The rollout of digital cinema to exhibitors across Europe received a significant boost with the announcement that Arts Alliance Media has reached an agreement to secure €50 million in funding for its initiative. Funds advised by Sankaty Advisors the credit affiliate of Bain Capital have agreed to provide funding to support the rollout over the next two years subject to final documentation. The deal was expected to close in 30 days. Sankaty Advisors which currently manages approximately $20 billion in committed capital will provide a combination of senior and mezzanine debt for deployment of digital cinema equipment into cinemas across Europe. There are currently about 4 500 digital cinema screens in Europe (approximately 75 percent of which are 3D) and that figure is expected to rise rapidly to almost 13 000 by the end of 2012. Arts Alliance Media currently has digital cinema deals in place in seven territories within Europe and commitments in place for over 1 500 screens which are currently in the process of being installed. “The financial crisis of the past year slowed the process of digital cinema conversion but the recent announcement by DCIP in the US and now this announcement for Europe illustrates that the rollout is now ready to move full speed ahead ” says Howard Kiedaisch chief executive officer of Arts Alliance Media. “Sankaty Advisors are very forward thinking and have created an extremely flexible model that we are looking forward to offering to our exhibition partners. The many exhibitors we’re already working with are delighted with the results digital brings – better presentations 3D and alternative content are great for audiences and cinemas alike. “The announcement of this deal is a huge vote of confidence in Arts Alliance Media and the whole European digital cinema industry ” says Patrick Foley CFO of Arts Alliance Media. “As part of this agreement we will create a very solid but expandable financial structure that will allow us to significantly scale up our capital raise over time. We are confident this financing will allow us to continue leading the industry in Europe by adding more cinemas to our network.”
Arts Alliance Media www.artsalliancemedia.com ,1641
AMC Opens Two ETX Theatres in Los Angeles,2010-04-02,AMC Theatres has opened two new larger theatres dubbed Enhanced Theatre Experience in Los Angeles at AMC Burbank 16 and AMC Century City 15. ETX includes a 20-percent larger screen 3D technology digital projection and an upgraded sound system. Specifically the digital projection system produces images at a higher resolution than HD and there are nearly twice as many audio channels compared to typical auditoriums. As a result of this improved experience guests will not simply watch a movie the exhibitor says: they will live it in ETX. “We are proud to offer our ETX concept at two of AMC’s premier theatres in the Los Angeles area ” says John McDonald executive vice president U.S. operations. “With the upgraded screen and sound system in addition to the premium viewing experience digital cinema offers we believe our guests at Burbank 16 and Century City 15 will walk away with a new perception of how movies should be delivered.” ETX is just one of several ways guests can experience movies and other content at AMC’s theatres. Both Burbank 16 and Century City 15 offer the traditional 2D format as well as 3D ETX and IMAX or IMAX 3D. Each option represents a different level of sight and sound technology and all options provide guests an enjoyable out-of-home entertainment experience. The new ETX auditoriums opened with Alice in Wonderland in 3D at both theatres. Movies shown in these auditoriums will cost $3 more while 3D titles will cost $5 more. AMC www.amcentertainment.com ,1643
EFA Partners Infuse Commercial to Finance Digital Conversion of Small Exhibitors,2010-04-02,EFA Partners an entertainment financial advisory firm that provides financing solutions for movie exhibitors and Infuse Commercial Capital a specialty finance company that creates tailored finance programs for small and middle market firms have jointly created a program that offers favorable financing terms for smaller movie exhibitors seeking viable financing alternatives for their digital cinema conversion. The program is highlighted by offering loans up to $2 million that can finance up to 100 percent of the digital cinema equipment cost. Loan repayment is over 10 years much longer than terms typically offered in the current market and interest rates are very competitive. In addition loan processing is streamlined with an approval process that takes less than two weeks and a loan closing process of 30 to 45 days. Such favorable terms are achievable via the program’s utilization of loan guarantee programs offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA provides these as inducements for lenders to offer loans that may not otherwise be available on terms favorable to smaller businesses. As the EFA/Infuse team created the program they worked closely with Cinedigm Digital Cinema. “EFA and Infuse have created a financing solution that is excellent for the smaller movie exhibitors and the program fits well with our exhibitor self-financing program ” says Bud Mayo president and CEO of Cinedigm. “With Cinedigm as the selected integrator of the National Association of Theatre Owners’ Cinema Buying Group which has hundreds of small and independent exhibitors representing approximately 7 000 screens we believe that the EFA/Infuse program is an excellent opportunity for CBG members to access favorable financing for their digital cinema conversions.” “It is vital for a healthy movie theatre industry that digital cinema should be accessible for small mid-sized and large exhibitors ” says John Fithian president of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “The EFA/Infuse program allows the small exhibitors to obtain competitive financing terms that have not been readily available and we applaud this effort.” Cinedigm www.cinedigm.com EFA Partners www.EFApartners.com Infuse Commercial Capital www.infusecommercialcapital.com ,1646
Friars Club Film Festival to be held September 23-26 in New York,2010-04-02, The second annual Friars Club Comedy Film Festival will take place September 23-26 in New York City. July 30th is the deadline for submitting films.
This year’s film festival will again be a four-day celebration of comedy movies presented by the legendary Friars Club – whose iconic membership includes the world’s funniest actors and comedians. Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Friars Foundation.
Events will include premieres of the very best new comedy films panel discussions with comedians and filmmakers as well as curated screenings of classic comedy movies many featuring legendary Friars such as W.C. Fields Jerry Lewis Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.
In addition to conventional submissions this year the festival is inviting sketch and improv teams to take part in the FrISC (Friars Club Improv + Sketch Competition) and the winning submission from each of those categories will be awarded a $10 000 prize to create a short film to debut at the film festival.
According to festival’s executive director Charlie Prince it is a way to encourage the next generation of comedy filmmakers. “We know that there is incredible talent among sketch and improv troupes and by offering them this $10 000 prize ” he says. “We hope it will encourage them to continue bringing their comedic work to the big and small screen.”
To enter sketch and improv teams must send in a demo of their show postmarked by May 1. The top five from each category will be invited to battle it out for the prize money on June 25-26 at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Manhattan. The two winning teams will then have three months to prepare their film to premiere in September’s festival.
There will be three general categories of movies being screened during the festival:
Spotlight Films – the best and brightest comedies from top film festivals around the world
Submission Based Films - giving new filmmakers a platform to screen their work – the submission process will begin shortly
Selected Screenings of Classics - a small number of special screenings in which luminaries from the world of comedy will introduce their favorite classic comedy films and host a discussion
Welcoming the festival Friars Club executive director Michael Gyure said it was a logical extension of the club’s comedic history.
“Many of our Friars have starred in some of the world’s classic comedy movies from the days of Sinatra and the Rat Pack to Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg. This festival will showcase both classic comedies and give new comedy films an arena to find an audience ” says Gyure. ,1648
Writer-Director Emilio Portes Wins Kodak Grant,2010-04-02,Writer-director Emilio Portes has received a product grant from Kodak for his Spanish-language film Pastorela (A Christmas Play) as part of the Guadalajara Film Festival's Construye 4 (Guadalajara Constructs). The program is designed to facilitate the completion of Latin American feature films that need assistance in the post-production stages. Kodak has participated in this endeavor since the program's inception in 2007. This year also marked the 25th edition of the festival which Kodak has sponsored from the beginning. Portes' prize includes 10 000 feet each of Kodak intermediate sound recording and print film. The Guadalajara festival attracts an important cross-section of Latin American and Ibero-American filmmakers who gather to discuss important issues facing the entertainment community as well as to screen each other's amazing works says Fernando Kleinert account manager Latin American region for Kodak's Entertainment Imaging Division. We are happy to support these filmmakers and to listen to their needs. Kodak's goals are to continue offering the most advanced products and services and to promote creativity without boundaries. Shot on Kodak Super 35 mm film Pastorela was chosen out of 34 submissions to the Guadalajara Construye 4 program. Entries came from Mexico Central America South America and the Caribbean. A panel of industry professionals including producers distributors and representatives of companies servicing the industry served as the jury. Kodak also participated in other aspects of the festival including the Mercado de Cine Ibero-Americano which helps finance film projects and Short Up which is a platform for showcasing short films that includes special screenings of works from film schools in Mexico. In addition to showing features shorts and documentaries the fest included award presentations to actors producers directors other filmmakers and professors during the week of March 12-19. We are proud to help sustain a prolific and creative film industry and to put our technological expertise at the service of filmmakers allowing them tell their stories with the highest quality visuals without compromise says Kleinert. Kodak www.kodak.com/go/motion ,1651
Koerner Camera Buys a Fujinon PL Series 18-85mm/T2.0 Zoom Lens,2010-04-02, Film and digital rental house Koerner Camera Systems which has locations in Portland Oregon and Seattle Washington has purchased a Fujinon PL Series 18-85mm/T2.0 zoom lens. The purchase of the PL Series 18-85mm/T2.0 signifies an investment in the next generation of digital lenses that will work with digital cameras as well as film cameras.
“Fujinon has taken the latest technology and put it to use for the new digital cameras that are coming out now ” says Michael Koerner owner of Koerner Camera Systems. “It’s going to be in high demand. I’m confident it will be used across the country on features episodic television and commercials for many years to come.”
The PL Series 18-85mm/T2.0 is a true T2 Koerner says. “A lot of lenses claim to be a certain T stop or F stop but are not ” he says. “Also there is minimal chromatic aberration. The lens doesn’t flare at all like traditional lenses and there is no breathing.”
The PL Series 18-85mm/T2.0 fits on any PL mount camera such as the Red One and Sony F35 CineAlta. Plus the lens fits on all of Koerner’s 35mm and Super 16mm film cameras. “From that standpoint it has a lot of potential avenues for years ” Koerner says.
Fujinon www.fujinon.com/DigitalCinema
,1652
Australian Authoring House Motionlink Diversifies into the DCI Market,2010-04-02,When the Australian company Motionlink expanded into the business of distributing Digital Cinema Packages for cinema in 2010 they were faced with the challenges of DCP packaging and DCPs workflows – specifically speed and performance. The Digital Cinema Initiative establishes exacting specifications for digital cinema that ensure a uniform and high level of technical performance reliability and quality control. Motionlink being a smaller facility and mindful of both the expenditure and the complexity of DCI workflows realized there was no margin for error or downtime. The facility installed a DVS Clipster to meet the demand. Motionlink managing director Grant Salinger says “When DVS demonstrated their DCP packaging it became crystal clear to us that this intelligent DCI workflow could not be matched by any other competitive solution. We’re still ecstatic that within one hour of their delivery the DVS unit was underway producing DCPs for the Wiggles cinema tour.” Dan Germain worldwide business development and pre sales at DVS says “We’re thrilled that Motionlink has opted for a brand new line of business with our company flagship Clipster. It is brilliant that another cutting-edge DCI workflow is now up and running on the fifth continent and we’re proud to support such an important Australian client.” ,1653
Emerging Online Distribution Issues for Independent Films,2010-04-02, By Gunnar Erickson Harris Tulchin and Mark Halloran In today’s fast-paced media marketplace new delivery systems for entertainment are continually emerging. Traditionally programming has been delivered in theaters and by television and more recently by videotape and then DVD. More recently digital delivery methods have appeared and offer new means of exploitation such as satellite for theaters (a theatrical right) or homes through services such as DirectTV (a television right) digital videodisc (DVD) (a home right) the Internet and such systems used to deliver online streaming or downloading services.
Direct digital distribution is beginning to surface as a major way of providing movies to audiences online. Films that cannot attract a theatrical release can certainly have a presence online. The film industry is following the music industry by using the Internet as a way to expose their content.
Independents are typically readily adaptable to market conditions and are ideally positioned to take advantage of new and existing online distribution opportunities just as they were able to take advantage of opportunities during the early years of home video. Once you have determined that the digital route is right for your product here are some key issues to consider:
It is no secret that newer online digital distribution entities are trying to build product libraries as assets by taking expansive rights for long periods of time. Do not be surprised if a newer less well known online digital distributor hands you an agreement that grants it all rights in all media worldwide not just digital online or view-on-demand rights. Do not be quick to give away more rights than you should. Get yourself informed and know the costs and procedures involved in new digital delivery methods and you will be able to negotiate knowledgeably from a position of strength.
A good number of online distributors and especially the more established ones will agree to license only digital or online rights for a limited term and allow you to keep the copyright and all other rights in your product. You may wish to split digital rights between different distributors: those that license downloads those that utilize a streaming method of exploitation or both methods or those involved in traditional all-rights exploitation like theatrical television and DVD such as the major studios and independent distributors. It is important to perform traditional due diligence including Uniform Commercial Code and related searches to find out as much as possible about the commercial health and reputation of your online distributor. Before you grant any additional rights to your digital distributor make sure you retain as many rights as you can (e.g. your right to sell packaged DVDs and merchandising items online). Also try to negotiate a fair advance or at least a 70/30 split of the revenue in your favor.
As the online distribution process matures fewer distributors will ask for exclusive online exploitation but some may try. Because the online programming market is still developing and iTunes and Amazon certainly have had a head start few true leaders with large market shares have yet to emerge so it is risky to grant exclusivity. A safe philosophy is to grant a nonexclusive online license for a limited term. This will allow the market to continue to mature and you will be able to reassess your position after a relatively short window.
Online distributors may ask for worldwide rights. Since you may prefer to license international rights or specific territorial rights in a completely different manner try to get the online distributor to limit the territory to the United States or the specific territory in which it is primarily doing business.
Your license term for online exploitation will first depend on what other rights if any you have previously licensed. If you have no previous exploitation at least try to limit the license period to six to 18 months so that you can reassess the online marketplace in short order. Keep your license periods as short as possible.
Many online startups will claim poverty because the market is still developing so obtaining an advance against royalties for an online license may be difficult but not impossible. If an advance is not possible ask for a large share of the gross revenues for downloads streaming or other licenses (50-70 percent is obtainable) and try for a share of advertising revenues associated with viewing your product. In addition to an advance and royalties consider asking for stock options and the right to purchase stock at lower than market rates. Specify the minimum rates to be charged for downloads and viewings.
Make sure you include a provision that requires cross-linking of the online distributor’s site with your official website for your company or product. Try to retain the right to exhibit the product on your official site as well as the right to sell merchandise videos and DVDs of your product from your own site.
Online distributors are not typically interested in getting involved with making any contingent payments to cast and talent or assuming any responsibility for residuals for the exploitation of your product online. Although this may be difficult try to get the online distributor to assume the obligation to pay all current and future guild-mandated residuals for online exploitation payable to talent and other personnel who rendered services in connection with your picture. With respect to contingent compensation payments due to actors directors writers musicians producers and other talent online distributors generally take the position that these are the producer’s obligation.
The market for digital movie exhibition is still relatively new and forecasting market potential is difficult if not impossible. With this in mind you will typically find a clause that indicates that the online distributor has not made any guarantees forecasts or other estimates expressed or implied with respect to the number of transactions the revenue expected or the market share to be obtained from the digital exploitation of your movie. This sort of clause is typically non-negotiable.
As the computer-using and wireless hand-held segment of the entertainment consuming population continues to increase as digital cable lines DSL wireless satellite and other systems continue to converge and as delivery technology continues to improve one can expect that delivery of motion pictures online or wirelessly will rapidly expand over the next few years. As the market matures digital pricing territorial limitations development of an appropriate digital exploitation window the issue of exclusivity and the appropriate license period will begin to stabilize and a set of even more specialized standard terms for online and wireless exploitation will emerge.
Entertainment lawyers Gunnar Erickson Harris Tulchin and Mark Halloran authors of The Independent Film Producer’s Survival Guide third edition have more than 70 years of combined experience in the independent film market.
,1655
Harishchandrachi Factory to Open Phuket Film Festival,2010-04-02,The opening film for the second Phuket Film Festival will be the Asian premiere of Indian director Paresh Mokashi's debut film Harishchandrachi Factory. Mokashi will attend. Harishchandrachi Factory was India's entry to the 2010 Oscars in the Foreign Language Film category. The festival will be held June 4-13 on the island of Phuket Thailand. The quirky light-hearted film depicts the struggle of Dadasaheb Phalke the father of Indian cinema while making Raja Harishchandra in 1913 India's first feature film. The movie is one of several Indian movies the Phuket Film Festival will play. We're honoring India not only as their cinema industry turns 100 years old but because of the close relationship between Indian filmmakers and Thailand says Scott Rosenberg managing director of AMW International organizers of the festival. Last November Thailand was presented with the top filming locations award at the Locations World Exhibition and Conference held in Mumbai. Indian location shoots and film production in Thailand have increased from 31 in 2003 to 104 in 2009. Festival movies will be shown at the Coliseum Cineplex in Phuket Town. A Meet the Directors series will be held at an open-air theater just now under construction at Cape Yamu. Phuket Film Festival www.phuketfilmfestival.asia ,1656
SMPTE to Host 3D Conference in New York in July
,2010-04-02,The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers today announced a new first-of-its-kind international 3D science conference to be held July 13-14 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City. The International Conference on Stereoscopic 3D for Media and Entertainment will focus on the scientific aspects of 3D entertainment and will feature academic research lab study results and discussions of emerging and experimental technologies. Register online at www.smpte.org. ,1657
South African Tourism Ad Generates a Half Million Impressions in Single Weekend,2010-04-02,A cinema ad for South African Tourism which ran in London movie theatres delivered an estimated 451 289 impressions in a single weekend according to figures from cinema sales house Digital Cinema Media. The story was reported by Brand Republic. Ogilvy SA created the cinema ad with media planning and buying by Mindshare UK. It follows an Irishman having a wonderful time traveling around and making friends in South Africa according to Brand Republic. The ad called The Journey ran against a number of films including I Love you Philip Morris Avatar and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo the article said. ,1658
Torn from the Flag Blocked by Hungarian Government,2010-04-02,Torn from the Flag a feature-length sociopolitical documentary about the decline of communism and the global effects of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution continues to be blocked by Hungary's current post-communist government. Even though the film has received many international accolades in Hungary producers say its distribution has been prevented. The Hungarian Uprising in 1956 was a pivotal catalyst for democracy in Eastern Europe yet two decades after 1989 Hungary actively struggles with the legacy of communism. Some members of the former communist elite held on to their political influence in the current dominant ruling party MSZP. Producer-director Klaudia Kovács a US-Hungarian citizen says The more human rights violations occurred the clearer it became that people needed additional sources of inspiration. Being expelled from my birth country's consulate or being summoned by the Ministry because I practiced my right to freedom of speech are minor incidents compared to what my countrymen had to endure. I continue to take a firm stand against the communist crimes and I trust that Torn from the Flag's message will be welcomed not only internationally but also in Hungary under a new and fair government. Torn from the Flag www.tornfromtheflag.com ,1660
Movie Tavern in Dallas Completes Digital Conversion with Barco and Cinedigm,2010-04-30,Dallas Texas-based Movie Tavern will use Barco projectors for the conversion of their remaining 104 screens — those that had not already converted to Barco. With this strategic move Movie Tavern will be completely digital and exclusively Barco. The conversions are scheduled for completion by the end of the year. The effort is part of Cinedigm's Phase 2 digital cinema deployment program. Movie Tavern will use projectors from Barco's new Series-II line and servers supplied by GDC Technology. In the contemporary theatre industry Movie Tavern is part of a growing and very popular trend that combines movie going with full service “restaurant-style” dining — in comfortable boutique settings. Movie Tavern currently operates venues in Texas Georgia Virginia Kentucky and Ohio with further expansion planned for additional markets in their circuit. “Movie Tavern is committed to giving its guests the very best film presentations possible ” says John Hersker CEO and president of Movie Tavern. “We also know that Barco shares that commitment and we're excited to partner with them to achieve our full digital cinema conversion.”
“Movie Tavern is an exciting and dynamic concept designed to give patrons a combination of high quality dining and a premium movie-viewing experience ” says Patrick Lee director of business operations Barco Digital Cinema North America. “Movie Tavern is a company that's all about innovation. Their commitment to our Series-II demonstrates the desire to give their customers the finest viewing experience possible and also emphasizes Barco's ability to match the right projector to the right auditorium. On behalf of the entire Barco team that's handling Movie Tavern's installation we're looking forward to partnering with them on their Series-II deployment.” Movie Tavern is committed to giving its guests the very best film presentation possible. We know that GDC shares that commitment and are excited to be able to partner with them to achieve our full conversion to digital cinema says Hersker. Movie Tavern www.movietavern.com ,1665
CAC Releases New Media Metrics Study: Movie Ads Work,2010-04-30, The Cinema Advertising Council has released findings from the 2009 New Media Metrics 360 Cross Platform Study – a study that links the emotional attachment of consumers to brands in key categories to media across multiple media types and properties. Michael Chico president and chairman of the CAC says the study illustrates the value of cinema compared with other broad media platforms
. The NewMediaMetrics 360 Cross Platform Study is a syndicated industry-wide study that helps marketers identify consumers who are emotionally attached to measured brands and then create the optimal strategic messaging and media mix in order to reach these targets. The 2009 study had a base of over 3 000 persons 13-54 who ranked their EA to brands and media on an 11-point scale (where 9 or 10 equals emotionally attached). Media measured included television magazines newspapers the Internet radio cinema and non-cinema out-of-home media including health clubs doctor’s offices billboards bus shelters and sports arenas.
Highlights from the study include:
44.5 percent of Health & Beauty consumers (i.e. consumers surveyed who used products from this category within six months of the study) are emotionally attached to the movies compared with 29.6 percent for television 21.2 percent for radio and 20.6 percent for magazines. 43.9 percent of Consumer Packaged Goods & Foods category consumers are emotionally attached to the movies compared with 28.9 percent for television 20.5 percent for radio and19.2 percent for magazines; and 43.3 percent of QSR/Casual Family Dining category consumers are emotionally attached to the movies compared with 28.4 percent for television 20.1 percent for radio and 18.8 percent for the Internet. “The emotional attachment that consumers have to the cinema environment further emphasizes the value that marketers achieve by associating their brands with the movies” Chico. “New Media Metrics’ unique methodology and insight is a great tool for advertisers and agencies trying to figure out how to get the most value out of their overall media budgets.”
Another key finding: the movies have a higher emotional attachment rating (41.5 percent) than watching major televised sports and entertainment events. These include the Super Bowl (39.7 percent) Summer Olympics (26.3 percent) World Series (22.8 percent) Oscars (16.1 percent) and Grammys (15.1 percent).
“Over the past 10 years Emotional Attachment has been proven to be a predictive means of measuring consumer product purchasing and media behavior by applying academic principals to marketing and media ” says Gary Reisman principle New Media Metrics. “On a brand by brand basis different media are more effective at reaching a brand’s high-value targets those targets that represent the lion’s share of revenue for that brand. NMM helps marketers identify and prioritize the cross-platform media that have a high concentration of high-value prospects.
Consumers are highly attached to the movies and they went to the cinema in record numbers in 2009. Our study shows that movies are a powerful part of the media mix and an excellent way for brands in key categories to connect with customers.”
Cinema Advertising Council www.cinemaadcouncil.org New Media Metrics www.newmediametrics.net ,1667
Sonic Equipment Christie Managed Services Sign Customer-Support Agreement,2010-04-30,Sonic Equipment Company has signed a major agreement with Christie Managed Services that will provide Sonic’s customers with a wide-ranging new tier of technical support and maintenance that includes end-to-end turnkey solutions and a la carte service. Sonic’s expanded technical resources will be available to current customers – already at more than 400 screens – as well as all future customers across the Midwest and beyond. “Sonic is coming off one of its best years ever and with hundreds of additional deals in the pipeline we’re already on pace to break our installation record again in 2010 ” says Eric L. Olson director of operations for Sonic. “Our partnership with Christie Managed Services will assure our customers not just the best choice of technology but the best choice of service to meet their specific needs for every single system we install.” Christie Managed Services’ expertise is drawn from more than 80 years of experience working with the exhibition community. “Our customers want to work with companies that will support them for the long-term ” says Olson. “Our partnership with Christie Managed Services will further strengthen the level of trust that our customers have in the products and services we provide them.” Mike Covey digital cinema manager at Sonic says “Sonic’s success is also a direct result of providing our customers with the latest technology and that includes the new 4K-upgradable Christie Solaria Series DLP Cinema projectors which are ideal for showing 3D movies. Christie Managed Services will play an important role as Sonic launches new implementation programs as part of Cinedigm’s Phase 2 digital cinema deployment plan.” “The ability to service and maintain their new high tech digital cinema systems is an important factor for independent theaters seeking to go digital and reap the full benefit of 3D cinema ” says Sean James vice president managed services at Christie. “Sonic’s remarkable industry success is a testament to the confidence their customers have in their digital cinema solutions. Now their customers will have even greater reliability greater performance and greater security for all digital devices –a distinct competitive advantage.” Christie Digital Systems www.christiedigital.com Sonic Equipment Company www.sonicequipment.com ,1668
Cinépolis Foundation Christie Screen Free Movies for Haitian Earthquake Victims,2010-04-30, Last month the Cinépolis Foundation’s social outreach program entitled “Let's all go to Cinépolis Haiti” screened 11 movies on donated Christie digital cinema projectors and reached more than 70 000 people devastated by the February 12th earthquake.
Let's all go to Cinépolis Haiti was a joint effort between the Cinépolis Foundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Haiti FilmAid International DOR Internacional and Christie Digital Systems. This partnership aided in the reconstruction of Haiti by promoting positive messages and by bringing a moment of relaxation and joy as the country continues its recovery.
Prior to the screenings Lorena Guillén-Laris executive director of Cinépolis Foundation said ‘Let's all go to Cinépolis Haiti’ seeks to provide glimmers of hope and moments of family life that contribute to the emotional state of our Haitian brothers and sisters. We want to laugh dream and be inspired by positive messages. The short films will encourage them to be strong and move forward.”
The movies were shown nightly on a 15-meter inflatable screen in shelters located throughout Port au Prince and surrounding areas and included short and feature length Hollywood movies. The short films with themes of survival unity and civic participation included I'm Still Alive Grand Mère Mechanistic and Volunteer as well as shorts recorded by survivors of the earthquake. The full feature movies included 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea Ice Age Ice Age: The Meltdown and Night at the Museum. Twentieth Century Fox supplied the last three films. The films were spoken or translated into French and Creole the national languages of Haiti. ,1669
Cinemark Launches Three New XD Auditoriums ,2010-04-30,Cinemark has opened three new Cinemark XD Extreme Digital Cinema auditoriums. They include the Cinemark Legacy Theatre in Plano Texas; the Century Stadium 25 Theatre in Orange California and the Century 20 Oakridge Theatre in San Jose California. “Our new Cinemark XD auditoriums have become very popular with our customers across the country ” says Alan Stock Cinemark’s CEO. “The Legacy theatre’s new XD auditorium is the second in our home market of Dallas/Ft. Worth. The Orange County location is Cinemark’s first in the greater Los Angeles area which gives us the opportunity to showcase Cinemark XD to our customers as well as the film studios and creative community. And our San Jose XD auditorium is Cinemark’s fourth one to open in Northern California.” Cinemark has transformed one auditorium at each location into a different kind of cinema experience. The new Cinemark XD auditoriums offer a complete entertainment environment featuring large wall-to-wall & ceiling-to-floor screens plush seating a custom JBL sound system featuring crisp clear digital sound and digital images delivered by a Doremi server and a Barco digital projector. The Cinemark XD auditoriums are able to exhibit the newest movies every week including 2D and 3D. Cinemark www.cinemark.com ,1670
Digital Cinema Tango at Cannes Film Festival,2010-04-30,The European Audiovisual Observatory has announced that the theme of this year’s must-attend Cannes afternoon workshop will be Digital Cinema Tango: Getting the right rhythm for the digitization of European cinemas. The event will take place in the Palais des Festivals on May 16th. The Observatory’s director Wolfgang Closs says “We feel that it’s imperative to address the financing of the digitization of cinemas in Europe. It’s the big debate in the cinema industry at the moment and concerns all the players from producers through to distributors and exhibitors – right along the chain. On the one hand the major cinema chains are part of the roll out process whereas the smaller independent cinemas are facing major financial challenges just to keep up. There is a clear problem of synchronization of movement: the market is now going very fast but the public policies necessary to support the transition for small cinemas are quite slow due to complex legal issues. This two speed process made us think of the slow slow quick quick slow steps of the tango.” Starting the event this year is the Observatory’s cinema analyst Martin Kanzler who will look the overall 2009 box office trends. Next will be Elisabetta Brunella of Media Salles with an analysis of digital roll out in Europe for 2009. They will be joined by Susan Newman the Observatory’s film funding analyst who will present a guide to the public funding currently available for digital roll out. Also Francisco Cabrera legal analyst at the Observatory who will focus on the complex legal issues surrounding state aid for digitization by looking at recent national decisions in the field. A panel of speakers moderated by André Lange head of department at the Observatory will then take to the floor to look at the challenges and threats posed by digital roll out to European films and their space on cinema screens in Europe. Confirmed speakers include Ian Christie vice president of Europa Cinemas and Christine Eloy of Europa Distribution Aviva Silver head of the Media Program of the European Union and Antoine Virenque president of the European Digital Cinema Forum. ,1672
Element Technica Delivers 50th Quasar 3D Rig,2010-04-30,Element Technica designer and manufacturer of 3D rigs has delivered its 50th Quasar 3D rig. The Technica 3D Quasar mounts full-sized and equipped digital cinematography cameras such as the Red One Sony F23/35 and 1500 ARRI D-21 and Genesis in stereoscopic pair configuration. The Quasar 3D rigs have been quickly adopted by both feature film producers and live sports and entertainment venue productions because of the precision control the rigs afford the stereographer ease of configuration and the rigs’ ability to shoot in either the side-by-side or beamsplitter mode. The Quasar can be completely set up in under 30 minutes and converted from side-by-side to beamsplitter mode in less than 10 minutes. Quasar 3D rigs are now in the inventory of camera rental houses serving feature film and OB (outdoor broadcast) sports and entertainment event producers both in the U.S. and Europe. Almost as soon as OffHollywood of New York acquired its Quasar 3D rig it was put to work filming the feature The Mortician. Panavision UK supplied six Quasar 3D Rigs for live coverage of the Six Nation Rugby Tournament 2010 in London and Rome. Action 3D Productions chose Quasar rigs to shoot its Larger Than Life in 3D concert film featuring the Dave Matthews Band Ben Harper and Relentless7 and Gogol Bordello. Element Technica www.elementtechnica.com ,1674
The ICA Broadens Portfolio of Training Courses,2010-04-30,The International Colorist Academy has increased the number and types of colorist training courses available providing students with more opportunities to expand their knowledge and learn directly from an experienced colorist. ICA offers colorists a wide variety of technique-based courses including basic color theory digital intermediate and film workflows telecine and lab grading client interaction and looks and styles. The classes and workshops cover a broad range of manufacturer color grading systems and many are not system specific. Several ICA partners will host the courses providing the high quality environment and tools required for optimal training. Those partners include the Media Village in Singapore Roush Media in Los Angeles Digital Vision and Transmedia in London. Getting accurate in depth information into the community is a top priority for Digital Vision ” says Martin Bennett vice president worldwide marketing. “It's not just marketing we see it as the way that the industry remains vital and as technology rapidly evolves putting forth this information alongside professional training is important for the industry as a whole. The ICA sessions are invaluable to colorists and to those who work with them and with their customers. Digital Vision heartily supports the ICA efforts to consistently educate and connect colorists. We're delighted to host the May 10-12 event in our London offices and look forward to collaborating with them. Patrick de Silva director at Media Village says The Media Village is pleased to host these ICA-certified training courses in Singapore as it gives creative professionals in our part of Asia a chance to enhance their colorist skills. The initial response has been very encouraging and we're already exploring ways that we can offer additional courses later in the year. “At Roush Media we are strong supporters of the International Colorist Academy ” says founder Keith Roush. “The instruction is truly world class and extremely helpful to our staff and students alike. As an established professional colorist with 7 years of experience I learned so much in one of Kevin Shaw’s classes. The ICA is without a doubt the best professional colorist training out there and we are pleased to host their upcoming Los Angeles-based classes.” “The International Colorist Academy is helping to train local talent providing them with the relevant skills to enter and maintain a colorist career in the post production industry ” says Arun Aulakh operations manager at Transmedia. “ICA’s commit to consistently deliver high quality training is one of the reasons we chose to partner with them and help facilitate their courses.” The ICA schedule of upcoming courses includes: May 3-5 – DaVinci Resolve Hosted by: The Media Village Singapore ICA instructor and colorist: Warren Eagles May 10-12 – Colorist Strategies using Digital Vision Film Master Hosted by: Digital Vision London ICA instructor and colorist: Kevin Shaw May 24 – Colorist Introduction Hosted by: Roush Media Los Angeles ICA instructor and colorist: Kevin Shaw May 25-27 – Colorist Strategies Hosted by: Roush Media Los Angeles ICA instructor and colorist: Kevin Shaw May 28-29 – Popular Looks Hosted by: Roush Media Los Angeles ICA instructor and colorist: Kevin Shaw May 31 – Digital Vision Film Master Update Hosted by: Roush Media Los Angeles ICA instructor and colorist: Kevin Shaw June 16-18 – Color Strategies using Apple Color Hosted by: Transmedia London ICA instructor and colorist: Warren Eagles TBD – Colorflow – Managing Color Consistency from Camera to Delivery ICA instructor and colorist: Cédric Lejeune Click here to book a spot in one of the ICA courses or to arrange on-site training visit. ,1677
Metropolitan Theatres Rave Cinemas Join National CineMedia’s Network,2010-04-30,National CineMedia has entered into network affiliate agreements with Metropolitan Theatres and Rave Cinemas for the presentation of cinema advertising and NCM Fathom entertainment events. The exclusive multi-year agreement covers 17 Metropolitan movie theaters with 77 screens in California Colorado Idaho and Utah with select screens exclusively presenting NCM’s FirstLook digital pre-feature program and NCM Fathom’s live and pre-recorded in-theatre events beginning in the second quarter this year. Under the terms of the exclusive multi-year agreement 33 Rave movie theaters with 475 screens in California Connecticut Iowa Kentucky Massachusetts Michigan New Jersey Ohio Pennsylvania and Virginia will join NCM’s network. Rave will exclusively present NCM’s FirstLook pre-feature program in these theaters beginning in June 2011 upon the expiration of its existing cinema advertising agreement. In addition select Rave theatres will immediately begin presenting NCM Fathom’s live and pre-recorded in-theatre events. “The addition of Metropolitan Theatres further expands the reach of our digital in-theater network into several new communities allowing for a more effective media platform for our advertising and Fathom clients and entertainment programming partners ” says Kurt Hall NCM’s president and chief executive officer. “In addition to improving our network this new relationship will also provide Metropolitan Theatres’ patrons with a higher quality movie pre-show and alternative entertainment experience.” “We look forward to working with NCM to take our pre-show presentation to the next level. NCM’s first class program and alternative content provided by Fathom Events are a great fit for our markets ” says David Corwin president of Metropolitan Theatres Corporation. “The addition of these recently acquired Rave theaters to the NCM Cinema Network represents an important expansion for us in key markets ” says Hall. “The inclusion of these high quality theaters further strengthens our national media network creating a higher impact solution for marketers looking for integrated campaigns that capitalize on the magic of the movies entertainment event sponsorships and online placement.” Thomas W. Stephenson president and CEO of Rave Motion Pictures says ”NCM’s network of theatres and advertising partners is far reaching and impressive. And as an early adopter and leader in alternative content programming we enthusiastically welcome their compelling Fathom events to our screens.” NCM which claims to run the nation’s largest digital in-theatre network currently has exclusive long-term cinema advertising agreements in place with its founding member exhibitors AMC Entertainment Inc. Cinemark Holdings Inc. and Regal Entertainment Group as well as network affiliate pacts with theater circuits such as Carolina Cinemas Cobb Theatres Galaxy Theatres Georgia Theatre Company Goodrich Quality Theaters Hollywood Theaters Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres MJR Theatres Picture Show Theatres Rave Cinemas ShowBiz Cinemas Starplex Cinemas and Storyteller Theatres Corporation among others. Metropolitan Theatres www.metrotheatres.com National CineMedia www.ncm.com Rave Motion Pictures http://www.ravemotionpictures.com/ ,1679
NEC Adopts Xilinx FPGAs for 3D-Capable Cinema Projectors,2010-04-30,To help reduce overall cost NEC Display Solutions has adopted the Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA family for three models of its DLP Cinema projectors including the NC3200S for screen sizes up to 32 meters in width the NC2000C (20 meters) and NC1200C (12 meters) with capability for the recent fast-growing 3D content. The three models are capable of projecting all existing 3D video content. The company has started shipments in stages. According to NEC the Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA family reduces the design cost of peripheral devices by providing interfaces for all required standards plus serializer-deserializer in a single chip. Thus the Virtex-5 FPGA helps reduce overall system costs while enabling advanced performance including communication via a high-speed Ethernet interface. NEC Display Solutions is active in the digital cinema business in Japan and overseas with DLP Cinema projectors as our core products says Atsushi Kuroda head of projector development at NEC Display Solutions. Sophisticated performance is required of projectors in this market segment but since they are not mass-produced like consumer electronics products we considered using FPGAs instead of ASICs right from the start to achieve superior performance while keeping development costs down. A major factor that led us to select Xilinx FPGAs is that they offer a range of high-speed interfaces on a single chip making superior performance possible at low cost. We are delighted to be able to contribute toward 3D technology in the movie business as a result of NEC Display Solutions selecting Virtex-5 for its DLP Cinema projectors says Sam Rogan president and representative director of Xilinx K.K. The Virtex-5 family has been highly rated in the industry with sales exceeding $100 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2010—a record figure for an FPGA product. Xilinx FPGAs offer a number of features that customers require on a single chip and a platform that integrates development environments allowing customers to concentrate on differentiating their products. Xilinx www.xilinx.com ,1680
Imagica Reliance MediaWorks Form Alliance to Serve the Japanese Market ,2010-04-30,India's film and entertainment services company Reliance MediaWorks and Japan's lab and post-production company Imagica have formed an alliance to provide film restoration image processing and enhancement and HD conversion services to Japanese broadcasters and studios. The needs of the Japanese marketplace is growing for film restoration of aged and deteriorated great pictures for digital broadcasting. Imagica provides enhanced quality services to fill this demand and we are pleased to have found a partner in Reliance MediaWorks who shares our commitment for excellence and has time-proven hardware software and custom R&D says Hiroyuki Tatsumi director managing executive officer of Imagica. Commenting on this development Anil Arjun CEO of Reliance MediaWorks says By combining Imagica 's local leadership know-how and expertise with our experience and versatile technology we are geared to provide next generation services to the Japanese film makers and broadcasters. Also Japanese movies have always been a true embodiment of their rich imperial culture and by offering restoration services in Japan we are honored to have the opportunity to revive some of these classic movies. Imagica would work closely with Reliance MediaWork's L.A.-based subsidiary Lowry Digital which has handled the digital restoration of picture elements for Akira Kurosawa's 1950 Academy Award-winning masterpiece Rashomon the movie that first brought Japanese cinema to prominence in the west. Lowry Digital has handled projects for leading studios like Walt Disney Paramount Pictures MGM and 20th Century Fox and entertainment leaders like George Lucas Steven Spielberg and James Cameron and has handled the restoration of footage sent back to Earth from Apollo 11 for NASA. Imagica offers a comprehensive range of services such as film processing and printing inter-media transfer digital and optical composite VFX CGI editing and sound services DVD authoring and duplication and image restoration. The company also leads the market with high quality services for digital intermediates digital cinema stereoscopic 3D and Blu-ray disc authoring. Reliance MediaWorks has established an integrated international presence across the entire film and media services value chain and can both offer high-end services within its facility in the U.S. as well as tapping into the quality and scale of services available through Reliance MediaWorks' operations in India. Reliance MediaWorks currently has a dominant and comprehensive presence in film services: motion picture processing and DI; visual effects; film restoration and image enhancement; 2D to 3D conversion; digital mastering: studios and equipment rentals with facilities located at U.S. U.K. and India. Reliance MediaWorks www.relianceada.com ,1681
Harkins Theatres Signs with Screenvision,2010-04-30, Screenvision has entered into a long-term agreement with Harkins Theatres which has 30 locations representing 428 movie screens across Arizona California Colorado Oklahoma and Texas. They have a high concentration of theatres in the Phoenix area; 89 percent of Harkins Theatres are located in top 20 DMAs.
“Harkins Theatres operates state-of-the-art megaplexes within key demographic areas. Securing such a high profile and sought after theatre operator is a coup for Screenvision ” says Darryl Schaffer executive vice president exhibitor relations Screenvision. “Harkins Theatres joins an industry-leading group of exhibitor partners including Malco Theatres Marcus Theatres and Rave Motion Pictures that have recently signed long-term contracts with Screenvision.”
Under this new deal Screenvision continues to have the exclusive rights to sell the on-screen preshow and non-exclusive rights to promotions.
“We are very excited to extend our relationship with Screenvision. We are impressed with Screenvision’s commitment to future innovation and how this will assist us in delivering the Harkins Ultimate Moviegoing experience ” says Mike Bowers Harkins Theatres president and COO. Harkins Theatres www.harkinstheatres.com Screenvision www.screenvision.com ,1682
Muvico Completes Installation of Sony 4K Digital Cinema Systems,2010-04-30,Muvico Theatres one of the earliest adopters of Sony digital cinema 4K technology has completed the current phase of its digital conversion. The exhibitor now has five theatres equipped with Sony 4K digital cinema technology for a total of 89 screens of which 17 are outfitted for 3D by combining Sony’s single-projector 3D lens system with RealD 3D technology. Muvico’s locations have had great success with 3D screenings and the exhibitor is gearing up for the heavily anticipated release of Sony Pictures’ Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D. In addition to 3D Sony’s Digital Cinema Solutions and Services group has actively provided Muvico’s locations with alternative content programs focused on in-theater gaming and digital cinema music events. Muvico successfully led a Sony PlayStation gaming in-theatre event at two key locations Chicago and Los Angeles for the gaming title Uncharted2: Among Thieves. Following the game event Muvico also participated in the pilot Digital Music Series hosting a special live appearance of band members from Creed at its West Palm Beach location to screen the band’s DVD prior to release date. The DVD screening premiered at 139 theatre locations and the event provided a rare opportunity for Muvico attendees to meet the band prior to the screening and participate at the theatre. “Muvico is more than just a ‘movie theater chain ’ it’s a total entertainment company ” says Gary Johns senior vice president of Sony’s digital cinema division. “Its vision for the modern movie theater is far-reaching and extends beyond the auditorium and into the lobbies restaurants and more. They are pioneers in the effort to create movie theaters as ‘digital destinations.’ We’re thrilled to be working with such a groundbreaking organization providing them with the best technology foundation as they move forward with their 4K digital conversion.” The DCSS group’s focus is to install Sony 4K projection technology in addition to providing integration installation maintenance and technical support. “Muvico continues to be at the forefront of technology utilizing Sony 4K projection to provide the highest definition in cinema ” says Hal Cleveland president and CEO of Muvico. “Sony has leveraged its entire breadth of resources to help us offer diverse alternate content programming enhancing what is already a unique movie-going experience.” Muvico locations continue the exhibitor’s Premier Concept of “drink dine and watch ” offering such services as VIP reserved seating for guests 21 years and older complimentary popcorn and Bogart’s full-service restaurant and bar while enjoying the latest movie in Sony 4K technology. ,1685
Digital Magic Acquires Clipster for Shanghai Expo,2010-04-30,In anticipation of the Shanghai Expo Hong Kong digital intermediate specialist Digital Magic expanded their 4K DI pipeline by integrating a second DVS Clipster into their workflow. Digital Magic will be responsible for footage shown at the Shanghai Expo’s Hong Kong Pavilion the China Theme Pavilion and the Oil Industry Pavilion – and were looking for a high-performance real-time 4K DI gateway. Percy Fung production director at Digital Magic Hong Kong says “With Clipster we have achieved a substantial extension to our product range and service offerings a high-speed workflow and increased security. We needed the unit in order to be well prepared for our assignment at this world 2010 exhibition in Shanghai and are proud to deliver high-quality material for impressive large-screen projections.” Eric Augereau sales director region Asia Pacific at DVS says “It is a great pleasure for DVS to be part of the Shanghai Expo. With an additional Clipster Digital Magic has again opted for a future-proof solution that will assist them in realizing this and other exciting projects at lightning speed.” DVS www.dvs.de Digital Magic www.digitalmagic.com.hk ,1686
Top Thirteen S-3D Questions Answered,2010-04-30, By Stephan Faudeux Manager Dimension 3 Preparations are underway for the annual Dimension 3 Expo which is being held at the Saint-Denis in Paris France. As part of that effort the show’s manager Stephan Faudeux asks and answers thirteen of the top questions surrounding the development of stereoscopic 3D.
Stereoscopic 3D is currently under the limelight with successful films such as Avatar and the arrival of 3D TV sets. Do you believe this is a fad or rather a logical evolution of the market? If S-3D is only a gimmick then an impressive number of people are falling for it! More seriously we are confident that S-3D is here to stay: it now covers the media audio-visual and entertainment industries making it a hugely profitable market. While 3D has risen and fallen in the past today is the first time all conditions are present for its success. However S-3D as we currently know it is only a transitional step: 3D will eventually merge with other tools creating hybrid visual technologies.
Is 3D technology primarily focused on entertainment? What are the other segments where 3D can revolutionize user experiences? Cinema video games communication are the first markets to be concerned by 3D with an historical advance of cinema. Broadcast is also about to be touched by 3D with the launching of 3D Channels these next months in Europe and America. But 3D technologies will also change the way to work of all the jobs which work with visualization as Aeronautics Automobile Architecture Engineering Departments Security Defence Medicine Research. One day 3D will also revolutionize the pedagogical experiences of education and training areas with augmented reality application serous games realtime 3D. As we currently know S-3D is only a transitional step: 3D will eventually merge with other tools creating hybrid visual technologies.
What has been the adoption of 3D Technology globally? 3D is growing in different countries with a major adoption for the USA market. In Europe 3D is booming too particularly in France with about more than 3D Digital Theatres. But everywhere in the world 3D screens are occupied with Hollywood movies: I think it’s a major problem. Creators have to consider 3D is a new way to produce content. The production cost is higher (25 to 30 percent) but the success also. Every country that got a cinema culture should go on with this technology now.
How fast is S3D becoming more and more accessible? S-3D is growing simultaneously on several markets. 3D in cinemas has the fastest growth rate but it is the easiest process from a technological point of view. The true challenge is 3D at home and there will be a fierce competition between manufacturers. S-3D will be accessible through a variety of media and channels. Here again contents are vital and should not be produced quickly and carelessly. If consumers are driven away from 3D it will be difficult to get them interested again. S-3D often requires wearing glasses. Do you think viewers are willing to wear them? Do you believe such solutions will eventually be replaced by processes requiring no eyewear? While some viewers see glasses as intrusive they are generally very well accepted in theatres. The real issue is the use of glasses at home: several pairs should be owned the batteries need to be changed home screens are sometimes used in bad lighting conditions and extra eyewear means extra costs. The release of 3D television sets over the coming months will enable us to assess the technology’s maturity. Glasses are still indispensable to see contents in 3D. Auto-stereoscopic screens (requiring no eyewear) will not be seen in homes until several years from now: current models have poor quality and are not ready for mass production.
With all the technologies currently available (passive active no eyewear projectors) do users have enough information? Will Dimension 3 Expo help them make the right choices? To be precise there are several S-3Ds each covering specific uses and applications. At Dimension 3 we explore these various fields: our event is the best platform to discover and understand which display technology is most appropriate for which use since each technology has a certain field of specialty. Could video games benefit from 3D? Two categories should be considered here: console games and PC games. For the latter S-3D is already technically feasible. Nvidia enables many games to be played in 3D through its 3Dvision solution. A number of games are actually already 3D enabled. For console gaming Sony has announced the PS3 will soon be able to play 3D contents meaning that it will also play 3D Blu-Ray discs. As in other fields video games will require proficiency in 3D writing.
How 3D technology has evolved? How do you see its future? There are several “3D” each covering specific uses and applications. 3D now covers the media audio-visual entertainment industries and visualization making it a hugely profitable market. While 3D has risen and fallen in the past today thanks to digital era it is the first time all conditions are present for its success. 3D in cinemas has the fastest growth rate but it is the easiest process from a technological point of view. The true challenge is 3D at home and there will be a fierce competition between manufacturers. S-3D will be accessible through a variety of media and channels.
Will 3D technology be the future of television? How will it change consumer experience? What has been the adoption rate of 3D in television and personal computers? 3D technology is one of the futures of television: the first step for a more immersive experience. We don’t know at this point how consumers are going to adopt 3DTV. All the TV manufacturers have chosen to develop 3DTV with active glasses and consumers have to manage these glasses. The first wave of sales of 3D screen is now and manufacturers are optimists. For PC consumers can now buy 3D board to put in their PC. The gaming seems to be the best way to push 3D at home.
3D is still high priced technology. When will we see adoption of it in large volume? What are the challenges in bringing down the cost? Some studies made by consultant group as iSupli said the number of 3-D TVs to ship worldwide by 2015 will reach 78 millions climbing at a compound annual growth rate of 80 percent from the 4.2 million expected to ship this year. The cost is not so expensive that consumers expect: it is approximately 15 percent more than a good flat screen.
Who is Dimension 3’s target audience? Dimension 3 is a forum that speaks to all professionals involved in the uses or the potential of stereoscopic 3D (S-3D) and new images (virtual reality augmented reality) as well as to all those looking for solutions tools or experts for any step of the process from filming all the way up to screening. Dimension 3 is also a place to reflect on tomorrow’s images and on how they will evolve. One of Dimension 3’s strong points is to bring together professional communities who usually don't meet: the industrial sector producers business owners creators manufacturers and scientists from all over the globe working in a variety of markets including cinema television games communication visualization medicine. This gives the Forum both a technological and a creative approach giving our participants a high degree of visibility on various markets’ development strategies.
Will Dimension 3 provide helpful information to image experts seeking to switch to 3D? Over three days professionals will be presented with a comprehensive view of S-3D and new images. They can discover the challenges presented by these technologies and through the many exhibitors test tools meet producers study all steps of the S-3D image creation chain from filming to screening. For those wishing to venture further into the realm of 3D we will organize a training course during the week before Dimension 3: “S3D Campus” will be open to 35 trainees from all across Europe. This course is supported by the European Union’s MEDIA program and is given by a dozen international experts. Dimension 3 Expo ,1687
Syfy and Columbia Create Award for Top Student Filmmaker,2010-04-30, Syfy and Columbia University School of the Arts have announced the creation of the Syfy Imagine Greater Development Award which will be awarded to the top student filmmaker in the Columbia University School of Arts Graduate Film Program whose project best exemplifies creativity and imagination.
The 2010 award will be presented during the Columbia University Film Festival on May 7 at the Directors Guild of America Theatre in New York City. In addition to mentoring from Syfy programming executives the winner will receive $10 000 towards the production of their film produced as a requirement for the MFA degree from Columbia University School of the Arts. The winning film will be screened at the 2011 Columbia University Film Festival. The three finalists for the 2010 Syfy Imagine Greater Development Award are: Elisa Lleras producer and Simao Cayette director/writer for The Trip
Esra Saydam producer and Christina Choe director/writer for I am John Wayne
Gerry Kim producer and Stephanie Wu director/writer for Green Plastic Sandals
Thomas Vitale Syfy’s executive vice president programming and original movies says “As one of television’s most prolific producers of original movies Syfy is delighted to partner with Columbia University School of the Arts to mentor an aspiring filmmaker from Columbia’s prestigious program.”
“Columbia University School of the Arts could not have a better collaborator than Syfy to help the careers of our talented students ” said Jamal Joseph Professor and Chair Columbia University School of the Arts Film Program. “Syfy’s commitment to bringing great storytelling to the public through the medium of film fits perfectly with the School of the Arts’ mission to nurture great storytellers. We are thrilled to welcome Syfy as a partner for our Film Festival.” Columbia Film Program alumni include 2010 Best Director and Best Picture Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker Point Break) Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry Stop-Loss) James Mangold (Walk the Line 3:10 to Yuma) and Albert Berger (Little Miss Sunshine Hamlet 2). Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series events blockbuster movies classic science fiction and fantasy programming a dynamic Web site www.Syfy.com and a portfolio of adjacent business Syfy Ventures Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel and currently in more than 96 million homes Syfy is a network of NBC Universal one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine Greater.) ,1688
AIFF Orange County Launch One-Minute Film Challenge for Local Students ,2010-05-13, The Anaheim International Film Festival in conjunction with the Orange County Department of Education has launched the AIFF One-Minute Film Challenge the first-ever countywide effort to encourage student filmmaking at the middle and high school levels. Working under the guidance of teachers and parents students will be invited to create produce and direct a one-minute short film for submission to AIFF. Selected films will be screened at the AIFF One-Minute Film Challenge Showcase Series during the festival and filmmakers cast and crew will be invited to walk the red carpet on opening night in October 13. The OCDE will distribute AIFF One-Minute Film Challenge details and guidelines to all Orange County middle and high schools in the coming weeks. William M. Habermehl Orange County Superintendent of Schools says “I am delighted to see AIFF’s One-Minute Film Challenge offered to our students. The Challenge will engage the minds of young people around the county as they seek new ways to tell their stories. Skills needed for today’s workforce require more than just reading and math. Our graduates will need the ability to communicate creatively using technology. I know that there are many exciting things going on in film-making and animation in Orange County schools and I am really looking forward to seeing the great work our kids will produce.”
“The need for programs that use film as a teaching tool has never been greater ” says Jo Moulton executive director Anaheim International Film Festival. “Funding for arts education continues to decline yet today’s young people are growing up in a globalized media-saturated world that requires both visual literacy and cross-cultural open-mindedness. The AIFF One-Minute Film Challenge offers an invaluable opportunity for the students of Orange County. “It’s the experience of a lifetime to have their creative cinematic talent showcased to an international audience of film industry professionals.” Entries are open to all middle and high school students in Orange County. The submission deadline is July 30. There is an entry fee of $1.00 and all entries must be submitted on high quality DVD. A variety of subjects will be accepted (comedy drama animation music video commercial etc.). Final selection of films will be made be a screening committee headed by Derek Horne AIFF shorts programmer and Chapman University’s festival coordinator. Acceptance notices will be sent on August 8. The AIFF One-Minute Film Challenge official guidelines entry and release forms are available on www.anaheimfilm.org. ,1694
Volker Bahnemann Award for Cinematographers Created for NYU Film School,2010-05-13,In honor of and in recognition of Volker Bahnemann’s more than 40 years of service to the filmmaking industry Arri has established The Volker Bahnemann Award for Cinematographers at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television. The grant was conceived to inspire future generations of cinematographers and empower talented students to realize their artistic potential. Bahnemann served a total of 48 years at Arri with 32 of those years as CEO and president of Arri Inc. and Arri/CSC. Under his leadership the company developed into the largest and most reputable motion picture equipment manufacturer in the world. He inspired countless filmmakers enabling their creative visions through the decades. Three-time Oscar winner Vittorio Storaro AIC ASC says “It is a great idea that Arri has established the Volker Bahnemann Award for Cinematographers. Volker was is and will be one of the more prominent figures in the film industry. Ever since I met him for the first time he touched me with his balance in conjugating technology and creativity. His personality always pushed all of us in knowing not only the new technical elements that his company or any other company provided for the advancement of expression in cinematography. Mainly he pushed all of us to use our personal creativity and our knowledge of every art to better express ourselves in the Tenth Muse: the cinema. The Bahnemann Award provides an annual production grant to one cinematographer in either the undergraduate or graduate divisions of the Kanbar Institute. Recipients will be selected by the faculty based upon rigorous criteria keeping in mind the legacy Bahnemann has built which is synonymous with excellence in cinematography. Funds must be applied towards the thesis project for the honoree. Says Bahnemann “I was truly overwhelmed by this philanthropic gift from my friends and colleagues. Words alone cannot fully express my appreciation and gratitude to everyone who has generously contributed to establish this award for future generations of cinematographers. This also is my opportunity and motivation to stay involved with this wonderful art and craft well beyond my active business life.” Arri www.arri.com
Arts Alliance Media Signs Deal for €50 Million in Funding
