The Society of Camera Operators volunteered to document the journey of the Space Shuttle Endeavour to its final home at the California Science Center as part of a project being managed by Terbine Entertainment and many other vendors and volunteers. Acclaimed cinematographer Haskell Wexler was camera operator. The footage along with footage captured of the shuttles journey through the streets of Los Angeles on October 12-13 will be incorporated into Endeavours Final Journey a documentary project spearheaded by producer David Knight to accompany the forthcoming Endeavour exhibit at the California Science Center. The shoot featured Ki Pro Mini portable digital video recorders from AJA Video Systems. With no budget and a tight timeline a tapeless workflow seemed like the best fit for this project and we knew that [the AJA Video Systems] Ki Pro Mini would give us an ideal recording setup. They're easy to deploy and use plus all of our camera assistants had good experiences working with them said Mark August second unit DP on Endeavours Final Journey. Once we took delivery of the Ki Pro Minis we were able to get them up and running straight out of the box within five minutes.
Ki Pro Minis were mounted to three Panavision Genesis Cameras using Noga Arms. Wexler served as one of the camera operators and was positioned near the flight line in preparation for the arrival of the Endeavour Shuttle riding atop a Boeing 747. Apple ProRes 422 footage of the landing was recorded to the Ki Pro Minis and sent to Deluxe who is donating their services to compile edit and archive all of the material captured for use in the documentary. August said Having a portable reliable solution like Ki Pro Mini was instrumental to completing this phase of the project. All of the footage was instantly edit-ready straight off the drives. We're looking forward to using the recorders again for the next phase of the project which will cover Endeavours complex journey through LA to its new home.
On October 12 Endeavour was removed from its hangar at LAX and onto a 79-foot transporter with 92 independently operated wheels in preparation for its final trip home. Volunteer camera operators from SOC will again employ AJA Ki Pro Minis to document the Shuttle as it hits the streets of LA and travels to its ultimate destination the CSC where it will remain permanently on exhibit.
AJA president Nick Rashby said Endeavour's final journey is one that will go down in the history books and this documentary will give generations to come an accurate account of the complexities involved in the shuttles final mission. Were thrilled to support the Society of Camera Operators and the California Science Center on such an admirable production. Its truly exciting to see our technology be a part of this historic undertaking. Pictured left to right: Leonard Walsh SOC Haskell Wexler ASC/SOC and Satya Vanii SOC Associate Member. Image courtesy of SOC. ,3603
Barco Exclusive Digital Cinema Supplier for Landmark Theatres,2012-10-13, Barco will be the exclusive supplier of digital cinema projectors for Landmark Theatres the nation's largest theater chain dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent film. Barco will convert 202 screens located in 41 sites across the United States providing complete installation maintenance and support services. Landmark’s foray into digital cinema began in 2005 when it became the first exhibitor in the U.S. to adapt 4K projection for cinema. Soon after its Magnolia Theatre in Dallas Texas achieved the distinction of becoming the first site to show a live 3D simulcast by satellite of a sporting event – a Dallas Mavericks basketball game. Now with studios imminently closing the door on film print production and enrollment in most Virtual Print Fee programs ending this year Landmark recognized the time had come to complete its digital cinema deployment. “Barco simply offers the brightest images and best performance of any digital cinema projector on the market ” said Bryan Linington vice president technology for Landmark Theatres. “The fact that we can essentially rebuild the projector in the booth is a true testament to its modularity which translates into hard dollar savings when you consider the easy upgrade to 4K as well as economical parts and outstanding service.” Landmark Theatres CEO Ted Mundorff said “Our theaters cater to an audience with highly discerning tastes and we’ve earned their loyalty by consistently putting the best images on screen – whether it’s a new theatrical release or a treasured classic.” Total cost of ownership was also a key factor in Landmark’s decision to choose Barco as its exclusive digital cinema projector supplier. “By partnering with Barco we’re confident that we can maintain our reputation for cinema excellence as we adapt their migration path to laser and high frame rates while also benefitting from a great ROI ” said Mundorff. “We are honored to build this tremendous association with Landmark Theatres for whom we have the utmost respect as a high quality exhibitor ” said Patrick Lee vice president digital for Barco North America. “We are pleased to play a small role in ensuring that independent movie houses continue to thrive and do what they do so well: offer a diverse sophisticated and unique array of cinema entertainment.” Landmark Theatres www.landmarktheatres.com ,3605
Carmike to Buy Sixteen Rave Cinemas Theatres,2012-10-13,Carmike Cinemas has signed a definitive agreement to purchase 16 entertainment complexes with an aggregate of 251 screens based in seven states and 13 individual markets from Rave Cinemas. The purchase price consists of $19 million in cash subject to customary working capital adjustments and $100.4 million of assumed lease obligations comprised of capital leases and financing obligations. Carmike Cinemas president and chief executive officer David Passman said The addition of these 16 state-of-the-art theatres and 251screens from Rave is a key opportunistic development for Carmike as we recently embarked on a corporate mission of expanding our footprint to 300 theatres and 3 000 screens through attractive acquisitions. Importantly seven of these theatres are leaders in their respective markets and another four are the number two box office generators in their region. The average age of the properties we are acquiring is only eight years so we expect limited maintenance capital expenditure requirements on the facilities over the near-term. We also look forward to enthusiastically welcoming the Rave associates at these theatres to the growing Carmike family. The 16 theatres are currently managed by Rave Cinemas under the Rave Motion Pictures brand. All 251 auditoriums have full digital projection and stadium seating. Approximately 40 percent of the screens are 3D-capable and seven theatres include IMAX large format screens. Carmike already has 14 Big D large format digital experience screens in place throughout the country. Of the 16 theatres being acquired six are located in Alabama four in Florida two in Indiana and one each in Illinois Pennsylvania Tennessee and Texas. All 251 screens are participants in the Screenvision Cinema Network. ,3607
Life of Pi in 3D Opens 50th New York Film Festival,2012-10-13, The highly anticipated world premiere in 3D of Academy Award winning director Ang Lee’s Life of Pi was projected at Alice Tully Hall opened the 50th Annual New York Film Festival. The movie was screened using Christie Solaria digital cinema projectors.
Digital Media Systems selected and installed two Christie CP4230 DLP Cinema projectors for the event. “We are pleased to be a sponsor of the New York Film Festival ” said Craig Sholder vice president entertainment solutions at Christie. “As the undisputed leader in digital cinema with the largest number of digital cinema installations worldwide Christie has earned a solid reputation as an industry innovator whose groundbreaking technology has revolutionized the digital cinema landscape. It’s our privilege to ‘play’ the premier venue at the New York Film Festival and to be in the excellent company of some of the most creative and visionary filmmakers of our time.”
Gregg Paliotta president and owner of Digital Media Systems noted that festival organizers have worked with him in the past and so placed complete trust in him to provide them with the best digital projectors available to meet their needs. Representing 20th Century Fox which is distributing the film and is also a Festival sponsor Paliotta said he selected the Christie CP4230 projectors for their exceptional performance on the large screen. The two-projector system helped deliver an unprecedented level of brightness image clarity and realism.
“They wanted the most reliable most powerful projection system in the industry to achieve the higher level of brightness required for the 3D Life of Pi ensuring the visual impact that Ang Lee sought to bring his cinematic vision to life ” he said. “There was never any doubt in my mind that Christie was the only one that could meet such a challenge in terms of image brightness while still maintaining deep color saturation and razor-sharp resolution. Christie was a huge success last year when I used them for the advance screening of Martin Scorsese’s highly acclaimed film Hugo and I was confident that Christie would again surpass all expectations this year.”
Paliotta added: “The feedback from the audience was remarkable. The picture was visually stunning. Everyone was beyond blown away by how it looked. Without a doubt it was a fantastic screening and an unforgettable evening.” ,3608
Cinedigm Acquires U.S. Rights to Come Out and Play,2012-10-13,Cinedigm has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to Come Out and Play (El Juego De Niños) Belarus-born Makinov’s English-language horror film that made its world premiere last at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival. Cinedigm's theatrical distribution will begin early next year with subsequent roll out across on-demand digital and DVD. In Come Out and Play Beth (Vinessa Shaw) and Francis (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) vacation before the birth of their child. Francis insists on venturing to a more serene locale Beth hesitantly agrees. They set out to a beautiful island but soon discover it’s mysteriously abandoned and the only people on the island are children. Beth and Francis are left to uncover the mystery of the disappeared adults and a day in paradise quickly turns into a struggle for survival. Written and directed by Makinov Come Out and Play is produced by Mexico/Los Angeles based Canana. Pablo Cruz is the producer. Cloaking his true identity Makinov wears a mask while working with his cast and crew in an effort to enforce his personal vision of a cinema that detaches itself from the ego-driven model of the director. “We'll admit that at first we didn't know what to make of Makinov ” said Vincent Scordino vice president of acquisitions theatrical for Cinedigm. “That confusion ended upon seeing this provocative film. We can’t wait to introduce it to horror audiences as well as anyone considering having children.” “Canana is very excited to be working with a company that shares similar ideas and a passion for innovation ” said Canana’s Pablo Cruz. We can't wait to see our film released in the U.S. by Cinedigm. And we know Makinov will be as happy as we are.” ,3609
Belmont Capital Signs VPF Deal with Cinedigm,2012-10-13, Cinedigm Digital Cinema has announced a long-term virtual print fee deployment agreement with Belmont Capital for the theatres operating under the name Your Neighborhood Theatres. This conversion will deploy 89 screens at 11 sites. Installation should be completed this fall using digital projector systems from NEC Display Solutions. Belmont Theatres are located in the Northeast including the States of Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire New York and Rhode Island. “We are thrilled we were able to create a custom solution for Belmont and its theatre partners ” said Gary Loffredo Cinedigm’s president of digital cinema services. “Digital cinema will allow Belmont to continue its legacy of personalized neighborhood experiences by enabling the programming of customized and tailored content for its local theatre-going audiences.” “After considering all of our options for our digital cinema deployment we are confident that in choosing Cinedigm we have made the best choice for Belmont ” said Mark Benvenuto vice president of operations Belmont Capital. “We look forward to taking full advantage of the digital cinema conversion and the many benefits it provides to our operations and our customers.” “Cinedigm and NEC Display have played important roles in the march toward digital cinema and we’re excited to see Belmont make this transition ” said Jim Reisteter general manager of digital cinema at NEC Display Solutions. “Belmont’s patrons will find their theater-going experiences that much more enjoyable and meaningful as a result of digital technology.” ,3610
Colorworks Did Color Grading 3D Finishing on Hotel Transylvania,2012-10-13,Sony Pictures Entertainment's digital intermediate facility Colorworks did the final color grading and stereoscopic 3D finishing for Sony’s Hotel Transylvania the animated comedy that was released in the U.S. last month. The project involved close collaboration between Colorworks and Sony Pictures Imageworks which created the film's spectacular animation. Image files were exchanged between the two facilities via direct fiber link. Final grading was performed by colorist John Persichetti whose previous credits include Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Persichetti worked with director Genndy Tartakovsky visual effects supervisor Daniel Kramer and stereographer Von Williams in finalizing the film's color look and stereo 3D effects. Seeing the film on a big screen in our theater certain nuances become apparent that previously were impossible to see Persichetti said. The majority of our work involved fine adjustments making a character appear lighter or darker relative to the background or adjusting the color of a face. Persichetti performed a second color pass for the stereo 3D version of the film and applied color adjustments to compensate for 3D projection systems and the 3D glasses worn by audience members. Persichetti's main role was to ensure that the film's dazzling art and unique animation style translated properly to the theatrical masters. The film has a wonderful look he said. The interiors of the castle have a lovely warm feel due to the torches that illuminate them. The exteriors are a deep rich blue and the majority are nighttime scenes...because after all they're vampires. Hotel Transylvania tells the story of Dracula's lavish five-stake resort where monsters and their families can live it up free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend Dracula has invited some of the world's most famous monsters - Frankenstein and his wife the Mummy the Invisible Man a family of werewolves and more - to celebrate his daughter Mavis' 118th birthday. For Drac catering to these infamous friends is no problem - but his world could come crashing down when a human stumbles on the hotel for the first time and befriends Mavis. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. Produced by Michelle Murdocca. Screenplay by Peter Baynham and Robert Smigel. Story by Todd Durham and Daniel Hageman & Kevin Hageman. Colorworks http://www.sonypicturesstudios.com/productionsection/colorworks/colorwor...
Society of Camera Operators Supports Shuttle Documentary
