In order to ensure that its mobile lab system Gangway meet’s the industry’s content security standard Trade Digital Cinema has partnered with Kode whose framework is based entirely on Motion Picture Association of America standard for content security. Trade Digital Cinema located in Hollywood California specializes in digital media management for motion picture television and advertising industries. Their on- and near-set services include media and metadata management data processing and archiving audio syncing and color management and selects delivery. These services in addition to Gangway are key contributors to new workflows being adopted across the industry. Harry Boileau CEO of Trade Digital Cinema said When introducing Gangway our mobile lab solution it was critical that the security policies and handling procedures associated with this new technology platform were in alignment with those security protocols established by the MPAA and validated by a recognized industry expert like Kode. Compliance with MPAA best practices and achieving a select vendor rating from Kode is an important step for Trade Digital. We are committed to protecting our clients' content and want to provide our customers the confidence that our security practices follow the industry's recognized standards.” The MPAA has long been a champion for content security managing site security inspections for its member studios. Collectively they have developed the MPAA best practices for content security which has become known as the industry standard. Heidi Kujawa CEO of Kode Compliance says the industry standard should be one where the MPAA best practices for content security is the bottom line. “There are other companies out there touting their own content security standard but there is only one governing authority of how content should be protected and that is the MPAA and its member studios ” she said. ,3560
AAM Neva Film Announce Digital Cinema Software Deal,2012-09-29,Arts Alliance Media and Neva Film have announced a partnership to sell AAM’s digital cinema software to exhibitors across Russia. The agreement was announced at the Kino Expo conference in St Petersburg where Neva Film was demonstrating AAM’s Theatre Management System to attendees. Arts Alliance Media’s software offering includes the Screenwriter Theatre Management System currently deployed on over 12 000 screens worldwide to provide automated content playlist scheduling and reports management to digital cinemas; Producer an enterprise TMS designed to monitor and direct an entire cinema circuit from a single application in one location; and AdFuser advanced software providing integrated ad campaign management for cinemas and media agencies. Oleg Berezin managing director of Neva Film said of the partnership “We’re excited to be announcing this deal with Arts Alliance Media. We have had a good relationship with them for several years and look forward to bringing their industry-leading software to our exhibition partners in Russia.” Eric Stevens commercial director of Arts Alliance Media added “We’re delighted to have Neva Film as our partner in Russia. Their 20 year history in the Russian film business and expertise across all aspects of the cinema industry means that they are the perfect partner for us as we expand into this fast moving and exciting territory.” ,3565
Autodesk Adopts Sony’s SRMaster 4K Format,2012-09-29,Sony has announced that Autodesk is the latest member of the production community to adopt its SRMaster format. Autodesk 2013 extension versions of Autodesk Flame Premium Autodesk Flame Autodesk Smoke Advanced Autodesk Flare and Autodesk Lustre software will be capable of SRMaster format processing to support 4K workflows for creative 3D finishing and color grading. Sony’s SRMaster format is an open-platform technology for high-quality motion picture content and the recording format of Sony’s CineAlta F65 digital motion picture camera system. Autodesk is a licensee of SRMaster technology using Sony software development kits and technical support and will offer products with support for this new important digital acquisition format. The new F65Raw format compatible versions of Flame Premium Flame Smoke Advanced Flare and Lustre – widely used in Hollywood studios and post-production houses – are planned to be available later this year. According to Autodesk Media & Entertainment senior vice president Marc Petit “The Sony F65 with true 4K is making a large impact on the industry. We expect the adoption of the SRMaster format in Autodesk Creative Finishing applications like Flame Premium will help our customers fully leverage its capabilities.” “Demand for acquisition and production of 4K content is on the rise ” added Petit. “It’s critical that the industry works together to make the workflows from production to post as seamless and open as possible and we’re pleased certain Autodesk Creative Finishing products will be compatible with the SRMaster format.” The SRMaster format supports F65 Raw and 2K/HD MPEG4 SStP (Simple Studio Profile). Members of the Sony SRMaster alliance include post-production companies and manufacturers of content production solutions including on-set dailies non-linear editing and color grading technology. Several other companies are also working to support Sony's 4K format with new productions and solutions currently in development. More than 30 pictures are being shot with the F65 globally. The camera is also shooting TV dramas commercials and music videos which will begin premiering this fall. “The F65 and the SRMaster platforms were developed to benefit the entire industry in the creation of the highest-quality motion picture content ” said Alec Shapiro president of Sony Electronics’ Professional Solutions of America group. “Sony is committed to enhancing the production industry’s efforts and ultimately enhancing consumers’ abilities to enjoy movie entertainment.” ,3567
Barco CineStore SoloG3 Earns Certification,2012-09-29, Barco has announced that its CineStore SoloG3 digital cinema server has passed the Compliance Test Plan for the DCI Digital Cinema System Specification. Since June Barco has been providing its customers with a software-only and fully automated update package to upgrade the CineStore SoloG3 server to a DCI-compliant version. This upgrade process is near to completion. “I congratulate the team on passing the Compliance Test Plan ” says Wim Buyens senior vice president of Barco's Entertainment Division. “We are very pleased that the CineStore SoloG3 has achieved DCI compliance. This again proves our commitment to offering the digital cinema industry high-class technology. As DCI compliance is mandatory for all digital cinema manufacturers we now guarantee our customers that they can meet the VPF obligations with their DCI-compliant server.”
Digital Cinema Initiatives is the originator and administrator of the Compliance Test Plan (CTP) created to provide a uniform testing procedure for demonstrating compliance with the DCSS. The DCSS is intended to promote the widespread deployment of high-quality digital cinema equipment that is interoperable and provides rigorous content security. Manufacturers may demonstrate compliance by developing equipment in accordance with the DCSS and its referenced SMPTE ISO and FIPS standards and then submitting the equipment for testing to a third-party entity licensed by DCI to administer the CTP. In this case the CineStore Solo G3 passed the CTP at DMC/Keio University in Japan. ,3568
Carmike Licenses Cinedigm’s Exhibitor Management System,2012-09-30, Cinedigm Digital Cinema has announced that Carmike Cinemas has licensed Cinedigm’s Exhibitor Management System to run back office operations including release planning booking “holdovers ” contract terms management box office auditing film rental accruals payments remittance processing and reporting. “After a thorough evaluation we concluded that Cinedigm’s EMS technology would lead to increased efficiencies and flexibilities which are essential to our strategy for growth ” said Fred Van Noy senior vice president CEO of Carmike. “We are happy to continue our trusted relationship with Cinedigm a leader in digital cinema innovation.” “We are thrilled that Carmike has chosen Cinedigm’s EMS to run critical day-to-day operations in booking and payments ” said Adam Mizel CEO and CFO of Cinedigm. “Carmike a pioneer of digital cinema conversion already uses Cinedigm’s powerful Theatre Command Center (TCC) theatre management system. With the addition of Cinedigm’s EMS Carmike is extending the power of digital cinema from the theatre screen to the head office.” ,3570
Christie Sponsoring Vancouver International Film Festival,2012-09-30, Christie is sponsoring the Vancouver International Film Festival and will provide digital cinema projectors from its Christie Solaria Series as well as Cine-IPM 2K image processors. The festival one of North America’s leading cinema events is bringing hundreds of new films to the city September 27 to October 14.
“It is only through the support of Christie that we are able to maintain the standards of excellence that filmmakers expect and deserve ” said Alan Franey festival director & CEO Vancouver International Film Festival. Christie partner Zoom Audio Visual Networks installed and is managing the systems. “Christie’s technology and support have made it possible to transform many of the Festival’s screens to digital ” said Michael Stewart president of Zoom. “Their exceptional image quality and expert service help make the festival a big success for exhibitors and patrons alike.”
“We have a longstanding relationship with the VIFF and the VIFC and when we introduced Christie to them we did so knowing that together Zoom and Christie could offer them the best product and the best support in the industry. We have Christie projectors installed in the Festival’s permanent theatre at the VIFC including a Christie CP2210 installed early this year making the Festival DCP compliant. This is why we proudly promote Christie technology throughout western Canada ” Stewart added.
Dave Muscat Christie’s senior director of sales for Canada said “Our participation in major film festivals is part of our commitment to the Canadian and international film industries. Our network of highly skilled and dedicated integration partners helps us make it happen and Zoom’s work on VIFF is indicative of that commitment.” In terms of admissions and number of films screened (about 150 000 attendees and almost 380 films) VIFF is among the five largest film festivals in North America. The international lineup includes selections from the world’s top film festivals as well as numerous titles from smaller studios and providers. VIFF screens the largest selection of East Asian films outside of that region is one of the biggest showcases of Canadian film in the world (with 80 Canadian titles this year alone being screened) and includes a large and significant non-fiction program.
Kathryn Cress vice president global and corporate marketing at Christie said “Christie’s state-of-the-art projection technologies and skilled business partners make our firm the preferred choice for film festivals across the globe. And the arrangement with the Vancouver festival has a strong Canadian component as Christie is the only provider of high-performance digital cinema projectors with its main engineering and major manufacturing site located in Kitchener Ontario.”
Pictured: Alan Franey ,3571
Company 3 Helps Create Frankenweenie’s Look
,2012-09-30, Frankenweenie the new Tim Burton film tells a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his dog Sparky young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life albeit with a few minor adjustments. Working with cinematographer Peter Zorg it was the job of Company 3’s London based colorist Rob Pizzey to create a look and feel for the film that would tell this story in Tim Burton’s own unique style. Although this was Pizzey’s first stop motion film it was not the first time he’d worked with CG or Burton. Many of the Company 3 team had in fact worked on Sweeney Todd and so they had a unique insight into the directors mind and what he expected. Pizzey recalls how excited he was to have an opportunity to work with him again. “Tim and Peter approached us in the summer of 2010 with a few early shots of Frankenweenie for a grade test. Our brief was to keep a strong contrast good blacks and to make the characters stand out. From the outset Tim was very sure as to how the film should look. Once we captured that it was our job to ensure that style was replicated in the 3D world where the inherent light loss can ruin the look of a film.” Grading in black and white presents unique challenges for color correction. Frankenweenie required some real sculpting to pull out specific areas of the frame and accentuate certain elements to tell the story. The auto tracking functions of DaVinci Resolve were essential in achieving this grade. In particular Pizzey used DaVinci Resolve’s auto key framing function for very difficult hand animated shapes.
“As such we had to be very careful with the contrast range not to push it too far. If you push too far you can introduce strobing effects which isn’t good. We had to hand animate an awful lot of shapes on characters to make them stand out more. As the film is black and white the characters costumes didn’t stand out as much as they would in a color film and so we worked on creating different shades of grey to create better separation.” “In addition we also spent a lot of time creating the LUT for film out. The final delivery was color negative to color print for a black and white job. As you can imagine just a slight sway in the print and the film could look completely wrong. However the LUT created by our technical department worked beautifully.” “So we graded the 2D version of the film first and once that was signed off by Tim the 3D data was delivered to Company 3. Now on some 3D films one eye of the 3D is common to the 2D version. However that wasn’t the case on Frankenweenie and so there were effectively three films to conform and grade; 2D left eye and right eye. It was a big job and we had to make certain that nothing slipped through the net on any version.” “Frankenweenie is a fantastic film. Tim Burton at his very best. It is really amazing just how much emotion the characters convey using stop frame animation. Davinci Resolve truly bought the grade to life.” ,3573
Dcinex Opens Branch Office in Russia,2012-09-30,Dcinex has opened a new branch office in Russia. With this step dcinex hopes to strengthen customer relations in Russia and former CIS states and extend its service portfolio in these countries. Thomas Rüttgers senior vice president South Eastern sales with dcinex said Russia is one of the emerging markets in the near future and will become a very important foothold for the group. Julia Vinokurova general manager of the new branch office added We are thrilled to join in dcinex's extensive European network. With this background we are convinced that we have the right package to conquer the Russian market. Vinokurova has a strong track record in the field of digital cinema having worked as executive assistant with Kinoproekt followed by two years managing all installation and customer support activities for tradeshows and film festivals including digital and alternative content screenings. Her husband Alexey Vinokurov well-known technical expert in the field of projection technology will join dcinex Russia as technical director. ,3574
Deluxe Launches UltraViolet CFF Production Services,2012-09-30,Deluxe Media has launched its UltraViolet Common File Format production services. These services are designed to provide studios broadcasters and portals with full-featured UltraViolet CFF files for consumer distribution. Building on Deluxe's DL3 Asset & Workflow Management System which currently supports a range of product lines including digital distribution Blu-ray and DVD the new UltraViolet CFF file creation services enable content owners to repurpose and format global assets into the new UltraViolet CFF file format. Deluxe's DL3 Asset & Workflow Management System is designed to quickly and cost-effectively create CFF files for multiple territories worldwide. Leveraging our R&D capabilities we've created tools and custom workflows specifically for the UltraViolet CFF file format. With this new capability we're now creating UltraViolet CFF files optimized for the consumer's viewing experience while balancing file size to minimize the cost of distribution said Jeff McDermott vice president of new technology Deluxe Media. Supported by the same production infrastructure currently used to process over 28 000 digital media files per month for 834 different target specifications our managed workflow and toolsets will enable content owners to cost effectively process their libraries for the UltraViolet CFF platform. ,3575
Dolby Integrated Media Block Now DCI Compliant,2012-09-30, The Dolby Integrated Media Block is now compliant with the Digital Cinema Initiatives Digital Cinema System Specification as conducted by Aegisolve. The Dolby IMB is compatible with all Series 2 projectors and offers built-in support for high-frame-rate 3D (48 and 60 frames per second) as well as 2K and 4K playback all at a single price combining compatibility lasting value and cost-effectiveness.
Exhibitors have two options for purchasing and installing the Dolby IMB. New customers can purchase the DSS220 Screen Server with the Dolby IMB. The DSS220 is a smaller and lighter server designed specifically for use with the Dolby IMB. For customers who have already purchased a Dolby DSS200 Screen Server and want to upgrade to the benefits of an IMB solution a simple software upgrade pairs the server with a Dolby IMB.
“Last year Dolby conducted the industry’s first demonstration of high-frame-rate 3D with a single projector. Using Dolby’s IMB and cinema server with Dolby 3D we showed the audience the state of the art for 3D movies in both 48 and 60 frames per second ” said Doug Darrow senior vice president cinema Dolby Laboratories. “DCI compliance is another milestone toward enabling our customers to offer their audiences premium-quality 3D playback that filmmakers like James Cameron and Peter Jackson are advocating.”
,3576
Mall of America Chooses Doremi for Conversion,2012-09-30,The nation’s largest retail and entertainment complex Mall of America has selected Doremi Cinema to complete the digital conversion of nine more of its theaters. The complex features 2 259 seats throughout 14 theatres with digital sound image with 3D capabilities D-Box seating and a VIP theatre. Each of the theaters will be fitted with the DCP-2000 cinema server. Included in the expansion is the installation of a Doremi IMB-4K. The IMB utilizes Doremi’s patented 4K media block technology and ensures that the theater is prepared for the future of digital entertainment. “Theatres at Mall of America aims to give guests the best theatre-going experience possible ” said Jill Renslow vice president of business development and marketing. “Partnering with Doremi on the digital conversion of our screens will take the experience to new levels.” Theatres at Mall of America has also chosen to feature the Fidelio a Doremi Cinema audio delivery system that provides narration for the visually impaired as well as assisted listening for those hard of hearing. The CaptiView closed caption viewing system for hearing impaired guests is being deployed in each of the theaters. ,3577
All Dutch Cinemas Now Digital ,2012-09-30,Every Dutch film theatre and cinema has been equipped with digital projection equipment. Out of the 789 screens in the Netherlands 506 were converted to accommodate digital projection by Cinema Digitaal in conjunction with integrator Arts Alliance Media; theatre chains Pathé Utopolis Euroscoop and a few independent theatres implemented the conversion independently. Cinema Digitaal is a public-private digitization project initiated by the Nederlandse Vereniging van Bioscoopexploitanten the Nederlandse Vereniging van Filmdistributeurs and EYE Film Institute Netherlands. The collaborative Cinema Digitaal project made a collective transition possible all throughout the Netherlands and prevented the compulsory closing of small film theatres and cinemas. This technological conversion in the cinema business demanded a high investment that would have been financially unfeasible for many exhibitors without the support of Cinema Digitaal. The large-scale digitization project is based on the principle of solidarity: commercial cinemas cooperated together with film theatres and by doing so the existing culturally diverse and close-knit exhibition network was able to be maintained and film continues to be accessible in all of the Netherlands. The coordinated transition from analog to digital was realized over a very short time which meant the costs of running a dual system (distributing analog and digital film) were limited. The first installation took place in July 2011 and the transition was completed in just 14 months. In total the Cinema Digitaal project cost €39 million. The biggest share of the project (70 percent) was paid for by the film distribution companies that are active in the Netherlands: 20 independents and six major American studios under a Virtual Print Fee model implemented by Arts Alliance Media. Distributors were willing to invest in the one–time replacement of 35mm projectors because of the savings that will be made now the production of celluloid film prints will disappear. Cinema Digitaal was co-financed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs Agriculture and Innovation (€3 million from the Implementation Programme Agenda ICT Policy /PRIMA) and the Netherlands Film Fund (€2 million). As a whole the film sector in the Netherlands invested around €55 million in the digitization. With the digitization of the Dutch cinema exhibition business celluloid film (35mm film) has nearly disappeared from the cinemas. Ron Sterk of the NVB and a driving force behind Cinema Digitaal said “The year 2012 will bring the end of more than 100 years of screening analog film. With the digitization of cinemas our business is undergoing tremendous innovation. Digitization provides better quality more efficiency offers countless new possibilities for exhibitors and a wider availability of films for Dutch audiences.” ,3578
The Met: Live in HD Returns to NCM’s Digital Network,2012-09-30, The Emmy and Peabody award-winning The Met: Live in HD series returns to U.S. cinemas for a seventh season featuring 12 live operas from the Metropolitan Opera’s 2012-13 season. The series opens with Donizetti’s comic gem L’Elisir d’Amore starring Anna Netrebko Matthew Polenzani Mariusz Kwiecien and Ambrogio Maestri in a new production by Bartlett Sher on Saturday Oct. 13 at 12:55 p.m. ET. Each live performance broadcast through National CineMedia’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network will take place on a Saturday with evening pre-recorded encore presentations taking place the third Wednesday after each live performance.
“In addition to bringing grand opera directly from our stage into communities across the nation and around the world our HD programs energize our performers who know that a sizeable percentage of the global population of opera fans are watching and listening to them ” said Peter Gelb the Met’s general manager.
Presented by The Metropolitan Opera and NCM Fathom Events NCM’s entertainment and events division the live transmissions of the The Met: Live in HD 2012-13 season will be broadcast to 167 U.S. markets in more than 660 select cinemas (the series is also shown in 100 additional independent venues nationwide). The season features Met premieres of Thomas Adès’s The Tempest and Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda; five new productions including the aforementioned L’Elisir d’Amore Un Ballo in Maschera Rigoletto Parsifal and Giulio Cesare. Other titles in the seventh season of The Met: Live in HD include Otello La Clemenza di Tito Aida Les Troyens and Francesca da Rimini.
“For the seventh straight season the splendor of The Met: Live in HD series will continue to captivate fans as the passion and creative spirit of America’s world-reknowned opera company returns to cinemas nationwide ” said Shelly Maxwell executive vice president of NCM Fathom Events. “With each year the popularity of the Met’s in-cinema series continues to grow bigger and Fathom is proud to bring opera fans across the U.S. the opportunity to experience this treaure of the arts with their families and friends.”
The Met: Live in HD is shown in more than 1 900 cinemas in 60 countries making the Met the only arts institution with an ongoing global art series of this scale. The Met: Live in HD series is made possible by a generous grant from The Neubauer Family Foundation. Global corporate sponsor of The Met: Live in HD is Bloomberg. ,3580
The Master Finished by FotoKem,2012-09-30, One of the most anticipated dramatic features of 2012 Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master has received critical acclaim and film festival honors including a Silver Lion at the recent Venice Film Festival and broke a box office record for per-theater-average its first weekend in limited release. Produced by Annapurna Pictures the film is being distributed by The Weinstein Company. FotoKem provided all the large format and finishing services.
FotoKem was an important collaborator on the project from the beginning devising a hybrid workflow necessitated by the mix of 35mm and 65mm film origination. As Anderson increasingly relied on 65mm to tell the story of a lost soul (Joaquin Phoenix) attracted to a charismatic leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman) FotoKem became more involved in the completion of the film. The 65mm component of the movie eventually grew to nearly 75 percent of the final cut.
In addition to processing all the 65mm negative FotoKem devised a workflow for creating 35mm reduction work print dailies from the 65mm negative completing the final color grade for the film and producing digital cinema deliverables. FotoKem also created a small number of 70mm prints for those theaters capable of projecting the large format.
Over the course of the project FotoKem worked directly with Anderson to ensure his vision was served and that his goals were thoroughly supported at the facility. “This collaboration was an amazing experience that allowed us to work with an artist of Paul’s caliber and to build a positive working relationship with one of the most talented directors of this generation ” says FotoKem’s Andrew Oran vice president of large format and restoration services. “We did a lot of testing at every step of the way to make sure that each frame of film was exactly as Paul wanted it and that our approach for handling each format – 65mm 35mm and ultimately digital as well – achieved Paul’s distinctive vision for the film.”
The Master was a cut negative project in both 65mm and 35mm formats. Oran explains “We assembled and answer printed the 35mm scenes and then optically blew them up to 65mm duplicate negative for inclusion in a complete 65mm negative cut of the film from which 70mm release prints were produced. That same 35mm original negative was cut into a 35mm reduction negative of the movie which was produced from the 65mm material making it possible to produce release prints in each format from original negative.”
Dan Muscarella FotoKem’s senior color timer worked closely with Anderson to ensure all deliverables matched regardless of final or source format. “This was a highly collaborative and subjective process ” adds Oran. “Dan’s deep experience timing film elements was critically important to Paul.”
Oran notes that Anderson has brought an entirely new and important aesthetic to 65mm filmmaking. “In The Master Paul Thomas Anderson has shown eloquently that 65mm works incredibly well for an intimate character-driven film not just those with epic backdrops. He recognizes the emotional power and depth of the large format and delved into it in a way that is very rarely done. In so doing he has advanced the power and beauty of 70mm storytelling and elevated moviemaking to exciting new heights.” ,3581
The Foundry Luxology Announce Merger,2012-09-30, Visual effects software developer The Foundry has announced its merger with Luxology. The two companies see the merger as a great fit in terms of technology and markets and say the combined portfolio will open doors to new ways of working providing artists and designers with increased creative choice.
Bill Collis CEO of The Foundry said “We were impressed by modo's strong roots in a variety of markets including VFX design and games and by Luxology’s focus on creating artist friendly highly advanced technologies. Both companies are a great match for each other. The Foundry and Luxology's products are highly complementary and we both like our products to be open and flexible letting the customers choose how they want to work. In the short term we will be continuing to develop the interaction between our products which will be of immediate benefit to all of our customers. We can’t wait to see what our combined experience and knowledge will allow us to build in the long term.”
Brad Peebler president of Luxology said “The Foundry has an impressive pedigree in the visual effects industry where its products and attention to customers are second to none. Creative industries are converging in terms of media quality and deliverables. Joining forces with The Foundry will allow us to accelerate the development of modo ushering in a new era for our customers. We simply can not wait to leverage our combined strength to change the landscape for content creators everywhere.” John Knoll visual effects supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic said “I am a big fan of both Luxology and The Foundry having been using modo for quite a while and Katana here at ILM in the last 18 months. Their marriage is really exciting for the VFX community. Their combined technology and similar approach to working with customers is a very interesting development. I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes on them.”
A year ago at a chance meeting organized by ILM Knoll threw down the challenge of integrating products from both companies. This initially sparked the idea that the two companies could be a greater force together than apart and the merger idea snowballed from there. ,3582
GDC Integrated Media Block Earns DCI Certification,2012-09-30,GDC Technology has announced that its new Integrated Media Block with digital cinema servers including SX-3000A SX-2000AR and SX-2000TR models are now compliant with the Digital Cinema Initiatives digital cinema system specifications pursuant to compliance testing as conducted by Keio University an entity licensed for compliance testing by DCI. GDC Tech’s SX-3000A and SX-2000AR/ TR IMBs support high frame rate playback in both 2D and 3D (at 48 and 60 frames per second per eye) as well as 2K and 4K resolution. “We are extremely pleased to confirm that our new IMB has passed all applicable CTP requirements for DCI compliance ” said Dr. Man-Nang Chong founder and CEO of GDC Tech. “As an accredited and trusted global digital cinema service provider with over 20 000 servers installed worldwide we are determined to offer exhibitors the most cutting-edge and reliable technology. Thanks to GDC Tech’s feature-rich products and track record of earning customer trust over the years GDC Tech has received orders of approximately 3 000 units of DCI-compliant new IMBs to be delivered over the next 12 months. We are confident that we will continue to contribute to the industry with premium-quality digital cinema solutions.” ,3583
Göteborg International Film Festival Now Open for Submissions,2012-09-30,The Göteborg International Film Festival's short film competition Dragon Award New Talent is now open for submission. It is the 4th year the festival has arranged the online competition; last year more than 120 films were submitted. Jury members are from the Göteborg International Film Festival and also include the film directors Johannes Nyholm and Sascha Fülscher. Ahmad Saleh the director of last year’s winner of the Dragon Award New Talent said “Participating in the Dragon Award New Talent was definitely a highlight that brought attention to our film from both audiences and other festivals. It helped the message of our film to reach more people we can't be thankful enough for that.” Anyone may join the competition and upload their film. The film may be up to ten minutes long and there are no limits on how many films a participant may upload. The application deadline is December 15. The main jury award for Dragon Award New Talent 2013 goes to the film chosen by a selected jury. Nominations for the main jury award are presented January 8. Winner of the main jury award is presented at the Dragon Award Gala in Göteborg February 2. Visitors to the website are able to vote on their favorite films until anuary 24 and the audience award will go to the film with the most votes. Dragon Award for New Talent is an online international short film competition carried out in collaboration with advertising agency SCP web agency Bombay Works and streaming partner Kaigan TBK. Göteborg International Film Festival is the leading international film festival in Scandinavia and the main window for new Nordic films. With 180 000 visits over the year it is also one of the largest film festivals in the world. Please visit the festival's website for more information: www.giff.se ,3584
Light Illusion’s New Imaging System Claims Improved Long-Term Viability of Archived Images,2012-09-30, UK based color management specialist Light Illusion has developed a new application for its MatchLight Image Matching System to maintain the viability of long-term film based archiving for digital images.
With the explosion in digital cinematography capture and the associated difficulty in providing guaranteed long-term archiving of the images Light Illusion was asked by a number of clients to look at possible long-term archive solutions based on the use of standard film stocks as film has unquestionably the best long-term archiving qualities of any storage medium presently in use. The problem with the use of film has been guaranteeing the accuracy of the recovered digital image due to the variable nature of the recorded film image and setting within the film transfer scanner or telecine. The company says Light Illusion’s solution overcomes these problems completely.
According to Light Illusion MatchLight IMS is a system that auto-generates a LUT from two versions of the same image (or string of images) basically a before/after comparison with the difference between the two being converted into a LUT for use within any color based system or via Vulcan Light Illusion’s ultra fast and scalable command line application for large volume batch image processing.
The use of MatchLight IMS means that by applying a short string of technical images before each and every archive it is possible to guarantee the recovered image integrity after re-scanning with the original technical images and the re-scanned versions of the same images being used within MatchLight IMS to auto generate the required calibration LUT to return the scanned images to their original color dynamic range and contrast generating a near perfect clone of the original images.
The results using Kodak Intermediate stock have proven to be very very accurate - to the point where visually the match is perfect with just small variations being seen when technically assessing the images at a pixel level.
,3586
Metropolitan Theatres Reaches VPF Agreement with Cinedigm,2012-09-30,Cinedigm Digital Cinema has announced a long-term virtual print fee deployment agreement with Metropolitan Theatres Corporation. This Cinedigm-financed conversion will deploy 82 Cinedigm Certified screens with installation should be completed later this fall. Metropolitan will utilize systems from Barco. Metropolitan currently operates 16 theatres in California Colorado Idaho Utah and British Columbia. “Metropolitan has been very diligent in evaluating their conversion options and we are thrilled they have chosen to work with us ” said Gary Loffredo Cinedigm’s president of digital cinema services. “We know David and his team will immediately benefit from the many enhancements digital cinema offers both from the operational side as well as the consumer viewing experience.” Metropolitan’s president David Corwin said “We are excited to complete our transition to digital cinema with the support of experienced industry leaders Cinedigm and Barco. They will be great partners in the continuously changing landscape of theatrical exhibition and the many new opportunities presented.” ,3587
Return to the Base Mixed in Iosono 3D,2012-09-30,The Korean combat film R2B: Return to the Base features striking aerial fight action scenes putting every viewer in the center of the action visually and acoustically thanks in part to being mixed in Iosono's 3D movie sound format. It marks the third movie to be mixed in the format. The others were Tarsem Sighn's Immortals and war drama My Way. I experienced a world of sound that I never experienced before says director Dong-won Kim. It feels like the movie characters and the scenes are coming alive with the sound. I would love to have Iosono 3D sound on my next movie again. The movie stars Korean top actor Rain and is a story about the life and love of a South Korean Air Force pilot. Reknowned re-recording mixer Suk Won Kim at BlueCap Soundworks studios in Seoul who did the Iosono sound mix says I really enjoyed the mixing process which was full of creativity and variability. The audience will really feel the air combat sounds my favorite part is the battle in the sky of Seoul city. Olaf Stepputat CEO of Iosono says With cinema installations on three continents and now the third movie mixed in Iosono 3D sound in less than a year we are continuously expanding our spearheading position in 3D cinema sound. ,3589
3D Training Program Slated for November,2012-09-30, A stereoscopic 3D training program supported for the last three years by the European MEDIA program will be held November 19-28. The S3D Campus offers an exceptional learning frame in terms of means and opportunities to build or reinforce the professional network of the participants. The S3D Campus will offer an eight-day training program on producing an S3D film from conception to screen. Divided into groups of five to seven people the participants will produce a S3D sequence. During practice workshops punctuated by educational breaks the participants will be confronted with on-site challenges linked to S3D production. The plans will then be edited and graded in 3D in order to produce a final sequence.
This concept will allow participants to discover the different stages of S3D production and also to get more personal answers about S3D production. S3D Campus participants will be trained by 10 renowned professionals including stereographers producers and post-production creatives. Last year’s trainings welcomed stereographers such as Alain and Josephine Derobe Bernard Mendiburu Eric Deren Applications must be sent to the organizers before October 20th 2012. ,3590
Flight of the Butterflies 3D to be Released October 1,2012-10-01,SK Films has announced the theatrical release of a breathtaking new adventure film created for Giant Screen / Imax Theaters: Flight of the Butterflies in 3D. Based on a remarkable true story the epic Giant Screen film experience will be released theatrically in select major markets in the United States and Canada on October 1 and will continue to roll out to theaters in North America and globally through 2013. A special advance world premiere screening will also be held on September 24 at the Smithsonian Institution’s Johnson Imax Theater at the National Museum of Natural History with Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón an ardent supporter of Mexico’s butterfly sanctuaries. Monarch butterflies depend on milkweed and milkweed habitats for survival and a portion of the film’s box office revenue is also earmarked to aid in crucial butterfly conservation efforts. Flight of the Butterflies is a trilateral co-production between Mexico Canada. U.K. director Mike Slee co-wrote the script with co-executive producer Wendy MacKeigan (Journey to Mecca: In the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta The Water Brothers). The film’s executive producer is Jonathan Barker (Bugs! 3D Into the Deep 3D) The film immerses audiences in a triumphant journey of perseverance that spans thousands of miles and several generations tracking real monarch butterflies to their mysterious Mexican winter haven where audiences will discover a truly spectacular sight: hundreds of millions of real live butterflies in one of the most amazing places on Earth. Flight of the Butterflies is an adventure of two unlikely heroes that share a common strength. Based on the true story the film follows the epic journey of the iconic monarch butterfly one of the most incredible migrations on Earth and the determined scientist Dr. Fred Urquhart who spent 40 years trying to discover the mysteries surrounding their journey and secret winter hideaway. What began with a small boy daydreaming about where butterflies went each winter became a lifelong pursuit that ingeniously enlisted the help of legions of volunteers known as “citizen scientists ” to help with tagging and tracking the butterflies in a decades-long quest that yielded the ultimate discovery of the monarch butterflies’ overwintering sites in the sanctuaries of Mexico. The first citizen scientists in Mexico to be tapped by Urquhart American Ken Brugger and his Mexican wife Catalina Aguado spent two years searching in the mountains west of Mexico City under Dr. Urquhart’s guidance before finally making the discovery that graced the cover of National Geographic magazine in August 1976 featuring an iconic image of Catalina covered with and surrounded by thousands of colorful monarchs. The only surviving member of the original discovery team Catalina was on hand as an advisor and accompanied the SK Films production team to the site during filming on location. Audiences are transported into the tiny world of one intrepid creature – Dana (Danaus Plexippus) – and her off-spring as they migrate north from Mexico through the U.S. to Canada and back south again to the breathtaking hidden butterfly sanctuaries set 10 000 feet high in the mountains of the States of Michoacán and Mexico. The iconic monarch butterfly is a true marvel of nature. Weighing less than a penny it makes one of the longest migrations on Earth across a continent yet with pinpoint navigational accuracy to a place it has never been. While much has been learned scientists are still unraveling the many inter-related aspects of this phenomenon of the natural world. As the film illustrates it takes two to three generations of butterflies to migrate north from Mexico through the U.S. to Canada and one “super generation” to complete the migration back south to Mexico. In the immersive 3D Giant Screen environment moviegoers will experience this journey up close and see the evolution from egg to caterpillar to pupa to butterfly captured for the first time thanks to MRI & micro CT scans--which bring audiences closer to the action than ever before. The close-up/macro photography work was undertaken in collaboration with Oscar winner Peter Parks (The Tree of Life). While some of the scientific animations are created using state-of-the-art CGI the spectacular butterfly footage is real. The film team traveled high into the mountain ranges and up tree canopies into the Monarch sanctuaries of Mexico to capture truly remarkable footage of hundreds of millions of these magnificent creatures. “Just as our enduringly popular film ‘Bugs!’ transported audiences to the bustling world of rainforest insects this new film allows audiences to experience the natural world of butterflies as never before—in metamorphosis inside a chrysalis in flight a mile high migrating over great distances and in tree-laden monarch sanctuaries ” said Jonathan Barker CEO SK Films and executive producer. “In Flight of the Butterflies we are able to utilize the spectacular Giant Screen technology to follow an even more fascinating creature—the fragile yet tenacious Monarch—and bring to life the compelling detective story and heroic efforts by an intrepid scientist and real individuals to solve a scientific mystery.” Flight of the Butterflies received major funding from the National Science Foundation and includes an extensive Educational Outreach Program built in partnership with The Maryland Science Center. The world’s top monarch butterfly experts including Dr. Chip Taylor Dr. Karen Oberhauser and Dr. Lincoln Brower served as scientific advisors to the film. Major support has also come from the Mexican Federal Government (Environment & Tourism) and the States of México and Michoacán as well as from two of the most important companies in Mexico – Coca-Cola FEMSA and Grupo Bimbo (the world’s largest baked goods company). In 2008 UNESCO declared the monarch butterfly reserve in Mexico a World Heritage Site. Despite efforts by the Mexican government to protect the sanctuaries enforcement is difficult in remote regions and several forces persist in threatening the survival of the monarch butterfly migration including degradations of forest habitats the side effects of industrial farming and climate change. Significant portions of the film’s box office revenue will go towards Monarch butterfly conservation through Mexico’s leading conservation organization Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza. ,3593
Sohonet Expands Partnership with Prime Focus World,2012-10-01,Sohonet has expanded its partnership with global visual effects and 3D conversion specialists Prime Focus World with the installation of a 1Gbit/s SMN connection at its new VFX and 3D conversion facility in Vancouver Canada. Prime Focus now has SMN connectivity across five UK sites and three North American sites – including Los Angeles and New York – to support its growing international operation. Rory Lubold vice president technical operations North America for Prime Focus World said “We have a long history with Sohonet and the company continues to play an integral role in our global expansion programme. Sohonet’s global connectivity infrastructure enables us to effectively and cost-efficiently share with and deliver data to thousands of our creative and technology experts across four time zones on three continents. I trust Sohonet with our digital content. Simply put Sohonet understands our business better than anyone else and is consistently reliable. Its service support and expertise is exceptional and whether it is Los Angeles London or New York any service request or problem is dealt with straight away.” Sohonet’s close relationship with leading studios worldwide has been of benefit to Prime Focus over the years as it is able to reassure content producers that it can receive and deliver potentially sensitive and highly valuable content securely over Sohonet’s dedicated point-to-point network. Dave Scammell Sohonet’s CEO said “We value our partnership with Prime Focus very highly indeed. The company has been operating in London going back over 10 years and was one of the early adopters of our fully scalable dedicated fiber services. We have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship which has helped the company remain one of the leading global players in 3D conversion and VFX. Canada has become a veritable hot house of creative talent for the film production and video game industries in recent years and Prime Focus World has chosen the perfect location in Vancouver – one of our latest Sohonet-enabled cities. Its new state-of-the-art VFX facility will offer the most advanced digital technologies available and will be able to capitalize on the talents of both a highly creative local team as well as an International pool of creative and technology experts partly as a result of its extensive SMN connectivity.” ,3594
Sohonet Retrofits Lantana’s Santa Monica Facility,2012-10-01,Sohonet has retrofitted Lantana’s Santa Monica campus giving tenants easy access to networking solutions that are customizable to their creative needs. The campus-wide implementation has now been completed. The expansion creates an ideal environment for clients who work around the clock and have dynamic needs. Lantana and Sohonet have designed a scenario where a full range of highly secure connectivity solutions can be initiated within just an hour or even in minutes and services can be scaled up and down throughout the duration of a project. Harrison Marks Visual Effects Coordinator for The Bourne Legacy and a number of high-profile studio projects moved operations on the feature film from New York to Los Angeles in the thick of the project's demanding schedule. Marks says Sohonet kept us up and running in the midst of everything and there was a lot going on. The availability of production-ready creative workspace at Lantana powered by Sohonet is amazing for projects like The Bourne Legacy. I believe that during the entire transition we were down less than one hour. Their support helped us keep our editors and production humming continuously and deliver on schedule. Lantana is home to a number of media companies and their security and bandwidth demands are increasing exponentially. Rebecca Hamilton general manager of Lantana says Lantana's clients are working with some of the world's most valuable and sensitive content moving bigger and bigger files farther and faster. Our clients face complex working requirements that call for tightly integrating data services with creative workspace into a turnkey production services offering. We knew that we needed an easy and secure way for them to keep them functioning on many levels and a long-term solution for our campus. From Internet services through high-volume data transfer services across its private media network Sohonet supports the entire range of worldwide networking needs at Lantana. Working with Lantana we were able to put a turnkey solution in place that's flexible and matches production needs and timescales explains Sohonet's Joseph Ramsey vice president of sales and marketing for North America. Our services are built around the demands of media clients which gave Lantana the infrastructure they needed so creative teams can work without restrictions. The upgrade was significant in terms of planning and execution. Sohonet is simply the best at what they do adds Hamilton. They understand the way that our tenants work and they carefully managed every step of the implementation. I could not have asked for a smoother or more successful outcome. Dave Scammell Sohonet's CEO says We are delighted to have been part of this collaboration with Lantana. We both have a deep understanding of the demands of this industry and worked to optimize this location for their needs and their clients' needs effectively providing the best technology and expertise available to them. The Lantana media campus comprises four distinct buildings on 12 acres offering over 200 000 square feet of space. As part of the building modernization process Sohonet successfully transitioned over 40 tenants with unlimited capacity for adding long- and short-term clientele. ,3595
Sony VPF Program Extends Through March 2013,2012-10-01, Sony’s Digital Cinema’s Virtual Print Fee program is available through March 31 2013 giving exhibitors the most flexibility to assess Sony’s full line of digital cinema offerings. These include the new SRX-R515 ultra high quality 4K digital cinema projection system designed for small to medium screens and independent theaters as well as Sony’s full range of service and solutions for all exhibitors.
Sony’s VPF program offers lower upfront costs making it the most competitive program in the industry. This renewed model further enhances Sony’s efforts to help make the conversion to Sony’s advanced 4K digital cinema technology easier for all exhibitors especially small to medium size operators.
“In our ongoing effort to provide full-service digital cinema solutions for exhibitors of all sizes we are proud to offer the most competitive and accessible VPF program available ” said Tim Smith vice president business development and operations Digital Cinema Solutions Sony Electronics. “Exhibitors shouldn’t have to settle or feel pressured based on other programs ending. Instead they should have everything they need in order to make the most well informed decisions. Sony’s VPF model is the only program that is tailored to the needs and timeline of customers across the country helping make the transition to digital as smooth as possible well into the year 2013.”
The SRX-515 represents the next stage in the evolution of digital cinema enabling smaller exhibitors to embrace the proven benefits of digital technology and deliver a superior viewing experience for their visitors.
Sony’s Digital Cinema Solutions group worked closely with six major and more than 90 independent distributors to create a VPF program that includes complete projector installation an integrated storage server theater management systems monitoring software networked services access to Sony Digital Cinema’s 24/7 Network Operation Center technical training and a 10-year parts/2-year labor warranty.
Sony’s full-service digital cinema solutions also include affordable financing options that feature lease exhibitor managed financing or direct purchase programs; all of which are available until March 31 2013. ,3596
Cinema Advertising Boosts Tesco Clothing,2012-10-01,In an article for the British web magazine The Grocer Ian Quinn wrote that clothing giant “Tesco has claimed cinema advertising is more effective than TV at making its brands look fashionable. Research from the retailer and Digital Cinema Media found cinema advertising significantly strengthened awareness of its F&F women’s fashion brand with 65 percent of cinema goers recognizing the branded advert compared to 48 percent from a non-cinema control group.” “People who saw the spring/summer 2012 ad in cinemas were 5 percent more likely than the control group to say that F&F clothing was ‘stylish and fashionable’ and that ‘F&F at Tesco clothes are good quality’ ” Quinn’s article continued. “’Cinema has helped Tesco communicate with a more targeted demographic that spends more time out of the home and contains light TV viewers’ ” Nick Jackman senior advertising manager for general merchandise at Tesco told Quinn. “’With that in mind it opens up further potential to reach a young upwardly mobile market in other categories such as the entertainment and gaming sector’.” Quinn’s article concluded “’DCM managing director Simon Rees added “’Cinema advertising is the most powerful medium with the highest recall rate. With cinema going digital and being more flexible with quicker turnarounds it is important to know that cinema is the medium of choice when it comes to strengthening a brand delivering key messages and attracting new customers’.” ,3598
Tree House Opens in Dallas,2012-10-01,Peter Tarter a creative editor with a national clientele and credits that include work for JC Penney Hyundai Dodge Toyota and Home Depot has formed Tree House a high-end editorial boutique in Dallas. The new company will focus on advertising and independent film projects. Along with creative editorial Tree House offers visual effects compositing and editorial finishing services. Tarter who spent the past four years at ReelFX Dallas says that Tree House will provide clients with premium service. “When clients walk in I want them to feel as though they have entered a five-star hotel where they know that each step of the way they will be attended to with great care and with good cheer ” he says. “My clients are my priority and my entire team focuses on that.” A New York native Tarter edited in Los Angeles for 18 years before relocating to Dallas in 2008. He began his career as an assistant editor with Spotwelders in Santa Monica and became an editor at Rock Paper Scissors. Along the way he had an opportunity to work on a great variety of commercial and music video projects and developed a strong regard for creative excellence and customer service. “I was taught to give every project my all ” he says. “I learned that the client comes first and that’s become my mission statement. If you give me three scenes I’m going to make a story out of it. That’s what it’s all about…fleshing out every possibility to give the client the best product.” Joining Tarter on the Tree House staff is visual effects artist/compositor Bryan Bayley who will man an Autodesk Flame suite. Also arriving from ReelFX Bayley has worked on numerous campaigns for Home Depot and RAM Trucks (via The Richards Group) and also has contributed to several independent films and music videos the latter including the Katy Perry video Firework¸ a winner of the 2011 MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year. Tree House has also brought on associate editor John McStravick. McStravick has just completed his first project for the company editing a six-spot package for Russell Athletic via The Richards Group. ,3599
Society of Camera Operators Supports Shuttle Documentary,2012-10-13, The Society of Camera Operators volunteered to document the journey of the Space Shuttle Endeavour to its final home at the California Science Center as part of a project being managed by Terbine Entertainment and many other vendors and volunteers. Acclaimed cinematographer Haskell Wexler was camera operator. The footage along with footage captured of the shuttles journey through the streets of Los Angeles on October 12-13 will be incorporated into Endeavours Final Journey a documentary project spearheaded by producer David Knight to accompany the forthcoming Endeavour exhibit at the California Science Center. The shoot featured Ki Pro Mini portable digital video recorders from AJA Video Systems. With no budget and a tight timeline a tapeless workflow seemed like the best fit for this project and we knew that [the AJA Video Systems] Ki Pro Mini would give us an ideal recording setup. They're easy to deploy and use plus all of our camera assistants had good experiences working with them said Mark August second unit DP on Endeavours Final Journey. Once we took delivery of the Ki Pro Minis we were able to get them up and running straight out of the box within five minutes.
Ki Pro Minis were mounted to three Panavision Genesis Cameras using Noga Arms. Wexler served as one of the camera operators and was positioned near the flight line in preparation for the arrival of the Endeavour Shuttle riding atop a Boeing 747. Apple ProRes 422 footage of the landing was recorded to the Ki Pro Minis and sent to Deluxe who is donating their services to compile edit and archive all of the material captured for use in the documentary. August said Having a portable reliable solution like Ki Pro Mini was instrumental to completing this phase of the project. All of the footage was instantly edit-ready straight off the drives. We're looking forward to using the recorders again for the next phase of the project which will cover Endeavours complex journey through LA to its new home.
On October 12 Endeavour was removed from its hangar at LAX and onto a 79-foot transporter with 92 independently operated wheels in preparation for its final trip home. Volunteer camera operators from SOC will again employ AJA Ki Pro Minis to document the Shuttle as it hits the streets of LA and travels to its ultimate destination the CSC where it will remain permanently on exhibit.
AJA president Nick Rashby said Endeavour's final journey is one that will go down in the history books and this documentary will give generations to come an accurate account of the complexities involved in the shuttles final mission. Were thrilled to support the Society of Camera Operators and the California Science Center on such an admirable production. Its truly exciting to see our technology be a part of this historic undertaking. Pictured left to right: Leonard Walsh SOC Haskell Wexler ASC/SOC and Satya Vanii SOC Associate Member. Image courtesy of SOC.
Trade Digital Cinema Partners with Kode on Gangway
