The over-under is the name of a popular kind of bet in which people wager whether for example a particular team will have more or fewer than (over-under) a set number of wins in a given season. Over-under is also the name of a 3D projection process that splits the film frame in half horizontally and it is the basis of Technicolor’s current gamble as it searches for ways to maximize its film legacy and brand in this increasingly digital world.
The 3D Entertainment Summit in association with Variety co-produced by Bob Dowling and Unicomm and presented by The Entertainment Technology Center has announced the conference program and topics for the 2009 event which will be held at the Hilton Los Angeles in Universal City September 16-17. This year’s combination of featured keynotes dynamic panel discussions one-one-one interviews and exhibits will focus on a multitude of topics including the financial impact of 3D on the entertainment industry the status of the digital cinema roll-out and top trends in 3D gaming.
Time Antaeus Media Group a Chinese digital cinema industry leader has selected Christie as its partner for its digital cinema deployment in China. This marks the country’s most extensive commercial effort and calls for the installation of 800 Christie CP2000 DLP Cinema projectors for select cinemas by the end of 2010. These projectors will be installed together with 800 Time Antaeus’ Montage CDCS2000 digital cinema servers. The collaboration between Christie and Time Antaeus began at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games’ ceremonies with the purchase of 120 Christie CP2000-ZX models.
Through their partnership with Starz and Spectacle Entertainment/Front Line Management D&E Entertainment distributed and marketed the theatrical premiere of writer/director Rob Zombie's animated classic The Haunted World of El Superbeasto. The film premiered in over 68 cinemas in the US on September 12. A bizarre comedy Zombie dubs Austin Powers meets The Munsters by way of Hard Days Night. The Haunted World of El Superbeasto is a wild ride that's a soon-to-be cult classic.
This new film explores George Mallory’s obsession eighty-five years after his final attempt to summit Mount Everest.
CEO Yoon Kim and digital artist Kevin Kang of Star East Digital Labs in Seoul South Korea were looking for another grading system to integrate into their existing post-production workflows. After putting Scratch through its paces they determined it had the power real-time performance features and stability to deliver high quality results for their clients. One such project was Take Off this summer’s number one box office hit in Korea but there have been others. Yong Hwa Kim’s Take Off was the first Korean feature film shot using three Red One digital 4K cameras.
Production began this month on The Highwayman based on Alfred Noyes' well-known poem of the same name The Highwayman is set in 18th century England but is being filmed over 4 000 miles away (and over 5000 feet higher in elevation) in Colorado. Producer Darlene Cypser says The rolling plains and mesas east of the Front Range bear a remarkable resemblance to the downs of England. We are also fortunate that Victorian Coloradans were fond of revival architecture.
Barco has signed a one-year renewable non-exclusive agreement professional services agreement with Ballantyne Strong to provide Barco with digital cinema projection service and support including but not limited to on-site installation and service as well as ongoing maintenance services for Barco's U.S. customers.
October 20th is the final deadline for submitting entries to the 2010 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival which will be held February 12-21 2010. The festival is expected to screen more than one hundred films including world and U.S. premieres classics and rare and experimental works on Montana's largest screen at the historic Wilma Theater in downtown Missoula Montana. In addition to ten days of screenings the event will feature many public and VIP events including panel discussions galas receptions and networking round-tables.
Blackmagic Design has announced the purchase of all assets of DaVinci Systems. This purchase means Blackmagic Design will now offer DaVinci Resolve DI color correction systems and DaVinci Revival film restoration products for sale worldwide. Blackmagic Design has also initiated a wide-ranging restructure of the DaVinci business. The new focus will now be on the DaVinci Resolve color correction and DaVinci Revival film restoration products.
Christie has earned the 2009 International Cinema Technology Association Teddy Award as Manufacturer of the Year. Dealers in the motion picture industry who are active members of ICTA vote the annual award.
Civolution has signed an agreement for Eurovision Production Coordination to use Civolution’s broadcast monitoring service Teletrax to track all video packages that were produced during the Venice International Film Festival earlier this month. The packages were distributed to Eurovision members for use in TV news and arts programming. “We are delighted EBU chose to extend its relationship with Civolution ’’ says Civolution CEO Alex Terpstra.
Voting has begun for the annual European Film Academy People’s Choice Award. The event allows film fans across Europe to elect their favorite film and win a trip to the European Film Awards Ceremony. Every year when the European Film Academy invites its members Europe’s greatest film stars directors producers cinematographers screenwriters designers but also industry representatives and the international media to attend the European Film Awards.
The Hollywood Post Alliance has announced that three groundbreaking technologies have been honored to receive the organization’s respected Engineering Excellence Award. The recipients were chosen following a lively and well-attended presentation and judging session late last month at LaserPacific Digital Theatre in Hollywood.
After relocating their operations to a new state-of-the-art studio in SoHo during summer 2008 Offhollywood is expanding again adding a full new floor as a totally dedicated Red camera rental and service facility – the first such Red-authorized facility in the United States. Offhollywood will soon boast a much larger studio to include even more state-of-the-art digital services. Their commitment to Red is as strong as ever.
Omniplex Irelands largest cinema group has unveil plans for its new concept three-screen 571 seat Swan Cinemas which is located in the Swan Shopping Centre Rathmines Dublin. Construction has started on the project which is scheduled to open this November. Swan Cinemas is the first cinema in Dublin custom designed for digital cinema. Showcasing the very latest 3D technology will give patrons an unparalleled movie going experience; Swan Cinemas is at the very forefront of the digital cinema revolution.
Rooftop Films Solar One The Green Edge Collaborative and IFP will present the World Premiere of Cambria Matlow and Morgan Robinson's feature documentary Burning in the Sun on Saturday September 19. There will be no charge for admission. Presented outdoors at a solar energy center this exciting documentary follows a young man’s quest to start a local business building solar panels in his homeland of Mali—the first of its kind in the sun drenched nation. Burning in the Sun was a 2008 IFP Documentary Lab Selection and the screening will be part of the 31st Annual Independent Film Week.
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has launched a search for an executive director. SMPTE has appointed a search committee to identify potential candidates for the position. It expects to complete its search by the end of the year. Former SMPTE executive director Kimberly Maki concluded a three-year term of service with the standards organization to take a senior executive position with Bright House Networks. “Kimberly has been an advocate worldwide for the advancement of the engineering profession on a strategic leadership level.
Technomedia has launched TMS Digital Cinema and has acquired privately held VRT Enterprises of Miami Florida a provider of digital cinema engineering services and product development to the emerging digital cinema market for years. Ray Callahan founder of VRT will take the position of senior vice president of digital cinema operations and technologies under Joni Snyder vice president and CFO of Technomedia Solutions.
Digital Jungle is now offering enhanced 2K telecine transfer services. Dave Walker the facility’s new chief engineer enhanced the capabilities of the Cineglyph telecine specifically for Digital Jungle. He is also the creator of the system which is used worldwide in motion picture post-production. Digital Jungle's 2K Cineglyph is capable of scanning 2K at 15 fps for short turnaround which is faster than the usual 2 to 4 frames per second of most other scanners. Any film perforation format such as 2 3 4 perf can be accommodated as well.
