Featured Stories

In the 1990s, almost every cinematographer in New York was using Cooke Optics S4/i lenses for commercials, music videos, and independent features, this according to Aaron Medick, one of the cinematographers on Power Book III: Raising Kanan. He became lead DP in the second season for Power Book II: Ghost after starting as B camera/Steadicam operator and moving up to DP for Power, which launched the franchise for cable and streaming service Starz. And it should come as no surprise that many of the DPs on the franchise come from New York, including Power lead DP Tim Ives, ASC who also shot the pilot.

MetaMedia, Laugh Lounge, a producer of exclusive live-streamed stand-up comedy shows, and distributor The Bigger Picture are partnering to deliver live stand-up comedy shows from top U.S. comedy clubs to cinemas and other out-of-home venues across the country for the first time.

According to industry statistics, premium large format screen installations have seen an increase of almost 19 percent year over year. They set a record in 2019, when 734 screens were installed, a 65 percent increase over 2018. As theatres slowly reopen worldwide following lockdowns due to COVID-19, the pace of adoption is expected to resume. Owned by the China Film Group and Huaxia Film Distribution, Cinity uses premium large format laser projection, immersive sound, and ultra-high frame rate capability. Today, with 57 installations and an almost equal number on tap in cities across China, Cinity enjoys cooperative agreements with many major Hollywood and Chinese studios. The system can be viewed at the Harmony Gold Preview House in West Hollywood, where filmmakers can also screen their latest projects at the industry’s highest frame rate.

The total revenues generated by the global cinema industry this year are set to only reach half of 2019’s pre-COVID revenues according to Omdia’s latest Cross Sector Windows report. Global box office revenues are still being impacted by studios experimenting with differing release windows, alternative platform distribution models such as video on demand, as well as government restrictions and more recently, a change in consumer confidence due to the Delta variant.