyfall ” said CEO Dilwyn Davies. The loan came from the communities investment fund managed by Wales Council for Voluntary Action and specializes in helping not-for-profit enterprises and charities access loans that they would not be able to obtain from commercial lenders. The new screen – Mwldan 3 – can present live satellite broadcasts and digital 3D. The arts center claims it is the first independent all-digital three-screen cinema in Wales. Davies said The opening of Mwldan 3 was our biggest development for eight years and is helping to maintain Theatr Mwldan at the forefront of digital cinema development. Planned screenings have now increased from 2000 per year to 3000 and this extra capacity has allowed us to significantly enhance the variety of our cinema program. We are now able to show an increased number of films on release date and have also been able to lengthen the runs of popular box office films such as Skyfall Quartet and Les Miserables. The Arts Council of Wales Ceredigion council and the Digital Funding Partnership also supported the digital cinema. Davies said This has been a fantastic development which is providing the local community with a significantly improved choice of titles more films on their national release dates and an experience featuring the very latest in digital cinema technology. As a not-for-profit enterprise every penny we earn is ploughed back into the organization ensuring that the venue and in turn Cardigan remains well and truly on the map as a leading cultural destination and hub for west Wales. An Arts Council of Wales spokesperson said Mwldan 3 has created tremendous improvements to the theatre as a whole creating significant new economic opportunities in Cardigan and regenerating the whole area surrounding the theatre. ,4003
Documenting Dino Costa ,2013-04-02,Chesapeake Films has started work on documentary about controversial SiriusXM Radio personality Dino Costa. Filming will begin in Cheyenne Wyoming on April 18. ,4007
Creating Surfaid's Message,2013-04-02, By Valentina I. Valentini Godard said that all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun. So it should go without saying that all you need to make a commercial is two guys and an Epic. Director Michael Lawrence was approached by SurfAid – an Australian non-profit working throughout Indonesia to prevent disease suffering and death through educational programs and health promotion – to film three 60-second spots for the web highlighting their recent and continued efforts in the wake of the horrific Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004. “I knew I’d only be able to have a small crew ” says Lawrence who got the go ahead for the project only five days prior to his scheduled flight out of NYC. “It had to be someone that was experienced with travel and able to handle the challenging shooting conditions and rugged terrain of the islands. I knew Dave was the right person to call.” Director of Photography David Kruta who recently saw success at Sundance with an independent he shot called Concussion written and directed by Stacie Passon met up for beers with his longtime friend and collaborator Lawrence that evening. “I was like ‘Hey do you want to come to Sumatra with me on Wednesday?’ recalls Lawrence. “Dave laughed and said ‘Yes I’m free. My feature starts the day we get back.’ He makes such beautiful images and we have a great friendship and working relationship bringing him on board to this project was crucial to its success.” With only four days to prep there were a lot of runs back and forth to B&H and they prepared the shot list on the plane ride to the first location with four days of travel to get to the islands via a flight to Dubai then Jakarta then Padang another propeller plane to Pagai then a 12-hour ferry a couple speed boat rides and finally a drive in a beat-up pickup out to the middle of an island that had no running water and no power. “We packed the RED Epic its handheld rig a small set of batteries some Canon lenses and a 5D and 7D ” says Kruta. “We just kept it as minimal as possible without compromising quality and fit everything we could into a couple Pelican cases and backpacks. “I was surprised to find that the challenges were fewer than I expected ” he continues. “We had Mike’s 5D and my 7D along almost anticipating that the Epic would fail at some point and we would need a backup but it performed flawlessly and the main issue was just making sure we had power.” They were on a tiny island off of Sumatra with a bunch of wooden huts and only a generator to work off of for power. They could use it for three-to-four hours each night and every day was a gamble to not run out of battery power. Aside from keeping the ND filter dry and making sure the batteries were charged Kruta feels that everything went really smoothly and they were extremely happy with the footage. “We talked about the look we wanted to go for on the plane ” he says. “And we knew that we didn’t want some more doc footage. Everything we saw come out of the region especially in 2004 was POV camera work and sort of low quality. We wanted to bring a cinematic feel to it – something rich and colorful using cinema lenses and the slow-motion capabilities of the Epic.” They achieved three spots with beautiful and touching stories that showed positive images but sadly with true and terrible facts in voice over. “These atrocities exist throughout the world ” relays Lawrence. “The Mentawai's and Nias islands in particular are severely disadvantaged societies when it comes to the most basic of human needs. Some might resort to a shock-value sort of approach but having spent a great deal of time in Indonesia in the past (I used to live there) I wanted to bring up the topic in a more human light. “There is a great deal of beauty there ” he continues “in both the people and in Mother Nature. This message is perhaps more important than the statistics… this beauty is rare the place is magical and we wanted to keep that in sight. It's about the human connection and the fact that these people need help. So we chose to show the people rather than dwell on the negative statistics. We chose to show the potential for betterment.” To view the commercials – which will go live within the first two weeks of April – and to find out more about SurfAid please visit www.surfaid.org. ,4008
City Pride Cinema ,2013-04-02,By Lynne Gardiner Digital Cinema Report India Correspondent The City Pride Group cinema chain based in Pune India dates back to the earliest days of Indian cinema. Many of its single screen theatres were built by the company’s founders and remain in use today evoking the grandeur of a bygone era with their elaborate palatial interiors or art deco styling. At the other extreme the City Pride multiplexes are ultra-swish modern complexes. In a time when many cinemas in India are struggling to make money City Pride is doing well and is still expanding. I spoke to Prakash Chaphalkar who is now at the helm of the City Pride Group to find out about the history of his family business and how he is embracing the digital era. “My uncle Mr P V Chaphalkar was the founding father of the City Pride Group ” Prakash began. “He started out in the industry in 1935 as a studio electrician and soon won a reputation for his excellent technical knowledge. He often worked for the mighty Prabhat Film Company of Kolhapur where some of India’s earliest films were made. He gained a lot of experience and together with a friend decided to open a cinema in Jabalpur in the Central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The business prospered and in 1939 he returned to Maharashtra his home state to start up his own touring cinema company reaching the masses in rural areas and delighting them with screenings of the hugely popular Hindi movies of the time.” “The touring business was a big success ” continued Prakash. “Soon my uncle was joined by his younger brother my father Mr D V Chaphalkar and they began opening a string of cinemas across the state under the name Chaphalkar Bros. During this period they were able to take advantage of the post-World War II recession in Europe when cinema equipment and electrical gen-sets were available on installments and hire purchase. Things couldn’t have been better.” However in 1947 following India’s Independence everything changed for the film industry and it began to go into decline. “After those early boom years the family business rapidly changed fortunes ” he said. “Following Independence the cinema business was seen as a sin industry alongside liquor tobacco and gambling. Hence it became heavily taxed and controlled. Growth became stunted and many film studios were forced to shut down.” This was a tough time for the brothers but despite facing liquidation they managed to survive. During the 50s the India film industry grew stronger and the brothers began rebuilding. In 1971 however they suffered another major blow when they built a new luxury air-conditioned cinema in Sangli that failed to generate profits. Undefeated they moved to the growing industrial and collegial centre of Pune. With a population of just over 3 100 000 making it the ninth largest metropolis in India Pune was the ideal city for building new cinemas. Here reinforced by younger second-generation family members Chaphalkar Bros built another luxury cinema. This time they got it right and the cinema was a great success. “By the 1990s when multiplexes began to mushroom in India ” Prakash continued. “We were in an excellent position to lead the way. We built the first multiplex in the city which remains today as Pune’s oldest multiplex – the much loved City Pride of Satara Road and went on to build a further four multiplexes all under the name City Pride. Today we have a total of 22 screens in Pune city and a further 18 single screen in other parts of Maharashtra.” “Of course the industry continues to change. For example until the late 1990s movies would run for weeks and we would see many silver and golden jubilee runs. It’s very different now ” said Prakash. “We have also seen changes in the movies we are screening. Ten years ago I would say the Hindi movie was dominant. These days Hollywood is running on par with Hindi blockbusters. Life of Pi for instance did very well. We also screen a lot of local language movies. In Pune we have a large population of people from all over India. Therefore we screen movies to meet their needs. In particular Telugu and Tamil movies are doing brisk business. Naturally digital technology is having a huge effect on cinemas in India. Dolby had a massive impact in the 1990s and then the Xenon light projectors arrived in 2000. The whole ambience of the cinema experience changed drastically.” City Pride Group began to upgrade its cinema equipment to digital technology in 2009. In the same year they were voted most popular multiplex chain in India. Prakash said “At first we chose e-cinema because it was a more feasible business option. The improvements offered by e-cinema despite not being DCI-compliant provided a big lure for us. Although the initial investment was high it enabled us to reduce overheads in the long run in terms of staff numbers.” “Our larger premium cinemas use DCI-compliant 2k projectors. To ease the investment we decided to upgrade our cinemas in phases. We chose Christie projectors – balancing picture quality with 3D capability and pricing. Currently we have 27 DCI-compliant 2K screens. Of course it is very important to upgrade the sound quality and we are in the process of doing this now. Many of our properties have Dolby CP 500 processors as well as 2-way speaker systems. We wish to upgrade to Dolby 750 and 3-way systems which may be JBL or some lower-end brand for our smaller auditoriums.” City Pride’s smaller cinemas at Ratnagiri located approximately 380 kms south of Mumbai and Satara about 260 kms southeast of Mumbai both still use e-cinema screened via the now out of production 10 000 lumens-strong Panasonic DW100 projectors. The business case for using 2K projection for these smaller cinemas is currently not viable. “Since upgrading we have definitely seen our revenues increase ” Prakash said. “I think that the movies now more closely represent the images that the director envisaged. This always makes an impression on the audiences. On top of this the new technology is easier to operate and we have more flexibility to increase and decrease screening to reflect the popularity of the movies.” “Being able to screen 3D movies is a force multiplier to good English language movies. We installed Active 3D technology with the Christies which allows us to use the high-end glasses. This has been a popular move with audiences. As a result movies like Avatar and Life or Pi turned in revenues equal to the superhit Hindi movies although for us in Pune the Hindi super hero movies remain the most popular.” Many cinemas in India particularly the single screens in the smaller towns are finding it difficult to makes ends meet. City Pride Group has seen sustained growth. Prakash puts his success down to understanding his customers and what they want from a visit to the cinema. “India has a history of constructing grand theatres where larger than life ambience was created ” he said. “However we have been through periods where spending strength declined and many old theatres went out of business. In Pune and the big cities we have a thriving young population earning good salaries. This is where our business has future. Thousands of Indians are regular international travelers and they expect high standards. As a result you’ll find that most multiplexes are adhering to international standards of light and sound and quality of screens. Our audiences want modern functional cinemas with good light and sound comfortable seating and good ambience. This is what we provide in the multiplexes.” “Customers very much appreciate and enjoy the changes we have made to our cinemas. They like the fact that they are able to watch the movies in the same format and to the same high standard as people all over the world are watching them. Therefore even though admission rates are up we do not hear anyone complaining. Audiences understand that we are keeping abreast with new technologies.” With the cinema business in his blood how does Prakash ensure the young Indians of Pune go to his cinemas rather than the competition? “Our customers are highly intelligent and know what they want to see. For a movie of their liking they would queue up for hours. For those they don’t want to see they would not come even if the entrance were free ” he said. “That is my diction after 50 years in the industry. We simply keep our light pictures sound and air conditioning working properly and our cinemas clean and we wait for the good movies to bring the people in.” City Pride Group continues to expand. Their latest development currently in full swing will see two further cinema multiplexes opening in and around Pune with eight screens between them. ,4013
Incredible Escape,2013-04-02,When Jon Richards director of The Incredible Mr. Goodwin a new U.K. television program chronicling the feats of the well-known daredevil and escape artist Jonathan Goodman was tasked with capturing Goodwin’s escape from the EDF Energy London Eye Ferris wheel for the show’s season finale he needed a fail-proof production system. To this end he chose the new Gold Spectrum Wireless Kit and AB Direct VU handheld confidence monitor/COFDM diversity receiver from Anton/Bauer. For the early-March stunt Goodwin was hung upside down and trapped in a straitjacket 200 feet off the ground from one of the EDF Energy London Eye’s capsules and had only minutes to escape from a burning rope attached to the pod. “We started prepping this epic stunt about a month or so in advance we had meeting after meeting to secure the Eye and the area surrounding it not to mention the clearance to fly a helicopter over and above the Thames to get the shot ” says Richards. Once confirmed Richards and his production team used multiple cameras to help capture the daredevil’s attempt including three Sony F3 cameras equipped with Sound Devices PIX 240s to maximize the resolution bit rate Canon 5D Mark IIIs GoPros and a HELI-cam with a Canon 5D as well. The Sony F3s were strategically placed on a nearby hotel balcony overlooking the EDF Energy London Eye with one camera placed within Goodwin’s pod as well as one on the ground to capture the onlookers. “The technical challenge for me was how could I see what is going on when I’m stuck in the capsule with the stunt team—60 meters off the ground with my cameras a great distance away ” says Richards. “Procam realizing that there were range difficulties on set helped organize the collaboration with Anton/Bauer. Anton/Bauer then sorted me out with this new monitoring system which included the Gold Spectrum Wireless Kit and AB Direct VU monitor which was lightweight and easy to carry around.” Anton/Bauer’s Gold Spectrum Wireless Kit includes the AB-HDTX transmitter AB-HDRX dual diversity COFDM receiver and/or AB Direct VU handheld receiver/monitor. As part of the system the AB-HDTX transmitter sends its signal directly to the AB-HDRX dual-diversity receiver or the Direct VU handheld confidence monitor/receiver. It has an RF output of 100 mW and is capable of accepting a wide range of HD/SD video formats along with embedded audio from the HD-SDI output on the camera. The use of MPEG-4 compression allows the signal to travel half a mile in line-of-site applications. The system offers users the flexibility to choose between 12 different channels in which to transmit ensuring the least amount of interference. This allows multiple cameras to transmit to one central receive site. “I was blown away at how crisp clean and flawless the image was ” says Richards. “Especially because I was inside what is effectively known as a Faraday cage. They’re notorious for breaking up radio transmission audio and video signals and the like. The fact that the signal was strong enough to get through the cage that the EDF Energy London Eye capsule created was really impressive in itself.” Richards also says that there is no other system he is aware of that would be able to the job as well as the Anton/Bauer systems did. “There was a big concern that we were taking a risk with a new system but the reward was absolutely worth that risk. Going forward I’m going to try and get this Anton/Bauer gear on as many productions as I can especially critical one-shot wonders where failure to get the shot is not an option. It’s a worthwhile investment.” ,4014
Converting Sivaji,2013-04-03, Prasad Group founded in 1956 is India’s largest provider of integrated services catering to the entire range of film video and new media production and postproduction segments. The company is working closely with YUVsoft a developer of 2D-to-stereo-3D conversion and post-production software starting with 3D conversion of the film Sivaji. The original 2D version was well received by moviegoers in 2007. The film’s impeccable 3D conversion for the Sivaji 3D release was a hit with critics and the public. Using YUVsoft’s flagship 2D to 3D Suite helped the Prasad EFX division to simplify the workflow significantly remove stereoscopic errors and artifacts and save time on abundant rotoscoping and therefore to be able to maintain tight production deadlines.
YUVsoft spoke with Mohan Krishnan head of corporate communications at Prasad Group and asked him about some of the most challenging aspects of the recent conversion for Sivaji 3D.
YUVsoft: What challenges was the Prasad EFX division facing and why did the company decide to use YUVsoft? Krishnan: The Prasad EFX division had a challenge in painting out artifacts following the conversion process and the conversion team had to paint each and every shot regardless of the depth budget or camera angle. Though the company uses several tools for the conversion process it chose the YUVsoft solution for this purpose. Especially the Smart Depth Map Dilation feature [of Stereo Generator] was very helpful.
YUVsoft: What was s specific sequence in which YUVsoft was particularly helpful? How did the product help?
Krishnan: When the Prasad EFX division was working on a song sequence it was about to miss the client presentation deadline because of a schedule delay in rotoscopy. But with the help of YUVsoft's depth tool that particular shot was converted without any roto and paintwork. Prasad was able to present the screening on time to the client's full satisfaction and appreciation. In fact that particular song was much appreciated among the entire output. YUVsoft: What is the summary of Prasad’s experience with YUVsoft's products? Krishnan: YUVsoft team extended its full support and offered timely responses to Prasad’s inquiries. The Prasad EFX division was very happy with the product quick response updates technical support and bug fixes. YUVsoft has been a fantastic partner.
The converted 3D version of Sivaji hit screens last December. ,4024
Preserving Nature,2013-04-03,Mohonk Preserve in the Shawangunk Mountains near New Paltz New York is marking its 50th anniversary this year with a renovation of its green design award-winning Visitor Center tucked cozily into the woods. With more than 8 000 acres of mountain ridges fields streams ponds and other unique and beautiful places Mohonk Preserve is dedicated to protecting the Shawangunk Mountains by inspiring people to care for enjoy and explore the natural world. Visitors can bike hike climb ride horses run ski and snowshoe in the Preserve. Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership was responsible for the architecture interiors graphic design and exhibit design of the Visitor Center project. Electrosonic was charged with creating several new exhibits for the main floor which enable visitors to maximize their time in New York’s largest nonprofit nature preserve. The Visitor Center is a stone and wood structure set on over 40 acres including the J & S Grafton Sensory Trail LaVerne Thompson Nature Trail and Children’s Forest. The main floor is an open room with an area for membership and visitor information. Large windows in the back overlook the Preserve providing the backdrop for a three-dimensional topographical map that gives bird’s-eye views of trails and major points of interest. Electrosonic added four 32-inch ELO interactive touchscreens to the map. Visitors can access details and photos about the trails and attractions via the touchscreens with content created by the Preserve in collaboration with Richard Lewis Media Group. At the entry is the Nature Notebook made up of two 46-inch Samsung LCD hung in portrait mode. One side is a Welcome Information Station which features weather updates and daily information on trail conditions and upcoming events. The other offers visitors a chance to leave observations and questions with a keyboard and mouse which is displayed like a Twitter feed. The Preserve posts seasonal nature observations as prompts. Electrosonic installed and programmed the 10-minute orientation film produced by Richard Lewis Media Group and displayed it in a visitor orientation theater with bench seating. The theater boasts a 26-foot wide curved screen fed by four projectiondesign F12 projectors blended and warped via Dataton Watchout. Four JBL speakers and a subwoofer provide the theater’s sound. “The theater was our biggest challenge ” said Electrosonic project manager Jackson Benedict. “It’s a very small space with a low ceiling. We had to use fixed-lens projectors which meant there was very little tolerance in installing them. We had to build a custom ceiling mount that allowed for projector adjustment in the field as necessary. Projector airflow in the small space also had to be managed effectively. “The very sharp curve of the screen provided a challenge for warping the blend in Watchout ” Benedict said. “It was quite complicated. Shifting the projector one inch in the wrong direction would change everything.” A Crestron control panel in the theater enables guests to start the film on their own. “The screen displays a loop of beautiful photos with a prompt to start the film with the touch panel ” Benedict explained. “There are two operating modes: with or without subtitles.” A small control room behind the screen houses equipment in a single rack. The content for all of the interactives can be updated remotely to keep content fresh and up to date. “Electrosonic worked with the exhibit fabricators to make sure we had relatively easy access to all equipment for service ” said Benedict. ,4025
SMPTE India ,2013-04-03,By Lynne Gardiner Digital Cinema Report India Correspondent The recently formed Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers India Section held its first session in Mumbai last month to promote its new set of standards for digital cinema. The session also served as a recruitment drive to increase membership numbers. Approximately 150 industry professionals including filmmakers camera operators and DPs attended the event. Ujwal Nirgudkar chair of SMPTE India Section hosted the evening with special guest Barbara Lange executive director of SMPTE. “One of our primary roles in India is to educate the industry about the importance of standards ” said Nirgudkar. “In particular we want to see the new SMPTE standards for digital cinema applied to all cinemas where digital projectors and digital audio are in use. It makes a huge difference to the quality of the cinema experience when the equipment is properly installed and regularly calibrated. When customers pay good money it’s right that they see the best quality pictures and hear the audio as the director originally intended.” Lange spoke about SMPTE’s potential in India. “India has the fantastic confluence of a strong film industry generating more than 1200 films per year together with a strong IT sector ” she said. “Both of these industries converge in the SMPTE world today given that so much is now being handled digitally. For this reason I am very excited about the opportunity for SMPTE in India. I am looking forward to having more Members in India but also a greater participation within our standards development program and papers presented at SMPTE events and in our journal. It will take a little while to gain traction but I'm confident that the local team is well on the way to grow this into one of our largest Sections within SMPTE.” Also at the session membership to SMPTE was encouraged as a means of keeping up to date with technology developments and as a platform for social interaction with other industry members. The India Section currently has around 60 signed up members and is hoping to increase this to 1 000 over the next five years. ,4026
Wings Tours Again,2013-04-30,SpectiCast in association with Eagle Rock Entertainment will present Rockshow a film depicting the legendary Paul McCartney and Wings on their epic 1975-1976 Wings Over The World tour. The movie will premiere on the big screen in theaters in the UK on Wednesday May 15 and worldwide beginning on May 16. Paul McCartney will be in attendance at the red carpet Rockshow premiere May 15. The film will be shown at nearly one thousand play dates at theaters in over 700 cities worldwide including New York Los Angeles Chicago Sydney Rome Warsaw Bucharest Prague Hamburg San Paolo Rio De Janeiro Buenos Aires Cape Town and many other cities across the U.S Mexico Asia Europe and South America. These special theatrical presentations will include a bonus 12-minute interview with McCartney. For Wings Across America Paul brought with him one the most sophisticated and dazzling rock shows of the mid-Seventies and the band would eventually perform to more than 600 000 people at 31 shows in the US and Canada ending with three mind-bending nights at The Forum in Los Angeles. It’s no exaggeration to say that the demand that greeted Paul McCartney & Wings (Linda McCartney Joe English Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch) in the spring of 1976 as they embarked on what would become their one and only North American tour was overwhelming. Having released four consecutive successive albums including Red Rose Speedway Band on the Run Venus and Mars and Wings at the Speed of Sound – not to mention 1973’s Academy Award-winning James Bond theme Live and Let Die – McCartney’s solo career was in full flight. And since he hadn’t performed in the States for 10 years either solo or with The Beatles excitement had reached fever pitch. The concert was filmed on the tour at the Kingdome in Seattle. An edited version of the concert was presented in 1980 in New York and 1981 in London. Now fans have the chance to be able to immerse themselves in a concert that is destined to live forever. ,4033
Understanding China,2013-04-30,Success in the motion picture business of the future – at least for the major Hollywood studios and their corporate parents – will likely hinge on how they do in such critical international markets as India South America and of course China. Understanding these diverse and self-sustaining cultures will not be easy which was why for me one of the most interesting presentations on International Day at this year’s CinemaCon was All Eyes on China: An Exhibitor’s Perspective. During the event Peter YF Chan greater China media & entertainment leader Ernst & Young offered several eye-opening statistics. China is currently the world’s largest consumer of key media markets including the Internet mobile online video smart phones and social media. Currently China is the world’s second largest market for consumer electronics and movies. Chan predicted that China will replace the United States as the world’s number one market for consumer electronics next year and for movies as soon as 2020. Chan said China’s media and entertainment market reached $60 billion in 2010 and he predicted it would generate $138 billion by 2015. He said demand is growing most is local communities around China and that the needs of each community tend to be localized. The growth he described is enormous; currently there are more than 220 cities in China with a population of a million or more. Beyond sheer growth which could be achieved simply because China has such a large population Chan said the Chinese government has a goal – The China Dream – which is to use the so-called “soft power” of media to exert a cultural influence on the entire world. To that end he said the government is moving to loosen some rules restricting media production and distribution is providing some tax incentives and is moving to relax quotas. But despite the government’s desire to increase China’s influence in the world Chan said there are still problems for anyone who wants to work in the media and entertainment industries in China. While size always matters China remains a challenging place to work both for natives and for outsiders who want to find new opportunities in one of the world’s largest markets. First there is no single China. The nation is not one single market but represents many diverse markets. Although the government is talking about improving things Chan said regulations still pose of a significant problem. And piracy is still a serious issue and dovetails with another reality: in the Chinese culture content is generally seen as something that is free or at worst very cheap. Chan said that major U.S. media companies have an initial advantage in succeeding in China because strong brands are known and appreciated there and that will help their cause. He outlined steps that all outsiders need to follow to thrive in China: form and develop partnerships understand digital technology learn how to navigate the regulatory landscape. Following Chan’s presentation Millard Ochs president Warner Bros. International Cinemas moderated a panel discussion that included Senator Chris Dodd chairman & CEO MPAA; Ellen Eliasoph president and CEO Village Roadshow Entertainment Group Asia; Rich Gelfond CEO Imax Corporation; and Jerry Ye CEO Wanda Cinemas. With the exception of Dodd who to his credit acknowledged that he is a newcomer to the entertainment but also noted his long experience as a Senator in international relations all of the panelists have already had significant experience and in most cases at least some success working in China. Ochs for example said that Warner Bros. opened a multiplex in Shanghai in 2002 by building a partnership with local business interests. Ochs also noted a simple but critical fact standing in the way of major success in motion pictures in China: the average Chinese citizen works three to four hours to earn the price of a movie ticket. In contrast a worker in the United States earning the minimum wage can pay for a movie ticket with one hour of labor. That reality did not dampen the enthusiasm of the panelists Ochs included. Ellen Eliasoph said this is “The most exciting time in my life in this business.” She said Chinese-American co-productions are ramping up and she said the last time she visited the country there were six blockbuster movies in theatres: three American three Chinese. She said an important and positive thing for producers to keep in mind is that “Movies can succeed in China alone.” And she said the country is obviously large enough to support plenty of competition. “We don’t want to be the only players in the market ” she said. Imax’s Gelfond said his company first ventured into China fifteen years ago and started with thirteen theatres. By his estimate Imax currently has almost 100 theatres which represent a ten percent market share in the nation. He credited his partner Wanda Cinema with making his success a relatity. Gelfond cautioned that succeeding in China is not for faint of heart: “It’s a series of ups and downs. It’s not a straight line.” At present Gelfond said his theatres charge between $10-$20 per ticket based on location and movie. His partner Jerry Ye of Wanda Cinemas said his company expects to have a total of 2 000 screens in the country by the end of the year and foresees continued growth. ,4034
Underground Love,2013-04-30,Born this Way from producers/directors Shaun Kadlec and Deb Tullman tells the story of the underground gay and lesbian community in Cameroon. ,4041
Safeguarding the System,2013-04-30,As one of the first theater chains in the U.S. to convert to digital projection ArcLight Cinemas and sister company Pacific Theatres early on recognized the need to safeguard their 90 Christie digital cinema projectors installed at the chain’s seven locations in California. For that they chose Christie’s Network Operations Center and the Managed Services team. Joe Miraglia director of design construction and facilities for ArcLight Cinemas said “Christie’s NOC support services are an excellent fit for our ongoing needs. The professionalism from their staff and reporting tools continue to be a significant benefit for our organization. No matter whether it’s a small inquiry or a major outage we know the Christie NOC team is there to support our needs.” As part of the NOC’s reporting capability customers can choose customized software and weekly and monthly reports through an automated system that distributes information to cinema operators to help them run their theaters more effectively. According to Miraglia the collection of data that reports how the theaters are performing overall was important. “I get weekly equipment inventory reports that tell me how much space is on my server and I receive notices about software updates and incident performance reports. The monthly analysis really tells me what’s happening along with the trends and patterns within my company and that’s huge for me.” “We are pleased that ArcLight Cinemas put their confidence in Christie’s Managed Services team and our NOC ” said Sean James vice president Managed Services at Christie. “With new technologies and programming constantly evolving a state-of-the-art NOC for remote monitoring in particular provides a safety net for theaters embarking on the digital age of 2K and 4K digital cinema projection.” Miraglia said Christie’s track record and history in the cinema industry gave them the edge over the competition. He was also confident that they made the right choice because of Christie’s Ed Vitelli and his teams’ extensive IT background. The analytical and systematic approach that Ed and his team incorporate into their analysis impressed him. Their approach was aligned with that of ArcLight Cinemas’ helping to reduce down time and guest-facing incidents. Managed Services functions as a single point of contact. The service team can support all lobby displays and projection equipment multi-media and audiovisual hardware associated software and business application systems as well as servicing other manufacturer’s warranties. Extended services from Christie’s Managed Services team include on-site preventative maintenance and emergency repair service quick access to locally stored spare parts and online training. In addition to providing end-to-end solutions for projection and in-lobby digital displays in the cinema environment Christie’s Managed Services team also has a technology-agnostic approach in that they support all your cinema equipment including a wide array of manufacturers projectors technology platforms visual displays servers switchers and networking products. ,4044
Shooting Why We Ride,2013-04-30,Why We Ride is producer/director Bryan H. Carroll’s latest project a documentary film capturing the heart of the motorcycling communty. As he explains “It’s about the passion of the riders and the soul of their machines.” Currently in production the film is being shot at multiple locations across the United States from the arid deserts of California to the rallies in the Midwest and from the salt flats in Bonneville to the sun-drenched beaches of Florida’s Atlantic coast. Carroll and his crew are employing a novel workflow that enables them to capture action imagery at the highest quality while working in remote locations often under extreme conditions. That workflow includes Canon’s Cinema EOS C500 camera paired with Codex’s Onboard S recorder. This combination allows Carroll to shoot in 4K at rates up to 120 fps while working with a camera package that is small and lightweight enough to be operated through the door of a van traveling at 60 m.p.h. or on the end of a 12-foot jib arm. Why We Ride is also using Codex’s Vault for media offload back up and dailies processing. For much of the shoot a Vault (operating via battery) travels along with the production in a van and is used to off-load media from the Onboard S capture drives as they fill up. At night the crew carries the Vault into a hotel room to complete the job of processing dailies media for delivery to the editorial team the following morning. Carroll says that the production started shooting the documentary with Canon C300 cameras but timed the shooting of most of the motorcycle sequences to the availability of the C500 camera in order to take advantage of its ability to capture 4K. He chose to pair the new camera with the Codex Onboard S to enjoy the benefits of its compact size and extended recording time and battery life. As a filmmaker I never want a piece of equipment to slow me down as that causes me to miss shots ” he explains. “Codex allows me to shoot at my pace.” Carroll adds that the Vault made capturing 4K practical because it allowed his crew to process dailies quickly without relying on a post-production facility resulting in significant budget savings. “Given the amount of shooting we do post costs can add up quickly ” he says. “With the Vault we were able to keep it all in-house from the camera straight through editorial.” The crew is working long hours and capturing a huge amount of original camera media. One particular shoot day in the Mojave Desert Carroll estimates the crew got more than 40 set-ups in 14 hours. Given that workload the advantage of using a recorder capable of capturing hours of 4K media on a single drive is obvious. They were able to capture up to 90 minutes of media with the Onboard S before even changing drives. Carroll adds that frame rate is critical to his vision noting “120 frames per second is absolutely necessary when portraying the fast-action of a motorcycle in poetic motion.” Carroll is also impressed with the ruggedness of the Onboard S. The crew spent many days filming in the high temperatures of the deserts and blowing wind of the beaches. “There were times when it was covered in dirt and sand ” he says “but we never babied the recorder we treated it the same way we treat our base plates and it just kept running.” Why We Ride should be completed later this summer. Why We Ride www.WhyWeRideFilm.com ,4050
Chasing Shakespeare,2013-04-30,Director Norry Niven’s Chasing Shakespeare which debuts this month at the Dallas International Film Festival is an enchanting love story about a young Native American woman’s search for her destiny and her widower husband’s attempts to reunite with her after her death. Based on a screenplay by James Bird the film features stunning performances from Danny Glover Oscar-nomined Graham Greene Chelsea Ricketts Mike Wade and Ashley Bell and delivers an emotional dreamlike experience that is not to be missed. A Texas native Niven shot Chasing Shakespeare in rural regions of his home state. Although produced on a modest budget the director says that the production benefitted from an exceptionally dedicated cast and crew and serendipitous circumstances that he decribes as “a magic that defies logic.” “If you were lucky enough to be on set during the filming you saw it ” he recalls. “It rained when it needed to and was sunny when we needed bright skies. On the night of our roof top Tempest scene when it was supposed to have an electrical storm in the script we had one on set a storm so powerful that it struck my family’s house leaving us without power for days.” The charmed nature of the project carried through to post-production. In what proved to be a fortuitous choice Niven selected Peter Tarter to edit the film. Tarter is a Dallas-based editor known for his work in commercials and for founding the commercial editing post company Treehouse. But he had not previously edited a feature. Still Niven was impressed by his narrative skills and obvious enthusiasm for the project. “Peter dove in head first with reckless abandon ” Niven says “because this is what he loves—telling stories.” Tarter’s initial cut of the film ran nearly three hours. That was obviously too long and so he and Niven began working their way back through the story looking for ways to trim and hone. That process involved some tough decisions. “I started taking out side stories that didn’t move the story forward ” Tarter recalls. “It was very hard to do because I was literally cutting characters out of the movie. Norry said it was like killing his babies and we really didn’t want to kill a character. It was sad.” Tarter’s editorial style runs deeper than simple storytelling. He employed a variety of techniques to enhance the emotional content of the film on subliminal and symbolic levels. “Peter understood clearly the need to get the subtle messages across on screen through Joseph Campbell's thresholds which were visual and within the subtext ” explains Niven. “So you see doorways arches fence lines lines of tombstones building ledges even the edge of the roof of a farm house all built into the editorial story. That tells you more than the words do about the characters and their individual journeys.” Niven adds that Tarter heightened the ephemeral quality that time has in the film by “cutting on action” during shifts from flashbacks to current time. “Peter knew the story completely and could feel the characters throughout his process which brought so much more to the screen than any ordinary film cutter could have ” Niven says. “No other editor would have been able to walk that fine line.” Tarter says that he developed a deep emotional attachment to the film. He notes that he was moved in particular by the film’s opening deathbed scene as it reminded him of the recent passing of his mother. “I identified with the sensitivities of saying goodbye to a dying parent ” he says. “Being there in the room watching as they try to hang on but also relieved that it is over.” Tarter believes that many people will share his response to the film’s timeless narrative. “It’s a beautiful love story ” he observes. “People from eight to eighty can watch this film and enjoy it. There’s not a lot of cursing not a lot of sex. It’s just pure love.” In addition to its upcoming debut at the 2013 Dallas International Film Festival Chasing Shakespeare has been accepted into the First Glance Film Fest (Hollywood) the Artisan Festival International (Cannes and the Hamptons) and the Big Island Film Festival (Hawaii). It is a Special Selection at the Montreal International Black Film Festival (where Danny Glover will attend the screening). The film will be honored at WorldFest- Houston International Film Festival. It recently won the Title Design award at South by Southwest. ,4053
Digital Disruption and Saturday Night Live
,2013-04-30,By Valentina I. Valentini Digital Cinema Report West Coast Correspondent Author and analyst James McQuivey thinks that we’re just starting to understand how the combination of the two words “digital” and “disruption” are important. We use them often enough and perhaps McQuivey is right in branding them generic sounding. The gravity of their unification isn’t quite clear yet but if it is to be explored last month’s National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas was as good a place as any. McQuivey’s commanding presence on stage during the Digital Disruptors: Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation panel at NAB was a welcome diversion to the over-stimuli of the tech convention that befalls Las Vegas every April. He cited Mark Zuckerberg as the epitome of digital disruptors claiming that when companies adopt technology they do old things in new ways but that when they internalize technology – as Zuckerberg did with Facebook – they are disruptive to an existing process – a true disruptor. “The ‘better stronger faster’ adage still holds ” he said. “You have to build better content and product experiences you have to have stronger customer relationships and you need to bring it to market faster. If you don’t someone else will.” To call SNL short films and parodies a digital disruptor might be pushing it but they’re certainly a leader when it comes to fast cheap (and funny) content. Supplementing the decades old and uber popular variety show Saturday Night Live SNL has been creating digital short films for more than a decade. They also began SNL Digital Shorts in 2005 with Andy Samburg and The Lonely Island music group making musical comedy shorts which became hugely popular with cameos from Justin Timberlake Zach Galifianakis and Lindsay Lohan – just to name a few. “The only way that it works is having the people around us that are like family ” said freelance cinematographer Alex Buono who has worked with the SNL Film Unit since 1999 and sat on the “How SNL Produces Short Films in 48 Hours or Less” panel at NAB. “We have the same crew we’ve had for years in some departments.” The SNL Digital Shorts was a specific brand related to Samburg and co-writers Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. Since Samburg has left SNL the SNL Digital Shorts brand has been retired. Buono’s team and work fall under the heading SNL Film Unit. Rhys Thomas – who came up through the ranks starting as a PA and is now the director/producer on the SNL Film Unit – explained the tight schedule and how they get cast members for only a window of about five hours to shoot with. “We get our assignment Wednesday evening ” he said “and graphics props costumes all of it gets ready for Friday morning. The cast members are being pulled from live studio rehearsals and we get them usually between 9am and 2pm. It’s fast… and we definitely have to know our post timeline really well.” Buono and his team were the first to broadcast with the Canon 7D back in 2009 as well as the C300 and C500 when they came out the Epic Monochrome and were among the first with the Arri Alexa. “SNL has long been known for it’s cutting edge comedy but it’s also become an incredible testing ground for cutting edge production technology ” said Buono. “The show fosters a high-wire act atmosphere and that has carried over to the film unit where we’re constantly looking for the newest tools to help us do our jobs faster and better.” McQuivey had made a good point about the iPad and it being 80 times more successful than the iPod in his speech. He said that it is not about the platform but rather “it’s about the consumers using those platforms.” The popularity of SNL short films has hinged on video viewing sites like YouTube and Hulu. And it’s obvious to say so but without those platforms the shorts would never have worked. “It's hard to recall ” added Buono “but it wasn't so long ago that the concept of ‘going viral’ didn't even exist. But SNL spots like the original Digital Short Lazy Sunday going viral completely changed the way that a lot of viewers access the show. I'd think DVRs made a huge difference as well.” ,4054
Marriage Minded,2013-04-30, While audio was the big technology story of the third annual CinemaCon convention which was held last month in Las Vegas and the search for ways to help small independent movie theatres make the digital transition was the compelling business story the backdrop was a sudden drive my many companies to find ways to work together. As the first wave of the digital cinema transition in North America nears completion and companies gear up for the challenges of succeeding in the transitions in China South America Asia and elsewhere last month’s gathering was the scene for a large number of mergers partnerships and other arrangements. Oh and it being Las Vegas the event was also the scene of an actual wedding between a man and a woman. First the human wedding. In a very tongue-in-cheek email press release sent early on the last day of the show by Amy Finnerty National CineMedia’s director of public relations and communications it was announced that “Geoff Rod director of engineering with NCM and Beth Ross project manager – operations with the Digital Cinema Initiatives Partnership were married in Las Vegas on Wednesday night April 17th. Both companies approved of the merger. The couple who met seven years ago while working together in NCM’s Denver headquarters were inspired yesterday to speed up the integration between NCM and DCIP in the ultimate CinemaCon deal. Following in the footsteps of film industry legends such as Betty Grable Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney Geoff and Beth said ‘I Do’ at the Little Church of the West wedding chapel surrounded by industry friends and co-workers. Michael Archer vice president of digital cinema with Doremi Labs gave the bride away. Proving that this was indeed a match made in movie heaven the party limo that arrived at Caesar’s Palace to take the wedding party to the church was called The Dark Knight named after the Warner Bros. Pictures film.” Business Scrabble Entertainment announced the immediate roll-out of its affordable lease-to-own digital conversion program. The program to deploy DCI-compliant digital cinema equipment is supported by major Hollywood studios in the form of certain financial contributions pursuant to the terms of each agreement separately reached with each studio. The program does not require any financial pre-qualifications or credit check of any kind. The lease term with an option to buy the equipment at the end of the lease at no residual value will be of immense value to all potential exhibitors. Among the Hollywood studios that have signed up so far to separate non-exclusive agreements are Warner Bros. Pictures Walt Disney Motion Pictures Universal Pictures Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. Scrabble is also in advanced negotiations with Sony Pictures Releasing Corporation. “Scrabble Entertainment has enjoyed exceptional success in helping exhibitors convert to digital cinema in several countries where we are responsible for 100 percent conversion of multiplexes covered by our programs ” said Ranjit Thakur founder and CEO of Scrabble Entertainment which also recently expanded into South America. “We recognized the extraordinary financial pressures faced by many thousands of independent exhibitors drive-in theatres and art house theatres throughout the United States and Canada which operate under tight budgets and could not easily afford the move to digital cinema technology. Working with preferred equipment suppliers and technical service providers and with the financial support to be provided by the Hollywood studios under their respective agreements we developed this flexible lease-to-own program specifically tailored to accommodate the conversion of such screens to digital projection.” Scrabble Entertainment has partnered with Christie Digital Systems not only to supply equipment to the program but also to include Christie Managed Services which will provide remote monitoring and comprehensive maintenance with round-the-clock support through Christie’s Network Operations Center along with preventative servicing and on-site emergency response. “Local theaters are often important cultural and social hubs in their communities and it is vital that they continue to provide quality entertainment to moviegoers ” said George Scheckel director of business development for entertainment solutions Christie. “We are very pleased to be selected by Scrabble Entertainment as a preferred supplier of DCI-compliant digital cinema projectors as well as a provider of technical support through Christie Managed Services. With more than 80 years of experience working with exhibitors of all sizes we are ready to ensure a seamless move to digital by providing the highest quality equipment and service expertise throughout the conversion process and for years to come.” Cinedigm and the National Association of Theatre Owners announced they have already signed over 100 drive-in movie theatres to their digital theatre conversion program customized for the Cinema Buying Group members of the drive-in movie theatre community. Cinedigm and NATO unveiled the new exhibitor deployment agreement at the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association convention in February and expect all installations to take place by early summer. The drive-in movie theatre efforts follow Cinedigm’s successful deployment of over 11 700 screens in the US and Canada with over 269 exhibitors. It gives us great pleasure to see the enthusiasm with which the drive-in theater community has grasped this opportunity ” said John Fithian president and CEO of NATO. “Cinedigm and NATO’s collaborative efforts – similar to our CBG program for traditional movie theatres – have once again played a significant role in bringing these theatres into the digital age.”
In addition to a new exhibitor deployment agreement Cinedigm/NATO/UDITOA have taken a number of steps to address the outdoor deployment issue including securing exceptions to the Digital Cinema Initiatives specifications applicable to the drive-in theatre environment. “We are thrilled our members have so quickly embraced Cinedigm and NATO’s program ” said John Vincent Jr. UDITOA's President. Their success means that the unique movie-going experience outdoor exhibitors offer will continue for generations to come. “The response from the drive-in community has been exceedingly positive ” said Alison Choppelas vice president/business affairs for Cinedigm’s Digital Cinema Division. Contenido Alternativo and Cinepolis announced the launch of its DCP electronic delivery service to 282 Cinepolis complexes in Mexico completing its offer for integrated digital cinema distribution services in the country. During 2013 the network will be deployed in the rest of the Latin American territories. The network has been in operation since 2010 facilitating the distribution of alternative content programming for Cinepolis including the ground-breaking worldwide LIVE 3D broadcast of the South African FIFA World Cup Championship the WWE Series the Champions League and The Metropolitan Opera among others. The company has successfully completed network deployment and testing phase making Cinepolis the first exhibitor in the region with electronic reception capabilities and Contenido Alternativo the first digital Ccnema service provider fully integrated for Digital Cinema electronic delivery replication and distribution in the Latin America region. “This Network offers studio clients and local distributors a single point of contact for all of their Digital Cinema Distribution needs and at the same time will offer Cinepolis significant efficiencies for content reception said Juan Manuel Borbolla CEO of Contenido Alternativo. The network is built with state-of-the art technology allowing many other digital content services for distributors and exhibitors. Contenido Alternativo offers a suite of services including tracking digital cinema content mastering and distribution. Leveraging a hybrid distribution platform comprised of leading physical and electronic distribution mediums Contenido Alternativo delivers its customers’ content to digital cinema screens in Mexico and continues to grow its digital cinema distribution footprint in Latin America. Technicolor and GDC Technology announced a strategic alliance to streamline the distribution process for Asia allowing customers to benefit from high-quality drive replication without the expense of transporting drives across distant international borders or the complexity of managing multiple vendors. “This strategic alliance means Technicolor and GDC Technology can offer studio clients a single point of contact for in-country drive replication distribution and KDM support initially focusing on Hong Kong Japan and Singapore with plans to expand across the region said Claude Gagnon president of Technicolor Creative Services Worldwide. As the largest supplier of digital cinema servers throughout Asia GDC Tech is the ideal partner to enable us to offer content owners and distributors the most comprehensive set of digital cinema services in the region. The agreement will provide our clients with the same exacting standards they have come to expect from Technicolor's owned and operated facilities across the globe.” Dr. Man-Nang Chong founder and CEO of GDC Technology said “We are delighted to be entering this venture with Technicolor which like GDC Technology has a long-standing reputation for outstanding delivery of services and solutions for the cinema industry. By working side by side we can combine our knowledge of digital cinema technology and avant-garde facilities with Technicolor’s renowned technology and worldwide distribution services to offer studio clients an integrated high-quality value-driven replication and distribution fulfilment service. This move represents the latest validation of GDC Technology’s ongoing efforts and we will continue to deliver value to our customers in Asia.” Technicolor will continue to operate out of its Bangkok facility where it performs 35mm processing post-production and digital cinema services. Wanda Cinemaline Corporation owner of the largest cinema chain in China announced that it has chosen Dolby Atmos as the standard audio system for its giant screen X-Land and plans to equip all current and upcoming X-Land screens with Dolby Atmos technology. The chain says it will install the X-Land screen in Wanda’s Chongqing Wanzhou cinema branch with Dolby Atmos with the debut scheduled for July 2013. Wanda executives plan to install Dolby Atmos capability in at least six of the cinema chain’s X-Land locations by the end of 2013. Dolby Atmos is a new audio platform that has revolutionized the experience of sound in entertainment. It gives filmmakers a new level of control allowing them to place and move sounds anywhere in the movie theatre drawing audiences into the story and making them feel as if they are in middle of the action. X-Land is a brand of giant screens from Wanda that aims to provide an extraordinary moviegoing experience. The adoption of Dolby Atmos will allow Wanda X-Land to offer a captivating listening experience with more natural realistic sound that truly envelops the audience transporting them into the onscreen story while staying true to the filmmaker’s original artistic intent. “When we build Wanda X-Land we want to provide audiences with the best cinema audio and visual experience possible. Dolby Atmos brings the level of excellence and quality we look for in providing that experience ” said Ye Ning general manager Wanda Cinemaline Corporation. “We have been very impressed by the truly stunning sound effects and the extra dimension Dolby Atmos brings to cinemas. We look forward to immersing moviegoers in X-Land with Dolby Atmos.” “Major studios directors sound teams and exhibitors from around the world have embraced Dolby Atmos as the clear choice for delivering next-generation cinema sound to moviegoers ” said Doug Darrow senior vice president cinema Dolby Laboratories. “Patrons of Wanda’s X-Land premium cinemas in China will soon get to experience cinema sound as if they too were right in the middle of the action.” Barco Auro Technologies and DTS are working together to address concerns expressed by the National Association of Theatre Owners and the Union Internationale des Cinemas in their recent statement announcing cinema exhibitor requirements for immersive sound technologies. The goal is to enable theater owners to present movies on any new 3D audio format designed according to the open standard. As part of the effort Barco hosted an Immersive Sound Session at a Las Vegas Cinemark. Representatives from NATO Barco Auro Technologies DTS and Dolby participated in a panel discussion to explore options for enhancing workflow creating flexible playback systems and other technical benefits associated with the proposed open object-oriented 3D sound format. Brian Claypool senior director strategic business development entertainment for Barco said “The open standard nature of how we create and playback Auro 11.1 by Barco fits with studios’ existing workflows enabling them to easily create a sound master that can be played on any legacy or immersive audio system.” DTS has developed Multi-Dimensional Audio an open object-based audio creation and authoring platform to accelerate next-generation content creation. The MDA platform supports both channel and audio objects and adapts to any speaker quantity and configuration. During creation sounds are directed throughout an auditorium by attaching specific X Y Z coordinates to audio objects to describe the location resulting in highly realistic sound placement in concert with the video portion of a movie. “We are committed to the continued development and adoption of a format-agnostic solution that enables the universal creation delivery and playback of 3D audio content ” said DTS’s John Kellogg senior director corporate strategy and development. “Like Barco our entire approach is based on an inclusive rather than exclusive philosophy bent on encouraging studios to produce more movies featuring immersive sound while empowering exhibitors to show them in their best light.” Barco has teamed up with CSI Leasing to provide financial assistance to theatre owners desiring to upgrade their cinema experience with Barco’s immersive cinema sound format Auro 11.1. Available in North America the Barco Auro Financing Program provides a variety of financing solution options designed to meet the unique needs of movie exhibitors many whom have recently converted to digital cinema during the last couple of years. The Auro Financing Program offers exhibitors competitive lease rates with no up-front costs advance payments or commitment fees. CSI Leasing can structure a program that will meet customers’ financial objectives and budget requirements promising a quick and easy credit process for several lease packages: “We’re very well versed in the unique business model and specific needs of movie theater owners having worked closely with many exhibitors to help them with their digital cinema conversions ” said Bob Rinaldi senior vice president of CSI Leasing. “As the largest privately-owned independent lessor in the U.S. CSI Leasing brings more than 40 years of equipment leasing experience offering Barco and its customers a reliable source of funding and convenient affordable lease options to help them expand their operations.” Barco announced that it is growing its relationship with Cine Colombia deploying another phase of DLP Cinema projectors bringing the total to 150 Barco projectors across the exhibitor’s circuit. Raising the entertainment bar in both its flagship locations in Bogotá and Bucaramanga Cine Colombia is installing Auro 11.1 by Barco to enhance the immersive quality of premium movie showings. “We have always been committed to technological development which is obvious because our goal is to be one step ahead of our competitors ” said Munir Falah president of Cine Colombia. “We also understand that technology can make or break our customers’ movie experiences. That’s why we’ve been working with Barco for four years – we don’t want to settle for less than the best.” Cine Colombia has rapidly grown its investment in Barco’s digital cinema technology increasing the number of projectors from a single in 2007 to 150 projectors by the end of 2013. “We were the first Colombian movie company to use a digital cinema projector ” said Falah. Cine Colombia equipped both its Mega Sala Cineco theaters in Titan Plaza in Bogota – one of the biggest shopping malls in the country – and in Cacique Mall in Bucaramanga – one of the newest in the country – with a Barco Auro 11.1 sound system. “The serviceability and ease-of-use of the projectors are remarkable which our operators really appreciate ” said Alexandra Villamizar projection and sound manager at Cine Colombia. “Because of Barco’s excellent training we now understand the equipment in depth so we can quickly fix any issues ourselves. But when we need assistance from Barco they quickly respond and always exceed our expectations.” “We are very pleased to grow our relationship with Cine Colombia who shares our passion for cinema excellence ” said Ney Corsino vice president for Barco Latin America. “They represent a great success story in the region and we wholeheartedly support their desire to deliver magical movie experiences of the highest quality.” Marcus Theatres is launching a new UltraScreen in Chicago this year. “Marcus Theatres is continuously striving to meet our customers’ sophisticated tastes and desire for a truly unique experience when going to the movies ” said Bruce J. Olson president of Marcus Theatres. “The giant UltraScreen combined with the Auro 11.1 system will provide moviegoers with a stunning audio and visual experience unmatched in the film industry.” Two of Marcus’ Gurnee Illinois Cinema’s 20 auditoriums are being demolished to make room for the extra-sized auditorium which will have more than 400 seats and feature a 72-foot x 31-foot screen and the first Barco Auro 11.1 sound system in the Marcus chain and in the region. Every aspect of the new UltraScreen auditorium is engineered for the ultimate in picture sound and comfort to deliver the ultimate moviegoing experience. The UltraScreen experience with a three-story tall picture crystal clear digital sound and comfortable stadium seats takes moviegoing to a totally new level of excitement that can never be experienced at home. Marcus is a frontrunner in premium cinema innovation by virtue of its efforts to capture a greater share of the entertainment dollar and appeal to patrons seeking a value-added cinema experience. “We are honored that Marcus Theaters has chosen Auro 11.1 by Barco – widely acclaimed as the industry’s best immersive cinema audio solution – to bring movie magic to life in their giant-screen auditoriums ” said Patrick Lee vice president digital cinema for Barco North America. “Auro 11.1 has been developed with the forward-thinking exhibitor in mind providing them with a tool to differentiate their offering for an increasingly sophisticated audience that’s willing to pay a premium for a better experience. Marcus’ UltraScreen concept with Auro 11.1 will give them a uniquely memorable experience and keep them coming back for more.” Platinum Theatres announced that it has outfitted many of its auditoriums with Barco’s new 1 DP2K-10S projector which was designed for smaller screens. “We’re very happy with the compact size of the Barco DP2K-10S which makes it ideal for small booths and screens. We also have the Barco DP2K-23B projector and the image quality of the 10S model is just as good ” said Al Guerra owner of Platinum Theatres. “We really appreciate the ease of programming and operation of the 10S. It’s one of the simplest things I've worked with in many years in the cinema business.” “The Barco DP2K 10S Digital Cinema Projector is a great option for smaller screens. Easy to install bright and efficient it’s a very affordable option compared to most other projectors ” said Kyle Connor owner of Theatre Equipment Construction & Service. “We’ve channeled all the best attributes of our digital cinema technologies into a tight elegant model that offers amazing brightness and brings today’s movies to life ” said Patrick Lee vice president digital cinema for Barco North America. “We are thrilled to provide Platinum Theatres with a projection solution that truly meets the needs of their smaller auditoriums.” Christie announced that shipments of the Christie Solaria One projector a DCI-compliant solution based on Texas Instruments’ S2K DLP Cinema chipset have accelerated since first units rolled off Christie’s manufacturing plant floors in November 2012. Small-screen theatres in China Russia India Brazil and across Europe and North America are seizing the opportunity to purchase these complete economical projectors. “Smaller cinemas the world over are strong contributors to their local economies but they must make the switch to digital format. That said their loss would also leave a cultural vacuum that is irreplaceable. It is something we simply cannot allow to happen. Our Solaria One projector our global network of first-rate installation partners and our participation in industry programs to help them finance the change are just some of the ways we’re helping complete the conversion to digital cinema projection ” said Dr. Don Shaw senior director product management Christie Entertainment Solutions. Christie’s Solaria One has a lot to offer including being the brightest DCI compliant projector in its class able to project 8000 lumens in the DCI color space and 9000 for alternative content. And a variation the Christie Solaria One+ projects 9000 for DCI content and 10 000 with alternative content. As well it has a customized Xenon lamp the CDXL-21S1 which ensures ultimate performance efficiency and reliability. The projector which ships 3D ready complete with built-in IMB is easily upgraded to play high frame rate movies. Based on data from leading independent third-party research firm GDC Technology announced that it became the market leader in North America for 2012 capturing approximately 40.7 percent of total new digital cinema server installations in the region last year. Thanks to the strong dealer network and their premium service quality together with GDC Tech’s product innovation sales service and comprehensive training GDC Tech has earned and maintained the trust of major exhibitors across North America. GDC Tech also continues to be the dominant market leader in Asia-Pacific capturing approximately 46.1 percent of total new digital cinema server installations in the region in 2012 with leading market share and the largest installed base across key markets such as China Japan South Korea Taiwan Hong Kong and Singapore. As of today total shipments of GDC Tech digital cinema servers and IMBs have reached over 26 000 units worldwide. Customers stay with GDC Tech because of its continuous R&D investment in digital cinema technology and comprehensive technical support which allows them to simplify theatre operations and offer moviegoers a premium cinematic experience. In less than four years GDC Tech has attained market share leadership in North America for the year 2012 said Dr. Chong. We are thankful for the continued support from our loyal customers. We have always been innovative in providing the most cost-effective digital cinema server solutions with scalable storage to our customers. We are pleased that our worldwide customers are beginning to acknowledge our efforts. In other partnership news Philips announced that a formal relationship has been established with GDC Technology. GDC Tech is now a key value added reseller for Philips digital cinema xenon lamps in China Hong Kong Singapore Thailand and other Asian countries. In the reseller agreement GDC Tech will provide new channels to expand Philips’ xenon lamp sales in the fast growing region. Philips’ Digital Cinema Xenon includes lamps for Barco Christie NEC and Sony digital cinema projectors. GDC Tech maintained its dominant market share in the Asia Pacific region and has shipped over 25 000 units of digital cinema servers and integrated media blocks as of the end of March 2013. “We are excited to have such a respected company represent our products in this market ” said Ana Simonian global director of sales Cinema Xenon Lamps Philips Lighting. “We believe the partnership of GDC Tech and Philips will lead to new opportunities for both companies.” “We are pleased to have won the confidence of Philips ” said Dr. Chong. “GDC Tech and Philips share similar beliefs to help our customers minimize investment costs. Over the years Philips products have won over many customers with its good quality. With the addition of Philips’ products to our portfolio GDC Tech becomes a total solution provider offering a wide range of digital cinema products to exhibitors. We look forward to working with Philips to address market needs and develop more business opportunities.” Harkness Screens announced that it has appointed Mark Ashcroft as chief executive officer of the Group. Ashcroft has many years of experience of managing multi-national companies most recently as senior vice president with Amscan a global entertainment products retailer and previously as executive vice president at Sola the NYSE listed optical lens company and world leader in spectacle lenses. Ashcroft takes over as CEO from Andrew Robinson who has steered Harkness through 14 successful years of development and growth establishing Harkness as the global leader in custom manufactured screens for cinema and events with operations in the US Europe China and most recently in India. Robinson will remain a shareholder and director of Harkness Screens and will continue his involvement initially in ensuring a smooth handover and subsequently in maintaining the strong industry relationships that he has built around the world. Event cinema distributor Omniverse Vision announced that last month it attracted its one-millionth customer at a US screening of Great Expectations. Since launching in September 2010 the company has released such landmark titles as Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Concert and most recently achieved a first with the live broadcast of the West End gala opening night of Great Expectations. This summer the company will have another first with the live 3D broadcast of The Mariinsky Theatre’s Swan Lake which is being produced in 3D by Cameron Pace the company behind Avatar and Life of Pi. Omniverse Vision CEO Grant Calton said “Event cinema is an increasingly exciting sector to be part of and we look forward to seeing our business continue to grow and to develop increasingly innovative content for global cinema audiences. It is particularly exciting to be working with partners of the calibre of Cameron Pace on our upcoming Mariinsky series as it proves that event cinema is being recognized at the highest levels of the industry. We look forward to the next million customers enjoying our content.” Technology Christie launched a set of four new Superior Performance Xenolite lamps for its Series 2 Christie Solaria projectors ranging from 2kW to 6kW at CinemaCon 2013. The new Christie Superior Performance Xenolite lamps are designed specifically for the Christie Solaria CP2220 CP2230 and the Christie 4K DLP Cinema projectors. Designed to maximize the brightness and reliability of today’s digital cinema projection solutions the Christie Superior Performance Xenolite lamp series uses the latest Xenon lamp technology to provide increased brightness improved stability and a longer life span. This increased brightness offers more captivating 2D and 3D experiences with no reduction to overall lamp performance. In fact Christie’s Superior Performance Xenolite lamps are not only brighter than previous models they last 30 percent longer than comparable Xenon lamps while still offering the same extraordinary 99.999 percent in-theater uptime. “Exhibitors want to use their lamps for longer periods of time while getting outstanding performance with the lowest possible operating costs ” said Jim Dukes senior product manager for Christie’s Entertainment Solutions group. “With these new lamps Christie is offering better power and longer-lasting brightness with the cost-effectiveness that exhibitors demand as befits the leader in cinema projection.” Christie Superior Performance Xenolite lamps leverage the latest in Xenon lamp technology. The new series includes four new lamps: The CDXL-20SP (2kW) and CDXL-30SP (3kW) have an estimated average expected life of 3 500 hours and 2 000 hours and are designed for the Christie CP2220 CP2230 CP4220 and CP4230 with a maximum lumen output from 9 000 to 19 000 lumens. The CDXL-45SP (4.5kW) and CDXL-60SP (6kW) are expected to last for 1 500 hours and 1 100 hours respectively and are designed to achieve light outputs of 24 000 to 34 000 lumens. Lasting up to 30 percent longer than existing Xenon lamps the new Superior Performance Xenolite lamp series offers 99.999 percent in-theatre uptime reliability while maintaining brightness for longer periods than current lamps resulting in a lower total cost of ownership. With warranties of up to 3 200 hours exhibitors can increase their theatre’s overall profitability by postponing lamp replacements benefiting from reduced lamp costs and fewer maintenance interruptions. Christie Xenolite lamps deliver true representation of color in any cinema environment. They offer stable color temperature a wide range of power levels excellent color rendition and a long-lasting performance consistency with excellent resistance to flicker ignition difficulty and explosion. All Christie Xenolite lamps are covered under the Christie Xenolite Lamp Champion Warranty. Dolby announced the general availability of the Dolby Atmos Cinema Processor CP850 and the ability to bring Dolby 3D imaging to Sony 4K projectors. “Since it was introduced at CinemaCon 2012 we believe that Dolby Atmos has become the preferred choice for next-generation sound in the cinema with major studios directors sound teams and exhibitors around the world embracing its innovative approach to sound ” said Doug Darrow senior vice president cinema Dolby Laboratories. “In addition Dolby Digital Cinema continues to evolve as offerings like the Dolby Atmos Cinema Processor CP850 and Dolby 3D capabilities for Sony 4K projection deliver what we believe to be best-in-class solutions to help filmmakers ignite the senses of sight and sound.” Within one year of launch and just 10 months since the first Dolby Atmos release nearly 40 films around the world have been announced or released with Dolby Atmos sound. With more than 100 screens enabled and more than 20 global post-production facilities capable of Dolby Atmos mixing Dolby Atmos is becoming one of the fastest adopted multichannel formats in cinema. The new CP850 offers a complete audio solution to today’s digital cinema theatres and brings a natural realistic and immersive sound experience to audiences with Dolby Atmos. Using specific speaker location and performance attributes the CP850 renders in real time a custom mix for that room that accurately replicates the audio experience intended by the sound mixer. The CP850 also supports Dolby Atmos playback of up to 64 speaker feeds configurable between 16 analog outputs and a Dolby Atmos Connect output. The CP850 supports Dolby Surround 7.1 and 5.1 digital playback as well as common Dolby formats used with alternative content in cinemas: Dolby Digital Plus™ Dolby E and Dolby’s latest up-mixing technology. To ensure proper setup and playback each CP850 also includes the Dolby Atmos Commissioning Service. Over the past year Dolby sound engineers have worked closely with exhibitors installers studios and mixers to ensure all installations meet consistent high performance standards. The CP850 works seamlessly with the Dolby Screen Server DSS200 the Dolby Integrated Media Block/Dolby Screen Server DSS220 or with digital cinema servers from other companies in conjunction with a future software update. All major server manufacturers have been given access to Dolby’s technical specifications and a detailed reference design for integrating Dolby Atmos support into their products. The Dolby Atmos Commissioning Service is included with purchase of the CP850. The service provides a review of a cinema’s sound-system design to ensure that the speakers and amplifiers have the necessary performance and room coverage to deliver a high-quality Dolby Atmos experience. It also includes initial room equalization after the equipment is installed. The specifications for mastering a Digital Cinema Package containing a Dolby Atmos soundtrack are now available. These specifications outline how the encoded Dolby Atmos mix is stored as a data track within a Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers–packaged DCP how it is synchronized during playback and how to generate security keys (key delivery messages or KDMs) to enable playback of the content. Dolby has provided detailed specifications and a reference design to major DCP mastering and packaging vendors so they can integrate Dolby Atmos into their mastering products. The Dolby Secure Content Creator SCC2000 has been updated to support the creation of DCPs containing a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and the v4.2 software update (which adds support for Dolby Atmos) is available for existing SCC2000 customers. Several movies mixed in Dolby Atmos have already been distributed to Dolby Atmos–equipped theatres through a SMPTE DCP. With the release of the CP850 all Dolby Atmos soundtracks will be distributed through a SMPTE DCP. NEC highlighted its NC900C projector. Designed for theaters with small screens NEC’s NC900C DLP cinema projector delivers an enhanced theater experience with pristine images. With its S2K chip set from Texas Instruments the NC900C is the most compact 2K DCI-certified digital cinema projector on the market. Its small size enables it to be installed in small projection booths within the theater or transported for mobile applications. The all-in-one Integrated Media Server with 2 TB RAID5 of storage offers versatile connectivity while reducing the number of peripheral devices needed. Additionally NEC offers a standalone solution that allows for compatibility with your preferred IMS. The NC900C features precise 2K (2048 x 1080) resolution 3D capabilities and 3-chip DMD reflection method and is easy to operate with user-friendly accessibility and minimal maintenance required. DTS and Fairlight collaboratively announced the release of Fairlight's new 3DAW a 3D audio production platform with native MDA mixing and format support. The first of its kind Fairlight's 3DAW enables sound designers to truly mix object-based audio in unrestricted 3D space monitor on any configuration and output in DTS' proposed future specification – MDA. Additionally Fairlight's 3DAW will feature the ability to mix soundtracks for DTS Neo:X a channel-based audio solution designed to support up to an 11.1 speaker system. We are delighted to be working with DTS to equip our all new 3DAW production station with MDA authoring capability said Tino Fibaek CTO at Fairlight. Together we can now offer studios a highly anticipated alternative to the closed proprietary object-based audio formats being proposed to date. The new Fairlight 3DAW is available to the industry as a turnkey solution based on Fairlight's powerful Crystal Core Media processor and innovative software. It offers audio engineers with a ready-to-go creative tool to design sound in both object-based or channel 3D mixing methods. The system provides on-screen 3D panning via a plugin as well as extensive monitoring functions. 3DAW is able to generate a diverse range of mixes ranging from stereo 5.1 7.1 9.1+2 DTS Neo:X as well as an object-based mix. A separate tablet control application allows for easy previewing and demonstration of audio output to verify and display the results of the creative process. We are extremely excited to be working with Fairlight on enabling their all new 3DAW workstations with MDA format support said Fred Kitson CTO at DTS. The industry has been clamoring for an open-platform for the creation of object-based audio to end the format wars and MDA was created specifically to address this. GDC Technology was highlighting the SX-3000 Standalone Integrated Media Block with PSD-3000 Portable Storage Device. Both the SX-3000 Standalone IMB and the PSD-3000 have achieved DCI compliance. The SX-3000 IMB includes a combined SMS in a compact format which can fit inside all types of DLP Cinema projectors including S2K projectors. The DCP can be easily ingested through USB eSATA or Ethernet. With complete alternative content support offering HDMI (for 2D and 3D content) 3D-SGI ports and live streaming the SX-3000 IMB creates flexibility to display a wide variety of advertising or alternative content without using additional hardware. Inheriting the prominent features of previous generations of IMB the SX-3000 IMB features optional integrated 2D/3D decoder capability for live streaming which significantly simplifies the hardware operation and reduces investment costs. In addition to the SX-3000 IMB GDC Tech offers a highly-reliable external content storage solution in the form of its PSD-3000 Portable Storage Device that works seamlessly with the SX-3000 IMB. High speed content ingest can occur via an eSATA port thus enabling optimal performance in an adverse Ethernet environment. The PSD-3000 features 3 to 4 hot swappable data drives based on RAID 5 technology allowing it to remain operational in the event of a single drive failure. Moreover the PSD-3000 can be connected to GDC Tech’s TMS-1000 Theatre Management System (installed at over 9 000 screens worldwide) to serve as an off-line content storage back up. Eliminating the need of an external file server while offering a design that minimizes heat-induced stress on HDDs the SX-3000 IMB with PSD-3000 provides a compelling and cost effective solution for today’s digital cinema. Furthermore the SX-3000 IMB allows for instant playback from the PSD-3000 which reduces time to screening in emergency situations. More importantly multiple PSD-3000s (each unit being capable of storing 25 full feature-length movies) can be connected to a single SX-3000 IMB affording flexibility and scalability in storage at a fraction of the cost. The SX-3000 IMB also supports network-attached storage as an alternative to the PSD-3000 for network-centric setup. “GDC Tech is here to help our customers to stay ahead of the digital cinema curve ” said Dr. Chong. “We understand the importance of providing users with cost-effective and scalable storage to take advantage of programming flexibility in the digital cinema era. The combination of the SX-3000 IMB and PSD-3000 is designed to provide absolute flexibility and scalability in satisfying storage needs. We are delighted to be playing our part in re-inventing the future of digital cinema at CinemaCon 2013 and over the years to come.” Sony announced that it has shipped more than 15 000 of its 4K projections systems worldwide including more than 11 000 in the United States. Sony said it also increased 4K product shipments in the U.S. during 2012 by 20 percent to complete its eighth consecutive year of growth. The newest Sony 4K digital cinema exhibitors include: Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas (Aspen Grove Lakeline Kalamazoo Yonkers Vintage Park One Loudon New Braunfels and Richardson); Atlas Midway Cinemas; Aurora Cineplex; Bonner Mall Cinemas; Camera Cinemas; Cinema Salem; Danbarry Cinemas (Middletown and Chillicothe); Dipson West River; Eagle Theater; Entertainment Cinemas Springfield Plaza; Fox Cineplex; Hometown Cinemas; Illinois Theatre; Kenwood Mariemont and Esquire Theater; Lake Cinemas 8; Lincoln Center North; LOOK Cinemas; Moviemax; Northland Cinema 5; Plaza Theater; Redwing Cinemas 8; Ridgecrest Cinema; Sawmill Theatres; Star Cinema Grill – Arlington Heights; The Manor Theatre; Uptown Entertainment; and Vintage Cinemas. “These exhibitors are great examples of the incredible innovation driving our industry ” said Gary Johns senior vice president of Sony’s Digital Cinema Solutions group. “Many are customers who embraced our 4K technology from the very beginning and are now rolling it out to new locations. Others are newly realizing the benefits of Sony 4K. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with them and we share their commitment to offering movie-goers the best theater and entertainment experience.” “Just as we did with 4K projection Sony is leading the way in 4K content creation ” said Johns. “Movie-makers now have access to a full 4K production workflow 4K content is now more widely available and exhibitors have more 4K programming options. The ultimate in image quality which 4K represents is now a reality in the entertainment business. We’re proud to offer our customers a complete 4K solution.” Sony unveiled the company’s new content exchange platform – xMassif – an online marketplace designed to provide exhibitors with a broad view of all content available and give content owners a standardized model for reaching exhibitors. The new platform is in trial programs to gather customer feedback an approach Sony takes with all its new products and solutions. Sony was also highlighting its Entertainment Access Glasses a unique eyewear and receiver system that provides hearing impaired moviegoers with a more complete and enjoyable theater experience. Sony has shipped more than 6 000 pairs to customers including Regal Entertainment Group Carmike Cinemas Muvico Entertainment and Water Gardens. Finally Sony was showing an update of its successful and widely used Theater Management System software. The latest generation is a new version designed specifically for specialty or independent exhibitors with a low number of screens per site. TMS Lite will manage up to five projection systems and is designed to work with the new Sony SRX-R515P 4K projection system. Harkness Screens launched its brand new secure cloud-based data storage tool for maintenance reporting the Digital Screen Archiver. Available as a free app on the Apple iTunes store and via the Harkness Screens website www.harkness-screens.com the Digital Screen Archiver from Harkness Screens is a secure cloud-based data capture and reporting tool that aids projectionists managers engineers and exhibitors to maintain their digital cinema auditoria. “The Digital Screen Archiver forms the final element of what we believe to be the cinema industry’s first end-to-end solution for cinema screens ” said Richard Mitchell worldwide marketing manager (and visionary behind the tool) at Harkness Screens. “From the Digital Screen Modeller and Digital Screen Selector tools (for design and planning) through to manufactured screens the Digital Screen Checker (luminance meter) and now the Digital Screen Archiver exhibitors have a complete range of tools and products for the entire cinema screen lifecycle.” The Digital Screen Archiver allows key digital cinema data such as auditoria geometry power settings lamp life and on-screen brightness to be captured in a standardised format during maintenance visits. Extensive back-end reporting tools allow those responsible for maintaining cinema auditoria to monitor the performance of their entire screen portfolio through one source schedule planned and reactive maintenance visits and benchmark screen performance against key industry-standards. “While most NOC or remote management systems are capable of monitoring installed hardware (including projectors and lamps) and reporting on their current status they are incapable of measuring the impact of cinema equipment configurations on screen brightness levels. With the aid of a luminance meter (such as the Harkness Digital Screen Checker) the Digital Screen Archiver fills in the missing blank enabling a complete picture of current auditorium performance to be obtained ” said Mitchell. Harkness Screens also launched its brand new 3D simulation tool the Digital Screen Modeller. Available as a free app on the Apple iTunes store and via the Harkness Screens website www.harkness-screens.com the Digital Screen Modeller is a 3D simulation tool that allows architects engineers and exhibitors to visualise and optimise digital cinema scenarios in a virtual 3D environment. “The Digital Screen Modeller forms the initial element of what we believe to be the cinema industry’s first end-to-end solution for cinema screens ” said Mitchell. “From the Digital Screen Modeller and Digital Screen Selector tools (for design and planning) through to manufactured screens the Digital Screen Checker (luminance meter) and the Digital Screen Archiver exhibitors have a complete range of tools and products for the entire cinema screen lifecycle”. “For the first time key stakeholders in new construction and refurbishment projects can visualise in a 3D environment the impact of design choices above and beyond theoretical diagrams and really understand how their chosen configurations will impact on audience viewing experience ” Mitchell said The information-rich model rapidly created by the Digital Screen Modeller enables key project stakeholders to make more informed decisions about digital cinema screen projector and lamp choices before they’re even installed to ensure that these comply with industry standard brightness levels. The Digital Screen Modeller is also an ideal tool for planned or proposed retrofit and refurbishment projects to visualise the impact on brightness levels and operating costs in existing environments. The visual outcomes produced by the Digital Screen Modeller can often require further interpretation or optimization to ensure that the best configuration is achieved. To assist designers and exhibitors with specifying correct configurations a free E-consultancy functionality inside the tool enables model data to be shared with Harkness Screens for further guidance. Harman’s JBL Professional introduced the 3252N 2-way screen channel cinema loudspeaker system a cost-effective solution for movie soundtrack reproduction in small- to mid-sized auditoriums. The loudspeaker is available as a fully passive system. “The 3252N is a space-saving easy-to-install loudspeaker that delivers smooth accurate reproduction of movie soundtracks with wide dynamic range and maximum output over a wide coverage area ” said Chuck Goodsell senior manager cinema JBL Professional. “The 3252N is a great solution for cinemas and auditoriums where space and budgets may be limited but where top-quality multichannel theater sound is required.” The 3252N measures 43-1/3 inches (1100 mm) high by 25-1/5 inches (640 mm) wide by just 17-3/4 inches (450 mm) deep and its speaker cable connections are made from the side a configuration that facilitates easy placement behind a screen. The loudspeaker ships as a complete unit—no further assembly is required. The 3252N employs a 2414H-C Teonex-diaphragm high-frequency compression driver that operates into a molded Optimized Aperture Waveguide. Two 15-inch woofers with 2.5-inch aluminum ribbon wire voice coils provide powerful detailed low-frequency response. The 3252N has a high 103 dB sensitivity and can be driven to up to 124 dB maximum rated SPL. A newly designed passive crossover network provides a seamless transition between the drivers for clear articulate dialog and high-fidelity music reproduction. The speaker’s built-in protection circuit ensures that all components operate within their optimal power handling range. Harman’s JBL Professional also introduced the 4181 Cinema Subwoofer System a cost-effective movie soundtrack reproduction loudspeaker for basic cinema applications. The 4181 is a high-quality subwoofer system featuring an advanced technology 460-millimeter (18-inch) low-frequency transducer mounted in a direct radiator bass-reflex enclosure for smooth response to the lowest audible frequencies. “JBL has recognized a need for cost-effective low-frequency augmentation of digital soundtracks in motion picture theaters and for general sound reinforcement applications ” said Goodsell. “The 4181 addresses this need at a very affordable price point.” The driver unit utilizes a vented cooling loop which pumps air through the magnetic gap
and directly over and around the voice coil providing immediate heat transfer. Through the use of computer-aided magnet optimization and analysis techniques JBL engineers were able to optimize magnet weight flux density and field saturation resulting in a significant reduction in harmonic distortion. The 75-millimeter (3-inch) voice coil using dual coils in parallel and with holes in bobbin offers greater thermal stability with increased power handling. All elements of the optimized parts of the driver ensure smooth low frequency response lower power compression and enable the system to carry a 500 watts continuous pink noise rating. The enclosure is constructed of dense stock and is extensively braced on all panels. It is tuned to 30Hz with three large ports to minimize port compression and to reduce distortion due to turbulent airflow. RealD unveiled Precision White Screen technology for cinema projection combining 2D white screen performance with the ability to project polarized 3D images. Designed to deliver enhanced 2D and 3D presentations with wide viewing angles similar to white screens of equivalent gain the company says that Precision White Screen technology features edges four to five times brighter than a standard silver screen. The improved screen efficiency results in 40 percent more total light coming off the screen providing more uniform brightness than a standard silver screen. Precision White Screens also feature a smooth white surface which generates better image contrast for improved image quality in 2D and 3D. Precision White Screen technology is expected to be available exclusively RealD 3D customers Cinema Systems initially through Ballantyne Strong. Additional details on price and availability are to be announced. “Precision White Screen technology delivers high quality 2D and 3D images with better brightness uniformity for an exceptional image on screen. With up to a forty degree half gain angle optimal reflection performance can be designed for individual auditoriums depending on screen size and curvature; high gain for extra brightness or broader distribution of light for wider viewing angles ” said Joe Peixoto president worldwide cinema at RealD. ,4058
Dance Partners,2013-04-30, Mergers and informal partnerships have always been a staple of the production and post-production world as companies join forces for a variety of reasons from financial to technological. Still a remarkable number of significant business deals were announced at last month’s National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas. And as always there was an electronics store worth of new products and prototypes on display. Here are some of the highlights. Business Autodesk announced an enterprise technology agreement with Technicolor. The deal includes flexible global access to a broad range of Autodesk’s technology portfolio to help meet Technicolor’s needs as well as global priority support and consulting services. Claude Gagnon president Technicolor Creative Services said “This agreement helps Technicolor and MPC provide our customers artists and engineers the opportunity to work with their favorite tools and allow more creative freedom and control over the production cycle. Having access to combine a wide range of Autodesk products with the creative finishing technology allows us to re-think how we execute the final stages of a project keeping us on the cutting-edge of the creative services industry.” “We worked closely with Technicolor to determine the right combination of products included in the agreement to ensure they received the best of what Autodesk has to offer ” said Chris Bradshaw senior vice president Autodesk Media & Entertainment. “This is one of the very first enterprise level agreements to combine a comprehensive suite of our software with our award-winning Creative Finishing technology helping to give Technicolor the flexibility to complete projects globally with the right tool for the job.” Autodesk installed the majority of the technology earlier this year updating the existing Technicolor Digital Intermediate suite. Technicolor now has access to a wide variety of Autodesk products ranging from Autodesk Maya to the Autodesk AutoCAD family of products and Autodesk Vault products in addition to the powerful Autodesk Creative Finishing technology Autodesk Flame Premium. The wide variety of toolsets pushes the boundaries of traditional creative finishing and extends artist creative capabilities. Having access to the collection of Autodesk software helps provide the Technicolor team with a streamlined workflow which will assist in maximizing their time. Additionally Autodesk Flame Premium is available to artists or colorists in the worldwide Technicolor and Digital Production network. Global teams within its network regardless of region or location will have access to the Autodesk Flame Premium creative finishing solution. As part of the agreement with Technicolor Autodesk also updated and assisted in enhancing the existing Technicolor suite. Autodesk will continue to work with Technicolor as a part of its consulting and support agreement to help enhance the products for Technicolor’s specific project needs. Autodesk also announced a deal to work with Blackmagic Design. The two companies intend to collaborate on future integrations between Blackmagic Design technology and Autodesk technology. This collaboration will build seamless workflows for customers in the professional video television and commercial post-production industries. The ongoing work between Blackmagic Design and Autodesk will include the testing and development of integrated workflows between Autodesk technology and Blackmagic Design's PCIe and Thunderbolt based desktop video capture and playback products including the DeckLink UltraStudio and Intensity product lines. In the post world customers want the ability to mix and match the applications and hardware that work best for them. By developing tighter integration with Autodesk products and our desktop video products we are creating a compelling workflow that both Autodesk and Blackmagic Design customers will benefit from said Grant Petty CEO Blackmagic Design. Throughout the product development and pre-release trial period of Smoke 2013 Autodesk collaborated with editors to help drive Smoke product development. We are pleased to be working with Blackmagic Design to create compelling workflows for our customers said Chris Bradshaw senior vice president Autodesk Media & Entertainment. Blackmagic Design's DeckLink UltraStudio and Intensity lines include the world's highest performance capture and playback cards for Mac Windows and Linux. Including both PCIe and Thunderbolt based technology these products come in both internal and external models and are used by professionals globally in every aspect of film and video production. Blackmagic Design also announced that it is integrating the Fraunhofer IIS easyDCP software. With the DCP functions for the generation play-out and encryption of digital cinema packages post production houses can shortcut cumbersome procedures and create digital cinema packages instantly with DaVinci Resolve. Thanks to the key delivery message generator of the Fraunhofer software even sensitive data for dailies can be created and encrypted so they can be activated for specific players and for predetermined play-out periods. In addition to saving time these safety measures are of great advantage in the exchange process between production and post-production. “The integration of our easyDCP software allows DaVinci Resolve 10 to use DCPs as direct input format for post production and as alternative exchange format with highest image quality ” said Heiko Sparenberg group manager digital cinema at Fraunhofer IIS. “We are very excited to be able to offer the integration with easyDCP so DaVinci Resolve 10 customers can generate secure DCPs throughout the production and post pipeline all the way to final project delivery ” said Petty. “Because DaVinci Resolve 10 offers processing from the camera RAW file directly to the Digital Cinema Package files in the highest quality 32 bit float there is simply no better quality possible for a cinema release master.” AJA announced an OEM relationship with FilmLight throough which its KONA 3G capture and playback card will support multi-channel ingest and playout for FilmLight’s new FLIP real-time image processor. FilmLight will bundle AJA’s KONA 3G as part of FLIP which is designed to take the power of complex Baselight color correction live on set. Leveraging KONA 3G FLIP users will be able to easily preview the color grading of live raw footage with a range of HD video I/O channel combinations and can set FLIP to record or playback multiple HD-SDI streams such as 1 in and 3 out 2 in and 2 out 3 in and 1 out. FilmLight’s FLIP applies lookup tables grades and filter effects to the live output of a camera while shooting on set. Inserted directly in the single or dual-link HD-SDI feed between camera and monitor it utilizes GPU accelerated hardware Baselight grading and Truelight 3D LUT technology to apply looks to raw footage to preview how the final grade will appear in post. Features include real-time complex color correction multiple streams of HD video in and out support for CDL and ARRI Look oriented workflows and more. “FilmLight sets a high standard of excellence for our products and our customers demand the best on-set technology. AJA has paved the way with production-proven products for HD post-production and we intend to offer a future software option to support the KONA 3G’s 4K capabilities which is why we’ve selected to bundle KONA 3G with FLIP ” said Steve Chapman cofounder FilmLight. “It is important to AJA that our products support all facets of HD post-production. FLIP is advancing the ways professionals create real-time dailies and with the KONA 3G users can reap the benefits of on-set HD monitoring with ease ” said Nick Rashby president AJA Video Systems. Deluxe and Cinegy agreed to a deeper exclusive agreement that will support Deluxe MediaCloud. MediaCloud joins the ecosystem of services from Deluxe Entertainment Services Group geared to simplify the media landscape by increasing efficiency while decreasing costs. Daniella Weigner managing director of Cinegy said “Cinegy has been committed to collaborative robust scalable digital media and broadcast workflow tools for over 10 years. The strategic fit with Deluxe’s world-leading provision of services is perfect – and means that our two companies can increasingly work together to maintain a world class solution.” MediaCloud comprises three elements: Portal (an orchestration and asset management suite of broadcasting tools presented through a web browser); Playout (a software centric highly scalable resilient and feature rich playout platform); and Delivery (a suite of tools developed to reliably and securely transport premium broadcast streams across virtually any network topology). “Deluxe MediaCloud is delivering cloud-based playout and associated services now. Using Cinegy technology in conjunction with Deluxe workflow innovation the operational and business benefits of a platform-as–a-service can be realized by broadcasters and other media organizations around the world. Controlling infrastructure technology and staffing costs offers customers savings and facilitates creativity alongside faster launch times. Content owners can leverage their ownership rights for brands and events and monetize their assets more easily. Who wouldn’t want or need that?” Weigner said. Alec Stichbury chief technology officer Deluxe MediaCloud said “We’re delighted to be enhancing and extending our exclusive collaboration with Cinegy. Together we’re shaping a future for broadcasters that knows no boundaries. This collaboration also provides many benefits to our customers who are embracing the changes that MediaCloud brings.” Technology In one of the highlights of the show Blackmagic Design unveiled the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera a beautifully designed pocket sized digital cinema camera that includes powerful features such as Super 16mm sized 1080HD sensor super wide 13 stops of dynamic range built in SD card recorder for Apple ProRes lossless compressed CinemaDNG RAW capture and active Micro Four Thirds lens mount all in an attractive compact design for only $995. Since the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera was launched at NAB 2012 it has been celebrated by industry professionals for its amazing film look and accurate and cinematic color. The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera has most of the features of its bigger brother including its feature film look but has been redesigned with a dramatically smaller size that is less than an inch thick and can be held easily in your hand. This compact design allows the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera to be used in more situations where a larger camera would not be practical. It's so small that it can be used in situations in the field where a larger camera could be dangerous. The camera's film look even allows personal video to be shot with the style and creativity of a motion picture film! The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera features an industry standard Super 16 sensor size so it's perfect when using Super 16 cine lenses via MFT adapters as the shooting experience is the same as using the same lens on a Super 16 film camera. The 13 stops of dynamic range look of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera is almost identical to shooting on a professional Super 16 film camera. The Micro Four Thirds lenses offer a wide range of low cost lenses with amazing image quality and they are compatible with mount adapters such as PL mounts for large lens and professional motion picture film rigs. One of the most important features of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera is its super wide dynamic range of 13 stops allowing feature film quality images. A common mistake in the television industry is the assumption that more resolution means higher quality. Most cameras even ones with higher than HD resolution can produce images that suffer from highlight and black clipping that limits details. Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera's wide dynamic range eliminates this problem and provides film quality with dramatically more detail retained in black and whites in the image. Once the shoot is complete DaVinci Resolve Lite color correction software can be used to adjust images and take advantage of this extra range in the images. To eliminate the damage that low bit depth and high compression video storage creates the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera includes a easy to use SD card recorder that allows the full sensor dynamic range to be recorded in professional ProRes 422 (HQ) format as well as 12 bit Log RAW lossless compressed CinemaDNG format. These files can be read by high end video software as they are all open standard. In addition to the regular CinemaDNG RAW format Blackmagic Design will also be implementing a QuickTime wrapper for the open standard CinemaDNG and companion codec allowing the camera to record in a format that allows RAW editing in popular editing software. Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera has been designed as the perfect companion to editing software such as Final Cut Pro X and Avid Media Composer. Unlike other cameras which require the use of custom video file formats the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera includes absolutely no custom video file formats and every file type included is open standard. The built in large LCD display makes focus easy and allows playback of captured files. Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera includes a built in microphone as well as external jack based mic/line level balanced audio connections. When reviewing recorded clips audio can be played through the built in speaker and routed through the headphone port or micro HDMI output. The HDMI output includes all camera data such as timecode transport control shutter angle color temperature setting and ASA information overlaid in attractive anti aliased fonts. This is an extremely exciting camera and its been amazing to work on. Our original Blackmagic Cinema Camera was small but this new model is so much smaller than the original we almost cannot believe it features very similar image quality said Grant Petty CEO Blackmagic Design. We think customers are going to really enjoy this new model and use it both personally and professionally. It's going to allow shooting in situations that could never have been achieved at this quality level previously. It's also going to be the camera that thousands of new up and coming cinematographers use as their first camera for their independent films. It's going to be exciting! The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera will be available in July for $995 from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide. Canon announced the development of a 35mm cinema prime lens for large-format single-sensor cameras employing Super 35mm full-frame 35mm and APS-C size imagers. The 35mm cinema prime lens is designed to join Canon's line of 14mm 24mm 50mm 85mm and 135mm EF-mount Cinema prime lenses. The 35mm cinema lens in development will look to become the sixth in the line filling a strategic optical need between Canon's 24mm and 50mm lens offerings. As with Canon's precision-matched competitively priced CN-E prime lenses the 35mm lens under development will look to deliver 4K optical performance and inherit the professional operability of the existing CN-E prime lens line. Canon Cinema prime lenses are part of the Canon Cinema EOS System of professional digital cinematography products which also include the EOS C500 4K/2K Digital Cinema Camera EOS C300 Digital Cinema Camera EOS C100 Digital Video Camera EOS-1D C 4K DSLR Cinema Camera and four Canon Cinema zoom lenses. Canon is committed to supporting cinematic culture and the continued advancement of tools for visual storytelling at all levels said Yuichi Ishizuka executive vice president and general manager Imaging Technologies & Communications Group Canon U.S.A. During the past 18 months Canon has brought our Cinema EOS product line to market and in that time we have introduced HD 2K and 4K cameras lenses and workflow solutions as well as structured a comprehensive service and support network for professionals in the theatrical motion picture and television markets to enable customers to create and deliver exceptional imaging content and cinematic brilliance. Each current Canon Cinema lens is equipped with an 11-blade aperture diaphragm which is ideally suited to help achieve creative depth-of-field manipulation and pleasing bokeh effects. The Canon line of Cinema prime lenses is precision-matched for consistent and solid optical performance throughout the line and the inner focus mechanism helps minimize focus-induced changes in the angle of view. All feature a full-frame image circle in a lightweight compact design and they incorporate proven Canon lens elements designed to fulfill contemporary 4K production standards. All Canon Cinema primes also deliver color tone and balance that matches Canon's top-end Cinema zooms and compact Cinema zooms. Canon Cinema prime lenses deliver the operation and reliability required in professional film-style shooting environments. All Canon Cinema prime lenses are fully compatible with the Canon EOS C500 EOS C300 EOS C100 and EOS-1D C digital cinema cameras. The EF-mount design of all Canon Cinema prime lenses provides communication with these cameras for such handy features as display of the ƒ number in the electronic viewfinder recording of focus/zoom position and f number and later this year Peripheral Light Compensation. Strategically integrated motion-picture style mechanical attributes (as opposed to those for still photography lenses) are also an important design feature of Canon's series of Cinema prime lenses. These film-style characteristics include 300-degree rotation on the focus ring for precision focus control as well as large highly visible engraved focus scales for convenient operation. These markings appear on the angled surfaces on both sides of the barrel making them easy to read and to adjust the stepless focus and/or aperture settings of the lenses from behind or from either side of the camera for camera operators or focus pullers. Focus markings can be switched from standard labeling to metric and control rings are engineered to maintain the proper amount of resistance with consistent operating torque and familiar tactile feedback for satisfying manual control. All of Canon's current Cinema prime lenses also share the same uniform gear positions diameters and rotation angles as well as front-lens diameters making them compatible with a wide variety of matte boxes follow focus gear marking disks and other third-party film-industry-standard accessories. Film crews can quickly change lenses without the need for accessory gear-position adjustments or other changes to the rig setup. The versatility of image-capture options using Canon EOS digital cinema cameras can be further extended with Canon's Cinema Zoom lenses (the CN-E14.5-60mm T2.6 wide-angle and the CN-E30-300mm T2.95-3.7 telephoto) and Compact Cinema Zoom lenses (the CN-E15.5-47mm T2.8 wide-angle and CN-E30-105mm T2.8 telephoto). All four lenses are available in both EF- and PL-mount versions and the mount can be switched at a Canon service facility in the United States for added flexibility. Almost all of Canon's EF Series photographic lenses can also be used with these Cinema EOS cameras including Image Stabilized zoom tilt-shift and macro lenses. OConnor was showing support and lens accessories for Sony’s F5 and F55 4K cameras. The OConnor tools enable professional cinematographers to operate the cameras built-up in large or small lens cine set-ups. The F5 and F55 share the same camera body form factor weighing less than five pounds (2.3kg). Outfitted minimally with a simple prime lens and viewfinder the cameras will remain under 10 pounds (4.5kg) comfortably within the range of OConnor’s 1030D and 1030Ds fluid heads (maximum payloads 30 pounds and 41 pounds respectively). When camera crews take advantage of the Sony cameras’ modular designs the two heads can quickly adjust the counterbalance to account for the addition of optional viewfinders recorders and batteries with payload range to spare.
When the F5 and F55 are fully built-up with large zoom lenses and full-size cine-style accessories OConnor’s 2575D fluid head with its maximum payload of 90 pounds (40.8kg) can take over. Should the demands of the shoot require a quick stripping down of the F5 or F55 there’s no need to switch to another fluid head. The wide range of the 2575D’s counterbalance as well as pan and tilt drag will continue to provide the famous OConnor feel regardless of the payload.
For smaller 15mm LWS cine setups the path to mounting the myriad of standard accessories available in the cine industry to the F5 and F55 cameras is no further away than OConnor’s Universal Baseplate. This sturdy camera platform is engineered to allow optical axis centering of the lens to the correct rod measurement. If necessary it also has the ability to interface with standard studio bridgeplates for setups where large and weighty zoom lenses require rock solid support adapting any camera to a studio 15mm or 19mm bridge plate by changing out the rods. Dolby Laboratories and Royal Philips Electronics debuted the Dolby 3D format a new content delivery specification for Dolby 3D. The Dolby 3D format ensures that 3D content delivered to TVs Smartphones PCs and tablets enabled with Dolby 3D looks its very best and accurately reflects what the content creator originally intended. The Dolby 3D format which attaches essential playback information to content will be available through a licensing program. Leading postproduction tool provider The Foundry will be demonstrating the future integration of the Dolby 3D format into its popular Nuke and Ocula post-production products. Dolby 3D is a comprehensive suite of technologies for the creation delivery and playback of glasses-free 3D content producing auto-stereoscopic images with lifelike realism. In addition to eliminating the need for glasses Dolby 3D has no narrow “sweet spot ” so viewers can enjoy the sharpest images regardless of where they sit. Roland Vlaicu senior director broadcast imaging Dolby Laboratories said “The Foundry’s award-winning products and tools are behind the groundbreaking 3D visual effects in such films as Avatar Tron: Legacy and Hugo. By providing powerful tools to create Dolby 3D content Dolby and Philips will make it easier than ever for Hollywood to create content for glasses-free 3D TVs and other devices.” “The professionals using our post-production tools want to know that whatever they create is going to look great no matter where or how viewers choose to watch ” said Simon Robinson chief scientist and co-founder of The Foundry. “The Dolby 3D format will ensure that creative professionals’ artistic vision is recreated intact in the home.” According to Guido Voltolina manager of the joint project between Dolby and Philips the Dolby 3D format specification is a crucial milestone in clearing the hurdles to easy and customizable 3D viewing on TVs tablets Smartphones and laptops. “By demonstrating a brilliant 3D experience that doesn't require glasses using The Foundry’s award-winning content creation tools we will make it possible for 3D to finally succeed in the home ” he said. In related news Dolby Laboratories and Royal Philips Electronics in association with the Cameron/Pace Group announced that they have signed an agreement to integrate the Dolby 3D format into CPG's 3D video content production workflow and to collaborate on the use of the Dolby 3D format. All parties believe that glasses-free 3D presentation in the home can be improved by delivering premium-quality autostereoscopic 3D content using the Dolby 3D format. Led by founders James Cameron and Vince Pace CPG is advancing 3D through the development of products solutions and creative tools for use across all media channels. Supporting networks studios broadcasters filmmakers and creative teams globally the company has considerable expertise that helps content producers realize the full potential of 3D as a new immersive and powerful storytelling medium. CPG-supported films and broadcasts have won numerous Oscars and Emmys for both technical and creative achievements including three Best Cinematography Oscars in four years. James Cameron broke new ground in entertainment with his use of 3D in film but it's been a challenge to bring his vision to the home and to smartphones and tablets said Vince Pace founder and co-chairman CPG. The Dolby 3D format gives filmmakers the means to bring an artistic vision through production and distribution all the way to presentation while delivering what we believe to be the best possible 3D experience to consumers—without the need for special glasses. Roland Vlaicu senior director broadcast imaging Dolby Laboratories said James Cameron and Vince Pace's artistic and technological vision make CPG a great partner in our quest to make glasses-free 3D successful for creative professionals broadcast networks consumer electronics manufacturers and ultimately for consumers. Dolby and Philips are committed to taking the 3D experience to the next level so we are very pleased to be working with CPG to jointly promote a technology that will transform the way 3D content is consumed all over the world and to introduce a new way for the creative community to tell the story said Guido Voltolina general manager of the joint project. Dolby was also showing its highly regarded professional reference monitor the PRM-4200. AJA announced the immediate availability of its Ki Pro Quad a new solid-state portable video recorder enabling true 4K camera-to-editorial workflows. Ki Pro Quad enables a breakthrough 4K/Quad HD/2K/HD workflow with the efficiencies of Apple ProRes and the flexibility of RAW data in a compact solid state recording and playback package that easily mounts directly onto a variety of cameras supporting workflow needs today and into the future. Ki Pro Quad has many unique features that enable new ways of working for creative professionals. Ki Pro Quad is available now worldwide through AJA’s network of resellers and distributors for $3995. AJA PAKDock AJA Pak SSD media and Ki Pro Quad mounting options are now also available. AJA also announced its new Hi5-4K and ROI Mini-Converters. The Hi5-4K Mini-Converter provides a simple monitoring connection from professional 4K devices using four 3G-SDI outputs to new and upcoming consumer 4K displays equipped with 4K-capable 1.4a HDMI inputs. Compatible with HD workflows the Hi5-4K is also a flexible Mini-Converter for HD workflows requiring 3G/HD-SDI to HDMI conversion. The ROI Mini-Converter allows high quality conversion and realtime scaling of computer DVI-D and HDMI outputs to baseband video over SDI. With extensive audio functionality incredible image scaling an elegant UI as well as aspect and frame rate conversion ROI seamlessly incorporates computer signals into video production. “Hi5-4K provides a very simple solution for facilitating full 4K monitoring on-set while ROI fulfills a growing need among broadcasters and corporate video professionals to integrate high quality computer signals into their programming ” said Rashby. “AJA’s line of Mini-Converters has been extremely popular both for their cost-effectiveness and reliability and Hi5-4K and ROI each bring that same exceptional performance that professionals have come to expect from our products on or off set.” Hi5-4K will be coming soon for $595 and ROI ships today for $995. AJA Video Systems announced that their Io T-TAP and KONA family of products will support the next version of Adobe video editing software – including Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Speedgrade - for Mac and Windows customers. New device driver and application plug-in software will be available from AJA as a free download shortly after the software’s release. AJA’s new plug-ins and drivers will ensure that users of the next versions of Adobe’s professional video tools are able to maximize the performance of their I/O workflow with AJA’s powerful and flexible gear. The drivers also add AJA support for Adobe SpeedGrade color grading software. Additional new features supported by the new AJA drivers are Apple ProRes codec capture in Adobe Premiere Pro for Mac Avid DNxHD codec capture in Adobe Premiere Pro on Mac and Windows along with integrated support for Adobe’s new enhanced export to tape interface. “Adobe’s video editing tools enable our customers to create amazing high-quality productions and we’re revealing some incredible new features at NAB that will be in the next version of the products ” said Simon Williams director of strategic relations at Adobe. “AJA’s KONA Io XT T-TAP and Io Express products deliver excellent performance for our customers. Because their solutions are widely used by video and film professionals AJA’s support of Adobe Premiere Pro and SpeedGrade is extremely important to give our users the best tools for their workflows.” “The addition of integrated SpeedGrade color grading support ProRes capture for our Mac customers and DNxHD capture for Mac and Windows customers using Adobe editing tools with our KONAs Io XT T-TAP and Io Express offers up incredible workflow acceleration and flexibility in editorial and post ” said Rashby. AJA also announced support for Pro Tools HDX and Pro Tools Native platforms with the entire AJA line of KONA and Io products. AJA supports all of the Standard Definition and High Definition frame rates and resolutions that ProTools currently utilizes through the Avid Video Engine. Professional video products from AJA that support ProTools include KONA LHe+ KONA LHi KONA 3 and KONA 3G Io Express and Thunderbolt-based Io XT and T-TAP. “Avid has been tremendously successful with its Open IO initiative and AJA was one of the first supporters on board ” said Nick Rashby president AJA Video Systems. “We’re pleased that our customers can now utilize the same range of popular video I/O options from AJA supported by Media Composer via the new Avid Video Engine in Pro Tools 11 ” said Dana Ruzicka vice president of segment and product marketing Avid. Finally AJA announced that the new AJA Corvid Ultra OEM cards are supported on the Quantel Pablo Rio. This is the first time that Quantel have offered operability with any video card and AJA’s Corvid Ultra is the exclusive third-party solution delivering 4K workflows with Pablo Rio. Quantel is the latest OEM partner for AJA’s Corvid line of video I/O solutions and will offer Corvid Ultra with turnkey Pablo Rio systems. Pablo Rio is Quantel’s software-based color and interactive finishing system running on standard off-the-shelf hardware. Pablo Rio customers have the freedom to custom configure systems; Quantel also offers turnkey systems including a Corvid Ultra that are sold directly to end users. Corvid Ultra is AJA’s newest OEM solution supporting 2K and 4K Digital Intermediate (DI) workflows with high frame rate support and breakthrough scaling capabilities for all resolutions. With support for high frame rates (48p and 60p) 4K and stereoscopic workflows Corvid Ultra provides maximum performance for critical applications like the Quantel Pablo Rio. “AJA’s Corvid Ultra offers unique 4K workflow capabilities and fills the needs of Pablo Rio customers by delivering support for everything from high frame rate 4K to stereo 3D 2K and more. The Corvid Ultra delivers the high-end features and quality our customers demand and all at a great price point said Steve Owen marketing director Quantel. “Pablo Rio delivers an excellent open architecture solution for professional color grading editing and effects and we’re pleased to facilitate streamlined 4K and high frame rate workflows for Quantel customers who can now benefit from Corvid Ultra as part of their hardware configuration ” said Rashby. Quantel released V5.2 software for Enterprise sQ fast-turnaround production systems. V5.2 is all about reinforcing Enterprise sQ’s position as the system of choice for fast-turnaround production by further streamlining workflows and making editing more flexible and even faster. sQ Fileflow has a raft of new features which make it easier to configure complex workflows thanks to its Service Oriented Architecture. New features include powerful new Preset capabilities which enable users to set all the parameters in terms of file formats resolution and compression for sending media to third party playout servers and archives making it fast and easy to set up automated routines – and equally simple to dynamically reconfigure them. With audio loudness becoming mandatory for many broadcasters editors need to be able to monitor and adjust loudness easily. To give editors the flexibility they need Quantel now supports Nugen Audio’s VisLM loudness metering software in the Quantel editing and finishing workspace allowing the user to monitor audio loudness compliance simply and quickly. VisLM provides a comprehensive ITU ATSC and EBU standard compliant way to measure compare and contrast loudness during post-production. The VisLM loudness meter also offers both realtime metering and a many times faster than realtime analysis mode. Editing flexibility is also boosted with support for many new acquisition formats including Sony SStP Sony F65 and Go Pro Hero2. In V5.2 editors can now name MLTFX effects modules to help with identification when using multiple processes. V5.2 also gives users the ability to adjust audio levels simultaneously across multiple tracks or to cut and paste audio transitions between tracks or segments reducing the number of key strokes. The release also adds a range of new keyboard shortcuts: pressing keys is quicker than mousing to on-screen buttons and in news every fraction of a second counts. Quantel sales director Martin Mulligan said “Enterprise sQ offers the easiest fastest and most open workflow for fast-turnaround production. With these improvements it’s even easier to build an efficient system around Enterprise sQ that enables users to tell great stories and deliver them quickly.” Quantel also unveiled a new development that enables content created on Quantel’s Pablo Rio high-end color and finishing system to be delivered to Enterprise sQ fast-turnaround broadcast production systems using Quantel’s QTube technology. Today QTube is about far more than remote operations; QTube has grown into a technology that connects different geographies and different systems together. The development allows typical high-end content such as promos features and commercials to be created on Pablo Rio at anything up to 4K and delivered to Enterprise sQ quickly and easily. QTube eliminates the need for any intermediate storage lowering cost and simplifying management. To transfer media the Pablo Rio user simply chooses the clip and selects ‘Deliver to sQ’. The QTube Transformer handles format conversion and encoding to the appropriate server compression scheme automatically. Finally Quantel launched SynthIA its new software package that provides professional high quality S3D Interaxial adjustment in Post as part of a comprehensive range of S3D manipulation tools. SynthIA is equally at home as a standalone system or working alongside Quantel Pablo and Pablo Rio systems.
The sophisticated analysis and synthesis algorithms in SynthIA produce high quality results even with the most demanding shots. Quite simply SynthIA can be the difference between an unusable shot and a happy client!
SynthIA provides a complete suite of high quality Stereo3D manipulation tools that help users deliver compelling high quality S3D results. SynthIA tools include: Multiple display modes; Analytical tools (Luma/Chroma maps Vectorscope Disparity maps and Z-view); Color match (balances left and right eye color differences); Geofix (removes left and right eye geometry differences); Interaxial adjustment (changes the apparent camera interaxial distance after the shoot) and Z-warp (allows the disparity to be adjusted differently at different depths in the scene). “SynthIA has been in Beta-testing over recent weeks and has been immediately embraced by users ” said Owen. “They love its intuitive interface and brilliant quality results and also its ability to rescue scenes that otherwise would either have needed to be re-shot or just abandoned.” SynthIA is available now. The Foundry announced the release of the latest version of Hiero and HieroPlayer its family of shot management conform and review tools. With the newly released Hiero and HieroPlayer 1.7 users will benefit from far greater editorial control and the functionality and toolset they expect from other editors. There are also playback and performance enhancements in this version and users of the Nuke compositing software will notice a much more familiar look and feel across the Nuke Hiero and HieroPlayer applications. The update brings a range of features and innovations that open up Hiero as a viable editing system for VFX and HieroPlayer as an ideal single seat review station. Hiero 1.7 editorial advancements include Modal editing tools source/record 2-up viewer layout a new keyboard interface and in-viewer jog / shuttle controls. Additionally Hiero now has an improved playback system with audio enhancements that include stereo bounce down and latency adjustments. Performance improvements come in the form of a faster viewer render pipeline cache dumping jpeg performance tweaks and audio waveform caching for better performance. Jack Binks Hiero product manager at The Foundry said “We have packed this version with numerous advancements to the editorial and playback toolset in Hiero and HieroPlayer. The Hiero family has come a long way from its conception just over a year ago and the applications are growing to become a powerful offering for VFX editing and beyond. The Foundry and ftrack are collaborating to introduce a next generation ease-of-use workflow between ftrack and Hiero. This will allow Hiero customers to benefit from a modern asset and production management system from the outset. Hiero will continue to play well with other products on the market but will be prepackaged with ftrack integration out of the box. The initial fruits of this collaboration can also be seen with ftrackreview which will soon be available to Hiero and HieroPlayer customers. This provides shot-review functionality and lets ftrack users review shots both in the applications or in a browser. The future advanced integration between the applications will be implemented in a later release. The Foundry also launched Mari 2.0 a revolutionary version of its 3D digital paint tool that introduces a brand new artist-focused layer system. Staying true to Mari’s roots this major release is focused on enhancing the painting experience for 3D artists. The addition of the new layer system means Mari is easier to use than ever before and will be a familiar working environment for users of Adobe Photoshop and other layer based paint tools. Jack Greasley Mari product manager at The Foundry said “We have spent a long time working on the nuts and bolts of this layer system for Mari and we believe 2.0 surpasses anything else on the market today. We wanted to really push the limits and give artists a working environment that feels both familiar and revolutionary at the same time.” The streamlined Layer View in Mari 2.0 introduces powerful grouping tagging and filtering options making even highly complex stacks easy to navigate and control. Procedural Layers let artists easily create the look they want seamlessly blending procedural and painted detail with the same toolkit. The possibilities are endless. Going beyond the functionality of any existing software on the market every layer has its own Mask Group. Every mask is effectively a full layer stack in its own right allowing artists to use blending groups adjustments and procedurals in all their masks. Shared Layers mean artists can cut down on the bookkeeping that goes hand in hand with reusing layers and masks. Now they can simply share the layer within a stack and any changes they make can be automatically updated across the rest. Mari 2.0 is available immediately for download. MTI Film announced the release of a new application for its Cortex product line that allows dailies media to be streamed directly to iPad tablets. Available free from the Apple App Store MTI Film’sStreamViewer for Cortex makes the process of reviewing dailies simple convenient and faster than ever—dailies media is ready for playback as soon as it is synced and graded. MTI Film developed StreamViewer in association with Germany’s CinePostproduction developer of the Copra app. MTI Film’s Cortex::Control Dailies system is used to stream high-definition dailies over a wi-fi network to Cortex-equipped iPad devices. Users can review clips zoom in on individual shots and add annotations and comments that can be streamed back to the production team. The app is simple to set up and use and includes log-in and encryption features for security. “With iPads now a ubiquitous presence on sets we believe that Cortex users will find StreamViewer to be a great convenience and an exceptional way to view camera media ” said MTI Film vice president of product development David McClure. “It makes it easy for anyone to view dailies and to do it at a time and place of their choosing. The collaborative tools are a great boon to creative interaction and quality control.” MTI Film also announced an enhanced free starter edition of Cortex::Control Dailies its all-in-one dailies processor. “The watermarked QuickTime format allowed us to add the missing piece – transcoding ” said McClure. “Now anyone at any stage in the production process from on the set through final delivery can create files that can be played back on virtually any computer or tablet device.” The free starter edition can also be used as a training tool. “Facilities and educational institutions can train users at no cost while enjoying a true Cortex::Control Dailies experience from end to end ” said Merritt. To download the free starter edition visit www.mtifilm.com. Christie premiered its i3-chip DLP technology displaying 4K resolution at 60 Hz with the introduction of the new Christie D4K2560 and Christie D4K3560 projectors. The new 4K resolution products are the first to include the new Christie TruLife Electronics platform – a quantum leap in video-image processing and a breakthrough in high frame rate/high resolution video projection for the ultimate in hyper-realistic images. Christie booth also presented a comparison between 3 F.L. and 14 F.L. to emphazsize the benefits of higher brightness 3D. Sony was highlighting 4K technology as the best available choice for production on through display. “4K is now a reality for motion picture and episodic production and it’s the future of home TV viewing ” said Alec Shapiro president of Sony’s Professional Solutions of America group. “Customers now have more choices than ever before: more 4K cameras more workflow technologies and even more 4K viewing options.” Last year Sony added two new 4K cameras to the Cine Alta line the F55 and F5 joining the flagship F65. Since its introduction the F65 camera has been on the set of dozens of movies including: Oblivion (Universal) opening this April and After Earth (Sony Pictures/Overbrook Entertainment) opening in June. Sony has delivered more than 2 000 units worldwide.
Shooting in Tight Spaces
