Category Archives: Exhibition

Artist’s Intent Exposed~! See it here first. Where? In the cinema, the temporary home provided by exhibitors.

CineExpo: The Third Degree3-D

The full version of this excellent Hollywood Reporter Article is at:

CineExpo: The Third DegreeCineExpo: The Third Degree3-D, cinema exhibition’s killer application, goes global

By Alex Ben Block

June 19, 2009, 12:50 PM ET

There were naysayers, he recalls, who warned it was too soon to go all-digital. They argued theatrical trailers and some movies weren’t available in digital, which could cost them if a hot ticket came along that was available only on celluloid.

“It really was a good test to understand the staffing, training, the technical, how many films are available in digital, how many trailers can you get in digital and so on,” de Quervain says. “We had reported at last year’s (Cinema Expo International) that trailers …

In rapid succession during the past year, major movie distributors including Disney, Fox, Sony and Warner Bros. have begun making most trailers and movies available in digital …

So far, conversion of analog screens to digital in developed countries worldwide hasn’t happened as quickly…

As in the U.S., conversion to all digital presentation won’t occur until financing sources open, and that depends on the global credit crisis. …

The U.K., where booming boxoffice is up more than 16% for the first quarter, is a good example. …

That didn’t mean the end of all digital, though. “The focus in the recent past has been on installation of digital 3-D screens,” …

Disney alone, which will be showing “Up” in Amsterdam in 3-D, will offer 17 new 3-D movies during the next couple years,…

Exhibitors have taken notice. “Every multiplex in the U.K. will have a 3-D screen by Christmas,” …

Dowley notes digital eliminates the cost to ship the cans of celluloid, makes it easier to offer advertisers last-minute content …

It’s not just happening in the U.K. or Western Europe. Across developing Eastern Europe, Russia, India and China …

“We see 3-D worldwide grossing two and a half times the 2-D screens,” Disney’s Marcoly says. …

Imax CEO Richard Gelfond calls Europe “a key territory for us,” …

An Imax theater opened two years ago in Hong Kong is producing “excellent results,” …

“When we open a new movie, Imax is huge,” says Vallone, who worked for UA …

Vallone says 3-D is also very popular, with 80% of patrons choosing 3-D over 2-D for DreamWorks’ “Monsters vs. Aliens” when given a choice.

The boxoffice has remained strong in Hong Kong despite the credit crunch, …

Surprisingly, Vallone says the rampant piracy in Hong Kong seems to have cooled. …

It’s not enforcement which has turned it around, Vallone says. People got tired of being cheated by street vendors….

Globally the big concern has shifted to Internet piracy of movies, MPAA chairman and CEO Dan Glickman says….

The MPAA released the 2009 Priority Watch List of countries where piracy is a particular problem — …

Glickman notes that one additional benefit of 3-D is that it’s hard to pirate.

Glickman praises a bill supported by France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy, which is working its way toward …

Around the world movie ticket sales have held up surprisingly well in the face of the global economic downturn, …

“I think we’ve proven we’re recession resistant,” de Quervain says, “but I don’t think we’re recession proof. …

Links referenced within this article
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i5bc95dcbd3315867454360ef9ecc2ed3
CineExpo honorees
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3id499f8aa1018de837d7fae5508d35e23
CineExpo events
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3id499f8aa1018de837100febc4a167ff1

  Find this article at:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3id499f8aa1018de8356755d7d6a3943f2

Smart Carmike Move Brings MJ Event Live


Theatre   City   State
CARMIKE 15   COLUMBUS   GA
CROSS RD 16   CONYERS   GA
WYNNSONG 11   SAVANNAH   GA
WYNNSONG 16   MOBILE   AL
CARMIKE 9   DYERSBURG   TN
THOROUGHBRED 20   FRANKLIN   TN
CARMIKE 14   JOHNSON CITY   TN
WYNNSONG 16   KNOXVILLE   TN
ROYAL PALM 20   BRADENTON   FL
CARMIKE 10   ROANOKE   VA
CARMIKE 10   ASHEVILLE   NC
CARMIKE 16   JACKSONVILLE   NC
UNIV 8   WARRENSBURG   MO
SETH CHILDS 12   MANHATTAN   KS
CARMIKE 20   EDINBURG   TX
CARMIKE 16   EL PASO   TX
CARMIKE 14   TYLER   TX
CHAPEL HILLS 15   COLORADO SPRINGS   CO
CARMIKE 10   FORT COLLINS   CO
WYNNSONG 12   PROVO   UT
CARMIKE 10   STILLWATER   OK
MKT FAIR 15   FAYETTEVILLE   NC
WYNNSONG 10   BILLINGS   MT
CARMIKE 10   MISSOULA   MT
WYNNSONG 16   JOHNSTON   IA
OAKDALE 20   OAKDALE   MN
BEVERLY 18   CHAMPAIGN   IL
MARKET SQUARE 10   DEKALB   IL
         

Those interested in attending the free live broadcast should arrive at the theatre approximately one hour before the memorial service. Attendance will be limited to the capacity of each auditorium.

As of today, the following are confirmed as among the participants in the Michael Jackson memorial service:

          Mariah Carey
          Brooke Shields
          Stevie Wonder
          Magic Johnson
          Lionel Richie
          Usher
          Kobe Bryant
          Berry Gordy
          Jennifer Hudson
          Martin Luther King III
          Bernice A. King
          John Mayer
          Smokey Robinson
          Rev. Al Sharpton

Visit www.carmike.com for the complete list of all theatres and ticket availability.

About Carmike Cinemas

Carmike Cinemas, Inc. is a U.S. leader in digital cinema and 3D cinema deployments and one of the nation’s largest motion picture exhibitors. As of March 31, 2009, Carmike had 249 theatres with 2,288 screens in 35 states. Carmike’s digital cinema footprint reaches 2,154 screens, including 193 theatres with 500 screens that are also equipped for 3D. Carmike’s focus for its theatre locations is small to mid-sized communities with populations of fewer than 100,000.

 

Jaffoni & Collins – Investor Relations
Robert Rinderman or Ratula Roy
212-835-8500
[email protected]
or
Carmike Cinemas
Dale Hurst, Director of Marketing
706-576-3464

World’s first non-commercial national digital cinema roll-out

 

World’s first non-commercial national digital cinema roll-out – June 26, 2009

“This is a great undertaking for a small country”, said Jorgen Stensland, Director of Consultants at Film & Kino. “Under these agreements, Disney, Fox, Paramount, Universal, and Warner have committed to deliver wide releases to Norwegian digital cinemas. The deal also covers our own mobile cinema in rural areas. Film & Kino’s goal of delivering quality film all over this country is secured in the future by these agreements. We are happy that Norwegians will be able to experience the perfect quality of a DCI-compliant digital exhibition, which will also give our audiences the opportunity to see the new generation of 3D films that are underway. We look forward to working together with the studios to make this happen.”

The agreements will help facilitate the financing of the conversion to digital cinema. The costs will be shared between distributors, cinemas and Film & Kino.

“A success like this is the result of a great team effort. We want to thank our team members for their unflagging commercial, technical and legal support during these negotiations”, said Roar Svartberg, Acting Director of Film & Kino.

Roger Pollock, Paramount Pictures’ Executive Vice President, International Distribution & Operations, said “Digital distribution and the growth of 3-D cinema is the future of our industry, enabling films to be seen in the highest quality and most dynamic ways possible. Film & Kino is aggressively stepping forward to place Norway at the forefront of this technology, providing their audiences with the very best movie-viewing experience available. This is an important step in Europe’s roll out to digital conversion and will hopefully serve as an influential example across the region.”

Julian Levin, Executive Vice President, Digital Exhibition, Twentieth Century Fox commented “We are delighted to have closed a deployment agreement with Film & Kino. This important deal is the first of its kind covering the conversion from 35mm film to DCI compliant digital projection for the entire country. The transition to a digital projection platform will additionally provide the foundation for 3D exhibition capability, exhibition of alternative content and improved flexibility in distribution and exhibition operations. The ultimate beneficiary of the transition will be the movie going audience. We look forward to working with our colleagues at Film & Kino during the transition and providing Fox’s movies, in 2D and 3D, to Film & Kino digital projection system deployments.”

Duncan Clark, Executive VP, International Distribution, Universal Pictures International, said: “We’re pleased to be working with Film & Kino to help the Norwegian cinema industry transition to digital cinema via our UIP territorial office in Norway. Clearly the growth of 3-D cinema and digital distribution is the future of our business and this complete rollout of digital to Norway’s cinemas, which has the backing of the Norwegian government, is an important step. Norway is the latest country to become part of the extensive conversion to digital that is being rolled out to cinemas in Europe. By supplying our movies digitally, we hope audiences in Norway as early as later this year, will soon be able to experience the highest quality cinema experience via the best digital technology available.”

Commenting on the announcement, Jason Brenek, senior vice president, Worldwide Digital Cinema and Cinema Programming, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, said, “Digital cinema is taking a giant leap forward in Norway thanks to the tremendous efforts of Film & Kino. This is a bold and exciting move to transform all of Norway’s theaters to state-of-the-art DCI-compliant equipment and give moviegoers the best possible theatrical experience. Disney remains committed to digital cinema and digital 3D, and will continue to work with Film & Kino to bring the future of exhibition to moviegoers in a timely and cost effective manner. Our lineup of upcoming films includes a wide variety of titles that showcase this latest digital technology, including many films presented in Disney Digital 3D™.”

“Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President, International Distribution, from Warner Brothers said, “Warner Bros. is excited about this unique partnership with Film & Kino, the first-ever deployment model that aims to digitize an entire country. This holistic transition to DCI compliant digital projection systems firmly establishes Norway as a leader in technological innovation and ensures the continued growth of this robust theatrical market.”

174 Digital Screens in Poland, by XDC

<p ><em> June 26, 2009<br>The Letter of Intent signed between Multikino and XDC includes the roll out of DCI-compliant projection systems co-financed by the Virtual Print Fee (VPF) model, represented by XDC. Multikino and XDC plan to sign final deployment agreement within 3 months. Rollout is scheduled to begin in Fall 2009, with an initial commitment of 100 screens throughout the year 2010. The whole installation process is to be completed by 2011.<p > Piotr Zygo, CEO of Multikino stated “Entering in VPF deal with XDC we improve our competitive advantage in term of quality of films and capability of screening 2D and 3D content, as well as we open space for alternative content and leverage our advertising tools. Those factors should generate new streams of Multikino’s revenue in the future.<p > Serge Plasch, XDC’s Chief Executive Officer said: “It’s a real pleasure to announce our fourth major VPF deal in Europe. Multikino is the leading exhibitor in Poland. We are convinced to build a fruitful cooperation with them on many aspects: exhibition services, distribution, alternative content and advertising. XDC is probably the only company in Europe able to provide smart solutions for each of these revenue segments.”<p > Under the terms of the agreement, which is to be finalized within the next three months, XDC will exclusively install DCI-compliant digital projection systems: 174 2K Cinema projectors and XDC’s CineStore® Solo G3 D-Cinema servers. XDC will also implement a fully integrated and networked solution in each of the 20 complexes, thanks to its advanced Theatre Management System and Central Library, the XDC’s CineStore® Plaza.<p > Digital Cinema Polska will carry out the installations and maintenance, as well as the frontline helpdesk.

 

Muscles Matter: Schubin on 3D at mobilizedtv

Mark Schubin on Mobile 3D: Muscles Matter

Mark Schubin is a multiple Emmy-Award-winning SMPTE Fellow who has worked professionally in television since 1967.

This article is edited below; whole segments are left out…there is also a Part 1 on the MobilizedTV site.
Read the entire article at: Mobile 3D: Muscles Matter | Mobilizedtv

Unrelated to psychics or psychobabble, psychophysics is the science of psychological responses to physical stimuli.  An example of a physical stimulus is the picture on a mobile-phone screen.  An example of a psychological response is liking the picture enough to want to pay for it.

Psychophysics has already played a role in mobile TV.  Handheld at a typical viewing distance, …  So, when Fox delivered a mobile-TV version of the popular series 24, each “mobisode” had a very short duration (initially one minute, later increased to three), with louder sound effects, more close-ups, bigger bullet holes, and more blood.

Mobile 3-D will likely face the same issues … .  But there are two other major considerations. One is called the “vergence-accommodation disparity” or sometimes the convergence-accommodation disparity.  …  The single accommodation distance and the varying convergence distances of stereoscopic 3-D create a perceptual disparity.  The muscles moving the eyes report one depth to the brain; those focusing the lenses report another.

At the 2009 SMPTE Digital Cinema Summit, University of California Professor Martin S. Banks described experiments he had performed concerning that perceptual disagreement.  “This is really the first evidence that a vergence-accommodation conflict can cause fatigue and discomfort.”

It’s not an entirely new discovery.  Writing in The American Journal of Physiological Optics, Leonard Troland said, … to modify the normal coordination of the ocular reflexes of accommodation and convergence.”  That was in July 1926.

DreamWorks head (and 3-D fan) Jeffrey Katzenberg, speaking at the International Broadcasting Convention in September 2008, said the last thing 3-D should do is “make your audience hurl.”  …

Banks suggested to the Digital Cinema Summit that the conflict might be reduced by increasing a viewer’s “zone of comfort.”  …

In 1895, the Lumiere brothers presented the first cinema audience with motion pictures of a train arriving at a station.  They were silent, black-&-white, jittery, and showed the train moving at an angle, but that was enough, according to a contemporary report, to cause an audience member to jump up in fear until the last car had passed through the frame.

In 1919, Thomas Edison staged a “tone test” at a concert hall, defying members of the audience to tell the difference between a live opera singer and a phonograph recording of her voice.  A reporter for the Pittsburgh Post wrote that he couldn’t.

Today, we might laugh at the idea that the Lumiere and Edison audiences couldn’t tell playback from reality, but that’s only because …

Consider seasickness.  First-time sailors tend to suffer from it, but those who’ve spent long periods on boats get over it.  Muscles, too, can be trained.  …

So it’s possible that viewer training will get around the convergence-accommodation 3-D problem even on mobile screens.  A short 3-D piece, followed by a recovery period, and then …

Unfortunately, eye-fatigue and nausea are only one of the perceptual issues associated with 3-D mobile TV.  There’s also, for example, the infinity-interpupillary problem.

Read the entire article at: Mobile 3D: Muscles Matter | Mobilizedtv

NEC Unveils New Ultra Bright NC2500S-A Projector in Anticipation of Disney Pixar’s Nationwide 3D Release of UP

NEC Corporation of America, a premier provider of IT, network and identity management solutions, today unveiled the new NEC NC2500S-A digital cinema projector. As Hollywood studios begin requiring a higher level of brightness for 3D movie releases, NEC is the only provider to offer all pre-existing customers this new feature in their current models with a simple upgrade. The world-renowned Ziegfeld Theatre will be among the first of NEC’s customers to embrace these new projectors.

Read more…

Celluloid Junkie-14 May

– The hunt is on for the Norwegian projectionist believed responsible for camcording and uploading a recent local hit Max Manus, according to Screen International. “The film was released on 103 prints…

– While box office taking are good, US exhibitors like Regal Cinemas are still having to scale back their growth plans because of the tighter credit climate, according to Reuters. “But plans…

– More signs of the recession, UK’s Vue is putting on free film screenings, The Times tells us. Just don’t expect “Star Trek”. Instead Metrodome is providing some…interesting…choices. …

– THR.com uses the Cannes premier of Pixar’s “Up” as a jump off point for two in-depth articles about 3D in general and in Europe in particular: ‘Who’ll pay for 3-D glasses? Exhibitors, studios squabble over who should foot the bill‘ and ‘3-D accelerates as ‘Up’ opens Cannes – Film’s exposure at the fest could give 3-D an international push.’ …

– Slight relief for Indian multiplexes (and cinema goers) as Bollywood film “99″ opens this Friday in defiance of the Distributor-Exhibitor stand-off, while Sony Pictures…

Read all the details at Cinema Junkie…

Digital Hollywood: Credit Market Starting to Recover

Celluloid Junkie LogoA group of 3D industry leaders shared varying opinions on the future of 3D—as well as their latest impressions of the credit market–during a panel yesterday at the Digital Hollywood confab in Los Angeles. “The market has recovered a little since December,” said James Dix, analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities. “The credit market is clearly loosening […]

 

Read more at CelluloidJunkie.com

Met Opera MegaData

There is a downloadable pdf file of these slides at the HPA Site.

You can also see and hear Mark giving a very similar presentation to the Toronto SMPTE section in December: Arias and Acquisition – a two-part evening with Mark Schubin.

If you are an EDCF member, you can pull a copy of the Alternative Content Guide in pdf format from the members section. This is the link for the EDCF Site

As well as being a television engineer and historian, Mark has a number of well regarded writings available on the internet. The Schubin Chronicles were written observations from a perspective of a New Yorker after the towers fell in November of 2001. You can see his IMDB.com listing here. There is a 2005 HDTV Magazine Interview that holds up real well.

A number of decades ago your author was privileged to work in a studio with a trés drôle and class act recording producer named John Boylan. As people are wont to do, he had stolen the front receptionists desk to take a phone call, and there he doodled a ToDo List:

  • Go to Studio
  • Make Hit Record
  • Go Home for Lunch
  • Noodle the ol’ lady
  • Go back to studio 
  • Make another hit record
  • Repeat and Fade

 Mark Schbin, equally clever, generous and a class act, shared his ToDo list from one of his weeks during an opera:

  • 16 transponders on 13 satellites as well as three transoceanic fiber cables
  • multiple motion-compensating HD frame-rate converters
  • one-hour HD delays to compensate for the different starts of Summer Time in North America and Europe
  • 14 HD cameras and 30 recorders
  • five robotic mounts, including two extendable towers and a track, all of which had to be deployed in minutes
  • a 600-foot live, backwards Steadicam move (ending at a live burro)
  • shooting multicamera live in the control room itself (one intermission was shot live in five different venues)
  • live subtitling in multiple languages
  • stereo, 5.1, and LT/RT sound, discrete and encoded
  • coordinating live commercial U.S. radio, non-commercial U.S. radio, global  radio, and the HD cinemacasts, all of which sometimes share and sometimes use different production elements
  • coordinating the parking of production vehicles on three Manhattan blocks with the fire department, the police, and local security
  • Wheeee!

And, as Mark always seems to close, TTFN

Daily Cinema Roundup – Friday 1 May

– UK exhibitor Vue has bold expansion plans for London, announced as part of the tie up with retail property group Westfield and build a total of eight sites by 2011, with two ‘crown jewel’ sites in London. From THR.com, “Vue Entertainment CEO Tim Richards said the site at London’s Westfield shopping center aims to […]

Read the full post at CelluloidJunkie.com

Celluloid Junkie has several more news items in this story – Read More here…