Carmike Cinemas has announced that construction will begin shortly on a new Carmike Cinemas entertainment complex in Champaign Illinois pending local government approval. The new theatre named the Carmike 13 will be built at the same location as the Beverly 18 and feature thirteen screens with total seating for over 2 800 guests and will be highlighted by a state-of-the-art BigD auditorium Carmike's acclaimed premium theatre environment. The new facility will be equipped with auditoriums featuring stadium style seating with comfortable high back rocking luxury seats in addition to retractable armrests and convenient cup holders. The Carmike 13 will also contain large wall-to-wall screens as well as DLP Digital projection and digital sound. The new theatre will have an upscale lobby and multiple concession areas featuring Coca Cola Freestyle drink centers. One-stop ticketing and concessions stations are a unique design feature of the Carmike 13. Filmgoers can escape the elements purchase their tickets and favorite concessions and quickly move into their comfortable seats. Carmike's Beverly will remain open during development of the new entertainment complex. Carmike president and CEO David Passman says We're providing the ultimate entertainment experience that centerpieces large format digital with bigger screens bigger sound and luxurious theatre seating for cutting-edge presentation and the definitive enjoyment of our audiences. With the opening of the new location the Champaign area joins a select and growing list of communities across the nation offering Carmike theatre-goers the exciting new BigD format.” Carmike's BigD Experience is powered by a Christie Brilliant 3D flash projector which produces a light output of 30 000 lumens. Carmike Cinemas www.carmike.com ,3213
China 3D to Open Theatre in Chongqing,2012-04-09,China 3D Digital Entertainment Limited has announced the signing of a Letter of Intent with ChongQing PengRun Real Estate Development Company Limited to equip and operate a cinema complex in the prime area of Chongqing. The cinema is schedule to open before Christmas 2012. The cinema enjoys a geographic advantage as it is located at the pedestrian precinct in Chongqing city centre. It occupies an area of more than 3 200 square meters with eight theatres including advanced digital 3D screens. There are 943 seats in total; as well as customer service centre movie side product shop and movie theme book shop. The operation lease is for 20 years and the cinema will be developed in two phases. Phase One investment is estimated to exceed RMB 15 million followed by Phase Two in six months after the cinema commences operation around Christmas 2012. The management expects the cash flow generated by Phase One will sufficiently cover the investment of the second phase therefore there is no fund raising needs for further development. According to the State Administration of Radio Film and Television Chongqing's box office has been growing at a rapid rate recording total box office of RMB 429 million in 2011 a growth of 43 percent compared with 2010. Official statistics showed that Chongqing's urban resident disposable income per capita was RMB 19 100 an increase of 11.1 percent year-on-year. The Group is well positioned to capture the potential growth in consumption by participating in cinema operation. As an operator the Group will enjoy a certain share of box office receipts and the sales of movie related products food and beverage at the cinema. In March the Group announced the acquisition of permanent global distribution rights (excluding Mainland China but including Hong Kong Macau and Taiwan) of a romantic comedy with one of the most sought after casts for Chinese language movies. The movie features the leading actor and actress Kai Ko and Michelle Chen of blockbuster You Are the Apple of My Eye as well as superstar Yen Chi Tan and teenage icon Angela Baby. Set to be another box office success it is believed that the movie will benefit from the audience following created by You Are the Apple of My Eye in Asia. Commenting on the prospects of cinema operation Albert Lee executive director of China 3D Digital Entertainment Limited says Cinema operation is a low-risk business. We believe it will become one of the Group's future growth drivers. Set aside the equipment installation and renovation costs monthly operating expenses are limited. According to the industry's standard assuming a ticket price of RMB 65-70 and an average occupancy of 35 percent it only takes two and a half years for a cinema of 1 000 number of seats to break even. We are most pleased to obtain the [operating] license for a cinema in Chongqing. Our target cinema is comparable to Chongqing UME International Film City (Jiangbei) the number two box office holder in 2010 in size and in location giving us tremendous confidence in its prospects to generate satisfactory return to shareholders. China 3D Digital www.deg8078.com ,3214
New Website Gives Documentaries Wider Audience,2012-04-09,The Annenberg Space for Photography is broadening public access to the original documentary films created for the Digital Darkroom photography exhibit. The public can now go online and enjoy these films previously only seen by guests to the Photography Space which will continue to present the films in its high-definition digital gallery and 3D screening room but has also placed them on its website. The films can be viewed at www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org/video-gallery/digital-darkroom. The films include a digital feature film about the overall exhibit a 3D film about 3D photography. A 2D version of the 3D film is also available for those who don't have access to 3D glasses. Now photography enthusiasts who are not able to travel to Los Angeles can experience more of the exciting content the Annenberg Space for Photography has to offer. Digital Darkroom is a group show featuring the work of 17 artists from the United States France and the United Kingdom that explores the intersection of art and technology. The exhibit features the work of: Josef Astor Pierre Beteille Joel Grimes Ted Grudowski Claudia Kunin Chris Levine Bonny Pierce Lhotka Khuong Nguyen Mike Pucher Jean-François Rauzier Martine Roch Christopher Schneberger Brooke Shaden Stanley Smith Maggie Taylor Jerry Uelsmann and Jean-Marie Vives. Serving as curatorial advisor is Russell Brown a senior creative director at Adobe Systems Incorporated and an Emmy-award winning instructor. In addition to displaying 80 images from the artists the Annenberg Foundation also presents digital films that expand on the themes of the exhibit. The Digital Feature is a 25-minute film with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of select photographers—Beteille Grimes Lhotka Rauzier Roch Shaden Smith Taylor and Uelsmann—discussing their craft their objectives and image-making in the 21st century. The film will include comments from Brown. The 3D film was shot with Red Epic cameras and is presented in a specially created screening room inside the Photography Space. This film includes interviews with 3D experts and historians Ray Zone and David Kuntz and 3D artists Grudowski and Schneberger. It also explores how 3D artists Kunin and Pucher photograph their subjects and alter them digitally to create 3D results. Key elements of the history of stereoscopic photography are also in the film. Videos from the IRIS Nights lectures are also available online. The Photography Space offers a popular weekly lecture series where visitors can hear first-hand from photographers featured in the Digital Darkroom exhibit as well as other artists who work in digital manipulation. The IRIS Nights lecture series takes place Thursday evenings in the Photography Space and is free to the public with advance registration. Digital Darkroom runs through May 28. Annenberg Space for Photography
http://www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org ,3216
Emerging Pictures to Present Rigoletto Live April 17,2012-04-09,The censors originally denounced it for repulsive immorality and obscene triviality. But then that was Venice in 1851. Tastes and tolerance levels may have changed but the sexiness murderous conniving and dark manipulation found in the plot of Verdi's masterpiece Rigoletto hasn't. Through its Opera in Cinema series Emerging Pictures will bring the performance of David McVicar's Rigoletto to the big screen Live in HD from London's Royal Opera House on April 17th. The role of Rigoletto will be performed by Dimitri Platanias Gilda by Ekaterina Siurina and the Duke of Mantua by Vittorio Grigolo; music is performed by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House conducted by John Eliot Gardiner. The live performance will be seen simultaneously in nearly 150 of Emerging's network of 300 theaters; the others theaters in the network will show the performance captured live in the weeks following the live performance. The opera tells the story of Rigoletto a deformed and ridiculed court jester who aids and abets his master the Duke of Mantua in the seduction of young innocent women. After mocking the husbands and fathers of the Duke's victims Rigoletto finds the tables turned on him when the Duke seduces Rigoletto's own daughter Gilda. Driven mad with despair and filled with hateful vengeance Rigoletto finds the tables turned yet again and an already dark tale becomes even more tragically and murderously dark before the final curtain falls. First performed at Venice's world-renowned La Fenice opera house in 1851 Rigoletto is considered by many to be the first of the operatic masterpieces of Verdi's middle-to-late career. With its offstage rape onstage murder and general ambience of sexual licentiousness the Venetian authorities condemned the opera; it was just one of Verdi's many rows with the censors. Yet as Verdi's first through-composed piece of music-theatre it was a groundbreaking work that went on to become one of the best known of all chorus operas much loved for such tuneful numbers as La donna e mobile sung by the carefree Duke and the beautiful and virtuosic Caro nome from the innocent Gilda. Based on Victor Hugo's play Le Roi s'amuse the libretto is by Francesco Maria Piave. ,3219
FujiFilm Opens Second Lens Service Center in Brazil,2012-04-09, FujiFilm North America Corporation’s Optical Devices Division has announced the opening of a new lens service center in Barra da Tijuca Rio de Janeiro Brazil. In partnership with FujiFilm Trevisan’s Lens and Camera Service its premiere agent in Brazil opened the new service center in January.
While Trevisan’s already operates a lens service center in partnership with FujiFilm North America Corporation in Sao Paulo Brazil the decision to open the second location in Rio de Janeiro was motivated by a desire to better serve its existing customer’s growing demand for Fujinon lenses and an expanding customer base in Brazil. “Broadcasters and production companies from around the world will converge on Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian venues to provide live coverage of these prestigious international competitions ” says Toshi Tanaka division president FujiFilm North America Corporation Optical Services Division. “Since broadcast networks and truck companies strive for flawless equipment performance during World Cup and Olympic games it’s imperative that we have a local service center ready to respond to their needs. We’re extremely pleased to partner with Trevisan’s to provide local sales and service dedicated to our rapidly expanding customer base in and around Rio de Janeiro.”
For Trevisan’s this new regional service center presents a chance to expand support for its existing customer base. “We’re always looking to strengthen our interaction and availability to our clientele ” says Estefano Trevisan president Trevisan’s Lens and Camera Service. “Teaming up with a company so well known for its outstanding service and customer loyalty in a city with such a vibrant video production industry is a wonderful opportunity. We’re looking forward to extending our reach even further into the production community in Rio.” ,3221
Hollywood Center Studios Upgrades Stage 1 Adds Effects Stage,2012-04-09,Hollywood Center Studios has upgraded one of its principal stages Stage 1 through the construction of a permanent three-wall hard cove white cyc. The new cyc is one of the largest of its type in Hollywood and is ideal for complex visual effects shoots requiring large casts sets or production equipment. Hollywood Center Studios has also added a new special effects stage Stage 2a with a smaller permanent green screen cyc. The lot now has six stages with permanent cycs. “Our hard cyc stages are very popular shooting spaces due to their size configurations and quality ” says Hollywood Center Studios vice president Tim Mahoney. “They are especially popular among our commercial clients as they can accommodate car shoots and other large productions. They also include amenities such as wardrobe dressing rooms and on-site parking that productions need.” The Stage 1 cyc measures 63-feet along the back wall 38-feet and 49-feet along its two side walls and 22-feet high. The stage itself encompasses more than 6500 square feet. The new Stage 2A covers more than 3000 square feet and its two-wall green screen cyc measures 33-feet wide by 35-feet long by 19-feet high. Both cycs have seamless coves made from poured concrete. Hollywood Center Studios has also completed construction of a new dressing room complex for television productions. Hollywood Center Studios www.hollywoodcenter.com ,3222
Avengers Fans on Facebook Can Win an Early Screening for Their City,2012-04-09, Marvel Studios has announced that Marvel’s The Avengers will reward its fans on Facebook for their continued support of the film’s campaign with advance screenings in cities around the world on a first-come-first-served basis. In the U.S. fans will be able to experience the film in Imax 3D.
This unprecedented screening event will enable Facebook fans of Marvel’s The Avengers in cities that have assembled the most fans on Facebook to win the first access to screenings of the film weeks before the May 4th release in theatres. This event will kick off on April 14th at 10 a.m. PDT with the top five cities in the U.S. with the most fans on Facebook: Los Angeles New York Chicago Houston and Miami. The next five cities to garner the most Facebook Marvel’s The Avengers fans will be awarded an early screening as well – to be announced shortly on Facebook. Fans can rally for their city to be the chosen location for this special opportunity by going to https://www.facebook.com/avengers for details. International fans should visit their local Marvel’s The Avengers Facebook page for more details on how to win a screening in their city.
Participating fans are encouraged to celebrate this movie event by coming to their local screenings dressed in their finest Super Hero costumes inspired by Marvel’s The Avengers the winners of the Best Costume contest will be awarded reserved seats.
Marvel’s The Avengers—the Super Hero team up of a lifetime— is based on the Marvel comic book series The Avengers first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.
In Marvel’s The Avengers the world’s greatest Super Heroes assemble when Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) Captain America (Chris Evans) Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) Thor (Chris Hemsworth) Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) join S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to protect the world from the dangerous and powerful villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston).
An exciting event movie packed with action and spectacular special effects Marvel’s The Avengers is from Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures produced by Kevin Feige and directed by Joss Whedon from a story by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon with screenplay by Joss Whedon.
Marvel’s The Avengers will be released in the U.S. in 3D and Imax 3D on May 4. ,3224
Grateful Dead Returns to Cinemas with Never-Before-Seen 1989 Concert ,2012-04-09, This spring Grateful Dead Second Annual Meet-Up At The Movies 2012 will take audiences on a flashback trip to the summer of 1989 for a one-night in-theater concert event on April 19 at 7:00 p.m. local time. Recorded July 18 1989 at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre this never-before-seen concert is directly from the Grateful Dead vault. This iconic concert featuring Jerry Garcia Bob Weir Brent Mydland Phil Lesh Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart was recorded the night after the Dead’s legendary Downhill from Here performance in East Troy Wisconsin. Dead Heads in attendance will experience the two-and-a-half hour concert in its entirety including fan favorites as well as a rare split of Sugar Magnolia Dear Mr. Fantasy and Hey Jude Medley. Before the start of the concert movie theater audiences will also be treated to a slideshow of rare photos of the band by Jim Anderson and John Cantamessa along with a previously unreleased live track recorded in Hartford Connecticut in July of 1974. Additionally before the show time Fathom will feature a handful of the top submissions from the recent Dead Covers Project which encouraged fans to upload videos of their covers of Dead tracks to Dead.net. This is the second annual Grateful Dead fan meet-up following last year’s successful event which sold out in several locations across the U.S.
Tickets for Grateful Dead Second Annual Meet-Up At The Movies 2012 are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com.
Presented by NCM Fathom Events and Rhino Entertainment Grateful Dead Second Annual Meet-Up At The Movies 2012 will be broadcast to more than 550 select movie theaters across the country through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network. NCM Fathom Events and Rhino Entertainment also teamed up for the highly successful cinema presentation of The Grateful Dead Movie Event in April 2011.
“During this second annual Dead Head meet-up fans can re-experience this never-before-released live performance recorded at one of the band’s favorite tour stops ” says Shelly Maxwell executive vice president of NCM Fathom Events. “This unique concert event in movie theaters will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Grateful Dead fans.” ,3225
Kidtoons brings Peppa Pig to the Big Screen,2012-04-09,Peppa Pig the popular kids program currently airing in the U.S. on Nick Jr. is making it to the big screen at more than 120 movie theaters nationwide through a partnership with Kidtoons. Throughout April participating theaters will screen a compilation of Peppa Pig episodes including the iconic Muddy Puddles show for young children and their families. Perfectly suited for a child’s first movie theater experience the special screenings of Muddy Puddles and Other Stories (60 minutes) are designed to introduce young children to the magic of the big screen. Families can enjoy the adventures of Peppa a loveable exuberant little piggy who lives with her little brother George Mommy Pig and Daddy Pig. Peppa’s favorite things include playing games dressing up days out and jumping in muddy puddles. All episodes are wholesome entertainment for the entire family; Peppa’s adventures always end happily with loud snorts of laughter! “We are proud to partner with Entertainment One to bring Peppa Pig to young audiences across the country ” says Debbie Dunn account director Kidtoon Films. “The series’ core values of fun laughter family and friends are the ideal fit for any preschooler’s first cinema experience.” Beloved by families in the U.K. since its debut in 2004 Peppa Pig launched in America in 2011 on Nick Jr. and has become a favorite among preschool audiences in the U.S. The aim of the partnership between Entertainment One and Kidtoons is to provide increased U.S. awareness of Peppa Pig drive viewership for the program on Nick Jr. support the launch of the new Peppa Pig DVD and introduce audiences to the new Peppa Pig website (www.peppapig.com) and Facebook page. To generate excitement Kidtoons will conduct select giveaway programs featuring Peppa Pig products with its theatre and influential blogger network. “We are extremely excited about the big screen debut of Peppa Pig and believe that the program will help create a magical first experience at the movies for young families ” says Andrew Carley head of licensing at Entertainment One. “We are confident that Peppa’s lighthearted laugh-out-loud approach to storytelling will resonate with American audiences.” ,3226
Picture Head Installs DVS Fuze System for DCP Mastering,2012-04-09,Hollywood post house Picture Head has installed a DVS Fuze system to broaden its service portfolio to include stereoscopic work and DCI Mastering. With Fuze the editors at Picture Head have the control to perform precise quality checks at any stage of the workflow. In addition the DVS system features a flexible cinema-reel editing tool and enables scaling color space conversion and encoding into various compressed formats. Matthew Flint vice president of Picture Head says We are impressed by what Fuze can do. The DVS solution does not just integrate perfectly into our workflows; it also increases their efficiency by a considerable degree. With its versatility Fuze helps us exceed our customers' requirements. Erik Balladares general manager at DVS says “We are delighted that Picture Head has tapped into Fuze to satisfy their clients growing demands for stereoscopic digital cinema. The system both empowers the Picture Head team with complete control over their new offerings and significantly expedites their workflows.” ,3227
Pixomondo Opens in Baton Rouge Louisiana,2012-04-09,Visual effects company Pixomondo has opened its twelfth facility in Baton Rouge Louisiana. The announcement comes on the heels of the Academy Award win by Pixomondo’s visual effects supervisor Ben Grossmann and digital effects supervisor Alex Henning for their work on Hugo. “Opening an office in Baton Rouge fits perfectly with our overall company vision. Louisiana offers a very generous production tax rebate that we can pass on to our clients to bolster our project load as well as our growing teams in Los Angeles London and Germany not to mention China and Canada ” says Thilo Kuther founder Pixomondo. “Baton Rouge is a beautiful city with a wealth of resources. We’ve already connected with the Louisiana State University science department to help set up remote render farms and virtualization with our other studios.” Pixomondo plans to open a facility with between 50-70 staff servicing film television and commercial productions shooting both in Louisiana and around the world as part of the company’s worldwide network. Louisiana has been offering a generous 30-35 percent tax incentive for film and television production since 2002 and has lured many projects as a result. Several recent productions shot in the state include Battleship the Twilight series Battle LA Green Lantern and many others. The Pixomondo facility will open at Celtic Media Centre adjacent to the Raleigh Studios Louisiana outpost in May. Pixomondo http://www.pixomondo.com ,3228
Prime Focus Finishes Audio Work on Four Features,2012-04-09, Prime Focus Mumbai has recently completed the audio work on four prestigious projects: Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya Jodi Breakers and London Paris New York. Completing the audio mixing for these four movies was a challenging task as we had to finish all four films in a span of 40 – 45 days says Ajay Kumar chief sound mixing engineer at Prime Focus India. Each of these movies needed a different kind of treatment and approach which would excite the audiences and keep the excitement constant. This was possible because of Prime Focus's world-class sound facilities and an excellent team of dedicated talented sound engineers. Working on these movies was an altogether new experience as they were my first projects with these Film Directors. Understanding their brief and delivering the best in the allotted time was our main aim.
The audio industry has grown massively in the past few years. Kumar says When I started in this industry the sound format available was 35mm magnetic tapes (which can play six tracks twenty minutes of program) which then progressed to digital recorders like Akai and Hi8 tapes and then to digital workstations (Pro Tools). With the progression from 35mm mono sound track to Dolby SR Dolby Digital 5.1 6.1 and now 7.1 with digital formats and digital workstations one can see that the industry has evolved and grown to a great extent. Both London Paris New York and Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu used a location sound track and Prime Focus sound mixing engineers enhanced the sound tracks with a realistic sound treatment. Prime Focus has long experience of providing sound design and mixing services to some of the most prestigious projects such as The Dirty Picture Shor in the City Patiala House Tanu weds Manu Tees Maar Khan and many more. There used to be only 30-40 tracks to work on; today the tracks have increased 10 times says Kumar With trends changing rapidly in this field Prime Focus is all set to continue contributing world class sound mixing for feature films for many years to come. ,3229
Houston Museum of Natural Science Claims a Giant Screen 3D First,2012-04-09,Visitors to the Houston Museum of Natural Science can now enjoy stunning 3D digital imagery on the giant screen delivered from a system that is much easier to operate than the 70 mm film setup the museum used previously. The digital cinema playback system at the museum’s Wortham Giant Screen Theater features a Qube XP-I server paired with two Qube Xi 4K IMBs installed in two Barco DP4K-32B projectors. Using a single DCP the system is capable of streaming up to 1 000 Mbps of data through a dual Gigabit Ethernet interface sufficient throughput to support dual 4K projectors at up to 30 fps an industry first. “Giant screen theaters have been anticipating 4K 3D for years. We’re very pleased to have partnered with Qube to finally make it happen ” says Derek Threinen vice president business development at D3D Cinema which designed and integrated the new theater system. “The Houston Museum of Natural Science is one of the most prestigious giant screen venues in the world. To see full 4K content on the giant screen at HMNS is an important milestone for the industry.” “We decided a while back that we wanted to upgrade from 70 mm film to digital 3D ” says Charlotte Brohi vice president giant screen operations and film production at the museum. “When we saw a demonstration of the Qube technology in January we knew we had found the way to do it. We showed our first 4K 3D digital movie on February 19.” “We wanted to give our audience the image quality they were used to with 70 mm film ” says Brohi. “With the Qube Cinema 4K 3D system not only are the images picture-perfect but they’re steadier. And the artifacts we used to get from the wear and tear on film are gone. The quality exceeds that of 70 mm film.” “Our projectionists love it because it’s so much easier to operate ” Brohi says. “Our techs used to have to haul 200-lb film reels up several flights of stairs to get them to the projection room – and then they had to load them onto the platters in our tight booth! We only had enough space for three 3D films at a time. It was a logistical challenge if we wanted to bring in a new film for a special event.” With the new system the Houston Museum of Natural Science is currently showing four different digital 3D movies: Space Junk 3D Tornado Alley 3D Flying Monsters 3D and Ultimate Wave 3D. Established over a century ago the Houston Museum of Natural Science is one of the premiere institutions in the U.S. hosting over two million visitors per year. HMNS opened its movie theatre in 1989. The theater was converted to 3D in 2006 and has been one of the museum’s key attractions. The transition to 4K 3D digital technology allows the Wortham Giant Screen Theater to enhance its offerings while cutting costs and streamlining operations. “Screening movies on the giant screen has always been a good revenue generator ” Brohi says “and that will continue. But we needed to find a way to reduce our expenses while maintaining or in this case improving the quality of the experience for our audience. We estimate we will save at least $200 000 in operating costs each year with the move to digital.” HMNS is one of a very few museums which distributes and executive produces large format films in addition to screening them. According to Brohi they will soon make the move to an all-digital pipeline. “Sticking with digital prints saves money while keeping production quality really high ” she noted. “Other theaters will be looking to us as a leader using this technology. Very soon there will only be digital film in the giant screen theaters.” “3D movies allow museums to extend their visitor experience giving their audiences an immersive experience with documentaries which augment exhibitions and promote lifelong learning ” says Threinen. “Visitors love them and the simplicity and quality of the new Qube 4K 3D system makes this a win-win for the public and the exhibitor.” D3D Cinema http://www.d3dcinema.com Qube Cinema www.qubecinema.com ,3230
The Raven Shot by Danny Ruhlmann to Screen April 27,2012-04-09, Cinematographer Danny Ruhlmann’s work on thriller The Raven will screen in the United States starting April 27. The Relativity picture is directed by James McTeigue and features John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe whose fictional slayings are being copycatted by a serial killer in 19th century Baltimore. Co-starring are Alice Eve Luke Evans Brendan Coyle Brendan Gleeson and Oliver Jackson-Cohen.
During the four-week shoot Ruhlmann filmed in and around Budapest in Belgrade and Novi Sad Serbia. “It’s great being in that part of the world ” says Ruhlmann “although very cold at the time – our biggest challenge. Fortunately James and I were really well prepared. I don’t think things changed at all from our initial pre-production.
“I arrived in Hungary without any crew and worked with a great team made up mostly of locals. However one of the best decisions I made came in the form of gaffer Albrecht Silberberger from Berlin. James had worked with him before on V for Vendetta and Ninja Assassin. Albrecht brought a huge amount of his experience to the film. I was fortunate to have him there.”
Ruhlmann used the Arri ST LT and 435 cameras with Arri Master Prime lenses to shoot the film; he is very comfortable with Arri’s cameras and lenses having worked with them numerous times before. He chose Fuji 500T Eterna stocks for the same reason. “I love its richness and filmic texture ” he says. “We chose film over digital because like Poe’s work film has a timeless quality which we wanted to capture.
The lighting plan is to keep it dark but see the eyes. We always want the audience to feel there may be something lurking in the dark. To do this we kept the light off the walls lit most sets from above primarily and created fill to highlight the actors’ eyes. In regards to framing I use more negative space to increase the feeling there may be someone in the shadows.” Ruhlmann is the DP behind some of Australia’s major features of the past few years including Little Fish The Night We Called it a Day The Nugget and In a Savage Land. Little Fish earned him Australian Film Institute (AFI) and Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Best Cinematography nominations in 2005. In 1999 he received an AFI nod and won the FCCA award for In a Savage Land.
Ruhlmann is represented in the United States by DDA. ,3231
Screenvision Launches Limelight Screenfanz Mobile App Website,2012-04-09,Screenvision is reinventing its pre-movie marketing platform with the launch of The Limelight. The dramatically re-engineered in-cinema advertising pre-show – the first two-screen configuration targeted to the big screen and mobile devices – will enable advertisers to fully capitalize upon mobile interactivity and social connectivity with their ad buys coast-to-coast. The new 20-minute pre-movie content has also been re-engineered to provide a more impactful environment for the rapidly expanding universe of long-form content which helps brands deepen their narratives and relationships with consumers. The free screenfanz mobile app is now available in the iTunes store with companion website www.screenfanz.com. The app will be available for Android within a few weeks. A boon to consumers and marketers alike it provides movie-goers with comprehensive movie information the chance to check-in at theatres share their reviews via Facebook participate in trivia accrue social status and points via in-app behaviors and have a chance to win prizes including movie tickets and concession cash. The Limelight is not only breaking ground with its two-screen interactivity-centric implementation but a reinvention of the modular flow of its 20-minute big screen presentation. The new program is designed to help brands use the immersive and impactful forum of the darkened movie theater and its big screen to engage in longer-form storytelling brand messaging and narratives ones that can unfold in multiple parts and be shared via social media. Our new pre-show brings together the immersive power of advertising on the silver screen with rich mobile interactivity a marriage that will transform consumer engagement in the theater environment says Travis Reid CEO of Screenvision. The Limelight will make movie-going more fun and involving for the audience giving them a reason to arrive at the theater early and switch on their mobile devices to play trivia and share movie activity with Facebook friends earn points and prizes and much more. For advertisers it will make marketing a much more creative cost-effective and immediate impact proposition be they national regional or local brands choosing to involve consumers via mobile interactivity or long-form branded narratives. This integrated platform fuels the creation of earned media across a very socially-connected consumer group like no other. In today's fragmented short-attention-span media universe commercial friendly environments are an endangered species says Screenvision's chief revenue officer Mark Mitchell who also serves as president of The Cinema Advertising Council. At the same time brand storytelling is more essential than ever. To truly bond with consumers brands need a forum where they can deliver their message in long-form to an immersed undistracted audience. This is something that The Limelight is uniquely designed to deliver. As part of the re-engineering of the pre-movie programming Screenvision produced a pilot of the new show complete with local regional and national ads featured within the context of the new branding and consumer messaging. Screenvision partnered with several national advertisers including FedEx Nestle Purina PetCare Company Allstate among other advertisers to test several components of the new format including longer form video and customized mobile interaction. These key brands who participated in the Limelight pilot research delivered 54 percent unaided ad recall with nearly half intending to purchase these brands in the next year. Screenvision collaborated with Ipsos OTX MediaCT worldwide motion picture group on multi-phase research during the pilot to tailor and support the new mobile and long-form content centric pre-show both qualitative and quantitative. The results among a nationally representative sample of 640 movie-goers demonstrate this tech-savvy group 76.1percent of whom own a smart phone are more than ready to go mobile with it during the time before the feature presentation. More than three-quarters said they would definitely or likely arrive at the theater earlier to watch more of the pre-show entertainment and participate in trivia check into theaters write reviews play games and other behaviors to have a chance to win prizes including movie tickets and concession cash. The respondents nearly unanimously rated the Screenfanz app as more all-encompassing than current movie app offerings and 65 percent said they would tell their friends about the service. Screenvision's expansive consumer reach and new engaging format makes it an enticing partner for organizations like the Ad Council and DoSomething.org both premiering never before seen ads in cinema with Limelight. A new TV spot from the Ad Council and Dollar General Literacy Foundation's GED Achievement national public service campaign will debut in The Limelight through April 22. We are thrilled to collaborate with Screenvision on our GED campaign to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to achieve their full potential in life by obtaining their GED says Peggy Conlon president and CEO Ad Council. Partnering with Screenvision will help raise awareness of this important issue to millions of Americans by featuring our messages for the first time in cinema theaters. Through our new partnership with Screenvision the audience can learn stats about important social causes and use sms to sign up for more information and action opportunities while they're waiting for the movie to start says Naomi Hirabayashi director of marketing at DoSomething.org. Buttery popcorn plus becoming a more socially conscious citizen? Double whammy. Ipsos OTX MediaCT research conducted with Screenvision's The Limelight pilot also demonstrated that nearly nine out of 10 consumers (86.6 percent) welcome longer-form advertising in cinemas a majority driven by men ages 30 - 39 (92.6 percent). They were particularly responsive to ads that featured humor multiple parts with a cliffhanger and also event-like spots meaning ads that were made specifically for in-theater showcase ones not seen before on TV. The reinvention of Screenvision's 20-minute pre-show begins with a new logo graphics and color palette one that complements the new name The Limelight as well as the clean functional design aesthetics that are the standard for web and mobile services. In contrasting shades of cool lime green the new logo is also three-dimensional and two-part with the upper and lower portions of the Screenvision S functioning as independent visual units for animation and video in theaters on the web and mobile. CMOR the popular robot host of Screenvision's pre-show since 2010 has also received a modern makeover. He has emerged with a sleek clean airbrushed style one in line with the design of the mobile device he wields in the 20-minute pre-show to familiarize and guide consumers through the in-theatre offerings and other information. To facilitate understanding and immediate use of the many mobile-driven offerings Screenvision's design team has created over two dozen customized icons ones which consumers can use to jump to chat trivia awards the theater concession menu and much more. The strategy behind the comprehensive re-engineering of Screenvision's in-cinema pre-show and its new screenfanz app and companion website was developed by Lee Heffernan Screenvision's senior vice president marketing and Lee Hunt. Hunt is the award-winning creative services veteran responsible for the branding of many of television's most successful brands including Lifetime VH-1 TNT and E!. Heffernan and Hunt have worked together since the early '90s on numerous television brands. Their creative vision was brought to life by loyalkaspar whose recent network branding credits include AMC Current TV and Cloo. When I first joined Screenvision I saw the incredible marketing and branding opportunity to create an interactive pre-movie experience one that already had an audience of over 40 million consumers each month says Heffernan. With their combined experience in strategizing strong brand positioning with equally distinctive visual images I thought Lee and loyalkaspar were the right team to bring to life a vision and environment that could truly resonate with and more importantly entertain American movie-goers. Screenvision http://www.screenvision.com ,3232
Back to the Future Named Best Family Movie of the 80s,2012-04-09,SodaHead.com the opinion-based web community recently polled its users to find their choices for the most popular picks in family entertainment over the past three decades. The winner for Best Family Movie of the 80s was Back to the Future (14 percent) followed by the two Star Wars movies released during the decade (Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi with 13 percent) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (12 percent). Home Alone was voted best of the 90s (28 percent of the vote) followed by Toy Story (23 percent) and Jumanji (10 percent). Harry Potter took the crown for best of the 2000s (33 percent) followed by Shrek (17 percent) and Monsters Inc. (12 percent). Daniel Radcliffe won the vote for best child actor of the past three decades (29 percent) ahead of Dakota Fanning (15 percent) and Drew Barrymore (11 percent). Johnny Depp (37 percent) was named best actor to appear in family films today beating Adam Sandler (23 percent) Jim Carrey (13 percent) and Jack Black (13 percent). Full poll results are available at: http://www.sodahead.com/survey/featured/nickelodeon-nostalgia/ ,3233
Sonnet Streamlines Post Process of Oscar-Nominated Documentary,2012-04-09,Dealing with a massive amount of footage was one of the main challenges in the post-production editing process for Hell and Back Again the Academy Award nominated documentary describing the experience of a U.S. soldier wounded in Afghanistan. The feature-length film was directed by Danfung Dennis a renowned photojournalist whose still photographs have been published in Newsweek Time The New York Times The Washington Post and numerous other well-known newspapers and periodicals. With more than 100 hours of footage that had to be painstakingly edited into the final film we needed a large amount of dependable high-performance storage — and the Sonnet 8TB D400QR5 was ideal for the purpose says Dennis. As a medium-sized storage system the D400QR5 fills an important gap between consumer drives and large-scale enterprise solutions offering all of the capacity and redundancy I needed as a filmmaker. Already a winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Award for Documentary and the World Cinema Cinematography Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival Hell and Back Again reveals the devastating impact a Taliban machine-gun bullet has on the life of 25-year-old U.S. Army Sgt. Nathan Harris. The film seamlessly transitions from stunning war reportage to an intimate visceral portrait of one man's personal struggle at home in North Carolina where Harris confronts the physical and emotional difficulties of readjusting to civilian life with the love and support of his wife Ashley. For the editing task Dennis converted his raw HD camera footage to Apple ProRes 422 HQ files using the Compressor application on a 2.93-GHz MacBook Pro. The files could then be stored in the Sonnet Fusion D400QR5 unit which was configured with four 2TB drives and set at RAID 5 for an optimal combination of maximum performance and secure redundancy. When evaluating storage systems for the project Dennis chose the D400QR5 for its ability to support up to four 2TB drives as well as its flexible and fast quad interface options for connecting to the MacBook Pro which enabled him to work with files directly off the storage system using the Final Cut Pro editing application. Hell and Back Again is an important work because it reveals the true cost of war for soldiers and their families. Mr. Dennis' use of the D400QR5 demonstrates its versatility and portability of our RAID storage product says Greg LaPorte vice president of sales and marketing at Sonnet Technologies. We're honored that the D400QR5 played such an important role in securing the valuable footage of this Oscar nominated documentary through its post production. ,3234
Sony Unveils Digital Motion Picture Center,2012-04-09, Sony’s Professional Solutions of America group has unveiled its Digital Motion Picture Center on Stage 7 at Sony Pictures Studios. Officially opening May 1 the Center will offer hands-on training for directors cinematographers and other professionals in the film and television production industries on the use of Sony’s F65 CineAlta digital motion picture camera and the production workflows supporting this new state-of-the art digital acquisition system. “This will be a place for the Hollywood production community to share experiences with their peers and help make the transition from 35mm film to digital production as seamless as possible ” says Alec Shapiro PSA senior vice president. “Here on one stage filmmakers and other content creators can shoot 4K pictures process them through a 4K workflow on site at ColorWorks and view the results on a 4K projector.” Shapiro who is also assuming responsibilities as president of the Sony DPMC added that the extensive expertise of the professionals on the Sony Pictures Studios lot will be invaluable in launching this breakthrough camera with its unprecedented 8K image sensor. “Critical to our future success is listening to the industry for their ideas and input to further advance the state of the art in digital production ” he says. “This new Center will offer those capabilities on a level unmatched by any other facility in the world.” Several F65 projects are already underway across the industry. The first two movies being shot with the camera are Sony Pictures’ recently announced After Earth the latest film from the production company Overbrook Entertainment and acclaimed director M. Night Shyamalan and the Universal movie Oblivion. “We’re pleased that Sony is making this commitment to the filmmaking community and has chosen Stage 7 as its home ” says Gary Martin president production administration at Sony Pictures. “The Center offers professionals an opportunity to see this exceptional camera in action and learn the best practices for using it.” Curtis Clark chairman of the ASC Technology Committee will play a critical role in directing the educational and training activities provided by the Center. “The F65 is a sea change for our industry ” says Clark. “We can shoot with this camera as we do with film. Since cinematographers and directors have decades of experience with shooting film they know its capabilities and what they can expect from post finishing. With its 16-bit color and 4K spatial resolution the F65 expands on these capabilities. This Center will help everyone become familiar with the tremendous potential of this new system and the workflow that supports it.” In addition to the F65 the Center will offer training and education for film and television production on Sony’s range of Super 35mm digital systems including the PMW-F3 camcorder and others. To help Sony keep the DMPC relevant to the needs of the production community an industry advisory board has been selected. Members include: Ray Feeney AMPAS Chair of IIF (ACES) project; Michael Goi President American Society of Cinematographers; Tom Walsh President Art Directors Guild; Hawk Koch President Producers Guild of America; Elizabeth Daley Dean of USC School of Cinematic Arts; Steven Poster President International Cinematographers Guild; Leon Silverman President Hollywood Post Alliance; Gary Martin President Production Administration Sony Pictures; and Curtis Clark ASC. Sony also plans to make the DMPC available to local rental companies and resellers to conduct training for their respective customers as well as third party workflow partners including: Assimilate Avid Blackmagic Codex ColorFront FilmLight MTI Film and YoYotta.
Sony Pictures is currently conducting intensive F65 training workshops following in the tradition set by its popular 3D Technology Center program. These sessions focus on digital workflows DIT cart and dailies solutions. These workshops are linked to ColorWorks Sony Pictures’ digital intermediate facility where F65 camera data will be evaluated in a digital intermediate color-grading suite. ,3235
Stereobank 3D Footage Now Available for Glasses-Free Applications,2012-04-09, Stereobank has announced that its library of 3D stock footage is now available for auto-stereoscopic 3D applications glasses free. The conversion company Dimenco completed the process. According to the companies this opens a wide range of new applications for the glasses-free 3D digital signage business. The comprehensive library includes a variety of 3D footage about food sport lifestyle wildlife aerials and exotic world locations. “Watching this footage on a 3D screen without glasses was like looking at the world through a window. Stereobank's 3D footage is definitely adapted to any 3D screen technology ” says Stereobank spokesman Morgan David de Lossy.
“Our unique partnership with Stereobank makes their extensive library of 3D content available for any auto-stereoscopic display providing the market a sensible and cost-effective way to provide an immersive 3D experience without the need to wear special glasses ” says Maarten Tobias CEO of Dimenco.
,3236
Sundance to Open East Coast Theatre,2012-04-09, Rivertowns Square has announced that Robert Redford's Sundance Cinemas has signed a lease to build and operate an eight-screen cinema at the new luxury retail center to be developed on the Saw Mill River Parkway and Lawrence Street in the Village of Dobbs Ferry New York. It will be Sundance Cinemas first theatre on the East Coast.
Redford Sundance Group president says I'm so pleased that Sundance Cinemas will be building our first theatre in the Northeast in such a vibrant corridor in the State of New York. Westchester County has a long and rich tradition of supporting the arts which makes me particularly enthusiastic about our future in this terrific community. At a recent Village Board meeting Marissa Brett executive director of Economic Development for the Westchester County Association was asked to educate Village officials and residents about the lack of demand in the office market signaling the need to reposition the former Akzo Nobel site as a mixed-use development. We applaud Mayor Connett and the numerous village boards who worked together with the developer to reposition and bring new life to the defunct industrial site. Sundance Cinemas and Rivertown Square will provide needed tax ratables for the Village and create an exciting cultural destination for the people of Dobbs Ferry and the region says Brett who felt the Village's open process set a great example for others. In addition to Sundance Cinemas the proposed $150 million luxury mixed-use development will feature restaurants (some with rooftop dining) boutiques a gourmet market entertainment and have luxury residential units. Rivertowns Square will also have regional access from the Saw Mill River Parkway and will provide free customer parking. Speaking at a news conference held in Dobbs Ferry Sundance Cinemas president and CEO Paul Richardson said he is delighted with the plans for Rivertowns Square and is elated at how naturally Sundance Cinemas will fit in. We are fortunate to be a part of an exciting new center located in the heart of Westchester County. We know that locals will enjoy our 'grown-up' movie-going experience and we're delighted to be surrounded by restaurants and shops and plenty of free parking making this a true destination he said.
Martin Berger principal of Saber Real Estate Advisors and the developer of Rivertowns Square echoed Mr. Richardson's excitement: We are thrilled to be welcoming Sundance Cinemas as the entertainment anchor for our Rivertowns Square development. This celebrated cinema company will bring to Westchester and the Rivertowns communities an incomparable entertainment experience found nowhere else in the New York Metropolitan area. Today's major announcement is the first of many more to come as we finalize agreements with several outstanding retail tenants.
The Sundance Cinemas Westchester will occupy 32 500 square feet. It will feature a unique programming and movie-going experience with all-reserved stadium seating a Sundance Bar & Bistro serving delicious food and drink designed to take to your seat an art gallery featuring local artists and concessions. Sundance Cinemas Westchester is slated to open in the spring of 2014. The cinemas offer specialized film programming for discerning audiences culled from independent film festivals and the best in general release.
Based in Los Angeles Sundance Cinemas is a multiple facility and growing national theatre circuit. Sundance Cinemas brings together Robert Redford's Sundance brand a recognized name in independent film with a seasoned specialized theatre management team responsible for building and operating some of the most successful theatres in the nation. Investment funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management are financing the company. Sundance Cinemas www.sundancecinemas.com ,3237
XDC Entertainment Presents Filarmonica della Scala Live from Milan,2012-04-09,XDC Entertainment is proud to announce the distribution of four live concerts by the renowned Filarmonica della Scala orchestra from the Teatro alla Scala in Milan over the coming two months. In association with Nexo Digital XDC Entertainment will distribute in cinemas in the UK Ireland Sweden Norway Finland Denmark and Portugal. Featuring symphonies from Mozart Brahms Beethoven and Rachmaninoff over four separate events and conducted by some of the world's biggest names including Christoph Eschenbach and Fabio Luisi this promises to be the classical event of the season. On April 1 Christophe Eschenbach one of the most influential maestros on the international music scene conducts a classic programme including Mozart's Jupiter symphony and the celebrated Brahms first symphony. The next on April 21 shows off the considerable talents of classical conductor Riccardo Chailly and jazz pianist Stefano Bollani in a well-loved Gershwin program which promises to explore an extraordinary fusion of jazz and classical music Live for cinema audiences all over Europe. Continuing on May 11 23-year-old virtuoso Andrea Battistoni conducts the Filarmonica in a spectacular programme headlined by a new piece by composer Matteo Franceschini commissioned specially for the Filarmonica della Scala followed by a spellbinding series of pieces by Rachmaninoff. Finally on May 21 Met Opera conductor Fabio Luisi takes a break from his hectic schedule and conducts an exceptional and varied program including Beethoven's 4th piano concerto with young Polish prodigy Rafal Blechacz and three canzonas to mark the 400th anniversary of Giovanni Gabrieli the godfather of Baroque music. XDC Entertainment's Vice President Fabrice Testa says At XDC we pride ourselves on the acquisition of premium content for cinema audiences with a classical appreciation and our relationship with Nexo Digital means that once again we are bringing the best of LIVE classical music to cinemas in a truly original program of events with some of the biggest stars on the classical music scene. Frank Smith XDC Entertainment Sales Manager says The appetite for first class LIVE classical performances is bigger than ever and at XDC we are uniquely positioned to deliver Filarmonica della Scala to audiences using our extensive network of cinemas. Josee Dubois International Sales Director at Nexo Digital said Our association with XDC Entertainment for this series of exceptional concerts will raise the bar for Live classical events in cinemas and we are very excited about this unique once-in-a-lifetime program. Audiences are in for a treat. ,3239
Breaking Glass Acquires After the Wizard,2012-05-01,Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American home video and broadcast rights to Hugh Gross' After the Wizard a colorful continuation of Frank L. Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Shot in Kansas and five other states the film stars Jordan Van Vranken Orien Richman and Jermel Nakia. The deal was struck recently between Ronna Wallace CEO of Eastgate Pictures and Breaking Pictures CEO Rich Wolff. The film is set for a DVD release this summer. After the Wizard is a heartfelt often humorous and always entertaining story about a 12-year-old girl named Elizabeth (Jordan Van Vranken) who lives in an orphanage in Kingman Kansas. Like millions of girls her age she has read the beloved Baum novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz countless times. But unlike other girls Elizabeth believes she is Dorothy ... and maybe she is. Because Elizabeth refers to herself as Dorothy and constantly looks for Toto and a way back to Oz the headmistress at the orphanage worries Elizabeth is losing touch with reality. Meanwhile the Tin Woodman and Scarecrow embark on an incredible cross-country adventure as they leave Oz to search for Dorothy in Kansas. Traveling by hot air balloon train bus and foot the endearing duo find themselves lost in a world full of colorful strangers who are familiar with them including a group of New Jersey schoolchildren they mistake for Munchkins and a wise Southern blind man who guides them on their journey. After the Wizard enjoyed a special world premiere last year in Kingman Kansas which served as headquarters during the Kansas portion of the shoot and made its film festival debut in March at the International Family Film Festival at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. ,3248
Kleiser to Participate in Digital Cinema Workshop,2012-05-01, Randal Kleiser the director of Grease will join several award-winning directors producers and actors when they present the International Digital Cinema Workshop at California State University San Bernardino this summer. The three-week hands-on workshop scheduled for July 8-28 will feature instruction on the most advanced digital cinema technologies and best practice directing techniques based on the teaching of renowned USC School of Cinematic arts instructor Nina Foch. The late veteran actress from Hollywood's film noir era of the 1940s became a widely respected acting coach and teacher of directors.
The International Digital Cinema Workshop is divided into two concurrent tracks: the digital cinema track and the directing track. The digital cinema track addresses state-of-the-art developments in filmmaking technology including the latest in digital production cameras and 3D technology.
The directing track is based on the teachings of the late USC School of Cinematic Arts instructor Foch who taught the Advanced Seminar in Directing Actors for Film at USC and also was an instructor at the American Film Institute.
The workshop will be held on the Cal State San Bernardino campus and is presented in collaboration with the university’s College of Extended Learning and Theatre Arts department.
“We are putting together a unique program to train total filmmakers; directors who know the latest digital technology and how to get great performances ” says Kleiser.
International Digital Cinema Workshop attendees will learn from several award-winning movie directors producers and actors including Jonathan Sanger Martha Coolidge John Badham and Diane Baker. Sanger has produced films such as The Elephant Man The Producers and Vanilla Sky. Coolidge is a former president of the Directors Guild of America and has directed films including Lost in Yonkers and Valley Girl. Badham directed Saturday Night Fever Short Circuit and War Games among others. Baker has appeared in Silence of the Lambs Cable Guy and the Diary of Anne Frank. Based on their availability several other movie industry figures are slated to be a part of the workshop.
Kleiser is most famous for his first feature film Grease which remains the most successful movie musical ever made. His other notable director-producer credits include The Boy in the Plastic Bubble The Blue Lagoon Flight of the Navigator White Fang North Shore Getting It Right Lovewrecked and the 1996 AIDS drama It’s My Party. Kleiser also directed Honey I Shrunk the Audience in 70mm -D technology for the Disney parks in Anaheim Orlando Tokyo and Paris.
In addition to workshop materials and hands-on instruction from the lecturers the attendees will travel on exclusive field trips to various locations including Universal Studios’ smart stages and virtual sets USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies Digital Day at the Directors Guild of America and the Los Angeles Film School.
“I’m delighted that our campus is a partner in offering this state-of-the-art cinema program ” says Cal State San Bernardino president Albert Karnig. “The talented directors actors producers and others who are participating in providing workshops have all had many years of remarkable cinematic success and hands-on experience. We believe their instruction will help inspire future leaders in the film industry.”
International Digital Cinema Workshop www.DigitalCinema.CSUSB.edu ,3250
Carolina Cinemas Begins Conversion with Cinedigm,2012-05-01, Cinedigm Digital Cinema has announced a long-term virtual print fee deployment agreement with Carolina Cinemas. The agreement will enable the conversion of certain Carolina Cinemas theatres to digital cinema under the terms of Cinedigm’s long-term agreements with all the major studios as well as ongoing interim agreements with over a hundred independent distributors. This Cinedigm-financed conversion will deploy 26 Cinedigm-Certified screens across two sites in North Carolina: The Carolina Asheville in Asheville and the Crownpoint Stadium 12 in Charlotte. Installation is expected to be complete by Memorial Day. The theatres have chosen to utilize NEC Display digital cinema projectors and GDC servers. Carolina Cinemas is a member of the Cinema Buying Group a buying program formed by the independent theatre operators of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) to find cost-effective solutions for converting theatres from film to digital projection. Cinedigm is the digital cinema integrator partner for the CBG. “Converting to digital has been the most challenging issue the exhibition industry has faced in decades ” said Bill Banowsky owner of Carolina Cinemas. “It’s an enormously expensive undertaking to throw away perfectly good 35mm projectors and replace them with new digital projectors and servers. But that’s where we are. It’s either become digital now or be out of the cinema business in less than two years. The VPF revenue model was the important first step towards solving the problem. The second step was developing a financing program that worked for the independent exhibitor. Cinedigm NEC GDC and Strong/Ballantyne have done that. They came together and created a program for Carolina Cinemas that allowed us to convert to digital in a remarkably cost-effective way.” “We are exceedingly proud to be working with one of the leading independent exhibitors in the country ” says Gary Loffredo Cinedigm’s president of digital cinema services. ”We look forward to a long partnership with Bill and his Carolina Cinemas team both on digital cinema and exploring new and creative content programming opportunities together.” “Carolina Cinemas is taking a huge leap with its conversion to digital cinema and we’re grateful to be part of the initiative ” says Jim Reisteter general manager of digital cinema at NEC Display Solutions. “The digital conversion wouldn’t be possible without our strong partnership with Cinedigm which has borne much fruit.” ,3251
DFT Certifies Rorke Galaxy Aurora Storage ,2012-05-01,DFT Digital Film Technology has officially certified the Rorke Data Galaxy Aurora RAID and SAN storage devices for a variety of digital film and archive workflows. A single Rorke Galaxy Aurora Storage system supports three streams of 2K or one stream of 4K and connects 48TB to 8 SAN Clients without an expensive Fibre Switch. The Rorke solutions have been designed for archive & restoration DI color correction 3D RAW & 4K workflows. In addition the units provide unique storage management features including: performance tuning error tracking and bandwidth allocation. Facilities who are looking for an accelerated Dailies workflow that supports parallel processing will find an optimized solution with Flexxity Dailies software working alongside the Rorke Galaxy Aurora storage. Flexxity Dailies provides native support for DPX R3D ArriRaw QuickTime MXF and many other file formats. The software performs image and audio synchronization of dailies material timeline editing color correction image scaling and supports parallel workflows for higher throughput and efficiency. Galaxy Aurora supports Flexxity by providing a high-speed RAID or SAN solution with sustained transfer rates of up to 1200 MB/s depending on drive utilization. Parallel processing is a key component to the rich feature set this combined solution offers. All workstations in a facility connected to the SAN have access to the digital files and a variety of tasks can be performed concurrently. In addition to traditional post-production environments the technology combination of the DFT Scanity film scanner with Flexxity Archive software and Galaxy Aurora storage is certified for archive applications. Scanity handles fragile archive film gently due in part to its touch-free optical perforation detection where no mechanical pins touch the film. Scanity is a high-speed scanner; 25 fps for 2K and 15 fps for 4K so when it's coupled with the Galaxy Aurora storage solutions archive facilities are assured of a speedy and efficient data management film scanning data management and storage workflow. Stefan Kramper managing director of DFT says We partner with leading industry manufacturers like Rorke to offer our customers certified powerful and cost effective solutions instead of black boxes which don't work together. This ensures that our products perfectly integrate with our customer's production environment which ensures maximum efficiency and reliability. Bob Herzan vice president of sales at Rorke Data says The Galaxy Aurora and HyperFS combination is one of the few RAID/SAN solutions designed specifically for Rich Media applications. DFT's Scanity is a very demanding application and their support and continued commitment to Rorke Data and our storage solutions is a great tribute to Rorke and our product line. Rorke and DFT recently joined forces to supply three Aurora's (over 100TB) in a HyperFS SAN configuration to Kava (The National Archive of Finland). This high powered SAN will be used to support their 4K file based workflow. ,3254
Cinema21 to Complete Digital Conversion in June,2012-05-01,Cinema21 the largest cinema chain in Indonesia has set and achieved steep goals for itself in 2012 transitioning the majority of its theaters to full digital presentation and is projecting a 100 percent digital completion by June. Technology from Doremi is at the heart of Cinema21’s rapid success in converting 575 screens to full digital by the mid year. The majority of that transition was achieved with systems from Doremi including sixty Doremi TMS/LMS (theater management system) and Rapid2x encoder stations. Cinema21 currently operates a total of 575 screens spanning 122 locations throughout Indonesia. Cinema21 screens movies produced by local Indonesian filmmakers and internationally renowned blockbusters. Since establishing its presence in the entertainment industry in 1987 Cinema21 has set high standards for the movie-going experience in Indonesia. Cinema21 continuously strives to adapt to current technological advancements by equipping its facilities with state-of-the-art 2D and 3D capabilities. Approaching the age of 25 this year Cinema21 will soon present a revolutionary cinematic viewing experience in the form of IMAX and IMAX 3D. “As the world’s leading provider of Digital Cinema playback servers Doremi has been dedicated to extending its technology and services to theaters of diverse capacities and necessities. From mastering stations access products alternative content and 2K/4K servers and IMBs Doremi offers the most complete solutions covering all aspects of digital cinema conversion and operation ” says Michael Archer vice president of digital cinema. ,3255
How Long Does Your Film Belong To You And Yours?,2012-05-01,The European Audiovisual Observatory part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg has published a new IRIS plus report on the lifespan for copyright of audiovisual works. The report The Lifespan for Copyright of Audiovisual Works considers the question of how long films and other creative projects and at what point do they cease to belong to their creators and fall into the public domain? This latest IRIS plus report features a lead article by Christina Angelopoulos of the Amsterdam-based Institute for Information Law (IViR). Angelopoulos concentrates on European legislation which dictates the length or term of protection of cinematographic and audiovisual works. She explains that the so-called Term Directive is the European legal instrument which stipulates for how long copyright of works in Europe must last. In its simplest form this stipulates that copyright protected works in Europe fall into the public domain 70 years after the death of the author. However given that notions of ownership of audiovisual works were disparate before the Term Directive was enforced this instrument aimed at bringing about a certain harmonization in Europe by setting the term of protection of an audiovisual work at 70 years after the death of the last from among a fixed list of persons such as the director the screenplay author or the music composer for example. In some cases however several European countries such as France Spain or indeed the UK may still resort to transitional rules granting a different protection term. For example in Spain the “80 years after the death of the author” rule that predates the Term Directive still applies to works created before 1987. Moving on to film-relevant related rights the author explains that the Term Directive aims at harmonizing the rules for the term of protection of three types of rights specifically related to films: the rights of producers to the first fixation of a film the rights of performers appearing in the film and the rights of broadcasting organizations emitting signals carrying the films. Each of these rights is protected for 50 years. Angelopoulos analysis how the UK’s approach to producers rights departs from “the concept of related rights.” Angelopoulos concludes her lead article by summarizing the pitfalls to declaring an audiovisual work to be completely in the public domain. She points out that in spite of the attempts to harmonize the rules governing the term of protection through the Term Directive “exceptions to the harmonized rules as well as the sometimes innovative implementations of the European rules into national law mean that the desired harmonizing effects has not been entirely achieved.” In addition she points to the complex group of related rights linked to a film work and states that “for a single film to be accurately diagnosed as fully public domain all relevant rights must be correctly identified and their terms of protection individually determined.” The related reporting section of this new IRIS plus publication offers the Observatory’s latest short reporting on copyright legislation in Europe particularly in the context of the digital economy and the exploitation of works on line. Topics covered include the European Commission’s Proposition for a Directive on Orphan Works as well as the Public Consultation on Challenges and Opportunities for Audiovisual Media in the Online Age. The Zoom section of this new publication springs across the pond in order to look at copyright in audiovisual works under US law. Jane Ginsburg of Columbia University provides a chronological analysis of the terms of copyright for films created before 1923 during the period 1923 – 63 during the period 1964 – 77 and then post 1978. Her contribution rounds up the picture of how many steps might have to be taken to have a bullet proof date of for how long an audiovisual work is protected. For anyone getting to grips with issues of ownership of their own films…or anyone else’s… this brand new publication offers a succinct and concise overview of elements to be taken into account when determining term of protection of audiovisual works in Europe or the US. http://www.obs.coe.int ,3256
EYE Film Museum Re-Opens in Amsterdam,2012-05-01, EYE the new film museum on Amsterdam’s waterfront is the city’s museum for cinematography. The museum's internationally renowned collection of films covers the whole history of cinema ranging from the very first silent movies to the latest contemporary digital productions. Dutch films also feature in the collection.
Eye's programs include exhibitions and events examining the history of film and contemporary cinematographic developments. They screen classic and art-house movies and regularly organzse open-air films festivals theatrical family shows and retrospectives.
EYE reopened last month in a brand new building on the banks of the River IJ. This new architectural masterpiece is located across the water directly behind Central Station. It's easy to reach with the free five-minute ferry to Buiksloterweg. Thanks to its angled white aluminum façade it is plainly visible from well inside Amsterdam’s Old City. But the outside of the new EYE which cost 40 million euros to build is not its only impressive feature. On the inside it features projection equipment from Kinoton. Photo: Iwan Baan ,3258
Greentopia Film Festival Accepting Submissions,2012-05-01,The Greentopia | FILM Festival takes place September 12-14 in Rochester New York as part of Greentopia 2012 building in size and scope on last year’s inaugural event. One highlight will be the screening of Detropia winner of the Sundance Documentary Editing Award a film about the iconic arc of one of America’s great industrial cities. Detropia’s gutsy and colorful denizens struggle to make sense of and adapt to a tsunami of changes in a post industrial Motor City while building hope for a profoundly different future – a story relevant to cities like Rochester. Greentopia | FILM’s three days are packed with documentary films that inspire transform and ultimately empower the audience to create sustainable change in their lives and communities. Themes range from sustainability to thought-leadership innovation technology health food agriculture urban landscape and design – covering the full spectrum of sustainability issues. Features will be framed by Q&A’s with directors producers and expert panelists that will elevate the discussion. Screening venues both traditional and nontraditional will be available throughout Monroe County. Tickets for Greentopia | FILM will go on sale in mid-May. Nonfiction feature and shorts submissions for Greentopia | FILM are open now through July 2nd at greentopiafest.com. As an interesting twist to the localvore movement Greentopia | FILM has created a new category called CSFs or Community Supported Films. CSF’s are homegrown products: films and filmmakers with Western New York roots and which will begin to be featured in this inaugural Greentopia l FILM series. ,3259
Court Gives Tax Victory to Documentary Filmmaker,2012-05-01,In answering the question of whether documentary filmmaking can be considered a for-profit business documentary filmmakers have claimed victory against the IRS. The US tax court has ruled that Lee Storey can write off hundreds of thousands of dollars of business expenses from the production of Smile 'Til It Hurts: The Up with People Story. The IDA FIND NALIP WMM NAMAC and UFVA filed a friend of the court brief in the case. The brief noted “A judicial pronouncement that documentary filmmakers are not engaged in a profit-making activity would have a chilling effect on the documentary filmmaking industry as documentarians would no longer be able to claim deductions for their business expenses.” The brief was filed by entertainment attorney Michael C. Donaldson and Christopher L. Perez of Donaldson & Callif on a pro bono basis. Donaldson says “Even if it takes six years the making of a documentary in spite of educational and public good is also a business. The win is particularly important because the issue has rarely been addressed by a court in such a direct fashion. Perez says It's such an important decision. Yes documentary filmmakers are beneficial to society because their films educate and expose. But so many documentarians rely on their filmmaking to make a living - and they should be treated as such.
Carmike to Build New Complex in Champaign Illinois
