By Valentina I. Valentini At Variety’s First Annual Film Technology Summit held in Hollywood this month the prevailing winds were blowing toward a brighter faster and better future – just as digital has always promised. It’s not so much ‘What can we do’ anymore it’s more ‘How can we do it.’ One of the biggest changes is how the industry has become increasingly global. We no longer have to have an entire production and post-production crew centered around a sound stage – we can send data anywhere and receive it from anywhere. Technology is allowing the industry to spread out. However with that comes a decentralized feeling perhaps. “I still think the R&D part of what we do happens here in Los Angeles ” said Cliff Plumer CEO at Digital Domain Productions who sat on the panel The State of Technology in Film: From Production to Exhibition moderated David Cohen associate editor at Variety. “I think working closely with filmmakers and finding the objective of what they’re trying to create visually for a movie is still here. And once we’ve achieved that then it is about how we replicate that workflow elsewhere.” Cohen asked the panelists what they thought they might be losing and what they might be gaining in this transition to a digital workflow. Annie Kolbe senior vice president of visual effects at Warner Bros gave the VFX perspective admitting that they aren’t losing anything. In fact they’re only gaining – higher resolution and the ability to gain images faster are two huge assets for a studio VFX department. The technology committee of the ASC as panelist David Stump ASC explained has figured out the benchmark for what digital had to achieve to become widely accepted. “The expression we came up with was that it had to ‘meet or exceed the capabilities of film ’” said Stump. “In the last five years especially technology has begun to not only meet but to exceed our capabilities on film. With the Genesis the ARRI Alexa the Sony F65 we’re pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve.” Cohen aptly described Hollywood filmmaking as somewhat characteristic of a royal court where proximity to the King (the director) means prestige. He posed the idea to the panelists that because of technology these pecking orders no longer necessarily apply to how movies are made today. “The VFX supervisor is one of the first hires on the studio side ” Kolbe explained. “We’re sitting down with the director producers DP and the VFX supervisor to discuss how to achieve the look we want and how to do so cost effectively. They are absolutely a voice at that table because they are key in helping us understand what the images are that we have to achieve and then discussing them with the art director and production designer.” As a DP and a stereographer Stump insisted that learning your craft is an all day every day job. “When I’m not on a job I’m always going to camera houses manufacturers reading the technology studying the technology. If you want to be a leading image-maker you have to embrace it and educate yourself in an ongoing basis.” Ironically because of the swift digital changes occurring we’re often blinded so much by what just arrived that we begin to lose vision of what’s coming down the pipeline. Cohen turned the audience’s attention to what we should be looking out for. Stump said that we’ve asked for and received true 4K that we’ve asked for and received higher frame rates. And now people are asking for brighter screen projection especially in the realm of 3D. Plumer pointed out that the amount of data from day one of pre-visualization all the way through on-set and post-production is enormous and how we’re now starting see to large research centers and data computing that doesn’t seem to have an end. Obviously we should be on the lookout for data storing devices. On the panel “New Realities on Set: How are the Roles of the Film Crew Impacted in the Digital Age?” indeed the new roles were discussed as well as new technologies and workflows and ways to improve upon the digital advances we’ve seen in the last decade. “The reality is we are shooting ones and zeros now ” Local 600 president Steven Poster said. “We’re in a period now after a hundred years of nobody even knowing the word ‘workflow’ but said workflow being simple and transparent. Now we are dealing with inventing the wheel every time we start a new picture.” Tom Myer panelist and production designer on such biggies as Reel Steel and the upcoming James Cameron project Fantastic Voyage applauded the new changes in technology and how they have collapsed a barrier between departments and communication. “I think when we first started off in the digital realm ” he said “we’d do our data acquisition and months later we’d see what our result was. Now everything is happening real time. And by collapsing these barriers it’s also collapsing that technological language barrier between different departments.” Indeed streamlining departments and their duties has always been a part of filmmaking but more so now than ever we see the lines blurred between duties. One such instance which was discussed on the panel is the role of the Digital Imaging Technician (DIT). Director of Photography Oliver Bokelberg (Win Win The Visitor The Station Agent) talked about using DPLite on his set and the comfort in knowing there’s no surprise at the other end. “My DIT and I are coloring on the set ” he explained. “I’m lighting and simultaneously coloring. We don’t embed this information into our raw footage but we transfer that information onto a USB stick that goes to the lab and they put those numbers into the dailies. Everyone the next day sees on set exactly what I was intending. I’ve come to really like the process of being able to color on set.” Poster echoed Bokelberg’s sentiments and added that the DIT is the only qualified person on set to be calibrating the monitors – another possible issue of digital shooting. “In terms of monitoring on the set monitors are a virtual representation of what is being recorded ” explained Poster. “Understand that those monitors are one kind of color space and the DI is another kind of color space and somewhere in the middle is this virtual image that we have to call reality is imperative. You have to have a trained person that knows how to calibrate these monitors on set as you move them as the temperature changes or even the lighting around the monitor changes or else some people are going to see something different than you are.” Panelist and Director of Photography Steven Fierberg (Ten Year The Oranges Love and Other Drugs) explained how he gets around the issue of discrepancies between color spaces by testing every digital camera all the way through every step of the process from shooting to print. “The monitor only gives me an indication of what I’m going to get ” he says. Another byproduct of digital filmmaking was discussed on the panel. More and more the art of craft of cinematography and filmmaking in general is becoming a collaborative effort. No longer is it the film crew filming handing off the footage to an editor and then back to a lab to print it out. Now it’s a fully integrated effort on all parts. Visual effects artists are brought on in the first pre-visualization meetings editors and colorists are on set and studios are seeing faster releases. “I’ve seen over the last few years how the crew has come together ” said panelist Bill Bannerman co-producer and aerial unit director on the Twilight franchise. “It seems to have made them feel that they’re more integrated into the digital world. They’ve learned a lot in these last years.” Panelist Josh McLaglen executive producer and first AD (Reel Steel Avatar) added that pre-visualization can be one of the best tools ever and especially has far has tied in all departments into how they’re going to execute a particular sequence. “Instead of having a 10-year-old boy out in the rain at night who turns into a pumpkin we can get it all road mapped out and shoot it in a studio.” The filmmaker today has so many more choices than they ever had. Just the sheer diversity of technology alone is staggering never mind all the things you can do with it like create entire environments through post-production technology or change your depth of field after actually shooting. These and more topics were discussed during a panel at the first Annual Film Technology Summit’s panel ‘Understanding the New Technology Landscape – 4K 3D Higher Frame Rates and More.’ During the advent of digital cinema panelist Wendy Aylsworth senior vice president of technology at Warner Bros. Technical Operations feels it was a technically emphasized topic with the focus mainly on the engineers and the cameras. “Now ” she said “we’re getting to a point where a lot of the cinematographers directors and editors are becoming more comfortable with all these technologies so that the creatives are pushing the envelope.” Higher frame rates 4K and 3D new pre-visualization tools on-set color and virtual reality management – all of which are exciting and certainly can add to the cinematic experience. However is it possible to mix and match these technologies and simultaneously support them? You can put 4K with 3D but it’s difficult to project 3D at 4K or you add higher frame rates to that but then you’re talking about impossible amounts of data. “The job of us technologists ” said panelist Peter Lude president of the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers “is to provide those arrows that connect these different technologies. We don’t want to limit our filmmakers’ preferences but the challenge is that all of these things together could prove to be a lot of overhead in terms of data bandwidth and storage. We need to figure out how to harmonize and accommodate all the different options.” Director of Photography Roberto Schaeffer ASC offered interesting insight from the creative perspective and cautioned that all these new technological options are great but his fear is that the new options become the norm and the earlier options disappear. “3D has its place ” said Schaeffer “I’m not sure why there is this drive for extra clarity via 4K and I don’t understand why you would ever want to shoot higher frame rates for a motion picture in the theatre that’s telling a dramatic story because it seems to have the same feeling of a daytime soap opera. Higher frame rates are great for amusements parks or installations or if you want to feel the ride and the reality of it.” Pierre Ruthier vice president of 3D product strategy and business development at Technicolor reassured Schaeffer’s concerns by adding that he believes their role is to provide the technology for the directors and DPs to have the creative freedom that they seek. “I think we’re at a crossroads right now ” Routhier added. “I see two paths in the creative world: some that consider film like it has always been and some that are blending the lines between filmmaking and what I call simulation – going for ultra realism higher frame rates higher resolution 3D CG motion capture – and using this to redefine what their view of filmmaking is. ,2914
Hannover House Expands In-House Post Capabilities,2011-11-30, Hannover House the operating division of Target Development Group has made a capital commitment to expand the company's in-house post-production facilities to include full mastering capabilities to service all of the company's Video-On-Demand customers. Previously mastering of Hannover House features for VOD clients was handled by several Los Angeles-based labs generating up to six distinctive delivery formats. The move to internalize the mastering and servicing is expected to save the company over $250 000 in the next year and expand Hannover's abilities to create additional delivery materials. This is a logical and wise investment now that we've secured distribution access for all of the major V.O.D. accounts says Fred Shefte president of Hannover House and Target Development Group. Dealing with multiple third-party labs has been inefficient and costly. Creating V.O.D. masters and handling these deliveries internally will save time and money as well as provide greater security and inventory control for the masters in our growing film library. Timothy Ellis has been hired by Hannover House in the newly created position as director of technical services. Ellis is designing purchasing and supervising the assembly of the mastering equipment and post-production suite with assistance from an independent broadcast-engineering consultant. Most recently prior to joining the staff at Hannover House Ellis produced and directed the DVD bonus features that appear on the company's newly released home video Turtle: The Incredible Journey. All of the company's motion picture production equipment vehicles and facilities will be managed by Timothy Ellis operating out of the company's Springdale Arkansas location. In other news Hannover has announced that the company's voluntarily filing of reports detailing all sales income and expenses for the three months ending September 30 will be posted onto the OTC Markets website. The company reports significantly improved sales and profits for the quarter buoyed in large part to theatrical box office for Turtle: The Incredible Journey and home video revenues from the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment release of the Joel Schumacher thriller Twelve. Gross revenues for the quarter were $1 996 367 with pre-tax gross profits after general and administrative expenses of $896 656. ,2915
Harkins Selects Callahan for Digital Deployment,2011-11-30, Harkins Theatres selected digital cinema engineering services and equipment provider Callahan Digital Cinema selected by Harkins Theatres the largest privately held theatre chain in North America to provide engineering services and the installation of more than 400 digital projection systems. The 10-week deployment started in September was completed in November. Florida based CDC won the deployment contract in part based on their 1000 previous digital cinema installs. CDC founder Ray Callahan says “Deploying a large number of projectors and servers across a non-homogeneous environment requires a team of installers and engineers with exceptional knowledge and ability. I’m proud of the crew I have here at CDC. They take pride in their work and revel at the challenge. That’s how we do the job: on time the right way the Callahan Way.” ,2916
Art Directors Guild to Honor Harry Potter Team,2011-11-30, For their distinguished work on Warner Bros.’ immensely popular Harry Potter films the principal creative team of the series will collectively receive this year’s Art Directors Guild honorary Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery Award. The team to be honored includes producers David Heyman and David Barron; director David Yates; creator and author J.K. Rowling; screenwriter Steve Kloves; production designer Stuart Craig; art director Neil Lamont; and set decorator Stephenie McMillan. The announcement was made by Thomas A. Walsh ADG president and awards co-producers Tom Wilkins and Greg Grande. The award will be presented to the group as one of the highlights of ADG’s 16th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards on February 4 during a black-tie ceremony in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Lamont and Barron have worked together on six of the Potter films. Rowling Heyman Kloves Craig and McMillan began their collaboration with the very first film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) culminating with the most recent blockbuster Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011). Yates directed the final four films of the series. The Harry Potter film series is the most successful film franchise in motion picture history having accumulated box office receipts of more than $7.7 billion. To date five of the eight films have been nominated for a total of nine Academy Awards including Best Art Direction Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts American Film Institute Broadcast Film Critics International Press Academy and Art Directors Guild have also recognized the outstanding work of the creative team behind the series. “Their phenomenal success is due to a unity of vision and the masterful wizardry of the franchise’s creator producers screenwriter and art direction family ” Walsh says. “From the very beginning a unique creative partnership has guided the realization of these finely crafted gems. The result is a lasting legacy to the art of narrative storytelling for the moving image one that will stand the test of time and one that has raised the creative bar of achievement for all who love film.” The ADG’s Cinematic Imagery Award is given to those whose body of work in the film industry has richly enhanced the visual aspects of the movie-going experience. Previous recipients of this honor have been Bill Taylor Syd Dutton Warren Beatty Allen Daviau Clint Eastwood Blake Edwards Terry Gilliam Ray Harryhausen Norman Jewison John Lasseter George Lucas Frank Oz Steven Spielberg Robert S. Wise and Zhang Yimou. This is the first time that the guild has selected a motion picture series for this award. Nominations for the ADG Awards will be announced on January 4. On awards night the ADG will present winners in nine competitive categories for theatrical films television productions commercials and music videos. As previously announced production designer Tony Walton will receive the Guild’s honorary Lifetime Achievement Award and three other production designers will be inducted into the Guild’s Hall of Fame. They are Robert Boyle William Darling and Alfred Junge. Comedienne Paula Poundstone is set to host for the third consecutive year which is themed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Guild. Set and Décor Sponsor is Swarovski. Media sponsors are Hollywood Reporter and Variety. ADG Awards are open only to productions when made within the U.S. by producers signatory to the IATSE agreement. Foreign entries are acceptable without restrictions. ,2917
Immortals First Movie Mixed in Iosono 3D Audio,2011-11-30, The makers of the new movie Immortals say that it is the first motion picture to be mixed in Iosono’s 3D audio format. As objects fly overhead swords and gods race across the skies in 3D imagery the striking visuals are complemented by an amazing 3D sound experience. Creating the Iosono version was completed within five days at Wildfire Post Production Studios in Los Angeles with veteran re-recording engineers Leslie Shatz and Brian Slack. This included setup of a custom portable speaker system an Iosono Spatial Audio Workstation and some training for Leslie and the support staff at Wildfire. “Everyone at Wildfire was really excited by the sonic results and how easy mixing decisions were to make ” says Shatz. “Integration into the North Stage was fast and simple especially using the new Harrison MPC4-D console with its 32 channel buss structure.” Olaf Stepputat CEO of Iosono was present during the mixing process and says “The movie sounds incredible and we’re proud that Iosono realized the first Hollywood movie in 3D audio as the sound adds so much to the movie experience.” Using the set of five eight-track stems as the source audio with some careful editing on the stage along with a few isolated source elements provided enough separation of the audio events to create the fantastic object-based mix that will be rendered real-time by the Iosono processor installed in cinemas. Relativity Media the film's director Tarsem Singh and Harrison Consoles all supported Iosono and Wildfire in the effort. Immortals opened November 11th everywhere. Iosono www.iosono-sound.com Wildfire Post Production Studios www.wildfirepost.com ,2918
NHK and intoPix Collaborate on 4K JPEG Encoding Technology,2011-11-30, intoPix has cooperated with NHK Engineering Services in Japan in the development of a JPEG 2000 encoding technology for 4K high-resolution image acquisition. intoPix JPEG 2000 FPGA based IP-cores enable 4K image compression into a single JPEG 2000 code stream in real-time and without any tiling.
NHK Engineering Services has already developed a JPEG 2000 outdoor acquisition system for 4K high-resolution images that makes the acquisition as easy as if it was HDTV images. It has been utilized during the acquisition of high-speed running scenes (using a vehicle-mounted system) and the live broadcast of cardiac surgery. The technology developed by NHK Engineering Services in collaboration with intoPix enables a more compact and easier system for the outdoor acquisition of 4K high-resolution images. NHK Engineering Services will continue to expand the features of this technology and is planning to make full use of JPEG 2000 characteristics such as its scalability. ,2920
Kodak Film Student Contest Winners Named,2011-11-30, Four first-place winners – one from each major region of the world and one in a new 35mm category – have been announced in the annual Kodak Film School Cinematography Competition. The contest is designed to recognize the creativity and talent of student cinematographers in the collaborative process of visual storytelling. This year's winners from the regional competition are Joshua Spires from the University of Texas for the Americas region; Johannes Praus from the University of Film & Television Konrad Wolf Potsdam for the Europe-Africa-Middle East region; and Masanori Yokota from Osaka University of Arts for the Asia-Pacific region. The winner of the worldwide 35mm competition is Brendan Barnes from AFDA in South Africa. The four winners will receive a trip courtesy of Kodak to the 2012 Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in France where they will have the opportunity to screen their films in the Kodak Short Film Showcase. The filmmakers will also participate in networking sessions and other activities that are part of the festival. For the third consecutive year John Bailey ASC (The Big Miracle Ordinary People) judged the entries. We feel very fortunate to have John Bailey a world-renowned cinematographer sharing his insights experience and eye for talent with these students says Johanna Gravelle Worldwide Image Capture marketing director for Kodak's Entertainment Imaging Division. We are so encouraged by the high-quality creative filmmaking we see coming from film schools around the world. This competition is a wonderful way to recognize the talented students and it's just part of Kodak's many efforts to support the emerging filmmaking community. The winning films explored a diverse range of topics. Spires' film The Whale follows a young boy who lives in an ephemeral fantasy to try and escape the cycle of paternal abuse. Praus' Submerged deals with a clash of cultures when a daughter brings home a boyfriend from a different circle. Yokota's Bullet of Angry is the story of a grieving father who seeks revenge of his daughter's killers. Those of the Water shot by Barnes explores an ancient Xhosa belief of Abantu (The People of the Water) that come into question after a young boy washes up from the ocean. Second place winners were also named in each region and in the 35mm competition. These recipients receive a $2 000 Kodak film product grant. They are: Marcella Nunes from Universidade Estácio de Sáin Brazil for Itapoanama; Dimitar Skobelev from National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Bulgaria for The Service; and Hachul Chung from Seoul Institute of the Arts in South Korea for Knock. The runner-up in the 35mm competition is Lotta Kilian from University of Film and Television Konrad Wolf in Germany for We Die. The Kodak Film School Cinematography Competition is open to students and recent graduates in Asia Latin America Canada and the U.S. as well as Europe Africa and the Middle East. Participants compete at a national level first. Then those finalists move on to be judged for the top four spots in the competition. All entries must be produced on film by a student crew. For more information on the Kodak Film School Cinematography Competition visit www.kodak.com/go/filmschoolcompetition. ,2921
Canal+ to Broadcast 3D Documentary Maskay the Lost World Adventurers,2011-11-30, The 90-minute documentary Maskay the Lost World Adventurers will be broadcast on Canal+ in 3D on December 14. The film tells the story of the young explorer Evrard Wendenbaum when he realized his dream and joined an international team of researchers to the rocky trails of Maskay an almost unknown region southeast of Madagascar which is now threatened by unregulated deforestation. The expedition was carried out in the heart of Madagascar and in addition to the film is the subject of a book and an exhibition at the Cité of Sciences and Industry in Paris in collaboration with Naturevolution the Cité of Science and Industry. The project was supervised by Gédéon Programmes and directed by Pierre Stine. Binocle 3D developed equipment specifically for the effort and sent four stereographers on the expedition. The production last two months. The team of 80 researchers and filmmakers had to cope with close to 90 percent humidity heat spiking up to 113 degrees Fahrenheit and torrential rains to study one of the last havens of biodiversity. On December 15 the film will be available on Blu-Ray 3D and 2D DVD and the book Maskay the Discovery of the Last Eden published by Editions de La Martinière and Canal + will be available in bookstores. The crew included Stine producer Stéphane Millière for Gédéon Programmes executive producer Laurent Baujard. The film was produced by Nexus Factory Binocle 3D 3D NetCo and Naturevolution with participation by Canal +. The DVD and Blu - Ray were edited by Studiocanal. ,2922
Nutcracker & the Mouse King Moves to the Big Screen,2011-11-30, The Dutch National Ballet has chosen More2Screen to broadcast the seasonal ballet Nutcracker & the Mouse King live by satellite to cinemas worldwide on December 30. This will be the first time a Dutch National Ballet production has been transmitted live to audiences outside the Netherlands and it will give digital cinemas the opportunity to program a live matinee event suitable for the whole family between Christmas and the New Year. Choreographed by Wayne Eagling (artistic director of the English National Ballet) and Toer van Schayk Nutcracker & the Mouse King features one of the ballet world’s star couples Anna Tsygankova and Matthew Golding. These Russian/Canadian dancers have wowed audiences with their electrifying performances and they lead a truly international cast in this epic tale of the battle between the Mouse King and Nutcracker Prince. Christine Costello managing director More2Screen says “We are delighted to be working with the Dutch National Ballet to broadcast this magical Christmas production to digital cinemas across the world. Nutcracker & the Mouse King is the perfect addition to our portfolio of cultural content that we’re already distributing for companies like The Royal Opera House the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Mariinsky Theatre.” Stijn Schoonderwoerd managing director of the Dutch National Ballet says of the collaboration with More2Screen “With their experience of organising live broadcasts and global network of digital cinema partners More2Screen is an ideal partner to work with us as we move beyond our home market to showcase the virtuosity of the Dutch National Ballet to a global audience.” ,2923
Palladium 12 Celebrates Tenth Anniversary,2011-11-30, The Palladium 12 Theatre in downtown Birmingham Alabama capped off its celebration of its 10th anniversary with a Family Fun Spectacular last month. The event featured promotions games and activities for the whole family. The first 250 guests received free admission to a movie and refreshments. This was a great opportunity to thank the community for its support over the last 10 years said Barb Zanetti senior director of Uptown Entertainment which operates the Palladium 12 along with the Birmingham 8 and the RenCen 4 Theaters. Since May we have been celebrating this milestone anniversary and the response has been phenomenal. From special $10 promotions to an Oscar Memories double feature to a Senior Luncheon & Movie event customers have enthusiastically joined us in celebrating the 10th anniversary. The Palladium 12 opened 10 years ago on November 16 2001 with the premiere of the first Harry Potter film. The stunning design and architecture of the theatre coupled with premium amenities such as Sony Digital Cinema 4K technology Tempur-Pedic seating Real 3-D technology unique concessions items and on-site catering have made the Palladium 12 a sought after entertainment destination for young and old alike. We are a proud member of the downtown Birmingham business community and pleased to bring movies memories and magic to our guests said Zanetti. Birmingham has been a terrific place to do business and we are proud to be an active partner in the community. We look forward to continuing to offer the finest in high quality first-run motion picture entertainment as well as special alternative content such as simulcast concerts operas and the Uptown Film Festival. Uptown Entertainment www.UptownEntertainment.com ,2924
Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History Chooses RealD 3D,2011-11-30, RealD has been selected as the 3D projection technology provider for the Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History’s giant screen theatre. We are extremely excited to bring RealD 3D technology to our newly renovated giant screen theatre says Becky Matticks executive director of the Hastings Museum. When we decided to upgrade to state-of-the-art digital projection and 3D Strong Technical Services in conjunction with RealD offered a system no one else could match in terms of 3D quality and operational efficiency. We are thrilled to bring RealD's 3D technology to one of Nebraska's largest screens says Kevin Faul vice president of business development at RealD. RealD 3D technology delivers twice the light to the screen of other 3D providers assuring that guests will have a bright and fully immersive 3D viewing experience. RealD's technology advantage paired with the flexibility of a digital system is why many of today's giant screen theatres are converting to RealD over their legacy film systems. Premiering with National Geographic's Flying Monsters 3D and nWave Picture's African Adventure 3D the state-of-the-art renovated theater within the cultural institution features stadium seating a 70-foot wide screen and a NEC NC3240 4K digital cinema projector with RealD's XLW Cinema System. An extension of RealD's award-winning XL Cinema System the XLW is specifically designed for premium large screen venues with stadium seating. The Hastings Museum is also being equipped with RealD LIVE enabling the venue to show live 3D event broadcasts from around the world on the big screen. Under a newly designed affinity program moviegoers will have the opportunity to purchase Hastings Museum branded reusable RealD 3D glasses and receive discounted tickets each time they bring their eyewear back for future movies. The program is an initiative to keep the museum green and offer incremental value for repeat guests. Hastings Museum www.HastingsMuseum.org RealD www.reald.com ,2926
Editing Complete on Military Documentary From Philadelphia to Fallujah,2011-11-30, Sweet Prince Productions has wrapped up editing for the documentary short From Philadelphia to Fallujah a film that pays tribute to the courage honor and bravery of the graduates of the U.S. military academies at West Point and Annapolis. On December 1 2001 Creator Gil Bindelglas sat in his NYC apartment watching the Army-Navy football game. Occurring just weeks after the attacks of September 11 this storied rivalry was played with heightened national interest fueled by the knowledge that the players on the field would soon be leading the nation in the war against terrorism. It was a historic game. Ten years later this film commemorates the 2001 Army-Navy game and more specifically chronicles the journeys of three of the players from that game over the past decade - first as Cadets Midshipmen and football rivals then as officers leading the nation in war. Finally it answers the compelling question: Where are they now? Featuring the stories of JP Blecksmith Omari Thompson and Brian Stann this film recounts compelling journeys – some with tragic endings others with auspicious new beginnings – but always with incomparable nobility and honor. A portion of the proceeds from this film will be donated to the charities headed by or affiliated with these men including Hire Heroes USA and the JP Blecksmith Foundation. The trailer is available at http://www.armynavy2001.com. The film debuts online this month. ,2928
Studio Saving on Energy Costs using Thinkbox Deadline ,2011-11-30, Technical director Lukas Dubeda of duber studio in the Czech Republic says he has saved as much as sixty percent on energy costs using the Deadline Power Management system from Thinkbox Software. Being a pipeline technical director I'm obsessed with efficiency and effectiveness. With the Power Management feature in Deadline I estimate we saved at least 60 percent on power costs over the last year. Looking at the initial cost of our 10 render nodes with that savings the entire Deadline studio license cost pays for itself within a year and a half at our studio. And that's not even a value we calculated when we chose Deadline. We got it because of its ease of integration use of Python open architecture and feature set. The power savings is just a tangible benefit on top of all that. The Deadline Power Management feature enables studios to control how machines start up and shut down automatically based on sets of render farm conditions including job load idle times job queue and more. Deadline also monitors external room temperature via strategically placed sensors shutting down or starting up nodes to stay within a particular thermal envelope and alerting administrators to environmental effects. It's the first line of defense when there are power and thermal issues in a studio environment says Thinkbox founder Chris Bond. If something like an air conditioning unit failure happens Deadline can help keep you from toasting your render farm. Bond says We actually developed the Power Management feature as an internal plug-in when we were doing our own productions. As our clients needed more rendering and faster delivery we had to keep bringing more power and more air conditioning into the building - this tool was built to help us economize for our own studio. We brought it into the commercial code with Version 2.0 and have been thrilled to see how it's helping Deadline users. I feel really good about our contribution to saving energy overall. Thinkbox Software http://www.thinkboxsoftware.com ,2930
THX Announces THX cineSpace Partner Program,2011-11-30, THX has announced the THX cineSpace Partner Program a growing ecosystem of experts in the content production space with a common goal of offering products that ensure quality end-customer experiences and effective color management throughout the production chain. Representing digital intermediate grading and restoration systems used in major facilities all over the world to finish feature films television shows and commercials the new program promotes proper implementation and use of the THX cineSpace color management software. It enables partner companies to access development versions of new THX cineSpace products for alpha and beta testing and to use THX cineSpace in end-user training programs to ensure customers get the most out of the combination of THX cineSpace and their products.
The systems manufacturers participating in the THX cineSpace Partner Program are some of the world's leading firms in the business responsible for producing major feature films prime time television shows and commercials says Rick Dean senior vice president THX Ltd. With this new program THX is facilitating communication between production and post-production organizations to ensure facilities and artists are getting the best possible results onto the screen.
Partner products support THX cineSpace LUTs which enable the systems to accurately emulate virtually any display target during the creative processes of grading and restoration. Colorists and other artists use the partner systems together with THX cineSpace to complete deliverables intended for display using Rec 709 video digital cinema and any film stock.
THX cineSpace partners include Assimilate Image Systems Pandora International and Quantel. As part of its partner program THX also works closely with the International Colorist Academy a collective of freelance colorists and color scientists led by well-known colorist and trainer Kevin Shaw. THX receives input and advice on best practices and development priorities based on ICA real-world experiences working on a wide variety of material in top facilities all over the world. In addition the ICA uses THX cineSpace as the preferred color management tool for its colorist training programs which help engineers and artists implement and use THX cineSpace color management properly. ,2931
AAM Signs Rollout Deal with Germany’s CineStar,2011-12-14, Arts Alliance Media has announced a digital cinema deal with CineStar Germany’s leading exhibitor to be the chain’s exclusive digital cinema provider covering the rollout of digital cinema to participating CineStar sites operated across the country by entities associated with the Greater Union group. Greater Union is owned by Australian public company Amalgamated Holdings Limited. The deal is being financed by AHL and has built in flexibility to convert up to 450 screens over a two year period. Under AAM’s Virtual Print Fee agreements AHL will see the majority of the initial cost recouped by payments from distributors who use the digital systems. AAM will administer the VPF agreements with distributors will also provide its theatre and library management systems to participating Cinestar sites. David Seargeant chief executive officer of AHL says “Digital is so important for the future of the cinema business. After a long search for solutions for the German cinema market we believe Arts Alliance Media is best placed to assist CineStar in the conversion of selected cinema sites to full digital over the coming years.” “We are excited to be working with AAM on our conversion to digital ” says Oliver Fock of the CineStar Group. “Leveraging AAM’s deals with the Hollywood Studios we will now jointly approach local distributors in Germany to work with us in this transition.” Howard Kiedaisch chief executive officer of Arts Alliance Media says “We’re thrilled to be entering the German market with CineStar. They’re the most successful and innovative exhibitor in Germany and we look forward to a long and exciting partnership with them.” “Being selected by CineStar is another vote of confidence in our VPF model and our service capability and we’re excited to be able to offer the same to other exhibitors throughout Europe ” says Fiona Deans AAM chief operating officer. The deal with CineStar is Arts Alliance Media’s first foray into the German digital cinema market and adds to the company’s roster of leading exhibitors in multiple territories throughout Europe. ,2935
American Film Market to stay in Santa Monica through 2017,2011-12-14, The Independent Film & Television Alliance leadership has announced that the American Film Market will remain in Santa Monica through 2017 New agreements will keep the AFM at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel its home since 1991 with additional exhibition space continuing at JW Marriott’s Le Merigot Beach Hotel and with conferences continuing at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows.
IFTA chairman Paul Hertzberg says “We tirelessly explored every option to ensure the AFM would have the best long-term home. We look forward to many more successful Markets with the beach as our backdrop.”
IFTA president-CEO Jean Prewitt says “Our stated goal from the start of this process has been to provide the best environment resources and value for the world’s buyers and sellers and after long and careful deliberations we believe remaining in Santa Monica will achieve all of those goals.”
“In Santa Monica the AFM will soon have access to a new 12-screen multiplex a 2 000-plus seat world class venue for red-carpet premieres more hotel rooms light rail transportation to Los Angeles and Hollywood and even a spectacular new park across from the Loews.” IFTA EVP and AFM managing director Jonathan Wolf says. “We are thrilled that everyone in the city came together to make this happen.”
Over the next few years Santa Monica will be transformed by a variety of public improvements and development projects that will significantly enhance the American Film Market including:
AMC Entertainment is developing a new Santa Monica cinema complex with 12 screens including an IMAX theater. It is anticipated to open in late 2014 or early 2015.
The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium will be rehabilitated and expanded providing AFM with an ideal venue for red-carpet premieres. Expected to be completed in late 2014 the renovated auditorium will include a removable seating system that can accommodate more than 2 000 or create an open space for large events.
At least 700 hotel rooms will be added to the downtown area including mid-priced hotels from Marriott and Hampton Inn.
A light Metro Rail terminal at Fourth Street and Colorado Avenue a five-minute walk from the Loews will connect Santa Monica to Los Angeles and Hollywood. Dubbed the “subway to the sea ” it is expected to be operational in 2015.
A stunning seven-acre park on Ocean Avenue directly across from the Loews Hotel is scheduled for completion in late 2013 along with an adjoining new mixed-use urban village with restaurants and shops eyed for 2014.
Confirmed dates for AFM in Santa Monica are:
October 31 – November 7 2012 November 6 - 13 2013 November 5 - 12 2014 November 4 - 11 2015 November 2 - 9 2016 November 1 - 8 2017 Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau research estimates that the AFM will contribute more than $100 million to the local economy over the next six years.
The Independent Film & Television Alliance www.IFTA-online.org ,2936
Doremi Integrates Barco’s Auro-3D Audio Codec into its IMB ,2011-12-14, Barco has teamed up with Doremi to bring the first DCI-compliant 3D sound system to the cinema market. Doremi will integrate the Auro-3D audio codec in their Integrated Media Block to create the first DCI-compliant multi-channel audio format for cinema exhibitors. In addition the Auro-3D codec allows for single inventory distribution compatible with current and future standards. “At Doremi we always strive to provide the latest technology to the industry ” says Michael Archer vice president of digital cinema at Doremi. “We are proud to help bring the revolutionary Auro-3D sound system to the digital cinema market. The fact that we were the first to pass the CTP and become DCI-compliant with our IMB solidifies our commitment to the exhibition community. Given Doremi's long-term relationship with Barco it was natural for us to be the first to implement this technology.” “Thanks to our partnership with Doremi we've enabled content providers to maintain a single inventory distribution format and distribute multi-channel 3D audio files to theaters in a way that satisfies all the security and watermarking requirements mandated by the DCI specification ” says Brian Claypool senior director strategic business development at Barco. “In this way we can offer cinema exhibitors next-generation DCI-compliant sound technology that is extremely simple to use and integrate it with our DCI-compliant digital cinema projection systems.” ,2937
Carmike to Open Theatre in Decatur Alabama,2011-12-14,Carmike Cinemas plans to open a new entertainment complex in Decatur Alabama in the fall of 2012. The new theatre named the Carmike 12 will feature twelve screens with total seating for over 2 400 guests and will be highlighted by a Big D auditorium. 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 Decatur area joins a select and growing list of communities across the nation offering Carmike theatregoers the exciting new Big D format. The Decatur Mall a strategic high-traffic retail center known for an exciting variety of over 50 national regional and local retailers and eateries provides Carmike's new theatre with an ideal location near the center court of the shopping center. Bringing a theatre group of Carmike's high quality to Decatur Mall and the region is something we recognized as very important and we applaud Carmike Cinemas for their commitment to making this happen says Kathy Hammond general manager for the Decatur Mall. This new entertainment complex will be a major amenity for Decatur and the surrounding area and a key addition to the regional economy. The Carmike 12 will greatly enhance the 'mall-going experience' for all of our valued patrons. Carmike's existing 8-screen theatre in Decatur will close upon the opening of the Carmike 12 next fall helping make the Decatur Mall truly a 'one-stop' destination providing excellent dining shopping and entertainment for consumers of all ages and interests. We appreciate the past support our customers have always provided our mall and we are excited as we continue to further strengthen our bond with the local community. Carmike Cinemas www.carmike.com
The Way Forward
