ICTA VIEW Events Review and New Website!

Frank Tees, ICTA President

On the heels of CinemaCon 2023, there is much to report on the many activities and upcoming events for the International Cinema Technology Association, so let’s jump right into it!

CinemaCon 2023

There was great enthusiasm and optimism in the air in Las Vegas for CinemaCon 2023. Attendance was noticeably up compared to recent years, nearly to “pre-pandemic” levels, and all of the studios showed full slates of very promising films for the remainder of this year and next. This year, ICTA sponsored its first-ever special educational seminar at CinemaCon, themed “The Fundamentals of Presentation Technology”, presented in partnership with NATO’s Cinema Foundation.

The 2-hour crash course was intended for cinema executives, owners, operators, and managers (and their staff) to acquaint non-technical personnel with the basic concepts of cinema audio, projection, networks, TMS and general maintenance of presentation technology. The intent of the course was to provide a foundation to allow these audiences to more easily converse with their technology providers and make more informed decisions on technology for their cinemas.”

The seminar was presented twice and both sessions were well attended. Subject matters included “Cinema Audio Technology” presented by Mark Mayfield, Q-SYS, “Cinema Projection and Media Technology”, presented by Reiner Doetzkies, Sharp/NEC, and “Networks, TMS, and Maintenance”, presented by Chase Taylor, Sound Vision Technical.

On the final morning of CinemaCon 2023, ICTA President Frank Tees kicked off another well-attended ICTA seminar entitled “Beyond the PLF: The Technology Behind Event Cinema and Live Events”.

HDF Kino 2023 in Baden-Baden

In May, the ICTA participated in the annual cinema congress organized by the German cinema association, HDF Kino. ICTA Directors Oliver Pasch and Till Cussmann co-chaired a panel discussion on premium cinema strategies featuring Leonie Günther/Filmpalast Gruppe, Tobias Riehl/Paramount, HansJoachim Flebbe/Premium Kino, and Maximilian Hoffman/ Broadway Kino Ramstein.

ICTA at Cine Europe

ICTA will present its annual CineEurope Seminar Series with a half-day program at the Cinesa Cinema on Sunday, 18th June. Also on the schedule are the annual ICTA EMEA Cinema Awards. Exhibitors will be recognized in these categories:

ICTA Annual Convention in Los Angeles

All ICTA members are encouraged to join us in July for our annual Business Convention! This year, we will be in the heart of our beloved industry, Los Angeles, California, beginning July 22 through July 26, 2023. The 3-day agenda includes hot-topic business and technology sessions, panel discussions, tours of cutting-edge technology installations, and of course, plenty of time for networking.

A highlight of our programming this year is a special presentation by Ioan Allen, Dolby, of his renowned “Egg Show”. The Egg Show is an entertaining and evocative look at the influences of sound mixing on motion picture presentation.

New Website!

www.ictaweb.com

Take a minute to visit our newly updated website at www.ictaweb.com. The site has many new features and resources, including registration links for our upcoming events.

Paul Willmott Chairman, Saffron Screen

CT: Please introduce yourself and tell us about your background?

I live near Saffron Walden in NW Essex on the boundaries with Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. I was brought up in Bristol but moved to Essex (via Staffordshire) when I went to Essex University in Colchester studying for an MSc in Electrical Engineering.

Most of my work prior to entering the cinema world was in IT. For many years I was a software engineer and then a software quality assurance contractor. This led me to working all over the UK in the electricity industry, assessing IT systems that were necessary for companies who wanted to become electricity suppliers when the market opened up in 1997.

CT: Tell us about your role with Saffron Screen and how it’s evolved?

Saffron Screen was set up in 2006 as a community-based cinema. The only suitable property the original directors could find was a share of an auditorium in the local county high school. This had the space and capacity but was limited by not having access during the day (in term time). Run by a small team supported by many volunteers, of which I was one, I volunteered as a projectionist just before the cinema opened.

Having volunteered as a projectionist I underwent a day’s training with the Picturehouse in Cambridge followed by working with a number of freelance projectionists over the next couple of months. The projection team expanded, adding another 5 or 6 volunteers which I trained on the 35mm equipment. After 6 months I was offered the paid position of Lead Projectionist and took this up whilst still continuing with my IT contracts. But this proved difficult so I chose to focus on the projection role which was of much more interest to me. also looking to obtain our own premises (it’s been a long term aim), so I am always investigating new opportunities. I have a constant contact with our business manager which can cover all aspects of the business. One area that I still get hands-on with is the ticket system. Early on in the Saffron screen story we had a bespoke system developed by a local supporter of the cinema, but eventually this became too difficult to manage and improve so we moved to Veezi. I have maintained an interest in Veezi and regularly get involved with any issues our staff have (often resolving ticket and card payment issues).

In 2011 we raised funds to invest in digital equipment and I became the cinema’s technical manager. I project managed the upgrade to digital and trained all the volunteer projectionists. Over the next few years I instigated many improvements including going from 5.1 to 7.1 surround sound and automating the auditorium lights.

In 2015 I became Business and Technical Manager overseeing other aspects of the business rather than just the technical areas and I continued in this role until I “retired” in 2017. At this point I was invited to join the Board as Technical Director. Saffron Screen is a registered charity and its trustees/board members are responsible for overseeing the operation of the cinema to ensure it is meeting its objectives. All trustee/board positions are unpaid roles. In 2018 I was elected as chair of the board which brings us up to the present day.

CT: What does your day to day look like?

Every day is different! There are a number of administration tasks to take care of such as the one I am currently involved in which is to assist our financial director in producing the annual report. I still have an input into the technical side of the cinema, assisting our technical manager where requested. We are

CT: What are the biggest differences between a community cinema and a normal cinema in terms of how you deliver movies?

For us, the main difference is not specifically that we are a community cinema (I don’t really like that term as I don’t think it really reflects our setup), but it’s the fact that we are a single screen cinema that cannot open full-time. This restricts when we can show films – very few first run films, it’s usually 4-6 weeks off release dates. One advantage we do have, however, is that there is a high degree of integration with our customers. We have many individuals who would not consider going to a cinema on their own, but they will come to Saffron Screen because they will know all the staff and probably meet others they know who have come to see the film.

Also, we do not have a fixed area for a bar and refreshments which means we have to set up a temporary refreshment area which is in the auditorium. After many years we finally obtained an alcohol licence which pleased many of our customers!

The biggest complaint we get is the quality of the seats. We have 202 seats which are on a raked system that can be retracted into the back wall when the school needs the space for exams. This means luxury recliners are never going to happen (another reason for wanting our own premises).

CT: How has the recovery been for Saffron Screen?

I cannot disguise the fact that we are suffering quite badly from the after effects of the pandemic. A combination of home streaming, lack of appropriate films and customers either still not confident of going to busy locations or have just got out of the habit of going to the cinema.

We are currently looking at alternative revenue streams but it is very difficult. I believe that there are many cinemas in a similar situation which is worrying.

CT: You’re involved in a number of industryrelated projects, can you tell us more about these?

I am one of the directors of the CTC which is a thoroughly rewarding opportunity to help cinemas deliver better movie-going experiences all over the world. My main setups. The scheme has not been operating for the last few years, but along with my colleague Peter Knight, we have been working with the BFI to re-introduce this valuable technical support. interest (and skill set) is with the smaller independent cinemas, but there is much that applies to all kinds of cinema, so not only can I provide my experience to CTC but I can learn from the outstanding talent in the organisation.

Over the past three years, the UKCA have been working on improving accessibility for customers. I have been on the team of technical experts looking at viewing subtitles through personally worn glasses to help with customers who have hearing difficulties. We are hopeful that this will come to fruition in the near future.

I have also been one of the BFI’s Technical Ambassadors, again focussing on improving sound and picture quality for smaller cinemas. This scheme allows organisations to obtain free assistance on issues they may have with their

CT: What’s your favourite thing about working in the industry?

One of the best things about working in the cinema industry as an exhibitor is the fact that everyone I meet from other cinemas is so helpful and willing to share their experiences. It is one of the reasons I like visiting other cinemas – I can gather so many ideas from how other organisations work. Likewise, I am very happy to help others (and I do get a lot of emails from other cinemas asking for advice)!