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Netflix & cinema Enter the 5G DCP
Could the streaming Can the super-fast giant and exhibitors infrastructure transform be of friends? thethe waybest we send films?
001_DEC18_COVER.indd 001_COVER_JUNE19.indd 11
he t I: I eI
he t ing p ha s t is n te n o c
ma e in c rn e d mo
Studio moves forthing victory Generation magpie Planning It's the reel CT interviews What the rise Andrew of the Cripps, Centurymeans Fox's "rented 20th experience" advocate forexhibitors change for cinema
Produced in partnership with:
How Coca-Cola's today's cinema fizz developers arecore helping captured the of to thebusiness high street thesave movie
20/11/2018 14:42 10:03 22/05/2019
six one
product families.
processors
catalog.
amplifiers
QSC offers the cinema industry’s most comprehensive catalog of solutions for the entire cinema complex. Sourcing all of your cinema product needs from one catalog means you can be assured of
loudspeakers
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From the lobby to the theatre and everything in between, the QSC catalog provides the tools you need to match any budget or performance requirement.
media servers test equipment
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Š2019 QSC, LLC all rights reserved. QSC, Q-SYS and the QSC logo are registered trademarks in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and other countries. #0643-2019
Untitled-3 0632-2019 16 products red 210mmW x 280Hmm .indd 1
22/05/2019 11:47 5/9/19 11:12 AM
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They can imagine. They can feel. Together, let's make them see too. As we at Galalite celebrate 60 years of innovative cinema screen technologies, We pledge to share our proďŹ ts to aid the visually impaired and spread awareness about preventive blindness. Join our initiative for helping those who can only Imagine, See. Visit imaginesee.org to know more
In association with info@galalitescreens.com www.galalitescreens.com
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NEWS
07 08
CT’s view: Alastair Balmain on the burning subject The latest from around the world of cinema exhibition
FEATURES
17 20 24 29 34 38
Digital cinema at 20: an indepth look at its origins Michael Karagosian on one of the earliest digital demos David Hancock on today’s experience economy Will 5G networks transform content delivery to sites? What the latest DCI specs mean for direct view LEDs Melissa Cogavin on the reel thing: Coke and the movies
PRODUCTION EDITOR: ALASTAIR BALMAIN Motion Picture Solutions Ltd, Mission Hall, 9-11 North End Road, London W14 8ST T: +44 (0)20 3026 1368 E: alastair.balmain@motionpicturesolutions.com ART DIRECTOR: DEAN CHILLMAID E: dean@spacehopperdesign.co.uk
www.cinematech.today
005_CONTENTS_JUNE19.indd 5
44 49 60 62 66 70 74 78 86
Peter Knight listens in on a new sub-woofer in France CT explores the history and range of NEC’s projectors Saudi’s Cinema Build KSA forum is laying foundations
34 38
How Blitz-CineStar make cinema big in the Balkans Jacro: a modern business with a rich history to back it Apps: Harkness is having an impact on the small screen After 54 years in the booth, Fred Fullerton has seen it all Jim Slater reviews a new work on projection in Oz Danny Jeremiah puts the case for Netflix as a positive
COMMISSIONING EDITOR: PETER KNIGHT E: commissioning-editor@cinematech.today ADVERTISING: BOB CAVANAGH Caixa Postal 2011, Vale da Telha, 8670-156 Aljezur, Portugal T: +351 282 997 050
EVENTS
54
CinemaCon was a muted affair this year — Patrick von
Sychowski ponders the reasons why
58
The UKCA conference in April drew a strong crowd…
Peter Knight reports on proceedings
M: +351 962 415 172 E: bobcavanagh@sapo.pt SUBSCRIPTIONS Cinema Technology is mailed to IMIS Members. For subscription details and to read the magazine online, visit www.cinematech.today or e-mail CT@motionpicturesolutions.com
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22/05/2019 14/05/2019 11:52 11:02
c t
v i e w
Digital projection: it only seems like yesterday… Who would have thought that 20 years had elapsed since the introduction of digital projection? Time has a habit of passing quickly — best stop and reflect a while, says Alastair Balmain
www.cinematech.today T g gm m a gaagzai nz ei nf eo r f o c irn e O . 4> > 0 1 26//1 189 T hh ee l leeaaddi ni n cm i nae m a i n d u s ti n r yd upsrt or y fep s sr ioof e n sasliso n>a lVs O> LV.O3 L2 . 3N1 ON. 2
MEANWHILE...
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Netflix & cinema Enter the 5G DCP
Could the streaming Can the super-fast giant and exhibitors infrastructure transform be of friends? thethe waybest we send films?
T
t is ten con
Studio moves forthing victory Generation magpie Planning It's the reel CT interviews What the rise Andrew of the Cripps, Centurymeans Fox's "rented 20th experience" advocate forexhibitors change for cinema
ime flies when you’re having fun. It
world the Rank Organisation is remembered as a towering
only seems yesterday that George Lucas
giant that, at its peak, so nearly rivalled the major Hollywood
gifted Jar Jar Binks to a largely astonished
studios. The role the R&D team at Rank Brimar played in the
world. It was actually 20 years ago, which
development of digital was a case of what could have been.
makes me feel rather old, but, more to
Sadly the Rank Organisation divested its cinema interests
Produced in partnership with:
today's cinema How Coca-Cola's fizz developers arecore helping captured the of to thebusiness high street thesave movie
Though it took the support of others to get digital
imagination — that still feels pretty fresh in my mind. Two
projection across the line, the final battle for supremacy
decades on however and it seems a valid moment to reflect
(Hughes-JVC vs TI’s DLP technology) was a dogfight in the
on the work of the visionaries that brought digital to fruition.
best tradition’s of Rank’s “Reach for the Skies”. Today, we
As Patrick von Sychowski and Michael Karagosian write
take the dominance of DLP technology for granted, but only
on pages 17 and 20, the story behind the launch of digital
a few short years ago others were battling to be top dog.
cinema had plot-lines as good as any space opera or action
And where are we now? Laser projection, direct view LED…
thriller. But what really makes this a compelling tale is the
some even talk about that “Star Wars” favourite: holographic
quality of the cast involved — there was a whole raft of
projection. Technology never stands still. Think of that CD
characters all striving to achieve the great technical leap
player in your car’s dashboard. Once it was a cassette player,
forward. As I write this from my kitchen, I have a decidedly
before that an eight-track. That CD slot won’t be in the car
tenuous personal connection to one of the names that
you buy tomorrow (nor will the internal combustion engine),
crops up in this chapter of cinema’s history since our garden
but music will still be played — and the same is true of film.
overlooks the “Lord Rank Playing Field”. J. Arthur Rank is a
The technology may develop, but the yearning for engaging
figure remembered fondly in our village and in this part of
stories and the cinematic medium itself stays the same.
the world as a patrician landlord, a keen shooting man and a generous supporter of local causes, but in the cinema
20/11/2018 14:42 10:03 22/05/2019
just as things were getting really exciting.
was the first time digital projection truly captured the public
1
2
3
In military terms, pioneers lay the paths the rest of the brigade follows. Cinema should cherish its own pioneers.
1 Adam MacDonald
2 David Hancock
3 Patrick von Sychowski
A digital cinema specialist and CTC committee member, Adam finds out how apps transform movie-going, p.70
Research director at IHS Markit, on p.24 David examines the changing experience economy and its impact
Editor of Celluloid Junkie, on p.17, Patrick goes back in time for a focus on digital cinema’s 20th anniversary
www.cinematech.today
CTVIEW JUNE 19.indd 9
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a em cin rn de o m the
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the point, it seems incredible that “The Phantom Menace”
Writing in this issue of CT
e th I: II
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CT NEWSREEL
n e w S ,
v i e w s
&
i n d u s t r y
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g l o b a l t h e o f
U p - to - d a te 8
Los Angeles
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QSC Brings ‘Avengers: Endgame’ to life for a blockbusting premiere AUDIO SPECIALISTS QSC WERE proud to provide
course of six days. The result was a
sound for the spectacular world premiere of “Avengers:
premium movie theatre despite the
Endgame” on 22 April at the Los Angeles Convention
acoustic challenges of a concrete-
Center. Guests at the blockbuster’s premiere enjoyed a
enclosed exhibit hall. The theatre seated more than 2,000
stunning presentation of film in Dolby Vision and Atmos
guests using temporary stadium seating. Q-SYS, a software-
using QSC loudspeakers, amplifiers, and signal processing
based audio, video and control ecosystem, provided the
featuring Q-SYS in a custom-built auditorium.
distribution and processing backbone for the installation.
xxxxx
In total, the installation consisted of 102 loudspeakers,
“Everyone attending the premiere was impressed with
29 subwoofers, and an estimated 800,000 watts of power
the superior quality of the sound and picture, which fully
with over half a mile of networking cable. Jon Graves from
immersed them in the cinematic experience,” said Michael
QSC and his team set up and tuned the system over the
Kern, VP special events production at Walt Disney Studios.
DCM extends partnership with Unique X IN APRIL, THE UK’S leading
DCM’s Campaign Planner and Sales
cinema advertising entity, Digital
Booking system, for campaign
Cinema Media (DCM) announced
delivery, direct into each cinema’s
the renewal of an agreement with
scheduled showtimes. The DCM-
Unique X to provide advertising
Unique network will continue to
and distribution services. Using
provide over 100,000 advertising
Unique’s Advertising Accord ad
playlists to UK exhibitors on a
management
the
weekly basis, with DCP content
platform integrates and automates
software,
delivered to sites over Unique’s
the advertising workflow from
Movie Transit network
Cinionic’s Series 4 laser heads to CineEurope Barcelona
www.cinematech.today
22/05/2019 14:06
>
Unique X expands SE Asia footprint
NEC laser projection for Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont
UNIQUE X, A LEADING digital
NEC LAST MONTH ANNOUNCED the
laser projectors, and seven NC1700L RB laser
cinema software solutions provider,
completion of a partnership with the French
projectors for mid-sized screens. This was
recently announced the expansion of
cinema integrator ADDE to deploy its digital
supportd with a range of lens options.
its operations in South East Asia with a
cinema projectors in Les Cinémas Pathé
“France has long had a love affair with
Gaumont’s (LCPG) La Joliette cinema in
the cinema screen, but even here cinema
Marseille.
has suffered from competition from other
The agreement will see Unique X
new deal with expanding Indonesian cinema chain, Cinemaxx.
LCPG, the leading chain in France,
media,” said Mark Kendall, head of business
install RosettaBridge TMS, RosettaNet
selected NEC to provide a total of 13 laser
development for digital cinema at NEC.
and Basekey KDM solutions across all
projectors in this new site. ADDE installed
“Cinema is fighting back by creating a range
47
three NC3541L 4K RB laser projectors,
of stunning experiences for movie-goers,
incorporating a total of 239 screens.
designed to power the
and one of the most important factors will
premium
always be the quality of imagery projected
conglomerate
format screens, as well
up on the screen.”
recently received investment from
as three NC2041L RB
www.digital-cinema-nec.com
Mexican exhibition giant, Cinepolis, to
A modern venue, and with modern RB laser from NEC
and
large
of
Cinemaxx’s
sites,
currently
Cinemaxx, owned by the property Lippo
Group,
has
fund its expansion plans. As Cinemaxx’s number of sites and screens expands,
Marseille
the combination of Unique X solutions will deliver significant efficiencies by enabling central management and automation of cinema operations. “Cinemaxx has an ambitious vision to build Indonesia’s most preferred cinema group. Unique X’s innovative solutions offer us a way to streamline our operations across all screens and support us in delivering a consistently premium experience to our guests,” said Gerald Dibbayawan, CEO at CIneamaxx.
Unique
X’s
range
of
solutions already support more than 25,000 screens in over 70 countries www.uniquex.com
CINIONIC HAS ANNOUNCED IT will be showcasing the Barco Series 4 Laser Projection and Laser as a Service at this year’s CineEurope.
Check out Series 4 laser projection at CineEurope
For the second year, Cinionic is the
deliver 4K, RGB-Laser, as well as being
CineEurope’s projection partner, giving
ready for 4K 120fps high frame rate,
the best image quality to every studio
high-dynamic-range
presentation
Barco
and
screening.
008_NEWS_JUNE19.indd 9
Colorgenic,
for
onboard
wide-color-
company will be
gamut capabilities. Cinionic’s Laser as
showing the first
a Service (LaaS) product is designed to
four
extend the life of Barco Series II
models
www.cinematech.today
The
and
projector the
projectors and deliver benefits of laser.
new Barco Series
in
LaaS offers streamlined operations
4 line-up. These
and reduced expenses.
Series 4 units can
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22/05/2019 14:06
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22/05/2019 11:59
C T
NEWS IN BRIEF
Shanghai
N E W S R E E L
>
THX forms strategic PLF relationship with Cinionic Renowned for the certification of world-class cinemas, THX has announced the launch of its THX Ultimate Cinema — the Regency
Westwood
Village
Theatre in LA. The company is working closely with Cinionic — the Barco, CGS, and ALPD joint venture — to deliver a new visual standard with enhanced services and tech solutions,
Wanda opens world’s first all-LED multiplex with Samsung WANDA CINEMAS, CHINA’S LARGEST film distributor and cinema operator, recently partnered with Samsung and Harman Professional Solutions to create the world’s first all-LED cinema multiplex. The Shanghai ARCH Wanda Cinema features Samsung’s Onyx LED screens in each of its six premium auditoriums. By providing so many Onyx cinema screens in one location, Wanda Cinemas’
bringing the THX Ultimate Cinema
experience
to
consumers. This PLF cinema
The world’s first all LED multiplex — setting the bar high for exhibition?
integrates Barco’s dual-laser system, which delivers a 4K resolution image, with CGS remastered content exclusively
Shanghai ARCH location raises the bar for premium multi-function cinemas.
shown at this location. The
The Samsung Onyx screens in each of Shanghai ARCH Wanda Cinema’s
Regency
Westwood
Village
theatres are supported by Harman audio systems. JBL Sculpted Surround cinema
theater is home to some of
speakers, subwoofers and surrounds bring movie soundtracks to life and the
Hollywood’s most lavish red-
speaker systems are powered by Crown DCi-N amplifiers and optimised by BSS
carpet premieres.
160 digital audio processors. https://displaysolutions.samsung.com/
Emerging Cinema conference to stage second outing
Sale and leaseback of 17 US Cineworld sites announced In May, Cineworld announced
SUCCESSFUL
exhibitors and content providers from
the signing and completion of
inaugural Emerging Cinema Markets
the region the chance to come
a sale and leaseback deal for
conference in Istanbul last November,
together at #ecmistanbul to explore
17 of its US-based multi-screen
DCS Events has announced its 2019
developments and innovations that
cinemas, totalling 251 screens.
conference will return to the city on
are central to the industry today,” says
The sale is consistent with
19-21 November. The organisers have
Rob Arthur, founder of DCS Events and
Cineworld’s existing business
confirmed the agenda will feature a
partner at The Big Picture consultancy.
model of operating a pre-
mix of presentations from experts in
“With growing saturation of established
dominantly leasehold estate.
the cinema, leisure and property
markets
of
As part of the deal, Cineworld
sectors, with special focus sessions on
alternative platforms for viewing films,
is selling its cinema sites to
Turkey, Africa, the Balkans, Central
the need for the industry to discover
subsidiaries of Realty Income
Asia and other emerging countries.
growth territories is vitally important.”
Corporation for $286.3m and
There will also be an update on the
www.ecm19.com
leasing
FOLLOWING
A
and
the
proliferation
them
back
under
Gulf Co-operation Council cinema
15-year leases on customary
industry hosted by The Big Picture
terms.
Cinema Consultants. “ECM2019 will provide industry stakeholders including trade suppliers, www.cinematech.today
008_NEWS_JUNE19.indd 11
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>
Harkness launches new Clarux XC 290 3D/2D screen technology
our previous high-brightness Clarus
company Harkness announced the
product without compromising on
launch recently of the latest addition
any aspect of the visual performance
to its industry-leading Clarus XC screen
thus providing exhibitors and indeed
Visual Data Media acquires Soho Digital Cinema
family — the Clarus XC 290.
movie-goers
incredible
In April, Visual Data Media
viewing experience. Clarus XC 290 also
Services announced that it has
LEADING
SCREEN
Clarus XC 290 is an improved high
with
an
performance 3D/2D
acquired Soho Digital Cinema
screen that combines
(SDC), the leading provider of
high reflectance with
digital cinema mastering and
outstanding levels of
distribution
performance
acquisition
that
services. enables
The Visual
includes rich colours,
Data to add digital cinema
sharper clarity, wide
mastering
viewing angles and
distribution to its service suite.
deeper 3D depth. Its
As with its existing broadcast,
technology
allows
streaming and VOD offerings,
exhibitors to improve
Visual Data can now offer
both
every step in the digital cinema
2D
and
3D
Customers
as never before.
companies
“Clarus XC 290 is the result of significant development
allows exhibitors to improve on screen
in
brightness
Clarus
screen
cinema
content supply chain.
cinema presentation
our
and
coating
by
up
to
20%
Delivering an incredible viewing experience: Clarus XC 290
(in
can
of
both
now
take
advantage of SDC’s D-Cinema services including Screenfast,
technology,” explains Matt Jahans,
comparison to a traditional silver
director of cinema technology at
screens) whilst still improving light
Harkness, “Through this step-change
distribution.”
platform, as well as having
in technology we’re able to improve
www.harkness-screens.com
access to Visual Data’s wide
its
award-winning
cinema
cloud
digital
distribution
range of media distribution services. “Visual Data and Soho Digital Cinema had worked
Understanding Netflix – new report launched Netflix is very much at the fore-front of
and we saw clear synergies
management consultancy, The Big Picture
cinema exhibitors’ and film distributors’
between our two companies,
has published a recently commissioned
minds. Never before have we seen the
with
report,
distributor
product and service offerings
“Understanding
Netflix’s
Global
complementary
traditional
exhibitor
relationship
so
disruptive
and adjacent or converging
Sychowski, Editor of Celluloid Junkie and CT
streaming technology makes an impact. It
markets,” said Symon Roue,
contributor. This report aims to explain what
comes at a time when global box office is on
MD of Visual Data Media
is driving Netflix, its relationship with
the ascendancy; at a time when we are in a
Services. “The acquisition is a
Hollywood, its motivation in the recent
golden age of technology options and
positive move for all of our
“Roma” controversy”, how it is ‘dividing and
opportunities; and when the diversity of
customers, enabling them to
conquering’ on national levels and what
audience and of cinema offers is increasingly
master
cinemas can do to counterbalance the
broad”.
deliverables from one place,
growing power of Netflix.
The report is available free on request from
significantly streamlining the
The Big Picture – https://the-bigpicture.
distribution
com/contactus.php
saving time and money.”
Picture, says, “The impact and strategy of
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008_NEWS_JUNE19.indd 12
and
our
Cinema Strategy”, compiled by Patrick von
Rob Arthur, senior consultant at The Big
1 2
together on several projects
THE SPECIALIST EXHIBITION-FOCUSED
aligned,
as
and
distribute
process
all
while
www.cinematech.today
22/05/2019 14:26
SOUND as good as it looks CUSTOM DESIGN acousticAL solutions FOR CINEMA Refurbishment and new install Highest sound efficiency
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22/05/2019 12:01
C T
N E W S R E E L GDC showcases SR-5400 and SR-6400C media servers
IMIS update – a busy year so far!
GDC HAS EXPANDED its “SR Series”
SR-5400 Series is capable of playing DCP
2019 kicked off with a bang
Standalone IMB product line to include the
content in 4K 3D and 4K at 60fps, compatible
for the International Moving
SR-5400 and SR-6400C, revolutionary media
with
Image Society, writes COO
servers designed for advanced cinematic
including SR-5400B for Barco, SR-5400C for
Bryan Cook. In January the
imagery. The series will be the centrepiece of
Christie, SR-5400N for NEC.
society celebrated a year of
the company’s showcase at CineEurope.
the
new
DLP
Cinema
projectors
SR-6400C is capable of ground-breaking
growth with its ‘Post-Holiday
The products won the Catalyst Award for
playback at 4K 3D and 4K at 120fps, and
After Party’ at the Phoenix
Best New Technology of CinemaCon 2019 for
compatible with the new Christie projector
Artist Club in London, one of a
its ultra-reliability and innovative FAST
featuring
series of regular get togethers
(Flexible Architecture Stable Technology)
CineLife+. SR-6400C can also playback 4K at
the society has planned.
engineering design featuring the world’s
240 fps in 3D mode with the Cinity Cinema
highest bitrate and frame rate.
System.
In February IMIS honoured
RealLaser
illumination
and
all the accomplishments and achievements of its members and others in the industry with our 88th Annual Awards Ceremony and our Annual
CinemaNext equips Les 7 Batignolles with Sphera
Bernard Happé Lecture (see
CINEMANEXT, THE SPECIALIST in
below). This year’s lecture was
exhibitor services has announced the
presented by the BBC’s Phil
launch of its Sphera premium cinema
Layton, head of broadcast
concept at the new Les 7 Batignolles
and connected systems, with
complex in the 17th arrondissement
Andrew
principal
in Paris. The cinema boasts the
technologist. They discussed
Cotton,
second Sphera auditorium in Europe
recording,
after that at Village Cinemas in The
production
and
broadcast of the wedding of
Mall Athens in Greece.
The Duke and Duchess of
“We chose this concept because
Paris
Sussex, a landmark in both
we considered it the most advanced
UHD and HDR broadcasting. The BBC plans to implement the technology further.
premium offer, combining the latest A premium offer that delivers the wow factor: Sphera
existing technologies. The wow factor of the Sphera auditorium means we can offer our audiences a moment of escapism. One in five moviegoers currently chooses Sphera, making it the most popular auditorium at our cinema.”” explains Dorothy Malherbe, manager of the 7 Batignolles cinema. The Sphera auditorium at Les 7 Batignolles features 352 seats and a 15m-wide wall-to-wall screen. It is HDR and EclairColor HDR-compatible thanks to
The 88th Annual Awards Winners were:
the latest generation 4K 3D projectors
Technical and Scientific Achievement
Simon Reeve
in the booth. The Dolby Atmos sound
Award – Logmar Camera Solutions:
Fellow: Angela Gordon
system is reinforced by a powerful
The Magellan 65mm Camera
Fellow: Franz Pagot
subwoofer benefiting from the latest
Outstanding Contribution to the
Honorary Fellow: John Carmack
developments in energy transducer
Industry: Amma Asante
Honorary Fellow: Alejandro Iñárritu
technology (see pages 48-50). Acoustic
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Honorary Fellow: Bob Saenz
walls equipped with dynamic ambient
Christopher Nolan
Honorary Fellow: Shane Hurlbut
lighting and an entrance hall concept
President’s Award: John Mahtani John Tomkins Natural History Award:
1 4
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specific to Sphera finesse the design. www.societyinmotion.com
www.spheracinema.com
www.cinematech.today
22/05/2019 14:26
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P R O G R E S S
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P R O G R E S S
three years later the American Motion Picture Academy choose the DLP technology to project that year’s Oscars. While it was only used to show brief clips from “The English Patient” and that year’s other winners on the big screens in the Kodak Theatre, TI had arrived in Hollywood. It was no ingenue that had just stepped off the bus, however. TI had been preparing for the big screen for years.
Pioneering Hollywood days If Hornbeck and Critchley were the fathers of the DLP ICK MCCALLUM, THE FILM’S larger-than-life
technology then its midwife was the small plucky and
producer, trumpeted, “This is a milestone in
aptly named Entertainment Technology Consulting (ETC)
cinematic history... Like the introduction of
company. Matt Cowan and Loren Nielsen were the pair who
sound and colour, these digital screenings
negotiated the long and delicate journey of getting Texan
represent the beginning of a new era in film
microchip engineers to win the trust of Hollywood studio
presentation.” But the battle for this ‘new era’ had in fact
executives and creatives.
started long before the opening salvo had been fired, with
In the early 1990s Matt received a telephone call out of
the ‘Star Wars’ digital opening very narrowly avoiding being
the blue from Brian Critchley. “I’ve got something that I want
pushed into historical second place by an ambush screening
you to see. Get on the next plane over to Manchester and I’ll
of a rival film, from a rival studio using a rival technology in a
show it to you.” That ‘something’ was DPI’s implementation
cinema, just across the river in Manhattan.
of TI’s DMD technology. The prototype device that Matt saw had a resolution of just 864 x 600 pixels (roughly SVGA) and
The Rank outsiders
produced just 1,000 lumens of light output. If it was a camera
It was Brian Critchley, appointed in 1986 to the post of
rather than display technology, it would equate to 0.3
technical and new ventures director of the cathode ray tube
megapixels. Yet Cowan saw the potential and understood
and valve manufacturer Rank Brimar, who raised a
that this technology was headed for the big screen.
somewhat troubling question for the sister company Rank
According to Loren Nielsen, “Rank Brimar had the original
Laboratory: “What are you going to do when film is gone?” he
idea of using a DMD to make a projector, pairing the device
asked. The search for an answer eventually took him to a
with its lamps.” Yet developing a projector and convincing a
research
lab
wide constituency of cinemas, directors of photography and
in Plano, Texas, which belonged to the well-known semi-
film distributors to abandon 100 years of analogue film were
conductor company Texas Instruments. The team there
two very different tasks. Critchley knew the former could be
under Dr Larry J. Hornbeck had been experimenting with
achieved out of Plano TX and Manchester UK, but the latter
ways to deform mirrors to create an analogue lens. Originally
would require somebody that could take it to the heart of
envisioned as fibre-optic repeaters, these Digital Micromirror
movie making — Hollywood. And this is where Matt and
Devices (DMD) showed very early potential for pixel-based
Loren’s quest began.
image reproduction.
When Loren left her job at Technicolor and joined Matt
In the UK, the Manchester-based Digital Projection
at ETC in 1995, Rank had been continuously working on
International (DPI) division formed by Rank in 1987 began its
enhancing the DLP technology to the point at which, by late
R&D and by 1991 Rank Brimar was sufficiently convinced
1995, Cowan felt “the quality was good enough to show to
to sign a deal with Texas Instruments and the US Defense
the Hollywood people”. But before a single frame could be
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA): TI would
projected Matt and Loren needed to get their hands on
develop the DMD chip while Rank would develop the
Hollywood films to use as demo material and then undertake
projectors, optics, circuitry and other pieces of the system.
the complicated process of grading the digital version of the
But the work proved complex. “Rank’s interest was cinema,”
film in order to make it look as it would when projected
stated Critchley. “Therefore we needed a device that was
on 35mm film.
bright, had high image resolution and deep [colour] bit
In 1995 Matt began setting up what would be the first
depth. But at that time TI couldn’t make a device with all of
digital colour timing post-production suite. Calling it “colour
those characteristics.”
timing-by-walkie-talkie”, Cowan had to set up an intercom
By 1994, the first prototype projector was ready. Just 1 8
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D LP PROJECTION TIMELINE Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology that finally became the preeminent digital cinema technology was years in the making…
1977 versions of the same clip where one colourist was at the controls in one room and the other was looking at the picture in the other. After tapping into Loren’s extensive Rolodex of Hollywood contacts they had secured permission to use clips from Universal’s ‘Apollo 13’ and ‘The River Wild’, as well as support from Warner Bros’ Tad Marburg.
Dr Larry J. Hornbeck at Texas Instruments starts work on reflective Spatial Light Modulators (SLM)
640 x 480 resolution device, Cowan and co. managed to achieve 16ft/L, but on a screen just 16ft (5m) across, using the European television standard PAL resolution (625 lines) running off a D1 Sony professional video tape decks. Nevertheless this was an improvement over what Hollywood executives were used to seeing, which was film mastered for the native NTSC television format, thereby causing the jerkiness that is visible when viewing film-based material on
selected so that we didn’t have ones with deep, dirty, murky blacks stuff.” The first major demonstration and test of Hollywood’s reaction to the new technology was the 29 February 1996 demo at the Universal Sheraton hotel in Los Angeles. Once Universal’s studio’s legendary head Lew Wasserman had agreed to come along, “everybody significant decided they
Garrett. As he himself observed, “there’s only going to be one chance to get this right.” Smith was joined in this mission by two men freshly arrived from Texas (Instruments): Doug Darrow and Paul S. Breedlove. With his clean-cut looks, Doug fitted right into Hollywood and got on well with both Matt and Loren, while Breedlove was clearly not made for the off-screen viceridden Hollywood. Neither a smoker nor a drinker, Cowan remembers that Breedlove was the type who would not even pass along a beer bottle from one guy to another if they
1987
into TI’s board and say, ‘trust me, I’ve got this really great idea
Hornbeck devises the first ever Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) chip — the basis for future work
sure how big it’s going to be or when it’s going to happen,
24fps with no interlacing and with a 200:1 contrast ratio lot of work to make black look good and clips carefully
to anyone, it was going to be electronic imaging veteran
continues, “he was the magic guy. He had the ability to go
a US television system. Here the projector showed truthful between the darkest and lightest area of the image and “a
between creatives and the new digital projection technology
were out drinking. Yet when it came to handling TI, Cowan
Thinking big? Start small… DLPs initial big screen outing was deliberately small. On a
Paramount could trust the task of handling the interaction
1992 Rank Brimar projects the first images on a 3-chip DMD system
to do some wonderful stuff in Hollywood. We’re not quite but I need some resources — and he managed it.” The Universal Sheraton semi-public demo was followed by several one-on-one demos with studios, cinematographers and directors, primarily driven by Garrett out of Paramount. The AMC Burbank multiplex was one such setting where studios
“Developing a new projector and convincing cinema to abandon 100 years of film were two different tasks”
were
invited over three to four days and would come in groups of two to six to see what was still an optics board host
with of
a
things
bolted on, rather than what you would view as an actual projector. The blacks in the image were a particular issue, but since
had to show up too,” Cowan remembers. The first time Loren
neither TI nor ETC were “trying to do anything with the
saw the demo was in the set-up the day before. “It looked
technology at this point” in Loren’s words, “so nobody felt
fresh, it looked new, it didn’t look like the video we were used to seeing,” she remembers. The outcome was, according to Matt, “a belief that this was a technology that could do what was necessary to break digital projection into cinema.”
Enter Smith, Darrow & Breedlove What was needed now was more films. So Loren picked up the phone and called the person that would be the singlemost important studio person for the following two years, Paramount’s Garrett Smith. “Garrett started bringing in cinematographers,” Loren explained, “and that was a really key development. Because getting the directors of photography involved provided some real credibility.” If www.cinematech.today
017_DIGITALAT20_JUNE19.indd 19
1996
threatened.” TI next invited the key Viacom/Paramount
The first products enabled by DLP technology came to the market in early 1996 — the first major demo of the system was held in LA
two LearJets in August 1998, for a demo of its new 1280 x
executives to its headquarter in Plano, Texas, flown over in 1080 chip on a large screen. Also flying over were Owen Roizman and Vilmos Zsigmond, president and vicepresident
respectively
of
the
American
Society
of
Cinematographers (ASC). “That demo we felt was a success,” Doug Darrow remembers, “but we needed to do better.” Having shown it to key inside people from Hollywood, the teams at TI and ETC knew that word would leak about the work that was going on, so the next demo would have to be large and public. This was the 1998 demonstration on the big (52-54ft 0 6 / 1 9
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Remembering Digital Projection at ShoWest 1999 Michael Karagosian Industry consultant and creator of Cinepedia.com There at the very dawn of digital projection, Michael Karagosian recalls his firsthand experience from the booth of a 1999 demo of the rival digital technologies that pitted the new order against the old. While walking through Bally’s in Las Vegas during
1000
P R O G R E S S
across) screen in Paramount studios. “The demonstration was to prove that we could put a cinema-credible image up onto the big Paramount screen,” Matt remembers. Unlike the previous outing for the technology, “this demo was sideby-side with film. Paramount wanted to satisfy themselves that they could replicate the look-and-feel of film.” And screening clips from films such as ‘Grease’ and ‘The Truman Show’ did just that.
DPI’s early prototype projector managed to achieve 1,000 lumens of light output
A trip to Skywalker Ranch Dave Schnuelle had been tracking projector development for many years as part of his broad remit for George Lucas’ technology certification division when he came to see the Paramount demo. Loren remembers asking Dave directly as they sat in the Paramount theatre, “When can we show it to
CinemaCon this year, I was reminded of the first public
George?” Having previously always replied, “That’s good,
demonstration of digital projection held in the hotel’s
keep working on it,” this time his reaction was “There’s
Jubilee Theater some 20 years earlier during the 1999
nothing wrong with that picture.”
ShoWest. The audience received a glimpse of the
“We managed to get 15 minutes of George’s time in
future that day, but there was a very different story
December of 1998,” says Schuelle, which was about as
taking place in the projection booth. The day before this 1999 demonstration, I made my way to the projection booth with Clyde McKinney, my business partner in Cinema Group and CinemAcoustics. It was projector set-up day, the day before the demonstration was to take place, and I was hoping to get a preview. In the booth were three projectors: a
0.3 If DPI’s early projector had been a camera, it would equal 0.3mp
generous as Lucas was going to be with his time at that stage, given that he was putting finishing touches to the then much-anticipated first episode of the new ‘Star Wars’ trilogy. The whole demo was 20 minutes, but nobody was prepared to guarantee that Lucas would even sit through the whole thing. “Don’t take it personally if he leaves the room or walks out early,” they were told. The night before, Lucas’ producer Rick McCallum came
Kinoton film projector, a prototype DLP projector from
to look at the demo set-up. Schnuelle recalls “The one I
Texas Instruments, and a Hughes-JVC D-ILA projector.
remember he was looking at was “The Truman Show”. It ran
The Hughes-JVC was memorable for its massive size,
for about 10 seconds and he leapt up out of his seat turning
not unjustly compared to a refrigerator. For one enamored by technology, this was quite an array. My early career was in semiconductors, and while I didn’t have direct experience in imaging
1996
DPI’s management bought their company from the Rank Organisation
around, looking at the projection port and says ‘What is this? What is this??’” Schnuelle convinced him that this was digital and not a piece of film. According to Darrow, who was watching the scene from the back of the theatre, expletives came flying out of McCallum’s mouth; he was convinced
devices, I had more than enough experience with the challenge of operating silicon over temperature to wonder how digital projectors would hold up in real-world use. On my far right was the Hughes-JVC. When I arrived in the booth, this was where all the action was. A crew of engineers were standing over it, projecting test pattern after test pattern into the auditorium. Each pass would lead to a flurry of adjustments, then the process would repeat. I must have been there for an hour, observing this repetition and waiting to see the TI projector in action. The crew working on the Hughes-JVC had no time to chat. But the TI guys had lots of time. I began to think they had the wrong end of the deal for setup, because I never saw them project an image. They laughed and said they had plenty of time to setup during the others’ breaks. I wasn’t sure if this was arrogance or truth. Clyde and I went back to the projection booth the following day about an hour before showtime. The auditorium would soon be packed with ShoWest attendees to see, for the first time, two very different digital projection technologies pitted against a quality film print from the Kinoton. But today the TI guys weren’t so relaxed and
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P R O G R E S S
that digital was good enough to show George. The following morning was the annual THX get-together. George Lucas cheerful. There was a flurry of activity around the TI
arrived through a side door to the theatre with Rick and a
projector. Apparently someone had tripped a power
few other key people. Having allotted quarter of an hour to
cable and blew out one of the boards…
the 20-minute reel, they ended up watching the whole reel and staying an hour-and-a-half in total, mainly talking to
Now here was a real test. A digital projector was down,
Darrow and Breedlove from TI. George Lucas was impressed,
and a critical public demonstration was about to take
but would he commit to releasing his latest “Star Wars” in
place. Could they get it back up and re-aligned before
digital? In February, Dave Schnuelle got the telephone call
showtime? I was thinking of the prior day’s litany of
from from McCallum saying, “we want to do the film on four
tests with the Hughes-JVC. Surely had this happened
screens.” However, it was not quite the news that ETC and TI
to that projector, it would have been left out of the
had hoped for. The screenings could not just be on the TI
demo? To my amazement, the TI team, Harold Milligan
system, McCallum explained, because Lucas did not want to
and Steve Krycho, made the repair in record time, did a
be seen to be showing favouritism to a particular technology
quick setup, and pulled off the show without a glitch.
or solution. According to Schnuelle, Breedlove did not want a shoot-out, but Lucas was adamant; it had wto be screened
There’s a lot to be impressed about with the DLP
on two competing digital technologies. One was TI’s DLP,
technology. It’s unique in its ability to modulate light
the other was the Hughes Aircraft company’s Image Light
digitally without an analog conversion of the signal,
Amplifier (ILA) projection technology developed with JVC.
and
the
technology
is
inherently
stable
over
temperature, which is important for eliminating color
A shoot-out in New Jersey
drift. At the time though, I wasn’t well-versed in the
Perhaps even more worrying for TI and ETC at the time
technology behind DLP. What impressed me that day
was that there was a business team behind the Hughes-JVC
was that the DLP projector could be repaired and up
technology that was gearing up to roll out the technology:
for a show in short order.
CineComm. Lucas and McCallum had been in touch with them and
I remained in the projection booth for that first show
this nascent start-up saw the
and didn’t get the full benefit of comparing image
forthcoming digital “Star Wars”
quality of the two digital projectors against film. I
screening as the ideal launch
did see enough, though, to be
platform for its pitch to Hollywood
convinced which technology
for converting cinemas. What was
would eventually drive the
supposed to have been a triumph
industry to digital projection.
for TI getting to showcase its
I ran into Harold Milligan years
Fact File
later and we both recalled the
technology by screening a first-run major Hollywood blockbuster had now become a shoot-out between two very different and competing technologies.
“excitement” of that day. We
Michael
had quite a laugh. Sadly, when
Karagosian
writing this piece, I learned
The idea was to have one pair of cinemas on the East Coast and one on the West Coast, each equipped with both systems. CineComm’s presentation took place at Loews’
that Harold had since passed
A consultant in
Route 4 Paramus multiplex while TI’s presentation was at
away. I think of what would
entertainment
Loews’ Meadows 6 in Secaucus, both in New Jersey. In Los
have happened had the DLP
technology,
Angeles the CineComm digital screening was to take place
projector been pulled from
Michael played
at Pacific Theater’s Winnetka Theater, while the TI
several roles in the
presentation was at the AMC’s Burbank 14 Theater — where
were many pioneers behind
digital projection
TI had already held many of its previous demos for Hollywood
the
digital
rollout. The author
people. Because of the time difference, the cinemas on the
cinema technology, and TI’s
of Cinepedia.com,
East Coast would end up being the ones to open the digital
Harold and Steve are counted
he is engaged in
version of “Episode 1” first. George Lucas’ announcement
among them.
bringing HDR to
that “Star Wars: Episode 1” was going to be released in digital
cinema.
caused major waves both in Hollywood, the trade press and
that
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“George Lucas was impressed, but would he commit to releasing his latest “Star Wars” in digital?”
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There
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even with the wider public. One of the major reasons why it became a ‘deathof-film’ talking point was because
Hughes - JVC ILA specs
digital the same week that the film opened across the world. For one thing, the schedule of getting both the two projector systems ready, mastering the film and preparing the theatres
George Lucas took the opportunity to
between the go-ahead in February and the film’s premier on
announce at the same time that he
19 May was simply too tight.
on digital cameras. According to Cowan, TI spent close to $1million getting “Episode 1” ready for digital release, because it had to spend a painful three weeks colour timing it, with Hughes-JVC most likely having had to spend a similar amount. Everyone involved knew that not just a paying public, but the eyes of the industry would be on the outcome. It was around this time that TI got wind that they would be facing competition from JVC on more than
hardly registered. Matt, Loren, Dave, Doug and a small army of TI engineers and cinema installation staff were working all
Resolution
out to get the film ready in their two locations. They were getting good support from people such as Ted Galliano,
2,000 x 1,280 stated, with a claimed contrast ratio of 1,000:1
head of post-production at Fox. They were not just trying to prove that digital could play alongside film, but that their
Size + Weight
system was better than the rival system down the road. Finally, all 60GB of finished and graded film arrived on 20
184 x 142 x 147 cm 759kg
HDDs that would play off a Pluto-array. The night before the
Price
first showing there was a preview for journalists, many of whom fell over themselves to praise the new technology. “I
$250,000
releasing its film “An Ideal Husband” in digital. TI saw the inherent risk in releasing a film by a rival studio around the same time as “Star Wars”. “We aren’t going to upstage George,” was how the company declined the request. Unperturbed, Miramax then turned to JVC, who had no such reservations about serving more than one Hollywood master. Quoted in the “New York Times”, the president of Miramax’s Los Angeles division, Andrew Gill said that the company had chosen a traditional film, a period piece with subtle cinematographic touches, so that audiences would understand that the method can be used with any movie. “‘An Ideal Husband’ is the antithesis of a digital movie,’’ he said. But it was transparent that Miramax was trying to upstage Lucas’s efforts in New Jersey and Los Angeles. Miramax also deployed two systems, one at Clearview Chelsea 9 in NYC and at the Laemmel Sunset 5 in LA, with the film set to open on the same day as the “Star Wars” digital screenings.
Finally pressing ‘Play’ “Star Wars: Episode 1” was never going to start screening in
017_DIGITALAT20_JUNE19.indd 23
additional time or even the negative reviews of the film
Image light amplifier through a CRT scanner
one front. The company was approached by Miramax about
www.cinematech.today
To the people preparing the digital screenings, the
Technology
TALE OF THE TAPE
would be shooting the next “Star Wars”
have seen the future... And it is AWESOME!” wrote David Creighton at iDexter. Some of the assembled journalists even filmed the digital version and the film print of it screening next door, with the jitter of the print being the most noticeable thing to set it apart from the steady digital image. On the morning of 18 June everything was ready for the first public screenings in New Jersey, when word reached the CineComm team that they were about to have their world-first scuppered by their own JVC colleagues in New York. The Clearview Chelsea 9 cinema in Manhattan showing “An Ideal Husband” was putting on an earlier morning screening. CineCom’s Doug Olin remembers it as a “bizarre little horse race who would be first screening [a digital film] to a paying audience. To mess with us, they [Miramax] were going to start 11am, so they could claim to be first.” Olin and his colleague Russ Witner contacted their cinema’s manager and got the go-ahead to start the screening at 10:50am. Over in the Seacaucus multiplex, the TI/ETC team did not know out about this intra-JVC one-up-man-ship and thus started the film at the previously agreed time. Though TI lost the race to be a digital cinema ‘first’ by quarter of an hour, the technology eventually won the battle, and is today found in the majority of cinema projectors worldwide.
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T S F O P UF L T R S O WY
MAGPIE-ING
A M E N I C
IN
A
he g t ly, n i on tab nd mfor a b o ly a gly c ins. g n i n la s si rea rpri t, exp c in Su ki t is ion? Mar a S th pt rld bscri at IH o a w d su ctor n i e n sit tal a h dir r o t ren arc ibi xh ur of , rese e ma favo cock e n ci s in an he ood id H t v es f g do ip o t. Da w h u Ho ners ns o OU MAY HAVE READ recently that r ow it tu IKEA is looking into leasing home s a furniture and kitchens to customers, rather than selling them outright. With
a trial starting in 30 countries, the logic is simple: the global giant (IKEA uses
almost 1% of the world’s commercial wood supply) is in a position to do something to help the environment and — more pertinent to this article — consumers are both more transient and can less afford buying houses and equipping them from new each time they do. This is known as the circular economy. The decline of ownership is seen in other areas: the car market is fuelled by the growth of the PCP, a form of leasing in which the customer has the option to give the car back at the end of the deal, using the value in the car as a deposit for a new one. In the UK, 60% of music revenues are from subscription services. Globally, streaming remains the driver of recovering music revenues (third year of growth after 15 years of significant revenue decline) and grew by 2 4
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41.1% in 2018 to account for 38.4% of all music revenues.
and other social spaces in the absence of shops. In the UK,
Non-linear streaming TV services, on subscription models,
the coffee shop sector has registered its 20th consecutive
build on channel-based pay TV bundles launched 30 years
year of growth, now worth over £10bn in sales. Social spaces
ago and are now disrupting established TV markets globally.
are sought after, and cinema needs to build on that, creating
The end of ownership coincided neatly with the
more attractive spaces, with more vibrant designs.
financial crash of 2008. Mortgage debt and credit card debt
Which leads us into subscriptions, the latest buzz word
to pay for ‘stuff’ that was intended to maintain a lifestyle all
for our industry, triggered by the move to this model in the
came crashing down, making the world a significantly
TV world and the rise (and fall) of MoviePass. While these
poorer place. Younger urban people now use Uber instead
schemes have been around for two decades in the cinema,
of owning a car, they rent a bike, stream or download films,
the disruption caused by MoviePass and the subsequent
music and TV, and have a monthly subscription to a book
launch of exhibitor-led schemes to counteract this have led
service. In a digital age, renting (or temporary ownership if
to a near assumption that they are here to stay and will take
you prefer) is not seen as a lower class of solution but a
off in the same way subscription streaming services have.
practical way to live and afford life’s necessities and luxuries.
There are key differences between a subscription for a
These movements signal the end to an economy driven by
service in the home and one for a service out of the home,
ownership of things, to one where payment for usage or
however. Subscription services for cinemas certainly have a
regular subscriptions are the main economic models.
place, but the main point for me is that most people don’t
Commentators have dubbed this the ‘Post-Stuff age.
go to the cinema sufficiently to warrant such a service. The value needed to attract mass visits is not possible in
The growth of social spaces
the cinema world (say $9.99 for an all-you-eat package),
In a world of subscriptions, the circular economy, usage
where the ticket price is the main unit of division between
instead of long-term ownership, and higher levels of
exhibitor and distributor and a number of revenue-sharing
transience, where does cinema fit in? I contend that it fits in
technology services. In the US, frequent moviegoers make
very well. There is still a need for real social interaction, even
up 12% of the population but account for 49% of the tickets
more so than in the past it could be argued, which cinema
sold. These users are likely to be younger and own more
has always provided as a core service. As retail moves online,
tech products compared to the overall population including
high streets are increasingly populated by coffee houses
video streaming devices.
GLOBAL RECORDED MUSIC INDUSTRY REVENUES
(Scource: IFP Global Music Report 2019) 17
Physical
Streaming
Digital
Perform. Rights Synch. Revenues
16 15 14 13 12 11
US $ bn
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
2006
2007
2008
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024_HANCOCK_JUNE19.indd 25
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
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MAGPIE-ING
T O TA L C O N S U M E R S P E N D I N G B Y D E L I V E R Y T Y P E : G L O B A L (Scource: IHS Markit)
Digital Media
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2 0 1 9 (F )
13.2
16.8
23.8
34.0
46.5
56.5
Pay TV VOD
6.0
5.8
6.0
6.2
6.6
6.9
Phys Media
25.9
21.0
18.6
15.8
13.7
11.7
Theatrical
36.1
38.3
37.6
39.4
41.7
44.1
Total
45.1
43.6
48.4
56.0
66.8
75.1
sense, while cinema is the major value creator for films, it sits more in the leisure sector than media. The leisure sector is evolving too, bringing in social media, experience and socialising. It also may include multiple elements not just a single one, such as cinema with a meal or drinks. Technology plays a role in several aspects of this evolution. The modern leisure sector is about experience and providing value for money for that experience. This doesn’t mean cheap, quite
1%
the reverse sometimes. The experience offered can be a IKEA use around 1% of the world’s wood supply for its products — and now you can lease those instead of buying them outright
premium one but it needs to be perceived as good value. I’ve talked about the experience economy for several years, but it’s not my term. Credit goes mainly to B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore, academics at Harvard Business
60%
School in 1998, and it applies to cinema in both the digital In the UK, 60% of music revenues are from subscription services instead of pure sales
economy where it sits and the modern leisure economy. Lip service has sometimes been paid to the cinema experience as a concept, but it needs to provide an experience on many
This underlines a key fact: there’s a high crossover
levels: from booking tickets to being immersive, high-quality
between high-volume cinema attendees and those who
entertainment. This doesn’t just refer to technology, though
stream content. So, while subscription models for cinema
that is a lot of what I look at and talk about and it is important.
could account for a significant part of admissions (and they
The whole concept revolves around making cinema a
will need to be priced so as not to lose too much revenue),
premium space for film viewing, differentiating it from the
they aren’t relevant to cinema-going frequency. Subscriptions will look after a cinema’s best customers. That is vital, but they will impact revenues for both exhibitors and distributors. The trade-off for more secure revenue streams may well be less revenue from ticket sales, though extra concessions spend could make up for it. This will
“Periodically, cinema needs to justify its existence — and I believe that this is one such moment in time”
require buy-in from studios and distributors to make it work.
Cinema: a sector that sits apart
home and differentiating if from other leisure options, while building on the social and communal hub it provides. The success of “Avengers: Endgame” is a robust answer to the question often posed to me: “When is cinema dying?” The right film in the right venue will work, bring people together and create a global experience, let alone a national one. Periodically, cinema needs to justify its existence and I believe this is one such moment in time. The cinema space needs to offer comfort, design, experience, sensations and a differentiated space from the home. The signs are good for cinema as long as it positions itself within the evolving dynamics of a number of other sectors surrounding it and
So, in this post-stuff world, where and how does cinema fit
doesn’t forget its core strengths for its customers. Be big, be
in? Cinema has always sat apart from other media. It hasn’t
bold, be premium, be modern, but above all stay Cinema.
demanded a user’s investment in technology or consumer goods, does not involve buying a physical product and what
David Hancock is Research Director, Cinema at IHS Markit
is played on screen is not governed by the individual. In this
and President of the European Digital Cinema Forum.
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www.cinematech.today
22/05/2019 13:48
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5G NETWORK
5G: Can cinemas wish fibre a fond farewell? The rollout of 5G could radically impact content distribution, explains Patrick von Sychowski — just look at Norway…
O
CTOBER LAST YEAR and UK telecom provider EE decided to show off the speed of its rural 4G network with a headline-grabbing stunt involving a flying cinema (check out ee.co.uk/ cinema). This so-called 4GEE cinema
was suspended 100ft in the air above a former RAF base in England’s South Downs, with 20 students from the Goodwood Flying School shown a film streamed via 4G onto the big screen and even popcorn delivered by drones. Apart from certain design flaws — there was no toilet for the strapped-in viewers, for instance — this publicity stunt was somewhat overtaken by technical reality when Norway launched the world’s first 5G cinema this year, and in a regular multiplex no less.
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5G NETWORK
Located in the newly revamped of Storo Storsenter shopping centre in the Norwegian capital, the 14-screen Odeon Oslo was always set to be the flagship of the AMC-owned Odeon Cinemas Group in Norway. It is the largest multiplex in the Scandinavian nation and also the first in Norway with IMAX, Dolby Atmos is in 13 of the auditoriums,
it
features
4K
laser
projection throughout, a lounge area as well as VIP ‘Luxe’ recliners. It was the cinema that enabled the Odeon Group to overtake rival Nordisk as the largest cinema operator in Norway. While still very much in their infancy, 5G networks are far more than just even faster versions of the 4G telecom that powers many of today’s smartphones and mobile devices. 5G is seen as a paradigm shift, having a transformative effect on everything from autonomous vehicles and drones to telemedicine and ubiquitous cloud storage access. With speeds of 10-20 Gb/s, 5G networks operate as fast as fibre optic, without the wires. With a low latency of less than
also provides wifi in the cinema lobby to its customers using
a millisecond, 5G is increasingly seen as playing a key role in
the 5G network. Odeon also envisions enabling future
mission-critical applications. It also uses less energy and
applications such as live-streaming of events and eSports
offers more affordable devices for the so-called Internet of
with multi-player gaming (see interview sidebar with Ivar
Things (IoT). Yet while many mobile applications are envisioned, stationary communication will also happen.
A focus on customer needs Odeon Oslo began testing 5G delivery as part of Telia Norway’s own 5G test network in the Nydalen outskirt of Oslo last year. Telia Norway had
“Odeon envisions enabling future 5G applications such as live-streaming of events and multiplayer eSports”
Halstvedt, head of Norway for Odeon). “Using 5G instead of traditional internet lines is giving us higher capacity than we’re used to,” Jon Einar Sivertsen, CCO at Odeon Norway, told ZDNet at the launch of the test. “We have redundancy via normal lines, so we’re not dependent on the 5G network now. But it’s been shown that
previously deployed 4G to all of its base-stations and
5G is giving us download rates we normally wouldn’t get.
Narrowband IoT. But rather than just rolling out 5G and
We transfer the movies to local servers, so playback happens
then seeing how it gets used, Telia Norway wanted to start
locally, even though we’ve tested live streaming, which also
with its potential future customers. “We’re starting the 5G
works excellently.”
development from a customer perspective, and exploring
Telia Norway stated that the test has achieved a
use cases and service scenarios first, and developing the
performance of 2.2Gb/s and response times of between
technology from that,” said Abraham Foss, CEO of Telia
seven and eight milliseconds, compared to 40 milliseconds
Norway in a statement.
or more for 4G. However, the Telia-Odeon Oslo test is a ‘non-
Telia Norway’s 5G network went live with two base
standalone 5G’ variant, whereby signaling traffic for setting
stations in mid-December 2018 and Odeon began using it
up the data channel is carried by 4G in the 1,800MHz band,
fully in January 2019. As well as downloading DCPs, Odeon
but the data traffic itself is carried over the 3.7GHz band by
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EE in the UK showcased its 4GEE cinema last year to illustrate the strength of its network in rural areas… But simple country folk would rather now have a robust, super-fast 5G network, please
www.cinematech.today
22/05/2019 11:23
Interview with Ivar Halstvedt, head of Norway, Odeon Kino AS
How did the Odeon Oslo 5G trial
For all practical matters we can use
come about?
the 5G as an internet connection.
It is an extension of the cooperation Telia and Odeon has on the media
How does this trial fit in with other
side, Telia has used cinema for on
initiatives by Odeon/SF?
-screen advertising and its recently
The Norwegian cinema industry has
acquired broadband division, Get,
always been keen to use technology.
has sponsored one of the auditoria
Odeon Oslo has an 80% share of
and used both on-screen an digital
customers buying tickets online, all
ad space to communicate with its
digital and with no need to print
customers. As both Get and Telia
tickets. The cinema itself is highly
have used Odeon as a part of their
automated with everything from
marketing mix before joining forces,
digital screens, lights, doors and TMS
the idea came up to use Odeon Oslo
all automated.
as a launch for their 5G test. Do you see 5G working for others
5G. Even so, it is a remarkable world-first. And with telco
How have the results been so far?
in Norway and around the world?
We have tested live streaming with
With speeds we see in Odeon Oslo, it
excellent results and also transferred
can replace fixed lines, especially in
DCPs via 5G. We also provide a
sites with an old infrastructure. It also
separate open WIFI for customers on
gives room for development of live
this technology.
events and in-cinema e-sports where there is not only delivery of a signal
rival Telenor having launched its 5G pilot in Kongsberg, an hour’s drive from Oslo, perhaps the local Krona cinema
Would it not be easier and faster
but also a response. 5G makes it
could be the second 5G cinema in the world.
to deliver DCPs via fibre?
possible to have multiple players at
5G promises to be a significant and viable alternative to
5G shows superior speed to the
multiple locations while, at the same
fibre broadband for many cinema locations. DCP delivery
typical fibre delivery, and there is no
time, streaming to other locations in
has steadily migrated from hard drive and satellite delivery
change of complexity in operation.
high quality.
to broadband, as prices have fallen and speeds have increased, even in previously challenging markets such as India. While satellite was not always an option for many citycentre cinemas, due to roof access for satellite dishes,
cinema trade organisation FILM&KINO. The Odeon Oslo 5G
broadband too can be challenging depending on distance
is thus just the latest in a long line of cinema-technology
to the exchange, which affect installation cost and speed.
firsts for Norway. Odeon Oslo is, however, not the first
5G promises to do away with such restrictions, due to the
instance that the telecom network has been used for DCP
easier infrastructure cost of base station deployments.
distribution and delivery. There is a cinema in the far north
The fact that a cinema in Norway has become the first
of neighbouring Finland (that shall remain nameless) which
in the world to embrace 5G for DCP delivery should not
is too remote to be connected to fibre-optic broadband
come as a surprise. The country was the first in the world to
and also too far to readily accept hard-drive delivery. So,
switch over all of its cinema advertising to low-end digital
instead, DCPs are currently sent there over the local 4G
projection, thanks to cinema advertiser CAPA and solutions
network — but only at night so as to avoid overloading the
provider Unique Digital, in the early part of past decade.
network during the day when the network is used by
Based on this, it then became the first country in the world
regular consumers. It might not be as spectacular as the
to switch over all of its cinemas to DCI-grade digital cinema,
4GEE flying cinema, but it is a practical solution that works
helped in large part by the DVD-levy fund administered by
for now. At least until 5G rolls out in Finland too.
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5G NETWORK
N OKIA PREDICTIONS FOR 5G IN 2020
10
la
nd co
ts /
ve
r ne eded
1 millise
bi
re
10-100
100 M
he
times more traffic
k d a t a r a te s
w
te
cy
pea it/s
s
n
10, 000
Gb
times more devices
M2M
16
number of cities in China that Unicorn are looking to build 5G pilot projects
Ultra-low cost Machine2Machine (M2M) networks
In the USA Verizon has already started operating 5G networks in Chicago and Minneapolis
10 years M2M battery life, giving networks that can operate automatically without human intervention 5G around the world While much recent media discussion around 5G has centred on restrictions imposed by the US and others on the Chinese technology supplier Huawei due to concerns regarding communication security, 5G is still being readied for launch in most Western and Asian countries. The first test deployments are being seen this year with commercial availability expected in 2020. Handsets from the likes of Apple, Samsung and others are expected to feature 5G capabilities. Initial tests are mainly focused on major telecom markets (Korea, USA), where Samsung and Qualcomm are based, and in territories associated with dedicated telecom equipment manufacturers such as Huawei (China), Ericsson (Sweden) and Nokia (Finland). In the US, Verizon has already started operating 5G networks in Chicago and Minneapolis, with the Moto Z3 the
Meanwhile China is expected to be the global market
only consumer handset currently available to use with the
leader for 5G deployment and equipment. “Along with the
service and the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G going on sale now.
state-owned telecommunications operator, China Unicom,
Sprint will follow in May for some US cities, while AT&T is
which is expected to build 5G pilot projects in 16 cities
accused of misleading consumers with its recent claim to
including Beijing, Hangzhou, Guiyang, Chengdu, Shenzhen,
be launching 5G that was actually closer to 4G in speed. But
Fuzhou, Zhengzhou, and Shenyang, is China Mobile which
with Apple not expected to release a 5G-capable iPhone
will reportedly deploy 10,000 5G base stations by 2020,”
until 2020, there is not expected to be much demand for 5G
Lifewire noted in April. The speed of China’s deployment is
from consumers until then. This leaves open the opportunity
mirrored in neighbouring Korea and Japan, where 5G is due
for commercial partners, including cinemas, instead.
to be showcased widely during Tokyo’s 2020 Olympics.
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Ivar Halstvedt from Odeon Kino AS, Norway’s transport minister Jon Georg Dale and Telia Norway’s Abraham Foss count down to the launch of Norway’s first 5G cinema
www.cinematech.today
22/05/2019 11:24
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20/02/2019 15:22
D C I
S P E C S
Direct view LED screens:
Taking the lead for DCI? Technological evolution in digital cinema led to the creation of the Digital Cinema Initiatives. Now, nearly two decades on, further innovation has prompted a raft of new specifications. Gary Feather, CTO at NanoLumens, creators of LED visualisation solutions, examines developments.
F
OR ANYONE THAT WORKS in the cinema industry or the digital display industry, it is more likely than no that they will have heard the acronym “DCI” floating around. DCI is
shorthand for the Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC, a united endeavour from several of Hollywood’s biggest studios, aided by visionary thought leaders from the movie-making side and brilliant technical experts from the technology side. The DCI venture exists, in its own terms, “to establish
The origins of DCI
and document voluntary specifications for an open architecture for digital cinema that ensures a uniform
The impetus to create a cooperative body between the
and high level of technical performance, reliability and
biggest movie studios was initiated by Tom McGrath, who
quality control.” In other words, DCI wants to standardise
at the time was an executive with Paramount. McGrath had
digital cinema requirements so that content is created
held several influential positions in a few major studios by
and displayed uniformly and at as high a level as is
the time he reached Paramount and he held nuanced
practically possible.
views on how the industry might evolve. Now a seven-time
The studios involved in the formation of the DCI
Tony Award winner, McGrath had always fostered an
were Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, Paramount Pictures, Sony
appreciation for the vividity of live performance. This
Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Universal
liveliness was something he felt the film industry had yet to
Studios, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros.
capture, and so, in 1999, McGrath applied to the US
Dolby is involved as well. 3 4
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Department of Justice for anti-trust waivers so that his
The direction of DCI
studio could work with others to create more true-to-life films. Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC was formed just a
Evidenced by the rise of luxury cinemas, customers have
short time later in March 2002, marking the beginning of
indicated they are willing to pay a higher price for an elevated
the end for traditional film as a medium for presentation.
experience. The premium segment is the fastest growing
The intimate tether between the abovementioned
portion of the cinema market, but display performance has
studios and DCI makes conformance to DCI specifications
failed to keep up. This is where DCI fits in. Dramatic
a virtual (though still technically voluntary) requirement
improvements off screen have not been mirrored on it.
by software developers or equipment manufacturers
Arguably,
targeting the digital cinema market. Their message is
headroom to do so. While almost 200,000 DCI-compliant
clear: this is the direction cinema is going, it’s time to get
projectors (most of which are DLP-based) have been sold
on board.
since 2002, the technology solution many see as headlining
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traditional
display
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leave
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D C I
s p e c s
200,000 the future is direct view LED; an emissive not reflective projection technology. Newly unveiled LED technologies are capable of brightness levels more than 10x stronger than any projector, with the ability to capture deeper blacks too. Unlike a projector, which obviously projects full images onto
200k DCI-compliant projectors, most DLP-based, have been sold since 2002
65%
of DCI compliance relates to security — the remainder covers image quality
a screen, images on LED screens are comprised of thousands of individual light-emitting diodes each generating colour and brightness. An LED display can create true blacks simply
What’s new in the DCI specs?
by turning off diodes, producing zero nits; a projector, which
The DCI released a “Statement on Technology Evolution in
must project some light, cannot. This ability to hit brighter
Digital Cinema” in March, giving further background on its
and darker signatures expands an LED display’s dynamic
draft specifications on HDR and direct view displays (released
range to a point where DCI-compliant direct-view LED
in November last year). This update, “DCIx”, aims to account for
displays can accommodate HDR video and support PQ
the new visual capabilities of emissive LED displays, including
levels from Dolby. By exposing images multiple times, HDR
more challenging targets for peak luminance, uniformity,
technology attempts to make digital images more true to
colour space, diffused and spectral reflectivity, contrast ratio,
life with greater bit depth in shadowy areas and in blown-
and a range of other performance metrics.
out bright areas. In other words, a camera records the same
While the specifications focus mostly on visual output,
image at different exposures and brightness and software
another field of DCI specifications concerns how content is
blends them. It can make films appear more lifelike.
secured. In fact, 65% of DCI compliance relates to security, the
Giving audiences an experience that vividly mirrors what
rest covering image quality. Transitioning films from physical
they might see in the real world is a mission DCI is committed
reels to digital reels eliminates logistical expense, but renders
to. Direct view LED is the next step towards that objective.
content susceptible to security breaches. DCI specifications
The road ahead won’t be without its bumps however. As a
govern security of studio vaults where films are stored and the
leading provider of direct view LED display solutions with an
integrity of how films are sent out, but they also dictate how
eye towards their cinematic use, NanoLumens knows well
content is received. Movie data is received by media blocks: a
that while digital cinema has come along impressively, there
secure physical part of the device playing the film, be it a
are still challenges facing the primary actors in this drama.
projector or LED display. Manufacturers of such blocks face DCI compliance testing — all this testing can be a drag on progress, but it is imperative to
Specifications: learn to walk before we run
the DCI’s greater mission that cinema
quality
is
beyond
Currently, only a few companies perform DCI compliance testing. Each of these labs tests just two
compromise. Insiders believe
or three display systems a year over the course of a 20-30 week test period at a cost of around
the digital market may expand
$200,000. Tests are based on each lab transforming their knowledge with DLP chips, projectors
rapidly with a shift from DLP to
and screens, and they do not yet test for more advanced HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision
LED and DCI to DCIx.
specifications. Technology evolves faster than our ability to standardise and certify it — digital
Transitioning cinema onto
cinema is still proving it can walk before it runs. However, DCI is working tirelessly to bring highly
direct view LED will alleviate
desired images to moviegoers. Current specifications give guidance on creating a DCP from a
many issues, raising the ceiling
collection of files — the Digital Cinema Distribution Master (DCDM) — as well as the specifics of
of the moviegoing experience
content protection, encryption, and forensic marking. Specifications also establish standards for
beyond its current capability. It
decoder requirements and the film presentation environment itself, such as ambient light levels,
may take time, but DCI exists
pixel aspect and shape. Even though it dictates what kind of information is required, the DCI spec
not simply to improve cinema
does not include details about how data in a distribution package is formatted. Formatting of this
now but also to expand where
information is defined by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). Both
cinema goes in the future. The
the industry and the technology are complex — total uniformity requires painstaking attention to
ideal experience is of a story
detail. Specifications will only grow more detailed as time goes on.
well told and LED canvases are fast advancing how it’s done.
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www.cinematech.today
22/05/2019 08:59
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22/05/2019 12:30
COCA-COLA
IT’S THE
REEL THING! Coca-Cola’s love affair with the movie industry It may just be a fizzy beverage, but the cultural giant that is Coca-Cola has stamped itself on the film world almost for as long as the movie industry has existed. Melissa Cogavin explores the impact the drinks giant has had — and continues to have — throughout our movie theatres.
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21/05/2019 10:09
D
ANNY BOYLE’S NEW FILM ‘Yesterday’ imagines a world without the Beatles. Impossible… it is almost as impossible to imagine a world without Coca-Cola. In 2019, our pop culture is defined as much by movies as music and Coca-
Cola is synonymous with the movies. Unpicking the reasons and circumstances for this means going back almost a century. From its origins as an “invigorating medicinal antidote to ill humour” in an Atlanta pharmacy in 1886 to a gigantic monolith of a company supplying 200 countries, a sterile blurb on its website detailing the shift into cinemas makes it sound as if it was part of a well-planned global initiative. The reality is one of happy accidents, good timing and successful partnerships — and of a company with an uncanny ability to identify zeitgeists and position itself as a champion of social progression, often very courageously. Oliver Delaney, European channel director for cinema at Coca-Cola in London explained that the alignment with the movie industry was “part of a marketing strategy that we wanted our brand to be associated with cinema-going. Brand teams in the 1920s saw cinema as something people loved, and they wanted the brand associated with it. It wasn’t about selling drinks in cinemas, it was about Coke in films and around movies, being associated with that.”
Outgunning Koca Nola At this point there were several copycat colas on the market; Koca Nola was most notable, but My Coca Co and even Celery Cola did well for a while. Coca-Cola was placing its product in and around movies and movie theatres from the early silent pictures onwards; nobody else attempted that. Ground-breaking initiatives include a Charlie Chaplin 3D silent movie for which guests were provided with CocaCola-branded cardboard 3D glasses upon entry. We have the benefit of the long view to make sense of the rise of the brand’s association with the movies; we can see now that the increasingly loud noise of the Temperance movement was in its third wave by 1893 in the US. The cinema was an antidote to all that awful drinking, rooted in all sorts of dark motivations to suppress minorities (ironic that we are now falling over ourselves to equip cinemas with alcohol licences). As Prohibition was sworn into law in the US in 1920, the movie industry was entering its welldocumented Golden Age. Coca-Cola benefitted massively from a perfect storm. Justine Fletcher, director of heritage communications at the World of Coca-Cola museum in www.cinematech.today
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Coca-Cola’s connection to the cinema business is inextricable and can be traced right back to the earliest days of cinema
Atlanta, Georgia, agreed it was a case of fortuitous timing;
balance was a massive success considering its maverick
prohibition of alcohol and a booming film industry helped
approach and total inexperience as a movie-maker.
the synergy between Coke and the movies considerably. Coca-Cola’s presence in cinemas at that stage was
Surely the temptation to plant Coca-Cola logos in the
and a clear strategy about product placement came much
background of the movies it produced was overwhelming
later. “We didn’t start from that perspective; it started from
at this time? Delaney wasn’t so sure. “We probably
seeing cinema as a way to work and build our brand and
consciously didn’t because they knew people wouldn’t
associate ourselves with an amazing evening out,” he
appreciate it. It’s all about: what’s the right film? Does the
added. “Our relationship didn’t start with selling Coke, it
placement fit with our brand? Does it fit with their film? Is
was about brand partnership celebrating cinema-going.”
it done in a way that is natural and inobtrusive?” front of Molly Ringwald in “The Breakfast Club” for example
Coca-Cola took its partnership with movies so seriously it
— and the dream next level in which the product itself
actually bought a major studio, Columbia Pictures, in 1982.
becomes integral to the narrative. Get it right and, from a
Incredibly, Diet Coke was just weeks from being released
marketing perspective, it can be an amazing part of the
onto the market. There are few companies that would
film. Sometimes it even becomes a part of film history
consider branching out into two completely new areas
and an instantly recogniseable scene. Think of Superman
simultaneously, but the decision-maker behind the move
getting smashed into the Coke sign. ET opening a can of
was unfazed. Fearless and ambitious, the newly elected
Coke. The scene in which Will Ferrell’s Buddy chugs a two-
chairman and CEO Roberto Goizueta (a Cuban refugee
litre Coke bottle in “Elf”. Justine Fletcher smiles. “Coca-Cola
who arrived in the US 22 years previously with $40 in his
is part of Americana. It’s a cultural leader.”
pocket and $100 worth of Coca-Cola shares) stunned his
Coca-Cola’s initial foray into the cinema industry in
board at the time, saying: “We’re going to take risks. What
the 1920s led to an ongoing and remarkable series of
always has been will not necessarily always be forever.’’ He
campaigns over many decades with the soft drinks giant
added, ‘’Nothing energises an organisation like speed.”
aligning itself to various social causes. Fletcher told me,
its limitations in an unbelievably unpredictable and high-stakes environment, Coke took a step back at the time when it shrewdly
“Coca-Cola took its partnership with movies so seriously it actually bought Columbia Pictures back in 1982”
“The drink isn’t as important as the message. It’s about bringing people together.” Utimately this was, of course, intended to shift soda, but the campaigns were so sensitively produced and the tone exactly right that, while Coca-Cola has attracted criticism at times, it is vastly disproportionate to the goodwill the brand has attracted.
On the right side of history During the civil rights movement in the 1960s, Coca-Cola
assembled a dream team of CBS, HBO and Columbia
was seen on the right side of history time and again, with
Pictures and created Columbia Tri-Star. Their combined
ads featuring happy black and white people sitting side-by-
expertise over the following seven years produced a
side on segregation benches nursing a Coke, for example. In
remarkable stable of box office hits: “Ghostbusters”,
the 1970s, as the Vietnam war raged, one iconic campaign
“Stripes”, “The Karate Kid”, “Tootsie” and “Stand By Me”,
stood out. Spoken of in reverent tones in the Coke building
culminating in a Best Picture Oscar for the seminal,
as ‘Hilltops’, you will know it better by the lyrics: “I’d Like To
groundbreaking bio-pic “Ghandi” in 1982. Their TV work is
Buy The World A Coke.” Fletcher explained: “It’s about
less critically acclaimed but it certainly paid the bills:
bringing people together. That is the message of Coke.”
“Diff’rent Strokes”, “Wheel of Fortune”, “The Young & The
Delaney warms to this. “We’ve taken some bold moves
Restless”, “Days of Our Lives” and “Jeopardy!” were all
and sometimes that is criticised; you’re not going to please
household names syndicated worldwide.
everyone, but being progressive means you need to have a
By 1989 Goizueta concluded that a ‘back to basics’
viewpoint on the world.” Doing it right therefore, as with
approach was appropriate and a refocus on what the
Hilltops, means your brand becomes part of our culture,
company knew — the drinks industry — was required.
which must be the ultimate ambition for a marketeer.
Columbia was sold to Sony, netting a tidy $500m profit for
Understatedly, Delaney added, “Sometimes it can backfire.”
Coca-Cola; with hindsight, the company’s ownership on
In 2017 a big budget, big name ad produced by rival
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042_COLA_JUNE19.indd 45
There’s product placement — a can of Coke on a desk in
From fans to film-maker
Recognising
Making Coca-Cola an intrinsic part of the moviegoing experience saw a conscious effort on the part of the brand’s marketeers
Putting Coke in the picture
limited to point of sale in the lobbies, Delaney explained,
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COCA-COLA
Pepsi attempted to capitalise on political turmoil on both
Capturing the past and the future
sides of the Atlantic. It centered around a clumsy reference
Though civil rights may be on the back-burner for now;
to a globally identifiable recent photograph of an African
another big initiative from Coca-Cola is back in cinemas
American woman standing up to police. So dramatically
now. The Coca-Cola Freestyle machine again captures the
did the resulting ad backfire it caused Pepsi to apologise
zeitgeist sweeping the US — personalisation of food.
publicly and remove it altogether. It’s still on YouTube,
Harking back to the glory days of the soda fountain, but
though, littered with thousands of thumbs down and ironic
with a modern twist, the concept offers consumers 165
comments — a stark reminder of how not to do it. In
Coca-Cola products as well as custom flavours. Packaged
summary, Kendal Jenner in designer jeans leads a protest
in a Pininfarina-styled machine with 1950s retro touches,
march. Her route barred by a police blockade, she reaches
the system is decidedly modern at its core. The press
for a Pepsi from an ice bucket, hands a can to a handsome
release tells us it “transmits supply and demand data to
cop preventing her progress. The officer snaps open the
both Coca-Cola and the owner including brands sold and
can, takes a slurp. Smiles erupt, Kendal is a hero, the officer
the times of day of sales.” Customers drinking from
lets her pass. All’s right with the world. You can imagine
Freestyle machines are in control of what they drink, and
the online reaction. Bernice A. King, daughter of Martin
their tastes are driving the future of the brand. Coke has
Luther King and an activist herself, summed it up in a post
harnessed this technology in a contemporary take on
retweeted thousands of times: “If only Daddy would have
branding those 3D glasses for Chaplin’s movie, offering
known about the power of Pepsi.” It’s a thin line between
branded specialist drinks as a movie promotion, such as
supporting progressive change and virtue signalling.
specially designed drinks as part of a “Captain Marvel” tie-
Coca-Cola doesn’t always hit the right note either. A recent change in Saudi law giving women the right to drive
in. More are due for “Dark Phoenix” and “Star Wars”.
saw the company criticised for launching a hammy ad in
Tapping into the eSports arena
the kingdom that features a father and daughter cooped
Coca-Cola also continues to promote event cinema in its
up in a hot car on a deserted road, the daughter crunching
support of eSports. Further to a three-year association with
gears, the father gritting his teeth. They bond over a Coke
League of Legends, Coca-Cola recently signed a deal with
and the tension melts away. It’s a fine line indeed.
Blizzard, whose Overwatch game earned Blizzard $1bn in
Forty years ago bringing people together was enough;
its first year of release. Delaney is convinced. “The cinema
these days social media is an incredible leveller and brands
industry is multifaceted, so it’s not just retail. eSports has
must be accountable at all points or risk boycotting, loss of
been an area that is still untapped for cinema.” But with
credibility and ultimately revenue. Now you need to have
40m players online last year, isn’t cinema an irrelevance for
an ethos and shout about carrying this out. Not too loudly
the players and more widely, the gaming industry?
though, for fear of being accused of virtue signalling.
“What we’ve seen through the events we’ve done is
Delaney was frank. “You still need to be kind of the fun,
that there is a real group of consumers out there willing to
sexy brand you’ve always been but you’ve also got to be a
sit in a cinema for five, six, seven hours at a time. They will
brand where, if people really dug into every part of your
eat and drink the whole time they’re there. There is a huge
business, they would still feel comfortable buying you.”
opportunity with eSports.” Brandon Snow, chief revenue
Single-use plastics = ecological lunacy learned lessons in response to customer calls to remove
there is “an even more global and diverse group of fans.”
plastic straws last year, which seemingly took the entire
Coca-Cola is doing a credible job sustaining both the
drinks industry by surprise. Delaney explained this led to a
planet and itself in the 21st Century, that is clear. For a
doubling down internally at Coca-Cola to commit to its
company this large, with a 133-year history, the brand
pledge for a ‘World Without Waste’, promising by 2030 to
remains surprisingly relevant, innovative, scandal-free and
reclaim one bottle for every one Coke sells. “That we will
is tackling pressing issues important to the young with
essentially reclaim everything is great, but given how
commitment and passion. With a foot in the future and a
many drinks we sell this is a huge task.” He added, “It’s
keen eye on its own heritage in cinema, it seems to do
important to maintain trust particularly among young
what it promises on its Twitter feed: “Spreading optimism,
consumers who are motivated by the environment. If you
one bottle at a time, or maybe two bottles to share”.
don’t take action on it you’ll be doomed.”
So long as they’re recycled.
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042_COLA_JUNE19.indd 46
Targetting cinema exhibitors directly has been part of the company’s strategy for years
and Overwatch is a perfect pairing between two businesses that share common values.” He also agrees that, in cinema,
>
What could be more glamorous than a starlet grabbing a bottle of Coke on set?
officer of Blizzard agrees. “The union between Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola’s current focus is on sustainability. The company
4 2
Coca-Cola actively engaged film audiences, hosting screenings as here on snowy streets in Peterborough, Ontario in 1953
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042_COLA_JUNE19.indd 47
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SUB WOOFERS
AUDIO THAT DELIVERS HAMMER BLOWS TO THE With the ability to reach infrasonic frequencies as low as 18Hz, the Thor subwoofer from MAG Cinema deploys innovative technology to deliver an immersive bass experience. Peter Knight listens in.
OPPOSITI 4 4
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048_MAG_JUNE19.indd 48
www.cinematech.today
21/05/2019 10:21
HEN YOU GIVE YOUR product the name ‘Thor’, you need to be pretty confident its performance lives up to its name — especially if the product is a professional-grade subwoofer whose purpose in life is to deliver a new type of bass and exceptional sound pressure. Launched two years ago, the Thor subwoofer is from MAG Cinema, a Ukrainian-based audio specialist with a wide range of solutions for exhibitors. Incorporated into the Thor subwoofer is M-Force technology which includes a patented moving magnet linear motor structure from the
Fact File
Italian pro-audio amplifier manufacturer Powersoft. Instead of having a lightweight coil moving in a fixed magnetic field, it has a lightweight magnet in the middle of two huge fixed coils. The manufacturers say this delivers a strength
About MAG Cinema MAG Cinema
A collaborative effort For a number of years, MAG Cinema has worked alongside
company offering
Powersoft to deliver a variety of different products for
cost-effective
professional audio. So it was clear who MAG Cinema should
sound solutions.
turn to when it came to the development of breakthrough
It has existed for
equipment for premium experience cinema installations. The goal of the Thor subwoofer design was to achieve
Many of its
ultimate precision in the reproduction of the low-frequency
cinema products
effect track, which provides the basis for the immersive
were created in
cinema experience. In the eyes of the team at MAG Cinema,
collaboration
traditional cinema subwoofers — based on wound voice coil
with installation
transducers — are limited in their performance in the infra-
providers to be
low spectrum, lacking in terms of sound pressure levels
reliable and
(SPL), have a lower frequency threshold, and generate a
competitive.
great amount of distortion. Looking for an alternative
www.mag-
approach, MAG Cinema’s engineers turned to the M-Force
cinema.com
technology from Powersoft. M-Force is a unique transducer
TION? 048_MAG_JUNE19.indd 49
drive a huge diaphragm with unprecedented control.
is a Ukrainian
over 20 years.
www.cinematech.today
factor 20x higher than conventional designs, and allows it to
that uses a moving magnet linear motor structure to generate sound frequency oscillations. This solution has a power output capacity that exceeds that of a traditional transducer, allowing the use of a bigger reinforced diffusor (30in in diameter) to create unparalleled SPL figures. Another prominent feature of M-Force technology is the use of acoustical feedback to adjust for moving system
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SUB WOOFERS
non-linearities
was achieved, rising to 125Hz, with a total distortion level so
and
low it allowed perception of subtle cinema track features
exterenal
environmental
not typically revealed by traditional cinema subwoofers.
influence.
Announced at CinemaCon in 2017, the Thor subwoofer
Implemented by
has proven to be a popular product with 25+ screens across
DPC (differential
10 countries already installed. This technology does not just
pressure sensor)
have an application in cinema or other similar situations, it
and
has been used in other applications too. The nature of the
extremely
low-latency
vibrations that the subwoofer creates, mean it is the perfect
processing of the
system to reproduce the experience of an earthquake — as
digital signal, this technology helps to ensure precision in the reproduction of the input signal. The external cabinet of the Thor subwoofer was created specifically to add to the benefits of the M-Force system. Based around a transmission line design, the system’s frequency range has been extended down to 18Hz (-3dB),
Les 7 Batignolles, recently opened and fully equipped with a Thor sub in its premium auditorium
used in a visitor centre in Iceland. The experience uses the bass drivers to agitate concrete parts of the floor, similar to an earthquake. Given the speaker’s ability to reach these depths, it is likely that the technology will have practical uses elsewhere, too.
while being capable of attaining a peak SPL of 145dB — 2dB
Fact File
below the level of a Formula 1 car drive-by at full throttle, which should satisfy most audiences. The cabinet is heavily reinforced to withstand the enormous pressures generated by M-Force, while at the same time being made slim enough to fit into tight behind-screen spaces.
At the practical end of Thor’s hammer?
About Powersoft Established in
The low-frequency reproduction is a matter of how big
To test the theory in practice for Cinema Technology,
1995, Powersoft is
the volume of air is that can be moved. The M-Force product
Peter Knight hopped on the Eurostar for a trip to Paris
an Italian
allows for high efficiency in a smaller footprint together
to experience the Thor subwoofer. The system has
company with
with a reduction in distortions and minimisation of power
been installed in a brand new seven-screen cinema,
over 100 staff. Its
compression effects. With a nominal power of 5000W, Thor
Les 7 Batignolles complex in the 17th arrondissement,
roots were in the
is a self-powered system with Powersoft’s M-Drive amplifier
an area of Paris significantly redeveloped in the past
development of
providing all the controls, monitoring, and protection
decade, thanks in part of the city’s bid to host the 2012
energy-efficient,
needed to drive a highly advanced transducer.
Olympics, writes Peter. Opened in December, the site
high-powered
In testing, the results achieved by the Thor design were
includes one 352-seat PLF auditorium into which the
amplifiers . The
impressive. As stated previously a low frequency of 18Hz
Thor subwoofer has been installed as a fundamental
group boasts a
element of the entire sound system supplied by MAG
worldwide sales
Cinema. It sits to the screen’s left, and — displaying its intentions clearly — is fully visible to the auditorium (i.e. the
network and
black screen skirt is deliberately not covering it). Consequently, during the demonstration it was possible to see
service centres in
clearly the activated vibration of the cone. The cinema played some trailers and Dolby Atmos content to illustrate
over 80 countries.
the system’s capabilities, and to allow us to experience the full quality of the sound.
www.powersoft.it
The bass this system produces is quite different to what you might ordinarily experience when in a cinema or a similar audio-driven environment. Obviously it is a challenge to describe something so physical in words, but it was notable that there is a lack of harshness in the way you experience the bass in comparison to what you might hear and feel with traditional subwoofers. This is smoother — almost velvety in its feeling. The best way to describe it would be to compare it to something like drinking a smooth, perfectly formed cup of coffee instead of instant coffee. The two are quite different. You feel the bass in your body, but not in a harsh way. It is both effective and settled at the same time. Watching a movie is an engaging experience that can only be its best if all the audio effects can be heard in the way they were originally created. In my view, for its lowfrequency audio and infrasonic elements in particular, the M-Force system has been successfully incorporated to give better results than a number of conventional low-frequency effects subwoofers. A slim design that packs a punch
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048_MAG_JUNE19.indd 50
www.cinematech.today
21/05/2019 11:19
The Future of Laser Modularity
18-20 June 2019 Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona (CCIB) Suite C
Incorporating NEC’s best-in-class Laser technology, the modular NEC NC2402ML projector delivers an outstanding movie experience and new standards of installation and servicing, ideal for any theatre.
Captivate your visitors with a flexible choice of 18, 22 or 24,000 Lumens light modules and 2K or 4K resolutions incorporating RB laser technology that delivers crisp, almost speckle-free imagery. You can even extend your savings using lenses from your NC2000 Series projectors. (Full range of options available soon)
For further information please visit www.digital-cinema-nec.com
Untitled-4 1 NEC_AD_Digital_Cinema_NC2402ML_297x210.indd 1
22/05/2019 12:18 13/5/19 12:22
THE ULTIMATE INFLATABLE MOVIE SCREEN
info@airscreen.com · www.airscreen.com · +49 251 60 90 250
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Four issues a year Free online edition Read by the decision-makers Partnering the key events
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10: 17: 03 32
www.cinematech.today
22/05/2019 12:50
PROJECTORS
NEC: keeping the customer satisfied A strong culture of customer support ensures NEC builds long-term partnerships with cinemas, as Peter Knight discovers at its UK service centre
“Better Products, Better Service,” was to provide customers
19th century, when in 1899 it was
with world-class products and dependable service. The
founded as Nippon Electric Company
notion of follow-up service didn’t take root in Japanese
Ltd — changed to NEC Corporation in
businesses until a full half-century later, whereas NEC had,
April 1983 — as Japan’s first joint venture with foreign
from the beginning, embraced a concept that developed
capital. NEC was established by Kunihiko Iwadare in
into what is now called customer satisfaction. In cinema
association with the US firm Western Electric Company (a
terms, NEC entered the sector in 2003 and has more than
name well known in cinema from the early days of 35mm).
11,000 digital cinema projectors installed in Europe, Middle
The basic aim of the company, expressed in its slogan
East and Africa alone.
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053_NEC_JUNE19.indd 53
EC TRACES ITS HISTORY back to the
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PROJECTORS
More than just projectors NEC is more than projectors though, it offers a range of products tailored to the cinema space…
LED SCREENS In November 2013 NEC installed a huge 107m2 LED screen on the Odeon Leicester Square (see previous page). Used to market films showing in Screen 1 and for premieres, it is one of the largest displays of its kind in a public square. The huge display is flanked by two 18m2 NEC LED displays. The whole digital canvas looks as good today as it did when installed over five years ago. The NEC 10mm Nichia LED module is designed to deliver uniformity of brightness and colour, with realistic skintones, across the
NEC’s projector technology and range
entire screen. Not surprisingly it can be a challenge to get
As with Christie and Barco, NEC makes use of the TI chipset
uniform colour consistency of images across a display of
for its projectors and has a variety of products to meet the
this size and it is a major achievement for NEC. Being such
needs of a venue, no matter its size or requirements. With 11
a large display it has an interesting set of challenges: it
cinema projectors in its range, NEC can offer a projector for
must be seen from multiple locations and angles in a
any size screen up to a massive 32m. Its smaller projector
variety of different weather and light levels. No matter
products (the NC1000 and NC1201L) support boothless
where the viewer is standing, they will experience bright
operation. NEC’s Cinema Silencer Housing, designed to go
images delivering up to 6,000cd/m2 brightness, and
in the auditorium, works alongside its boothless products.
Creative signage by Beaver Group with NEC screens at the recently opened Showcase Cinema in Southampton, on England southern coast
excellent viewing even in direct sunlight. An ambient light sensor ensures optimum brightness whilst minimising power consumption and with a high lumen to watt ratio.
DIGITAL MENU BOARDS AND SIGNAGE
A View from the top Alain Chamaillard (head of cinema, EMEA & CIS, strategic and vertical sales),
NEC also produces menu boards and displays for digital signage posters and integrated systems for cinemas.
Our Japanese heritage guides our ethos, placing the customer at the
Sensor-driven solutions using NEC leafengine (unified
centre of operations. A culture of respect and reliability permeates the
sensor/software connectivity) make delivered content
organisation making NEC a trusted partner for the long-term. Our
relevant to the viewer and pertinent to certain conditions.
principles might make our sales methods more conservative than our
This content-aware signage maximises opportunities for
competitors, but we prefer to nurture a partnership working with our
revenue generation, enhancing the messaging according
customers to gain a complete understanding of their needs.
to the time of day, seasonal conditions, dwell time and
As a global organisation NEC is well-positioned to deliver a full service
audience demographics. NEC works with partners such as
for multi-national clients whilst responding on a local level. We work
Beaver Group to specify and deliver the elements needed
with leading systems integrators and cinema chains who require a cross
to create an immersive experience to engage with visitors.
border service yet with a single contact point to support multi-national
Integrated digital signage networks link all areas in the
operations. As the only display manufacturer able to supply and support
venue, building a connection with audiences who respond
the broadest range of technologies, we offer cinema-wide solutions.
with increased loyalty and buy-in. Operators benefit from
We’re not just in the theatre, but on the façade, in the foyer, the bars and
increased efficiency, maintaining fresh, engaging and
lounges, the ticket office, the back office and the concessions stand.
relevant content according to the audience demographic. 5 0
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053_NEC_JUNE19.indd 54
www.cinematech.today
21/05/2019 10:57
360°
11,000
Over 11,000 DC projectors installed in Europe up to now
With the advent of laser, everstranger requests come in to NEC, including a recent enquiry for a project that can turn through 360˚
Most new NEC projectors are now single rather than three phase.
RB laser: typically 1/2 the energy use of xenon.
NEC Launches new modular NEC NC2402ML At CinemaCon, NEC launched a new projector
OTHER BENEFITS OF NC2402ML INCLUDE:
to its range, the NEC NC2402ML, the world’s
Virtually zero maintenance – no lamp and no
first cinema projector to integrate a modular
filter replacement costs, no maintenance
laser light system with a projector head. The
personnel costs and no lamp stock due to
modular approach enables venues to plug-in
the innovative Laser Light engine.
the appropriate light module based on the
Lower TCO – highest reliability, maintenance-
required brightness. This functionality allows
free operation, low power consumption and
projectors to be adapted according to screen
up to 30,000 hours life; the Laser Light source
size. The NC2402ML bundles NEC’s NP-02HD
results in a significantly lower overall cost.
projector head with the modular 24,000lm
Sealed optical engine – minimising dust and
The NC1700L projector was the world’s
light module out of three swappable light
smoke ingress, consistent performance is
first RB Laser projector to be DCI
modules (24,000lm, 20,000lm and 18,000lm).
assured and no special maintenance is
compliant. Designed for theatres with
Having all in one box, the modular approach
required.
mid-sized screens of up to 17m wide,
makes it quick and easy to achieve the desired
A host of integrated features – optional built-
the RB laser light source produces
light
and
in 2TB screen server, 2 x 3G SDI Interfaces,
colour and brightness that surpasses
scenarios. The unit uses RB laser technology,
HDMI interface for alternative content,
traditional laser phosphor projection
providing crisp, almost speckle-free imagery,
advanced
systems. As with most projectors
combining benefits of RGB laser technology
functions with NAS support.
manufactured currently, the NC1700L
with lower costs.
NC1700L: World’s first RB Laser DCI projector
output
for
different
screens
network
and
built-in
GPIO
has been designed to be both flexible and easy to install, requiring no exhaust system.
NC3541L: World’s Brightest RB Laser Up to now, laser sources for premium- and large-format screens have tended to require full use of RGB laser sources. The NEC NC3541L is a 4K projector using an RB laser which takes advantage of both laser phosphor and RGB laser technologies. The result is a powerful unit which delivers benefits in terms of cost, operational efficiency and image quality. This projector manages a 35,000 lumen level of brightness and can be used for screens up to 32m.
Back on screen, fast From the beginning, NEC understood that, for a cinema, getting back on screen as soon as possible was vital. Early discussions with cinema owners led to the establishment of hubs right www.cinematech.today
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The new modular NC2402ML combines the advantage of a swappable light module with RB laser technology
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PROJECTORS
NEC supplies the Queen Mary 2 The Queen Mary 2 cruise liner was launched in 2004 and can carry up to 2,600 passengers across the Atlantic, but you may not know that there is a 475 seat cinema on board. When it was being built in France in 2004, the Queen Mary 2 was on the cusp of the digital cinema age and was fitted with two Christie 512 digital projectors and an Ernemann 35mm projector, all in a compact projection booth that serves as the control centre for lectures and the planetarium. The cinema is towards the bow and occupies three of across EMEA in the UK, Sweden, Italy, Spain and Germany. These allow parts to be delivered anywhere in six hours — within an average of 4 hours — to
Renewing prisms: part of NEC’s commitment to long-term service
the 14 decks in height and about threequarters of the ship’s width. The cinema screen is 13 m wide and capable of showing 3D. Now the screen is illuminated using NEC’s NC3240S-A 4K projectors, each with 9kW lamphouses, running at 108 amps. Below the projectors are mounted GDC
most locations (subject to weather and traffic!). So if a
3D servers with Dolby 7.1 surround sound as standard. Several seating areas
cinema discovers an issue first thing in the morning, it is
have audio loops for the hard of hearing.
possible it can be back on screen by the evening. The hubs are open 16 hours a day, with the German one open 24/7. The rapid hub service is an extra service available to any customer who wishes to pay for it, otherwise parts come
come into the service area and are broken down into their
from the Amsterdam hub, which operates normal working
component parts. They are then cleaned in a sterile
hours, meaning, typically, next working day delivery.
environment before the reassembly and realignment
Inside the European Technical Centre
process takes place. The cleaning can take a bit of time, to remove the build up of dirt completely. Reassembling the
NEC’s technical centre has been in its current building in in
prisms requires the use of a special clamp that allows for
Telford in the UK since 1999. Opened as a manufacturing
the finest of adjustments across six different planes of
plant for desktop monitors, the centre is now used as a call
access. The technician has five cameras and a pixel-perfect
Alignment of refurbished prisms is made to the finest tolerances across six planes
centre for non-cinema products, as well as being the main EMEA cinema support centre for all of the NEC partners. These partners are able to access support via email and telephone. As many of the partners and staff at the cinema support centre have worked together since the beginning, it is often described as feeling like a big extended family.All parts swapped out of NEC projectors by its partners are returned to the warehouse. Each is checked, and if it failed under guarantee is returned to Japan, otherwise it is refurbished and reconditioned to be able to go back out. If the cost of repair is too high, it is recycled. Consequently at the support centre, there is one of every model of every projector manufactured held in order to test out parts. The warehouse also keeps a supply of loan equipment for use across Europe for demo purposes.
Refurbishing prisms Since 2017, the team in Telford has been able to refresh and recondition projector prisms for any of their projectors — the only site outside of Japan to offer this capability. Making it possible to extend the life of all NEC projectors, the prisms 5 2
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monitor on hand to ensure the alignment is precise. Once the prism is refurbished, glass washers are glued into place to stop the settings being changed. The glass washers are secured using UV glue which must be kept at a specific temperature and an exact weight. The whole process is a continuous cycle and takes about eight hours, although in reality it takes longer as a result of having to send reports and information to different parties. To give an idea of how useful this service is, one Portugese ten-screen venue is currently going through the process of reconditioning the projectors in all of its screens. Similarly, a set of the first cinema projectors that NEC installed in Hatfield, England, are still in use today having been refurbed, and in Blackpool 16 years later, still producing the required 14ft/L output. This ability to service and refurb means that cinema operators can look to upgrade the projector in their largest screen, and then roll their remaining projectors down, via a refurbishment programme, leading to the extended life of the equipment. Or they can simply look to refurbish their projectors, selling the older ones on to another user for whom such a refurbed projector might make a more economically rational purchase. From the refurbishment process NEC is able to recycle 67% of all material with the remaining 33% being incinerated, producing electricity. The emphasis on service and longevity here is key — NEC sees refurbishing and reusing as a good thing. It will often sell a new unit and gain a new customer if an older one is sold on at the same time. Smart thinking.
www.nec-display-solutions.com
PPO OIINNTT SSO OUURRCCEE SSEERRI IEESS
www.pulz.co.in www.pulz.co.in
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E V E N T S
E V E N T S The gala that is CinemaCon usually sees razzamatazz filling the halls — but this year things seemed a little muted. Patrick von Sychowski reports
CinemaCon 2019: Uncertainty
W
ITH NO EARTH-
is Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century
shattering
Fox — which closed on 19 March, less
demos
and
a
than two weeks before the show —
generally
Cineworld swallowing Regal, or even
positive
Box Office Magazine taking over Film
domestic and global box office
Journal International. The net result is
picture, albeit with several underlying
fewer studios showing off films, fewer
worries rumbling in the background,
exhibitor
CinemaCon 2019 often seemed like a
participating and smaller stacks of
silver cloud in search of a dark lining
trade magazines in the halls of
— or maybe it was just a wait-and-see
Caesar’s Palace. Disney opened its
year.
slate presentation with a spirited
At the end of the customary post-
representatives
“Two-Great-Studios-Together”
clips
keynote press briefing, NATO’s John
reel,
Fithian berated the assembled press
“Frozen 2” or “Star Wars IX” footage,
corps for having spent half of their
let
allocated hour on asking questions
appearance. [“Dumbo” disappointed
about Netflix to him and the MPAA’s
and
Charles
Rivkin,
whilst
not
but alone
disappointed any
though
with
on-stage
“Captain
no star
Marvel”
once
overcame fan-boy hate, it was no
mentioning that the US had its best
“Black Panther”, thus leaving Q1
box office year ever in 2018. Are
down year-on-year while all waited
cinemas so spooked by streamers
for “Avengers: Endgame”.
that they don’t believe their own good fortune, despite certainty that another
great
cinema
year
lies
Studios: now you see ‘em, now you don’t
4 Fresh from winning 4 Oscars for “Roma”, the presence of Netflix loomed
out CinemaCon, citing evaluation of whether the many million spent on putting together a show in Vegas could be spent better targeting exhibitors. Sony Pictures might be back next year, but it was telling that Amazon Studios also did not sponsor its
customary
Thursday
lunch
More worrying was the absence of
(though it did screen “Late Night”).
The first cause for concern was
Sony Pictures, the first time a major
Amazon had earlier threatened to do
industry consolidation, whether that
Hollywood studio had decided to sit
away with the release window for its
ahead?
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clouds the horizon in Vegas
films,
after
several
of
them
underperformed on the big screen. With Netflix’s recent four Oscar
Bright lights over the Vegas strip, but the mood in the halls didn’t seem to have quite the same sparkle
New Line’s ‘The Good Liar’ that, “I love
Boys”, as well as a dollop of Brit films
Netflix; but f**k Netflix.” You can catch
(“Last Christmas”, “Downton Abbey”
her latest film in the cinema.
and “Yesterday” — performed live on
Warner Bros. delighted exhibitors
the Colosseum stage by star Himesh
with trailers and footage from “Joker”,
Patel). All assured the crowd that the
streaming giant had just become an
“Godzilla: King of Monsters”, “Detective
studio will continue its winning
official member of the MPAA. This is
Pikachu”, DC films and not least “IT:
streak. “Audiences will show up to
why perhaps the biggest applause
Chapter 2”. Universal cranked it up
original
and headlines of the show were
with “Hobbs & Shaw” duo Johnson
filmmakers as well as franchises,”
reserved for Dame Helen Mirren
and Statham making it personal on
Universal
declaring on stage while promoting
stage, before “Pets 2”, “Ma” and “Good
affirmed. Paramount appears to be
wins for “Roma”, there was a palpable nervousness,
particularly
as
the
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from Donna
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E V E N T S
staging a much-needed comeback, with “Rocketman” hoping to emulate the $900m success of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, but also “Terminator: Dark Fate” (Arnie and Linda on stage!), “Sonic the Hedgehog” (Jim Carrey throws popcorn on stage) and “Dora the Explorer.” Lionsgate’s “Long Shot” was one of three films screened together with WB’s “Blinded by the Light”, with Springsteen thus joining Elton John, George Michael, Lennon-McCartney and the Country of “Wild Rose” in providing musical film inspiration at the show. “The Greatest Showman” clearly has a lot of green-lighting to answer for. Meanwhile the only studio hand-out was Paramount’s “Rocketman” t-shirt. Some delegates were heard to grumble that the goodie bag was nothing more than a sugar holder, but less tat also means less waste. #sustainability [Ed: Amen Sony Digital Cinema, as its PLF
head of digital cinema Bob Raposo
offer is known, was launched during
talked up the brand and Sony’s broad
but off-site to CinemaCon at the new-
knowledge of entertainment tech,
build Las Vegas Galaxy Theatres
but was vague on technical details.
major premium large formats (PLF)
Luxury+ Boulevard Complex in the
There was also no discussion about
announcements. Jumping the gun
expanding Boulevard Mall. Sony’s
Sony’s LED screen at the show.
to that.]
Premium everywhere CinemaCon saw no fewer than three
Sony launched its new PLF offering at the nearby Las Vegas Galaxy Theatres Luxury+
somewhat the new-ownership THX
Meanwhile, Christie announced its
announced its THX Ultimate Cinema,
new brand Cinity Cinema Systems
which was mainly a branding exercise for the partnership between Cinionic
How about Dolby and IMAX?
partnership with GDC Technology and Huaxia film, which will push to
(Barco) and China Giant Screen (CGS).
At CinemaCon, key players in the premium large
showcase Ang Lee and Paramount’s
While the former will launch at the
format sector, Dolby and IMAX, had a seemingly
“Gemini Man” in 120fps 3D.
Regency Westwood Village Theatre
contrasting presence.
There were announcements from
in LA later this year, the CGS PLF was
Dolby trumpeted 200 Dolby Cinemas opened
key immersive seat manufacturers,
already showcased at Regal LA Live
world-wide with 200 more committed and more
including 4DX, MX4D and D-Box, all
the weekend before CinemaCon by
than 200 theatrical titles mastered in Dolby Vision
proving the format’s enduring appeal,
Todd Hoddick & Co. It claims already
and Dolby Atmos. More than 4,800 Dolby Atmos
but nothing quite on the scale of
to have the world’s second largest
auditoriums have been installed or signed in 90
Cineworld’s announcement about
PLF install base after IMAX and thus
countries, with the format no longer just found in
4DX
ahead of Dolby Cinema — and offers
PLF auditoriums and 50 multiplexes world-wide
signed with CJ4DPLEX last year. It
10 year guarantees. Yet Barco’s light-
being all-Atmos.
was clear that premium in its many
and
ScreenX
deployments
only
IMAX, meanwhile, maintained a relatively low
shapes and forms was a key theme
demonstrated at the Fox lot in LA
profile at the event, but it is continuing its global
for CinemaCon and the continued
with no commitment on when it will
and China deployment, as well as showing more
evolution of the cinema experience.
ship, due to the DCI’s prevarications
local and non-mainstream films (“Free Solo” and
Meanwhile GDC’s GoGoCinema gave
over HDR/EDR
“Apollo 11”).
a glimpse into the potential future of
steering
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> Will
Palmer
made
the headline-grabbing sponsorship announcement that exhibitors using
A host of topics and issues
its Movio Cinema saw a $227m
Comscore’s Arturo Guillen was a super professional
collective uplift in their box office
speaker during the opening of International Day,
revenue in 2018, with a goal of 100m
highlighting the strength of local content around
targeted subscribers that could add
the world and the emergence of new markets such
another billion dollars to the global
as Western Africa. Event CEO Jane Hastings
box office. Movio’s parent company
highlighted
Vista was at the show in force with a
fragmentation, while affirming that franchises still
huge booth and some 100 attendees
pull in audiences. TV host of “Bar Rescue” Jon Taffer
from the various group companies:
had some tough love for cinemas to get into shape.
Veezi, Powster, Numero, Flicks and
It was also a CinemaCon at which diversity was
challenges
of
consolidation
and
competitors
recognised as a strength, with the success of
such as Compeso, Jacro, Ticket and
“Black Panther”. “Captain Marvel” and “Bohemian
Admit
somewhat
Rhapsody” plain to see. Overdue recognition was
overshadowed, but were not without
bestowed on several women who’d been working
their clients or new products.
away diligently for years, from the Passepartout
others.
Inevitably One
its
were
award for Paramount’s Helen Moss to the Ken
$227m
Movio Cinema exhibitor customers saw a $227m collective uplift in BO in 2018
Mason award for Christie’s Susie Beiersdorf. As always, no summary can do justice to everything at CinemaCon, not least as for all the shared screenings, it is still a subjective experience based on meetings, private demos, networking
film
drinks and things-that-stay-in-Vegas. There was a
selections and ordering of movies like
feeling of numbers being down and a wait-and-see
cinema
with
crowdsources
you would from Uber Eats.
Subscriptions and data While it has amazingly still survived, there was very little sign or talk of MoviePass at the show, with the likes of AMC, Cinemark and even Alamo
More than 4,800 Dolby Atmos auditoriums have now been installed or signed in 90 countries
4,800
approach. With VPFs expiring many exhibitors were more interested in extending the life of existing kit rather than buying new — the trade show was dominated by recliners, with comfy seats still the hottest ‘technology’ in cinemas.
Drafthouse having launched their own in-house subscription schemes with
great
uptake.
MoviePass
competitor Sinemia threw a big party at the Omnia to highlight its B2C SubGen white label service, which several exhibitors both in the US and Asia are using to operate their own subscription services. In addition, Influx was at the show with its own Infinity
subscription
service.
Fandango and Atom Tickets were mostly busy reporting record presales
of
“Avengers: Endgame”. Movio’s CEO
Dolby promoted its dominant position in the premium sector
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New horizons for the big screen
UKCA Conference, London
H
ow often have we
industry gather to discuss the broader
entitled “TECH: New horizons for the
all heard that it is
subject. The event was held over two
big screen experience”, the event was
technology that is
days in a fitting venue: Vue Westfield, a
held in partnership with the Cinema
transformational
state-
Technology Community (CTC). The
cinema-
of-the-art 20-screen multiplex seating
organisers’ aim was to bring clarity to
going experience? And how often has
nearly 3,000 cinemagoers in the heart
many of the areas of innovation and
that
of
in
statement
exclusively
to
the been
sound
directed
and
vision
technologies? In an attempt to take the discussion beyond the auditorium, the UK Cinema Association’s (UKCA) annual conference in March saw nearly
Sound Associates’ Graham Lodge discusses the definition of the premium cinema experience
400 professionals from across the
a
explore challenges and opportunities
2.6million square foot megalith to
they represent, including those to the
urban regeneration — and current
cinema-going public.
Westfield
Shepherd’s
Bush,
holder of the title “Europe’s largest shopping centre”.
The conference looked into areas including ticketing, signage and retail
With the main theme of the
that all form a critical part of the
conference focused on technology,
customer journey. To give a rounded
What else was on the agenda? Skills for technology: The industry faces an
and modelling technologies available today
ongoing challenge in ensuring staff have
that can optimise customer journeys
the skills to manage rapid technological
through buildings, helping to understand
innovation. In this session the CTC’s Paul
how to keep customers safe, where best to
Wilmott (from the independent Saffron
place signage and how to design
Screen in Essex) and Gareth Ellis-Unwin,
concession spaces to minimise queues.
from ScreenSkills — the industry-led skills body for the UK’s screen-based creative
Technology for accessibility: There has
industries — provided details on how
been a growth in recent years in the use of
cinemas can develop the skills required to
assistive technology, making cinemas more
manage technological change.
accessible to disabled customers. But key challenges remain; in 2018 the UKCA
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Technology-assisted lobby design:
launched its Technology Challenge Fund,
Understanding how a building performs
inviting proposals for viable ‘closed caption’
can have positive effect on profitability and
solutions for the hard of hearing. Three short-
the experience the cinema-goer receives. In
listed applicants (National Theatre, Screen
this session, CTC’s president and VP of
Language and Greta & Starks) presented
marketing at Harkness Screens, Richard
their take on solutions that could provide
Mitchell, showed the potential of simulation
more accessibility to disabled cinemagoers.
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A spotlight on a major refurb Duncan Reynolds from the Odeon Cinemas Group gave a highly anticipated presentation on the transformation of the Odeon Leicester Square cinema. Featured in the March 2019 issue of Cinema Technology, the transformation has seen Odeon create a blend between the Art Deco heritage and the high-tech experience of going to the cinema in 2019. Duncan outlined some of the major challenges, from asbestos removal through to the installation of latest laser projection.
view, the majority of the panel sessions
MacGuffin: the technological golden
had representatives from exhibitors as
goose competing tech providers all
well as technology suppliers.
clamour for, without appreciating that
You’ve got technology? One of the primary sessions centred
Networking galore in a thoroughly modern cinema
What is premium? Graham Lodge, managing director of the equipment supplier and installer
audiences don’t necessarily value or
Sound Associates gave an entertaining
perceive the difference between a
20
cake-themed presentation on the
Vue’s multiplex at Westfield In London’s Shepherds Bush is a 20-screen site
what that actually means, how they
regular egg and a golden one.
concept of ‘Premium Experiences’ in
around Cinema Technology and the
Ruth’s presentation suggested that
Audience. It focused on the truism
what audiences really care about kicks
that, no matter how amazing the
off with the Great Expectation (being
technology deployed may be, the
inspired to see something on the big
majority of the audience doesn’t really
screen at a convenient time and in a
care about it. Ruth Hinton from Vue
convenient location), the Big Screen
effect, how much call is there for
Entertainment referred to this as the
Moment (great sound and picture, in
cherries on top of the “standard”). It
comfortable
enjoyable
was a timely presentation since the
snacks and drinks and no distractions),
CTC also launched its new guide to
then the Afterglow (the memory of
Premium Large Formats at the event.
how great it was to come to the
The new 40-page guide for exhibitors
cinema and to be engrossed in
summarises many of the large and
something to the exclusion of the
luxury formats around the world.
seats,
with
outside world). So, while the audience
they present to cinemas and the evidence for audience demand (in
At the end of the day…
interactions there is the potential for
At any conference, delegates take
technology to improve the experience.
away different outcomes, gleaning
Making cinema customer-centric
what is of relevance to their situation
is a key focus for exhibitors like Vue,
or, in this case, their cinema. There was
and this in turn marries up to
plenty of discussion and the presenters
the application of customer-centric
were engaging and informative. They
cinema technology. For users accessing
offered a range of insight around the
such technology as the Uber app, the
core subject of technology. Crucially,
experience is straightforward — no
major themes included the fact that
need to think about the technology, it
owners of smaller cinemas will make
is a case of tapping on your phone and
investment decisions as they need to
will be true of the cinema. As Ruth explained, “People don’t care about your technology. They don’t need to”.
062_UKCA CONFERENCE_JUNE19.indd 63
work, the challenges and opportunities
may not recognise it, in all of these
a car arrives to pick you up. The same
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The UKCA event pulled in a big crowd of professionals from around the country
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Saudi Arabia: laying the cornerstone
Cinema Build KSA Forum
A
MARK OF THE
drawn from 30 countries headed to
The first movie theatre opened in
potential for the
the two-day event to learn more about
Riyadh just over a year ago in April
emerging
the infrastructure for entertainment
2018 and there are plans in place for
being built across the Kingdom.
about 30 movie theatres to be opened
cinema
market
in Saudi Arabia
Current estimates suggest that
in 15 cities around the kingdom within
was the number of attendees drawn
the entertainment sector as a whole
five years. Vox Cinemas, a subsidiary of
in from more than 30 countries to the
requires SAR 267billion (£54 billion) to
the UAE-based Majid Al Futtaim, was
inaugural Cinema Build KSA event
build a suitable infrastructure in the
awarded the second licence to open
country, with expected investments in
cinemas
the entertainment sector to reach
company plans to invest SAR 2billion
SAR 18billion (£3.6billion) annually,
in 600 screens over the next five years.
hosted in Riyadh. Organised by Great Minds Events and supported by the Saudi government’s General Authority for Entertainment, more than 300 potential local partners and attendees
Local partners and overseas industry participants headed to the event hosted in Riyadh last April
according to a 2018 report from Flanders Investment and Trade.
in
the
kingdom.
The
A clamouring for cinema An eagerly enthusiastic population is expecting to see 300 cinemas with more than 2,000 screens around the Kingdom by 2030. With a population of more than 32million (the majority of whom are under the age of 30), Saudis spend more than £20billion annually
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Honouring grassroots support The organisers held an award ceremony in which various attendees were honoured for their support in driving development of cinema in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Kamel Mohamed, CEO of East Delta Saudi Co Ltd presented a memento to GCAM’s CEO Badr Al Zahrani, to honour his support for the event. Dr. Kamel also presented mementos to VOX, Carnival, Empire, Cinepolis, and MUVI (Fawaz Alhokair) in recognition of their continued efforts to drive growth of cinema.
on tourism and entertainment abroad. This makes the argument to allow movie theatres opening in the market compelling, and it is expected to be worth up to $1bn in annual box office
Cutting the ribbon on an event that was, in effect, cutting the ribbon on an entire industry in Saudi
cinemas, multiplexes and malls in
Masinaei, managing partner at Great
various territories, many of which will
Minds Events said: “The world is
have relevance to the Saudi market.
witnessing Saudi Arabia’s confident
A focus on repurposing Sessions
prominent
of the ban on cinema open doors to
need to create a platform to gather
international speakers and industry
untrodden grounds for investment
experts discussed the investment
and lucrative revenue streams for the
opportunities, business collaborations
Kingdom and entertainment sector
and future partnerships in Saudi as
stakeholders. We envisioned growth
well
opportunities in the entertainment
experts, the Cinema Build KSA Forum found a willing partnership with its government supporting partner. Cinema Build KSA Forum took the
300 Plus potential Saudi partners from 30 counties attended the two-day event
as
through
by
cinema design
25
social and economic reforms. The end
sales by 2030. Considering the crucial entertainment, construction and tech
led
steps toward an unprecedented era of
competitiveness and
innovative
sector in KSA, hence our eagerness to
theming. Given the lack of existing
organise the Cinema Build KSA Forum
key
cinema sites in the territory, there was
to represent a global platform and
stakeholders to discuss latest trends
a particular focus on redesign of
bring key participants together. We
and techniques in the creation of
existing entertainment hubs such as
are proud to see our vision materialise
world-class
event
shopping malls to embed cinemas as
into reality.”
revealed insight into a wide range of
a key way to allocate complimentary
initiative to lead the local cinema industry,
bringing
together
cinemas.
The
new building solutions and equipment that is being rolled out in future
600 The screen count VOX is planning to invest in over the next 5 years
No fewer than 25 prominent cinema industry professional led session at the conference over the two days
www.cinematech.today
064_SAUDI_JUNE19.indd 65
attractions for maximum profitability.
A roster of strong names
During the event, Sunil Puthan
Partnering with Cinema Build KSA
Veettil, managing director of Carnival
was an impressive number of high-
Cinemas
profile entities from entertainment,
outlined
his
company’s Saudi
construction and technology, notably
Arabia: “Carnival envisions operating
VOX, Cinepolis, AMC, Empire, Carnival,
around 300-plus screens over the next
Fawaz Alhokair Group, MUVI Cinemas,
five years. Our mission is to bring a
Jeddah
high-quality movie experience closer
Management,
to people in this country. For this, we
Design Novel Architecture. The Forum
have made a study of all the provinces
is a part of the MENA Cinema Forum
and identified suitable locations. Our
series which has an increasingly strong
idea is to set up entertainment centres
reputation and brand exposure in the
in these provinces and to make the
region and internationally. It offers an
Carnival name synonymous with the
unparalleled experience and the all-
cinema across the country.”
important networking opportunities.
future
expansion
plans
in
Commenting after the event on organising Cinema Build KSA, Leila
Park,
Compass TK
Project
Architects,
and
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E V E N T S
Blitz-CineStar: exhibitor of the year
CineEurope’s top cinema
O
NE OF the most
a total of 145 screens and nearly
progressive
23,000 seats. It is one of the company’s
chains
in
the
to
continue
to
bring
a state-of-the-art movie experience
month
throughout the region, with a series of
be
recognised for its work when BlitzCineStar
objectives
Balkans will this
receives
CineEurope’s
upcoming projects.
“International Exhibitor of the Year”
A brand with value
award.
Blitz-CineStar is the major innovative increasingly
force in the local exhibition market,
vibrant cinema-going culture in the
continuously upgrading its services,
region, the Blitz-CineStar chain, with
not only in terms of implementing
23
Celebrating
an
innovation for cinema, changing the
former
cutting-edge technologies, but also
Yugoslavia, will receive recognition for
through the introduction of a series
delivering
movie-going
of branded consumer services which
magic to audiences. The award will be
have made it into one of the most
presented to Hrvoje Krstulovic, co-
recognisable brands — the CineStar
founder, as part of the CineEurope
brand
awards ceremony hosted by the
Superbrands awards within Croatia,
Abbott added: “We are delighted to
Coca-Cola Company on Thursday, 20
including a Superbrands Exclusive
see
June, at the Centre Convencions
award, and several consumer awards
CineEurope this year. The award
Internacional
sites
throughout the
Barcelona,
best
the
Barcelona
Spain.
Each
itself
has
received
Blitz-CineStar: a progressive pioneer in the cinema industry
movie-going experience in the Balkan region. They’ve proved to be a pioneer in the industry and we congratulate all on this well-deserved honour.” UNIC’s
seven
CEO
Laura
Blitz-CineStar
Houlgatte-
recognised
at
(CCIB)
in
including winning three Best Buy
acknowledges their highly committed
year
at
Awards, notably the Best Buy Award
efforts towards enhancing the Big
Millennials 2018.
Screen experience across the Balkans
CineEurope, this coveted award is
and is a celebration of the cinema-
given to an exhibitor whose growth,
Last year, the company’s 15th
accomplishments, new developments
anniversary was marked by winning a
and market leadership make them a
prestigious ICTA award in the category
Reacting to the announcement,
standard-bearer for the industry.
New Build Cinema of the Year, for its
Blitz-CineStar’s Hrvoje Krstulovic said:
going culture in the region.”
first
CineStar 4DX Mall in Split, the biggest
“We are delighted — it will be a great
multiplex, CineStar Zagreb in 2003.
cinema site in Croatia’s coastal region
honour to receive such high industry
CineStar Zagreb remains the largest
of Dalmatia.
recognition on behalf of our team.”
Blitz-CineStar
opened
its
multiplex in the former Yugoslavia
“It gives us great pleasure to
CineEurope 2019 takes place 17-
with 13 screens and 2,940 seats. The
present this award to the Blitz-
20 June at the Centre Convencions
CineStar chain currently has a further
CineStar chain,” said Andrew Sunshine,
Internacional Barcelona (CCIB). Find
22 multiplexes (including forthcoming
president of the Film Expo Group.
our more and to register, head to
sites in Banja Luka and Belgrade), with
“Blitz-CineStar has built a culture of
www.filmexpos.com/cineeurope
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SAVE THE DATE
19th - 21st NOVEMBER 2019 www.ecm19.com
Untitled-4 1
22/05/2019 12:09
E V E N T S
India’s foremost exhibitors’ expo
BigCineExpo, Mumbai
T
the
international
HIS
AUGUST,
economies, the Indian entertainment
BIG Cine Expo
sector plays an assertive role and, at its
returns again to
heart, Mumbai is renowned as one of
Mumbai
the
for
a
most
vibrant
entertainment,
fourth outing of
financial, and commercial hubs in the
tradeshow
country.
and
The Bombay Exhibition Center’s
convention in a new location, Bombay
Hall 4 will see Big Cine Expo all geared
Exhibition Center. BigCineExpo is a platform for the
up for yet another big year, drawing
cinema exhibition market in Asia and
manufacturers and suppliers from
India and this year, it promises to be
North America, Europe, and Asia to
yet another interactive event that will
exhibit their products and services.
deliver value to single-screen cinemas,
Professionals attending Big Cine Expo
multiplex cinemas, B2B stakeholders
2019 will include theatre owners,
of cinema and entertainment. Billed as the world’s secondlargest international tradeshow and convention, BigCineExpo provides a
Such initiatives are really helpful for entrepreneurs in the cinema industry and ancillary businesses.”
Big Cine Expo bills itself as a platform for discovery — and the chance to make connections
design consultants, system integrators, equipment
manufacturers,
project
managers, major studios and content distributors and single-screen and
platform for discovery, innovation,
Powering the disruptors
collaboration and networking for the
Echoing the filmmaker’s comments,
representatives from across Asia, as
exhibition industry in India. The two-
Kamal Gianchandani, chief of strategy
well as for India.
day event, being held on 27-28 August
at the PVR cinema chain, explained
To find out more about the event
consists of different programs such
what he aims to get out of the event:
and to view the upcoming schedule,
as new product displays, technology
“Big Cine Expo provides a platform
head to bigcineexpo.com
demonstrations and presentations,
for
studio presentations, seminars, panel
networking for the exhibition industry
discussions, awards program, special
in India. It powers the disruptors and
events, film screenings, networking, a
integrators by bringing them together
well-attended trade show, and more.
ceremoniously every year. It is a must-
discovery,
collaboration
attend convention, and we’re proud
entities unite together, socialise and
to be continue our partnership with
share their thoughts at BigCineExpo,”
the organisers.” Home to one
really looking forward to attending
of
this year’s event and to witness some
fastest-
great work and innovative concepts.
emerging
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the
world’s
cinema
entertainment
and
“Domestic as well as international
says filmmaker Subhash Ghai, “I’m
multiplex
The schedule features a wide range of elements that explore the breadth of Asia’s cinema market
www.cinematech.today
21/05/2019 11:14
EXPERIENCE CINEMATIC GRANDEUR AT ITS BEST
presents
27-28
AUGUST '19
BOMBAY EXHIBITION CENTER MUMBAI, INDIA
www.bigcineexpo.com
4
th
Edition of International Trade Show & Convention • • • •
Multiplex Single-screen Mall Theatrical Distribution
WORLD'S SECOND LARGEST EXPO FOR CINEMA EXHIBITION* BIG CINE EXPO 2019, is a futuristic cinematic interaction platform for • Theatre Owners • Design Consultants • Equipment Manufacturers • System Integrators • Project Management Professionals • Studios • Cinema Industry Stakeholders
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*IN TERMS OF FOOTFALLS
Untitled-4 1
22/05/2019 12:20
H I S T O R Y
90 years serving the cinema As Jacro reaches its 90th anniversary in 2019, CT interviewed the company’s CEO, Alan Roe, to discuss his great-grandfather’s legacy and the PoS powerhouse that his family business has become.
Jack Roe, founder of the eponymous company, with his wife Maude
F
EW BUSINESSES in the cinema sector
digital signage, apps, websites etc. We provide a complete
can state that they’ve survived more
end-to-end IT system so that cinemas can install once and
than threequarters of the length of the
get on with running the venue. If they want to sell tickets
medium. Jacro is one such company
online and learn about the demographics of their customer
— and one with a great reputation that
groups, or send a push notification to customers who
has weathered many of the changes of
opened their app in the past 24 hours, or instigate a stock
the movie-going world over the past 90 years and thrived in
audit on all items over the past 30 days — then they’re all set.
multiple areas, whether that’s reconditioning film spools in
It’s amazing the demands put on the PoS nowadays.
the 1950s or delivering state-of-the art point of sale (PoS)
Really, cinema PoS systems stopped being ‘PoS’ systems
systems today. CT caught up with current CEO, Alan Roe, to
years ago. Each year customers send in more development
learn more about the company history and modern outlook.
requests than the previous one. It’s a question of filtering,
How did it all start?
not to say we’ve forgotten our roots — at the peak of film
On my great grandfather Jack’s marriage certificate it states
projection, Jacro was producing splicing tape for hundreds
‘Cinematographic Engineer’, and that is dated 1913, Alan
of millions of performances per year. We still manufacture
explains. My grandfather (his son) told me that he started
film splicing tape and leader — we don’t sell so much now,
his own business in 1929 servicing the studios on Wardour
but we like to support the film industry that remains.
Street. At first, Jack was servicing projectors on the kitchen Jacro logo came about — he wanted something because
What was it like growing up in Jacro, how did it affect your career decisions?
the studios all had logos on their shirts in the table tennis
It was always around us — from the tea chest of nuts, bolts
league then. My grandfather was so young, he was just a
and bearings in the stores to the glowing green screens of
runner, getting the beer but apparently not drinking it. Jack
the computers. We would pack boxes in the school holidays
once worked for projector maker J. Frank Brockliss — I still
and manufacture products when an extra pair of hands was
see that badge on projectors occasionally, less in booths
needed. There were dark days too — decades ago when my
now, more in lobbies as curiosities. Whenever I see it, I always
father collapsed from exhaustion, or when we had a major
wonder, “Did my great grandfather install this projector?”
customer refuse to pay over what was probably, at that time,
table, and the business grew from there. That’s how our
Fact File
combining, prioritising and executing those requests. That’s
What’s changed over the years?
our largest-ever sale. The industry was supportive though. All but one supplier responded to say they understood, and just
Every few years the business transforms, so it’s hard to know
waited until we were paid before they knocked on our door.
where to start really. Prior to WWII, we had a contract to
That says a lot about our industry and the people in it.
Alan Roe,
represent one of the new US 35mm projectors in the UK, but
Our parents worked hard, evenings and weekends — so
CEO, Jacro
that fell through when war broke out and Jack’s sons were
many that it became normal. There are easier ways to make
called up. He started selling supplies because people kept
a living than a family firm, but there’s something exciting
Not only is Alan
requesting them. They’d ask for things that didn’t exist so he
about being able to have an idea on Monday and see it live
CEO of the family
got them made — that’s how we ended up in manufacturing.
by Friday. And celebrating 90 years is fun too. It’s the support
firm, he is also
By the late 1930s, we had an office in Dublin, and we were
of the 25 people that work with me that make it worthwhile.
president of the
shipping old cinema equipment to India — even the Exit
We’ve a great team, including many I’ve known since I was a
signs, everything was going.
child. I’ve been impressed by the flexibility of some of my
International Cinema
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What does JACRO do now?
Association
We focus on cinema IT systems now — cinema ticketing,
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colleagues — how our distribution and purchasing manager Jonathan Worthing, in particular, has transitioned with the company is spectacular. From shipping and receiving to www.cinematech.today
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H I S T O R Y
The conversion was more work than any of us could have predicted. It seemed like endless years of long days and weekends. I don’t regret it, but it was certainly a learning experience.
What about the future? Years ago, my grandfather predicted that we’d see characters step out of the screen without the A rank of 35mm projectors in the engineering workshop at Roe House hint at the company’s roots
audience having to wear glasses, so I’d love to see that one day. Peter Ludé was telling me recently about technology that captures photons from all angles and projects them back out from a plane. (Ed: See our focus on holographic projection, March 2018). Theoretically it’s impossible to tell
installing projectors, then IT systems and video editing, purchase ordering and trade show management. And he still has more hair on his head than I do.
Automation in the cinema used to be about switching relays — the ITdriven world is a little different now
recently — they still manufacture cinema products, but their
have still not put together serialised content — something
companies soon. We know that sequels work, and we know
US — it was brutal. Dealers across the country disappeared,
chatting with booth equipment supplier Goldberg Brothers
With my content hat on, I’m staggered that the studios
feel like we might see that in cinemas from some streaming
I witnessed most of the transition from our operation in the
sure if anyone is left from Neumade, Wolk, LaVezzi etc. I was
window, which is a fascinating concept and technology.
that provides a fresh episode every 4-6 weeks, for example. I
What about when cinema went digital?
maybe two dozen. And plenty of manufacturers too, I’m not
the difference between the screen, and looking through a
The modern face of Jacro — a mobile dashboard giving customers all the data they demand
primary business now is hardware for barn doors.
the shape of the new release curve and of the heavy investment needed leading up to a new movie. It would be interesting to see a curve with multiple (albeit probably diminishing) peaks from serialised content, and see how the ROI compares to the traditional single picture. In terms of software, every day we are developing new
We required a total transformation to become entirely
enhancements and features, so really all that we do now is
reliant on our IT business. The good news for us was first that
build and prepare for the future. I wonder what other forms
35mm supplies were the last thing to dry up — projectors could be reconditioned, parted out and so on, but supplies
Did you know?
were still needed and, second, we had already diversified into IT systems and writing software back in 1983, owing
of entertainment might be entering cinemas — we’ve seen huge event cinema ticket sales in recent years, and eSports is selling out in some cinemas, so I’m left wondering what
Back in the 1950s
else might compete for screen space in the years to come.
largely to my mother’s experience with computers. So when
post-war years,
It’d be great to see even more forms of content — cinemas
the end was in sight for major 35mm distribution, we really
metal was in short
are so beautiful and capable, and so loved by those that
focused on the IT products and have been constantly
supply in the
own, run and attend them, that I’d love to see even more
investing in features for several years. So today everything is
UK due to the
types of content and events available to them. There are
flipped on its head — the 35mm business is supported by
rebuilding efforts.
some great minds out there, so I feel like there will be more
the IT side, which is fitting as we all have a passion for film.
At the time, Jacro
to come that we don’t know of and haven’t thought of yet.
reconditioned spools for use in the cinema and Ron Roe (Jack’s Son) could knock a spool back into shape as a panel beater would on a car — and it would look like new once finished.
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cinema_technology_2018_Layout 1 30/07/2018 22:57 Page 2
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THE GLOBAL CINEMA TECHNOLOGY NETWORK. CTC, is an independent, not-for-profit trade organisation providing valuable resources to the global cinema industry. From digital marketing and e-ticketing through to interactive lobby displays, projection and sound equipment, accessibility and experiential technology, CTC understands the importance technology and indeed the way in which it is utilized can have a profoundly positive effect on the moviegoing experience. CTC engages in a number of activities aimed at educating and improving the cinema experience. These include training courses, lectures and seminars, technical handbooks, educational visits, networking events and the industry leading Cinema Technology Magazine.
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JOIN OUR COMMUNITY THE GLOBAL CINEMA TECHNOLOGY NETWORK
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A P P
T E C H
Screen tech of the future? There’s an app for that… In the firm’s 90th anniversary year. Adam MacDonald meets Harkness Screens’ Mark Ashcroft and Richard Mitchell to discuss advances that this established technology outfit has made outside of its better-known screen manufacturing.
M
OST OF US TAKE FOR granted how much apps are now a part of our lives. Like the phones they live on, they are now intrinsic to daily activity. Indeed, according to Statista, there were over 5million apps available on all platforms
at the end of 2018. Apps are big business — so perhaps it is no surprise that a more traditional cinema business should look at this technology market for future growth. Harkness Screens will be familiar to many as the worldleading screen technology company, but the story behind the development of its innovative apps and the way in which they are transforming the market is perhaps less well known. Mark Ashcroft, CEO and Richard Mitchell, VP of global marketing and commercial development, have been pioneering the creation of ground-breaking innovations that are (re)shaping the way our industry approaches and implements design and installation. We look back at their relatively recent software development that created one of the industry’s leading platforms and how these tools are helping drive Harkness and the wider cinema technology industry — and ultimately improving movie-going. 7 0
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Richard Mitchell VP global marketing and commercial development
large degree, the same thought process sat behind our premier tool, the Digital Screen Modeller. We wanted to be able to illustrate what moviegoers would experience in terms of image quality
Harkness
is
well-known
for
manufacturing
from any seat in any size auditorium from any given
screens for the cinema industry. When did the
technology configuration (projector, lamp, 3D system,
business first have the idea for an app?
screen) and how, with careful optimisation (such as
Harkness has always been progressive; before we
curving and tilting the screen), that experience could
moved into developing the first tools of the Digital
be greatly improved. The other software tools we’ve
Screen platform, we were innovating by creating
developed were borne out of a desire to share our
tools in the ‘digital space’. Our former CEO Andrew
knowledge and expertise to drive better outcomes
Robinson had the vision to see that digital technology
for movie-goers. It’s why we’re all here — to give
had a role in the middle of a significant transition
viewers that “wow” experience and showcase content
(35mm to digital). So we created the ‘Digital Screen
as close to the artistic intent of the director as possible.
Selector’ tool to help exhibitors specify the best lamp,
Many readers will be aware of, and use, some of
projector, 3D system and screen for an auditorium
your apps, but what does the full line-up include?
whilst showcasing indicative operating costs.
We have a suite of five apps dating back to April 2013
It was a smart move with great foresight — so what
and the launch of the Digital Screen Modeller up to
drove development of the apps we see today?
the most recent Digital Screen Planner from 2016.
Although many consider us to be ostensibly a “screen
Across iOS and Android, these have been downloaded
manufacturer”, we are in reality a technology business.
over 15,000 times — remarkable given the small niche
You only have to look at investments we’ve made in
our industry occupies, at least in terms of personnel.
recent times outside our core screen products, from
In order, in 2013 we launched our Digital Screen
the Digital Screen Checker through to the Curolux
Modeller and Digital Screen Archiver (our presentation
monitoring range (headlined by Qalif products), and
monitoring database utility). In 2014 came our Digital
our digital surveying expertise to understand how
Screen Calculator (in essence our replacement for our
committed we are to developing technology.
original Digital Screen Selector tool). Then 2015 saw
Prior to Harkness, I spent nearly seven years in the
Digital Screen Verifier released (a light-measurement
construction industry with a leading software and
app for iPhone) and in 2016 the Digital Screen Planner
service vendor. I saw an enormous technological shift
(for defining the technical elements of screen
from drawing or drafting in 2D to designing in a
specification such as size, shape and weight).
collaborative 3D environment. This involved building
When Harkness introduced the Digital Screen
owners/operators through to architects, structural
Modeller back in 2013 it felt revolutionary to many.
engineers, M&E engineers and civil engineers. That
Despite being so simple to use, there was clearly a
collaborative environment was designed to help
lot of work that went into it and it is a cornerstone
drive better outcomes from buildings by gaining a
of much that you’re doing today. Can you tell us
more holistic view of the project before it left the
more about its development?
drawing board, allowing for cost and risk reduction,
We’ve been lucky to have a fantastic development
less waste and faster project delivery. With software
team. They bought into our vision, understood our
such as Autodesk Revit, it was possible to showcase
science and methodologies and turned them in to
the benefits of 3D in making informed decisions. To a
digital realities. If you think back to 2012 when we first
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A P P
T E C H
started developing the Modeller, real-time 3D rendering on an iPad or Android device wasn’t as simple as it is today due to processing power available. That’s without the complex science that sits in the 3D environment we created. We knew early on that we were making a breakthrough – not only in terms of the accuracy of the Modeller, but also in terms of bringing a product to market that was a ‘game-changer’, offering customers a wealth of information not previously available in such an intuitive and simple to navigate way. The Modeller immediately allowed customers and project teams to have an in-depth and consultative discussion with us about their approach to auditorium design and technology specification and, importantly for us, screens and screen
Harkness has shifted from purely screens to a more holistic focus on technology
design and how that optimisation could improve presentation quality. You clearly believe in these apps and the team developing them with you, but what about ‘host’ technologies — the tablets and phones on which they work? There are so many variables, how did that affect your thinking? Host technology has been pivotal. It would have been impossible to deliver our app platform had technology from the likes of Apple not been as robust as it is. We take for granted how incredible these devices are. There’s several thousand times more processing power in a base-level iPhone than NASA had on the Apollo program — and that sent man to the moon and back only 50 years ago! Developing tools for different platforms has also proved to have its own level of complexity. One of the questions we’re most frequently asked is “when is the release of the Digital Screen Verifier on Android?”. It remains the most difficult technical challenge. When we developed the Verifier in 2015, with the intention of democratising brightness measurement to a non-technical level for exhibitors, we developed some ground-breaking IP to allow us to measure light on screen, however our ability to transpose that technology from Apple
Apps like the Digital Screen Calculator make the complex simple
iOS (where it worked well) across to the Android platform proved virtually impossible because of the complexity of calibrating the app for the plethora of Android devices (there are hundreds if not thousands!) and indeed the onboard cameras. It remains a huge challenge — it may need another technological leap to make it a reality. It’s clearly been, and continues to be, an exciting time to be part of the progressive work and development at Harkness; any final thoughts? What we’ve created over the past six years has been unique and beneficial both to Harkness and the cinema industry. At times we’ve challenged ourselves and the limits of technology available and found ways to achieve our aims even if, on the face of it, they’ve seemed impossible. Behind those tools is an outstanding and skilled team and, importantly, a visionary CEO and board of directors who have continued to support our endeavours in developing these tools.
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Mark Ashcroft CEO, Harkness
other applications and we are creating a new group within Harkness to fast track this and other assets What new developments are you working on now? Launching this month will be a new suite of microsites
The development of apps has progressed under
to support customers with information and online
your leadership; did you have strong views on this
ordering. These are linked to our existing website but
before starting with the company?
are designed to be “lite” and easy to navigate on
Harkness was 84 years old when I joined — now I find
mobiles. The style and nature of the content will
myself researching 90 years of the company’s history.
provide thought leadership across screen discussions.
It’s inspiring to be part of that rich heritage. I was keen
I’d categorise our approach as providing easily
to explore the material science at the core of how we
accessible resources that allow cinema spaces to be
manage light and make screens. My experience with
optimised using existing and/or new assets. By 2020,
Sola Optical and Zeiss Visioncare set me up for
there will be 20,000 Harkness screens under three
investigating how Harkness Screen Technology could
years old in over 120 countries. Those locations will be
be developed to be the world’s best optical surfaces.
showing movies on the best screens; the auditoriums
Our R&D team probably think I have too many ideas
will have been fully optimised to give the best image
about next-generation screens so are pleased I’m
quality. Our apps have allowed customers to optimise
focusing on user experiences through digital assets!
design, generate return on investment, specify and
Walking into Harkness, I was surprised to learn
monitor light and sound levels, measure moiré and
each screen is bespoke; I refer to it as a combination
laser speckle, test for environmental damage, auto-
of art and science. The challenge was to capture that
generate maintenance scheduling and more.
global knowledge and ensure it was available to all.
Leaping forward, we’ll be investigating how apps
I’d been fortunate to spend seven years in a senior
and other digital assets can assist in upgrading the
position at the US retailer Party City, and my thinking
end-to-end quality of our screens, including digital
was directed to customer experiences in-store and
inspection, monitored transportation and installation.
online. Our online presence has taken time to develop
The microsites will support the apps that will be at
but as we approach our 90th celebrations I can say,
the heart of a ‘myHarkness’ approach. Managed well
we’re embarking on some new, exciting digital assets.
this will add to the relationship Harkness has been
Have competitors in the screen business followed
able to share with customers for decades to come.
your lead in developing apps?
It’s clear Harkness is more than a ‘screen company’.
There are an increasing number of sites promoting
What are your thoughts on the positioning of apps
cinema screens and some have a good look and feel.
within the business?
Our own is a treasure trove of resource and advice. On
The incidence of digital in cinema is exponential. At
a number of sites, there are what we would describe
Harkness we’ve reviewed how we manage existing
as calculators. Perhaps we are slightly different in that
and future digital assets and over the next 18 months
we try to give the user access to all combinations of
we will move to an integrated platform for all existing
equipment. Every week I discover other possibilities
and future apps. This will give the user experience
in the Harkness databank; not copies of competitors
added value. Professionals will be able to use these
but new ways to support cinemas. Two years ago we
tools to give cinema-goers the best presentation
started to use reality capture to measure screens; the
quality; maximising the full potential of all the assets
technology developed now appears to have many
in the cinema. The screen as ever is front and centre.
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PROJECTION
From arc lamps to laser:
A projectionist’s journey
Fred running the projection booth at Disney’s preview theatre in London — a role he’s enjoyed for the past 20 years
I
Since the 1960s, Fred Fullerton has been a feature in some of the best cinemas — including Disney’s own one. This June he says goodbye after 54 years in the booth. CT tracks his time in the business.
T WAS THE SUMMER OF 1965, when
the classic grounding for a future projectionist. There was an
the tills were alive with the sound of
air of modernity in the cinema, including the projectormatic
Julie Christie ringing up the box office,
automation system that worked by putting a small piece of
and a young Fred Fullerton — aged just
foil strip on the edge of the movie at the appropriate place
15 — landed his first job in the cinema,
near the end of the reel. This foil, on making contact on a
leaving school and starting as a
pick-up device would complete a circuit. The projectormatic
probationary projectionist at the Gaumont Cinema in Dingle
drum would move one line, which was pinned up to hit a
South Liverpool, in England’s north-west. Thanks to his age,
micro switch which started the incoming projector. The next
Fred clutched a signed letter from his mother allowing him
pulse would revolve the drum to the next line, which was
to work with X certificate movies. The cinema was installed
then programmed (with pins) to hit the changeover shutter
with a pair of the best-looking projectors ever — Gaumont
and sound changeover micro-switches, continuing on
Kalee 21s with elephant (foot) base and lightmaster carbon
throughout the movie. Futuristic stuff.
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Leaving Liverpool Jumping to the early 1970s, and a move up to Lancashire saw Fred in the Focus Cinema, Skelmersdale. Formerly known as the Oscar Cinema, the American Academy complained over the use of the name, so it had to change. Fred’s flash of inspiration produced “Focus Cinemas”, for which he was paid £70. Nice work if you can get it… Fred enjoyed his time at the Focus, apart from one ghoulish period in 1973 when they played “The Exorcist” for three weeks. While that in itself was not unusual, strange activity that started in the venue at the same time certainly was. So convinced of poltergeists were staff, that a member of the church was brought in to exorcise the cinema. Moving into the 1980s and Fred headed south in England to the Odeon Reading as chief projectionist, staying there for two years. It was a typical cinema of the time with many long-standing staff. The Odeon Reading was equipped with the ability to run “double head”, whereby the picture and sound are not married together — a feature often found in preview theatres. Apart from running double head films to trial audiences, Fred also previewed “Out of Africa”, giving him the opportunity to meet Sir Richard Attenborough, as well as Alan Parker when he ran “Mississippi”. Staying inside the Odeon fold, Fred soon got the opportunity to move to the West End where he became the chief at the Odeon Haymarket (now owned by Vue). The Odeon Haymarket had old Victoria 10 projectors and mainly wanted a job at the city centre cinema, the 2,000-seater Odeon on the London Road. It often ran roadshow 70mm films alongside live stage shows, including playing host to an up and coming four-piece called The Beatles. Opposite the Odeon was the Gaumont that ran continuous shows all day.
ran arthouse material, including “The Last Emperor” in A move to the West End saw Fred in the Empire Leicester Square, as well as the Odeon Haymarket
70mm which Fred found a visually breath-taking work. A move to the famous Empire Leicester Square soon beckoned, as technical manager of the Empire and Plaza (Piccadilly). In his 10 years there Fred met most of the big
Five minutes away was the Futurist (part of ABC cinemas)
directors — Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Lewis Gilbert,
also playing 70mm roadshows. And across the road from
Tony and Ridley Scott to name just a few. They showed a
The Futurist was the huge ABC Forum running continuous
number of 70mm films at both the Empire and the Plaza.
shows. Beside the Futurist was the independent Scala
The Empire was the first cinema in the UK to have Dolby SRD
cinema, with xenon lamps — one of the earliest cinemas to
installed for “Batman Returns” and later the first cinema to
use xenon. Also in the city centre were the Jacey, the Majestic,
have DTS installed for “Jurassic Park”.
the Essildo and the Tatler News theatre. It was a projectionist’s
The Empire hosted a large number of the big premieres,
mecca and, over the years, Fred worked in several venues
including the Royal Film Premiere for “Titanic”, shown on an
including the aforementioned Odeon and ABC Cinemas.
epic scale in 70mm. In preparation for James Cameron’s
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PROJECTION
showstopper, the Empire closed for three days of rehearsals with both the director and the producer on site.
Welcome to Mickey’s own movie theatre In 1999, Disney was building its new UK head office building in London’s Hammersmith. Fred was approached to run the state of the art preview cinema as chief projectionist. It is a role that, on retirement, he will have done for more than 20 years and a job that is one of the highlights of a long career. Unsurprisingly, Fred has seen a lot of industry talent come and watch a movie in this theatre over that time. He is quick to thank his boss Garry Rosen for his great support, saying that together they made a great team on the many highprofile presentations they ran. While Fred has been in his role at Disney, projection technologies have evolved. Having started with 35mm projectors on changeover, this quickly transferred to digital projection. Fred is enthusiastic about new technical innovations: “Digital brings with it a whole set of rules that had to be learnt
His name in lights at the Empire Leicester Square and meeting the greats in Reading; below, fresh-faced at 15 years old
“I’ve met and worked with many amazing people in a 54-year career. I had a wonderful time in cinema”
digital — sufficient change for most people. He had an amazing time, working in normal cinemas, 20-minute changeovers and 70mm 20-minute changeovers — both with carbon arcs. In the early days if a film was in scope, so was the trailer, so the team had to manage changeovers constantly during the advert and trailer reels. Equally if the main film was in 70mm, the projector had to be converted from 35mm to 70mm as well as being laced up during the first reel. It was a different time, but through it all Fred says “I’ve met and worked with many amazing people in a 54-year career. I am blessed — I’ve had a wonderful time in our industry.” And what is Fred going to do now that he is retiring? Go to the cinema of course.
as you went along,” he says “As well as all the digital changes, I’m a great fan of Dolby 7.1 sound that the theatre is equipped with. When that setup is perfectly EQ’d, it is the best sound that you can have in the cinema.”
The business of change Fred’s working life has found him always in the vanguard of an industry in transition — and his passion for the art of projection saw him serve on the CTC committee for more than 19 years. He has also been a member of the Projected Picture Trust for nearly 30 years — reflecting the fact that he started in the days of carbon arcs and changeovers in vast theatres. In his working life he has seen the sub-division of cinemas into smaller screens, the introduction of xenon lamps, the new-fangled multiplexes, single working and 7 6
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Nitrate Nomads: celebrating Australia’s cinema pioneers Jim Slater reviews a work by BKSTS member Daryl Binning charting the lives of hardy cinema showmen down under.
L
ONG-TIME MEMBER OF the BKSTS
— Daryl is keen to know of any competing claims! As well as
Daryl Binning from Western Australia
the touring cinema shows, Allan Jones (1902-1982) had
came to visit Europe with his brothers
permanent cinemas in three towns, ran four drive-in
this spring. He called in on me, giving
theatres, and from 1974 ran a cinema museum in Busselton.
the opportunity for a good ‘catch up’
“Nitrate Nomads” is an important contribution to
about cinema. Daryl has ‘been there, done everything’ over
Australian film history, and I found it eye-opening to read
his lifetime, from projection and exhibition in cinemas and
the accounts of the challenges faced by the early pioneers
drive-ins, to cinematography, to producing award-winning
and the details of the technical equipment used and the
documentaries and undertaking assignments for Walt
way this developed to overcome difficulties. The book is
Disney, the UN and the Australian Defence Department, to
aimed at cinema history buffs and those who have seen
manufacturing cinema equipment. He also presented me
the cinema business develop. I was particularly interested
with an early copy of his new book, ‘Nitrate Nomads’, a
to read about Australian manufactured projection and
labour of love, it will be of interest to some CT readers.
sound
equipment
with
names
like
Markophone,
It is certainly different — a detailed history of cinema
Raycophone, Reprovox and XL-Tone, and it was fascinating
written in a very personal ‘tongue in cheek’ vein, it looks at
to read about ongoing problems with power supplies and
the contribution made by the pioneering travelling picture
generators and how one area coped with a change from
showmen who worked in the south-west of Australia,
40Hz to 50Hz mains. The technical details of how projection
hundreds of miles south of Perth and Fremantle.
changeovers took place when the power supply had the
The book covers the work of these showmen from the days of the early silent movies, a hardy band who provided
Nitrate Nomads has 360 pages, and has been styled after an old cinema presentation, with ‘reels’ instead of
closed. The major storyline is based around Allan Jones
chapters etc. Rather than a conventional index it has four
Circuit Pictures, a company which began in 1923 serving
detailed lists entitled Casts, Locations, Attractions and
the workers at a remote sawmill, and which evolved into
Crew. Copies are available at various volunteer-operated
teams of projectionists touring the region showing
historical societies and community museums in Australia,
everything
and will enable them to raise funds for on-going local
newsreels
to
the
latest
blockbusters. It is claimed that the Jones circuits were the
preservation
longest, continually-screening cinema operation by the
interested in obtaining a copy should contact the author.
same family anywhere in the world, an impressive 92 years
Email: nitratenomads@outlook.com
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ISBN: 13: 978-06482274-0-3
a time will fascinate any old-time projectionists..
right up to 2015 when the last drive-in theatre in the region
wartime
Author: Daryl Binning
capacity to serve two projectors but only one carbon-arc at
entertainment to settlers and other isolated communities
from
Nitrate Nomads
efforts.
“Cinema
Technology”
readers
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U K C A
V I E W
The business of prediction What makes for box office gold at a time when we have more viewing options than ever? Who can say for, but as the UK Cinema Association’s chief executive Phil Clapp writes, the auditorium doors are opening wide to welcome the movie-going public this year.
A
LREADY WE HAVE come to the end of
last year’s success — and will stand the sector in good stead
Q2 2019 and we’ve seen “Avengers: End
in 2019 and beyond (regardless of the vagaries of the slate)
Game” and, to a lesser extent, “Captain
— has been the enthusiastic public response to the levels of
Marvel”, leading a superheroic charge
investment in all aspects of the big screen experience.
at the box office — but, as most would
In the past five years, we have seen unprecedented
confirm, predicting what will chime with the cinema-going
diversification of the cinema business model at all levels in
public is largely a fool’s errand. For example, don’t believe
the UK. Larger operators are investing in new sites and/or
anyone who tells you that they predicted at the outset of
upscaling venues, the ‘neighbourhood’ and boutique sectors
last year that 2018 would see the highest level of admissions
are seeing new venues spring up, and key smaller players are
since 1970. It’s worth letting that sink in for a moment.
looking to expand their reach into communities which may
At a time of economic and political uncertainty, when
not have had a mainstream cinema for several decades.
the public has never had so many film-watching — let alone
Happily, there is every sign that much of this growth is
leisure — opportunities, and when we’re regularly told the
additive — there are numerous instances where the arrival of
big screen is yesterday’s news, UK cinemas welcomed more
a new site, offering something different to the local cinema
visitors than at any time in the past 50 years. Undoubtedly a
‘mix’, not only doesn’t detract from the audience at existing
strong slate played a major role — not in the guise of one or
sites, but seems to boost interest and — in turn — numbers
two titles which stood head-and-shoulders above all others,
there as well. So all good and positive.
but in respect of a large number of films which did well (in some cases very well), maintaining a steady drum-beat of
Keeping up with technological Joneses
interest and revenue across the full 12 months of the year.
As the UKCA conference in March made clear, staying ahead
If you look at the top 10 for the year, even among familiar
of the curve in terms of technology to deliver the best cinema
genres such as superheroes there was diversity — few could
offer is increasingly challenging. Whatever other benefits the
say that “Avengers: Infinity War”, “Deadpool 2” and “Black
arrival of digital cinema delivered — greater consistency and
Panther” shared much common DNA, a feature which
quality of image, more flexible programming, and increased
extended to others of the big hits of the year — “Bohemian
revenue from 3D and event cinema — it also put operators in
Rhapsody”, “The Greatest Showman”, “Mamma Mia: Here We
the UK (and elsewhere) on a more complex and demanding
Go Again!” and “Peter Rabbit”. Scratch beneath the surface,
trajectory when it comes to technological investment.
though and it won’t surpise you to discern a ‘feel good’ factor
Identifying what each new development — be it
in some of these titles, What has undoubtedly underpinned
immersive sound, laser illumination, high dynamic range or
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(at some point) direct view display — can contribute to a cinema’s business is often more of an art than a science. More than one speaker at the conference confirmed their audience would probably discern little or no visible difference as a result of that investment. But knowing and being able to promote a new technology can help retain cinema’s place at the cutting-edge in the mind of the customer, or ensure the operator has invaluable practical knowledge of a given technology before it is widely adopted. As a trade body, here as elsewhere, the UKCA will not — for reasons of expertise as much as any — advise its members on which avenue to go down. But recognising that many of its smaller members often lack the bandwidth or networks to stay abreast of all that’s happening in this regard, it can encourage partners to impart understandable and objective information that makes the decisions more straightforward. That was the primary purpose of the conference in March and it is a process that will continue over the coming year and beyond, helping to support the ongoing transformation of an industry which continues to confound naysayers.
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R O L L O U T
100% SMPTE DCP
In 2019 the first territories will go 100% SMPTE DCP, for major studio releases at least. What will it mean for exhibitors? Danny Jeremiah, head of cinema products at Arts Alliance Media, explores the implications
A
T THE TURN OF the 20th century, the nascent film industry was trying out all kinds of formats; should they produce a square, rectangular, or even circular
when it marks the first major departure from the original set
So what’s a DCP?
image? How could they maximise the
quick rollout, a temporary solution to ensure the compatibility of digital cinema content was devised — a draft of technical documents called the Interoperable Digital Cinema Package,
use of every inch of film stock, while
Put simply, the
still reproducing a detailed image? What capabilities did the
Digital Cinema
photography industry have that they could repurpose?
in a hundred years. So, in the interest of enabling a relatively
or Interop DCP for short. The Interop DCP specification set out a way to put
Package (DCP) is
together that group of files, and served as a guideline by
It’s easy to forget that 35mm was once a format that had
the collection of
which equipment manufacturers could start releasing
to be agreed on, and that cinemas can trace their success
files which make
products to market and give exhibitors and studios relative
back to competing camera and projector manufacturers
up one or more
peace of mind that the content they wanted to play would
deciding on a single format in the name of compatibility. In
versions of an
play correctly. As the proposal for what was to become
many ways, it was probably more challenging to come to a
advert, a trailer,
SMPTE DCP, Interop DCP is less fully featured, and relies in
consensus back then — we owe 35mm to a single engineer:
a feature, or
some places on conventions instead of standards. That
W. K. L. Dickson, who cut his Eastman 70mm transparent film
anything else that
makes it difficult to render certain operations fully machine
in half lengthways to double his stock in 1889. Today, the professional organisations like the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE) streamline the
you might want to play on screen in a cinema.
readable, and therefore fully automated. It would take years to finalise the official SMPTE DCP standard, eventually published in 2009. Whilst it was based
production of standards by bringing technical experts and
on work done for the Interop specification, it isn’t identical
key figures together at the inception of new technologies,
and isn’t supported by some of the oldest equipment in the
instead of after (as was the case with Mr Dickson). Even still,
field, even with a software update. So here we are in 2019, a
ratifying standards is notoriously time-consuming, especially
decade later, and North America is finally on the verge of
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going full-SMPTE DCP. It has faced some resistance because the industry had only just started converting in earnest when it was released, and many exhibitors were tied into VPF deals for years before they could invest in compatible hardware.
Enabling automation/innovation
Some exhibitors also noted that the most immediate benefit of widespread SMPTE DCP usage went to the studios.
HIGH FRAME RATE (HFR)
DCPs makes it easier to search for
For several years, studios have had to master SMPTE and
SMPTE DCPs enable delivery of HFR
content, and allows software like
Interop DCPs for their titles. If they can ditch Interop versions,
playback such as 60 or 120 frames
the Theatre Management Systems
mastering and distribution costs would decrease.
per second. HFR hasn’t found a
(TMS) to identify and program
While that is true, there are also a number of benefits for
breakout hit yet, but “Avatar 2” in
content
exhibitors. SMPTE DCPs support key new features, which
2020 might convince audiences and
automation is essential to cinemas
together present the opportunity to improve the efficiency
the industry of its merits.
looking to grow without adding
This
costs, freeing up site staff to pursue
of exhibitor operations greatly through powerful automations and pave the way for further improvements.
automatically.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR)
customer-focused initiatives.
Future-proofing is challenging, but increasingly vital in
HDR has been embraced by the
the digital era, where new technologies could give exhibitors
television industry faster than by
MARKERS
an edge. With hardware, software and processes nimble
cinemas, which could well prompt
Markers are placed at a particular
enough to capitalise on the latest trends as they capture the
audiences to think they get a better
timecode in the composition and
public’s imagination is a more valuable asset than any single
picture at home. Adding HDR to
can be used to trigger automations
new technology. Proper standards are resilient and flexible,
cinemas is a step to change that.
such as bringing the houselights up when the credits roll. This info is
ensure consistency and compatibility and can be upheld without barring innovation. The SMPTE DCP standard is a
DOLBY ATMOS
currently emailed or shipped with
great step forward in the name of opportunity.
The immersive audio format from
hard drives, and entered manually
Dolby creates three-dimensional
by an operator at each site.
sound in theatres through proprietary object-based audio placement and the addition of ceiling-mounted speakers. Atmos has now been installed at
4D SEATING
over 4,500 screens around the world, indicative of the importance next-
4D seats are gaining popularity —
generation audio solutions are becoming to exhibitors and audiences alike.
Mediamation reported that, in 2018, theatres equipped with MX4D were
EXTENDED CPL METADATA
able to charge an extra $8 per ticket
Content Title Text is an often impenetrable string of numbers, and letters
on average, and raised occupancy
which, if you know what to look for, gives information about a piece of
rates to over 30%. In benefitting
content. In the Content Title Text are details like aspect ratio, audio format
from these uplifts and increased
and whether it has subtitles. The trouble is that it was designed to be read
occupancy, exhibitors can, however,
by humans. It is also a convention, rather than a standard, and, as such, can’t
add another element of complexity
be relied on for accuracy. To achieve a high degree of automation, it must be
to their operations. The movement
machine-readable. The software needs to be able to look at a piece of
of the chairs and effects has to be
content and know exactly what is in it. This is contained in metadata;
coordinated perfectly. Typically this
literally data-about-data. Interop DCPs do contain useful metadata, but it
is handled outside of the TMS today.
doesn’t cover everything the software reading it might need, so we fall back
Using SMPTE DCPs, soon those cues
on unreliable content-title-text or human intervention. Metadata in SMPTE
can be automated.
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E C A
V I E W
Event Cinema: a key part of the show The Event Cinema Association, much like event cinema content itself, is growing, more visible and stronger than ever before, writes its managing director Grainne Peat
T
HE EVENT CINEMA ASSOCIATION
richer and stronger than ever. We’ve seen a huge growth in
(ECA) is delighted to be promoting
the popularity of ‘concert’ and ‘documentary’ based content,
Event Cinema at this year’s CineEurope,
that has attracted in new audiences, of all ages. Consumer-
including hosting the first-ever product
facing challenges remain around promotion and marketing
presentation in the main auditorium —
of what’s considered event cinema. The ECA is looking at
on Wednesday 19 June, at 10am. Our presence at CineEurope
how we can improve consumer awareness and find a
is our proudest achievement to date. It’s the first time event
comprehensive and cost-effective solution to promote all
cinema as a whole has had a product presentation at any
content better. In terms of industry challenges for event
trade show and I hope this cements the new direction of the
cinema, there is work to be done around content delivery,
Association and the importance of the sector in terms of
programming (particularly for single site cinemas) event
global box office. It’s been a pleasure working with Andrew
data in terms of global box office data and admissions. All
Sunshine and the Film Expo team to make it happen. We’ve
topics we’ll address at the ECA’s Annual Conference.…
got lots happening throughout CineEurope, with a firm focus on driving membership with partners and colleagues.
Amsterdam in October: book it now!
Our hour-long presentation (with a breakfast!) will be a
The ECA’s Annual Conference will be held at the EYE Film
fantastic opportunity to promote the wealth and growing
Museum in Amsterdam on Thursday 10 October — the first-
range of event cinema content. Our focus has been to bring
ever outside of the UK. We hope these initial steps send a
as much wow-factor to the stage as possible, whilst ensuring
clear message that the ECA wants to draw in best practice
we include the many facets of the sector. Much of the
and share experiences, trends and constraints from all the
content is embargoed… so even the ECA Board don’t know
professionals who support Event Cinema everywhere.
what’s in store for delegates. Continuing celebrations on the
All this could not be achieved without the support of the
Wednesday, the ECA’s drinks reception takes place on the
ECA’s Board and supporters. The ECA has welcomed some
CCIB terrace from 3-5pm. Please do email us if you want to
highly credible new additions recently including Marc
soak up the sun and enjoy a tipple or two. The ECA Lounge
Allenby, CEO Trafalgar Releasing, Jan Runge, Jan Runge
(Room 121 on P1) has a full schedule of events too — and
Consultancy and former CEO of UNIC, Sarah Lewthwaite,
offers valuable meeting space for ECA members. If you are
Managing Director EMEA of Movio and Daren Miller, VP of
interested, do drop by to enquire about membership.
Business Affairs & International of Fathom Events.
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For info on any of details mentioned or to become a member, email grainne@eventcinemaassociation.org www.cinematech.today
21/05/2019 11:23
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20/11/2018 14:42 10:03 22/05/2019
cinematech.today
To all those who have, or had, some interest in projected moving images, past and present. Perhaps you’re already connected with today’s cinema, technical or otherwise, but have an interest in vintage equipment, or you have been retired from the business so long, you would wish to revisit “the good old days”. Take heart and consider joining The Projected Picture Trust and help preserve the magic of cinema. Apart from equipment restoration, the Trust provides help and assistance to non-commercial community cinemas and museums exhibiting film related artefacts. The National Museum of Cinema Technology has perhaps, the largest collection of all types of film equipment in the U.K. The Data Archive within the museum holds over 3,000 items including technical manuals, film related documents, press cuttings etc. Membership of the P.P.T. will give you access to these amenities as well as the collections within the Trust’s regions. JOIN US TODAY by contacting either of the following addresses. e-mail: contact@ppttrust.org www.ppttrust.org The Projected Picture Trust, Dean Clough Mills, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 5AX www.cinematech.today
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Index to Advertisers Airscreen
48
Harkness Screens
37
Arts Alliance Media
15
Harkness Screens
69
BigCineExpo 65
The Jack Roe Companies
37
Camstage 13
LTI
87
Cinema Tech Community
69
MENA Cinema Forum
77
Cinionic
16
Motion Picture Solutions
06
ECM19 Conference
63
NEC
47
FilmExpos, CineEurope
28
Omnex
27
FilmExpos, ShowEast
79
Projected Picture Trust
85
Future Projections
37
Pulz
53
Galalite Screens
03
QSC Cinema
02
GDC
04
Strong MDI
81
Gofilex
10
Ushio EMEA
21
Gofilex
33
Veritek
23,75, 83
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22/05/2019 15:21
18
O P I N I O N Netflix — the exhibitor of the future? Danny Jeremiah, head of cinema products at Arts Alliance Media, cuts Netflix a little slack
I
T’S SAFE TO SAY “NETFLIX” hasn’t
place at the association, so it now has a seat at the top table.
been our favourite word for some time.
Subscriber growth is accelerating, but it will saturate
Look at controversy surrounding the
eventually. That — and a competitive market — limit Netflix’s
success of “Roma” at the Oscars; a film
ability to raise subscription prices. It means the company has
most exhibitors couldn’t program even
to explore areas outside its core business to achieve long-
if they wanted to break their own rules about the theatrical
term growth. Keeping in mind Netflix’s strengths and
window. But if there’s one topic debated more passionately
limitations, and CEO Ted Sarandos’ recent assertion that
recently, it’s Moviepass. For what was (initially) a rather large
“entertainment is what [they] do”, I foresee one logical path it
monthly fee, Moviepass let subscribers to attend unlimited
could take. By adding a cinema tier to subscription plans,
screenings at any big chain in the US, with no say from the
even if initially for Netflix originals only, it could remove those
exhibitors.
limitations. As the owner of the film rights, it would also share
There followed an at times farcical struggle to find what’s
in the box office revenue, a model Moviepass alluded to, but
known in the tech arena as “product-market-fit”. Moviepass
couldn’t accomplish. The prospect of another third party
raised and cut prices and modified terms on an almost daily
subscription scheme encroaching on the exhibitor’s territory
basis, trying to find a profitable sweet-spot. The business
may not appeal to all, but I don’t think the industry should
model’s long-term sustainability may be in doubt, but it did
fear an offering like this. The average adult goes to the cinema
demonstrate the appetite for a subscription ticketing model.
between 3 and 5 times per year. We should be pushing to
And who knows subscriptions better than Netflix? More than
increase that. If Netflix offers a new avenue to help achieve
148 million people worldwide subscribe to its streaming
this, it would be careless to discount its efforts.
service. In the US, market penetration is close to 50%. They know what audiences want arguably better than
My enemy’s enemy is my friend...?
traditional major studios. Netflix is creating and acquiring
As president of the National Association of Theatre Owners,
world-class content and uses data gathered through deep
John Fithian, noted at CinemaCon, “It’s great that people like
connections with its audiences to make informed decisions
to watch movies and television shows on Netflix, because
about stories it develops, in ways studios can’t yet replicate. It
people who love content love it everywhere.” Consumer
has 90 original feature films slated for 2019 with budgets,
habits are changing rapidly, something that digital natives
reportedly, up to $200m, which, if true, places them firmly in
like Netflix are well placed to act on. The only trends the
blockbuster territory. It’s also acknowledged that theatrical
cinema industry can trust to persist, and really invest in are
runs play an important part in the lifecycle of feature films.In
flexibility and adaptability, and there are worse partners than
January, the MPAA announced that Netflix would take Fox’s
Netflix to help them get there.
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www.cinematech.today
21/05/2019 12:06
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22/05/2019 12:27
