The Art-House America Campaign, a new relief fund established by initial donations from the Criterion Collection and Janus Films, has been launched to help the more than 150 independent movie theatres across the United States that have temporarily closed to slow the spread of COVID-19. As part of that effort, a map is being created to track specific theatres that are closed.
Some event cinema distributors and their partners are getting creative in these challenging times. This Thursday, April 2, the Los Angeles-based event cinema distributor Abramorama and The Dollywood Foundation will present an online book-reading series entitled Goodnight with Dolly. Abramorama was originally scheduled to release the documentary The Library That Dolly Built in more than 330 cinemas on April 2. Due to the current COVID-19 crisis, the film will instead open nationally the week of September 21, to commemorate the Library’s 25th anniversary.
NEC Display Solutions of America has announced the NC1402L, a 9,500-lumen, install-anywhere laser projector that produces a brighter image than any other projector in its class. It is DCI-compliant, and can display images at 2K resolution. The NC1402L is equipped with an internal liquid cooling system, eliminating the need for an exhaust and allowing the projector to run at a quiet 49 decibels. It is also capable of high frame rates and can easily handle projecting 3D content.
The Ymagis Group has named Thierry Lescasse as group executive vice president, finance, succeeding Benoît Jacheet, whose transition mission concluded with the completion of the financial restructuring plan. Jacheet will remain with the company for several weeks to ensure a smooth transition.
Veteran colorist Walter Volpatto, CSI has been appointed to the leadership of the Colorist Society International as a Fellow. A senior colorist at EFilm in Hollywood, Volpatto was nominated for a 2019 HPA Award for his work on the film Green Book. His more than 100 credits also include the features Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Dunkirk, Midway and Independence Day: Resurgence, as well as the television series Homecoming and Queen Sugar. He joins Dale Grahn, Lou Levinson, Charles Poynton and Kevin Shaw as CSI Fellows.
In a statement released to the press late Wednesday the National Association of Theatre Owners expressed its gratitude to the U.S. Senate for approving a financial aid package that will benefit its members.
Ana Monte, lead sound designer and Daniel Deboy, lead sound engineer founded Delta Soundworks in Heidelberg, Germany in 2016. The company is a 3D/immersive audio post-production facility with projects that span across installations, virtual reality, 360-degree films and gaming, as well as feature films, documentaries, TV shows and commercials. Their team consists of a highly skilled and creative group of production sound mixers, recording engineers, sound designers, Foley artists, composers and music producers. Digital Cinema Report recently spoke with Monte and Deboy about their business and some very interesting projects.
For more than 10 years, production sound mixer and location sound recordist, David Thirion, has been using DPA microphones to capture audio for film and television projects. Their audio quality and natural sound was a key reason for his choice, but equally important was the tiny size of some models, which makes them ideal for situations where they need to be hidden on actors’ bodies or in costumes.
The International Union of Cinemas, the body representing European cinema trade associations and operators, has today issued the following statement on the current situation with regard to the outbreak of coronavirus/COVID-19:
The Cinema Technology Community, an independent trade group, has created a new free membership level to help support people working in cinema technology.
