Cinema Technology March 2018

The leading magazine for cinema industry professionals

March 2018 cinematech.today

G REBU ILDIN THE MULTIPLEX E XPERIENCE

Where’s best to invest when it’s time to refurbish?

dubai: go large the tech check fade to black…

Redesigning one of the busiest movie theatres in the world

How far has cinema got with technological change on a global scale?

Just how long can we really expect older digital projectors to last?

Vol 31, No1, March 2018 Produced in partnership with:

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visit www.cinematech.today FOR ALL YOUR NEWS & INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

INSIDE THIS ISSUE March 2018 • Vol 31 • No 1 NEWS 006 009 010 013 015

Features continued With 30 years in exhibition, 034 Interview: Vue’s COO Steve Knibbs knows better 0

A double debut for Sony 4K laser in Germany; plus QSC celebrates 50 years NEC’s new RGB laser solution for bigger venues; Vue looks to Saudi Arabia Barco partners with China Film and others; CTC launches with a global focus Samsung and Harman partner Wanda to launch China’s first Cinema LED theatre The CTC Awards 2017 — celebrating the0 best in cinema quality and achievement

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than any the issues that cinemas face

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How long a life can a cinema operator expect from a digital projector? Sound Associates’ Graham Lodge and Mark Foreman examine the issue of longevity

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How has the term ‘cinema’ changed over the medium’s lifetime? Alexa Raisbeck considers its dynamic meaning

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VR is hailed as one of the most promising directions for cinema. Peter Knight argues the case for another possible direction: holographic projection

Features the cover: Refurbishment is all the rage 018 on 057 — Patrick von Sychowski gets the inside track on the multiplex masterplans at the Vue and Odeon cinema chains

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Reinvigorating an existing site is tough.

If it’s the world’s busiest cinema, it’s tougher still. Architect David Wallace outlines the design principles behind the renovation of Dubai’s Reel Cinema

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David Hancock examines technology implemented in cinemas globally, including the big news: LED screens

the the is

The upgraded Ray Dolby Theatre screening room in Dolby’s London HQ is a technological showcase — Jim Slater takes his seat for the performance

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Headlines show data protection is often considered after the event. Ben Rapp explains why new GDPR rules have a particular relevance to the EU’s cinemas

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Enthused by the latest classic to be re-released on 70mm, Mark Trompeteler reflects on how big “tent-pole” movies used to be promoted and exhibited

Events in focus is powering cinema growth 39 Asia-Pacific — and its key market is brimming with confidence. Patrick von Sychowski reports from CineAsia 2017

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The ECA’s annual conference drew an international crowd — Alastair Balmain reports on the energy that’s helping the live cinema sector to flourish

COLUMNS 067 069 070

Making cinema an event in its own right is critical to engaging non-mainstream audiences, says ECA’s Melissa Cogavin A new wave of development is powering cinemas to a level beyond investment in digital, writes the UKCA’s Phil Clapp Think big screen, think IMAX. Grant Lobban on the impact it has had on PLF

And one last Thing… the age of digital technology, cinema 074 Inowner Graham Spurling laments the use of celluloid as a marketing weapon

The IMIS (International Moving Image Society) powered by the BKSTS aims to inspire, educate, train and connect all members of media industry, whether at entry or professional level, around the world. The Society works to maintain standards and to encourage pursuit of excellence in all aspects of moving image and associated technologies, in the UK and throughout the world. The Society independent of all governments and commercial organisations.

The Society gratefully acknowledges the support of the following companies and organisations: ARRI • British Film Institute • Boxer Systems • Christie • Harkness Screens • LB Group • London Film Museum • Marshall Electronics • Molinare • MPC • Pinewood Studios • Snell Advanced Media • Sohonet • StreamVuTV • Tradefair For membership inquiries, write to: Roland Brown, President, IMIS, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Bucks SL0 0NH, UK; or email: membership@societyinmotion.com www.cinematech.today

MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

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The lifting of a 35-year ban on public cinema in Saudi Arabia last December is wonderful news for our industry and for the cultural implications the derestriction will have in a notoriously conservative country.

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he appetite is clearly there for film — the Saudi government has announced it expects more than 300 sites with over 2,000 screens to be opened by 2030, which would make this a truly significant territory within the EMEA market. There will soon be permanent sites opening in Saudi Arabia, with the Vue chain being the first operator out of the blocks in the Kingdom. Plans to build up to 30 Vue multiplexes illustrate that ambition is high. No sooner had Vue shown its hand than last month Kuwait National Cinema Company and Dubai-based Front Row Entertainment announced a three-year plan for 12 multiplexes.

the feast after the famine After having nothing for decades, soon cinemagoers in Saudi will have it all as this territory will inevitably be one of the most technologically advanced. Given that the market will be starting from scratch with none of the legacy problems faced elsewhere, many cinema operators will be looking on in envy at the pristine laser projectors and LED screen installations that Saudi cinemas will, inevitably, showcase.

Like speculators leaping on a wallet full of bitcoins, plenty of technology vendors and property developers have scented opportunity in the Saudi market, but across the border in the UAE, where cinema is also, in relation to other countries, only recently established,

the truly rapid pace of change in our industry is already on display.

Rebuilding the “sticky” cinema As architect David Wallace writes on page 25, the refurbishment of the Dubai Mall’s Reel Cinema — one of the busiest in the world — was driven by one primary goal: “to create the largest, most advanced cinema in the world”. Technology and scale are, in their own right, major elements of many multiplex refurbishments. As can be seen elsewhere in the recent introduction of cafés, bars and lounge areas, recliners and better F&B options, sadly the quality of the film slate alone is now not always considered sufficient to draw an audience to the auditorium.

The cinema must also be a destination in its own right and, to a certain extent, “sticky”. That’s sticky not in the sense of swilled soda and popcorn-strewn carpets, but in the sense of customer dwell-time.

The Twitter wall at the revamped Reel Cinema, pictured on the previous contents page, is a fantastic example of a new element that encourages audience interaction. Cinemagoers are persuaded to have fun in a modern, intriguing way. Of course you can use Twitter at home, but your epic hashtag won’t pop up on a 30ft long LED screen (unless you are a bizarrely dedicated user of social media…). Technology that makes a difference — that’s the key.

Alastair Balmain Production Editor

Writing in this issue…

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www.cinematech.today

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BEN RAPP

ALEXA RAISBECK

PATRICK von SYCHOWSKI

Ben founded Managed Networks in 1998 to offer IT services to the entertainment industry.

On p61, he explains why cinemas need to consider data security.

Trained as a film handler and projectionist, Alexa works as an artist with celluloid to create expansive cinematic objects. On p50 she looks to define “cinema”.

Based in Singapore, Patrick is the editor of online industry site, Celluloid Junkie. On p18, he investigates the refurbishment plans at Vue and Odeon cinemas.

MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

NEWS

PIC: KOLLOSSOS

CT’s round-up of the latest industry news and events

DOUBLE DEBUT: GERMAN SCREENS INSTALL EUROPE’S FIRST SONY 4K LASER PROJECTOR

Sony’s laser dual projection systems are now lighting up screens in both Nuremberg and Bremen

GERMANY

Sony Digital Cinema 4K has sold Europe’s first SRX-R815DS 4K laser dual projection systems to Cinecitta Nuremberg (pictured) and CineSpace, Bremen. Installed by cinema exhibition services supplier, CinemaNext, all systems were installed and operational in time for the European opening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi on 14 December last year.

“We’re delighted that two of Germany’s most successful and commercially ambitious operators are redefining big-screen entertainment with the hotly-awaited SRX-R815DS. And what better way to introduce audiences to this awesome projection solution than the latest instalment of the Star Wars saga.” commented Oliver Pasch, sales director, Sony Digital Cinema 4K.

VISIT WWW.SONY.CO.UK

Amanda Ireland leaves Prince Charles Cinema Amanda Ireland, who has worked as a projectionist at the renowned Prince Charles Cinema, off Leicester Square, for the past 27 years, has announced her departure for a new life farming in Somerset.

Amanda started at the Odeon Bromley on a YTS scheme at the age of 17, following in the footsteps of both her father and uncle. At the end

CINEMA TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2018

of 1989, she moved to the West End and went to work as part of Fred Fullerton’s team at the Empire/Plaza. She made a move to the legendary Prince Charles Cinema 1991, when Nick Ross was chief projectionist. Amanda became chief projectionist in 2006, winning the BKSTS Frank Littlejohns Award for An Outstanding Contribution to the Art of Projection in 2013.

www.cinematech.today

INDUSTRY NEWS

MPS ENTERS INTO EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH V.ART TO SUPPLY 3D CONVERSION SERVICES

CHINA

At CineAsia, China’s V.Art Group Inc, specialists in 2D to 3D theatrical film conversion, announced that they have entered into an exclusive partnership with Motion Picture Solutions Ltd (MPS), a leading supplier of mastering and distribution services, to provide 3D conversion services to distributor clients.

“Our clients increasingly demand high-quality 3D versions of their films and discerning audiences expect the standard of that content to reflect its premium positioning,” said MPS CEO Matthew Aspray. “By combining our full service

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The new partnership will bring cost-effective 3D conversion services to distributors internationally

account management and secure content workflows with V.Art’s 3D technology, we believe we have created an attractive proposition. For those looking to add credible 3D to their releases, this partnership offers a high-quality managed solution.”

The partnership will see MPS provide clients with a single-point of contact and technical support for 3D conversion projects, ensuring cost-efficient output and feedback channels throughout the workflow, as well as QC facilities based in London and at MPS’s new facility MPSLabo, in Los Angeles.

VISIT WWW.MOTIONPICTURESOLUTIONS.COM

Largest public cinema chain in Brazil selects Christie projectors

VISIT WWW.CHRISTIEDIGITAL.COM

BRAZIL

Spcine circuit, the largest network of public cinemas in Brazil has deployed Christie digital projection in 20 recently opened theatres. The installation was carried out by Christie partner Seal Telecom. Spcine offers subsidised ticket prices, in effect democratizing access to audiovisual entertainment, screening a mix of Brazilian films and international successes.

Seal Telecom installed the CP2308 model, a 3DLP Cinema projector for screens up to 35ft, in 20 theatres. With a robust, user-friendly 2K design, the CP2308 is a low cost of ownership solution in a compact footprint that brings exhibitors an affordable entry to digital cinema. It can project DCI, 3D and HFR content at 9,000 lumens in the DCI color space.

NEW FACES AT ‘CINEMA TECHNOLOGY’ MAGAZINE The team at Cinema Technology magazine has welcomed the addition of Peter Knight, who takes on the role of commissioning editor on the title, working alongside Motion Picture Solutions’ communications director, Alastair Balmain (pictured right), CT’s production editor for the past three years. “Peter’s name will be familiar to many in the cinema world, not least for his contributions to Cinema Technology,” notes Alastair, “so it’s great that the magazine can draw on the expertise and passion of someone like him who has been so heavily involved in cinema exhibition and projection standards for more than 20 years.” www.cinematech.today

QSC Celebrates 50 Years Founded with an original focus on hand-built guitar amplifiers; QSC this year celebrates its 50-year evolution into a worldleading brand in amplifiers. “Our early vision was to take over the world with high-powered, giant guitar amps, but we missed that boat and refocused our efforts on power amps,” said Pat Quilter, QSC’s founder. “Since the beginning, QSC has always focused on staying close to our customers — the foundation for the company’s success.”

The anniversary will be celebrated with a number of events, activities and product introductions that will take place worldwide. More than a golden anniversary, QSC celebrates its “50 Years and Forward”, committed to offering innovation and technologies. The firm has always strived to build its brand around quality and reliability.

“Our first state-of-the-art factory in California utilised computercontrolled precision assembly and rigorous testing to provide build-to-order flexibility,” says John Andrews, QSCs co-founder.

“Our modern manufacturing footprint and supply chain now, spans multiple countries and serve millions of customers.”

The team at the top: Peter Knight and Alastair Balmain

MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

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INDUSTRY NEWS

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VUE LOOKS TO THE SAUDI MARKET Vue International has announced it is bringing cinema entertainment to Saudi Arabia following the widely publicised derestriction on commercial cinemas in the kingdom. An exclusive memorandum of understanding has been signed with the Abdulmohsin Al Hokair Holding Group.

Al Hokair are known for the construction and operation of high-quality, innovative leisure and hospitality complexes. The combined expertise of Vue International and Al Hokair will see creation of up to 30 world-class multiplex cinemas in existing and new developments over the next three years.

NEW DIGITAL CINEMA EXPLANATION SITE LAUNCHED

Ymagis Group Announces EclairColor HDR License Program for Content Labs

Michael Karagosian from MKPE Consulting LLC has launched a new website, Cinepedia.com that is dedicated to educating how cinema technology works in a digital age.

FOURTH GEN ILLUMINA LASER LIGHTING

Ymagis Group has announced the launch of a Professional License Program for its EclairColor HDR solution in favour of independent film laboratories, content services companies and projection system integrators. EclairColor is a high dynamic range (HDR) solution used by filmmakers and content creators that enhances the cinema experience by bringing richer colors, greater brightness and definition, greater depth of field and more density to the screen. Two license agreements have already been signed with post-production houses Filmmore (Netherlands) and Dame Blanche (Belgium). Both organisations have undergone the EclairColor certification program to meet the HDR technology requirements. Discussions are currently underway with additional post companies in the UK, France and the US.

Power Technology has introduced the fourth generation Illumina laser light source for projection at the annual LIPA (Laser illuminated Projection Association) meeting in Los Angeles.

The annual meeting was attended by key players from film, technical innovators, and industry leaders in the development of laser projection.

The newest generation xenon replacement laser offers better cooling and electrical efficiencies and higher brightness outputs. Contact Kris Hesson for additional information: khesson@ powertechnology.com.

VISIT WWW.ECLAIRCOLOR.COM

YMAGIS TO LAUNCH VR EXPERIENCES

NEC ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF RGB LASERS The PH2601QL and PH3501QL are the latest large-venue projectors from NEC Display Solutions that provide digital cinema quality images, to help creating a superior presentation experience. Announced in January, the two new projector models, the 30,000 Center (26,000 ANSI) lumen PH2601QL and the 40,000 Center (35,000 ANSI) lumen PH3501QL feature the latest RB laser light source, which provides bright images and high resolution and makes them a perfect fit for customers who want maximum detail and color reproduction.

“These new high-brightness projectors have a native 4K resolution for unsurpassed image details and digital cinema quality video. Coupled with 50-percent vertical lens shift and multiple lens choices, they provide maximum installation flexibility for nearly any environment,” explained Richard McPherson, senior product manager at NEC Display Solutions. Both are well-suited for auditoriums, theatres, lecture halls and other large venues.

VISIT WWW.NEC-DISPLAY-SOLUTIONS.COM www.cinematech.today

The Ymagis Group has announced it is preparing for the launch of new virtual reality activity in 2018.

Setting its sights on the opportunities offered in this sector, in association with exhibition partners, the group is due to open several location-based entertainment centres based on virtual reality experiences. Ymagis will provide technical expertise as well as original content solutions.

UK’S CINEWORLD CHAIN PURCHASES REGAL ENTERTAINMENT IN THE US Taking images to bigger venues: the new RGB models from NEC

The UK’s Cineworld has agreed a deal to buy US chain Regal Entertainment for £2.54 billion, with an expected close this month after securing support from a majority of its own shareholders and the largest investor in Regal in February.

The acquisition will give the British company a presence in the US market and transform it into the world’s second-biggest cinema chain by number of screens, with more than 9,500.

MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

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INDUSTRY NEWS

BARCO PARTNERS WITH CHINA FILM AND OTHERS

CHINA

IMIS CINEMA TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE Richard Mitchell (President), Mike Bradbury, Roland Brown, Sandie Caffelle, Bryan Cook, Michael Denner, Kiril Enikov, Denis Kelly, Peter Knight, Sarah Lewthwaite, Graham Lodge, Adam MacDonald, André Mort, Mark Nice, Dave Norris, Ngozi Okali, Kevin Phelan, David Pope, Toni Purvis, Stephen Rance, Jim Slater, Russell Smith, Simon Tandy, Paul Wilmott.

CINEMA TECHNOLOGY ISSN 0955-2251 - is published quarterly

by Motion Picture Solutions Limited on behalf of the IMIS.

Barco has reached an agreement to enter into a strategic joint venture with China Film Co. Ltd, Appotronics and CITICPE. The joint venture will serve as the dedicated commercial channel for each company’s products and services to the global cinema market excluding China. The venture is expected to become effective during the second quarter of 2018 after regulatory approvals have been obtained. In a first phase, Barco and Appotronics will start co-operating on selling retrofit modules and projection equipment followed by the addition of CITICPE and CFG’s premium movie solutions later in the year.

Barco will serve as a strategic OEM

partner for the joint venture, while retaining full ownership of assets and capabilities related to product management, R&D and manufacturing of all cinema projection and image processing technologies.

Barco plans to spin out its current cinema-related sales, marketing and services functions from its Entertainment division into this new joint venture.

VISIT WWW.BARCO.COM

The print edition is mailed to members of the IMIS and is distributed to virtually every cinema in the UK and many more in Europe and worldwide.

Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Company using only paper from FSC/PEFC suppliers. www.magprint.co.uk Cinema Technology Magazine online is an interactive version of the print edition allowing free access and updated news links to the latest in the cinema industry. www.cinematech.today Views expressed in Cinema Technology are not necessarily the views of the Society.

EDITORIAL 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: ct@motionpicturesolutions.com COMMISSIONING EDITOR: PETER KNIGHT E: peter.knight@madcornishprojectionist.co.uk ADVERTISING AND PRODUCTION: BOB CAVANAGH Caixa Postal 2011, Vale da Telha, 8670-156 Aljezur, Portugal

CTC relaunches with global focus Previously the sub-committee of the International Moving Image Society (BKSTS), the CTC (Cinema Technology Committee) has become an independent, not-forprofit membership organisation that aims to assist the industry in demonstrating the positive effect technology has on movie-going.

With the endorsement of IMIS, Chairman Richard Mitchell announcing CTC’s plans CTC has become an independent entity focused on bringing organisations, professionals and students together from to share knowledge and expertise to help improving the cinema experience. As part of the restructure, the CTC has announced the appointments of Sarah Lewthwaite (MD and SVP Europe, Movio) and Sandie Caffelle (Sales and Marketing Manager, Jack Roe) to its Board of Governors. CTC engages in a number of activities, including research, white papers, training, lectures, technical handbooks, educational visits, seminars, networking events and projectionist certification (in conjunction with regional cinema associations). The CTC is also a driving influence behind Cinema Technology, one of the industry’s leading technically focused magazines. The new look CTC will begin offering membership opportunities to professionals and organisations from this month.

WWW.CINEMA-TECHNOLOGY.COM

T: +351 282 997 050 M: +351 962 415 172 E: bobcavanagh@sapo.pt ART DIRECTOR: DEAN CHILLMAID W: www.spacehopperdesign.co.uk E: dean@spacehopperdesign.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTIONS Cinema Technology is mailed free to IMIS Members. For subscription details — www.cinematechnologymagazine.com or e-mail ct@motionpicturesolutions.com

CINEMA TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2018

GALALITE: REINVENTING IMAGINATION Leaders in cinema screen technologies, Galalite, recently unveiled their marketing campaign for 2018. It reiterates the company’s place in the forefront of innovation in the screen industry.

The campaign headline is “Reinventing Imagination”, because, since 1959, Galalite has consistently focused on setting benchmarks for the cinema screen industry by putting their imaginations into. Yusuf S

Galabhaiwala, director of operations, said, “At Galalite, forward-thinking and innovation have been our watchwords for many generations. With a vision to transform movie-viewing experiences around the world, we go beyond the present and into the future of cinema screens. Our campaign will showcase how we constantly reinvent our products to make them the best-inclass choice”. www.cinematech.today

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INDUSTRY NEWS

SAMSUNG AND HARMAN PARTNER WANDA IN LAUNCH OF CHINA’S FIRST CINEMA LED THEATRE Following implementations last year in Korea and Thailand, as well as Switzerland, Samsung has announced a partnership with Wanda Cinemas to bring its pioneering Cinema LED Screen technology to Wanda’s Wujiaochang theater, in Shanghai’s Yangpu District. The theater marks the first implementation of a Cinema LED Screen in

China. To go with the picture technology, Samsung has paired its Cinema LED Screen with state-ofthe-art audio technologies from JBL by Harman.

This integration includes powerful speakers bordering the screen, and an expanded audio “sweet spot” throughout the theatre’s seating area, producing a multi-sensory experience.

HTTP://DISPLAYSOLUTIONS.SAMSUNG.COM

Samsung introduce 3D cinema LED

AMSTERDAM

A 3D version of Samsung’s Cinema LED Screen was unveiled to the world at ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) last month, the largest commercial display exhibition in Europe, in the Netherlands.

The 3D technology was incorporated into the company’s Cinema LED Screen, which utilises the brightness and quality of Cinema LED to bring an improved experience to the format. Dongsoo Koo, from Samsung Visual Display Division’s Enterprise Product Planning Group, explained the implications: “The evident limitation for existing 3D theatre clearly revealed the path for 3D Cinema LED. The brighter the visual information, the more our eyes receive the 3D impression. Therefore, we had to develop a product that delivers the same brightness of Cinema LED, even while wearing 3D glasses. We also could not sacrifice the resolution. It’s clear that lower resolution equals a lower sense of reality.”

QSC UNVEILS NEW FLYABLE SUBWOOFERS FOR CINEMA Designed for ease of handling and safe suspension from ceilings or walls, the SB-118F and SB-218F new flyable subwoofers from QSC are suited to low frequency enhancement in cinema applications.

The SB-118F has a single 18-inch driver, and the SB-218F has two 18-inch drivers: “This addition to our lineup provides cinema owners a costeffective subwoofer especially suited for immersive sound applications,” says Barry Ferrell, senior vice president for QSC. “Both feature a 4-ohm impedance rating, so one can use a smaller amp to get maximum performance at a lower total cost.”

Sundance Institute extends agreement with AAM Following an agreement to provide cinema software to the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, Arts Alliance Media (AAM) has announced the contract has been extended for the 2018 Festival. AAM’s TMS will also power cinema screens of six Sundance Institute venues throughout the Festival. AAM’s Screenwriter software enables staff to monitor screens, schedule feature, trailer and advertising content and control playback all from one interface.

As well as automating tasks common to theatre operations such as building playlists and schedules, it ensures that correct KDMs are in place.

EVERYMAN REOPENS YORK CINEMA

CJ 4DPLEX PARTNERS WITH PATHÉ

Everyman Cinemas re-opened their £3million refurbished York Cinema with a near sold out audience in December. As part of the refurb, the Grade II listed art deco building in Blossom Street, has had both seating capacity and the number of screens reduced.

CJ 4DPLEX has announced an expanded partnership with Les Cinémas Gaumont Pathé, which will see at least 50 4DX locations opened in Europe by 2020. This is an increase from the 30 locations announced by the two companies in May 2017.

www.cinematech.today

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MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

CINEMA TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2016

CTC AWARDS

Cinema’s best

A more focused, expanded awards event presented by the Cinema Technology Committee was held at the end of November to mark the relaunch of the organisation. Peter Knight reports on the event, with photos by Julie Edwards.

Hosted at NBC Universal’s London office, for the 2017 CTC awards, there were five categores given, with these changed from previous years, though still very much in keeping with the original legacy of quality and achievement that the event was designed to reflect from the outset.

Presented by the leading film critic Mark Kermode, assisted by Dave Norris with special guest appearances from radio presenter Simon Mayo and actor Sanjeev Bhaskar, the categories and results were as follows:

New technology new technically based initiative that is designed to enhance or expand the cinema going experience.

With more than 105 sites across the world and ambitious growth plans, the CTC’s Technology of the Year is Dolby Cinema.

Screen of the Year new or refurbished build of a cinema that offers an enhanced and differentiated experience to its patrons. Received by Crispin Lilly, CEO of Everyman Cinemas (see image below) for the refurbished cinema Everyman Cinema, Muswell Hill.

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EVERYMAN CINEMA, MUSWELL HILL

Opened in 1936 by Oscar Deutsch, this year’s screen of the year brings the magic of the movies to audiences in North London.

Situated in a Grade II listed building, this archetypal Art Deco site was acquired by Everyman Cinemas from Odeon in 2015.

Following the acquisition, the site underwent

a sympathetic £3 million restoration in 2016 breathing new life into a historic venue and, in the process, returning the interior and exterior to their former glory including original colour schemes and period features.

Combining grandeur and intimacy, the Everyman in Muswell Hill features five screens ranging from 40 seats up to 400, providing flexibility in programming with the quality synonymous with Everyman’s brand.

Screen 1 re-opened a little over a year ago combining the front balcony area with the long-disused stalls to create a 251-seat auditorium equipped with Sony 4K Digital Projection whilst maintaining the element of showmanship with tabs and masking.

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DOLBY CINEMA

Outside of IMAX, premium formats have often been difficult to define given the lack of standardisation. It is potentially why many exhibitors’ own brand formats have struggled to excite movie-goers in the way IMAX has. In recent years, however, one has caught the attention of moviegoers because of its focus on delivering outstanding presentation quality. With a focus on the movie-going experience, from atmospheric corridors to auditorium design, bespoke surface coverings, seats and, of course, the technology, Dolby Cinema has been designed to provide the best sound, picture and environment. Dolby Cinema utilises Dolby Vision, a dual-laser projection system with brightness levels of 30 ftL in 2D and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio which generates vivid colours. Audio is provided through the proprietary object-based Atmos, itself a global leader in immersive sound.

Doug Gorny, Senior Director, Dolby Cinema Solutions and his team collected the award. www.cinematech.today

MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

C T C A WA R D S

NEWS

CINEMA TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2016

CT’s roundup of the latest industry news and events

cinema team of the year eplacing the Projection Team of the Year Award, this award reflects the different operational structure of most of the exhibition industry. It recognises team spirit and dedication to quality.

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BFI IMAX TEAM LED BY MICHAEL FORD

From carefully crafted introductions to movies through to meticulous technical excellence in presenting movies both on film and digital on the biggest screen in the UK, the 2017 Cinema Team of the Year is awarded to BFI IMAX. With digitisation and automation, much of the care that goes into creating the right atmosphere is slowly being lost. There are noble exceptions to this trend, and the recipients of this award provide an incredible experience from the moment the movie-goer enters the building.

Outstanding Achievement

Since 1976, when he was first hired by Dolby Laboratories in London, Max Bell has been involved with improving motion picture sound. One of his first assignments was supervising the original dialogue recording for Star Wars. He followed that with many years traveling in Europe and the US, working with many film mixers in the studios and setting up cinemas with Dolby replay

systems. In 1979, he was instrumental in the development of a stereo surround system for 70mm prints of Superman and Apocalypse Now, arguably the first 5.1 releases. In 1987, he started Bell Theatre Services, retrofitting screens throughout the UK and Europe with Dolby SR-D and the production of a new 35mm optical sound recording camera systems for Dolby Digital and DTS. His goal was to provide projection and sound solutions and, as the industry has grown and evolved, so has Bell Theatre Services. Max and his world-class team were instrumental in the transition from film to digital

for the origination and development of the Dolby Stereo film program. He spearheaded the introduction of many of Dolby’s breakthrough audio formats — from Dolby Stereo in 1974 to Dolby SR in 1986 and Dolby Digital in 1992 — each representing another step forward.

Ioan is a Fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and he is active in US and world standards organisations. He is past president of

the International Cinema Technology Association and past Engineering Director, Motion Pictures, for the SMPTE. He is also an Adjunct Professor at The University of Southern California’s School of Cinema and Television, and received the 1985 Samuel L. Warner Award, given by the SMPTE for contributions to motion picture sound.

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award was given to someone who can only be described as one of the godfathers of the cinema industry.

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n individual who offers exceptional support and dedication to the broader exhibition industry.

AWARDED TO MAX BELL

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT A

n individual who has contributed greatly to quality and performance development.

AWARDED TO IOAN ALLEN

A recipient of five scientific and engineering awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this man has played a significant part in the development of cinema audio for almost 50 years.

Ioan Allen joined Dolby Laboratories in 1969, and was in large part responsible CINEMA TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2018

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y ever m ulti plex is new again

PRES TON VUE BEFORE

Refurbishment is all the rage — Patrick von Sychowski gets the inside track on multiplex masterplans at Vue and Odeon

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1.64b > 54m

Annual visits to UK cinemas dropped from 1.64 billlion in 1946 to 54 million in 1984

PRES TON VUE AF TER

R

efurbishment of multiplexes in which marked the start of the revival of the UK is the most significant both cinemas and admissions. Changes in and capex-intensive exhibition ownership of the major chains (ABC, MGM, trend since the start of massUCI, UGC, Virgin and Warner are all conversion to digital projection. brands now gone) usually meant some level While modernising cinemas is of revamp beyond the cosmetic took place, nothing new, the scale and though typically investment was low. More ambition now underway is unprecedented money was usually only spent when a in seeking to lure customers with the most ‘crown jewel’ site changed hands, such as impressive sound and vision, stylish lobby when UCI sold Empire Leicester Sq (since design, comfortable seating, tempting food, the re-sold to Cineworld), Manchester café and bar propositions coupled Printworks went from Odeon to Vue, with smartest customer service and Odeon Leicester Square on the high street. Multiplexes became part of AMC. are not just competing with The start of the current Netflix-and-chill on the refurbishment wave can be sofa but also with pinpointed to 2015 when out-of-home leisure Showcase announced a propositions offered by root-and-branch bars, restaurants, shops remodeling of multiplexes In the first half of and coffee chains. Old in Leeds, Nottingham and 2016, Everyman’s revenue rose by 49%, chiefly thanks multiplexes need to be Reading, as well as when to the impact of brought up to the same Everyman acquired four sites refurbished sites standard as brand new ones. from Odeon in in Gerrards UK cinemas suffered a steady Cross, Esher, Muswell Hill and decline from 1946 (1.64 billion annual Barnet. In the first half of 2016 Everyman cinema visits) to 1984, when admissions saw revenue leap 49% on the strength of its bottomed out at 54m, with chronic new and refurbished sites. Meanwhile under-investment causing cinemas to Showcase de Lux imported recliners and descend into proverbial ‘fleapits’. The introduced a level of comfort previously following year AMC opened The Point in mainly only found in America and Asia.

Milton Keynes, the UK’s first multiplex, The UK cinema industry took note.

49%

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Which, Where and When The first step of any refurbishment is to select a cinema due for an overhaul. Steve Knibbs, COO at Vue, says that “lots of factors go into this decision to review the ‘opportunity’ for refurbishment or redevelopment”. These include variables such as the age and state of the cinema (sloping floor or stadium?), length of time left on the lease, willingness of the landlord to contribute to a refurb, size of the cinema, customer base, existing and planned local competition, as well as what will happen in the market in the near future. “If we believe a site can be reinvented by refurbishment and investment using these criteria, then the investment will be made,” says Knibbs.

Odeon’s UK managing director, Carol Welch, calls refurbishment “a huge team effort involving not only our property and design colleagues, but also operations, marketers and data analysts who are essential to making a transformation work in each local market”. According to Welch refurbishments focus on needs of guests, the team and the Odeon brand. “We are making sure every decision creates a wow factor that will last into the future.” As such the cinema polls guests and staff for feedback during design development. The aim is to “take existing sites and turn them into cinemas that look and feel brand new”.

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ODEON’S UPGRADES: THE STORY SO FAR...

7x cinemas completely refurbished and launched as ODEON Luxe: East Kilbride; Glasgow Quay; Edinburgh West (formerly Westerhailes); Leeds-Bradford; Putney, Haymarket (formerly Panton St); Swiss Cottage; 49 screens reseated so far, with over 4,500 new recliner seats installed; 2 new all-recliner IMAX screens (Blanchardstown and Silverlink); Another IMAX screen opening as all-recliner in Swiss Cottage as this magazine went to press.

ODEON LEICES TER SQ

WHAT’S NEXT? More Luxe screens across UK and Europe, ODEON Leicester Sq is closed for upgrade, reopening in 2018

What Goes In What gets done as part of the refurb depends on the operator and the site. For Odeon “cinemas receiving a Luxe makeover receive the full package. Specifically on technology, all sites enjoy a complete overhaul with many upgrades,” says Welch.

“Most Luxe sites receive a new iSense screen, delivering an immersive, ultra-highdefinition cinema experience, with new 4K projection and Dolby Atmos sound.” Other screens get upgraded and enlarged where possible, as well as being fitted with new speakers and Dolby 7.1 surround sound.

There is the installation of big IMAX screens, but also more subtle touches such as improved ambient lighting and Dolby Fidelio Audio Description system and Hearing-Impaired loops across all screens.

Vue’s Knibbs stresses that swapping technology doesn’t always makes sense if what is in place was only recently installed.

“In the case of Preston we did all of the above [projectors, audio, displays, screen] aside from the projectors which are state of the art 4K Sony technology still in very

good working order. Technology was enhanced with full digital signage internally and replacement IT systems including self-service ATMs.” Beyond the projection booth and auditoriums, refurbs can have a significant impact on public areas, explains Knibbs.

“Corridors, foyer, toilets, new air conditioning and energy-efficient lighting, upgraded retail, design that used the Vue West End as its template and a great new front entrance-way,” are examples of what Knibbs points out was done in the Vue Preston, with the changes noticeable even before one enters the cinema (see before and after images on previous spread).

Concessions and Coffee As well as being a feast for the eye and the ear, refurbished multiplexes must appeal to ever-more discerning tastes, not just design-wise, but also in offering more than just popcorn, sweets and soft drinks.

“Improving the quality of the presentation of the F&B offer including using all Digital signage and POS and

working with well-known high-quality brands wherever possible,” is key stresses Knibbs. A bar offer, hot food and coffee are seen as a must, with Vue offering Lavazza, Odeon Costa Coffee and Cineworld having installed Starbucks counters in 25 of its multiplexes. A good coffee offering has the added benefit of driving an earlier crowd to cinemas than would normally show up.

“We upgrade the whole retail offer in new Luxe sites,” says Odeon’s Welch, “including adding our new bar concept ‘Oscars’, named after our founder Oscar Deutsch, with draught beer and new food menus including chicken strips and pizza.”

There are also ready to serve popcorn and digital Freestyle Coke machines installed.

Learnings & Challenges Both Welch and Knibbs see the refurbishment push as a learning process.

“We’re fortunate to be part of the world’s biggest cinema group — it allows us to draw on a massive range of expertise when designing our plans,” says Welch, with Odeon not only tapping the expertise of

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bricks/mortar Refurbishment extends beyond seating — length the lease, planning, the customer base and competition all have a bearing

IMAX THE LIGHT

teams across Europe, but also colleagues at AMC, “who have huge experience of similar projects in the USA,” and, more recently, also Nordic Cinema Group colleagues.

Welch says that while refurbishment “isn’t a new ambition”, the new ownership structure has helped with the pace and scale. “We’ve previously had great success with cinema design in Odeon Milton Keynes, Trowbridge, Hereford, Orpington and Bournemouth BH2 — all of which were conceived and opened in the past four years. We’ve used our insight from these cinemas to educate our plans for both new and upgraded designs.”

Vue meanwhile has seen the innovations and learnings from its flagship Vue West End refurbishment cascade down to other sites. Knibbs enthuses that “it’s a wonderful thing to see an old cinema given a new life.

Customers respond really positively as you would expect — we use Net Promoter Scores (NPS) as our way of tracking what customers think of us and I can say these scores go through the roof after a major refurbishment.” Staff response has been no less positive. “Who wouldn’t want to work in something that has been transformed? It lifts your spirits,” explains Knibbs.

Refurbishment of existing stock has an added advantage — there is less need to build new multiplexes, with most of the UK already well covered and particularly with some towns and cities over-screened.

www.cinematech.today

According to Knibbs, “investment in known and successful sites will bring back customers who may have lost the habit due to the age of the site and deterioration of the overall offer.” While Vue West End was shut down for several months before it re-opened to great fanfare, not all sites have the luxury of closing while refurbing.

For Welch, “the biggest challenges come with keeping the cinemas open while 50% of the site is full of builders.” She praises her staff and stresses the importance of giving them extra training and support during this time, “so guests are very excited when the covers come off and the new facilities are unveiled.”

The response from customers has is gratifying, says Welch, “with lots of strong feedback to our teams as guests walk in for the first time, and lovely comments on social media too.” She stresses that “Word of mouth is a powerful endorsement, and we’ve met a lot of new people as they come to see what everyone is talking about!”

THE OUTLOOK Odeon has started with sites in the UK and Ireland, but the plan is to roll out across Europe. “We have big plans for the next couple of years to transform the look and feel of European cinema,” says Welch, “so 2017 has been all about learning what works best.” The same best practices from new sites and learnings from refurbished sites are rippling out across all the UK cinema operators, from the largest to the smallest.

This year alone marks the reopening of both Odeon and Cineworld’s Leicester Square flagship cinemas — of which the latter had only recently been refurbished when Empire divided its big screen to make an IMAX — in London, Empire redoing its Sutton multiplex, Everyman Oxted, Curzon Soho and Mayfair, Picturehouse Bromley and the independent Majestic in King’s Lynn, to name just a few. Some of the same ABC cinemas that once epitomised the ‘fleapit’ label are today the Odeon Luxes that together with Vue and other multiplexes set a new standard in quality for cinema exhibition in the UK.

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Recliners vs. Rockers vs. Regular Seats

USA LEADS THE WAY

The re-seating trend began in the US with AMC in 2011 finding that cinemas that switched to recliner saw attendance grow 121% and cash flow grow 872%.

Those numbers declined in subsequent years: average for 2011-2017 was 57% attendance growth and 225% increase in revenue. The business case is compelling.

1000% 800% 600% 400% 200% 0%

121%

872%

Attendance Growth

Cashflow Growth

uk embrace luxury seats

The most noticeable aspect of any cinema refurbishment tends to be the replacement of regular cinema seats with new seats that offer maximum comfort.

When discussing luxury seating, there is not one agreed definition but many options.

A distinction is typically made between electric and motorised recliners and manually operated seats, sometimes also called recliners, but more aptly termed ‘rockers’. Then there is sofa-type seating.

Cinemas such as Everyman Hampstead or the Electric Notting Hill have had plush armchairs for many years, but recently updated versions of these have become standard in ‘bijou’ multiplexes such as Everyman and The Light.

60%?

Counterintuitively this revenue growth happened despite the fact that ‘re-seating’ meant an auditorium could lose as much as 60% to 70% of previous capacity. But scarcity increased demand — by 2014 the mid-size chain Marcus pledged to invest $50m across 55 locations and 685 screens. By 2016 Regal announced that recliner seats were “getting to a critical mass” and was helping to push up ticket prices for those locations by 13% in just one quarter. By this stage, recliners were standard for new site openinga and had become the new normal.

The appetite for recliners in North America is so large that the largest domestic provider of recliners, Mississippibased VIP Seating, had to expand its factory, increase the number of shifts and ramp up capacity between 2015 and 2017 from 700 to 2,000 luxury seats per day.

From top to bottom: new seating in Odeon refurbed cinemas clearly appeals to a demanding audience — and reaches luxurious levels

The type of seating chosen depends on the operator, location and can even differ within the same auditorium, with rocker seats occupying the front 2 / 3 rows at Showcase Cinema de Lux Southampton, while the others are electric recliners. Other chains such as Vue have long had a special VIP section within existing auditoriums, for which a premium is charged. However, with the current wave of refurbishments, all seats tend to be some variant of luxury seating. The same is the case for new cinemas.

The Light Cinema’s Keith Pullinger says that “our last two [new] sites have manual recliners throughout, which has worked very well,” while operators such as Everyman and Curzon are opting for colourful sofas, both for new sites and refurbs.

2/3 ROWS

The first chain to launch recliners in the UK was National Amusement’s Showcase, which committed in 2015 to investing £10m for converting to luxury recliners in most sites, as well as making them standard in new multiplexes. It was part of the rebranding of Showcase’s properties in Leeds, Nottingham and Reading, which also included lobby revamps and Xplus PLF screens.

Vue’s Steve Knibbs says that seats are “a key component and one of the most important decisions you can make,” in refurbishing a cinema, while Odeon’s Carol Welch describes seating as “a very high profile part of the upgrade and a key part of the experience”.

Vue has adopted various seating configurations, “including full recliner and full VIP (non recliner) conversions or a mix of both seat types.” Odeon has, following the lead of parent AMC, opted for recliners, but even here the recliners have evolved in the past few months. Odeon’s Carol Welch is adamant that customers notice the change that recliners bring. “Recliners generate a highly positive reaction from our guests — they absolutely love them,” she affirms, “so we are installing as many as we can.”

However comfortable a new seat is, though, Welch cautions that “a seat will never compensate for poor service!”

REEL CINEMA, DUBAI

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renovating the world’s

BUSIEST CINEMA

Reinvigorating an existing site is tough. If it’s the world’s busiest cinema, it’s tougher still. Architect David Wallace outlines the design direction and principles behind the renovation of Dubai’s Reel Cinema

D

ubai is a place of superlatives — and the Reel Cinema at the world’s biggest shopping centre, the Dubai Mall, is no exception.

The cinema is operated by Emaar Entertainment, a subsidiary of Emaar PJSC, which developed both the mall and the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Opened in August 2009, with no fewer than 22 screens and 2,800 seats, the Reel Cinema included 18 standard auditoria and 4 Platinum VIP auditoria, making it the biggest in the UAE region and frequently the busiest cinema in the world, with over three million admissions annually.

In early 2016, after more than six years of enormous footfall, it was time for a renovation. Emaar sought design ideas of a

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REEL CINEMA, DUBAI

select number of international architects, including my firm, Chapman Taylor. There was no fixed brief or indeed budget — it was left to each architect to submit their ideas.

When I visited the existing site, it was the operational difficulty that struck me as the first point to address. Over four main public levels (six, if including the projection levels), the cinema had four ticket check points, four main entrances and three concession stands, all served by two large kitchens and four box office locations. It was confusing to find your way around — I heard stories of customers getting lost when they popped out during the movie and then

“THE ONLY SOLUTION WAS TO CREATE THE MOST ADVANCED CINEMA IN THE WORLD” being unable to find their way back to their screen — staff had to direct them. The other main point noted was that the Mall of Emirates, another large mall in Dubai, had recently opened its own flagship cinema with 24 screens, thus becoming the largest in the UAE. It was clear Dubai is a city with a record-breaking gene in its DNA.

Design direction Given the ambition of the location and the eminence of Emaar, there was only one solution — to create the largest, most advanced cinema in the world. The previous record holder, Warner Village (now Vue) at Star City in Birmingham, UK, opened in 2001 with 30 screens. Initial sketches were prepared which allowed for 33 screens — 28 in the existing demise and five atop the adjacent car park connected to the main cinema via a short bridge link.

One of the key considerations in the design of very large multiplexes is the long length of the concession stand and the large number of points of sale. Both increase as the seat count increases. The downside of long concession stands and individually staffed sales points is the length of time customers may wait in line to make a purchase.

This can be frustrating, just as it is in a supermarket queue at peak periods. An impatient departure without a sale is a lose-lose for both

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DIGITAL LOBBIES

customer and cinema alike. Connected to this issue was the need to accommodate long queue lengths in the lobby at peak periods. Lobbies needed to become larger.

At initial meetings, Emaar personnel expressed an interest in automating the box office and concession stands. The existing sales points necessitated many staff to keep them open and the payroll was, I suspect, much higher than the norm. Interestingly, a number of articles were appearing in the media about automation at this time. Some fast food restaurants had recently started to operate in this way, as had some trendy cafés in the US, Japan and elsewhere. This led to a decision to develop Emaar’s idea for full automation. The traditional, long

concession stand would be omitted and replaced by large, fully automated swipe screens, where all ticket and food purchases occur on the same screen during the same transaction. Providing as many sales points as needed at the four entry points would ensure queuing times were minimised.

Emaar was also ken to omit the manned ticket-tear point and replace it with a card reader to check tickets. Given the movie rating system, the technology is not yet there to make this feasible — human verification is still the best way to uncover those trying to look older than they are!

The next design consideration was to simplify complex circulation. Ticket control points were reduced from four to two, while

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3 million The Dubai Mall’s Reel Cinema regularly has over 3 million admissions a year, making it frequently the busiest in the world

6 ...the number of floors the Reel Cinema has, including the projection levels

the three concession stands were eliminated and replaced by two pick-up points, all served by one main kitchen instead of two.

The customer journey was planned in a very linear route as follows: enter from one of four entry points, decide your movie, purchase tickets and F&B at swipe screen by that entrance, move along to pick-up point to collect your F&B, go to ticket check, then move to selected screen. This is direct, with no doubling back. Critical to making this design work is the fact that, once you have placed your order at the entry swipe screens, the information is immediately downloaded to the reader screens within the main kitchen. By the time you have walked from the entrance to the pick-up

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point, your order has been processed and is ready to collect. All that remains is to have your ticket checked and go to your screen.

The other main point considered in the design was how the customer journey would be, vertically. This cinema is planned over four main levels. The logic is that, as you move up the building via escalators, the type of auditorium you enter becomes more exclusive, until you reach the top where the VIP Platinum screens are all located.

The original cineplex, when it opened in 2009, had two options – regular screens and VIP screens. In an effort to improve customer choice and increase income, the screen options have been increased to seven. These include regular screens,

luxury seats within a regular screen, a Dolby Atmos Cinema, a Barco Escape screen, an MX4D motion screen, dining screens anchored by US celebrity chef Guy Fieri and VIP Platinum screens.

All these points were developed and included in the initial design and presented to Emaar’s senior management. It was well received, and Chapman Taylor was awarded the project. Construction started 14 weeks later. It was decided to close half the cinema for the phase one renovation and keep the other half open for business.

Phase one is now completed and open, with 14 screens, and phase two is already underway, with a further 12 screens . The original idea of 33 screens has been reduced

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to 26, as recent changes to Dubai’s seismic planning codes would have necessitated structural works to the existing car park to take the heavy load of new screens. We are now designing another project for Emaar that is to be the world’s largest cinema —26 screens is sufficient for Reel Cinema Dubai Mall once again to be the biggest and best cinema in the UAE region.

putting in the “wow” All this efficiency of operation and circulation, does not really ‘wow’ the customer. It is taken for granted the journey from entrance to seat should be efficient and logical. It is visual elements, the aesthetics of the journey, that amaze customers. Advances in LED technology allow huge, complex surfaces to screen movie content. Large movie images and video bursts are very visual, very exciting and very cinematic. …the number of Emaar wanted all screens the fully refurbished Reel signage and movie Cinema Dubai displays to be electronic projected movie on the Mall will house, to and, where possible, to push screen becomes the next and make it the UAE’s biggest cinema the boundaries of what is final visual element. currently considered possible.

Phase one is now open. The Together with the signage supplier, circulation is improved, queuing we developed many different LED displays. times, payroll and congestion are down, Starting at the front entrance, the Reel and income up due to the increase in screen Cinema logo is generated via a large LG choices. Customers go through the sales OLED screen. Just prior to the opening of process faster and spend per head is up. phase one, Emaar had installed the world’s The renovation of The Dubai Mall largest digital screen with LG OLED cinema has been one of the most interesting technology at The Dubai Mall aquarium. and challenging projects I have been Within the main lobby, the main feature involved with. The clients’ ambition to have is a huge hero LED screen, 18m long x 6m the best, and its ability to deliver the best, high, used to display movies, show timings, has been amazing. Perhaps only a place promotions etc. This is supported by four such as Dubai would demand it. circular column signs and 28 LED poster Cinema has many challenges, whether screens to promote the current movies on that be movie on-demand or shorter release show. Off the lobby is a popular Twitter windows. Operators’ responses to these challenges — continuous advancement of wall (see opening page), where people relax on long curved sofas, upload messages and projection and sound systems, more luxurious surroundings and increased watch them appear live on screen. Reel Cinema tweets pop up with messages and F&B choices — have been impressive. comments about movies on show.

Emaar’s response to these challenges The most striking LED element is has delivered the UAE’s biggest cinema, located in the auditorium access corridor. the world’s first with all screens using laser The design is modelled around four RGB projectors and Dolby Atmos sound, curved LED inclined walls and the world’s first cinema with a fully soffits. The effect transports automated sales process and one of the first customers into a space that feels without a concession stand. Cinema is very quite unreal. This was purposely much alive in the UAE. kept to the last part of the customer For more on Chapman Taylor, journey. From here, customers visit www.chapmantaylor.com enter the auditorium, and the

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PROJECTION/SOUND The use of digital projection has also made this project possible. By adding the additional screens in the confines of the existing structure, the locations of the projectors are unusual and varied – some are at projection floor level to avoid overhead structures or ductwork, others are at a high level to avoid interrupted projection lines in the auditorium. Only a few years ago, this arrangement would have been a challenge if film had to be laced.

Barco Flagship RGB laser is installed in every screen with Dolby Atmos sound systems. For the PLF screen, Emaar partnered exclusively with Dolby Cinema. The first Dolby Cinema is already open in Emaar’s Marina Mall Dubai, the second is under construction in Dubai Mall.

Emaar partnered with Barco to roll out the Barco Escape cinema, where a movie is projected on three screens from three projectors. The first such cinema in the UAE is open at Marina Mall Dubai, the second is under way in phase two of The Dubai Mall.

For wall linings, Emaar wanted an interior design unique to them. A system of opposing, inverted 3D triangles was fabricated. Similar to acoustical cones in sound studios, these absorb reflected sound well.

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TECHNOLOGY OUTLOOK

2017

Global % share of new technology installs (Scource: IHS Market)

a year of technological development… and disruption

Middle East/Africa screens

3d

4d

1.3

0.7

4

plf

1.2

David Hancock examines technology implemented in cinemas globally, including the big news: LED screens

I

n a year when global box office got back into growth, rising just over 4% to shade $40bn for the first time, and when China returned to growth levels the industry has become accustomed to, there seems much to applaud in the cinema world. North America sustained an $11bn+ market for the third year in a row, driven by the impact of premium pricing on the overall box office, albeit just over the $11bn mark and with a significant drop in admissions of nearly 6%. In global terms, the North American market now accounts for 27.8% of the world’s gross box office earned at cinemas.

The industry is also now set on a path of structural change that will affect our industry profoundly, both in positive and negative ways. One of the greatest areas of change, now and in the next two years, is the consolidation of cinema circuits: the leading 10 circuits now account for 30% of all screens, up from 26% a year ago — and that is set to change further if the European company Cineworld succeeds in acquiring US circuit Regal Entertainment.

The past year has been an intriguing one in the world of cinema exhibition, and CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

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MARCH 2018

innovation is being seen in all areas: projection and sound technology, premium technology, experiential technology and service offers, POS systems, pricing, data analytics, site management, F&B, seating, foyer design and tech, cinema design and more. Every aspect of the cinema offer is now open to change and innovation.

The result is a broad-based offer to the consumer, linking the cinema experience with the experience economy (the “Premium” economy). Circuits and even individual cinemas serve up multiple experiences to cinemagoers. The cinema experience is broadening its base.

On the technology front, immersive sound is still growing fast, with more than 4,400 screens equipped with one of the three systems being commercialised.

Dolby is the clear leader with Atmos (3,200 systems). DTS:X (now owned by Xperi) is now installed in 576 screens globally, and committed on 822 (many of them in Asia through GDC) with Barco Auro also still challenging with more than 600 screens installed or committed. The issue of standards (or lack of them) has held up progress to some extent.

global plf

1.1

exhibitor plf

1.2

USA screens

3d

4d

25.1 17.6 2.6 plf

global plf

33.1 28 exhibitor plf

39.6

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TECHNOLOGY OUTLOOK

Western Europe

North America screens

3d

screens

4d

3d

4d

17.4 13.5 2.9

27 19.2 2.8 plf

plf

global plf

global plf

7.3

38.2 31.2

5.7

exhibitor plf

exhibitor plf

47.6

9.4

Central/East Europe

China

screens

3d

5.3

6.1 plf

4d

screens

5.2

3d

plf

5.3

global plf

27.7 42

exhibitor plf

exhibitor plf

2

9

Central/Latin America screens

3d

7.7

6 plf

4d

13.8 global plf

9.1

2.1

exhibitor plf

18.3

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4d

25.7 45.6 48.1

global plf

3.9

31

Asia Pacific screens

3d

4d

41.3 54.6 71.4 plf

global plf

40.3 54.5 exhibitor plf

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TECHNOLOGY OUTLOOK

Immersive Sound Installations

dolby atmos

barco/auro max

dts:x 3200

5000

No of Screens

3750

2300

2500

1400 820

1250

400 50

30

250

500

550

650

650

822

250

0

0

0

0

0 2012

Laser illumination in cinemas is still a live and active issue for the cinema industry and RGB laser continues to grow its installed base, with nearly 800 in place at end 2017. The prices for high-end laser are coming down and all TI projector manufacturers are offering RGB machines (Barco, NEC and Christie). There are also more than 10,000 laser phosphor machines installed in cinemas globally now, many in China. This includes both types of laser phosphor: laser phosphor and RB laser. NEC, Barco and Sony all have a laser phosphor machine in the

2013

2014

2015

(last full year of data), but in some markets has almost been abandoned. In Italy, event cinema generated more revenues than 3D in 2017. Where 3D is strong, it continues to be, but its declining financial contribution should be a wake-up call to the industry to re-think what can be a powerful format when done right. There are aspects of new technology that will help the 3D case, such as the brightness of laser projectors and LED screens. However, with Avatar 2 nearly three years away, the challenge could well be to maintain the popularity of 3D until then, when a new impetus could

“WHERE 3D IS STRONG, IT CONTINUES TO BE, BUT ITS DECLINING FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION SHOULD BE A WAKE-UP CALL TO ALL” market although Christie has decided not to pursue this technology (it does have one still in the market which is being phased out soon), focusing on xenon and RGB. A new technology has also entered the market during 2017: the only genuine disruptor for the business in that it will remove projection from the cinema. LED, currently being marketed by Samsung will soon be installed in four sites in the world (in Korea, Thailand and Switzerland) and while the technology is at a pioneer stage and is still relatively expensive and untested, these sites will show the industry more about whether LED has a future.

3d: a format in retreat?

3D is the favoured format for screens globally, with over 99,000 in place at end 2017, of which half are in China. Despite this, the format accounted for around 17% of revenues globally, around $8bn in 2016 CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

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be injected into this format.

At the end of June 2017, there were just over 2,800 PLF screens in the world of which 57% are of the global brands (such as IMAX, Dolby Cinema…). Most of the global brands are IMAX screens. Of these total PLF screens, over a third are in North America. The largest region for PLF is Asia Pacific though, housing 41% of the world’s PLF screens. The concept of PLF is widening a little too; the ‘L’ of large is not as crucial as it was once seen to be, the overall premium experience is of greater import. Asian cinemas favour the globalbranded solutions over developing their own exhibitor PLF concepts, with the region accounting for 54.5% of all globalbranded PLF screens in the world.

Global-branded PLF includes multi-screen formats, a more complex proposition than some other technologies. Barco Escape, which the company announced last month

2016

2017

will no longer be rolled out, was installed in 36 sites last year, similar to 2016, while ScreenX (backed by CGV) is present in 128 screens at end 2017.

At 1H 2017, there are 1,220 screens equipped with either immersive motion seating (from D-Box) or 4D cinema (motion seating plus effects) from mainly 4DX (CGV) or MX4D (Mediamation). Following the steep growth of the past two years, the combined market is now 2.8x larger than it was in 2014. China quadrupled its 4D screen base in the 12 months to 1H 2017 and now accounts for almost 50% of the world’s 4D screen base. Penetration of 4D is driven by partnerships between the two main brands, 4DX and MD4X, and the largest cinema exhibitors in each territory.

Asia is the enthusiastic adopter, accounting for 71.4% of all 4D-equipped screens.

We are seeing the launch and extension of High Dynamic Range as a branded concept in cinemas, with Dolby Cinema progressing and the more recent option of EclairColor also gaining traction, notably in Europe (mainly Germany and France). However, with recent advances in TV technology, for the first time cinema is lagging behind TV in the adoption of new image technologies such as HDR (UHD).

While HDR in cinemas is different to that in the home (as is the overall experience of watching a film), the perception is important and cinema needs to progress further on this front.

Dolby Cinema is installed in 133 cinemas in the beginning of 2018, with more than 350 now signed up, many in USA and China. As for EclairColor, a newer entrant for HDR, the number of screens now exceeds 100 in Europe and USA, with 50+ movies mixed in the format during 2017. The latter offers a genuine www.cinematech.today

TECHNOLOGY OUTLOOK

3D revenue vs 3D screens

revenue

screens 7985

8000

6995 6136

36165

7290

45486

7430

52978

7057

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33

7404

87175

74562

22408

xxxxxx

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2535

n/a

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choice for exhibitors when it comes to HDR. Outside of these branded HDR offerings, and add to that the IMAX sites installed with laser that are also HDRready, a number of individual projectors are capable of the higher contrast ratio that HDR requires (not all of them laser).

EclairColor was developed with the Sony SRX-R500 projector and is also now compatible with some Barco machines.

One of the key goals of new technology in the market is establishing a wide enough footprint to make distributing content onto these screens worthwhile. By the same token, the regular and sufficient supply of content for exhibitors is a key to a new technology becoming established and thriving. Dolby Atmos, for example, both rolled out onto screens (over 3,000 now) and worked with the creative community to have its films mixed into the Atmos format. This involved getting postproduction suites equipped with relevant mixing equipment and ensuring high quality/mass market films were available in Atmos. Thus, there are over 150 mixing facilities in the world using Dolby Atmos, and more than 650 films mixed in Atmos.

DTS:X has had 135 films released theatrically through to January 2018 and has 60 mixing/QC rooms worldwide.

Barco Auro has had over 150 films mixed.

sink or swim? Sync and fly…

Similarly, the 4D and immersive motion seating suppliers have also understood this. In 2016, the last full year of data available, CGV’s 4DX had the largest number of films synced for and released in its format in 2016 (105, and 101 in 2017), taking the total number of titles released to 395 between 2012 and 2016. Mediamation’s MX4D released the second largest www.cinematech.today

2011

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catalogue with 67 films in 2016. Immersive motion seating supplier D-Box released 60 new titles during the year to March 2017 and took the total of titles released in commercial theatres to 250. With a much smaller screen base, Lumma has synced 46 films for its E-Motion format since the start. Finally, Shuqee operates on an on-demand basis — exhibitors request specific films, Shuqee syncs with motion and effects at no extra cost to the exhibitor.

One of the issues with multi-screen formats has been the availability of content, partly due to the complexity of producing it. ScreenX screened 10 titles during 2017, including mainstream titles Kingsman and Pirates of the Caribbean. Barco Escape struggled with major releases, the last being a part of Star Trek in 2016, and that would have contributed to its closure.

A growing number of cinemas are also trying out VR as an experience in their cinemas, many of these in China.

Wanda, Dadi, Perfect World, SFC Cinemas, Jinyi Cinema have all established VR venues within their cinemas. The owners of two circuits (Jinyi and Poly Wanhe Cinema) are also exploring the world of VR either within or without cinema. IMAX is also rolling out its IMAX VR concept to wider geographical reach, to Canada, UK, China from its launch in Los Angeles in early 2017, and AMC is one of several investors backing a rollout of VR venture Dreamscape. The market has also seen a new branded cinema offer in the field of eSports, EclairGame, which could be a link for cinemas in winning back and driving on younger audiences.

the technological steamroller A potential problem has arisen with the proliferation of technology at both creative

2014

2015

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and the projection level. A film such as Billy Lynn highlights the potential for a disconnect between creative ambition and the projection of movies in cinemas. Avatar may have driven 3D and digital projection and launched this format into the mainstream, but The Hobbit’s foray into High Frame Rates wasn’t as successful, and could only be seen in its intended format on around 2,500 screens.

By the time Billy Lynn came along, an astonishing visual achievement in its original format, this film was unable to be screened in standard cinemas (the distributors Sony built five ad-hoc sites to this end) and therefore Ang Lee’s original vision was lost to the majority of the film-going public. There needs to be greater, smoother communication between cinema exhibitors and the creative communities, something the EDCF, UNIC, ASC and other bodies have understood and are acting on. This makes for interesting times for us all, and for a more complex life for cinema exhibitors, but if we all get it right as an industry, the consumer is the real beneficiary. Forget Netflix, which is busy disrupting other sectors, the cinema is a powerful medium and can move into the future with a focus on enhanced customer experience, but with the confidence based on solid century-old foundations.

David Hancock is Director, Film and Cinema at IHS Markit and the President of the European Digital Cinema Forum (EDCF).

visit www.cinematech.today FOR ALL YOUR NEWS & INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

MARCH 2018

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INTERVIEW

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Steve Knibbs: c.o.o. for vue The master of the modern multiplex With 30 years in exhibition, Vue’s COO Steve Knibbs knows better than any the issues that cinemas face.

Patrick von Sychowski tackled him on transformation ou have a career that effectively spans the modern British era of multiplexes, going back to your job at the first AMC multiplex in Milton Keynes. What are the phases and cycles that you make out looking back on your journey so far?

Phase 1: the founding multiplex model — imported straight from Kansas City!

Sloped floors/central foyer and retail stand (known as concessions)/focus on lots of shows for choice/cleanliness and service were paramount/central projection booths/ first computerised ticket systems/Dolby Sound in all screens as standard/all run by

Y

Phase 2: Increasing the food offers — Coffee started to be introduced together with Pick’n’Mix and the first scoop ice cream offers.

Phase 3: Stadium seating and the ‘rush for share’— started to be introduced in the early to mid-90’s and straight away became the new industry standard – improved sight lines and larger floor-to-ceiling screens. During this phase the UK and some European territories saw the ‘rush for share’ with numerous companies entering doing lots of deals and raising the cost of cinema development quite dramatically — Village Roadshow, Hoyts, Cinemark, Ster Century — all these companies sold up and left eventually. Generally, many of the sites

“SOME PEOPLE ARE SIMPLY MORE DRIVEN AND EMPATHETIC ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND BELIEVE IN IT WITH A PASSION” high-quality, enthusiastic management and staff/focus on training programmes to ensure consistency of delivery and high standards/changing people’s expectations of what to expect from a cinema, definitely not ‘flea-pit’.

Initial sites were all out of town in the new generation of shopping malls being built or on retail parks or large standalone units. The first companies were AMC in 1985 and National Amusements in 1987 (Showcase Cinema’s brand), followed by CIC (Paramount and Universal) of the UK-based operators.

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built were too large with high rent levels and in too many competitive markets, therefore not providing sufficient returns for investors Phase 4: The megaplex era — in the mid to late 90s. Kinepolis had already done this successfully in Belgium and, later, Spain and France. US companies, led by AMC started to build up to 30 screen megaplexes.

This trend has not been sustained — too large, too expensive, too much competition impacting admission levels. These were huge financial gambles that did not really pay off, with a few notable exceptions

finding success where competition has not eroded admission levels.

Phase 5: the move into town and city centres in the UK driven by changes in Government Planning Regulations.

Companies such as Everyman and Picturehouse started to form and drive new locations refuribished successfully in older city centre sites.

Phase 6: the digital revolution, helped by 3D — better quality images, greater flexibility, growth of smaller operators in smaller markets, government support in some territories.

Phase 7: regional consolidation — incountry acquisition had always happened, but since the mid 2000s there was an increase in regional mergers and acquisitions on a larger scale, leading to Vue, Odeon and Cineworld’s growth in multiple territories — but also for operators such as Pathé, Kinepolis and UGC. Phase 8: global consolidation — the final phase and where we are heading now. In the next three years, three or four major global cinema companies will have a presence on all continents with direct deals with the major studios.

Last year Vue re-opened its flagship West End multiplex to much fanfare. What do you see as the priorities in modernising and upgrading other Vue sites?

Vue West End is one of our templates for continually upgrading our circuit The basics will always apply — seats, sound, screen. You have to protect what people choose to come to the cinema for in www.cinematech.today

INTERVIEW

35

Vue’s flagship cinema in the West End: a testbed for the chain’s innovations

regularly visiting cinemas all help ensure we keep up the high standards that we set ourselves in all our territories.

We keep hearing about the importance of Big Data — how is Vue turning all the data that it already has on its customers into smarter, targeted customer relations?

I can only give a generic answer as a lot of this area is highly commercially sensitive, but essentially Vue collects data via all its interactions with customers. We use that data to target messages carefully. Our promotions to customers encourage them to book tickets and visit us more often. What I can say is that the use of data is a daily and even hourly piece of work that never stops.

You need highly proficient and skilled people to interpret that data and then match it to the appropriate response. The days of

INVESTING WHERE?

the first place, the best seats, amazing sound and perfect pictures — better than they can ever have in their own home.

The look and feel of the cinema has also to be addressed as you want people to see and feel the cinema is a modern, up-to-date place to go and spend their time. Interior design should never be an afterthought.

How can cinemas become better at investing in their staff, helping to make them the customer-focused human face of the business?

This is a huge question and it goes to the heart of what we have always tried to do at Vue. We believe that employing the best general managers and supporting them with ongoing, meaningful and targeted training programmes will lead to them attracting better managers and better staff.

I have found over many years that if a cinema doesn’t have that welcoming feel www.cinematech.today

about it when you walk in then often this is a reflection of the general manager and the personal standards he or she adopts. Some people are just more driven and empathetic about service and believe in it with a passion. Find those people and don’t compromise. You basically want people who want to have both the cleanest washroom facilities (standards) and are drawn to people (friendly service). That sounds easy, but it’s a 24/7 process constantly to be looking for this combination.

Many of our team are students and for a lot of them Vue is one of their first entries into the workplace. As you would expect, Vue has very clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) that cover all aspects of running a cinema.

We have the supporting training framework to help deliver these. Constantly checking, following up, and asking questions, and our operations teams

Digital was a seminal technology shift, but it seems that business practices are only just shifting from an analogue mind-set. Where do you see the challenges as exhibitors have to decide where and what to invest in?

Steve: We have myriad choices, these are some of the key investment areas: General cinema refurbishment to keep our offers relevant and fresh and ahead of customer expectations Seating upgrades — it is no longer just repairing or replacing existing seats, we have to consider VIP and recliner seats as options New auditorium offers – D-Box, 4DX, large format screens Food and Beverage upgrades — from basic and usual concession retrofits to full in-screen service options.

Digital — website, apps, CRM programmes New sites Digital projection upgrades as equipment ages: digital vs. laser, for example Sound upgrades — Atmos Digital POS — no more paper and cardboard in cinema You base decisions on those that provide the best return. This does not necessarily mean a short-term decision, it may be the best return to invest in a site that provides a longer term guarantee in the fight to retain customers in a competitive market.

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INTERVIEW

meets...

sending out mass non-targeted emails (spam, basically) are a long way behind us and we aim to develop messaging to customers that is as personally relevant as we can possibly make it. Every interaction helps improve our knowledge of a customer and makes communication more relevant.

With the merger of Disney and Fox looming in 2018, as well as Netflix and Amazon increasing production spend, what is the future relationship between cinemas and content owners?

There has been and always will be a changing landscape of who produces films and how they get to market. The traditional studio-distributor-exhibitor model is evolving and eventually with the continued rise of large regional and global exhibitors there is more likelihood of us seeing direct deals between studios/content providers and larger exhibitors. These will cover not just content but also marketing (in cinema and online), shared use of customer data and other promotional activity.

How can the industry get better at catering to female audiences — other than depending on particular film titles — as well as promoting female managers?

Our customer split reflects society — roughly 50/50 — so you could argue that CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

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Protecting the cinematic difference is central to the experience at Vue

we already cater for all sections of society.

However, I recognise the intent behind the question and undoubtedly catering to more female-centric audiences requires an appreciation of what drives a cinema visit in the first place. Having a comfortable, welcoming design and atmosphere rather than a cold, harsh look and feel can only help. Overall service levels need to carry on improving. The rise of branded café offers and comfortable seating spaces in the cinema and the range of F&B on offer also plays a part.

With regard to promoting more female managers, Vue’s goal has always been to have in place robust policies that are free from any kind of discrimination other than merit and capability to do the job. This means that anyone in the organisation that has a desire to progress their career (including female managers), has equal access to training, personal development and new opportunities.

How do we define ‘innovation’ within the cinema business? Is it trying new things like VR and AR, or is it something more than that?

‘Innovation’ for me is how to stay one step ahead of customer expectations — your core cinema offer, your choice of what is shown on screen — films and all other content,

your pricing, your communication with customers, it all needs constantly to change and adapt. Innovation should stretch across all areas of the business from how the cinema appears, to what it shows, at what price and how we communicate this. That means you should be challenging the current business all the time and having ideas set in the “test, learn and move on” mode constantly.

I’m not certain if VR or AR or anything else provides answers, what I do know is that they have to be market-tested and those elements that customers like and respond to and from which you can grow your business will gain traction and be rolled out on a wider stage.

Stand still and die was never more appropriate than in today’s faster-moving social environment.

Where would you like to see Vue and the cinema industry in five to ten years time?

That’s an easy one! Vue will be one of the top three companies in the cinema industry in the coming years.

visit www.cinematech.today FOR ALL YOUR NEWS & INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

www.cinematech.today

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CINEASIA 2017

CINEASIA FINDS ITS OWN VOICE

Amongst those showing their films were Edko Films (Hong Kong), Lotte Cinemas (Korea) and Unifrance and StudioCanal (France).

The growth at the Chinese box office in 2017 was up 13.45% in local terms but up 30% in US$ terms

www.cinematech.today

3,000

The market in Saudi Arabia could soon extend to as many as 3,000 screens

Asia-Pacific is powering cinema growth — and the region’s key market is brimming with confidence, as Patrick von Sychowski discovered at CineAsia 2017

ineAsia might be a comparatively small cinema trade show for such a large region, but 2017 was the year that it truly embraced its Chinese home. The show at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre in December launched a day earlier than usual with a special “Focus on China” held almost entirely in Mandarin (with English translation), which included a keynote

by Dr. Man-Nang Chong, chairman and CEO of presenting sponsor GDC Technology, entitled “How Technology is Changing the Cinema Landscape.”

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13.45%

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This was followed by presentations on the Chinese cinema marketplace, new local cinema technology (CGS+THX) and trends within China such as luxury cinema — a subject reported on in the previous issue of Cinema Technology.

The show launched formally the following day with the first outing by the Motion Picture Association’s new Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin stressing “the bright future of cinema” and emphasising the symbiotic relationship between studios and global cinemas. It was a timely message given the launch of the Global Cinema Federation, which convened at CineAsia, the return of MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

China

+291% US Studios all give CineAsia support, but in 2017 one domestic film powered China's BO

growth at the Chinese box office in 2017 (up 13.45% in local terms but up 30% in dollar terms) and the continued development of Asia as the world’s largest cinema market. “When it comes to constructing premier cinemas and creating memorable experiences, you [Asia-Pac] are setting the pace,” MPAA’s Rivkin acknowledged.

The engine that powers growth

In a widely admired keynote, 20th Century Fox’s Kurt Reider (hopefully kept on once merged with Disney) emphasized that that Asia-Pac is still the engine that powers global cinema growth, with 38.6% global market share, compared to Europe’s 24.6% and North America’s 29.5%. Expertly led as always by Dolby’s Ioan Allen, the ICTA panel that followed covered a range of topics including data, viral marketing and Millennials wanting to feel they discover films organically. The consumer panel discussion after this had a GenZ:er, Millennial and GenX:er on stage discussing what attracts them or keeps them from going to cinema — a novel conference concept.

The show enjoyed support from all the Hollywood studios, showing product reels and films such as Coco, Downsizing and The Greatest Showman.

Also showing their films were regional players such as Edko Films (Hong Kong) and Lotte Cinemas (Korea), as well as Unifrance and StudioCanal CINEMA TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2018

(France). Disney’s acquisition of Fox was a major talking point amongst the attendees, as was the announcement that Saudi Arabia is now finally allowing cinemas to open, with AMC, Vue, Gulf-based and Indian exhibitors all now lining up to cater to a market that some believe could grow to as many as 3,000 screens.

But China was the biggest focus, with audio-visual regulator SAPPRFT data showing the world’s largest cinema market expanding, with the number of screens growing by 23% from 41,179 in 2016 to 50,776 by the end of 2017. After box office growth of just 3.7% in the previous year, Chinese, Hollywood and Bollywood films all helped saw growth return to the Mainland box office (see side panels opposite and overleaf), even as it shrank for the second year running in Hong Kong itself. With China’s film import

Vietnam

+148% The APAC region has posted some impressive growth figures in the past few years

Population meets popularity to propel APAC's cinema forward

quota set to be re-negotiated in 2018 and several much anticipated releases both from China (The Mermaid 2) and Hollywood (Jurassic World, Solo, etc.) there was optimism about the outlook for next year.

Meanwhile, there was the usual CineAsia University on the tradeshow floor, though while the conference presentations had been first rate, here the topics didn’t feel quite as fresh as the nearby popcorn being made by Cretor’s. Time for a rethink on presentations about POS technology, concessions marketing, collectibles and Coca-Cola’s beverage strategies for growth? Too many of the presentations came across as simply going through the motions. www.cinematech.today

CINEASIA 2017

APAC MPA All-Media Film Revenue Growth (inUS$ 2012-16)

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'WOLF WARRIOR 2': ACTION APLENTY Wolf Warrior 2, the action film directed by and starring Wu Jing was released on 27 July and went on to gross a staggering $867m in China. This doesn’t just make it China’s biggest film ever, it is also the most any film has grossed in its domestic market, bested only by Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which took $936 million in North America.

Indonesia

+118%

Phillippines

+60%

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+52%

Australia

+5%

The Rambo-like film sees Chinese special ops soldiers protecting Chinese aid workers from rebels and mercenaries in an African country during an epidemic outbreak. Closer to action films in the Hollywood hero mould than traditional communist team effort films — Marvel stunt co-ordinator Sam Hargreave and Avengers and Captain America directors the Russo Brothers acted as consultants — the film’s patriotism was warmly received by Chinese audiences.

One of the posters showed the lead actor giving the middle finger with the slogan “Anyone who offends China, no matter how remote, must be exterminated.”

The film's success was unexpected, particularly given the average BO performance of its predecessor.

But it not only outperformed last year’s next biggest hit — The Fate of the Furious took $393m — but ended up accounting for around 10% of 2017’s total box office in China ($8.58bn) and contributed significantly to the 13.4% year-onyear increase.

On the floor, behind the door

The trade show was dominated by the usual projector companies, with seating being the other big category.

There were more Chinese companies than ever in everything from bulbs and carpets to PLF solutions and TMS software. Several large companies that always have booths at CinemaCon and CineEurope were notable in their absence from the trade show floor (no names to spare blushes).

CineAsia is a show where, more than any other, key meetings take place in hotel and meeting rooms, as well as coffee shops, with many people never taking the escalators to the theatre presentation and trade show floors. One of the new www.cinematech.today

CineAsia attracts leading figures, as here led by Dolby's Ioan Allen

MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

DON'T FORGET INDIA While China was CineAsia 2017’s big focus, the region’s other big market was not forgotten. India produces more films and sells more tickets than any other country in the world. Yet under-screening and low ticket prices continue to put the country at a disadvantage.

India has just over 8,000 screens, of which a little over a quarter are multiplex screens, compared to China's 50,000+ screens, most of which are new multiplexes.

Clockwise from top left: the MPAA's new CEO Charles Rivkin formally opened the show, stressing the relationship between studios and global cinemas; Fox's Kurt Reider and Universal China's Anne Wong debating the global trends

developments of the show was GDC Technology’s Cinema Automation 2.0 concept, promoted by CEO Dr. Chong with a passion that went beyond simply selling a TMS Server solution that streams films straight to the projector without the need for local IMS storage. Dr. Chong sees it as a possibility to re-think completely how and what films get shown in cinemas, with an on-demand capability enabling audiences to choose new or old films to watch as easily as they would order a meal to be delivered home by Uber

$40m Korean-made film Midnight Runners grossed $40m for Lotte Entertainment

Eats. This point was driven home in an impressive live simulation at GDC’s booth of ‘The Future of Cinema Automation Technology’.

Envious multiplex growth

Asia is unique in that not only is it growing strongly — beyond China there is significant expansion in Indonesia, India, Vietnam and now also Saudi Arabia — but that it is building spectacular multiplexes that have never seen a 35mm projector and for whom luxury and recliners come as standard. But what can the rest of the world learn from the region, rather than simply looking on from afar with envy?

At the closing reception, Barco was saluted as “Technology Innovator of the Year” and Wim Buyens was in town, not just to accept the award, but also to put finishing touches to the joint-venture partnership with China Film Group, Appotronics and CITIC that aims to fund and enable the next stage roll out of new digital cinema equipment globally. With no new VPF coming from Hollywood and consolidation setting in (Cineworld’s acquisition of Regal came just after the show), in the face of the challenge from online streaming, the industry in Asia is looking to the future with hope and trepidation. These sentiments were shared by colleagues from Europe, who were more numerous than ever before this year. The 2017 show might have had a strong Chinese flavour, but like CinemaCon and CineEurope it is increasingly also a global show.

"Steps must be taken towards opening of new screens across the country, especially in the remote areas and smaller cities,” an Indian government task force on innovation stated in a 2017 report, recommending that regional governments should “incentivise new screens as also conversion of single screen theatres into multi-screen complexes. Someone driving Indian screen growth was PVR’s CEO Ajau Bijli who was named “Exhibitor of the Year” at CineAsia’s closing day luncheon.

India’s largest cinema chain with 579 screens, it has also been embracing innovation such as 4DX and luxury cinemas.

If that wasn’t enough recognition, Dangal became the biggest nonHollywood hit ever in China when it made the 2017 Top 10, earning over $200m at China's box office — more than in India. The Aamir Khanproduced true story of a father training his daughters to overcome prejudice to become wrestling champions struck an unexpected chord with Chinese cinemagoers.

GDC's Cinema Automation 2.0 looks to bring dynamic ordering to our screens

CINEMA TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2018

www.cinematech.today

ECA CONFERENCE

EVENT CINEMA: LIVE &

The ECA’s conference drew an international crowd to Leicester Square last month — Alastair Balmain reports on the energy that’s helping live cinema’s sector to flourish

ho here thinks event cinema could hit $1bn globally at the box office by 2019?"

Industry grandee John Rubey opened last month’s Event Cinema Association conference with challenging words. His was a provocative start to the event at the Vue Leicester Square, in London — few hands shot up in air — but as the day’s proceedings and the international turnout demonstrated, the sector is alive with dynamism and a creative spirit. Whether event cinema hits that figure next year or at some point in the future, it won’t be for lack of trying.

With a global membership in excess of 200 companies, the ECA’s conference has fast-established itself as an essential date for professionals in the sector. With a strong emphasis on distribution and technical providers — the event’s major sponsors included Gofilex, Encompass, CinemaNext and Motion Picture Solutions — the introductory session illustrated why the best event cinema is a symbiosis of content and technical delivery.

Led by James Dobbin, director of event cinema at National Amusements, Alice de Rosa, from Trafalgar Releasing; Vue’s Johnny Carr; and Odeon’s Karen Liu reflected on the past decade and gave predictions for event cinema’s future direction. As Karen Liu noted, the unfavourable comparison between last year’s box office figures and 2015 and 2016 was, to an extent dependent on titles: “Those years had some really great titles, such as Sherlock, Take That and so on — to

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CINEMA TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2018

thrive event cinema needs bigger titles to come through.” It was a comment echoed by James Dobbin, who called for more theatrical hits such as Wicked to make it to the event cinema screen.

Away from more mainstream content, innovative programming to niche audiences was identified

by Johnny Carr as central to Vue’s success — last year the chain’s revenue was up 25% for event cinema.

He explained: “That was through recognising opportunities beyond the standard event cinema programming given to us.” Targeting audiences such as pre-school children and parents, they are reaching a previously untapped market with lower ticket prices and an earlier slot in the day.

The importance of live

One of the most telling statistics to be discussed was from a recent IPSOS/ MORI survey of National Theatre audiences — 47% said that they didn’t attend live performances because it was “inconvenient”, illustrating that there is opportunity for programmers to schedule encores beyond the live date, however, as Karen Liu highlighted: “The live broadcast creates the urgency — marketing is focused around it. For smaller titles we chase the live date to ensure bookings, with bigger titles,

From left to right: James Dobbin leads the morning session; networking was a major draw; Vue hosted a good crowd for the event

47% of respondents to a recent poll found live performances inconvenient

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approximate ECA worldwide membership

“WE NEED CAPACITY FOR SCREENINGS, BUT ALSO AN ELEMENT OF SCARCITY TO ENSURE AUDIENCES ARE ENGAGED”

such as Warhorse and Hamlet, there is the desire to see the production which warrants encores.” Johnny Carr reinforced that point, noting that one in four Vue customers that saw Hamlet then booked to see an encore.

Trafalgar’s Alice de Rosa emphasised that, when marketing events, dialogue with exhibition is critical.

“It’s fundamental to be on sale as far ahead as you can be before the event night,” she explained, “There needs to be capacity for screenings, but also an element of scarcity in the programming to ensure the audience is engaged.”

Capturing audiences beyond the cinema market was raised as a potential area for improvement, as Alice de Rosa explained, “The next step should be to think about how we present the event cinema industry internationally. Wouldn’t it be great if The Stage magazine were here at this conference, or MusicWeek? In the music industry, in particular, there is a worrying perception about the commercial viability and technical standards of cinema presentation. We work hard to cement our reputation with content owners, but as an industry we could be presenting this better.”

A lot of territory covered

The conference was not exclusively focused on content, however. An entertaining and occasionally alarming presentation from Ben Rapp, of Managed Networks, highlighted the urgent need for exhibitors to take data security seriously, especially given the forthcoming GDPR regulations (see his article on the subject on page 61), www.cinematech.today

ECA CONFERENCE

LIVELY while Joe Evea, from event cinema marketplace Cineplace, illustrated with the help of consultant Jan Runge, how audience data can be used by exhibitors to uncover actionable insights about the location and behaviour of specific interest groups.

Afternoon sessions saw global insights on how distributors and exhibitors are appealing to audiences in locations as disparate as Australia, where the Event Cinema chain’s Claire Gandy explained delayed live and encore content has a strong appeal due to inconvenient European/US performance start times, and Canada where ECA board member Brad La Douceur, the Cineplex chain’s vice president of event cinema, highlighted that the company has been busy turning screens in several of its multiplexes into “event only” screens, resulting in a 38% increase in like-forlike revenue against standard screens.

All these findings were enhanced by extensive networking, supported by a long list of generous sponsorship partners (including welcome prosecco popsicles from Pops, and gin-laced ice cream from Speakeasy…).

Ten years ago live broadcasts in cinemas brought a new dimension to an industry that seemingly had thrived for decades on a turgidly consistent business model. The inventive approach adopted by the event sector illustrates that it is possible to bring fresh thinking, fresh audiences and ground-breaking experiences to screens around the world.

visit www.cinematech.today FOR ALL YOUR NEWS & INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

www.cinematech.today

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CELEBRATING BOX OFFICE SUCCESS

Recognising what works is one of the key elements of the ECA’s conference, with the association's annual awards hailing the sector's box office successes. “The criteria are simple,” said Melissa Cogavin, managing director of the ECA, “Box Office Awards are open to ECA distributor members. 100,000 admissions wins a Bronze medal, 250,000

BRONZE AWARDS (100,000 ADMISSIONS) Exhibition on Screen (UK) Fathom Events (USA) Nexo Digital (Italy) Pathé Live (France) Trafalgar Releasing (UK)

admissions is a silver award and 500,000 admissions is a gold award.” The winners this year demonstrated the international nature of the industry, with awards going to distributors in the UK, Italy, France, the Netherlands, and a multitude of gongs to Fathom Events in the US — including one for the only gold medal, awarded for last year’s smash hit Pokémon.

SILVER AWARDS (250,000 ADMISSIONS) Piece of Magic Entertainment (Netherlands) Trafalgar Releasing (UK) – Dave Gilmour Live in Pompeii

GOLD AWARD (500,000 ADMISSIONS) Fathom Events – Pokémon The Movie – I Choose You!

MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

46 PROJECTOR MAINTENANCE

the dying of the light

PROJECTOR MAINTENANCE

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Just how long a life can a cinema operator expect from their digital projector? Equipment installers Sound Associates have been handling projection systems for years — Graham Lodge and Mark Foreman examine the issue of longevity.

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OUND ASSOCIATES has been installing digital cinema projectors since 2006 — and almost 12 years later some of those are still running, albeit only just (due to modern technologies) and with reduced light output due to the age of the components.

As with film projectors, a regular maintenance and service will keep a digital projector running at its optimum for its age.

It is important to ensure the light path is kept clean, this includes the mirrors, light filters, light engine and prism. As of today, we can hazard a guess that at least 35% of the original projectors are still in service.

But there does come a time when costs of

“IT CAN BE EXPENSIVE TO KEEP UP WITH TECHNOLOGY” replacement parts outweighs a replacement projector. With technology ever-improving, the cost to light a 7m wide screen 10 years ago, will be half this today. Today’s projectors can be smaller with different light sources and greater efficiency.

Nearly 12 years, on we have seen the Series 1 projector, Series 2 projector and now some manufacturers are releasing a Series 3 projector. Following the manufacturers’ product release schedule, projectors seem to evolve every six years. Of course, this does not mean a six-year-old machine is obsolete.

It is not just projector manufacturers that affect the machine’s life. We have seen various servers in the mix. Today with the

servers for Series 1 projectors supported by none but a few suppliers, exhibitors have limited options if a server fails. Is this like putting a Band Aid on and hoping it lasts? It is a solution for exhibitors not ready to change yet. A lot of exhibitors prefer a particular brand and, in some cases, are forced to change a working Series 1 projector to use a server brand they know and love.

It can be difficult and expensive to keep up with the fast pace of newer technologies and improvements. As an example, fingers were burnt when to run an HFR film you had to buy an IMB then storage and installation — there was little ROI on that one. But competition amongst exhibitors to be better than the next grows stronger.

Once again it is a case of being forced into newer tech or being left behind. With new technologies breaking into the cinema market, does this cause exhibitors to hold off replacing equipment? If you wait for the equipment to come to market, see what the issues are, wait for improvements and upgrades and the cost to reduce before purchasing, the next technical advancement is already on its way.

So how long do digital projectors last?

OK — that’s easy. We’ve installed these things for years. We can look up in our records what models we installed where and when and then check which are still running. Of course, it’s not so simple. We have single screen cinemas with a projector that runs 2-3 hours a day 7 days a week right through to projectors in multiplexes operating 12-14 hours a day 364 days a year which run with virtually no human input.

SO WHAT FACTORS AFFECT THE LIFE OF A DIGITAL PROJECTOR — AND SERVER?

Size of lamp fitted

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Sufficient ventilation

Good electric supply

Clean filtered air supply

Hours run

Software updates

Regular maintenance

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48 PROJECTOR MAINTENANCE

Size of Lamp fitted A xenon lamp outputs half its wattage as heat and the rest of the energy is used up creating the light.

So a 3000W xenon lamp outputs approximately 1500W of heat! Even with the best extraction system, that heat and light does cause damage over a long period of time and most of the wear and tear is to the reflector in the lamphouse — sometimes only 50mm away from the lamp itself and taking the full force of the xenon lamp.

In tests conducted by Mike Bradbury at Odeon Cinemas, he showed that the reflectivity of a lamphouse mirror can degrade by up to 25% over the life of the projector, meaning the projector that started life having lots of available light for the size of screen is now struggling to achieve the desired light level on screen.

ideal operating temperatures and when things get too hot (or too cold) then bad things happen. Electrical circuits bake together with the internal wiring harnesses inside a projector which then have the habit of failing at the most inopportune moment — typically just before the Saturday evening feature.

Plug-in circuit boards expand and contract when they get hot — and over a period of time will start to wear out the contact between the board and the socket it is plugged into. Things can also go wrong if the projector is cold — xenon lamps also like to be run at the right temperature. Too hot and they can become unstable or explode, but we have also come across situations where too much ventilation is not good for the operating life of a xenon. Between 250 and 500 cubic feet per minute of ventilation

“EVERY PART OF A PROJECTOR THAT HAS LIGHT EITHER BOUNCING OFF IT OR PASSING THROUGH IT WILL DEGRADE OVER ITS LIFE” Every part of the projector that has light either bouncing off it or passing through it will degrade over the life of projector — some things can be simply cleaned to maximise the light reflected/transmitted, but eventually this will have less and less effect and the impact becomes more and more severe — as dust builds up in a light engine, the dust itself becomes hot and baked onto the prism surfaces. This stops the light transmission through the prism so the lamp needs to be run harder and harder to achieve the same light level.

Sufficient Ventilation The most common source of projector ageing can be caused by too little or too much ventilation.

Like all electrical equipment a digital projector and the xenon lamp inside it have

depending on the lamp fitted is about right.

Did you know that most cinema projectors will not turn on if the ambient temperature in the projection room is below 10 degrees centigrade? We have projectors under service contract in Iceland and we know all about this!

Reliable Smooth Power It goes without saying that a good clean electrical supply will ensure that a projector will run as reliably as possible. Sometimes a cinema is at the mercy of the capability of the local power grid and you just have to accept what you are given, but it is always worth considering fitting a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to run the electronic circuits in a projector which will protect the machine against some mains spikes or interference.

25%

2-3

The reflectivity of a lamphouse mirror can degrade by up to 25% over the life of the projector

Lead Acid batteries typically have an operating lifetime of 2-3 years max

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but don’t forget to check the batteries in your UPS. They are most probably lead acid batteries and they have an operating lifetime of 2-3 years max. The last thing you want is to go off screen because the UPS batteries have failed — something that you installed to ensure the longevity of your projector! Run a test of your UPS every couple of months and if the system shuts down after a very short time then get someone in to look at the problem. A good, well specified, UPS should run the electronics of your projector and server system for at least 10 minutes.

Clean Air Every projector and server has fans that are intended to pull cool air into the device and keep the internal components cool. Most of these devices have air filters on the outside to remove as much dust as possible on the way in but everything you can do to keep the dust levels in the room as low as possible will make the filters last as long as possible.

Servers are just big computers and these devices don’t like getting hot either — a motherboard covered in dust will not last anywhere near as long as one that is nice and dust free.

Hours run You would think that the overall life of a projector would be determined in most cases by the total hours the projector has been run — not necessarily so. In common with most pieces of machinery, projectors tend to last the longest when they are used regularly, not run too hard (ie maximum sized lamp running at maximum current) and are serviced regularly to ensure they are as clean as possible (inside and out). There is no hard and fast rule to say projector X run in condition Y will last Z years. We know of some projectors approaching 10 years old that have been turned on 24/7 and running fine — others that have been only used for 3 shows a week are becoming problematic and unreliable after 5-6 years. The important things is to do as much as possible to get the best operating life out of the equipment you have.

Consider also the not-so-regular things that need changing in a projector. Every machine has a number of cooling fans (some 20+ fans!) and these need changing according to manufacturer’s recommendations. Some of these fans run all the time the projector is powered up and some only when the lamp is on. Sometimes the difference between the two run times www.cinematech.today

PROJECTOR MAINTENANCE

can be very small — but sometimes the hours run and the lamp on times can be very different.

Regular Software updates These do not normally have a great effect on the operating life of the projector — they are mostly to do with the day-to-day operation — but it is still important that these updates are installed when issued by the manufacturer just to be on the safe side. It may be that there is better monitoring of temperatures within the projector or something similar.

Regular Maintenance It is vitally important that your projector and server is maintained regularly to ensure that filters are cleaned/changed, coolant refreshed, and the internals of the projector are inspected to ensure that everything is working as it should be. You may have a projector that externally looks perfect but inside there are things going on that a maintenance visit will catch before a component fails. It is not simply the cost of replacement items when a projector goes off screen — it is the lost ticket revenue, concessions and reputation that often costs a lot more. Sometimes a projector is monitored by a remote NOC (Network Operating centre) and they can keep a remote eye on the status of your projector and server and hopefully will catch issues with your equipment before it becomes an off-screen event. There are also automatic monitoring systems that need no human intervention such as the Barco CineCare software package. This runs on a PC in the cinema and talks back to a central database which contacts the maintenance contractor if something goes out of tolerance with the equipment. We have had a number of situations where we contact a cinema and tell them of an issue with their projector and what we are doing to fix it before they are even aware of the issue themselves.

Server Operating hours Every cinema server has a number of hard disc drives installed which provide the internal storage for adverts, trailers and features to be played back through the projector. Hard discs have a limited lifetime and these are often run 24/7 365 days per year — especially when we now have electronic content delivery systems that want to transfer feature films and other downloaded content across to the playout server overnight.

That having been said, most hard discs www.cinematech.today

will be happiest when they are left running all the time. There is less strain on the motors to leave the discs running and less potential for damage to the read/write heads if these disc stays spinning, but when you find hard drives in servers with 75,000+ hours running time (8 years powered up!) then it is definitely time to start changing these. When hard drives this old start to fail, the end is nigh. They will start losing the ability to transfer data fast enough and then degrade very quickly.

Most cinema systems have redundancy in them which allows for a single drive to fail completely without affecting playback — but when you have three drives all 8+ years old then it is likely that something catastrophic will happen when you least expect it. You have been warned!

Number of Features played back The life of a hard drive will also be determined to some extent by the amount of data read and written to it. In some cinemas where features are moved between screens depending on ticket sales, this can result in huge amounts of data being moved between servers in a short space of time. This can have a detrimental effect on the life of a drive.

S

o after all this, what is the answer to how long your projector will last? Answer — it depends on what you have, how you run it and what you want out of your projection system now and in the future.

One important thing to note is that all DCI projectors will never become obsolete in terms of being able to play back DCI content.

The Studios mandated in the early days of DCI that even a 10+ year old DCI compliant projector will be supplied with content by the Studios. Top consideration should be “does the projector do now what it used to do when it was new?”. What features would you like your current projector to do that can’t be achieved and how reliable is it?

Does it still do what it did when it was new? Most probably, but it might not be as bright as it used to be. If that’s not a problem and you can just turn up the current a bit then that’s fine. What new features or facilities would you like it to provide? More storage of feature films, HFR, HDR, HDCP support (most 6+ year old projectors do not have an HDMI connection and do not support High Definition Copy Protection) so you cannot connect BluRay or Games consoles directly and have to downgrade to lower quality playback solutions.

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RELIABILITY/ REPAIRABLILITY One of the biggest challenges to a cinema that currently owns a Series One projector is the availability of replacement servers that it can connect to. As of the middle of last year, if a Series One server breaks down and cannot be repaired then there are no new Series One compatible servers available for sale and the only available solution is second-hand servers that have been reclaimed from old installations.6+ year old servers have components in them that have most likely been out of production for 3+ years — such is the technological rate of change in the computer industry and that’s what series one servers are, big computers with a secure playback card mounted in them. Hard drives can be changed, power supplies swapped, but when it comes to motherboards and Raid controllers you are into a “make do and mend” situation with parts coming from other old servers.

Those with 10 year Virtual Print Fee contracts should be in luck — your equipment VPF supplier would have to provide you with a replacement if your VPF funded server fails under warranty.

Even if a projector/server is under warranty a breakdown is a serious situation — especially in a single screen cinema — the impact in terms of ticket sales, concession sales and reputation can be far greater than the cost of repair. We have a number of customers now who are replacing their projectors and purchasing new ones under 5 year lease plans to spread the cost — and these plans include warranty and service as part of the monthly payment.

This gives the cinema operator peace of mind, and the latest equipment to play back the features (and other non-DCI content) in the best possible way.

To contact Sound Associates, visit www.soundassociates.co.uk

visit www.cinematech.today FOR ALL YOUR NEWS & INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

MARCH 2018

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CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

How has the term ‘cinema’ changed over the medium’s brief lifetime? Alexa Raisbeck considers its dynamic meaning

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inema has always been an elusive term, one with a wide variety of meanings and uses.

The etymology of the word comes from the longer French cinématographe coined by Léon-Guillaume Bouly which in turn stems from the Ancient Greek, kinema meaning ‘movement’ and grapho meaning ‘writing’. The Lumière Brothers continued to use the term when they debuted their camera/projector device at the Regent Street Polytechnic (now the Regent Street Cinema) and later the Empire Leicester Square Theatre. Cinema at this point in its infancy, was very much ‘pop-up’ in style. Exhibited in pre-existing theatres, music halls, and storefronts, screenings were held wherever entrepreneurs could fit a projector and find a willing audience.

Cinema: A hazard to public health With so many of unregulated ‘pop-ups’ appearing, health and safety was a genuine concern. Nitrate film was extremely volatile, mixed with unpredictable projection equipment and a hot, focused light source, fires could happen at any time. Audiences herded and crammed into small spaces could also stampede in the case of alarm and panic in venues with unavailable or non-existent exit doors. To prevent injury and even death, the government of the day passed the Cinematograph Act 1909 which decreed that all premises presenting such shows were to be licensed by the local authorities. This set in motion construction of purpose-built ‘Picturehouses’, ‘Palaces’ CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

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technology.

Over the past century, as technology advanced, the buildings became less ornate, and more futuristic. They adapted to ensure the filmic content was at its most immersive and free from distraction. The introduction of the multiplex to the UK in 1985 epitomised this evolution, with box-shaped auditoriums and minimalist foyers.

Though it was once common to refer to individual cinemas by name — ‘The Tivoli’, ‘The Rialto’ — introduction of the multiplex and consolidation of major chains meant, that even today, many eschew ‘cinema’ in favour of the brand: are we going to the Everyman tonight? But ‘cinema’ still resonates in some places — after all it is the The Rio Cinema, The Prince Charles Cinema.

In both cases, the building itself features prominently, with merchandise depicting their distinctive sites for sale at both.

Cinema beyond the conventional and ‘Theatres’ with which we are familiar.

The Celluloid and Cinematograph Film Act 1922 further cemented the need for a purpose-built venue when it set out that all celluloid stock ‘should be kept in a fireresisting store room’ laying down the requirement for an enclosure known as ‘the box’. Consisting of a screen, seats and the box, this configuration is what we recognise today. Eventually, variety performances (film screenings alongside dancing acts and other entertainments) disappeared and the ‘kinema’ became a separate, distinct entity from theatre’s live performances — how the world turns, with event cinema now bringing live theatrical performances straight back to our screens.

Post-WWI the somewhat Germanic term kinema was put to rest. “Cinema” came to dominate the lexicon. One use of the term is, of course, the permanent building which itself houses film showings. In this understanding of the word it is a place, static and site-specific. Between the 1920s and 1940s, cinema buildings were built to be grandiose and to be attractions in their own right. Development in these buildings ran largely parallel to developments in film

Although no-one can refute that mainstream multiplexes are not also cinemas, in a concrete sense, some are still struggling to apply the word “cinema” to digitally automated presentations. Critic Mark Kermode’s famous comments regarding digitally automated screenings being like a ‘sweet shop with a video’ indicate the fear that something has been lost. Perhaps it is the magic or the ‘art’, certainly it is something in the cinematic that extends away from purely being the content. Which is why today “cinema” is arguably much more dynamic. Digital technology has allowed cinema to move forward in ways it previously was unable to do either due to cost, logistics or time.

Cinema has returned to its birth and is once again not constrained by four walls. It can be constructed in temporary scenarios relatively easily and this has led to a different kind of movement in the past decade, one that aims to capture the cinematic and encourages new and different kinds of engagement. Maximising the experience is the whole aim of Secret Cinema, one of the largest pop-up entities.

Immersive experiences, huge sets and www.cinematech.today

AND WHAT OF THE ART FORM? For cinephiles, ‘cinema’ represents the art form itself and is more abstract than a building that shows films.

Filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky defined it in Sculpting in Time as the exclusion of other arts such as theatre and literature. For audiences it often constitutes the aesthetics of the cinematography, editing and sound design. It extends to the film stock and the iconography associated with the word ‘film’.

A trip to ‘the flicks’ was still a popular pastime and yet also a way (like cinema/kinema) to describe motion — the transit of film through projection apparatus, the rotation of the shutter blade forcing the unconscious mind to perceive continuous moving images and flicker of the light source. Although ‘going to the flicks’ has fallen out of linguistic use, the prevalent US term ‘movies’ still points to this motion.

So now with every screen in the UK digitised what meaning does the term “cinema” still hold today? The concrete term applies to the industry of film and in terms of aesthetics, it still applies to cinematography, editing and good production values. It now also applies to the home, where technology is sufficiently good to rival the quality achieved in some cinemas and in some cases (as with Dolby Atmos) crosses over into the domestic.

countless actors and performers help to build the atmosphere around the chosen classic film. Venues change each time and months are spent creating and fine-tuning high production values. Nomad Cinema is another pop-up that appears outdoors in the summer in parks, gardens and even cemeteries across London. Similarly UK community cinema has also benefitted from increased digitisation — hundreds of clubs and communities screen films to local audiences with the support of Cinema for All, an organisation that offers both advice and equipment. These screenings enable access for those in more remote rural areas not served by purpose-built cinema.

So, despite the shift away from its technical origins, cinema does still have meaning and relevance in 2018. Its movement outwards is an expansion of our understanding to fit developments with technology and the way in which we engage with it. Perhaps “cinema” is more about actual engagement above all else. As technology progresses, I’m certain the term (both concrete and more abstract) will continue its motion outwards, to encompass new forms and modes of viewing.

Alexa Raisbeck is an artist, academic and AV professional trained as a 35/70mm film handler and projectionist, www.alexaprojector.com

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HOLOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

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Help me, vR films in 3d…

You’re my only hope!

VR is hailed as one of the most promising directions for cinema. Here Peter Knight argues the case for another possible direction — holographic projection

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magine going to the cinema in 2023.

Does it involve the prospect of a great white shark leaping from the outside of the cinema façade to try and savage you on the pavement, as famously predicted in the holo-poster for Jaws 19 in Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future Part II? Or perhaps, when you enter the auditorium, rather than sitting in straight rows, the configuration is more like a theatre in the round, with action taking place centre stage? Maybe you will be greeted by a “holo-usher” that guides you ethereally to your seat?

With new visual technology, higher resolution projectors and displays are we about to see the wider use of holographic www.cinematech.today

projection? Could it be that in the next five years there will be an auditorium next to the IMAX, LED screen, iSense or other PLF offering that will be exclusively reserved for holographic content? And if not there, will it be used elsewhere in the cinema?

A bit of background Whatever direction the technology takes, the link between holographic projection and cinema is well-established. Holographic technology was first developed by a Hungarian-British physicist, Dennis Gabor CBE, at British Thomson-Houston (BTH) in Rugby, Warwickshire, in 1947, when he was looking for methods to improve the resolution of electron microscopes. Gabor’s

initial experiments used a filtered mercury arc light source, but it wasn’t until the 1960s and the invention of the laser that the modern form of holographic projection was first realised. For his work, Gabor was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1971.

Tracing its roots back to the 1880s, BTH is synonymous with British 35mm film projectors, but the earliest forms of holographic “trick” predated that company by a good 20 years and Gabor’s work by 70 years or so. Popularised as a theatrical illusion, “Pepper’s Ghost” was an early technique developed by inventor Henry Dircks and refined by Professor John H. Pepper, lecturer at the Royal Polytechnic Institute, London — famous also for being MARCH 2018

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HOLOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

the birthplace of British cinema. Pepper’s entertainment created the illusion of a ghost able to walk through walls using an image projected onto a surface, often of non-opaque glass at right angles to the projector and the audience. This creates the impression of the image being somewhere else. The Victorians placed actors in the orchestra pit and then a piece of glass set at angles on to the stage. In the modern world it is possible to achieve a greater variety of applications with the addition of a projector instead of an actor.

Holograms are frequently used in the museum and tourist industries to enhance displays and exhibitions, but, like Pepper’s Ghost, their use is limited to an illusory novelty rather than a medium in its own right that essentially allows 3D story-telling without the need for glasses. Outlined below are some other sectors in which holographic technology is fast-developing:

Advertising/marketing

Creating a life-sized holographic performer

2 The image bounces onto a Mylar surface angled to reflect the image but leaves the Mylar invisible to the audience

Telepresence

Digital Resurrection

Aside from professional implementations, an increasingly popular format is the creation of a holographic viewer, crafted using a mobile phone and a reflective piece of plastic, often fabricated from old CD cases. An upended pyramid of Perspex placed over the screen allows the projection of a floating image seen within the pyramid.

There is an ever-growing amount of content on YouTube (search “hologram pyramid”, but, it is limited to the novelty side of the spectrum rather than a meaningful take on the medium’s cinematic potential.

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A real performer can interact alongside the projected image

A high definition projector throws the image onto the surface of the reflective floor

The marketing world is often a testbed for innovation and has been an early adopter of holographic technology. An example of this is courtesy of the British company Kino-mo.

While any holograms that have been on the market previously have tended to be expensive, thanks to time-consuming installations and the need for dedicated space, Kino-mo holo-displays provide a cost-effective, scalable alternative. At CES 2018, Kino-mo demonstrated its new product, Hypervsn. Hypervsn is a cuttingedge visual solution that uses a different technique to other holograms. Instead of adopting the principles of Pepper’s Ghost, it uses Persistence of Vision that lies at the heart of the film projector. A rig that consists of several spinning bars of LEDs are programmed to be on at specific times, the result is a floating image that is created in the air. Hypervsn is suited to POS and foyer applications and is being rolled out now, notably in “destination” shopping centres and upscale bars where specific brands and products can be given the wow factor.

One of the most notable formats that hologram technology has been used for thus far is what is now referred to as Digital Resurrection. Among others, EyeIlusion is a specialist production company in the music sector that has refined use of Pepper’s Ghost-style illusions to such an extent that it is possible to see (usually dead) celebrities, ‘brought back to life’ to perform in some way. Famously, Michael Jackson appeared on stage at the 2014 Billboard awards five years after his death. In 2018, Roy Orbison will once again be touring the world, 30 years after his death — in the UK over 70% of the tickets have already been sold.

Similarly, Frank Zappa (1940-1993) is back on tour with his surviving band members.

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1

Many in the business world will be used to video conferencing using tools such as Skype. The ability to interact with colleagues and customers on screen as well as the ability to share presentations directly makes a big difference to the effectiveness of intercontinental meetings. A development from traditional video conferencing is telepresence conferencing, which attempts to give the impression that participants are in the same room. Currently it often means half a boardroom table with a large video wall on the other side of it, often reflecting two locations. Holographic telepresence allows for people to be “present”, as imagined in the virtual meeting of spies in the film Kingsman: The Secret Service. This is a conferencing technology already marketed by a company, MDH Hologram, which, in 2014, projected Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to 126 sites simultaneously during his election campaign.

DIY on your mobile phone

Use in cinema?

With all the above in mind is it actually possible that holographic technology will make its way out of the novelty sphere into

45° angle

reflective surface

the cinema environment in earnest? In the same way that technologies such as IMAX started out showing mainly natural history content in a new, impressive format, could it be that holographic projection finds its feet the same way?

in cinemas: Advertising, Mostly?

As illustrated marketing and promotional companies are already making extensive use of holographic technology — and this is where initial installations in cinemas are likely to be seen, taking foyer content a step beyond video screens to promote upcoming movies and food and beverage offers.

Products such as Hypervsn could be adopted to catch the audience’s attention or even to direct them towards the right auditorium. Already it is possible to create holographic posters very much in the vein of the Jaws 19 shark attack scene.

What, however, of taking holograms into the auditorium as a form of presentation?

Could it work? Would it allow 3D films to be viewed without 3D glasses? Clearly, the auditorium would need some revisions to adapt to new technology, but not necessarily a huge amount — it would primarily involve projection onto a special “photonic reactive” (invisible to the eye) mesh screen often used in theatres. The principal challenge would lie in the production of the movies. It would require a new language that puts mise en scène literally inside the auditorium rather than on the screen.

Could holographic technology allow for a more theatrical experience and would it allow for other types of content, such as sports to be shown in a different way? Well, in October last year, Hologram USA opened the first of 100 proposed hologram theatres across the US in Hollywood. These theatres currently present mainly artist resurrection shows, natural wonders, CGI dinosaurs and www.cinematech.today

BEHIND PEPPER’S GHOST John H. Pepper, who was lecturing at the Royal Polytechnic Institute in London (considered to be the birthplace of cinema in the UK) in the 1860s, came up with an easy way to implement Henry Dirck’s Dircksian Phantasmagoria effect in existing theatres using a sheet of glass set at an angle to the audience.

Since Pepper popularised the illusion, it became known as Pepper’s Ghost though the two men are credited with its invention. Pepper showed the illusion at theatres around England and Australia, puzzling and astonishing his audiences.

One local newspaper even reported that accomplished physicist Michael Faraday returned to Pepper after seeing the illusion and demanded an explanation.

the like, but it doesn’t mean that, in the future, as with IMAX, there won’t be an expansion of the type of content found there.

Out of all the possible opportunities that holographic projection offers, event cinema may be the area that could benefit the most.

It could truly bring events to life in front of geographically dispersed audiences, making the experience more closely reflect the theatrical. The key challenge would lie in the processing of the live event and developing cameras and other techniques to enable it. Could holographic projection fuse the live experience enabling the audience to go even further behind the screen?

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New filmmaking techniques Holographic projection would require new storytelling techniques to exploit the 3D 360 experience to its full potential, but like all new technology that has been employed in filmmaking, from wide colour gamuts, immersive sound and 3D, this would develop and additional tools would make it easier for thisto be incorporated into production workflows. While we may not see a holographic feature in a cinema tomorrow, it is feasible that in a few years’ time this will be just as common as IMAX or 4D. It could just be that Princess Leia’s famous holographic message immortalised in Star Wars could indeed become a reality in the auditorium. No matter what technology is deployed, the story matters most. Success of holographic presentation arguably will rely on the ability of movie makers to see value in the technology for captivating audiences.

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DOLBY’S NEW CINEMA

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Improving on Perfection The recently upgraded Ray Dolby Theatre screening room in Dolby’s London HQ is a technological showcase — Jim Slater takes his seat for the performance

I

n mid-2012 I attended the opening of the Dolby Atmos Preview Theatre at Dolby at Soho Square, and in the years since I have been privileged to experience numerous film showings there, watching the high-contrast Dolby Vision images accompanied by Atmos sound. I remember coming out of one superb screening saying that ‘all films should be seen like that!’. Though I realise that it would never be practical for all cinemas to provide such wonderful ‘in the dark’ viewing conditions, I’m resolute on the point and, having watched enviously as more than 100 Dolby Cinema screens have been opened around the world — including the latest at Pathé Massy, Paris, in October — I cannot wait for the first commercial Dolby Cinema to open in the UK. In spite of regular attempts to get Dolby staff and various cinema managements to tell me where and when that might be (the largest auditorium in London is due for refurbishment soon...) no such information has been forthcoming. One can only presume negotiations are ongoing!

The 67-seat Ray Dolby Theatre, as the Soho preview theatre is named, has proved

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enormously popular with hirers, both for VIP screenings and for film grading sessions — a few seats can easily be removed to allow a grading desk to be installed quickly in the optimum position.

The unity gain flat white micro-perf screen from Harkness is ideal for critical viewing for grading purposes in both 2D and Dolby 3D. It is 7.36 metres wide by 3.1m high in ‘Scope. The original top-class projection equipment included a Christie 4230 4K projector with a 6kW lamp and a 35mm

Kinoton FP25 35mm film projector, but as befits a cinema at the top end of technical developments, many changes have been made over the years, including installation of a Christie Eclipse projector.

As the development of the Dolby Cinema system matured, the decision was made to bring the preview theatre in line with the latest technical standards, so, earlier in 2017, two Christie Dolby Vision Eclipse E3LH laser projectors were installed alongside the Christie CP4230, capable of providing 6P RGB pictures to the Dolby Cinema brightness standard of 108 nits, (31.5fL) with a contrast ratio of up to 1,000,000:1 and a colour gamut far exceeding P3. They are capable of dealing with high frame rates, including the famed 120fps of Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn.

Man in black?

Nick Watson, technical director of content relations, has been at Dolby for more than 20 years

Once you start viewing in the truly dark conditions then you start to notice reflections of light from the screen bouncing back from people and things in the auditorium to the extent that, in this most recent refurbishment, the ‘old’ dark red seats had been replaced by ones with MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

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DOLBY’S NEW CINEMA

matt-black upholstery. I suggested that this might be taking perfection too far, but Nick Nick Watson, Dolby’s technical director of content relations, assured me that the reduced reflection from the black seats does make a difference. The acoustic fabric on the walls has also been changed to black, but no changes were needed to the Dolby Atmos sound system using 38 JBL speakers individually fed from Crown amps. I refrained from suggesting that they will soon insist the audience wear black, but have noticed on previous occasions that you really can see reflections off people in white shirts in the Dolby Cinema environment.

Bringing in the builders Installing the twin Dolby Vision laser projectors was no mean feat. The long narrow projection room area that had previously housed a single rack of laser modules to feed the single projector just didn’t have room for the new twin laser racks, so they had to get the builders in and create a new room in an adjacent office area that had previously been used for printing.

The laser light is fed through to the new projectors via flexible armoured fibre optic cables (they can be seen at the top of the laser rack picture). The arrangement works well because all cooling equipment is now in the ancillary laser room, and the actual laser projector heads don’t need any extra (front) cooling. This makes for a better ambience in the projection room. The projection windows were also extended in width to allow for all three projectors.

The theatre was only out of action for a couple of weeks whilst the technical installation was done and the new seats

installed. Minimising down-time is important as the theatre is in high demand.

The best seat in the house, naturally Nick had arranged for me to see a series of test clips and trailers, and I headed straight to the best seat in the house — middle middle, of course! Theatre technician James

speckle to be seen, even on the brightest of peak-white scenes. This has to be down to the excellent flat white screen, of course — in an ideal world, who would watch cinema on anything else? The increased brightness in Dolby 3D (14fL) made for first-class stereoscopic viewing, and the lack of ghosting from the 6P Dolby 3D

“THERE REALLY WAS NONE OF THE DREADED SPECKLE TO BE SEEN, EVEN ON THE BRIGHTEST OF PEAK-WHITE SCENES” Kershaw sat near me in the auditorium to control everything and make changes as requested, demonstrating just how flexible the control systems are.

I was first shown Dolby’s ‘white dot’ test.

A large white dot is projected onto the centre of a black background. First the projectors emulate what a traditional digital projection system looks like, with the dark grey screen we have been accepted as black since the start of digital cinema. Then they are put into Dolby Vision mode and the screen becomes properly, truly black, so that the white dot bursts from the screen with brightness. I then saw the Dolby ‘Universe’ trailer which shows off the sound and vision capabilities of the system, followed by clips from films including Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and The Lego Batman Movie, each chosen to illustrate a particular facet of the Dolby Cinema system. Nick highlighted technical details and answered my questions as we watched.

The 2D images at 31fL were superb.

There really was none of the dreaded

spectral separation system is far better than typical polarised offerings that I see.

A technology showcase The Ray Dolby Theatre isn’t meant to be a complete Dolby Cinema — it doesn’t have the public entrance corridors with dynamic audio/video pathway. There’s no projection wall showing floor-to-ceiling video with enveloping sounds pulling you towards the auditorium. But it provides the best possible technical environment for watching movies both critically and for pleasure, as well as acting as the best possible workshop providing for film audio and vision grading.

Nick assured me Dolby’s intention is to keep on developing this facility to cope with future developments. And my final opinion?

All movies should be seen this way!

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Two lasers and a xenon — Christie CP4230 and two Dolby Vision (Christie) Eclipse E3LH laser projectors. Note that the laser projectors don’t need separate air extraction and that they are installed on rails so that they can be moved within the projection space to make maintenance a straightforward operation CINEMA TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2018

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DATA PROTECTION

61

. a m e n i c a n I ru w h at o n E a r t h has GDPR got to do with me?

strate data protection illu rly la gu re es lin ad he News e event. Ben Rapp, of th r te af ed er id ns co n te is of new GDPR rules hy w ns ai pl ex , ks or w et Managed N to cinemas in the EU e nc va le re ar ul ic rt pa a will have What is GDPR anyway?

The GDPR is the European General Data Protection Regulation.

It’s Europe-wide legislation that comes into force on 25 May. It’s intended to harmonise the way personal data is processed and protected. Each country has some ability to vary how the regulation is implemented; in the UK the relevant act is the UK Data Protection Bill, which is making its way through the House of Lords.

The rules in the GDPR will apply whatever happens with Brexit.

Is that all?

If only. The GDPR has an evil twin, the ePrivacy Regulation. So far this is still in draft form, so we don’t know exactly what it will mean. Based on the draft, there are big changes to how websites use cookies, what we can do in terms of some kinds of “big data” marketing, and how we can use email and other messaging for marketing. In the meantime, the original Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation (PECR) from 2003 continues to apply.

If you’ve not heard about that before, you may need to have another look at how your email marketing works.

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What does it affect?

The GDPR updates the rules governing everything you do with personal data. That means your customer records, your marketing database, your employee data — including candidates and former employees and your benefactors and patrons if your cinema is run as a charity. It sets out what kinds of data you can process under what circumstances, in what ways and with what safeguards you can share data with others, and what you have to tell people about your processing.

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DATA PROTECTION

CHARITY, DISABILITY AND ANONYMITY If you are a charity, you probably spend a good deal of time trying to extract donations from customers and prospects. Care is needed.

First, be sure you have consent to email them about fundraising.

You can’t rely on them having been customers — that implied consent only applies to marketing similar products. You don’t need consent to write to them in the post or call them, though you have to offer an opt-out and respect preferences made using the Fundraising Preference Service, Mailing Preference Service or Telephone Preference Service.

Should I be worried?

Probably not. If you’ve been paying attention to existing data protection law, and you’re not trying to be too clever in your digital marketing, you’ll probably have some tidying up to do.

There will be paperwork, but then there’s always paperwork, isn’t there?

Let’s break this down a bit:

“IF A CUSTOMER NEEDS A WHEELCHAIR SPACE, YOU HAVE REASON TO KNOW. YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW WHY THEY ARE IN A WHEELCHAIR IN THE FIRST PLACE” Marketing

This part can be simple.

If you collect contact information from customers who’ve bought something from you, and use it to try to sell them more of the same kind of thing, you don’t necessarily even need their consent, although you have to make it easy to opt out — both when they first make their purchase, and any time you contact them afterwards.

Second, be careful if you do patron profiling – whether that’s research from public sources, use of wealthprofiling services or recording anecdotal data. You will have to tell them individually what you’re doing, and you have to do so within a month of starting to do it, or when you first write to them, whichever is the sooner.

If you get contact information in any other way — sign-up lists, competitions, even by buying data in — then you have to make sure you have each person’s consent before you email them anything that even looks like marketing.

In general, getting consent is a good idea.

You might run a programme to encourage people with disabilities to your cinema. You might collect audience demographic data or equal opportunities data as part of your recruitment and employment activity.

Ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, health information, biometric data, religious belief, political affiliation and union membership are “special categories” of information. Unless you have a reason specified in the Regulation, you cannot store or process this data without consent.

Wherever possible data should be anonymised. If you need it to be specific to the person or customer, it should be minimised (only collect what’s necessary), protected, and only accessible to those who need to know.

For example, if a customer needs a wheelchair space, you have reason to know — you don’t need to know why they’re in a wheelchair. Only the staff admitting them need to know they have a disability, and you don’t need to keep the data after they’ve been to the performance.

If you’re a charity, have a good look at anecdotal data you’ve collected in patron and prospect profiles. If there’s anything that even looks like it might be in the list above, get rid of it unless you have explicit consent to keep it.

Protect that information carefully.

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Dealing with customers

This part is simple — people buy tickets and merchandise. If they buy them in person, you don’t necessarily collect any personal data.

Hopefully you’re PCI-DSS compliant (the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), so you’re not keeping their card numbers for any reason. If you collect personal information from face-to-face customers, you should make clear what you’re going to do with that information and ensure they agree.

If they buy tickets or merchandise online, then you necessarily collect information to make the sale.

That’s OK — as long as you collect only info you need, and only to complete the sale and admit them to the cinema, you have the right to do so without specific consent. You do need to make sure you take adequate steps to protect the data.

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DATA PROTECTION

Profiling

OK, you’re trying to get clever.

You’re choosing which prospects to email based on past purchasing behaviour, or you’re using other analytics to identify targets — like enrichment, or social media data. Now you have more paperwork to deal with. If you’re just basing your selection on your own data — whether that’s purchase history, or satisfaction surveys, or expressed preferences – then you need to ensure

EMPLOYEES You have to collect data on employees.

That’s fine, as it’s required by law, but you have to be careful to protect it and ensure only those with a real need to know can see it. You also need to be attentive to what you retain on candidates and former employees, since often you will carry on storing data without legal justification.

When dealing with equal opportunities programmes, you should try to do this anonymously. If you can’t, you should keep

your privacy statement on your website makes clear you do these things. You have a privacy statement on your website, don’t you?

If you’re getting additional data from other sources to combine with your database, then depending on exactly what that is and how you’re getting it, you might need to tell people (“data subjects”) directly what you’re doing.

At this point you probably need some advice instead of relying on a magazine article.

equal ops data separate from the main employee record, with just a key to link them (this is called pseudonymisation).

And if you can’t do that, then you should encrypt the data — which is good practice anyway. Be careful about monitoring what employees get up to, whether on your computer network, your phone system or by using CCTV or other kinds of tracking.

You might think that because it’s your system and your building , you can do what you like, but the law provides some significant protections for employee privacy.

Paperwork

There’s quite a lot, but it’s quite simple.

You need to know what data you have and where you keep it. You need to be able to lay your hands on that data — all of it — if someone asks for what you have about them. You should write down what you do with it — and why — and be prepared to share that if asked. You need to think about what the impact would be on the data subjects if your data fell into the wrong hands, and what you’ve done to prevent that.

Is that it?

No. But it’s all we’ve got space for. We haven’t talked about sharing data with other organisations; about handling financial information or about dealing with data on children; and there’s a lot more detail on everything. Hopefully this brief overview will have given you a sense of where to start, and reassured you that GDPR compliance won’t stop you screening films or bankrupt you.

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A disclaimer:

This is a brief guide, it’s not legal advice, it’s not comprehensive, it’s based on current understanding of the law, the UK implementation of GDPR isn’t finished yet, ePrivacy is still a draft etc.

Some resources:

For a full background, visit the Information Commissioner’s Office: bit.ly/2A10ayF For IT and data security visit, www.managednetworks.co.uk and its sister company, www.securys.co.uk

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70MM RELEASES

Celebrating

‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and The Roadshow

Enthused by the latest classic to be re-released on 70mm, Mark Trompeteler reflects on how the big “tent-pole” movies used to be promoted and exhibited.

A

s we know, in the past century, cinema rose from being a fairground novelty and local hall attraction to a global mass entertainment industry. It also became a modern art form.

If cinema is an art form, then David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is that very rare film that is both a true masterwork of the art form, a brilliant piece of entertainment and a great commercial success.

match to the rising of the morning sun; the sweeping visual poem to the desert sequence underlined by a superb movie soundtrack. The film won seven Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography. It is a film that transcends the decades. Painted on the stunning canvas of Super Panavision, it is a true masterpiece of cinema and — purists will argue — the only way to see it is on the big screen, from a 70mm print.

A Masterwork of Cinema

The Roadshow Experience

Between its understated beginning and conclusion; an overhead shot of a parked motorcycle and a man getting on it, to T.E. Lawrence at the end of his tour of duty, being driven by an army sergeant into the dusty distance of the desert, Lean unleashes a beautifully told epic.

What happens between these two cinematic understatements is, as Steven Spielberg famously described it, “a miracle of a film”. The film is a stunning and vivid exploration of the psyche of a complex legend told in a way that almost any audience can understand. It contains some of the signature moments in the history of the cinema: the very long shot introduction of the late Omar Sharif propelled him to international stardom; one of the great jump cuts in movie history, from the flame of a

In their heyday of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s, the big blockbuster “tent-pole” movies of their day were released and promoted in a totally different way from today’s marketing and distribution. Now the latest big movies are released at exactly the same time across all cinemas in a particular territory, or across a whole continent, or across the world. Films such as Lawrence of Arabia were initially exhibited and promoted in a small number of premium large capacity, big screen, showcase cinemas in the centre of the few major cities of a given territory.

These exclusive roadshow presentations ran in these city centres for months, and sometime years, before the title went on general release to local suburban cinemas.

Anyone wanting to see the film had to pay a

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premium advance ticket price and had to travel into the centre of town to see the film.

The roadshow experience was designed to make seeing the film an event. It borrowed traditions from the opera and the theatre.

The manager and deputy managers would often wear black tie to greet customers arriving for the performance. A souvenir programme was available for sale. Both the capacity of the human bladder and the length of the film’s performance necessitated an intermission.

Before the film started, the house lights would be dimmed and, while the screen curtains were still closed, the overture to the film was played (the film running through the projector with its soundtracks being used and with black leader in the projector gate.) Before the second half of the film, the same ritual would be repeated and a piece of music, the interlude or entr’acte would fanfare the second half. At the end when the house lights came on, the film would still be run with black leader in the projector gate and the soundtracks would play walk out music as customers left the auditorium. The soundtrack music, overture, entr’acte and walk out music were often superbly composed to announce, underline and remind the audience of the themes, mood, locations, nature and genre of the film.

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70MM RELEASES

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OLD AND NEW FILMS IN 70MM 2017 saw no fewer than four new films released in 70mm versions exhibited at selected cinemas; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Kong: Skull Island, Wonder Woman, and Dunkirk. Rather ironically the first two were shot digitally. Wonder Woman was shot in a combination of digital and 35mm film and only Dunkirk was shot in 65mm and IMAX analogue film. It is gratifying to many cinema enthusiasts that 70mm exhibition has recently been utilised both for a small number recent releases as well being used to exploit the back catalogue of glorious masterworks like Lawrence of Arabia.

Currently also available is a brand new 70 mm restoration print of the Sixties classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.

This form of “slow burn” exhibition and promotion led to many people returning to the suburbs and promoting the film to their social circles and neighbourhoods by word of mouth. Anticipation and eagerness slowly grew in local populations for the film to go on general release and arrive at their local cinema, thus maximising attendances and box office when the film finally arrived.

a gold mine in the Box Office Another advantage was that because roadshow engagements were often based on, and encouraged, advance booked tickets, the exhibitor, distributor and film company could accurately forecast income steams from such periods and venues. In its opening week at The Criterion Cinema in New York Lawrence of Arabia took an amazing $46,000 — the equivalent of half a million dollars in today’s money. In its fifth week, it had settled down to taking $43,000 per week, playing to full houses. Once the reputation of a film had been established as a must see, the roadshow could play to such large and full houses, earning huge sums for month after month.

A modern-day roadshow recreation Park Circus released the new DTS 70mm print of Lawrence of Arabia in autumn 2017 and it had an extended run at BFI Southbank in London starting in September, before moving on to screenings at Bradford’s Widescreen Weekend, The Irish Film Institute in Dublin, The

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Clockwise from top left: a magnificent print; the original marketing material for David Lean’s epic; Park Circus have brought back the roadshow

Filmhouse in Edinburgh and also in Glasgow. During December it was shown at American Cinematheque, at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, and at The Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. This year, the film is going on to Varnsdorf in the Czech Republic and Karlsruhe and Hamburg in Germany. You can check on the progress of scheduled screenings by going to the “Now Showing” page of the excellent enthusiasts’ website www.in70mm.com. If you get a chance to see this “miracle of a film” — on its new magnificent DTS 70mm print — do please take the opportunity!

ED: For a somewhat different view of 70mm’s return, don’t miss Graham Spurling’s opinion piece on page 74.

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A previous extensive reconstruction and restoration of Lawrence of Arabia

by Robert Harris was completed in 1988 using the analogue techniques available at the time. This latest restoration appears to have been the by-product from an analogue backup archival 70mm print, that was made at the same time of Sony’s 50th anniversary 2012 4K restoration of Lawrence of Arabia. Sony’s 50th anniversary restoration, overseen by Grover Crisp, Sony’s Vice President of Asset Management, resulted in the release of a magnificent 4K DCP. I watched the current extraordinary new DTS 70mm print several months ago, some three days after having seen Dunkirk also on 70mm. I have thought highly of Dunkirk as a film, and still do, but was overwhelmed by how much I thought Lawrence of Arabia was a superior experience of cinema. As the front cover of the December issue of Cinema Technology magazine heralded — the future of cinema lies with the art of storytelling. The rich goldmine of cinema’s back catalogue is full of fabulous examples of storytelling and Lawrence of Arabia is surely one of the artform’s finest examples.

MARCH 2018

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CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

Event Cinema?

MPS is with you at every step.

Venue to truck Satellite to screen Management to support MPS delivers. motionpicturesolutions.com

ECA

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MARKETING THE UNUSUAL Making cinema an event in its own right is critical to engaging audiences beyond the mainstream Melissa Cogavin managing director

theological implications for the Diocese — but what a location for a screening of one of British cinema’s most chilling horror films.

So what does the venue do to the audience?

Megan Wright of Moonlight Drive-In in Kent explained that the intimacy of being in their own car changes the behaviour of customers significantly. “Audiences love the freedom they have over a regular cinema. Talking, fidgeting, fiddling with wrappers — it’s all acceptable and audiences have control over the volume, especially when we show musicals.

People love to sing along in the car.”

Cinema’s place in the community

NON-TRADITIONAL CINEMA venues have been making steady gains on the fringes for a decade now. Hard to define and harder to pin down, this creative, entertaining and lucrative sector covers high-profile big hitters like Secret Cinema to marginal, seasonal oneoff offerings like Celluloid Sail, a BFI-funded outdoor cinema on a tall ship that has toured the UK featuring archive footage on gigantic screens suspended between masts. In between we have established players such as Luna Cinema, Rooftop Cinema, Backyard Cinema and a multitude of other variants, all offering uniquely tailored cinema experiences with emphasis on the experience and the venue.

The benefits of digital technology have also seen recent growth in the drive-in business; likewise remote areas are increasingly catered for by companies like Cinegi; the village hall, community centre and the scout hut are now often cultural centres in their own right.

All of the above are innovative, surprising examples of how media is consumed in 2018, and indicate that it is “how” as much as “what”

that is valued by consumers. For outdoor screenings, a great lot of thought goes into curating the film with the venue in mind.

We’ve all seen Dirty Dancing, so what propels thousands of us to spend money seeing it yet again every summer at open air cinemas?

Gerry Cottle Jr of Rooftop Cinema explained that the service, themed cocktails, food, DJ sets, live bands and shared experience are as vital as the film for an evening to remember.

The location fits the screening

George Wood is challenging the perceived seasonal nature of this sector by launching The Luna Winter Cinema at Battersea Power Station, including screenings of The Dark Knight — shot on location there, which adds to the experience. High ceilings, eerie lighting and atmosphere of this London landmark make the venue as much a reason to attend as the film. And people attend in droves. Plans to screen The Omen at Guildford Cathedral are under discussion, though the appearance of Lucifer, albeit in juvenile form, has obvious

Cinegi’s Mandy Berry, whose technology is in non-traditional venues such as community centres and halls, remarks that “accessibility and friendliness of a small local venue mean it can attract audiences that would not normally travel to watch theatre, opera or ballet either live or in a cinema for reasons of distance, cost or because they don’t feel comfortable in a formal theatre or opera house.” The local nature of the audience provides an informal atmosphere in which people chat before and after the screening, in a more intimate setting, something that the multiplex, for all its stateof-the-art technology, surround sound and reclining seats, is unable to provide.

These are challenging times in the cinema industry; the doomsayers of every generation lament that cinema will keel over by the time the decade is out, but in 2018 those doomsayers are worried about multi-platform competition so fierce that it’s easy to overlook the marginal amid the noise of the mainstream. It is heartening and encouraging to see the public so engaged with a refreshing and constantlyevolving concept that they will get off their sofas, put down their phones and happily pay a decent sum to experience cinema content on a roof, in a car, on a beanbag or on a boat — especially if they’ve seen the film before — and so clearly enjoy making a night of it, recognising that the setting and the service are as elementary to entertainment in the 21st century as the content itself.

“WE’VE SEEN ‘DIRTY DANCING’, SO WHAT PROPELS US TO SPEND MONEY SEEING IT IN THE OPEN AIR?” visit www.eventcinemassociation.org

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MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

UKCA

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DEEP-SEATED CHANGE

A new wave of development is powering cinemas to a level beyond investment in digital Phil Clapp Chief executive, UKCA

is now turning once more to the areas of business that make a more immediately obvious difference to the audience experience While media attention seems increasingly fixated on the in-home film and TV offerings, there remains a significant appetite among the UK population — 78 per cent of whom could be reasonably described as cinema-goers — for the out-of-home, immersive big screen expterience that only a cinema can offer.

There are other factors at play here, in some part indicated by the fact that many of the new cinemas opening over the past year and into the foreseeable future form a central part of wider leisure and regeneration projects.

The heart of the retail experience

A GOOD DEAL OF THE POSITIVE media coverage of the UK’s strong box office in 2017 (at £1,277million up almost 5% on the same period in 2016), perhaps understandably focussed on the high quality of the film slate.

And it’s true that, save for a few movies that failed to engage audiences during the summer months, UK cinema operators were happy to benefit from a diverse range of quality productions, (particularly importantly) these released across the full 12 months of the year.

What was absent from many of the column inches of coverage, however, despite the best efforts of the UK Cinema Association, was the fact that in 2017 UK cinema audiences — as in past few years — once again benefited from an exceptional level of sector-wide investment in the big screen experience.

That is something that is most obviously manifested by the growth in the number of UK sites in recent times — around 30 last year, with more than 20 already slated to open in the next 12 months. And it’s a feature which is

being seen across all types of business models, from major multiplexes to smaller ‘boutique’ affairs even down to more local — sometimes crowd-funded — operations.

An exceptional investment

Significantly, those additions to the stock of UK cinema sites are being supplemented by exceptional levels of investment in the refurbishment of existing sites, with a number of larger circuit companies spending multimillions on installation of recliner seating, with consequent increases in the levels of occupancy that, in many cases, far outweigh any loss of capacity.

To some extent, continuing investment in the big screen experience is nothing new. The sector has long recognised the need to continue to improve and upgrade its offering if it is to remain ahead. And it may be that, after a lengthy period where the focus of investment was in technology — not least the £200 million plus invested through digitisation — attention

“MANY NEW CINEMAS NOW FORM A CENTRAL PART OF WIDER REGENERATION PROJECTS”

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The links between cinema and retail are longstanding, but in recent times we have seen even greater interest in the contribution that cinema operators can make to the ‘experience economy’. Those bringing to fruition leisure and retail developments are looking to put cinemas at the centre of those plans. With other leisure sectors — not least casual dining — under significant pressure, proven ability of cinemas to drive footfall and underpin an economy that doesn’t close its doors at 6pm is more highly prized than ever.

What this all means for some cinema operators is that they are now having to learn a new language to engage with those from the world of property and retail, or certainly one which has a focus beyond the immediate bricks and mortar. The potential gains of doing so are already apparent to many, not just in boosting company coffers, but also in terms of the many communities that are once again — and sometimes for the first time — seeing cinemas become part of the local social fabric.

These are all issues which the UK Cinema Association will be considering as part of its annual conference ‘Building the Big Screen Experience’, which will take place on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 March. Appropriately enough, our conference is being held at the newly-refurbished Cineworld cinema — the O2 at Greenwich.

For more information on UKCA events and membership, please visit www.cinemauk.org.uk

MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

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HISTORY OF CINEMA

IMAX: bigger is better

PART 2

A

lthough it had its origins in the special venue side of the industry, screening educational films at exhibitions, museums and similar institutions, IMAX would eventually take a similar path to 3-strip Cinerama to attract a wider audience by showing more normal ‘entertainment’ films on its giant screen.

First seen in 1952, Cinerama’s earliest features included a series of travelogues presenting exotic locations. Once the format had run out of places around the world to visit, the 3-strip system was used for a couple of story films. Although one, How The West Was Won, was very successful, most film-makers weren’t prepared to be restricted by its fixed 146-degree angle of view. An important factor in giving its sense of involvement, the switch to the narrower views of 70mm increased the range of films to show, but lost some of the original magic.

Features, such as Grand Prix and 2001, suited curved screens, but to make the most of others intended for an initial Cinerama release, their widest possible camera lens was fitted to include an occasional ‘Cinerama-type’ sequence. Some were at the start to show off the screen, as in The Battle of the Bulge which featured a hold-on-to-yourseat flying sequence over the battle and Khartoum which set the scene with a minitravelogue taking in ruins of ancient Egypt.

THERE’S ONE WORD THAT IS SYNONYMOUS WITH GIANT SCREENS: IMAX. GRANT LOBBAN INVESTIGATES THE IMPACT IT HAS HAD ON PREMIUM LARGE FORMATS Seen first in 1970, IMAX’s own efforts to broaden its appeal benefitted considerably from the birth of the digital age. They developed their DMR (digitally re-mastered) process for blowing up 35mm films to its 70mm 15 perf. frame. The negative is scanned at the highest possible resolution, the image ‘optimised’ for the big screen, and transferred onto the film print.

To bring them to more theatres, a simpler more compact projector, with moving rollers replacing the compressed air to form its rolling loop, was built to fit in alongside their normal projectors. Space also had to be found for the 6ft platter carrying up to 9 miles of 70mm film now needed for the average full-length feature. The auditorium was sometimes re-styled with new, steeper stadium seating to ensure a good view of the screen, which isn’t as tall as the original, but most DMR copies from ’Scope and widescreen films don’t fill the complete 4:3 IMAX frame.

The next step, which would see the IMAX name feature on many more multiplexes, was to show its optimised image directly using digital projectors.

Without IMAX film frame size DLP chips available, to reflect the amount of light required two projectors superimpose a pair of auto-aligned images on the screen to achieve sufficient brightness. They are also available to project separate left and right

Current digital image forming chips are nearerthe size of a 35mm frame. With the growth of PLF screens, perhaps a larger version could be made to fill them using a single new ‘70mm’ digital projector.

eye images for 3D, and a further move to replace xenon with even brighter laser illumination has allowed the previous polarised filters to be replaced with a less light-hungry spectral splitting colour separation system. The shape of digital IMAX is 1.9:1, making the best use of the full area of current DLP chips. If possible, today’s films, originated on both 35mm film and digital, are re-formatted to fit, but if they keep their original ratios they can leave much of the vast unmasked screen blank.

Keeping bigger, looking better On typical size screens, digital projectors are producing excellent pictures, which for

THE FIRST IMAX FILM “T IGER CHILD” AT JAPAN’S EXPO 70 WAS MOSTLY MULT I-IMAGE WITH AN OC CASIONAL FULL-FRAME IMAGE. CINEMA TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2018

www.cinematech.today

HISTORY OF CINEMA

LIKE A FEW OF THE OTHER ORIGINAL IMAX THEATRES, THE BFI HAS KEPT ITS FILM PROJECTOR ALONGSIDE ITS NEW DIGITAL PAIR FOR OCCASIONS WHEN A 15/70 PRINT COMES ALONG. AN EXTRA DIGITAL PROJECTOR IS ALS O PROVIDED FOR NON-IMAX SHOWINGS. many are just as good, and more consistent than film. However, without the advantages of the larger 70mm and IMAX film frames, their nearer to 35mm size 2K and 4K chips are being pushed to fill the new PLF giant screens. As well as a pair of projectors working together to maintain the same level of illumination, some also add extra visual tricks and artefacts to their images to keep them looking good and help them to stand up to the greater magnification and closer viewing distances.

Film vs digital In terms of definition, even 4K is less than 35mm. A recent comparison suggests that a ‘Scope frame is around 6K, 70mm (from a 65mm negative) is 12K and the original IMAX film 18K. Arriving at an exact figure is complicated by the fact that film and digital record and display their images in a different way.

Unlike digital’s fixed pattern of pixels, film has the benefit of its moving grain, with a better chance of capturing the finest detail, if missed by one frame it may be picked up by the next. A hint of visual grain can also make film appear sharper. It’s all in the eye www.cinematech.today

of the beholder, but some 70mm lovers think that it’s not like it used to be, blaming modern film stocks for being too good, with their grain-free velvet texture lacking the punch and sparkle remembered from the past. Although high definition is important, particularly for extra large screens, it’s only one factor in producing good quality pictures. A phenomenon that the latest HDR systems exploit is the well known observation that a well-lit picture with a wide contrast range can ‘look’ much sharper than a higher definition one that has a dim, flat, lower-contrast image.

On the edge Some film processing methods accentuate an edge effect with increased contrast just

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even more so with the prospect of large active LED cinema screens.

Back at home, analogue audio is making a comeback, with today’s digital generation willing to put up with the odd click and plop from their ‘new’ vinyl records in exchange for the chance to hear a less clinical, more friendly sound coming from their speakers.

Perhaps now is a good time for them to re-discover the different look of analogue film projection and encourage them to make a journey to see a special edition’ 70mm show once more?

Fortunately, real film lovers, like Christopher Nolan and Kenneth Brannagh have helped keep 70mm and IMAX film alive, while waiting for a wider revival.

Apparently, other film-makers are waiting

“FILM-MAKERS ARE WAITING IN A QUEUE TO USE PANAVISION’S SUPER 70 65MM CAMERAS” along the edges of the image, which again adds to the apparent sharpness (denser parts steal some of the developer’s strength from the edge of adjoining lighter exposed areas). Video and digital also have their own versions to make their finer detail stand out.

SD video often puts a white line around it, and one form of digital ‘definition intensification’ increases the relative contrast between adjacent pixels along the boundaries, with the amount applied depending on the nature of the image.

in a queue to use Panavision’s remaining Super 70 65mm cameras, and the search for new old 70mm projectors continues, together with the skills to run them. Often their refurbishment doesn’t include the sound head, as new 70mm films can no longer be accompanied by the appropriate

Looking for something different Film and digital can offer different viewing experiences. Some think that digital lacks some of the ‘magical’ look of film and is more like watching big screen TV in the dark,

Film’s random ‘moving’ grain can display much finer detail than a fixed array of pixels.

MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

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HISTORY OF CINEMA

“TO RIVAL IMAX, A PLF SCREEN SHOULD BE WALL-TO-WALL AND FLOOR-TO-CEILING. THIS CAN CHALLENGE SOME DESIGNERS” analogue sound. With the print’s magnetic stripes now long gone, the sound is coming from a separate digital source. At best, with digital cinema firmly established, 70mm may find a place as another form of event cinema, recreating the memorable roadshows of the past.

The screen’s still the thing!

While 70mm remains an occasional treat, many more multiplex auditoriums are being turned into digital IMAX and other Premium Large Format screens. There currently don’t appear to be any minimum requirements to gain the title, such as the size and shape of the screen, or how much it should fill the audience’s field of view. In practice, most feature increasing the size of the screen relative to that of the auditorium and arranging the ‘premium’, sometimes motorised, reclining seats so every member of the audience can appreciate it. To rival IMAX, it should be wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling. This can be a challenge for designers, sometimes having to raise the screen so those in retained, original shallower seating can see the bottom of the screen. Sometimes, a section of the screen has to be moveable, in case now-covered emergency exits in the front wall are needed.

The new giant screen can dominate the auditorium. Those who can still remember entering an old Cinerama theatre, with their vast curved red curtains, find being

CINEMA TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2018

confronted with a looming plain giant flat screen less welcoming. At least one IMAX theatre is said to have fitted equally huge curtains to give it a less ‘cold’, more theatrical ambience.

Some of the first digital PLF systems struggled to maintain the same rich and sharp image, but recent technology, including HDR and laser light sources, have helped them to keep up with the growing screen sizes. Both film and digital cameras are capable of much higher resolutions, but the final screen image is limited by the projector’s pixel count. When asked to fill bigger than normal screens, the resulting pictures could be compared to the earlier 35mm films blown up to 70mm, with a good, bright larger image, but without its full potential.

And The film’s the thing too The success of a PLF screening can depend on the film’s subject matter and style of photography. Plenty of action and allembracing wide shots can add to the

LATER 70MM PRINTS SAID GOODBYE TO THE WONDER OF ANALOGUE MAGNETIC SOUND, USING AN OPTICAL CONTROL TRACK KEEPING THE FILM SOUND IN SYNC WITH A SEPARATE DIGITAL SYSTEM.

THE CHANGING FAS HIONS FOR BIG SCREENS — OUT GO CURVES AND CURTAINS, IN COMES PLAIN AND FLAT excitement and help draw the audience into the heart of the story. However, quieter, more intimate stories, can end up with a rather distracting over-blown look, with in-yourface close-ups better observed from a little further away with less visual intensity. For the leading systems, the choice of suitable films also involves the film-makers and distributors. IMAX, for example, currently produces its own DCP, incorporating its optimised image, which may have been re-formatted to make the best use of the screen. Another, Dolby Cinema, hides Dolby’s own enhancements, including its Dolby Vision version of HDR, within the normal DCP, which, looks good on any size of screen.

Create your own PLF The principal branded PLF systems use their own customised, or specified digital projectors, with usually a pair needed to help fill the largest screens, together with the obligatory immersive sound. However, there’s nothing to prevent any cinema from creating its own bigger screen auditorium, using its own choice of technology and thinking up a good name for it — IHS Markit recently established that there are currently 72 brands worldwide. Names already promising a premium viewing experience in the UK and beyond include: Impact, Isense and Finity which, like those from the past with ‘70’ in the title, mean that cinemagoers are again in for something special — which can only be good!

visit www.cinematech.today FOR ALL YOUR NEWS & INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

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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.

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MARCH 2018 | CINEMA TECHNOLOGY

74 AND ONE LAST THING...

70MM: A MARKETING OWN GOAL?

GRAHAM SPURLING Joint MD, Movies@ cinemas

In the age of digital technology, cinema owner Graham Spurling laments the use of celluloid as a marketing weapon

DATELINE 21ST JULY 2017 and Dunkirk is about to fill cinema screens across the UK and Ireland. The pre-release press is strong.

Reviews are 5-star across all the media.

Advance bookings are huge and we, in exhibition, eagerly await the morning of the 21st with blockbuster business beckoning.

When out of the blue, like a wave of screeching Stukas on a strafing run across the Dunkirk sands came “SEE DUNKIRK IN 70mm!!”

This request, nay demand, was most unhelpful and most unwelcome for those of us who have invested many thousands of our hard-earned money in the game changing digital changeover. In no time at all, our crystal-clear, flicker free on-screen presentations were not worth a jot.

It’s the message not the medium

Now, I am not a hater of 70mm projection as a format. Far from it — in fact, I greatly admire IMAX and others who present in digital 70mm. My main gripe (here in Ireland) was that the only 70mm that “you had to see” was the celluloid version of 70mm. That in and of itself, might not seem an unreasonable request.

My issue was and still is that the only 70mm projector here in Ireland is housed in the Government-funded Irish Film Institute. A worthy and well-run cinema with few demands on it to make money. This is where it differs from every other cinema in Ireland where we have to turn a profit or go out of business.

The 70mm hype was accompanied by a new breed of “experts” in how cinema should be seen (and where)! The hipster cine luvvies were out in force (reference my Twitter and Linkedin profilesfor details) which merrily panned all things not IFI. Now were these soy latte sipping luddites right? I would say

“THE 70MM HYPE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A NEW BREED OF ‘EXPERTS’ IN CINEMA. THE HIPSTER CINE LUVVIES WERE OUT IN FORCE”

CINEMA TECHNOLOGY | MARCH 2018

no. Dunkirk did not need the 70mm hype. It was always going to blow the UK/Ireland Box office sky high.

Were 70mm celluloid actually the panacea for all of cinemas ills, then where was the blockbusting business on The Master, Hateful Eight and the re-releases of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Laurence of Arabia? The truth is that the desert boot wearing, brown rice eating critics will always hate digital precisely because it doesn’t clank or flicker and live with that we shall have to.

Follow the facts

The reality is that if you were to look at the recent UK/Ireland box office successes such as The Queen, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Star Wars Force Awakens, Last Jedi, Paddington 1 and 2 and others you would notice that they have all smashed it out of the park with no assistance from 70mm “marketing”.

These titles and the many other hundreds of movies that have garnered hundreds of billions in box office revenue worldwide, have all earned those billions in digital cinemas. We are the future and cogs and belts undeniably belong to the past.

Bigger things to worry about it?

We are (like the Force) strong right now, but 2018 may well hold new challenges for the exhibition side of the industry. What will the Disney/Fox merger bring? Yet more movies with unnegotiable terms? Will online streaming bite into the reducing market.

Will all the bad news still emanate from the USA and be taken as a worldwide problem?

More tired and tiring franchise titles?

Exactly what month will MoviePass run out of cash?

This little missive started with a question, 70mm, a marketing tool or just an unwelcome throwback to the past?

You decide. My mind is clearly made up and when I think of my passion for our new digital world, I harken to the Don Henley classic The Boys of Summer…

“I can tell you my love for you will still be strong, After the boys of summer have gone” www.cinematech.today

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