No one ever suggested that the wholesale reinvention of the global entertainment industry was going to be pretty or easy. As studios filmmakers distributors and exhibitors experiment with new digital cinema technology business models and content factions take sides mistakes are inevitably made but successes are also achieved. That’s the nature of experiments and no one can say with absolute certainty precisely what the international entertainment business will look like when all is said and done. The recent dispute over the video-on-demand release of feature films is one example. And that makes Cinedigm’s announced release of John Carpenter’s The Ward all the more interesting. Welcome to the transition era. In a recent USA Today article writer Scott Bowles neatly summed up the ongoing VOD dispute. “Critics argue that speeding big movies to television sets will decimate an industry already coping with attendance that's five percent off from 2010 another down year ” Bowles wrote. “While the eight-week window allows most big-budget films to run their course through theatres critics says bargain-theatre exhibitors who rely on second-run pictures are at particular risk. Bowles noted that the plan has also angered some prominent filmmakers who worry the small screen cheapens their work. An open letter signed by many of the leading filmmakers of the day and posted on the National Theatre Owners Association website said We ask for a seat at the table. We want to hear the studios' plans for how this new distribution model will affect the future of the industry that we love. Bowles went on to write that “studio executives fearful of offending the exhibitors who show their films have remained quiet on the issue. A spokesman for DirecTV the only service providing the plan declined to comment but says the company has received no formal complaints from theatre owners. Privately execs say a speedier film march from theatres to homes will keep business brisk for films that fade from interest during the normal four-month intermission.” For his part as we noted in the last Report NATO president John Fithian was scathing in his response to the proposed changes in the release window. Forgive us if we decline to take business lessons from the end of the industry that enabled the erosion of value in the home market said Fithian. “The creation of $1.99 kiosk rentals and $7.99 monthly subscriptions have undercut the sell-through model in the home—not theatrical release windows.
“Let me offer some advice in return from the end of the business that has grown more than 25 percent globally over the last five years ” Fithian continued. “Your problem is in the home window: fix it there. You will not create extra revenue by introducing in the theatrical window the same self-cannibalizing channel confusion that has decimated the home market.”
On the issue of movie theft Fithian added “Combat piracy by charging $30 for a rental? Really? You can't compete with free. Early VOD release will only exacerbate theft by giving the pirates a pristine digital copy of the movie much earlier than they have with DVDs.”
Theatre owners have always been quick to respond negatively to any changes in the status quo. This issue has come up before. An article last week in The New York Times by writers Hiroko Tabuchi and Brookes Barnes said “Consider what happened in 2009 when [Sony president Howard] Stringer tested the distribution of Sony’s animated hit Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs directly to consumers through the company’s networked Blu-ray players and Bravia Internet-enabled televisions not long after the movie’s debut in theatres. Cinema owners angered that Sony was cutting into their turf withdrew the film. Sony has not made a similar offering since.” Now comes the Cinedigm experiment which turns the VOD release window on its head. In an exclusive partnership with ARC Entertainment and XLrator Media Cinedigm Digital Cinema will distribute John Carpenter’s The Ward to select digital cinema locations across the United States on July 8. But a full month prior to that on June 8 the movie is going to be released via video-on-demand.
Directed by the horror film legend John Carpenter (Halloween The Thing Escape From New York) John Carpenter’s The Ward is his first movie in more than ten years. It’s a psychological thriller about a young woman locked in a mysterious mental institution in the 1960s. Kristen (Amber Heard) a beautiful but troubled young woman finds herself bruised cut drugged and held against her will in a remote ward of the hospital. She is completely disoriented with no idea why she was brought to this place and no memory of her life before being admitted. All she knows is she is being terrorized by a mysterious and deadly ghost. As danger creeps closer she comes to realize the ghost holds a darker secret than she ever imagined. The film co-stars Mamie Gummer Danielle Panabaker Lyndsy Fonseca and Jared Harris.
According to Cinedigm the movie is an ideal candidate for digital distribution John Carpenter’s The Ward benefits from the extremely targeted and efficient distribution model that digital cinema enables. Digital cinema allows specialized programming an opportunity to get a theatrical release while eliminating costly film prints and national advertising. Markets for alternative content are selected based on film genre and audience demographics. The film is an interesting choice for this effort. It cost an estimated (and relatively modest) $10 million to make and Carpenter certainly has a loyal fan base. To date the film has received rather lukewarm reviews from critics and fans alike. There are several questions that this venture could start to answer but the biggest one is: will the VOD release hurt ticket sales at the box office a month later? Isn’t Cinedigm concerned that handling the release this way almost guarantees a smaller theatre audience? “Quite the opposite in fact ” said Jill Newhouse Calcaterra Cinedigm’s chief marketing officer when I asked her that question. “The VOD debate and discussion really just shines more light on this project and makes more people take notice. Our exhibitor partners are very excited about The Ward as they know John Carpenter fans will come out in force to see it on the big screen. It’s the perfect type of project for targeted digital distribution.” While I tend to agree with Calcaterra that the appeal of seeing his latest work on the big screen will get Carpenter fans to movie theatres on July 8th this is especially true if the event includes the sort of extras – a live appearance by Carpenter for example or a behind-the-scenes documentary – that many alternative content efforts often include. Using a VOD release as a marketing tool is an excellent if limited idea. In any event and succeed or fail the Cinedigm experiment with The Ward is well worth the effort. What if anything it means in terms of the ongoing VOD debate is unclear. One thing is certain though: more experiments will follow. Welcome to the transition era. ,2434
At the Races,2011-05-31,Filmmaker Richard Walch recently shot the action-packed kart film The Racetrack with a DSLR. ,2437
Studio Movie Grill Signs with Cinedigm,2011-05-31, Studio Movie Grill has signed a long-term VPF deployment agreement with Cinedigm Digital Cinema. The agreement will cover all of Studio Movie Grill’s theatres under the terms of Cinedigm’s long-term agreements with all the major studios and will include 58 Cinedigm-Certified screens. “We are thrilled to be working with Cinedigm on our digital programming ” says Brian Schultz president of Studio Movie Grill. “Cinedigm’s digital cinema program will enable us to further enhance the entertainment experience we provide our customers together with our cutting edge hospitality offerings bringing premium 3D movies live sports and concerts to our avid and discerning movie-going audience.” “Studio Movie Grill already offers one of the most innovative moviegoer experiences including their exceptional in-theatre dining service ” says Chuck Goldwater president media services group. “We look forward to working with the Studio Movie Grill team to bring even more of our powerful digital cinema tools to their theatres including software management precision social marketing and exciting new alternative content programming.” Studio Movie Grill’s formula combines first-run movies 100 percent Dolby Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 3D with an extensive menu for in-theater dining. Founded by Brian Schultz and Martin Massman Studio Movie Grill has spent more than a decade refining its concept has six locations in Texas: Arlington Dallas/Royal Lane Lewisville and Plano in the Dallas area and Copperfield and City Center in Houston one in Atlanta and is expanding to Arizona this year with more locations on the way. Cinedigm Digital Cinema www.cinedigm.com Studio Movie Grill www.studiomoviegrill.com ,2444
Making My Soul to Take,2011-05-31, By Jay Spencer Managing Director Supernal Entertainment When a studio decides to convert a 2D motion picture into 3D they have really launched into making a 2 000-shot visual effects picture. An ambitious release schedule a project team of hundreds of people around the world limited time availability of key decision makers and the director and producer working on another feature 2 000 miles from Hollywood all add to the challenge. This was the case with Wes Cravenʼs My Soul To Take produced by Relativity Mediaʼs Rogue Pictures and distributed by Universal. The production's stereographer David Stump ASC was familiar with my work in digital cinema and post and enlisted me in the project.
The domestic rollout of Digital Cinema Initiatives-based digital cinema began more than five years ago with a system designed to improve upon film. Some of us in these groups believed that if this work was done well it could be extensible interoperable and form a solid foundation on which media for many other platforms and uses could be built.
The opportunity here was to take this digital cinema technology now dispersed across the country and adapt it to meet critical post-production approval needs in the field.
As part of the production process surrounding My Soul To Take a 3D theatre near Wes Cravenʼs location was booked for project collaboration review and approval work.
I should note that while they're able to present excellent quality 3D picture and sound a typical digital cinema video server is designed to start a show playlist and run reliably on an uninterrupted basis for hours. While this may be great for a finished movie presentation it's really unacceptably cumbersome for a critical review process when repeating something a few minutes seconds or even frames earlier could require returning to the start of the reel.
Enter the Doremi DC Post—a cinema server with all the capabilities of the company's ubiquitous DCP-2000 along with the flexibility of the most nimble post-production player. It's capable of fast forward and rewind shuttle jog still frame slo-mo and variable speed forward and reverse operations with sync holding up to 200 percent. Another great plus associated with this server system is the compact RCV-2 remote control head that we installed on the end of a 200-foot cable. This allowed me to sit with key review personnel in the sweet spot of the theatre to control playback operations.
Doremi needs to be credited for launching such a useful and progressive product that allows us to appreciate the future potential of the DCI spec and the DCP. The DC Post and Doremiʼs sales production and support personnel were completely off the charts awesome in meeting our needs under a very demanding schedule. Jay Spencer is the managing director of Supernal Entertainment a consulting firm specializing in the research and practical application of entertainment technology content and business. He may be contacted at [email protected].
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SeaWorld Launches Turtle: The Incredible Journey,2011-05-31, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has announced the launch of Turtle: The Incredible Journey a family documentary directed by National Geographic Explorer's Nick Stringer. The film will be distributed in partnership with Hannover House by SeaWorld's newly formed SeaWorld Pictures division. Hannover House is the entertainment unit of Target Development Group. Turtle: The Incredible Journey is an award-winning film that follows the life and migration of a loggerhead turtle from hatching to maturity and a return to its original Florida nesting grounds. The loggerhead turtle a threatened species has one of the longest and most difficult migratory patterns of any marine animal: Sea turtles newly hatched on the East Coast of the United States (usually in Florida) make their way from the sand into the ocean and then begin a voyage that can span the entire Atlantic Ocean only to return decades later to that same beach. This is a remarkable story crafted by one of the world's most gifted documentary filmmakers says Scott Helmstedter chief creative officer for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. Turtle: The Incredible Journey does what our parks have been doing for more than five decades: inspire enrich and entertain. Helping bring this film and its powerful message of the fragility and beauty of our oceans to the public is what SeaWorld is and what we have always been about. Stringer's documentary team follows the loggerhead turtle on an adventure of more than 9 000 miles guided only by instinct. Stringer and his camera crew spent two years following loggerhead turtles on their trips across the ocean and have captured on film the remarkable life cycle of a beautiful creature that struggles to survive in an increasingly unforgiving environment. The film is narrated by Academy Award nominee Miranda Richardson and will be released to theatres in both standard theatrical formats as well as 3D in selected locations. Turtle: The Incredible Journey opens the same week as SeaWorld San Diego's Turtle Reef a new attraction that showcases this extraordinary species in a 300 000-gallon aquarium with a massive underwater viewing gallery. The attraction also features thousands of tropical fish a touch-screen interactive tracking map where guests can learn about sea turtles and SeaWorld's rescue efforts. Turtle Reef also includes a new ride that takes guests on a thrilling rescue mission of their own. Initial theatrical markets set for June 24 include New York Los Angeles and theatres near three primary SeaWorld locations: San Diego San Antonio and Orlando. The film's official premiere is scheduled for June 21 at the large-format 3D theater at SeaWorld in San Diego. Expansion plans call for the release of the film to additional theaters and cities throughout July and August with a target of more than 200 locations. Turtle: The Incredible Journey www.turtle-film.com SeaWorld Pictures www.seaworldcares.com ,2453
Personal Heroes,2011-05-31, A short film written and produced by an Anaheim Hills resident is resonating on a deep level with audiences and winning awards. Hero a twenty-minute short film is based loosely on the childhood experiences of local firefighter Steve Brio and recently won the Best Short Film - Drama at the International Family Film Festival in Hollywood. This movie also recently screened at the Riverside International Film Festival. Hero has been a labor of love for Brio who not only produced the film but also wrote the screenplay and portrays one of its major characters. The film depicts a twelve-year-old girl Gina who has lost all hope of ever believing in heroes until the day she is unable wake her alcoholic mother and must call 911. The viewers are taken through the emergency and to the hospital where hospital staff learn that Gina has nowhere to go but back into the system. One of the doctors played by Brio learns of her situation and is reminded of his own rough childhood. Despite having current issues with his own teenage daughter the doctor convinces his wife to take a chance on this girl and takes her into his home. This act of kindness is not without its own conflict but ultimately proves to be the one thing Gina needs to restore her hope in heroes. The story ends on a chilling note as the entire day turns out to be both Ginaʼs birthday and tragically the day her mother dies. The moral of the movie reminds us that there are average people everywhere who can become a hero for someone in need. The movie is personal for Brio because he grew up with a mother who experienced bouts of mental instability and his family frequently had to rely on emergency personnel such as firefighter-paramedics to help them. Brio became a local firefighter so that he could give back to his community. And based on his experiences growing up he is fully aware of what children such as Gina in single parent low-income households need. While studying acting at the Performer's Academy in Laguna Hills Brio met multi-award-winning film director Brent Huff. Brio pitched the storyline for Hero and Huff was so moved by it that the two set a meeting established a game plan and six months later had completed the movie. Hero was shot entirely in Orange County with cast and crew from both Los Angeles and Orange County and has since been entered in more than 30 film festivals across the country. “It was obvious that this film needed to be made. Brent is an actors’ director and had the experience and insight to bring this film to the audience. He is not only an incredibly patient director but also a true professional. I was so honored to have Brent believe in Hero enough to come on board ” says Brio. According to Huff “Can anyone be a hero? Absolutely. Heroes come from all walks of life with different social ethnic religious and economic backgrounds. We can all be self-centered and not think about giving someone in need a helping hand. Sometimes even an encouraging word can go a long way. It is this theme that attracted me to Steve Brioʼs poignant screenplay. My hope is that after watching this film the audience will be moved enough by the narrative that they will look to make a difference in someone’s life and become a hero.” Huff says “Working on Hero was a very rewarding experience that I will always treasure.” It was Brent Huffʼs idea to bring in another award winning filmmaker producer and actor Zac Titus. When I first heard about this script I knew that we had an opportunity to show how helping another human being is something that encapsulates all people in all areas of the world. When you take on a film that can touch on everyone’s emotions through good story telling and add a great director like Brent and executive producer like Steve you have a team that can really make great art Titus says. We are continually humbled and honored that audiences are connecting with our movie and being touched by its story Brio says. Brio has seen Hero resonate with diverse audiences in various settings such as the film festival circuit local communities and hopes that the studios will see the connectivity to the audiences enough to fund it into a feature film. “I know exactly what I would do to write it bigger and deeper ” Brio says. Brio is currently featured on the cover of Anaheim Magazine and Hero is the featured story for the spring 2011 issue. Brio says “For the City of Anaheim to recognize both the film and me as a writer/actor is very humbling. It is very unusual for a short film to make this type of impact in the community and get this much attention. Everyone that was part of the film worked exceptionally hard and we were fortunate to have the financial sponsors that we did.” ,2455
3D Film Factory Teams with Foster Brothers on African Shoot,2011-05-31, 3D Film Factory has been commissioned for the third time to supply 3D camera systems and professional stereoscopic services to Foster Brothers Productions in order to complete their 3D wildlife documentary. Once again the crew will venture into the wetlands of Botswana Africa to track the giant man-eating crocodiles both above and below water. “Africa is a place of wonderment for me. It’s great to go back. There’s nothing like filming animals in stereoscopic 3D as long as I’m not getting in the water with the crocodiles ” says the company’s director of stereographer Keith Driver. “Working with the Foster brothers is a rewarding experience. Their knowledge and passion for wildlife makes it that much more exciting. I’m just there to make sure the 3D is – memorable and comfortable.”
The 3D production team will be on location for two weeks utilizing the 3D Film Factory’s 3D-BS Indie beam-splitter and 3D-SS Pro side-by-side rigs to capture the animals feeding in their natural environment. Along with the 3D mirror box rig the crew will rely on a pair of Sony HD EX3 cameras and CineTal’s Davio a real-time 3D viewing system. In addition they’ll employ the use of modified jib arms 3D underwater housing units as well as specialty 3D support gear.
The intent is to uncover the unusual relationship between one of earth’s most ancient predators and his intruding neighbor: man. In Africa this complex relationship can sometimes seem to defy the boundaries of the natural world. For the crew this means having to get precariously close to a very dangerous sometimes unpredictable beast.
The Foster brothers Damon and Craig have traveled extensively living and working in remote villages and wilderness areas throughout Africa. Their primary intent lies in telling important stories with the voice of Africa herself and creating film experiences that enable the viewer to gain an intense and deep insight into the natural and cultural dynamics of this ancient continent. Since 2000 the two brothers have produced 10 award-winning documentary films for National Geographic TBS Animal Planet and Discovery Channel. This is their first stereoscopic 3D film.
3D Film Factory www.3DFilmFactory.com ,2462
Mississippi Museum Makeover,2011-05-31, When Edwards Technologies was given the task of equipping the new 3D/4D theatre of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium’s much anticipated $40 million expansion the systems integrator knew it faced a formidable challenge. The museum located along the banks of the Mississippi River in the Port of Dubuque Iowa serves as the nations leading interpretive center for America's rivers. The heart of the makeover is a theatre that features a 38 feet wide by 21 feet tall curved Harkness spectral 240 3D screen the new immersion large-format 3D/4D digital theatre the first of its kind in the region features 134 stadium style seats 3D images that jump off the screen and 4D special effects such as dramatic scent wind water mist and seat movement to enhance the viewer experience.
“Harkness' combination of performance price and customer service made them the obvious choice for this project ” says Mitch Hartmann technical director at ETI. “We have used Harkness Screens for many years and their 3D presentation surfaces consistently provide superior images.”
The Harkness Spectral 240 3D screen is considered by cinema exhibitors and special venue operators worldwide to be the optimum 3D projection surface for systems using polarized light. The Spectral 240 features a high extinction ratio and provides spectacular 3D images. The surface also supports 2D images and can be used successfully in auditoriums where 2D and 3D are both shown. The intrinsically high gain (2.4) overcomes light losses in 3D systems. “We like using Harkness' wrap around approach because they are able to create a screen that makes the image appear to float in space showing no discernable frame around it. The frame is completely concealed ” says Hartmann. “The films look amazing and we have received nothing but positive feedback from the client. Harkness does a great job listening to our needs and delivering a fantastic customized product.” The theatre presents two 4D films in rotation The World of Sharks an up close look at a variety of shark species from the Red Sea to the Pacific Ocean and Turtle Vision a fun and colorful 4D animated story of the adventures of Sammy the sea turtle. The two features are shown in rotation with a new film screening every 45 minutes giving guests as many opportunities as possible to catch a screening of either or both films. In addition the Spectral 240 will also be used for large format equivalent of 2D films in high definition from Blu-ray enabling the museum to host screenings of other films on a seasonal basis. “Our visitors are amazed at the quality of the 3D images coming off our screen ” says John Sutter director of marketing National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium.
The Museum & Aquarium highlights both the cultural and environmental aspects of rivers with a mission to preserve our national river history as well as the rivers themselves. The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium has received national recognition for its exhibits and programming. It is a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate and is accredited by both the American Association of Museums and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Harkness Screens www.harkness-screens.com ,2465
Light Iron’s OutPost Offers a File-Based Approach to Real-Time Dailies ,2011-05-31, By Valentina I. Valentini Hollywood-based Light Iron has introduced OutPost a digital dailies processing center that the company says gives productions same-day access to color-corrected synched assets in both 2D and 3D. “This isn’t just a small migration to a new idea ” says Light Iron’s CEO Michael Cioni. “This is a gargantuan leap to a file-based future.” Cioni who started the company less than two years ago believes that the traditional brick-and-mortar structure of post-production labs is largely going to migrate to the set. Indeed it already is starting which is why OutPost has been one of Light Iron’s most successful branches thus far. “We don’t want to suggest that just because OutPost is an on-set device it means there are compromises ” explains Cioni. “While it’s compact affordable and mobile OutPost handles every single deliverable for a file-based dailies system with no compromise.” The mobile full-service data lab does multiple data downloads and backup sets 1-light looks and convergence as non-destructive metadata creates MXF and Quicktime dailies for editorial generates digital dailies for secure streaming review on iPads or web applications such as PIX DAX or iTunes and can transfer to multiple high-speed shuttle drives for additional LTO archives and editorial. Cioni says that OutPost was a production-motivated answer to a growing problem: on a typical set there is a minimal post-production and IT infrastructure yet productions are shooting with more IT-based cameras. The original design and genesis of OutPost was done on Avatar in the fall of 2009. ILM’s John Knoll needed to review high-speed (120fps) 3D shots with color-correction right on set as soon as the data was captured on a Red One. “That was the order. So we went to the drawing table and came back with a pretty ugly looking – but fully mobile – solution to their request ” recalls Cioni. “We’ve now completed close to 30 projects that have taken the on-set processing philosophy to the next level. And each project we do we learn from the operators the DPs the editors the production managers and even the Teamsters on how to improve the system. We are now releasing the sixth generation of our upgraded carts.” And Light Iron isn’t the only one out there doing this which Cioni says is actually better for business. “It justifies what we’re doing ” he says. “It shows that the market has expanded and people are becoming more accepting of this streamlined workflow. If you drive past a corner and see a crazy guy screaming on the corner you look the other way and say ‘that guy’s crazy.’ If the next day you see him with 500 people screaming on the corner you pull over.” That’s precisely what Cioni says is starting to happen with these on-set tools. Once upon a short time ago there were a few people doing it but now it’s more to the tune of ‘If you’re not doing you might be in the minority.’ “New technology is all about the acceptance of the host ” explains Cioni. “When you find the technology that is brilliant simple empowering and logical it adapts amazingly fast. Apple is a great example: they don’t have to try and convince people to buy one of the most expensive phones on the market. People line up in tents for days to be the first to buy them. That’s a perfect example of ideal host acceptance: a logical tool that never existed before that no one needed yesterday but all of a sudden tens of millions need and successfully use it today.” Cioni says that OutPost is working in a similar way. “We find that as soon as productions accept it nearly every member of the crew can take advantage of it and that turns into repeat business ” he says. “Some of our major clients such as Disney Sony and Lakeshore have already used OutPost on three or four productions. After they experience the combination of a file-based camera system and a fully optimized on-set workflow it’s difficult to go back. “We’re not trying to perform a Houdini trick here. We’re trying to give productions the utmost control of their project which helps everyone in production and post do their jobs better.” ,2466
Company Comes to Movie Screens,2011-06-14, The New York Philharmonic production of Company the Tony Award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim was recorded live last month at Lincoln Center’s famed Avery Fisher Hall in New York City and will be released by Screenvision for a limited engagement in hundreds of digital cinema theatres nationwide beginning on June 15. Revlon has signed on as the presenting sponsor.
The revival of Company features an all-star cast of television and stage talent. Headlining the production is (in alphabetical order): Craig Bierko Stephen Colbert Jon Cryer Katie Finneran Neil Patrick Harris Christina Hendricks Aaron Lazar Patti LuPone Jill Paice Martha Plimpton Anika Noni Rose Jennifer Laura Thompson Jim Walton and Chryssie Whitehead. Sondheim specialist Paul Gemignani conducts the New York Philharmonic with Jonathan Tunick’s original orchestrations. Lonny Price is the director; Josh Rhodes is the choreographer; Lonny Price and Matt Cowart are the producers and Ellen M. Krass is the executive producer.
As the presenting sponsor Revlon will receive premium on-screen advertising before every presentation of Company which is booked into approximately 500 theatres across the country. In addition Revlon had a prominent presence at the Company red carpet premiere which took place June 8 in New York City.
“Having a prestigious sponsor for the cinematic release of Company further validates alternative programming as a highly effective marketing tool ” says Darryl Schaffer Executive Vice President Operations and Exhibitor Relations for Screenvision. “Screenvision is committed to bringing a wide range of alternative programming to its theatres nationwide and we’re thrilled that Revlon recognizes the value that these events have in reaching targeted audiences.”
Company will screen in over 50 markets that not only include New York Chicago San Francisco and Boston but also smaller cities including St. Louis and Milwaukee to give as wide an audience as possible an affordable Broadway experience. Tickets will be available for $18 each – a mere fraction of the cost of a Broadway production of this caliber. Screenvision http://www.screenvision.com
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The Balancing Act,2011-06-14, Movie theft is a global problem for filmmakers and exhibitors alike. To take just one country as an example last year 92 million pirated movies were viewed by Australians which cost the industry $1.34 billion in losses according to the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft. Given the inescapable realities of the lethal combination of unique regional challenges (think China) the pervasiveness of digital technology the ongoing appeal of getting something for nothing and the frailties of human nature and it seems likely that movie theft will never be completed stopped. While there are signs the problem may be getting worse there are also signs that some countries are taking steps to gain a measure of control over the situation. But lessons learned from the often-misguided attempts by the music industry to police theft show that fixing the online piracy problem will require a balancing act. Last March an editorial in The London Observer did an excellent job of summing up the situation as it relates to the movie industry and placed at least some blame on the Hollywood studios themselves. “The famous dictum of digital guru Stewart Brand information wants to be free is usually quoted without its binding caveat: ‘Information also wants to be expensive ’ and that tension will not go away ” said The Observer. “Having seen that tension quickly produce violent shifts in the balance sheets of the newspaper publishing and music industries – shifts that are still waiting for viable business models – it is now making its implications felt in the most expensive creative medium of all the film industry. Hollywood has been slow to embrace the Internet. For a long time it felt protected by the fact that the file sizes of films were so large that downloading was generally too time-consuming and impractical. Critically there was the DVD market to support at all costs – in the last decade DVD sales have produced about half of the industry's total revenue. As a result the big film studios – and by implication smaller British production companies – remain somewhere in the gap between denial and confusion when it comes to facing up to the new digital realities.” Government agencies are beginning to take measures to help address the problem. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has approved the Property Act of 2011 also known as the Protect IP Act of 2011. The purpose of the bill is “to prevent online threats to economic creativity and theft of intellectual property and for other purposes.” A recent editorial in The New York Times entitled “Internet Piracy and How to Stop It” praised the bill but noted some of the potential problems enforcement could create. I’m quoting from it at length because the editorial makes a lot of sense to me. “The problem is particularly hard to crack because the villains are often in faraway countries ” The Times said. “Bad apples can be difficult to pin down in the sea of Web sites and pirates can evade countervailing measures as easily as tweaking the name of a Web site. The bill is not perfect. Its definition of wrongdoing is broad and could be abused by companies seeking to use the law to quickly hinder Web sites. Some proposed remedies could also unintentionally reduce the safety of the Internet.” “The bill defines infringing Web sites as those that have ‘no significant use other than engaging in enabling or facilitating’ the illegal copying or distribution of copyrighted material in ‘substantially complete form’ — entire movies or songs not just snippets ” the editorial continued. “If the offender can’t be found to answer the accusation (a likely occurrence given that most Web sites targeted will be overseas) the government or a private party can seek an injunction from a judge to compel advertising networks and payment systems like MasterCard or PayPal to stop doing business with the site.” “The government — but not private parties — can use the injunction to compel Internet service providers to redirect traffic by not translating a Web address into the numerical language that computers understand ” The Times said. “And they could force search engines to stop linking to them. The broadness of the definition is particularly worrisome because private companies are given a right to take action under the bill. In one notorious case a record label demanded that YouTube take down a home video of a toddler jiggling in the kitchen to a tune by Prince claiming it violated copyright law. Allowing firms to go after a Web site that ‘facilitates’ intellectual property theft might encourage that kind of overreaching — and allow the government to black out a site. Some of the remedies are problematic. A group of Internet safety experts cautioned that the procedure to redirect Internet traffic from offending Web sites would mimic what hackers do when they take over a domain. If it occurred on a large enough scale it could impair efforts to enhance the safety of the domain name system.” “This kind of blocking is unlikely to be very effective ” the editorial concluded. “Users could reach offending Web sites simply by writing the numerical I.P. address in the navigator box rather than the URL. The Web sites could distribute free plug-ins to translate addresses into numbers automatically. The bill before the Senate is an important step toward making piracy less profitable. But it shouldn’t pass as is. If protecting intellectual property is important so is protecting the Internet from overzealous enforcement.” It seems fair to conclude that few if any people at this juncture fully understand all the long term ramifications of digital technology and that includes the major Hollywood studios. In the past – and currently – Hollywood’s response to new technology of any kind has been to treat it as a threat and circle the wagons. Sometimes in those classic Western movies that were once an entertainment staple circling the wagons saved the day. Every so often though it led to death and destruction. ,2483
Organizing the Workflow on Thor,2011-06-14, The enormous task of managing the workflow on the feature film Thor was overseen by Danielle Costa production manager for VFX was part of the in-house post prod/VFX department set up by Marvel/Paramount. This was based at Raleigh Studios during the picture's studio-based shoots and then at the Fox Studios lot in Culver City after the shoot wrapped and went into post. Wes Sewell was the VFX supervisor and worked alongside her.
Costa’s previous credits as digital production manager and VFX coordinator include 2012 Speed Racer Spider Man 3 Alexander The Matrix Revolutions The Matrix Reloaded and Scooby Doo. For Thor her role involved developing a workflow and pipeline between the production team and many different outside contributors including the VFX vendors (BUF Digital Domain Whiskytree Evil Eye Pictures Fuel Visual Effects Luma Pictures) the DI house EFilm and Stereo D which handled the 2D-to-3D conversion. An Assimilate Scratch system was selected to help streamline the work. Scratch was integrated with a FileMakerPro database to assemble each day's playlists of all the media connected with a particular shot. This enabled the VFX team led by supervisor Sewell to constantly ingest and review shots-in-progress every day. Sewell then prepared daily afternoon shot reviews for key production staff including director Kenneth Branagh and cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos BSC as well as studio executives from Marvel and Paramount. Overnight the various VFX vendors typically sent Costa’s team between 3 000 and 5 000 files – mostly image sequences. An individual playlist for one shot could reference upwards of 1 000 different media clips in whatever format might be associated with that shot such as EXR DPX QT and JPEG. Towards the end of post-production between 200 and 300 shots per day along with all the associated files were reviewed in Scratch amounting to many thousands of image clips. Moreover Thor was shot anamorphically so Scratch was automated to playback VFX shots in the correct aspect ratio selectively applying LUTs to DPX frames while ignoring clips such as linear QT and JPEG files. Scratch also automatically applied the correct frame-offsets so that scanned VFX plates and on-going comps would line up accurately. Thor was post-converted from 2D to 3D by LA-based facility Stereo D and Scratch was the production's sole way of reviewing stereo internally at Marvel. Playlist stacks for left and right eye were created automatically which could then be played back in dual mode for stereo review. Lastly Scratch was also used to ingest playback and prepare Red R3D footage shot using Red MX cameras for a teaser of the upcoming Marvel feature The Avengers that will appear after the credits of Thor. “What's really appealing about Scratch is that you get a product out-of-the-box that is super-simple to integrate with an existing database ” says Costa. “The best thing about Scratch is that it can play back in real-time any media that you throw at it - all on the same timeline - such as Red Raw footage DPX EXR files QTs and JPEGs. I'm looking forward to the arrival of Scratch Lab which will enable us to work with Arri Raw files as well.” Costa says “Scratch solved our greatest challenge on Thor: bringing different media together and being able to show them in the best possible quality. When you're doing this as a VFX production department you don't have the same I/O and engineering resources as many independent facilities do. The coding that Scratch required for ingest and automation was very straightforward and did away with the need to spend time designing and developing the playback/review resource that other software packages require.” To date Thor has earned more than $352 million at the box office worldwide. Assimilate www.assimilateinc.com ,2489
Cinemas Guzzo Increases Server Commitment,2011-06-14,Cinemas Guzzo Canada’s largest independent theatre chain has signed a repeat digital cinema server contract with GDC. The new contract will see an additional 62 servers deployed over the coming months with full deployment of 135 servers scheduled to be completed by June 2012. Cinemas Guzzo is Quebec’s leading independent movie chain boasting 148 screens in 11 theatre complexes. With 54 percent of its screens already converted for digital projection the family-owned chain is well on the way toward achieving its goal of total digitization by 2012. “We could not be happier with GDC and the progress of our digital conversion ” says Vincenzo Guzzo executive vice president of Cinemas Guzzo. “We are impressed with GDC’s feature rich servers and relieved that such advanced technology can be operated so easily; what’s more if we require any assistance GDC’s technical support team is always responsive. The upgrade to digital opens many doors for us but above all our customers are clearly pleased with high quality imagery. To complete our digital conversion GDC was again the obvious choice.” “We were always confident in GDC’s ability to deliver for Cinemas Guzzo but winning a repeat order is still extremely rewarding for us “says Dr. Man-Nang Chong founder and CEO of GDC Technology. “It reinforces not only Cinemas Guzzo’s high approval of GDC and our cutting edge solutions but also demonstrates our commitment to the digital cinema industry and its patrons. We’re delighted to reaffirm Cinemas Guzzo’s importance to us as a continuing loyal partner in GDC’s ever growing customer base.” ,2491
Shooting The Racetrack,2011-06-14,The narrow curves of the MK Circuit in Scientrier France make race kart tires screech. DSLR filmmaker Richard Walch was literally on the edge of the circuit and as he shot the action-packed kart film The Racetrack with his EOS 5D Mark II. Roaring motors dominate the ambient noise on the set of the Canon Europe shoot. The Racetrack was produced for Canon to demonstrate that the output from full-HD video-enabled DSLR cameras can be combined seamlessly with HD video cameras in post-production. German photographer and DSLR filmmaker Richard Walch who specializes in action shooting filmed with the Canon XF305 professional video camcorder and EOS 5D Mark II HDSLR camera. Manamedia produced the film. For the making-of Walch illuminated a race kart with four 1x1 LED lights from Litepanels. I set up four Litepanels 1x1 LED lights in the pit in practically no time says Walch. I mounted a 1x1 Standard and a 1x1 Bi-Color flood on the ceiling for basic lighting. The lightweight and ultra-flat construction of the Litepanels was naturally a big advantage. To emphasize details the 1x1 Spot models are ideal. This is how I accentuated interesting features while illuminating the race kart. The step less dimming function of the 1x1 lights was extremely helpful as was the 1x1 Bi-Color's ability to easily change color temperature from cool white daylight to warm white tungsten. Especially practical: The 1x1 Bi-Focus is a spot and a flood all rolled into one. Each Bi-Focus features both flood and spot patented LED which enable the operator to dial in just the illumination desired for a smooth change between both options and thus guarantee absolute lighting control. With their technical look the stylish Litepanels 1x1 fixtures fit perfectly to the set in the pit says Walch. The lights even made it into the picture in the making-of. The 1x1 lights' option for battery operation and their heat-free feature also paid off for Walch. This added to our shooting versatility. Lightning-fast changes were no problem in the lighting set-up: I neither tripped over cables lying around on the ground nor burned my hands on the lights he says. While I am always open to new things I trust the market leader when it comes to a top-quality light. Litepanels not only feature first-class workmanship and deliver perfect soft direct and bright light – the different models also offer great variation possibilities. Litepanels www.litepanels.com ,2495
La Luna,2011-06-14, The short film La Luna is the timeless fable of a young boy who is coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances. Tonight is the very first time his Papa and Grandpa are taking him to work. In an old wooden boat they row far out to sea and with no land in sight they stop and wait. A big surprise awaits the little boy as he discovers his family's most unusual line of work. Should he follow the example of his Papa or his Grandpa? Will he be able to find his own way in the midst of their conflicting opinions and timeworn traditions? Enrico Casarosa joined Pixar Animation Studios in January 2002. He began working as a story artist on Cars and the Academy Award-winning feature Ratatouille. Casarosa’s next project was as story artist on Disney•Pixar’s Academy Award-winning feature film Up. Most recently Casarosa made his directing debut with the short film La Luna. Currently Casarosa is working as head of story on an upcoming Pixar film.
As a story artist Casarosa creates visual sequences from the script. Story artists also generate new ideas and gags and provide feedback regarding the plot characters and overall story of the film. With help from story artists the film’s director finds the story they want to tell and the best cinematographic way to tell it.
Casarosa found early influences in Hayao Miyazaki’s work and grew up watching Miyazaki’s television series in Italy. Born and raised in Genoa Casarosa moved to New York City in his twenties to study animation at the School of Visual Arts and Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Before coming to Pixar Casarosa worked as a storyboard artist at Blue Sky Studios on Ice Age and Robots. He also worked as a background designer and storyboard artist for a number of Disney Channel Television Series’ including 101 Dalmatians and PB&J Otters.
Casarosa lives in San Francisco California with his wife Marit and their little daughter Fio Giulietta.
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Making the Bait,2011-06-14,Bait 3D the new action thriller shot on the Gold Coast of Australia is based on true life events of the aftermath of a tsunami. “It combines shark and disaster genres in a single story following survivors who have banded together facing unexpected dangers that have come in with the water ” says cinematographer Ross Emery. To capture the excitement of this genre Emery and team chose the Red MX Panavision lenses and Element Technica’s Quasar 3D rigs shooting much of the picture off a 50-foot Technocrane with full rain protection for the often-wet sets. “We chose ET’s Quasar rig for its quality and rigidity ” says Emery. “ET realizes that gear that comes onto a film set has to be robust enough to take the rigors of shooting a feature film. They also fit into the way camera crews work the controls so they are simple to set up. Building and aligning the rig is not a ‘technicians only’ area. Our ACs built and maintained the rigs with ease. “The ET rigs let the filmmakers decide how they would like to shoot 3D ” he continues. “They have all the functions needed to simply adjust for good 3D. It is in your hands: parallel convergence wide IO. ET rigs don’t restrict you or impose a manufacturer’s version of how 3D should be. This is really important. The reliability of the rig is not in question. Shooting a movie is hard enough without worrying about whether the rig is going to melt down.” The Technica 3D Quasar mounts full-size digital cinematography cameras such as the Red One Sony F3 F23/35 and 1500 Arri Alexa D-21 and Genesis in stereoscopic pair configuration. Quasar 3D rigs have been quickly adopted by the 3D production world due to the many benefits they offer the stereographer including precision control ease of configuration and the rigs’ ability to shoot in either side-by-side under/thru beamsplitter or over/thru beamsplitter mode. The Quasar can be completely set up in under a half hour and converted from side-by-side to beamsplitter mode in less than 10 minutes. While Bait 3D was Emery’s first project with Element Technica equipment he was sold. He’s since gone on to several smaller projects using ET equipment paired with Arri’s Alexa. Bait 3D is slated for an October release in Australia with a USA release in the spring of 2012. Technica 3D www.technica3D.com ,2505
Canadian First ,2011-06-14, Sarila a compelling coming-of-age story set among the Inuit people of the Arctic is the first feature-length stereoscopic animated film created in Canada. Directed by Nancy Florence Savard the movie features the voices of Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music The Last Station) Geneviève Bujold (Anne of the Thousand Days The Trotsky) Rachelle Lefevre (Twilight Barney's Version) Dustin Milligan (Beverly Hills 90210 Slither) and Natar Ungalaq (The Fast Runner). For director Savard the film has been a labor of love for the past ten years. Sarila tells the story of three young Inuit who strike out on their own in order to save their clan from starvation she says. This is an inspirational story full of hope. It shows young people facing daunting challenges and through the experience taking control of their lives. Their world is exotic to us but their experience is universal.
Written by acclaimed children's author Roger Harvey and Pierre Tremblay an expert in Inuit culture and adapted by Paul Risacher the film uses authentic settings and indigenous mythology in order to capture the world of the Great White North.
The story draws on Inuit legends from different regions of the arctic says Savard but then it moves beyond those traditional archetypes to tell a new story.
Sarila invites the use of stereo 3D she says. The characters travel across the tundra through snow storms and meet strange semi-mythical characters along the way. The immersive quality of the stereo 3D draws the audience into their odyssey. Modus FX came on board as a investment partner late last year and began working with the film's art director Philippe Arsenault Bussières in January to translate his water color concept art into 3D geometry that can be rendered stereoscopically. The result is an original stylized aesthetic for stereo 3D. In our VFX work we usually mimic reality but with this project we are creating something different says visual effects supervisor Eric Clément. Our goal is to capture the essence of the original concept art. We want to 'push' the look of stereo 3D instead of going in the photoreal direction that a lot of current animation is doing. Working together with the art director the texture team at Modus developed a technique for mixing colors with a custom brush in Photoshop. Surfaces such as the characters' clothing for example blend a watercolor look with photographic references to create the final result.
Modus currently has a team of 85 artists on the project many of whom were involved in the facility's recent March of the Dinosaurs project a 90-minute animation for National Geographic and The History Channel which was coincidentally also set in the Arctic. Sarila includes 950 shots so the 15-month production schedule requires an efficient pipeline and relies on several key Modus-developed technologies.
The vast and desolate landscapes of the Arctic play an important role in the narrative and atmosphere of the story. Since the film is in stereo 3D the process of creating these landscapes is more complex than with traditional matte painting. The old-school tricks of doing '2D cheats' in compositing like doing a matte painting to extend the background – those don't work in stereo says Clément. You need to include the geometry with the images.
To solve the problem the Modus team has developed a pipeline for creating 3D maps of matte paintings. The spatial coordinates for each landscape are built in Softimage XSI allowing the team to create and render left and right eye cameras. The shots are then assembled in Nuke again using custom tools developed at Modus. This way of building our 3D geometry is very effective for working out backgrounds such as skies says Clément. Another challenge for stereo 3D animations is the volume of data to be managed. Modus has developed a number of technologies for this including the Modus FX SceneBuilder. This tool enables artists to load subsets of a scene in order to work on one particular element without the overhead of the whole scene. The film includes 30 different environments so the MFX SceneBuilder has become a critical tool in keeping our shot pipeline moving efficiently says Clément.
Modus has also upgraded their infrastructure by implementing the new Arnold rendering system. It's amazingly fast in terms of motion blur subsurfaces and other computationally-intensive processes says Clément. This required creating a new compatible shader library but the faster render times have easily justified the extra effort. We keep finding ways to get more out of our pipeline he added the result is that our artists can focus on the art and don't have to think about the technology.
Sarila has a total of 35 talking characters including people and animals so rigging and lip-synching are another area where an efficient workflow is critical. We have bipeds quadrupeds and birds to animate says Clément so we created a system that would allow our artists to rig their characters in different shots without having to start from scratch each time they started on a new scene.
The Modus FX AutoRigger developed specially for Sarila allows artists to generate biped and quadruped bones structures. With the MFX AutoRigger artists can apply movement patterns to their characters automatically and then manually adjust the movements for each shot. For example for a sled pulled by five dogs we want our animator to be able to start with the basic running movements and refine the work from there says Clément.
The film is being entirely keyframe animated and lipsynched by hand. The voice tracks were recorded by the cast earlier this year at Technicolor and assembled at Studio Expression in Qubec City. Our AutoRigger buys us extra time for work like this says Clément. Being efficient up front means the artists can afford to spend time on the small timing details that make animation come alive on the screen.
Modus has also created a system for automating compositing work. This solution uses templates which can be applied to similar shots automatically from the 3D data. A script is generated and a pre-comp is sent to our dailies for review says Clément. This gives the compositors a good starting point if further work on the comp is needed. We first created this system a few years ago. Like the AutoRigger it allows our artists to produce better shots more quickly.
It's exciting for all of us to be creating Canadian film history says Marc Bourbonnais president and co-founder of Modus FX. We're proud to be working with Carpe Diem Film & TV and 10th Avenue Productions on Sarila and look forward to sharing this beautiful story with audiences around the world.
Produced by Carpe Diem Film & TV Inc. and 10th Ave. Productions and executive produced by Marie-Claude Beauchamp Normand Thauvette Paul Risacher & Nancy Florence Savard Sarila is scheduled for release in 2012.
Modus FX www.modusfx.com ,2507
Admiring the Universe in 8K,2011-06-14,Global Immersion has completed the technology integration for the Grainger Sky Theatre at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. The 8K theatre which the integrator claims is now the highest resolution digital dome theatre in the world will open to the public in July. The Adler Planetarium was founded in 1930 as America’s first planetarium and closed the 80-year old Historic Sky Theatre last September for renovations. Global Immersion contracted in April 2010 to design and integrate an ultra high performance contrast and resolution immersive experience unlike any other in the world integrated its proprietary Fidelity Black 8K digital theatre system into the newly installed a 71-foot diameter dome which fearures a twenty-channel array of Zorro projectors from Rockwell Collins. The twenty-projector configuration has produced an overall display resolution in excess of 8.3K. The resulting immersive experience is a completely black environment and incredible projected detail and color produced by high levels of contrast. Powered by Global Immersion’s Fidelity Play comprising forty-six Media Servers the Grainger Sky Theatre is primed for both real-time and playback media and is capable of running at both 30 and 60 frames per second at 8K resolution. The Uniview real-time data and astronomy visualization platform from SCISS will be used for astronomy presentations. “The system in the Grainger Sky Theatre surpasses anything we have done before in terms of display performance ” says Andrew Zadarnowski senior project manager at Global Immersion and project manager for the Grainger Sky Theatre renovation. “The resolution and contrast of this display will completely immerse visitors in what will seem to be the real thing – audiences can be closer to touching the stars and galaxies in our Universe than they can anywhere else on the planet.” Zadarnowski says “The entire system is incredibly robust and flexible – as the digital media age is quickly transitioning to higher native frame rates and resolutions the playback server systems are ready for the next level of digital cinema.” “The completely transformed Grainger Sky Theatre is taking the immersive dome experience to a whole new level ” says Doug Roberts PhD Adler associate vice president for digital technology and project director for the Grainger Sky Theatre. “Global Immersion and the Adler have collaborated since the beginning of the project to create a one-of-a-kind experience for visitors. Using twenty separate projectors – powered by forty-six computers – to create one seamless image is unprecedented.” Global Immersion also integrated a turnkey 15.2 audio solution and a fully integrated control system including programmed touch-screen interfaces and a state-of-the-art custom operator console. The Grainger Sky Theatre will open to the public as part of the new Deep Space Adventure on July 8th and will be showing a new full-dome production from the Adler Planetarium. The Adler Planetarium www.adlerplanetarium.org ,2508
Bandito Brothers Workflow,2011-06-14,The Los Angeles filmmaking collective Bandito Brothers are using a powerful workflow to create high-octane action-oriented movies like Dust to Glory. ,2514
If It’s 3D It’s Better Right?,2011-06-30, This is an interesting if somewhat disappointing summer in the still young life of digital stereoscopic 3D. Hardly a week goes by without an announcement proclaiming a 3D first. Unfortunately very few of these announcements are about how an artist used 3D to enhance or improve a visual story or of in turn why a customer should pay an extra price to see a movie in 3D. Most of these announcements are gimmicks designed mainly to try to jumpstart sales of 3D phones and televisions. The feeling seems to be that as long as it’s in 3D it must be better. To me all it shows is the continuing short supply of quality 3D content. Of course the porn industry is involved. Sprint will soon be selling what the company says is the U.S.'s first 3D cell phone featuring dual cameras for capturing stereo 3D images and a lenticular screen to watch them in glasses-free 3D and in response to that Funky Monkey Productions has entered into with the Internet company Manwin to create 3DXStar a series of sites featuring … Well you get it. LG Electronics also recently backed an event that set two – count them – two Guinness world records: the biggest audience ever to view a 3D movie and the largest 3D screen in the world. Harkness supplied the screen for a special viewing of the hit film Rio at Le Grand Palais on the bank of the Champs-Elysées in Paris. The screening was part of LG’s launch of its Cinema 3D TV. Close to 1 500 invited guests converged in the regal theatre to watch. Measuring 27 meters wide by 11 meters high the gigantic Spectral 240 was supplied from Harkness' factory in France. Four Christie Solaria digital projectors were used. “To manufacture and deliver the largest 3D screen we have ever produced was quite a challenge ” says Andrew Robinson managing director Harkness Screens. “Harkness Screens has five manufacturing plants throughout the world and having a factory in France proved to be invaluable for this project.”
Last month organizers created what they called “the first realistic 3D-projection on a building” at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre in Sofia Bulgaria. LG Electronics and MP-Studio organized the event with support from Megaboard Bulgaria R and I Advertising 2A Propaganda and PrimeSpot. They said the projection interacted with the historic architecture of the theatre to create “a spectacular 3D visual and audio experience.” The 3D mapping was adapted to the architecture of the building. Characteristic elements of the building were used to create effects. Visitors were offered a chance to win one of the 10 LG GS290 mobile phones 1 LG Optimus 3D phone or 1 Cinema 3D LW4500 TV. Not to be outdone as has been made evident in early publicity – including movie posters – for Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids: All the Time in the World the film will be shown in 4D. Apparently audiences will be given a free scratch-and-sniff card (along with their 3D glasses) at each screening. Onscreen cues will let viewers know which odor to sniff. Finally there was one development that seemed positive. In an announcement that is difficult to verify but is at least more about creating quality 3D than it is about selling something Shannon Benna has claimed the title as Hollywood's First Female Feature Film Stereographer through her work on Global Asylum's upcoming 3D feature film A Haunting In Salem.
Slated for release next month A Haunting in Salem is a horror film based around the historic events of the Salem witch trials of 1692. Global Asylum felt the storyline lent itself to being enhanced by stereoscopic 3D and chose to capture the movie in native 3D rather than converting it after the fact. Shot on Red Ones and using the DV4 beam-splitter provided by InterVideo the feature's principal photography helmed by DP Alexander Yellen maintained a tight schedule covering up to 28 set ups per day. As on-set Stereographer Benna was in charge of stereoscopic equipment camera and rig alignment depth budget and depth score. She also served as the film's overall stereoscopic production consultant.
I was amazed by the efficiency and cohesive teamwork behind A Haunting in Salem ” Benna said. “This production team managed to shoot a full length 3D feature in only 12 days. I was skeptical about making the schedule especially with a full sized rig but once we got the feel of our system down we had almost no problems. Everyone was very receptive to making adjustments to enhance the stereo effect. It was great fun to work in such a collaborative environment.
According to the film's director Shane Van Dyke Working with Shannon was an absolute pleasure and an invaluable learning experience. Having never worked with 3D myself I was able to gain a whole new understanding of the process and the fundamentals that go along with it.
In addition to her consulting work on behalf of various 3D productions Benna is also launching Women in 3D an industry organization to help synergize the community. She said I truly love working in 3D and I want to make the 3D Women's community a very global one. So far I have rounded up more than 60 'stereo sisters' currently working in the 3D space. I believe in the magic of 3D—it changes one's perspective and I feel proof of that by working within the 3D community every day. A woman turned me on to 3D and I'd like to share and nurture that tradition of fellowship and support through mentorship. I want to encourage women everywhere to explore technology and perception through the 3D medium. Benna’s efforts are a step in the right direction. The movie industry doesn’t need any more 3D gimmicks. The movie industry needs more quality 3D. ,2518
Green Lantern Sounds Off,2011-06-30,Green Lantern posed a number of significant challenges for its sound team led by Academy Award-winning supervising sound editors Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers of Soundelux. ,2523
Speed Thrills,2011-06-30,Bandito Brothers a full-service media company and filmmaking collective based in Los Angeles is known for its high-octane in-camera action seen in commercials for cars soft drinks and branches of the U.S. armed forces as well as on the silver screen. Scenes used in the studio’s work often integrate adventure sports such as motorcycle racing surfing snowboarding and skateboarding or actual military exercises with live ammunition. We are fearless directors and cameramen who are willing to immerse ourselves in pretty much anything to get great footage – and we are also technologists who push technology in post-production to achieve our desired results says Jacob Rosenberg chief technology officer and director at Bandito Brothers. For us the Adobe and NVIDIA tools are like a Swiss army knife allowing you to create essentially anything you want right on your desktop. We create cinematic non-fiction ” said Rosenberg. We architect a story with real people shoot it edit it and tell that authentic experience. Whether it’s a skateboarder dragged behind a subway train for a Mountain Dew commercial or films such as Dust to Glory (about the Baja 100 road race) and Step Into Liquid (about extreme surfing) Bandito Brothers makes sure it conveys an immersive being-there quality. Bandito Brothers uses Quadro-equipped workstations running Adobe Premiere Pro and IRIDAS SpeedGrade software. Their post-production technology works with any camera format so the filmmakers need not rely on large unwieldy cameras to capture their action footage. Recently they have been using the new Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR making it very easy to get high quality footage while hanging out of speeding vehicles or parachuting out of planes. We need to work in a WYSIWYG environment says Rosenberg. Quadro enables us to watch a full broadcast monitor to see scenes with pixel-for-pixel accuracy. We create a color profile correction throw it on the timeline and it looks much better than just the raw video. When editing and applying effects the CUDA parallel computing architecture of NVIDIA Quadro GPUs dramatically accelerates Adobe Premiere Pro CS5. As a result Bandito Brothers artists enjoy an amazingly fluid real-time video editing experience at full resolution without expensive custom hardware or additional third-party products. In addition deploying the NVIDIA Quadro Digital Video Pipeline solutions Bandito Brothers utilizes HD-SDI output options and routes the video feeds to various review stations in the studio or their plush screening room. “Right now we are using single channel HD-SDI output but when we move to 3D we know Quadro’s built-in dual channel support is waiting for us and ready to go said Rosenberg. With Adobe CS5 and the Quadro GPU Bandito Brothers can now take footage from a shoot import it directly into Premiere Pro CS5 and begin editing right away. The Mercury Playback Engine in CS5 enables editing of RAW footage taken directly from the Canon 5D and placed in the timeline. With Quadro we see our work in real-time at the right resolution without having to go through proxies or temporary files says Rosenberg. NVIDIA enables us to reduce the number of steps in the editing process and shortens the remaining steps – so the whole post-production process is more efficient. By streamlining the production process the combination of Adobe and NVIDIA technologies free Bandito Brothers to reach their full creative potential. It's important for us to create work that not only our clients appreciate but also that we believe in says Rosenberg. NVIDIA Quadro allows us to have an immediate immersive experience doing things in real-time at the highest possible quality. We have high expectations for what we do. Because we trust the solutions from Adobe and NVIDIA we are able to produce authentic video content that exceeds our expectations. ,2525
Illuminating the Arts,2011-06-30, First commissioned and sponsored by the Kimmel Center for its Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts the new three-dimensional signage cube made its debut in April to promote PIFA's slate of performances and events during the 25-day festival. It will now promote the roster of events taking place at the Kimmel Center The Academy of Music and the Merriam Theater all part of the impressive Kimmel Center Campus. Barco LiveDots a Barco company was selected to install the system. Perched on top of the corner of the main Kimmel Center building the C11 LED display – designed in the shape of a cube – is located at the Kimmel Center's main entrance on a busy downtown corner advertising the Campus's performances live concert feeds and visitor information with dazzling lights and variable sound. “The new display provides visitors a glimpse into the diverse program offerings on the Kimmel Center Campus. It captures our brilliant performances the unsurpassed artistic merit of our resident companies and the vitality of our city in a series of dazzling vignettes. It will undoubtedly become a beacon to the Avenue of the Arts as it lights up the Kimmel Center façade ” says Ed Cambron PIFA's executive director. In less than 100 days the system was developed from concept to launch to ensure its completion prior to the festival's start. Comprised of 72 C11 panels the structure appears to float in the building's alcove due to a reverse pyramid that masks the 10-inch pivot. Running on a cloud system the cube can project five different sources including live video from inside the concert halls. Edwards Technologies worked closely with the Kimmel Center to design the optimum solution using Barco LiveDots LED. “The Kimmel Center wanted a unique yet functional way to advertise its upcoming shows while creating impact and intrigue at this highly visible city corner. We've come to rely on Barco technology for innovative solutions that are not only creative but feature a rugged modular design ” says David Krueger of ETI. “We know that we can always count on them to deliver a high-performance solution that's highly reliable.”
The C11 is a modular LED display featuring 5 000 nits brightness 11mm real pixel pitch and a 120-degree viewing angle presenting crisp clear imagery of video graphics and type. The industry's first environmentally friendly display it generates much less heat and uses only a fraction of the power consumed by competing displays. Suitable for both indoor and out its IP66-rated fanless enclosure makes it completely waterproof to withstand the most challenging environments. “The C11 is all about high impact and low power offering a creative display solution at an economical price. The cube fulfills the Center's need for an eye-catching digital billboard that mirrors the same level of quality and sophistication portrayed in its world-class performing arts programs ” says Guy Russell general manager of Barco LiveDots. ,2527
Flame Premium Smoke and Redefining 3D,2011-06-30, By Valentina I. Valentini West Coast Correspondent Autodesk is no newbie when it comes to 3D. Their products have been working in the 3D world for 15 years when Flame first debuted. Now they’re venturing into 3D stereoscopy and Marc Hamaker senior product marketing manager makes sure to differentiate between the two terms. “We believe that 3D is a core creative concept regardless of whether you’re delivering a stereoscopic result or just a standard 2D monoscopic result ” says Hamaker. At this year’s NAB in April Autodesk debuted their 2012 versions of Flame Premium and Smoke with two major revamps to the finishing software. The first overhaul on Flame Premium has to do with re-lighting which can be applied across both 2D and 3D delivery formats. “It’s the idea that adding lights to a scene means that you’re actually interacting with the space the way a traditional light would ” says Hamaker. “It’s using 3D technology to change the look of a scene. Like if you want to simulate sunlight coming through trees. If you think about how that was traditionally done in compositing where they kind of fake it in a 2D flat setting we’re able to take advantage of the native depth within our compositing space to be able to put a light behind those trees and have the light shine through. Hamaker realizes this isn’t the first time software has been able to do something like this but points out that it used to be really labor-intensive and time-consuming. The second big story for Flame Premium involves a concept they call re-dimensionalization – taking 2D content and generating stereoscopic content. Otherwise known as 2D to 3D conversion. “The reason we use that term ” Hamaker explains “is because when you shoot a scene with a single camera you’re taking a depth or dimension out of the equation. There are a lot of different ways to convert 2D to 3D and two of the more common ways are using some displacement tools or rotoscoping every image and separating each image out. But the way we are doing it is taking content and geometry and tools from the animation side and applying them to stereoscopic re-dimensionalization. Where Flame Premium is generally known in high-end post-production facilities Smoke tends to end up as a broader solution in the professional finishing market. Smoke combines all the different aspects of finishing – color correction visual effects titling assembly. “You can even load and edit a project from scratch in Smoke – all in one application ” says Hamaker. “That was something we didn’t see for Mac computers except for Final Cut Pro which didn’t have all those aspects. So we realized Smoke could be a very efficient way of working because you wouldn’t have to move between different applications.” Autodesk saw what it believed was a creative gap in the world of Apple and filled it with a 3D compositing application. “I think we offer a solution that is really comprehensive ” Hamaker says. Also because they have an end-to-end product line the data can be transferred without any hiccups like there could be when using different products throughout the process. “Today the industry is changing ” says Hamaker. “It’s not as segmented as it used to be. And we’re not saying that our tools are better than anyone else’s – because a great artist can take any tools and deliver great content – but I think we’re really successful in trying to deliver that all-in-one experience.” Hamaker says that Autodesk now offers students (anyone with an .edu email account) a free 36-month full access trial package to Smoke and a 30-day trial download for any professional. ,2531
Welcoming Horrid Henry,2011-06-30,The Glasgow Film Theatre in Scotland has installed a Panavision 3D System in time for the premiere of the new UK production Horrid Henry. Several cast members are expected to be in attendance for the first screening in July. Traditionally used in cinemas to deliver effects-laden and heavily-promoted studio releases the Panavision system will be used to show independent movies in this 400-seat cultural cinema. “3D adds to the big screen experience ” says Jaki McDougall chief executive of Glasgow Film the company that operates GFT “and we believe that it's moving beyond its traditional use in big-budget blockbusters. For a cultural cinema it's important that we screen directors’ work as they intend it to be shown. Some of the world’s finest independent filmmakers are starting to explore 3D – Wender's Pina and Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams are just two examples – and we want to take our audiences along on the adventure.” “We are fortunate ” says Adam MacDonald director of sales EMEA for DPVO Theatrical the company developing and marketing the Panavision 3D System “to be selected by the GFT one of the most prestigious cinemas in the country. They attract a more discerning audience who appreciates the quality and superior entertainment experience that 3D on a white screen offers. Our system provides that and we are pleased that they see us as meeting their standards.” The Panavision 3D System is well suited to meet GFT’s needs because it’s compatible with a white or silver screen digital or film projection. Using unique technology to comb the entire visible spectrum the company says the system is the most efficient – and delivers the most complete color rendition – of any 3D system using passive glasses and a white screen. “We chose the Panavision 3D System for the quality of image it provides and for its ability to work with a white screen ” McDougall says. “Their glasses are not the most stylish; that might work to our advantage because their design discourages people from carrying them away when they leave. But they’re lightweight comfortable and make you feel like you’re in the movie. Cultural or arthouse cinema has yet to develop its own aesthetic around 3D and we're interested to be part of that process.” The Panavision 3D System package includes a filter module installed in the digital projector a quantity of high-quality reusable glasses with tempered glass lenses and a washing-sanitizing system. The module includes a spinning filter which slices the motion picture image into ten slim bands of color and delivers five bands to the left eye five to the right. Light intensity is approximately equal to both eyes and the brain combines the images to see 3D. “It’s a highly flexible and simple approach to 3D ” MacDonald says. “Cinemas can move easily from 3D to 2D and back again on the same screen to show different movies even during different day parts. Our approach typically attracts larger cinema circuits and we’re working with some of the most successful dealers in several countries. The GFT is a first for us but we were attracted by the quality of their presentation; our goal is to help them more fully deliver that with the excitement offered by digital 3D.” Glasgow Film Theatre www.glasgowfilm.org ,2532
Sounds Like Penguins,2011-06-30,Mark Mangini’s job is for the birds. A sound designer at Soundelux in Hollywood Mangini led the sound team for Mr. Popper’s Penguins the new film from 20th Century Fox. The summer movie season’s first live-action family comedy event stars Jim Carrey as a businessman whose chilly relationship with his family heats up after he inherits six adorable lovable and mischievous penguins. The penguins play a prominent part in the film and interact with Carrey’s character and others in decidedly non-avian ways. Each also has a distinct personality that is communicated largely through the sound it makes. “We have Captain the leader; Loudy who has an ear-piercing scream; Nimrod who’s intellectually challenged; Lovey a cuddler; Bitey who’s a bit aggressive; and Stinky who has a problem with his digestion ” says Mangini. “We had to create a voice for each of those archetypes and do it using naturalistic penguin sounds.” That task was more difficult than it might appear. To begin with very few penguin sounds were recorded during the production. “On the set penguins like most animals make very little sound ” Mangini explains. “In general they only vocalize when they are alone or threatened which of course they never were.” To gather appropriate penguin sounds Mangini searched stock sound libraries but found that little was available. Most of the penguin sounds that he did find were recorded in the natural world and were marred by wind and other environmental sounds that rendered them unusable. He also considered using human voice talent to mimic penguins but quickly concluded that would not result in the natural sound required by the film. Ultimately Mangini determined he needed to make his own penguin recordings and so he arranged to have access to the birds that were used in the film. “We couldn’t use a regular recording facility because penguins need to be in an environment that is 40 degrees or colder at all times ” he says. “So we built a recording room equipped with a special air conditioning system. It became our ‘penguin ADR room.’” Sound recordist Ben Cheah spent the next several days working with animal trainers who tempted the birds into vocalizing by offering them fish. It was slow going. The more than 16 hours of recordings captured by the crew resulted in a scant five minutes of penguin chirps honks and cheeps. But it proved to be just enough. Through judicious editing and clever digital enhancement Mangini and his crew used these precious penguin recordings as the basis for creating human-like personalities for each of the birds. “For Nimrod we developed a kooky zany sound by editing little pieces together and changing their pitch. It makes him sound loony—the Daffy Duck of penguins ” Mangini says. “Another ‘miracle’ sound is Lovey’s ‘coo.’ We found a beautiful coo that sounds like the cutest nuzzle you’ve ever heard.” The team also employed their recordings to illustrate a huge variety of behaviors both bird-like and anthropomorphic. Among other things they developed specialized sounds to suggest penguin laughs screams and yes flatulence. They also created a signature sound indicating a penguin’s urgent need to relieve itself. “I imagine there will be penguin trainers in the audience who will recognize they are hearing the genuine sounds of gentoo penguins ” Mangini says “but they’ll leave the theatre scratching their heads and wondering how we got the birds to do it.” CSS Studios css-studios.com ,2535
Perspectives on the Cinema Business,2011-06-30,The first CineEurope concluded this week in Amsterdam. In the wake of that event I spoke with Eric Rodli general manager of DPVO Theatrical the parent company of Panavision 3D to get his perspectives on the current state of the digital cinema business. Cine Expo has morphed into CineEurope. What’s your perspective on the state of the European market for 3D systems? It’s a market that is somewhat fragmented; so much depends on the country the size of the exhibitor economic conditions and other factors. In the UK Austria and even Norway and Denmark for example audiences are well acquainted with 3D and much of the initial ‘system-installation frenzy’ is over – while in Spain Hungary and Turkey digital penetration is lower and many movie-goers have never seen 3D. In virtually all countries there are still plenty of opportunities especially in mid-size and smaller chains – but the ultimate number of 3D-enabled screens will depend on the audience’s continued acceptance for the 3D movie experience. From our perspective – which was a ‘no sales no partners and no presence’ in Europe just over 4 months ago - we now have the first sites getting off the ground dealers being signed and major strategic partnerships looking very promising very soon. We expect three-quarters of our sales this year to be outside the United States – and Europe will be a big part of that. The Panavision 3D System was first shown at Cinema Expo a year ago. What has changed in that time? When we brought the system to Amsterdam a year ago it was little more than ‘proof of concept’. Our goal was to show the industry that there was a simpler way to handle 3D a way that we believed delivered superior color reproduction and would be the most efficient system using passive glasses on a white screen. We knew we had a lot of work to do to get the system fully commercialized but we were asking our potential customers: Are you interested? Do you need another player in the game? What can we improve? Their answer – judging by how many wanted more information or even to order it for last summer – was very positive and so we went back to work to commercialize the system. Where did you focus your efforts? Everywhere however the main focus was on improving our product quality. In terms of technology we improved our filter quality – in the projector and in the glasses. We made our glass frames more comfortable lighter but more durable so they could better withstand the regular washing and high heat required for sanitization. In terms of business we put together a model that included selling or leasing the systems directly inside the US and Canada and offering the systems for sale through dealers and distributors on a worldwide basis. We hired key and experienced managers to bring discipline to our processes and to help us aggressively enter the marketplace. A key recent hire was Adam MacDonald to head our European sales effort. Following Show East in the U.S. in October last year we began installing customer sites which continue to provide real in-market learning – and what has been most satisfying – highly-reliable real-world performance. 3D has been in the market since 2005. There are four or five other 3D systems available. Aren’t you a bit late to the party? We are but as Drena Rogers our Americas sales manager says “If you are going to arrive late to the party it helps to bring a nice dessert.” Our customers are telling us we’ve done that. Our system is compatible with white or silver screens film or digital projectors; it works with what exhibitors have today and what they’ll have tomorrow. Most of the world’s screens are white; in fact the most discerning moviegoers often prefer white screens because they provide the same illumination from every seat in the house. And while our industry is moving towards digital projection different exhibitors are moving at different rates for different reasons. With our system they have more flexibility in their rollout; they can start with digital – or they can start with film 3D and move to digital 3D when they’re ready – and keep the same glasses same screen same workflow and same supplier. Is the Panavision 3D System compatible with different digital technologies? We’re getting there. We’re just announcing we’re working with Sony on a solution that will enable our systems to be compatible with Sony Digital Cinema 4K projectors. Although final technical choices still need to be made the goal of the on-going work is to develop a solution that will enable exhibitors to deliver superior 4K image quality in 3D on white or silver screens. This is expected to provide an attractive new option for customers and to expand the market for Sony 4K projectors and Panavision 3D Systems. The solution is planned to be marketed through Sony sales channels beginning in Europe towards the end of this year. All of our prior installations have been in DLP-enabled projectors and our system continues to be compatible with that technology. We’ve not yet been in a commercial installation with a Barco projector but plans are in place for that to take place later this summer. What’s the status of Panavision 3D Systems in the marketplace? Since our first installations in November of last year we have almost 200 systems in place – or ready for installation – in cinemas worldwide. Our system plays 3D content on the prestigious Screen 1 of the National Film Theatre in London; we’re installing on the GFT in Glasgow; and we’re working on several other sites in Europe. Some of the most successful dealers in Europe now are selling our systems and we also have agreements with other suppliers. Meanwhile we continue to increase our footprint in North America where UltraStar has a number of our digital systems in their newest locations – and we have six digital systems going into the newest site by Cinetopia one of the most selective cinema operators in the US. In Latin America where most projectors still show film our 3D sales are growing especially in Brazil with upcoming installations in Mexico Colombia Argentina and Chile. Do you sell directly or through dealers? In the US and Canada we do both; outside of North America we sell through authorized dealers or master distributors. In the Americas we’ve chosen to work with a very small and selective network of key dealers. In Europe we’re building a network of the most successful dealers by country and have already attracted some of the very best in this part of the world. In Asia we also are in the process of engaging master distributors who will also handle warehousing technical support and other functions for our systems as well as sales. We expect to have those agreements in place soon. How have studios reacted to the Panavision 3D System? The Panavision 3D System has played digital 3D movies from all major studios and is compatible with all DCPs. The film version of our system is compatible with all 3D film prints in the over-under format and has played movies from those studios that release their 3D movies in the film format. If the exhibitor can book it in 3D the Panavision 3D System can play it. Some have suggested that film is going away quickly and exhibitors who don’t convert to digital quickly will be left behind. What’s your perspective? Ultimately there will be no film in theatres but the time frame and rate of decline of film are unclear for a host of reasons. The conversion to any new technology needs to make creative operational and business sense to everyone involved – distributors exhibitors suppliers and audiences – in this complex and integrated industry we call cinema entertainment. There are still solid business reasons why some exhibitors have not yet converted to digital – and won’t in the near future. Film prints may become scarcer less available to second-run theatres and more expensive for everyone but we expect they’ll be around for some time. Many studios and other distributors including those handling locally produced content release 3D film prints and the Panavision 3D System can play those as well as digital releases so audiences can enjoy 3D in both technologies. I believe our film 3D provides a very good image which allows more exhibitors and audiences to experience 3D. However there is no longer any question that digital projection is on its way to being ubiquitous and our primary focus is on our digital 3D technology. Some have suggested 3D is a fad. What’s your perspective? From a creative point of view in terms of production and post-production 3D may still be in its 'infancy'. From speaking to cinematographers and others we get the sense that as filmmakers start to really use the 3D tools to their full potential the best is yet to come. From a studio perspective they are also learning which stories are best told in 3D and which movies perform best in 3D -- and will direct support accordingly. We expect to see 2D versions and 3D versions of the same movie playing on the same screens during different day-parts. 3D is not going to replace 2D it just offers another ‘entertainment choice’ to moviegoers and as such the success of 3D movies (just like 2D movies) will never be entirely predictable. In these unpredictable times exhibitors need the flexibility to switch between 2D and 3D on the same screens easily quickly and seamlessly; Panavision 3D Systems enable them to do that. Although 3D will be used and enjoyed more selectively we believe it will be here for the long-term; and so will we. ,2540
Leading the Way in Norway,2011-06-30, The first CineEurope (formerly known as Cinema Expo) the official convention of the Union Internationale des Cinemas was held this past week in Amsterdam. Our European Correspondent Melissa Keeping was at the show and will offer her firsthand perspectives in the next Report. Meanwhile here are some early announcements. It was fitting that Amsterdam was the host city because Norway has taken a leading roll and will soon be the first country to be completely digital. According to Jørgen Stensland Film & Kino’s head of consulting and the project manager for the digitalization Norway has completed the collective national digitalization of its movie theatres. The process ended almost a year earlier than anticipated he said and now In Norway a total of 185 cinemas out of 193 and 410 screens are now able to screen films digitally. The small and medium-sized cinemas are reporting a large increase in attendance as a consequence of the project.
In total 410 movie theatres can now screen digital films and other alternative content. Even the Mobile Cinema will have completed its digitalization before the fall season of 2011. As many as 70 per cent of the cinemas including the Mobile Cinema can screen 3D movies Stensland said.
With the digitalization the small and medium-sized cinemas have obtained access to a much larger selection of films than previously. There are premieres more often and the films generally arrive faster at the movie theatres.
“It is very nice to see a better attendance so soon as a consequence of the investments that the various municipalities and the small cinemas have made ” Stensland said. “Not least it shows that the decision to digitalize all the cinemas was the right one.” “In addition a number of cinemas have used the opportunity to show alternative content. Many movie theatres have had great success with the transmission of sports events and performances from the world's great opera houses like the Metropolitan in New York and La Scala in Milano ” he said. “We have also seen that there are opportunities for local productions in various cultural areas to be screened. Among other things theatre productions are now next in line.”
He added that “The attendance for screenings of alternative content has on many occasions been larger than for regular film screenings. In Sunndal for example a film production by and with local people achieved the year's highest attendance figures. The possibilities are many and we will probably see interesting developments in this area in coming years.” In related news Arts Alliance Media has reached agreement with the 14 members of the NVF the Dutch Film Distributors’ Association for its VPF-funded rollout. The independent members of the NVF have all signed up to 10-year agreements with AAM to help fund the conversion of cinemas in Holland from celluloid to digital equipment. The major Hollywood studio members of the NVF will join the plan through their existing VPF-agreements with AAM. Michael Lambrechtsen managing director of the NVF said “The Cinema Digitaal program is the only digital cinema program supported and authorized by all of the members of the NVF. All of our distributors look forward to working with AAM and pushing forward with the conversion.” Howard Kiedaisch CEO of Arts Alliance Media added “The Cinema Digitaal initiative is a tremendous achievement and something the Dutch film industry should be very proud of. Having all the local distributors on board is crucial to the success of the program.” AAM also announced a deal to digitize Finnkino Cinemas Finland’s number one cinema chain. The VPF deal will cover all of Finnkino’s 88 screens across 14 sites and will see each screen converted to DCI-compliant digital cinema over the next 18 months. The Finnkino screens that are already digitally equipped will be rolled into the deal and covered by existing VPF agreements. Liisi Jauho CEO of Finnkino said of the deal “We are proud and excited to start this cooperation with AAM. The deal helps us to bring our cinemas to the digital era and ensures a fast rollout which is positive in many ways to the whole industry. Full digitalization creates new opportunities for developing the cinemas operations and concepts to the benefit of our customers and our company. The European digital cinema service company XDC had a long list of announcements. To start UK’s Empire Cinemas and XDC have signed contracts for a deployment of digital cinema systems under XDC's VPF funding plan. Justin Ribbons chief executive officer of Empire Cinemas said We made the decision to contract with XDC because they offered the most competitive financing solution available on the market combined with expert technical support and knowledge from their well established NOC. With the help of XDC we will be able to complete our full roll-out within a very short time frame. Serge Plasch chief executive officer of XDC said It's great that we have reached agreement with Empire Cinemas. As the UK's largest independent exhibitor this is of key strategic importance to XDC. Under the terms of the agreement with XDC Empire Cinemas will have Series 2 DCI-compliant digital projection systems installed into 17 complexes and more than 200 screens. Furthermore XDC will implement a content delivery network that allows distributors to deliver films directly by satellite and/or broadband connection to the cinemas and gives the opportunity to receive live 2D and 3D transmissions. XDC also announced that it has reached an agreement with Sensio to allow XDC to distribute in Europe and the Middle East live 3D alternative content events provided in Sensio’s 3D format. Sensio is delighted to be working with XDC so that even more people will soon be able to experience the thrill of live 3D events in cinemas said Richard LaBerge executive vice president and chief marketing officer. This agreement will create a synergy between the special connections Sensio has cultivated since the inception of live 3D and the strong network developed and maintained by XDC and we look forward to seeing it materialize. Fabrice Testa vice president content & network services at XDC said We are very proud that Sensio is trusting XDC Entertainment Services for the distribution of their alternative content events. Thanks to this agreement XDC will be able to offer to the exhibition very attractive live 3D content such as international sporting events and concerts. XDC supports exhibitors by providing a complete marketing package and a cross-media promotional campaign. Moreover new tools are continuously developed to match the specific needs required by the distribution of such content in the digital environment. This helps exhibitors to maximize attendance. XDC also announced a VPF deal with Nordisk Film Cinemas a part of the Nordisk Film and leading Nordic media group Egmont to convert 120 screens in 17 sites in Denmark into digital. Having already implemented a large number of VPF screens in Central and Southern Europe XDC now have started to enter the Scandinavian market. Christian De Stoop VPF sales director of XDC said Having already worked with Nordisk Film in the past for the conversion of several screens under non-VPF contract we are extremely excited about this deal because it represents the first VPF agreement in Scandinavia. For Nordisk Film this decision is vital as well and aims at securing cinema for the future as John Toennes CEO of Nordisk Film Cinemas confirmed. We are very happy to close this deal securing a full digitization of our circuit in 2012. Digital cinema and digital 3D is vital for securing and developing the best cinema experience for our guests and we are looking very much forward to executing this important project in close cooperation with XDC and Barco. Under the terms of the agreement with XDC Nordisk Film Cinemas will have Series 2 DCI-compliant digital projection systems installed into the member exhibitor complexes currently estimated at 120 screens in 17 different sites. These 120 screens will be equipped with Barco projectors (2K and 4K) Doremi servers (2K and 4K) and 17 Barco Theatre Management Systems. XDC will also implement a content delivery network that allows distributors to deliver films directly by satellite and / or broadband connection to the cinemas and gives the opportunity to receive live 2D and 3D transmissions. The installations will start in the third quarter of 2011 and should be completed within 12 months. Finally XDC announced that it will distribute in Portugal Norway and Denmark the ballets from the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia provided by Pathé Live formerly CielEcran one of the leading suppliers of alternative content. After an initial partnership on the 2010-2011 Bolshoi Ballet season that was limited to Portugal Pathé Live has now decided for the 2011-2012 season to rely on XDC alternative content distribution services not only in Portugal but also in Norway and Denmark. The 2011-2012 Bolshoi Ballet season includes six events spread from October 2011 to June 2012 among which six will be transmitted live. This includes famous ballets like Esmeralda The Sleeping Beauty or Raymonda. Bruno d'Isidoro program manager of Pathé Live said It is our goal to offer the world's greatest dance events in cinemas. The Bolshoi is one of the best dance companies in the world we film the ballets with 10 High Definition cameras and 5.1 sound; these shows are spectacular. We are now working with XDC for the 2nd year running and are very excited at the prospect of bringing the 2011-2012 Bolshoi Ballet season in new territories. Sony announced that it had shipped 8 800 Sony Digital Cinema 4K projection systems globally by May 2011. Sony also announced support to high frame rates in 3D. All Sony Digital Cinema 4K projectors already support 48p and 60p 3D by DVI input since its initial shipment in April 2007 for SRX-R220 and October 2009 for SRX-R320. With an upgrade expected to be available next year which will come at a potential upgrade cost all Sony Digital Cinema 4K projectors with their integrated media blocks will be able to support 48P and 60P 3D screening offering the ultimate 3D experience to its exhibitors and their customers.
Elsewhere at CineEurope Sony showcased its Closed Caption Glasses prototype. This is a technology concept Sony has developed which aims to support the hearing impaired community. This prototype see-through eyewear displays a virtual closed caption to the hearing impaired wearer enabling users to join friends and families to experience the same movie going experience. Sony also announced that it will be rolling out a downsized 4K technology projector tailored for small and medium screens. This development in projectors should be launched in the autumn of 2012. Sony also announced several interesting new business relationships.
Sony and DPVO Theatrical LLC – which is a joint venture of Panavision and Omega Optical – are working on a system that will enable Panavision 3D Systems to be compatible with Sony Digital Cinema 4K projectors. This will allow exhibitors to keep their white screens and still have a 3D system which delivers Sony’s 4K-picture quality in 3D. The launch of the Panavision 3D system for Sony Digital Cinema 4K projector is expected towards the end of 2011 in Europe.
Another key development is the partnership with SmartJog a global leader in managed digital delivery services and subsidiary of TDF Group. The SmartJog delivery system will be showcased at Sony's European headquarters as part of their collaboration effort. The companies will extend their relationship by implementing close communication between the Sony Theatre Management System and the SmartJog gateway and library server.
Reflecting upon Sony Digital Cinema’s successes and recent developments David McIntosh director Sony Professional Solutions Europe said “We are delighted to develop and expand the world of Sony Digital Cinema 4K in Europe supported by key technical partners in the cinema industry. Signing key Virtual Print Fee business in the UK has certainly enforced our position as a key player in this industry not only as a projector manufacturer but clearly as a total solution provider.” Harkness Screens announced a €2.5 million investment to expand its operations in France. The investment follows an expansion of operations in China this past May. The French expansion is expected to commence screen production in July.
The new French plant located in Amilly is about 20 kms from the company’s existing plant at St. Loup. The new Amilly facility is 50 percent larger than the St. Loup facility with the potential capacity to ultimately double the St. Loup facility. Harkness expects to add five employees in the new facility in Amilly.
“With the explosion of the 3D films arriving in cinemas worldwide orders for our screens from customers in Europe have risen significantly ” said Andrew Robinson managing director Harkness Screens. “In order to meet that demand and speed customer deliveries we made the strategic decision to open a new facility in France.”
The new French facility will serve Europe the Middle East and African markets and will also supply markets out of this area if required. The existing plant in St. Loup will continue to operate until full capacity is built up in Amilly.
“The investment we are making to increase our plant capacities is a reinforcement of Harkness Screens’ commitment to our customers and the cinema industry throughout the entire world ” said Robinson. Zeus Digital Theatres said it has recently completed a new all-digital eight-theatre multiplex in Waynesboro Virginia. The 1 106-seat facility offers 7.1 multichannel sound in every theatre along with DCI-compliant fully digital projection. Each theatre features a complete system of Harman’s JBL ScreenArray loudspeakers powered by Crown Audio DSi 2000 and DSi 1000 Series amplifiers. The Zeus Digital Theatres complex includes large medium and small theatre rooms. The large theatres are equipped with JBL 4732 ScreenArray cinema loudspeakers for the left center and right front channels along with JBL 8350 cinema surround loudspeakers. The medium-sized theatres feature JBL 3732 L/C/R ScreenArray cinema loudspeakers and 8340A surround loudspeakers. The small theatres include ScreenArray 3732 and 8320 compact surround speakers. JBL 4642A dual-18-inch subwoofers are used throughout. “We chose JBL loudspeakers for a number of reasons the main ones being JBL’s reliability reputation sound quality and value ” said Brett Hayes owner of Zeus Digital Theatres. “We wanted loudspeakers we knew would be reliable under continuous everyday use. JBL products have been around a long time and are proven in movie theatres everywhere.” “We’ve all been to movie theatres where the sound suffered because some of the drivers in the system had blown and no one ever bothered to replace them ” Hayes continued. “That isn’t going to happen in our theatres. And in the event we ever need to replace a driver we know JBL will be there.” “The sound of the ScreenArray loudspeakers and the surround speakers is exceptional ” added Hayes. “They easily fill all of our theatres with clear and powerful sound and really complement the excellence of the digital projection picture quality. In fact we found we had to turn the subwoofers down from what we thought would be our baseline level even though our rooms are a little oversized compared to other multiplex theatres. I should mention that the installation went smoothly with no issues or unwanted surprises.” Rydt Entertainment Systems a division of Moving Image Technology performed the install and furnished all the digital equipment the JBL/Crown system seating screens side wall treatments and LED lighting in the theatres. “The value is there also – we looked at other brands of speakers and amplifiers and some of them were more expensive than JBL and Crown but didn’t seem to offer any added benefit for the added cost ” Hayes said. Kinoton of Germering Germany recently installed Harman’s JBL ScreenArray loudspeakers and Crown amplifiers at the Filmpalast Kaufering multiplex cinema. The Filmpalast Kaufering opened in March and is the first multiplex in the metropolitan area of Landsberg am Lech in Germany. Filmpalast Kaufering has seven screens and places great value on having the best quality in picture and sound. Six of the seven theatres at Filmpalast Kaufering feature JBL 4722 ScreenArray systems driven by Crown XLS digital ampliifers. These rooms also include JBL 8320 cinema surround loudspeakers along with 4645C or 4642A subwoofers.
The largest theatre at Filmpalast Kaufering features a JBL ScreenArray system of 4732 loudspeaker models which JBL specifically developed for large rooms and feature a new large-format three-inch neodymium titanium diaphragm high-frequency compression driver for ultra-high performance. The new high-frequency driver is coupled with a patented high-frequency horn featuring Screen Spreading Compensation to correct for high-frequency dispersion through perforated screens. The theatre also features 4642A subwoofers and 8340A surround speakers along with Crown DSi amplifiers. Meyer Sound announced that its EXP systems are currently installed for nine screens at the Solaris Center in Tallinn Estonia Sala Berlanga in Spain in addition to a total of 60 CinemaxX screens to be completed in the next two years. Other recent EXP system installations have been completed in the United States (Pacific Theatres and Cinetopia) India (Urvashi Cinema) and Korea (Megabox Kintex). Lightspeed Design featured the DepthQ Polarization Modulator for 3D digital cinema. When combined with a silver screen the company said the DepthQ Polarization Modulator allows a digital cinema projector to display stereoscopic 3D films viewable using inexpensive passive circular polarized glasses. To date it has been successfully demonstrated to Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures and has been listed in the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Approved Equipment List. MasterImage 3D announced that Les Cinémas Gaumont Pathé has selected them as a new partner in the deployment of digital 3D cinema systems. The first installations in Paris will include 3D screens at Gaumont Marignan and Gaumont Ambassade on the Champs Elysees Gaumont Opera Premier Gaumont Opera Capucines Pathé Haarlem. Local integrators and MasterImage 3D resellers ADDE and Cinemeccanica France are responsible for the installation and maintenance services supplying MasterImage 3D’s MI-2100 digital 3D system and MI-1000 dual projection 3D glass filters. “MasterImage 3D is honored to work with such a prestigious and respected exhibitor. Les Cinémas Gaumont Pathé demands quality products and services ” said Brian Kercher managing director of MasterImage 3D PLC. “Our strategy to provide the best 3D technology in partnership with leading reseller partners has helped us rapidly grow our installations and market share in Europe and become recognized by the larger cinema circuits.” MasterImage also announced that TOHO Cinemas has selected them as a new partner in the deployment of digital 3D cinema systems. TOHO Cinemas has already installed the MI-2100 digital 3D system and MI-1000 dual projection 3D glass filters in cinemas throughout Japan and are planning more 3D system installations throughout the year. MasterImage 3D reseller Xebex is responsible for the installation and maintenance services.
Scaring up Customers
