www.cinematech.today The leading magazine for cinema industry professionals > VOL.31
NO.3
>
09/18
THE CIRCULAR
ECONOMY? Can cinemas take the lead?
"Unlimited" film CT investigates the rise and rise of ticket subscription models
Audio to move you Will a new immersive technology from Finland shake up cinema sound?
Up in the clouds
Why shifting processing power online is cinema's next (techno)logical leap
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©2018 QSC, LLC all rights reserved. QSC, Q-SYS and the QSC logo are registered trademarks in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and other countries. Dolby and Dolby Atmos are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. 0942-2018
©2018 QSC, LLC all rights reserved. 0942-2018_BlazingFaxt_210x297mm.indd 1 QSC, Q-SYS and the QSC logo are registered trademarks in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and other countries. Dolby and Dolby Atmos are registered trademarks of Dolby
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C O N T E N T S C I N E M A T E C H N O L O G Y > VO L . 3 1 N O . 3 > 0 9 / 1 8
26 NEWS
08 17
The latest from around the world of cinema exhibition The Cinema Tech Committee update and news from IMIS
FEATURES
21 26 30 34 37 53
All you can eat movies: the rise of ticket subscriptions Why US box office is still the beating heart of cinema The final plastic straw: how sustainable is our business? Economic sense and ecosense: how they marry up Is your cinema’s head in the clouds? It should be… How production technology impacts the exhibitor
PRODUCTION EDITOR: ALASTAIR BALMAIN Motion Picture Solutions Ltd, Mission Hall, 9-11 North End Road, London W14 8ST T: +44 (0)20 3026 1368 E: alastair.balmain@motionpicturesolutions.com ART DIRECTOR: DEAN CHILLMAID E: dean@spacehopperdesign.co.uk
www.cinematech.today
58 64 68 73 76 80 82 84 86
Flexound: immersive audio technology to move you Meet Michael Ford, the BFI IMAX’s projection supremo CT examines what it is that sets a Sony projector apart
68
Scalarama! A month-long celebration of the cinema How the luxury world of hospitality changes cinema DigiCine: gifting new life to older series one projectors Seeking a truly epic 70mm experience? Go to Varnsdorf The ECA’s new MD on her plans for the association Why cinemas should lead the environmental charge
COMMISSIONING EDITOR: PETER KNIGHT E: commissioning-editor@cinematech.today ADVERTISING: BOB CAVANAGH Caixa Postal 2011, Vale da Telha, 8670-156 Aljezur, Portugal T: +351 282 997 050
EVENTS
43
CineEurope review: Patrick von Sychowski’s six-page
special on the buzz from Barcelona
50
How a new industry event in Istanbul looks poised to
open doors onto emerging markets
M: +351 962 415 172 E: bobcavanagh@sapo.pt SUBSCRIPTIONS Cinema Technology is mailed to IMIS Members. For subscription details and to read the magazine online, visit www.cinematech.today or e-mail CT@motionpicturesolutions.com
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c t
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Audiences love cinema. But how much, exactly?
www.cinematech.today The leading magazine for cinema industry professionals > VOL.31
Is it cut-price tickets or luxury seats that are the way forward for cinema? Actually, preserving the cinematic difference is the key. Alastair Balmain offers Cinema Technology’s view
09/18
THE CIRCULAR
CT investigates the rise and rise of ticket subscription models
Audio to move you Will a new immersive technology from Finland shake up cinema sound?
Up in the clouds
Produced in partnership with:
Why shifting processing power online is cinema's next (techno)logical leap
001_SEPT18_COVER.indd 1
09/08/2018 10:34
nyone with a passing interest in the
The proliferation of subscription models to help address
workings of the world’s stock markets
the concern over low occupancy rates is clear, but, as Mark
will be aware of the rising significance of
Trompeteler explains on page 76, there is another way —
the Volatility Index, otherwise known
increase the perceived overall value of the offer. In other
as the “investor fear gauge”. Market
words, make cinema less commonplace and more of an
fluctuation is driven by confidence (or lack of it) in publicly
occasion. Over the course of the past 10-15 years, exhibitors
listed stock. For Helios and Matheson, the parent of the US-
have twigged that customer expectations of the level of
based cinema ticketing enterprise MoviePass, it doesn’t get
experience they demand in return for their leisure spend
more volatile, with a stock price that, at the time of going to
are now far greater than they once were.
press, had sloughed off no less than 99.7% of its late July
Where does cinema technology sit in this? Well, a glance
value. Confidence in the MoviePass business model is, it
through the news pages demonstrates that it is improved
seems, lacking. If the future of MoviePass looks bleak, its
presentation standards that are driving our industry —
impact on the industry may prove to be more permanent.
whether it’s the installation of premium ScreenX and Dolby
As you can see from Patrick von Sychowski’s article on
Cinema locations or laser projection. The results of
subscription models, on page 21, MoviePass is not the only
independent consumer research conducted recently on
show in town when it comes to luring the audience in with
behalf of Harkness Screens is particularly relevant — of 1,000
tempting offers. It begs the question — how much do
US moviegoers surveyed, 88% suggested image quality is
audiences value the cinema offer? The most recent
extremely important both in their decision to visit the
MoviePass subscription offer is $9.95 to watch three movies
cinema and also to their enjoyment of the movie.
a month. Putting aside the sustainability of the business
What does that tell us? Cinema is a leisure activity that
model, that’s highly attractive to consumers, given the
people cherish, but above all, while it remains something
average ticket price is $8.97 in the US. There is a problem
you can’t get at home, they value the cinematic difference.
though — to some it may seem like selling ourselves short.
Enjoy this issue!
Writing in this issue of CT
>
ECONOMY? Can cinemas take the lead?
"Unlimited" film
A
NO.3
1
2
3
1 Martin Dew
2 Saul Mahoney
3 Bryan Cook
Formerly at Lucasfilm THX and NEC in the US, on p.59, Martin listens to new audio technology
Director of business development at Sundog Media Toolkit, Saul writes on p.37 about cinema’s shift to the cloud
COO of IMIS, Bryan explores the proliferation of technology and its impact on exhibitors on p.53.
www.cinematech.today
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e ve n t s
CT NEWSREEL
n e w S ,
v i e w s
&
i n d u s t r y
r o u n d - u p
g l o b a l t h e o f
U p - to - d a te 8
EMEA
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Dolby eyes EMEA expansion DOLBY HAS ANNOUNCED THE deployment of its Dolby
In Kuwait, Dolby and the Kuwait
Cinema experience into a number of EMEA territories,
National Cinema Company (KNCC)
beginning with an agreement for the first deployment of
have agreed a three-screen plan for
Dolby Cinema in the UK with Odeon Cinemas Group. The
the first deployments of Dolby Cinema in the Gulf state. The
Odeon rollout will see seven Dolby Cinema sites open
first site, at the 360 Mall in Kuwait City is expected to open
nationwide over the next few years. Additionally, Odeon
later in 2018 operating under the Cinescape brand. Dolby’s
Cinemas Group has confirmed that it will be using
EMEA expansion plans add to more than 100 Dolby Cinema
Dolby servers, processors, and speakers in the future for all
installations at AMC locations in the US, as well as over 150
of its European entities.
sites open globally.
Additionally, Dolby has entered into an agreement with
Doug
Darrow,
senior
vice
Dolby Cinema is rolling out across the EMEA region
president
at
Dolby
Kinopolis to bring the first-ever Dolby Cinema to Germany.
Laboratories, is positive about the growth: “Now, as we map
The site is expected to open later this year at the Mathäser
our expansion in the United Kingdom and Germany, we’re
Palast in Munich. Across the border in France, Dolby will be
bringing the total cinema experience to even more movie-
expanding its Dolby Cinema portfolio with Les Cinémas
going fans across Europe and the Middle East.”
Gaumont Pathé in Marseille at La Joliette.
www.dolby.com www.cinematech.today
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UNIC’s annual report celebrates the growth of European cinema THE INTERNATIONAL UNION of
2017 — a very good year for European cinema, according to UNIC
cinema-going
and
the
European
Cinemas (UNIC), the European cinema
sector’s important position within the
trade grouping, has launched its
global cinema industry. According
annual report, examining key cinema
to UNIC, the above figures reflect the
trends within the 37 territories that it
significant and continuous investment
represents, accounting for 1.34 billion
being made in the cinema “offer” in
admissions and €8.6 billion in box
terms of innovation both in theatres
office revenues in 2017 — a quarter of
and audience engagement. UNIC’s
the global theatrical market for films.
report identifies the cinema-going
In 2017, total admissions across
experience as becoming ever-more
the region increased by 2.5 per cent
focused on a multitude of preferences.
on the previous year, complemented
The 2018 Annual Report is now
by an increase of 1.7 per cent in box
available online — view it at:
office revenue, confirming the value of
www.unic-cinemas.org
Grainne Peat to head Event Cinema Association
Cinionic’s Barco laser powers first cinema to open in Saudi
THE EVENT CINEMA Association
London
(ECA) has appointed Grainne Peat, former policy executive at the UK Cinema Association, to the role of managing director.
AMC ENTERTAINMENT has chosen Barco projection by
The ECA, established in 2012, is
Cinionic for the first cinema to
now an internationally recognised
open in Saudi Arabia, following
brand and the primary trade body
a 35-year ban on the art form in
for the Alternative Content sector.
the kingdom.
Grainne has considerable industry
Cinionic has installed its
experience, gained from her time
Barco projector at the AMC
spent at the UKCA, where she was
Cinema Riyadh multiplex — it
instrumental in driving a range of
promises to bring high-quality
policy issues, most notably in the
cinema to moviegoers. The
areas of disability and access. With
resurgence of the exhibition
support and resourcing from the
be pivotal in meeting the ECA’s
industry results from social
association’s
objectives, ultimately to promote the former policy
Board, Grainne will
Event Cinema sector.
reforms promoted by Crown
“I am excited to be leading the
Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
ECA as it moves forward at pace,”
The majority of the 32 million residents of the country are
Barco’s,
proud
commented Grainne, “The association
under
we
are
now
to partner with Cinionic to bring
supports a culturally significant sector
audience that is hungry for
a
entertainment
that is diverse, genuinely innovative,
movies and similar cultural
experience to a new generation of
and, frequently, at the technical
experiences. AMC has plans to
moviegoers in Saudi Arabia,” said
leading edge of cinema exhibition. I
open 40 theatres comprising
Jason Cole, Vice President, Mergers
want to ensure event cinema is a
300 screens, across 15 cities
& Acquisitions and International
sustained and profitable element of
over the next five years.
Development at AMC.
the cinema-going experience.”
www.cinionic.com
www.eventcinemaassociation.org
30,
representing
an
“As a long-time customer of
www.cinematech.today
truly
amazing
Grainne Peat, exec at the UKCA, the new MD of the ECA
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NEWS IN BRIEF
London
N E W S R E E L
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AAM and Deluxe Technicolor launch auto-KDM service Arts Alliance Media and Deluxe Technicolor Digital Cinema have launched a new automated KDM management service — a step towards fully automated cinema management. With AAM’s solution, KDMs can be generated and delivered through the cloud directly from distributor booking
Motion Picture Solutions acquires Omnex LEADING FILM SERVICES company Motion Picture Solutions has announced the acquisition of Omnex, one of the UK’s foremost suppliers of cinema projection
systems to a cinema’s trusted A new home for the Omnex team — now part of the MPS stable
device playout equipment with confirmed proof of delivery. All customers of
systems, servicing and maintenance. The acquisition further strengthens MPS’s
AAM’s Screenwriter Theatre
established reputation in the specialist exhibition engineering field.
Management System (TMS)
Omnex’s new managing director Simon Tandy takes over from founder Jed
will be invited to sign up for
Atherton, who started the company back in 1987. “MPS’s commitment to quality
the service free of charge.
and experience in world-class venues aligns well with Omnex’s skillset,” explained technologies gives Omnex’s engineers access to an unrivalled knowledge base.
EDCF announces its new board
Affordable access to the best technologies will, we hope, deliver the standard of
In its recent elections, the
service the wider exhibition community deserves.” www.omnex.co.uk
European Digital Cinema
Simon, “and, significantly, MPS’s practical familiarity with cutting-edge projection
Forum selected several new board members. Members voted the following onto
Merlin Cinemas — one of the 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain MERLIN
CINEMAS
the board: Angelo d’Alessio – Venice Film Festival, Italy; Oleg Berezin – Neva Film,
has
been
that “these dynamic companies are
Russia; Tom Bert – Barco,
London
Stock
the backbone of our economy, playing
Belgium; Tammo Buhren
Exchange Group’s (LSEG) annual ‘1000
an important role in the UK’s ability to
– ZweiB, Germany; David
Companies to Inspire Britain’ report as
innovate, export and grow.”
Hancock – IHS Markit, UK;
one of the the UK’s fastest-growing
www.merlincinemas.co.uk
Dave Hodgkinson – Universal
identified
in
the
and most dynamic small and medium
Studios, UK; Cathy Huis
sized businesses. Last year’s report
in t’veld Esser – Gofilex,
included the Everyman Cinema group
Netherlands; Matt Jahans –
and the film services company Motion
Harkness Screens, UK; Julian
Picture Solutions.
Pinn – Julian Pinn Ltd., UK;
To be included in the LSEG’s list,
Jan Runge – ICTA, Germany;
businesses need to show consistent revenue growth over a minimum of three years, and they must also be significantly outperforming their industry peers. Nikhil Rathi, the CEO of
Patrick von Sychowski – In the best of company — Merlin Cinemas’ performance has been recognised
Celluloid Junkie, UK; Jack Watts – Deluxe Technicolor.
London Stock Exchange Plc explained www.cinematech.today
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Harkness Screens’ research highlights presentation quality Galalite to incorporate LensRay in all of its new screens
SCREEN TECHNOLOGY COMPANY Harkness Screens has announced results of in-depth consumer research conducted by National CineMedia into presentation quality, auditorium technology and the influences these have on choices moviegoers make when visiting cinemas. Carried out during March and April, with more than 1,000 responses from moviegoers across the US, the research highlights the
Galalite, India’s leading
need for exhibitors to scrutinise presentation quality and consider the detrimental impact of sub-
cinema screen technology
standard presentation. “Whilst it is clear from this research that moviegoers overwhelmingly prefer the
company, has announced
cinema to watching movies at home, it is essential exhibitors focus on getting the most out of existing
that all its future screens
equipment, monitor presentation performance and consider upgrade and replacement programs for
will be equipped with
all items, including screens, to ensure they differentiate their experience from home entertainment,”
LensRay, its visual noise
explains Richard Mitchell, VP global marketing at Harkness.
reduction technology.
The research suggests that technology is key to the
LensRay technology uses
experience: more than two thirds of respondents claimed
a concept similar to a
that presentation technology had a strong bearing on
MicroLens Array to reduce
their decision as to which cinema to visit.
noise. When the coherence
www.harkness-screens.com
area on the microlens-array surface is smaller than the microlens footprint, there is no interference between the fields emitted by the different microlenses so less
Cineworld to launch 100 new ScreenX locations CJ 4DPLEX HAS ANNOUNCED a
US & UK
major partnership with the Cineworld
visual noise is perceptible,
Group to open no fewer than 100
resulting in sharper, brighter
ScreenX locations at its theatres in the
images.
next few years. The agreement marks a milestone for both companies, and
Global Cinema Federation releases new position papers
will include installation of the Korean company’s multi-projection cinematic system in 10 different territories: the US, Israel, the UK and seven further
The Global Cinema Federation (GCF) this summer released five position papers on key areas of interest to cinema operators. The topics
European countries. Wrapping around the audience, the ScreenX concept puts cinemagoers in the action
This partnership heralds a major expansion for ScreenX, which is an immersive, 270-degree panoramic film-viewing experience that extends the screen along the auditorium walls, allowing for more creative possibilities. “Our relationship with CJ 4DPLEX goes beyond accelerating the installation
include theatrical exclusivity,
of new 4DX and ScreenX locations around the world, to a shared vision of the
international trade and
future of immersive cinema,” explained Mooky Greidinger, CEO of the Cineworld
investment, movie theft,
Group, adding “We are committed to maintaining a premium moviegoing
music rights and accessibility.
environment at all of our locations in all regions, and the adoption of the most
These papers will help guide
innovative cinema technologies is key to bringing our customers the best
the federation in its advocacy
experience possible.”
and education activities.
In the past year, the number of ScreenX auditoria has increased exponentially.
All the position papers are
With additional screens expected to open up across China, Japan, Korea,
available to download from
Southeast Asia, France, Switzerland, Turkey, Middle East and LatAm, the company
the GCF website at www.
expect to have installed more than 200 screens by the end of 2018 — more than
globalcinemafederation.org.
30% growth compared to 2017. screenx.co.kr
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www.cinematech.today
Truthful sound, from production to premiere
The all new 200 Series ScreenArrayTM Loudspeakers combine JBL’s latest technological advances with a compact footprint and accessible price point, making it easy to upgrade the sonic experience in your small or mid-sized cinema. Featuring patented Dual Dissimilar Array and Acoustic Aperture Technology, the JBL 200 series provides remarkably uniform coverage and smooth, accurate sound reproduction for every member of your audience. And since the 200 Series uses the same technology trusted by top Hollywood movie studios, your audience will enjoy a more immersive, authentic experience from every seat in the house—just like the creators intended. Learn more at jblpro.com.
©2018 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Features, specifications and appearance.are subject to change without notice.
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Christie: a decade of collaboration with the Shanghai IFF
experiences, is marking a decade of
UniqueX — a new brand for cinema operations
collaboration
Launched earlier this summer,
CHRISTIE, A LEADER IN the delivery of
world-class
visual with
and
the
audio
Shanghai
International Film Festival (SIFF) as its
UniqueX is a new brand that
exclusive projection partner.
combines intelligent software
“This is the tenth consecutive year that Christie has partnered with one of
solutions for cinema
China
operations and products designed to increase
the largest and most prestigious film festivals in Asia,” explained Lin Yu, VP, Cinema Sales for Christie in Asia,
combination of ‘art and technology’.” This year, the 4K resolution lampChristie
CP4230
projector,
“The perfect combination of art and technology” — Christie’s partnership is now a decade strong
admissions. The first of the UniqueX products to launch is
adding, “It is an honour for us to be
based
associated with the SIFF, supplying
which has a strong reputation for
our projectors to screen feature films
high-performance and dependability,
from around the world that can
was deployed to screen both the
It offers the functionality of
be distinguished by their artistic
opening and closing films at SIFF.
the widest-selling point of sale
excellence. For Christie, it is a perfect
www.christiedigital.com
systems, at a lower price level
the Rosetta POS point of sale system, now available in UK, Finland, Denmark and Spain.
of independent solutions. In July, UniqueX announced the
CinemaNext opens its new state-of-the-art premises Europe
CTC launches new member and sponsor programme THE
CINEMA
TECHNOLOGY
as CEO — his role is to direct the international expansion of UniqueX’s portfolio of software solutions and services. The former MD of
Committee has launched a member
RealD in EMEA, he will start in
and sponsorship scheme, with prices
his position on 1 October.
starting from just £50 per year for Sustaining Members, The programme
Melissa Cogavin joins Strike Media
is designed to be accessible to all,
Marketing agency Strike
from individuals to big conglomerates,
Media has appointed former
giving access to events and resources.
Event Cinema Association MD
Individuals, rising to £1,500 per year for
CINEMANEXT, THE specialist in exhibitor services
appointment of Roger Harris
Melissa Cogavin in a new
has opened new facilities in Liège-Barchon, Paris-
“The scheme enables CTC to fund
Asnières-sur-Seine and Düsseldorf. These new units
exciting initiatives, research projects,
position as a consultant. Her
will support the growth of CinemaNext and its
training and events we have planned,”
role will be to grow the profile
subsidiaries across Europe, North America, Africa,
explains
of the company’s event
Middle East and Central Asia.
Graham
Lodge
(Sound
Associates), VP and finance director of
cinema campaigns as well as
CinemaNext’s main hub in Liège-Barchon (Parc
CTC. “As a not-for-profit organisation,
working on the expansion of
Artisanal, above) features a 2,400m² two-storey
all of money raised goes back into
social film app MyFilmClub.
building including 1,400m² dedicated to supply chain
supporting
Melissa recently stepped
logistics. The facility boasts on-site technology
community and the creation of a
down from the ECA, which
platforms including a customer service department
better experience for moviegoers. The
she founded. Melissa’s
(NOC) and projection system tests lab as well as a
sign-up process is affordable and
background in theatrical
showroom for cinema seating. The Liège-Barchon
simple and we are keen for members
distribution at Disney and
offices also house Éclair’s Benelux team, which
and sponsors to join us and help drive
Paramount give her a rich
provides colour-grading and DCP mastering services.
technological advancement”
industry knowledge.
the
global
cinema
www.cinema-technology.com www.cinematech.today
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splendidly unexpected We are Cinionic. We listen to exhibitors and moviegoers alike to continuously transform the moviegoing experience from good to better and better to best. From visualization solutions to comprehensive service care to flexible and affordable financing, we exist to provide you with peace of mind and your moviegoers with a new level of expectations when it comes to a “WOW� experience. Welcome to Cinionic. Welcome to WOW.
C T
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C T C
U P D A T E
Supporting the industry Here’s a brief list of the key recent activities of CTC: Delivered Cinema Presentation Best Practices training course to over 25 delegates in the UK. Now more than 350 cinema professionals have been on this course. Ran a successful event
CTC: driving better outcomes from cinema technology IN 2017, WE set about a process of renewing the CTC, to support better the global cinema industry, writes CTC president Richard Mitchell. With the support and encouragement of our colleagues and
looking at the production workflow of content from camera to screen in conjunction with IMIS.
friends at IMIS, we launched as a not-for-profit organisation focused on technology in cinema, with a vision to look at technology not just in the auditorium but in the entire movie-going experience.
Supported BigCineExpo
To support this widened remit, we recently bolstered our executive team with some of the best and
in India as the trade
brightest talents in global cinema, including Sarah
association partner to help
Lewthwaite (Movio), Sandie Caffelle (Jack Roe), Patrick von
provide education and
Sychowski (Celluloid Junkie), James MacFarlane (20th
Join our cause
Century Fox) and Danny Jeremiah (Arts Alliance Media), to
Our membership and
help us gain expertise in areas such as retail, consumer
sponsorship scheme enables
Released interim report on
engagement and content delivery. Alongside these
CTC to fund some of the
research to identify the
appointments, we also announced a new 15-person non-
exciting initiatives, research
causes of 3D Ghosting.
executive Advisory Council (listed below) which brings an
projects, training courses and
additional wealth of knowledge and experience from some
events we have planned. As a
Finalising an independent
of the most respected in our industry.
not-for-profit organisation, all
“Exhibitors Guide to
the money raised goes into
Premium Formats”,
CTC EXECUTIVE TEAM Richard Mitchell (President), Graham Lodge (Vice President), Denis Kelly (Secretary), Mike Bradbury, Sandie Caffelle, Michael Denner, Danny Jeremiah, Peter Knight, Sarah Lewthwaite, Adam MacDonald, James MacFarlane, Andre Mort, Mark Nice, David Norris, Ngozi Okali, Kevin Phelan, David Pope, Toni Purvis, Steve Rance, Jim Slater, Simon Tandy, Patrick von Sychowski, Paul Willmott.
www.cinematech.today
CTC ADVISORY COUNCIL Tom Bert (Barco), Mark Christiansen (Paramount Pictures), Laurence Claydon (Consultant), Brian Claypool (Christie Digital), Theresa English (TK Architects), Nicolas Hamon (Kinepolis), Roland Jones (Vue International), Dominic Simmons (BFI), Russell Smith (Motion Picture Solutions), Debbie Stanford Kristiansen (Novo Cinemas), Alexey Vinokurov (RealD)
guidance on technology.
supporting the
including differentiation,
global cinema
cost of implementation, and
community.
typical ticket prices.
To join, visit
cinema-
Finalising an update to the
technology.
CTC Digital Cinema
com
Projection Handbook.
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Getting ahead is easier with the right technology The right Theatre Management System will do more than give you complete control and visibility over your screens, it will give you the freedom to focus on your audience. Turn your cinema’s day-to-day operations into something that happens in the background, and get back to driving innovation across your business. Arts Alliance Media provides the world’s leading TMS, helping over 40,000 screens automate their processes behind-the-scenes and deliver better experiences for audiences on six continents. Discover what you’re missing at www.artsalliancemedia.com
@ArtsAllianceM ArtsAllianceMedia hello@artsalliancemedia.com
c t
n e w s r e e l :
I M I s
U P D A t e
VR/AR/XR and Post-production communities launch August wAs the officiAl launch of our Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Extended Reality (VR/AR/XR) Community, writes IMIS COO Bryan Cook. This group will focus on all of the technology, storytelling, and developments related to creating virtual worlds. September is the launch of our PostProduction Community. We will be launching even more communities and we’d invite you to join IMIS to become a member of as many of our communities as you would like! We believe it is important for a screenwriter to sit next to a producer, to sit next to a cinema technician, to sit next to a VFX artist, etc. to understand the various parts of the production workflow. By doing this, we believe, we can grow our knowledge, make new friends and colleagues, and continue to innovate this industry.
Our IMIS Communities are off with a bang!
Don’t miss the Widescreen Weekend!
In June, we launched our iMis screenwriting community with three events. let’s face it, everyone
the 22nd widescreen Weekend
can improve the way they deliver a message to a
will take place from 11 - 14 October
potential buyer or convey a story. At ‘Perfecting the
2018 at the UK’s National Science and
Pitch’, industry guest christina Morelli, expelled
Media Museum, Bradford. Since its
some do’s and don’ts for screenwriters to deliver the
inception in 1993, the Widescreen
perfect elevator pitch. we had a terrific turnout of
Weekend has celebrated large screen
over 70 people coming to our screenwriting
formats and milestones in cinema.
community launch party, too. our last big event
The festival features glorious 70mm
was ‘secret Agent: how to get an Agent as a
screenings, cult classic movies, new Cinerama restorations and great guests, as
screenwriter’ which featured leah Middleton, film,
well as fantastic projection facilities in the Pictureville cinema.
tV and literary agent on how writers can get
www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/whats-on
representation — the event spilled into the hallway! we’re developing a line-up for more events. Visit:
www.societyinmotion.com
The IMIS (International Moving Image Society) powered by the BKSTS aims to inspire, educate, train and connect all members of the media industry, whether at entry or professional level, around the world. The Society works to maintain standards and to encourage the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of moving image and associated technologies, in the UK and throughout the world. The Society is 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
IMIS accreditation showcase In July, we held our annual accreditation event at the BFI NFT3 with
students, members and industry guests to see the work of students on IMIS accredited courses. Our quarterly networking and screening event focused on LGBT Shorts with a variety of films with LGBT themes. The last event of July was ‘Money, Money, Money: Financing and Distributing Your Feature Film’ with Emmy and BAFTA-winning producer/director Peter Nicholson. The event focused on alternative ways to raise money to bring a feature film to the big screen.
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L O Y A L T Y
All you can eat movies The rise of the cinema subscription model For years, exhibitors have offered enticements to lure in customers. Patrick von Sychowski considers the latest “unlimited” offers and wonders which will gain traction.
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HEN MOVIEPASS RECENTLY reduced its monthly ‘unlimited’ cinema offer in the US from $39.99 to $9.95, it had no idea of the interest it would unleash in terms of uptake and also the focus it would place on nonstandard ticket schemes. Schemes to boost cinemagoing frequency have been around for years, but growth
of subscription services like Spotify and Netflix, and smartphone commerce, means there are more ways than ever to enjoy cinema. We look at what’s on offer. www.cinematech.today
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‘Unlimited’ Subscription Schemes - Cinema-own
France France, the birthplace of cinema, is arguably also the birthplace of the “carte illimitée” that is offered by both UGC-MK2 and Gaumont Pathé. The first of these, UGC Illimitée, celebrates its 18th anniversary this year, having launched in 2000 before most homes had internet or smartphones. As well as giving access to more than 1,000 films released annually across its cinemas, its Premium Club also offers special members’ benefits such as exclusive events and preview screenings.
Cinema Subscription Model Initiatives include:
Gaumont Pathé soon retaliated by launching Le Pass Solo, which has typically been €1 or so cheaper, but, like UGC, requires a 12-month subscription and a €30 joining fee, to prevent people cancelling and rejoining. Both offer access to affiliated independent
Cinemark MovieClub AMC
cinemas, most notably Paris’ arthouse MK2 circuit for UGC. France’s third chain, CGR, does not offer ‘illimitée’ but instead bulk discount cards. Gaumont Pathé provoked a backlash when it changed the pricing tiers of its CinéPass in 2017, offering the Duo for couples and add-on payments for IMAX and 3D (which were previously included). The company defended its move saying it was offering greater choice.
USA
2 2
Cinemark became the first US exhibitor to
validate our thinking.” As Celluloid Junkie’s
launch an in-house ‘unlimited’ offering last
J. Sperling Reich notes, “Cinemark’s MovieClub
November, partly in response to MoviePass.
initiative is focused on driving incremental
However, its Movie Club deliberately set out to
movie attendance,” rather than competing
Cinemark Movie Club - $8.99/
differentiate itself by offering just one film per
with MoviePass’ all-you-can-eat offer.
month - 1 free film - 20% off concessions - regular 2D only
month at $8.99, but with 20% off concessions,
Having vocally denounced MoviePass, AMC
no booking fees, advance seat reservation,
caused a splash when it launched its Stubs
AMC Stubs A-List - $19.95/
no tie-in, the ability to ‘roll over’ unused tickets
A-List premium tier offering this summer. For
month - 3 films per week -
and the ability to buy a ticket for a companion
$19.95/month users get 3 tickets/week for any
further perks - all screenings
at just $8.99. By May it had 230,000 members.
screening (including premium screens), as well
Alamo Season Pass - $??/
Cinemark’s CEO, Mark Zoradi, explained,
as the ability to pre-book and reserve seating.
month - “unlimited movies”
“We considered these different designs, took
“Today AMC is giving consumers a choice and
MoviePass - $9.95/month - 1
the best aspects from each, applied it to the
providing anybody else trying to sell movie
film/day - regular 2D only
exhibition industry and configured multiple
tickets a determined competitor,” said AMC’s
(more coming)
concepts we felt possessed the greatest ability
CEO Adam Aron in not-so-subtle dig at
Sinemia - $9.99/month* - 2
to generate the broadest consumer appeal
MoviePass. “The MoviePass Effect has made its
films/month - can be used for
and grow attendance and profits. We then
mark. The model is here to stay,” retorted
“premium” (*various tiers)
conducted consumer research to guide and
MoviePass’ CEO Mitch Lowe.
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www.cinematech.today
Cinema Subscription Model Initiatives include:
UK When Blackstone acquired UGC’s UK operation in December 2004 and merged it with Cine-UK to form Cineworld in 2005 there were questions
Cineworld Unlimited and Odeon UK Limitless
about whether it would continue UGC’s ‘Unlimited’ scheme. In the end it stayed and, by 2007, had 185,000 subscribers. Cineworld expanded the Unlimited Card to Poland in 2015, where it is said to “perform strongly” and it is thought that it will launch it for its newly acquired Regal cinemas in the US within the next 12 months. Cineworld no longer reveals how many subscribers it has, but Casey Cohen, head of marketing told CT that, “Cineworld’s Unlimited scheme is great value, offering customers unlimited cinema trips and film viewing for £17.90 per month (or £20.40 for London West End cinemas). The Unlimited card also unlocks a world of benefits, including discounts on snacks and drinks, discounts at restaurant partners, free months when you recommend friends, and access to advance screenings.” Odeon UK followed Cineworld’s lead offering its patrons to watch “all the films you want as often as you like, for one monthly fee” in both the UK and Germany. Commenting on the scheme to CT, Odeon’s chief commercial officer, David Anderson, said “We’ve been very pleased with the success of Limitless in the UK and Ireland, and Unlimited in Germany. Guests easily recognise the benefits of these subscription services, and
Gaumont Pathé UGC CGR
we see a great future for them.” Odeon has not commented about whether it will roll out the service across its 14 European territories. For £17.99/£19.99 a month (exc/inc Central London), Odeon’s Limitless
Cinema Subscription Model Initiatives include:
now also offers 10% off F&B purchases, and exclusive access to member preview screenings. “These are proving popular,” says Anderson, “Preview screenings launched in June with “Ocean’s 8”, and “Whitney” will be next.” Anderson observes that “Limitless and Unlimited have broad appeal across our demographic segments, which is encouraging, particularly with teens, students and young people. The number of guests who are using their subscription memberships to explore new titles and genres continues to rise, which we believe is a great positive for us all.” While Vue does not offer any ‘unlimited’ schemes in the UK, its Polish Multikino subsidiary has previously offered its Multikino All Inclusive ticket in 2015 that allowed patrons to see as many films and eat as much concessions as they wanted in a single day. There was also a Multikino Unlimited for subscribers to the NC+ pay-TV service, though this is no
Members signed up in 6 months for Cinemark’s MovieClub, which offers 20% off consessions and one film/month for $8.99
longer active. It should be noted that Vue has instead of an Unlimited card focused on cutting prices across its UK multiplexes to as little as £4.99 for regional sites, £5.99 for outer London and larger cities and £6.99
10% UK’s Cineworld epanded its Unlimited Card to Poland in 2015
www.cinematech.today
UK ‘s Limitless also offer 10% off F&B purchases as well as exclusive member preview access
for Central London (excluding the West End). Curzon offers its ‘Cult’ membership, where £350 per year gives you “free entry to all films” at its cinemas, as well as other benefits, while the cost for “Cult Local” is £200 in places such as Oxford and Sheffield. One of the few other arthouse chains that offers it is Berlin’s Yorck Kino, whose Kinoabo is priced at €18.90 per month (12 months minimum) or €129 for six months or €229 for one year pre-paid.
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‘Unlimited’ Subscription Schemes - Third Party
3
Discount Days
With cinema being a weekend driven business, exhibitors have long discounted mid-week shows. Examples are Vue’s £4.99 Monday (instead of £5.99) and AMC’s $5 Tuesday. The practice was criticised at this year’s CinemaCon by studio representatives who felt it was proliferating to the point where such extensive discounting devalued the cinema experience.
20
amount of members in millions MoviePass are looking to grow to in the short term
4
2-for-1 Schemes
Selling two tickets for the price of one has been offered ad-hoc for decades — Vue
MoviePass received little traction when it charged $39.99/month to watch a movie a day. Acquired by Helios + Matheson Analytics, it dropped to $9.95 in Autumn 2017 and that changed. It has generated countless column inches, grown to over 3 million subscribers, been lambasted by AMC and had
2 4
2003
Year when UK cinemas’ mobile network collaboration Orange Wednesdays launched
previously offered a 2-for-1 card
for
£3.99/month,
but
discontinued it after 2008. The concept had great success in
the
UK
with
Orange
Wednesday, launched in the
questions raised about its viability as H+M’s share
2003 to subscribers to the
price dropped from $38.86 in 2017 to penny stock
Orange and EE mobile phone
status in recent weeks. It is now looking to raise
networks. The concept was
$1.2billion and grow to 20million members but has
copied elsewhere, such as by
changed its offer several times, fuelling speculation
Norway’s ChessTirsdag 2for1.
about its demise, recently announcing it would
When EE pulled the plug in
introduce ‘surge’ pricing at weekends, as well as a
February 2014. the UK Cinema
bring-a-friend option and premium screen options.
Association soon found a new
In the UK, newcomer cPass tried to launch a
sponsor in comparethemarket.
MoviePass copy-cat, but appears to have gone quiet.
com, and re-launched it as
More worrying for MoviePass, upmarket chain Alamo
Meerkat Movies, now available
Drafthouse began testing a subscription service in its
on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Yonkers, NY cinemas this August. Whether MoviePass
comparethemarket.com says
can raise cash until it breaks even is an open question,
it is gaining valuable insights
but the model has been firmly established. Sinemai
about customers.
offers cinema subscriptions in the US, Canada,
In the US, Buy 1, Get 1 Free
Australia, UK and Turkey. Unlike MoviePass it is not
has been offered for certain
‘unlimited’ but has monthly tiers starting at $4.99,
films and times by Fandango,
depending on one, two or three tickets per month,
AtomTickets and MovieTickets.
standard or premium screens and with a family plan
com platforms. Such offers are
option too. Sinemai stresses its pricing model is
sometimes linked to banks,
sustainable and its app offers a litany of movie-
with AmEx in Hong Kong
centric perks, such as Uber integration and exclusive
offering Buy-1-Get-1-Free ticket
discounts. However, some users claim their Sinemia
offer for 3D and 2D movie
card was blocked by certain UK cinema chains.
tickets.
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www.cinematech.today
5
Bulk, Discount and Money Back Offers
Bulk ticket offers are either sold by cinemas themselves, most often in the form of corporate packages, but in some cases also by third parties, such as GroupOn. These bulk offers to consumers are typically packaged as either gift vouchers or pre-paid cards with cheaper per-visit tickets. France’s CGR promotes its bulk discount cards — rather than offering an ‘unlimited’ card — with five shows for €6.70, 10 for €6.20 or 15 for €5.70 each. (see graphic). In August of last year 24 independent cinemas in Paris launched a joint pre-pay card to compete with
offer ticket bundles to the large cinema chain. A recent
the ‘unlimited’ cards from multiplexes. The Cine Carte
promotion offered five Odeon tickets for £25, though
CIP offers savings of up to 50% with a five ticket card for
this not only excluded 3D, iSense and IMAX but also
€30 being valid six months or a nine admissions €48
some recent Hollywood and Bollywood titles (“Ocean’s
valid nine months.
8”, “Jurassic World 2”, “Race 3”, etc.). In the US GroupOn Card
offers deals such as $10 for a $20 Regal Cinemas eGift
membership, Odeon UK offers an e-voucher program
Card. Dealflicks.com claims to have saved US customers
launched by Opia in 2015. Opia says that “The e-voucher
over $8m on discounted combo ticket and concessions
program enables businesses to incentivise employees
deals. In the UK there are cash-back offers from sites
and clients with codes that can be redeemed online for
such as TopCashBack and Quidco. Similarly reward
cinema bookings.”
points earned in store can be redeemed for tickets with
In
addition
to
its
corporate
Limitless
Online discount sites such as GroupOn also tend to
6
Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programmes have been common for years, but are increasingly
some chains from Nectar and Tesco Clubcard.
T
he number of schemes for watching films in cinemas can sometimes seem bewildering. However, this is deliberately so, as cinemas try to think of different ways of segmenting audiences and
relevant because of the ability to collect customer data and more targeted
targeting each group with an offer that will persuade her,
offers. Cineworld’s Regal doesn’t have ‘unlimited’ schemes, instead offering
him or them to go more frequently. It is no secret that
Regal Crown Club loyalty program, which, similarly to airlines, offers
distributors are not keen on most discounts and flat-fee
different tiers depending on visits: Emerald (6+ visits), Ruby (10+ visits) and
schemes that encourage increased viewing, seeing it as a
Diamond (20+ visits), but you have to spend $150 to get a single ‘free’ ticket.
not-so-covert attempt by cinemas to get patrons to come
Points can be traded for concessions, seat upgrades and more. There can
and buy more concessions.
be different tiers, such as AMC Stubs Insider, which is free, while AMC Stubs
Yet there is a growing recognition that the proliferation
Premiere is $15/year. Where memberships cost money outside the US, it
of ‘all-you-can-eat’ online media consumption (Netflix,
typically includes a number of free tickets, such as Picturehouse, which
Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, etc.) has created an appetite
offers Regional (£50), London (£60) and Central London (£85) membership.
amongst consumers for flat monthly fee that allows them to see as many films as they like in physical locations, as well as on their devices. Getting young people away from
$150 Spend with the Regal Crown Club and you qualify for a single free ticket…
their devices and into cinemas by fostering affordable regular cinema visits is something that both exhibitors and studios see the value in. The future will see more customised options in every market, making consumers the biggest winners of this trend.
www.cinematech.today
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USA: The bedrock of global cinema growth Often our industry seems so driven by the pursuit of novelty, emerging territories, new audiences and golden opportunities that it’s easy to overlook established markets — none moreso than the US. David Hancock scrutinises the Domestic box office.
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Words: David Hancock/IHS Markit
HILE THE CINEMA WORLD’S focus is
two-thirds of the revenues earned in cinemas every year.
on emerging markets and driving
There are more than 7,000 films produced globally every
new growth for rights holders and
year and yet the world’s cinemas rely on a handful of US
exhibitors alike, it is, nevertheless,
films to draw in visitors and make money. Most domestic-
worth remembering that one market
produced films do not cross cultures like American films.
has been the global underpinning of
In the USA, tentpole movies often make close to as much
the cinema business for decades: the USA. The US market
in their home territory as they do worldwide.
may have diminished in its overall contribution to the
The number of films released in US cinemas is growing
global box office, but that doesn’t make it less important to
steadily every year (777 in 2017 compared to 638 in 2008)
the health of the sector and the viability of the investment
and yet the studios which are shrinking down their output
that is happening in new technologies, new infrastructure
to focus on these bigger films with greater marketing
and other service-related elements by cinemas.
budgets are also increasing their market share. They are all
The data sources often address the North American
operating within larger media entities, and while their
market (USA plus Canada), but I have separated them out
output is significant in driving revenues across these
later where possible. North America registered a gross box
groups, they themselves are relatively small parts of them.
office of $11.1bn in 2017, down slightly on 2017 but similar
The studios are also faced with larger, consolidated
to 2015 and higher than any previous years before that.
exhibitors. Although the media and
Growth is relatively limited as befits a mature market and
consumption landscape is changing
box office movement is usually driven by the performance
around them, they have proved to be
of the films at the top of the market. Having said that, the
relatively successful at adapting to a
market is mature and stable, total box office revenue in
‘Netflix and mobile’ world so far —
North America reached $6.18bn in H1 2018, a 9.6% increase
certainly within the cinema space,
on the same total in 2017. The first six months is the largest
bringing their market share back up
on record (in revenue terms) and the first time box office
to above 80% consistently.
for the first half of the year has exceeded $6 billion. In fact,
777
in revenue terms, total takings for the first six months of 2018 actually exceeded total annual box office generated some 20 years previously ($5.8bn in 1997).
Hollywood — still home to the stars North America represented 28% of global box office in
“Though the media landscape is changing around them, studios are relatively successful at adapting”
28%
North America had 28% of global box office share in 2017
2017. This is down from 44% back at the beginning of this century. However, the USA remains the single largest box office market and is home to the studios, the entities that made the US the home of the film industry. As an industry, we must not forget or take for granted that it is US films that drive the global box office, earning 2 6
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films were released in US cinemas in 2017 compared to 638 in 2008
3.8
12-17 year olds will see around 3.8 3D movies a year
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OFFICE
US CINEMA VISITS BY AGE, 2017
The value of screen density Until the rise of Chinese screens, the USA had been the largest market by screens for years. Though this changed in November 2016, the USA still generates more box office than China despite having fewer screens. In 2017, there
2-11yr
12-17yr
18.24yr
25-39yr
40-49yr
50-59yr
60+yr
2.9
4.9
4.7
4.4
3.6
3.0
2.5
M A R K E T S H A R E P E R C E N TA G E S 90%
were 40,246 US screens including 595 drive-ins, whereas China went past 50,000 at this point. Screen density per head is also higher in the US than in other markets: 123.9 screens for every 1million people in the USA and a lower 84.8 in Canada. China sits at 36 screens and the UK at 65.1, as a point of comparison. The USA is a land of moviegoers. Despite this long-term stability of the world’s most important market, there are some less positive signs that need to addressed. The most evident indicator is the long-
67.5%
term decline in the average number of cinema visits per head: at its peak, the cinema drew an average of 5.1 visits per head per annum in 2002, only exceeded by Iceland at
45%
5.7. This has come down to 3.5 in the USA since that year, although Iceland’s has also come down to 4.1. The UK has declined from 3 in 2002 to 2.5 in 2017, a less pronounced
22.5%
drop but a drop nonetheless. Overall, mature Western markets have all experienced a reduction in visits per head, even though population growth and ticket price increases
0% 2008
2009
2010
2011
Big 6 Studios
2012
2013
Lionsgate
2014
2015
2016
2017
have often maintained overall admissions volume and box office at consistent levels. Even with that decline, data from trade body NATO shows that threequarters of the
Rest of market
North American population went to the cinema at least once in 2017, proving it remains popular. Despite concerns
1,229,000
1,215,500
1 ,1 6 1 , 0 0 0
1,226,955
1 , 2 1 6 ,7 4 5
1 ,1 4 5 ,7 0 0
over younger audiences drifting away, the highest per
1 ,1 8 2 , 2 2 9
U S C I N E M A A D M I S S I O N S ( ‘ 0 0 0 s)
capita attendance was the 12-17 year old age group, who
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Frequent moviegoers (who see at least one film a
3.8x/ head
3.9x/ head
3.8x/ head
3.6x/ head
3.8x/ head
3.8x/ head
3.5x/ head
CINEMA BOX OFFICE REVENUE
2002
2007
2012
2017
8.658
8.844
9.782
10.235
(in billion US $)
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see 4.9 films annually. Comparisons with previous years cannot be made due to a methodology change by NATO in its annual report (now called the THEME report), but the trend in this age group seemed to be slowly downwards as it was with the 18-24 age group. month) make up 12% of the population and 49% of the tickets sold. The issue would seem to be getting the less
SCREEN DESNSITY
123.9
65.1
84.8
36
(for every million in selected nations)
www.cinematech.today
frequent moviegoers re-engaged with cinema. Amongst the categories of people that underperform at the US cinema compared to the population as a whole is the Caucasian/white population, which makes up 61% of the population and 55% of tickets sold. The 60+ age group could also be better served and more active cinema patrons, as could, to a lesser extent, the 50-59 age group. Building up the cinema as a high-quality entertainment option is one of the reasons behind new investments, with high comfort levels and new technology driving up quality standards to the same level or above the plethora of devices that operate on the move or in the home. New technologies being installed, such as 4D, immersive motion seating and multi-format ScreenX, are more likely to attract younger customers, who enjoy these more than their older compatriots. Whereas a 12-17 year old will see an average of 3.8 3D or Large Format movies a year, the equivalent figure is 2.9 for the 50-59 age group. There is also a link between frequent moviegoing and the cinema, with frequent moviegoers more likely to own technology, which undermines the argument often put forward that other technology competes with cinema. In 2017, in the USA, 30% of frequent cinemagoers own six key technology products compared to 18% for the total adult population. This suggests there is a
strong
link
between a love for the cinema and the use of technology such as video games, tablets and, of
“Building up the cinema as a highquality option is one of the reasons behind investments in comfort and tech”
course, smartphones. This has long been the case, as was seen with the symbiotic link held between VHS and subsequently DVD buying and cinema-going.
Still cinema’s strongest market The cinema as a leisure industry is one of the oldest we have, certainly one that relied on invention to create it. In a crowded market for leisure and filling time (and spending money), it is a testament to the cinema’s unique nature that it still exists and the hard work, innovation and intelligence that goes into making, distributing and exhibiting films in this single static space are the main reasons that it is still thriving globally. The USA has stood as the industry’s leader for the past century, and still remains the bedrock on which this global growth is possible. As an industry, we must hope that this continues well into the future as there is no-one yet to replace it.
www.cinematech.today
ECO
POWER
The Final (Plastic) Straw
In common with the wider retail industry, cinemas are under fire over a lack of environmental sustainability. Patrick von Sychowski presents a special focus on exhibitors’ work to do the right thing Words: Patrick von Sychowski
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O
N WEDNESDAY, 4TH APRIL an email
straws-obselete) had 212,940 signatures. It’s not the first
arrived in the inboxes of UK’s senior
time campaigners have targetted cinemas, whether over
cinema managers and thousands of
calories in concessions or the Living Wage, but this time it
others. It began: “Big businesses are
was part of a groundswell that has forced big brands into
pumping plastic into our oceans
adopting more sustainable products and practices, often
and landfill. Here in the UK, plastic
with a speed that has taken seasoned observers by surprise.
straws are one of our worst pollution problems. And big
Can cinemas follow the likes of Pret-A-Manger and
cinema chains like Cineworld, Odeon and Vue, who use
McDonalds when it comes to becoming part of the circular
thousands every day, are some of the biggest culprits.”
economy and reduce, re-use and recycle more? While
It went on to explain how the campaign by 38 Degrees
straws have become somewhat totemic, comprehensive
would put pressure on these chains to replace plastic straws
action has to happen on a number of levels on both the
with paper ones. At the time of writing the campaign
consumer-facing packaging front and behind-the-scenes
(https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/make-plastic-drink-
use of electricity and more.
1
100 % of water Coca Cola aim to replenish by 2020
200k have signed a petition to ban plastic straws from UK cinema chains
Food & Films
Cinemas are part of the food and beverage (F&B) retail
encouraging recycling with the placement of three ‘Be A
industry and, as such, have to be part of changes underway
Star’ recycling stations.”
everywhere form cafés to fast food franchises. The good
Observing that cinemas won’t be immune from the
news is that efforts are underway. Asked about it by CT
consumer forces pushing the rest of the F&B industry,
magazine, UK Cinema Association’s CEO Phil Clapp noted
Girling says that “customers have growing expectations
that “The last year in particular has seen a great deal of
about food and packaging waste and everyone should be
activity amongst UK operators of all sizes to see what more
playing a part.” The message is also that there are greater
might be done to reduce the use of plastics (including but
financial savings in preventing waste in the first instance
also beyond the straws issue), increase the amount of
than recycling waste produced.
recyclable material used and indeed to increase the amount of recycling.” He observed that “this has come about as much from a desire amongst these businesses to ‘do the right thing’ as it has from outside pressure.” Efforts to demonstrate sustainable programmes to the
2
Re-use & Retain
industry were visible on the Coca-Cola stand at CineEurope
While brands such as Pret-A-Manger have launched re-usable coffee
in June. The Coca-Cola Company has been championing
cup initiatives, it is harder for cinemas to do the same. Sodas are
green initiatives across its business, such as its goal to
fundamentally different to coffee — while there are collectible cups and
replenish 100 per cent of the water it uses in its global sales
popcorn buckets, it is rare for customers to bring these back on future
volume back to communities by 2020. Coke now wants to
visits and there are hygiene issues involved. Nevertheless, Cinemark
help cinemas be more sustainable, through initiatives such
Argentina launched a re-usable popcorn bucket in 2017 linked to a
as non-plastic straw replacements and selling drinks in PET
smart customer retention program offering discounts on re-fills.
bottles that are more easily recycled than cups. “Industry commitment towards the Circular Economy can be demonstrated through collaboration across a range of initiatives,” says Sarah Girling, co-founder of consultancy
The Technology View: Loreto Boitano, Concessions Manager at Cinemark
Blue Stocking Partnership (BSPL), which has worked with Coke, Odeon, McDonalds and others on a number of retail
“Our former popcorn packaging was made from cardboard and could
projects. She notes that “At CineEurope, Blue Stocking
not be reused, so we looked for a more sustainable alternative. Our new
brought to life show sponsor Coca-Cola’s sustainable
bucket needed to add value to customers. Our supplier Fosko proposed
packaging programmes through the use of marine
an IML bucket with peelable IML labels in response. It’s proving a hit
biodegradable straws; offering smartwater in PlantBottle
both for immediate sales results and long-term customer retention.”
packaging containing renewable and recycled plastic while www.cinematech.today
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ECO
3
POWER
Cinema Initiatives and reducing plastic and paper consumption. To promote
The Technology View: Kathryn Pritchard, Group Chief People Officer - Odeon Cinemas
more mindful plastic use, we have removed plastic straws from open display and are taking part in an initiative to remove plastic cutlery and straws from display at Starbucks concessions. Plastic straws are only provided to customers
“We’re working on a range of initiatives to reduce our energy
making drink orders or on request which has already led to
consumption, and our use of plastic and other materials that cannot
a significant reduction in straw consumption while we
be recycled or composted,” says Odeon’s Kathryn Pritchard, pointing
search for more sustainable alternatives.”
out that the size of Odeon’s operation across Europe makes changing
In benchmarking exhibitors’ efforts remember that
supply chain a major logistical operation: “We’re working with our
cinema is (relatively) a small industry, when compared to
partners to create a more sustainable retail supply chain. This has to
high-street fast food, take-away and coffee operations. “We
be an end-to-end process involving procurement, operations, and
don’t have high enough volumes for our current supplier to
waste disposal. One priority is to reduce the amount of plastic in our
justify manufacturing biodegradable or recyclable paper
retail system: identifying, sourcing and using more packaging that
tubs and cups,” explains Empire’s MacDonald. “We want the
comes from recycled, renewable or certified sources. We’re currently
change but need larger volumes that would come should
evaluating a number of paper or compostable alternatives and will
Cineworld, Odeon or Vue all decide to switch.”
announce an update on straws and other packaging products this
Ultimately cinemas have to find sourcing, recycling and
summer — we expect a rapid roll-out of suitable alternatives.”
waste management solutions that are sustainable from
Odeon currently has two active trials underway: for paper straws in
both an environmental and a cost perspective. “Given the
the UK, and for compostable nacho trays in Germany.
complexities of the sector and relationships with suppliers, change won’t be overnight, but we’re confident the current direction of travel can be supported and accelerated by a
All chains contacted by CT magazine had implemented or
coherent industry-wide approach,” UKCA’s Phil Clapp notes.
were working on sustainability initiatives. Below is an
He also affirmed that “The UKCA has begun taking initial
overview of some of these efforts. Everyman’s head of
steps on the formulation of an industry-wide strategy in this
marketing Hoss Ghonouie pointed out that, “we’re on board
regard and is currently working with members of all sizes to
with recyclable paper straws and (as far as I know) are also
identify good and promising practice.”
the only cinema to use glassware only and no plastic cups across our estate — meaning no plastic and they last a lot longer.” With Everyman refurbishing old sites into boutique cinemas, the company makes “the best of existing buildings rather than going down the industrial estate route.”
4
What Can Cinemas Do?
Merlin Cinemas was “one of the first to use paper
Exhibitors can tap into learnings from the wider F&B industry, such as
popcorn bags instead of plastic-lined tubs and boxes.” It
the Sustainable Restaurant Association (thesra.org), which has launched
announced on Facebook in April that “Plastic straws are
a guide to going plastic-free. The SRA recommends a five-step plan as a
being replaced with a biodegradable type, whilst as much
starter for those serious about reducing reliance on single-use plastic:
take-away packaging as possible, is being changed to a
Complete a plastic audit — a thorough assessment of what you use
card product.” It is also installing separate bins for recycling.
Identify what’s essential
Empire Cinemas’ F&B director Gordon MacDonald told CT: “We have started to review the packaging we use to
Set reduction targets Ask suppliers for packaging specs
improve our sustainability,” but he admits, “It’s a frustratingly
Get your waste contractor to detail what they can and can’t recycle.
slow process!” Empire will have switched to paper straws by
Another resource is the Waste and Resources Action Programme (wrap.
October and recyclable coffee cups by August. Hot dog and
org.uk), which “works with governments, businesses and communities
nacho trays were switched to paper several years ago.
to deliver practical solutions to improve resource efficiency.”
Cineworld’s spokesperson said that the company “is always looking for ways to improve sustainability across all
Informing patrons is also key — ultimately the consumers have to become active participants in any sustainability initiative.
areas of our business, including promoting energy efficiency 3 2
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ENERGY SAVING
MONEY SAVING
NO MAINTENANCE
SUPERIOR IMAGE QUALITY
ECO
POWER
How green is your projector? While much of the focus on cinemas’ sustainability efforts are at the consumer end, an equally important aspect is behind the scenes, mostly relating to energy consumption, as Patrick von Sychowski explains.
W H E R E T H E WAT T S G O I N A L A S E R U N I T: 1
2
3
4
5
6
POWER SUPPLY PROJECTORS CHILLERS
LASER WAVE - LENGTH CHOICE
LASER ELECTRICAL OPTICAL
FANS AND ELECTRONICS
OPTICAL DMD REFLECTION ABSORPTION SCATTER
LENS LOSSES ABSORPTION SCATTER
WALL PLUG 9,700 WATTS
20
3 4
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% of light drop for Barco’s RGB laser projector
14
% of reduced electricity in the last 3 years for Cineasa
www.cinematech.today
HE CINEMA INDUSTRY took its first big step towards
practices and share them across our 14 countries.” Odeon
becoming greener when it went digital. This has done
has a major Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy
away with the production of thousands of 35mm film reels
across all of its 14 territories, “targeting three important
weekly, with the associated chemicals and waste created
promises: to become more inclusive through ‘Our Incredible
from lab processing. Whether DCPs are sent on hard drive
Differences’ programme, to reduce our carbon footprint,
or transmitted electronically, the energy used is less than
and to contribute more in our communities.” Odeon and its
that of multiple film canisters on delivery trucks and planes.
parent AMC are already seeing results of this strategy, as
Finally, disposing of old films no longer means dumping
Pritchard revealed exclusively to CT Magazine:
reels in landfills, but simply re-using existing hard drives.
“We’ve seen good initial success on energy consumption.
The next step for cinemas will be a switch from lamp-
The best recent examples have been our team in Cinesa,
based projectors to laser light sources, according to
who reduced electricity consumption by nearly 14% in the
Cinionic’s Tom Bert and Goran Stojmenovik. According to
past 3 years; our team in UCI Italy who cut energy costs by
them there are two quantifiable benefits:
€1.4m in the past 3 years; and the SF Kino team in Sweden who cut consumption by nearly 7% from 2016 to 2017.
Higher optical efficiency
“In the UK, we’re pleased to have been re-accredited
A mind-blowing 700GWh is consumed every year by
with the Carbon Trust Standard for Carbon, thanks to a
European cinema projectors. Yes, that is Giga Watt hours. If
14.8% reduction in our CO2 footprint from April 2015 to
we were to replace every lamp-based cinema projector
March 2017. We were first awarded the standard in 2010.
with its equivalent laser-illuminated version, Cinionic
We’ve held it ever since.” Pritchard stresses there are no
estimates this number would drop by 150GWh (the
grounds for complacency. “We’ve actively invested in new
equivalent production of a small nuclear power plant in
equipment such as new a/c units and LED lighting across
one month). To do the same for the worldwide cinema
the estate, and use renewable energy where possible.”
market, results would be between 3 to 5 times higher.
A reduction in lamp swaps & transport
Cineworld is looking at how it can reduce energy and paper consumption. “We encourage energy saving at all our cinemas and have switched to more efficient LED lights in
Based on an analysis of the European cinema market,
our new cinemas and refurbs,” a spokesperson told CT
Cinionic found that 150,000 traditional lamps are being
magazine. “We have also introduced a voltage optimisation
swapped and sent around on an annual basis. That’s
technology which helps to eliminate wasteful electricity
around 100 trucks filled with lamps driving around Europe,
from electrical appliances at a number of our sites. Our
every year. Barco’s flagship RGB laser projector runs up to
extensive refurbishment programme has been carried out
30,000 hours with an expected light drop of only 20% — replacing every lamp-based cinema projector with a laser projector of similar efficiency would avoid more than 1 million lamp
7
swaps in Europe. Extrapolating on a
SCREEN LUMENS 56,000 lm Or 5.77Lm/W in a typical Barco DP4K-60L laser projector
5 times higher. Swapping to laser
worldwide basis yields a number 3 to could also help eliminate hazardous waste — xenon lamps contain
with sustainability in mind. We have
“A mind-blowing 700GWh of power is used by Europe’s cinema projectors yes, that figure is 750,000,000,000Wh”
introduced
high-impact
rotunda
screens and digital posters in our foyers to reduce paper waste.” In
Germany,
Berlin-based
art-
house chain Yorck Group has gone green by sourcing all of its electricity from renewable sources; paying a ‘green offset tax’ on 90% of its printed
a certain amount of
material; switching all its lighting to energy-saving LED; and
radioactive material — and lead to additional energy
participating in the Green Cinema Sustainability Initiative of
savings (lower air conditioning costs, for example). The next
the AG KINO “with the goal of a significantly more
generation of direct view displays, such as Samsung’s Onyx
sustainable business.” For cinemas looking to reduce their
Cinema LED, promise further energy savings.
carbon footprint, VEMS.pl showcased its Virtual Energy
Practical steps already being taken
Management System at this year’s CineEurope, which it says can offer 20%-40% energy savings for cinemas. As well
Cinemas across Europe are already embracing these and
as saving the environment they also provide budget savings.
other initiatives. Kathryn Pritchard, group chief people
Green may be the costliest, most challenging colour to
officer at The Odeon Group sees major benefits in learning
achieve for RGB lasers, but going green behind the scenes
from each other. “We’re fortunate that we can find the best
seems to be both easier and a cost-saving for cinemas!
www.cinematech.today
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3 5
mne Looking for an engineering team with polish? Then call Omnex for your cinema supply, install, maintenance and repair requirements. We’re raising the standards of presentation.
+44 (0)161 477 7633
office@omnex.co.uk
omnex.co.uk
THE
CLOUD
Cinema’s head is in the cloud Shifting our processing power to the internet is the next natural step in cinema’s technological revolution. Saul Mahoney from online production specialists Sundog Media Toolkit, explains the direction of travel. Words: Saul Mahoney
T
HE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY has spent the best part of the past 20 years transitioning from an analogue to an almost entirely digital workflow. This digitisation could be defined as complete, given that there are now
many well-known examples where content travels ‘glass to glass’, that is camera lens to projector lens, in a purely digital environment. This area is still growing, predominantly in Europe and the US, and it is far from global given current levels of network delivery solutions deployed. The digital transformation has enabled innovation and has generated a healthy landscape where technology is flourishing — but it has also brought with it a version explosion; namely the ability for distributors and exhibitors to exploit content in any language in a growing number of formats. Typically a ‘blockbuster’ will require a minimum of 300 individual versions of the same film, all to be created, mastered and distributed in a short space of time. This
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THE
CLOUD
SHOOT MANAGEMENT
EDIT
FACILITIES
VISUAL FX
DAILIES/ CONTENT REVIEW
SOUND
ASSET MANAGEMENT
Ideally, original content moves to the cloud only once. All work from that point onwards is via web interfaces and proxies
It’s vital to consider security measures in use as this is where the hacker’s attack surface is at its greatest.
CONTENT GENERATION Most traditional content generation — such as shooting a movie — does not change as a result of an end to end workflow, the challenge is data movement from set to cloud. Note that in the user-generated content world, this is avaliable and immediate. This can be a powerful tool.
END TO END WORKFLOW USING UBIQUITOUS CLOUD SERVICES
rising level of complexity and volume
brings DCP versioning and mastering to the growing
of content across the cinema platform
party of solutions hosted in the cloud.
has, up to now, been handled in a fairly linear fashion by a mixture of
Adaptable to suit the scale required
traditional, well-known stakeholders,
Cloud computing is useful for a number of reasons,
and new entrants to the industry.
primarily, it is the ability to ramp up scale as demand
More and more companies are
requires. This solution is a no-brainer for an industry such as
turning to cloud-based solutions in
ours, where the product is essentially a time-honoured
order to facilitate this rapid expansion
creation of large amounts of data which needs to be
of content complexity, and “the cloud”
processed and then delivered. Secondary to this is speed; if
is now an often-raised subject in the
more machines can be harnessed to achieve scale then
technology circles of the industry. So
more machines can also be utilised to speed up a workflow.
what is this “Cloud” of which we speak?
An example of this is Sundog Media Toolkit’s DCP Engine which can perform the task of wrapping a new DCP in a
Nebular networking…
substantially reduced timeframe, compared to on-premise
Quite simply, cloud computing is a
machines, yet it doesn’t stop there, because any versioning
network of remote servers hosted on
job can be run hundreds of times simultaneously, with
the internet. These servers are held,
negligible loss of time overall. In other words, cloud services
typically, in secure data centres—
allow the production pipeline to expand when the demand
warehouses with huge banks of
for all the exotic flavours in the version explosion is there,
machines blipping and whirring away,
rather than having to extend a deadline or farm out work
doing what they are designed to do.
due to capacity issues.
The use of cloud platforms in the
Cloud computing is an efficient resource and the costs
motion picture industry is in its relative
associated reflect this. When companies migrate to cloud
infancy, though there are a few well-established uses
computing and storage, capital expenditure budgets can
already,
platforms
be reduced significantly, with an on-demand op-ex model.
distributing content to cinemas, such as those from Gofilex
When we look at cinema and its growing relationship
notably
the
electronic
delivery
and UniqueX. Both utilise data centres and cloud services. In the film and television industry adoption is, however, growing
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In an end to end cloud environment facilities don’t go away creative teams still need somewhere to work. However they become more flexible and, with appropriate controls, individuals can work from the office, home or the beach with equal ease.
apace,
with
emerging
technologies
with the cloud, we can see some highly compelling cases for further enterprise and collaboration. The overall
and
adoption in the post-production and mastering worlds will
applications hitting cloud services such as Aspera and
see timelines shrink, content delivered quickly, dynamically
Signiant which offer fast and secure file delivery; cut in
— that is, with a higher level of accuracy than currently
BeBop and Aframe with professional editing platforms;
exists, and, potentially, on demand. Metadata will provide
GrayMeta uses AI and machine learning to extract and
more intelligence on content — or in content — which in
create metadata; Foundry (Nuke) with powerful VFX
turn will allow more automation, localised advertising,
rendering, and our own Sundog Media Toolkit which
‘augmented reality’ and marketing opportunities. www.cinematech.today
THE
CONFORM
HIGH-END CREATIVITY
MASTER
For high-end content, it is likely that some processes will still require local specialised equipment. For instance, UHD HDR (4K high dynamic range television) is a required deliverable for many broadcasters and streaming networks. The colour process requires high dynamic range and specialised grading consoles for accurate results. Thus, high bandwidth connectivity or a synchronised workflow is required
VERSIONING Sometimes the uncompressed content needs to move back to a facility. It may be unavoidable for a number of processes but cloud bounce (constantly moving data up and down for different tasks) is to be avoided!
COLOUR GRADE FINAL SOUND MIX
Opportunities & challenges of adoption
scale operation, one or more 10gigabit
The first and most obvious opportunity of cloud is the
pipes are now typical. With the ability
apparent “infinite scale” of resource available, and that can
of cloud to scale on demand, some
equate to infinite speed. Of course the reality is that neither
media specialist telecoms providers
is infinite, but the amount of resource available in public
now offer features which can make
cloud far exceeds the amount available to any single
cloud services a much more attractive
organisation, so it offers the opportunity to take processing
proposition. Features such as “burst”
of data from weeks and days to hours and minutes.
pricing
for
short-term
bandwidth, direct connect (dedicated
environment as team members across territories can easily
bandwidth into a particular public
work together on projects, and the required connectivity is
cloud), and layered services such as
easily handled by the data centre. The tools required will be
security,
a factor here, but most cloud native services support
collaboration
multiple users working on the same content or project
features of connectivity offerings.
asset
management
tools
are
Another advantage of the data centres global reach
scale move to the cloud (for instance a
and connectivity is that file delivery becomes easier and no
content archive) the idea of shifting an
longer ties up the bandwidth of your facility. Delivering to
entire repository of content could be
multiple parties is more efficient and if the requirement is
daunting, even with huge connectivity.
to deliver the same files to high volumes of customers, most
However this can actually be handled
public cloud operators also operate content delivery
by utilising physical migration services.
networks (CDN) which automatically improve file delivery
This involves putting the data onto
hubs which service high demand in a region.
CDNs
are
how
services such as the BBC iPlayer and Netflix are able to cope with high local demand or peaks in a given territory. Despite the advantage of file delivery, connectivity will still likely be a challenge to adoption of cloud
“Collaboration is easier in a public cloud environment as teams across territories can easily work together”
CONTENT LIBRARY
becoming
In the case of a one-time large
large
ARCHIVING
and
simultaneously. Look at Google Sheets as a simple example.
by moving copies of the files to local
DISTRIBUTION
additional
Collaboration becomes far easier in a public cloud
particular
CLOUD
portable
CLOUD DISTRIBUTION A major advantage of the cloud is realised at the distribution stage where content can be hosted and delivered to the end customer entirely via cloud and content delivery networks. This also opens up the possibility of live libraries which can release the value in content archives. Cloud encoding can deliver the correct file format to cinema (or home) as it is ordered, potentially even mastering on demand using the archive file as the source.
hard drive arrays and physically shipping them to the data centre. Off the shelf services such as Amazon’s Snowball and Avalanche are able to handle migrations running into exabytes of data (an exabytre is 1018bytes — a big number). At the low cost end, a few hundred dollars will
services — you still need to move your data into the cloud in
move up to 80 terabytes in a “Snowball” while you can move
the first place. The cost of broadband connectivity is falling
up to 100 Petabytes at a time in a “Snowmobile”.
constantly, but in the case of working with content in the cloud, enterprise class connectivity is a must. At the small
A changing financial model
operation end, 1 gigabit will typically suffice, but for a larger
Cost saving is an interesting part of the equation. At first
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THE
CLOUD
glance, a cloud service can appear to be very low cost
far too complex to take a single point approach to security,
overall compared to an equivalent fully managed service.
and it is impossible to guess what vulnerabilities or attack
However moving to the cloud will typically change the
vectors may present themselves over time. In this case it is
nature of an operation and that point has to be accounted
essential to be diligent in your choice of service provider.
for. Most major cloud providers now offer “TCO” (Total Cost
You must ask if they are certified by any industry bodies,
of Ownership) calculators to help work this out. A simple
whether their security is well-documented, whether they
example would be to bring a service in-house that was
undergo regular independent testing and attack, and
previously entirely outsourced. There is no capital cost on
whether they have passed any major security audits. In the
the service itself, the cloud cost here is all operational cost
end, the required vendor security level of any organisation is
which should typically be in the region of 10-20% of the
going to reflect their own stance on security, but bear in
legacy service cost. You may now need to staff up to run the
mind that in the connected world, security is more than just
service in-house, you will almost certainly need to upskill
protecting content, but protecting internal systems,
existing workforce or bring in new expertise. You may need
business continuity and customer and personal data. The
to increase your connectivity (see later in this section) and
cloud can be just as secure as owned infrastructure, and in
buy in additional cloud-based supporting systems (eg file
most cases far more secure, but ensure the applications you
transfer, asset management, missing service pieces etc.). So
choose don’t compromise that.
it is not unusual when this and other factors are all
Can the cinema industry avoid the cloud? Not really.
accounted for that what looked, at face value, to be an 80-
We’re heading in this direction for a reason; it is the only
90% saving actually reduces to 30-40% of hard savings. This
sustainable solution and will be ubiquitous soon, but the
doesn’t attribute value to the operational agility and
challenges for anyone heading to the cloud in the near
resilience that the cloud service may bring. Nevertheless,
future are not trivial and should not be underestimated.
30% is typical of TCO cost savings in cloud migration seen across all industries. If you already run in-house services using owned infrastructure, moving to an operational expenditure model will change the nature of your accounting and this can
The different types of cloud deployment
sometimes be a challenging transition. Furthermore, there is an expectation with owned infrastructure to squeeze as much lifetime out of the hardware as possible, often well
There are three main types of cloud
to carry a hard drive around with
beyond the accounting write-off period. In this case, cloud
deployment;
us that contains a lifetime of
migration is more likely to happen piecemeal as equipment
Amazon Web Services, Microsoft
reaches end-of-life or is no longer supported. This has the
Azure, Google etc) operates globally
upside of a gentle transition (avoiding operational shock)
with public access to tools and
Cloud services are used in familiar
but has the downside of supporting two models, potentially
services provided by the operator.
applications
over a number of years. This transition is much easier to
Private (local) cloud are bespoke
Facebook and LinkedIn. This is
undertake when moving from a wholly outsourced service
builds i.e not open to public use,
where cloud is not just used for
to in-house cloud backed service. The net result is the same
and can be costly to set up and
storage but also processing. Further
though — the cloud allows the infrastructure cost to vary
maintain. Finally the hybrid cloud
examples are Dropbox and Google
with the peaks and troughs of demand. Being able to scale
offers a bridge between the private
Drive for storage and file sharing;
instantly when busy and minimise cost when quiet has
and the public and can be a good
Google Docs and LibreOffice for
enormous intrinsic value to any business.
model for businesses not wanting
work collaboration on documents, ;
to jump in at the deep end.
Tumblr and Instagram for photo
As safe as houses?
public
cloud
(e.g.
photography and music archives.
such
as
Netflix,
editing and sharing; and YouTube
Security is a major factor when taking the decision to move
The cloud is probably best known
for video storage and publishing.
into the cloud, since it is widely accepted that the physical
as a data storage provider, most
The list of use-cases illustrates the
infrastructure of large public cloud providers is far more
telco’s offer some cloud storage to
extent to which the cloud is already
secure than most operations — even many governments —
consumers so that we don’t all have
embedded in everyday life.
can reasonably afford to achieve. The fact remains, however, that the services within are in a “public” environment, and so the attack surface is naturally large. This is an area that is 4 0
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www.cinematech.today
Cinema subtitling in the UK – a new way forward
1in 6
16% (11m) of the UK population have some form of hearing loss
The UK Cinema Association and Action on Hearing Loss are excited to launch this new challenge fund to help catalyse innovation in technology that will allow people with hearing loss to have a more inclusive cinema experience.
Help us find a solution that: Allows deaf and hearing-impaired people to have an integrated cinema experience with the wider public; Is easy to use for both the cinema and audience member; Is financially viable for venues to install and use; and Is compatible with existing cinema infrastructure and technology.
•
14.5%
•
of the cinema-going audience are disabled
26m
• •
The closing date for applications is Friday 28 September 2018.
cinema visits from disabled customers to UK cinemas per year
To find out more and to apply go to:
www.cinemauk.org.uk/ technologychallengefund or email info@cinemauk.org.uk
cinema_technology_2018_Layout 1 30/07/2018 22:57 Page 1 TCF-Half A4 landscape advert-02.indd 1
DEEPER, RICHER, AND MORE IMMERSIVE.
DEEPER, RICHER AND MORE IMMERSIVE
D
TM
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03/08/2018 15:53
LEADING 2D/3D SCREENS WIDE VIEWING ANGLES NO VISIBLE HOT-SPOTTING WHITER APPEARANCE 4K AND LASER READY
www.ushio.eu
E V E N T S Patrick von Sychowski reports from Barcelona at CineEurope 2018
CineEurope 2018 Review
C
INEEUROPE
fell
in the calendar just seven weeks after CinemaCon in 2018 and many
people wondered if there would be enough to set the two apart in terms of
movie
content
and
industry
conversations. In the end any fears were
allayed
and
confirmed
in
Barcelona
that
international
its
CineEurope
eighth it
show
is with
year a
in
strong its
own
character — European, Hollywood and global. It was also a show with a focus on diversity, in many forms, but facing increasing industry consolidation and potential disruptors. A confident UNIC president Phil Words: Patrick von Sychowski
Clapp opened the show pointing to growth in 2017 and a strong start to 2018, which “confirms the cinemagoing public recognise the massive
We will, we will rock you! Fox put on a glitzy show for “Bohemian Rhapsody”
www.cinematech.today
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E V E N T S
levels of investment that European
Too big for the trade show?
operators are making in all aspects of
The trade show floor was its largest ever for
the big screen experience.” He pointed
CineEurope, though sentiments differed about
to the strength content diversity and
whether traffic and footfall was up or down this
local films brought to the industry and
year. Some of this might be related to parallel
highlighted
paper
events, but also because of many of the largest
recently published by the Global
companies having relocated and taken up home in
Cinema Federation, before ending
the meeting rooms on levels 1 and 2. Companies
with a dig at “unsustainable business
like GDC, Harman/Samsung and D-Box that might
practices of so-called ‘disruptors.’”
otherwise also have been found in the great hall
the
position
The case for Euro content
were instead exclusively tucked away in the corridors above it.
The show opened with a look at the business case for European content, supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, followed by a high-calibre executive round table that included exhibitors Cineworld’s Mooky Greidinger (“Mooky speaks!” attendees marvelled), CJ CGV’s Bret Kim and Vue’s Tim Richards, as well as Fox’s chairman and CEO Stacey Snider and IMAX’s JL Pomeroy. It
explored
issues
of
premium,
communication, data, but above all the need to remind audiences how great cinema is. Greidinger urged the industry to think how to get customers to “stay for three-four hours” at a time. Having consolidated its Regal acquisition, Cineworld put its money where its mouth was, announcing plans to launch 100 ScreenX locations across US, UK, Europe and Israel. It had
Much activity centred around the “Bohemian Rhapsody” lounge in the foyer, away from the trade show floor
Linen’s the in thing: this article’s author (on the left) caught up with the director Paul Feig (on the right — or is it vice versa?)
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previously committed to 4DX equally
in hosting the Coke Seminar, which
strongly, with the immersive seating
this year looked at issues around
company hitting 10m visits in just five
staffing. Vue’s Dee Vassili and Kan
months in 2018. ScreenX also saw
Dosanjh provided a forensic analysis
strong
with
of how it has turned HR improvements
Disney/Marvel’s “Ant-man and the
into a competitive advantage, while
Wasp” out this month, and new sales
Satalia’s Adam West thrilled and awed
of the three-screen format to UAE
audiences explaining the company’s
(Reel Cinema) and Kuwait (KNCC),
radical transparency: all expenses
with 142 installations worldwide to-
open to scrutiny by everyone and
date. Not to be forgotten, Dolby
company-wide votes on pay increases.
announced deals with Kinopolis and
The CineEurope focus sessions on
Odeon to bring its PLF to Germany
the trade show floor benefitted from
and the UK. But Cineworld dominated
not actually being on the trade show
the announcements, expanding its
floor but in a walled-off room next to
IMAX footprint to 40 in Europe, and
it. Here there were seminars on new
announcing 50 Dolby Atmos installs.
developments in screen advertising,
studio
commitment
A focus on staffing
where Burger King’s “hijack’ tie-in promotion with the “It” movie got the
It was the first CineEurope in years
biggest laugh (‘The Moral: Never Trust
without official sponsor Coca-Cola’s
a Clown’). Event cinema made its
Corinne Thibaut present, but Oliver
welcome
Delaney very ably assumed her duties
CineEurope fold, marked by a panel
return
into
the
official
www.cinematech.today
A Cinionic reception saw delegates bask in the evening sun
Euroseating, Ferco, Figueras, Leadcom, Usit, VIP and more. Popcorn vendors and flavours proliferated, including addictive cheese ones (notably Joe’s Gourmet Food, situated dangerously close to Cinema Technology’s stand). Re-branded Unique X’s cute robot stole the show — even with its faulty “AI” that kept mistaking women for men and compounding the insult by adding decades to their guessed age. There was a growing number of specialised Chinese vendors. (Did you visit Qingdao Boss Flame Retardant Textile Materials Co. Ltd. stand 129?). Encouragingly, there were also new companies coming to CineEurope for the first time to showcase their innovation, such as Polish energy efficiency experts Vems or the Finnish augmented audio company Flexound. As always, it was impossible to visit most of the companies with stands, let alone do them justice here in print. supported by the ECA and Cineplace. Signs pointed to the field growing beyond the ‘high arts’ of opera, theatre and museums, to e-sports, music, football and more. Last of all, the ‘Wonder Women’ panel stressed the importance of diversity in an industry driven by female consumers.
7 Fast turnaround: CineEurope was just 7 weeks after CinemaCon this year
Technology and a Coke
Data showed the Freestyle section was more popular than the Fuze Tea
And in projection news…
stand, but the bar proved the runaway
As in Las Vegas, other projector and
hit, serving over 1,000 drinks, including
display
gin and tonics as early as 10am.
somewhat
makers in
found
themselves
Cinionic’s
shadow.
In the trade show, many vendors
Christie debuted what it called the
were present from Cretors and PCO to
“Cinema Industry’s First Affordable
Osram and Golden Link. Seating was
RGB Pure Laser Projector”, with the the
as big as ever, with an emphasis on
2K version of Christie’s
luxury from Encore, Euro Group,
RealLaser™ cinema projectors, the
40
50
family of
As before, the Coca-Cola stand was the centrepiece of the trade show, proving as popular as ever for both beverage refreshment and meeting point. Once again the Blue Stocking Partnership (BSPL) worked to bring it together, as well as manning the Coke and
popcorn
auditorium.
stand
outside
Ceiling-based
the
sensors
and software from Cinionic tracked over 6,000 visits to the stand over the 2.5 days of the trade show, as well as identifying hot-spots and dwell-time. www.cinematech.today
100 Cineworld plans to launch 100 ScreenX locations across the US and UK
Cineworld announced plans to expand IMAX to 40 venues in Europe...
...while also announcing plans to undertake 50 Dolby Atmos installs.
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CP2315-RGB pure laser projector. Also emphasising value, NEC showcased its NC3541L 4K RB laser projector, which it said takes advantage of both laser
phosphor
and
RGB
laser
technologies. Sony showcased its HDR-ready phosphor laser projector, the SRX-R815. Samsung did not bring its Cinema LED screen, but had a presence as sponsors, delegates and in meetings. Thirteen of its Onyx screens and Harman audio solutions have been installed worldwide, with Switzerland, Austria and Germany the first three territories in Europe.
Market moves aplenty Intersecting the trends of China and consolidation,
Howard
Kiedaisch
fronted the CineEurope arrival of Luxin-Rio (pronounced “loo-SHIN rio”) that brought together Arts Alliance Media (software), Volfoni (3D) and MediaMation Vista
and
(immersive its
many
seating).
companies
dominated the software/data, with the new MovieXchange (MX) platform, Powster enabling studio ticket sales on their websites, a deal with Les Cinemas Pathé Gaumont, Cinema Intelligence signing Nordisk, Vista powering Saudi cinemas and George Eyles
appointed
to
head
Macc.
Meanwhile Smart Pricer confirmed
partnership of MPS and Gofilex. The
Cinionic settles in
only server maker on the trade show floor was Qube with its Qube Wire,
that UCI Germany would be the first
Having rushed to unveil its new name at
while GDC and Dolby had their
chain to roll out dynamic pricing to all
CinemaCon, Cinionic had visibly relaxed into its
meeting rooms out of sight. And
of its sites. Jack Roe had its TaPoS,
new corporate identity by CineEurope. The
should
POSitive had the Cinema Assistant
company wrapped up the show with a bang by
Telepresence be 100% successful in
App, ticket. international (TI) had
announcing a deal to equip all Kinepolis screens in
the future, we would all be sipping
Dolphin, while Compeso offered up
both Europe and Canada with 100% laser
Cava virtually at home rather than
the Retail Orders & Concessions ATM.
projectors from Barco, renewing over 300 screens
having to travel to Barcelona to meet industry contacts in person.
ARHT
Media
Holographic
Having recently opened its first
by 2021. Barco and Kinepolis previously launched
Sphera PLF screen in Greece, the
Europe’s first all-laser multiplex in Breda two years
Ymagis Group brought Eclair Game,
earlier. As CineEurope’s Official Technology Partner,
Studio slate presentations
Eclair Play, Eclair Color and of course
Cinionic
projectors,
There were presentations from 11
Cinema Next sales teams and product
including augmented reality in the lobby for multi-
distributors, six by the Hollywood
demos out in force. The issue of SMPTE
player gaming (in partnership with AMD) or the
majors, two by mini-majors Lionsgate
DCPs was raised several times, though
dedicated VR booth on the Coke stand. Barco’s
and STX, as well as three by European
DCP
Flagship laser also powered the CCIB Auditorium’s
outfits
big screen, with a Clarus XC screen by Harkness.
One, and Unifrance with Creative
delivery
continues
to
be
commoditised, as witnessed by the 4 6
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offered
more
than
just
Studiocanal,
Entertainment
www.cinematech.today
13
Paramount’s Mark Viane during his “biggest plunge since reading the ‘Monster Truck’ box office figures”
2.5 % admissions growth across UNIC territories,
300 Kinepolis are renewing over 300 screens by 2021 in Europe and Canada
13 of Samsung’s Onyx screens and Harman audio solutions have been installed world wide: Switzerland, Austria and Germany being the first three territories in Europe.
Story 4”, Universal’s “First Man”, Sony’s
Yet the biggest focus of all was on
“Venom” and the opening footage of
Twentieth Century Fox, not because
WB’s “A Star is Born” amongst others.
they dazzled with clips from the
The European studios helped balance
Queen and Freddie Mercury biopic
the big screen diet, though it is no
“Bohemian Rhapsody”, with Brian May
small irony that two of the biggest
and Roger Taylor making a walk on to
‘British’ hits this past year, namely
the stage. Nor because Jon Landau
“Paddington 2” and “The Guernsey
teased more “Avatar” details and
Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”
showed
came from France’s Studiocanal.
footage. But with AT&T’s take-over of
“Alita:
Battle
Angel”
3D
With all Studios having had a
Time Warner approved in the week of
mostly good year (don’t mention
the show and Disney later improving
“Solo”), even Paramount’s Mark Viane
its offer over that of Comcast, the
felt confident enough to joke that his
merger of Fox into Disney increasingly
‘Mission: Impossible’-style cable drop
looked a done deal. Andrew Cripps
entry on stage was his biggest plunge
and Kieran Breen got laughs in their
since reading BO figures for “Monster
intro video where they wondered
Truck”. There were the customary star
whether to pack Mickey Mouse ears or
video messages (“Hello CineEurope,
a Comcast t-shirt in their CineEurope
sorry I can’t be there,”) and a smattering
suitcase. “Too soon?” deadpanned
Europe MEDIA. Unlike CinemaCon
of stars and directors on stage, such as
Cripps.
there was even time for feature films;
Andy Serkis, trying to drum up interest
offered.
WB’s “Tag”, Disney/Pixar’s “Incredibles
for his non-Disney take on Kipling’s
If Fox is gone next year, its
2” and Lionsgate’s “A Simple Plan”. The
“The Jungle Book” in the dark “Mowgli”.
showmen and women will be missed.
“Maybe
next
year,”
Breen
last presented by the film’s impeccably dressed director Paul Feig, who even stayed to watch the film, “because you can’t trust a chef who doesn’t eat his own food,” he quipped. While there was a lot of repetition of the Hollywood studio slates from CinemaCon, there were enough new films or details added to satisfy even those sitting through it a second time in less than two months: Disney’s “Toy
UNIC’s Phil Clapp took aim at “unsustainable” industry disruptors
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E V E N T S
Delegates packed in for the slates
Awards & Honours
innovation
presentations
from
vendors was a success, John F. Allen covered all current issues in cinema
CineEurope’s tributes started early with the
A successful outing
sound
honouring of outgoing EDCF stalwarts Dave Monk
Few attendees at CineEurope 2018
Christiansen gave great insight into
and John Graham during the UNIC reception.
realised that this year’s earlier show
the
Instrumental in keeping the EDCF going for almost
slotted between the 38th Congress of
Hollywood films.
two decades, the current president David Hancock
SEMFYC, with seminars on “Insomnia
The highlight was the Gen Z panel
acknowledged the industry’s debt to them.
treatment in the context of benzo-
on the mindset of teens. They seemed
diazepine
“Geriatrics
baffled by the notion of owning
Disney’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” was the
workshop (Fun)” and the 20th World
movies on physical media: “Like DVDs?
Comscore European BO Achievement winner,
Congress on Gastro-intestinal Cancer.
Laptops don’t have slots for those any
making Disney’s Tony Chambers both Emcee and
Luckily CineEurope 2018 proved that
more.” Asked by GDC’s Tony Adamson’s
honoree, the former alongside Odeon Group’s Juan
European and global cinema is in rude
if a cinema-on-demand service such
Antonio Gomez. Jean-Pierre Decrette of Gaumont-
health. Even sunny weather (which
as GoGoCinema would appeal, the 19-
Pathe got the UNIC Award of Achievement. Karo’s
exhibitors hate) and the World Cup
year old on stage exhaled, “Ooooh,
Olga Zinyakova was Exhibitor of the Year in a timely
(when studios shy away from releasing
that would be coooool.”
award as Russia has just become Europe’s biggest
films) could not dampen enthusiasm.
cinema territory by tickets sold. Lionsgate’s Patrick
abuse”
and
and
Paramount’s
complexities
of
Mark
versioning
On Tuesday ICTA held seminars on issues
relating
to
software
and
Wachsberger was Distributor of the Year, singled
The ICTA seminar series
out for his multi-lingual skills in the tribute video.
As before, CineEurope was preceded
as designing the theatre of tomorrow.
analytics, gaming and esports as well
by the ICTA Seminar Series which
The panels’ contributors were superb,
There was also the inaugural CineEurope Gold
kicked off on the Sunday in the Cinesa
though one audience member (yours
Awards for seven men and women from across
Diagonal Mar — a record 170 registered
truly) complained of a lack of diversity.
Europe and the industry, both exhibitors and
to attend. UNIC’s Guillaume Branders
Of the 16 panelists that afternoon, just
vendors, that had distinguished themselves in
gave both a European Industry Update
one was female. Eventually a tweet in
their careers. Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour was
and chaired the executive round table
response
named
the
first
recipient
of
the
came
from
CineEurope:
“Special
on key tech issues. He pointed to both
“We’re committed to making sure that
Recognition” award at CineEurope and spoke
growth of +1.7% in BO and +2.5%
doesn’t
about the importance of cinemas opening in her
admissions across UNIC territories, as
#5050by2020.” The Wednesday panel
native Saudi Arabia. After that CineEurope broke
well as “exciting changes” through the
on direct view displays lasted just 30
up early and those that had not already left to
experience of new formats.
minutes,
watch the World Cup kick off from home mingled on the CCIB terrace. 4 8
The Grinch added some levity
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The short, sharp format of threeminute
product
and
service
happen
so
it
in
was
the
hard
future…
to
go
particularly deep, even with Dave Monk providing many of the answers! www.cinematech.today
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I S T A N B U L
Building cinemas at the crossroads of Europe & Asia To be held in Turkey this November, the inaugural #ECMIstanbul conference will examine opportunities in nascent cinema markets. Event organiser Rob Arthur, from The Big Picture, explores the potential
T
HE EMERGING CINEMA MARKETS
office by $2.5bn at a modest average ticket price. That
of Turkey, Central Asia, the Middle
level of growth will ineivtably take time, expertise and an
East, Balkans and North Africa are at
appreciation by all involved — exhibitors, distributors and
an early stage in their development,
trade supply chains — that there will be challenges.
but in combination offer a significant opportunity for investors, studios,
distributors, exhibitors and their specialist supply chains.
in the market area. Turkish, Kazak and Arabic filmmakers
inaugural Emerging Cinema Markets Conference, to be
amongst others are finding new audiences and their local
held this November in Istanbul. Some 650 million people
content adds to the impact of international studio and
live in the target markets, but there are just 170 million
Hollywood offers. Learning and development and the
cinema ticket sales officially recorded per annum. GDP in
ability to deliver great customer service in new markets is
the area is $5,200bn with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE,
required; as is the ability to utilise the technical equipment
Egypt and Israel being among the biggest markets.
purchased to the best of its ability — there’s little point in
per annum, there is scope to grow capacity by more than 10,000 screens; admissions by half a billion and gross box
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Book your tickets today
DCS Events with The Big Picture will be hosting an Emerging Cinema Markets Conference on 20-22 November at the Swissôtel The Bosphorus, Istanbul.
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21st Century shopping centre and cinema tour for
price of €795 for members of recognised industry trade bodies. An ‘Early Bird’
delegates to see several outstanding cinemas within
rate of €795 is currently on offer. Full details for purchasing tickets and booking rooms at the Swissotel at a special rates are also on the website. A host of sponsorship opportunities are available. For more details, contact
signature designed shopping centres in Istanbul. A workshop from the British Chamber of Commerce Turkey to explain to delegates how to do business in
julie.harriss@dcs.events and for more information visit www.dcs.events
the conference regions and support opportunities.
to support the growth of cinema. It gives exhibitors,
Opportunities – outlining the market in more detail
Speeches and panel sessions from industry leaders Emerging Cinema Markets Overview with Trends and
suppliers and content providers from the region a chance
21st Century Retail Centres – the key location for
to join together at #ecmistanbul and discuss developments,
cinemas in emerging markets: what do they offer
technical challenges and innovations that are central to
and how does the cinema interact?
the industry today, as well as a chance to look ahead to the
Specialist architects, technical suppliers & operators.
future. Our hope is that as many as possible will sign up to
Cinema technology – data, projection, seats, sound
attend an informative event — one that also offers a unique
and screen offers are the key ingredients to delivering
chance to network with industry experts and professionals.
a world class cinema. How can these be best used to
Significantly, the conference has the backing of the British
deliver outstanding experiences.
Chamber of Commerce Turkey (BCCT). Emrah Oz, CEO of
Cinema Food & Drinks - a sector that delivers
the BCCT explained that “as the partner of choice for British
sustainable cinema in all markets, and cinemas need
business in Turkey, BCCT is delighted to support this event.
to deliver a broader mix of food and drinks than ever.
It will allow participants from Turkey and the UK to enhance their network in an industry
Growth Opportunities including Screen Advertising and Event Cinema.
gaining in strength both in Turkey
The Big Picture Focus on Saudi Arabia: Vision 2030 is
and the surrounding region — our
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y r e v y d o b s t n a w r e v e . . . g n i h t technology
ema ns for cin a e m e c undan l overab a ic g lo o techn on what k o o C n O Brya IMIS CO new iece of . Each p e c n e ri ing e p new sav y the ex d as the e compan c ld a ra ue e often h f new ay be tr ence o nology is e this m rg h il e c h te m W n e . ed on a makers stant . With for film a con t is view industry n e e c is lm m fi ra e p g e r r lo o th he tell w deve ped for cussion ways to each ne y develo ttle dis w g li n e e lo n h o is s n w e h tec there at new , for also com ffect th al reality al basis, hnology individu ripple e ries. Virtu o e st new tec th e g c s effect n n in it experie interest eline or ration o ry d e ip a n d p n a si o n re e ti v o ti a c a st creati n the en ave en. nger just gy has o w we h big scre , is no lo y to the nt — no technolo e e rn m u instance n d o jo n ir e env l audio a lly on th -degree ositiona holistica in a 360 to cking, p , ra w -t e fe c a king, fa name eye-trac st to back ju d e fe haptic
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1
Camera Acquisition become forward-thinking and require 4K as a minimum.
The film industry has a historical preference for Super
Some sensors can record 8K and are used frequently in
35mm as the medium of choice for capturing and exhibiting
VFX-heavy films such as “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”
films. The 65mm film and 70mm IMAX cameras, while
(2017). Productions may take advantage of the higher
used periodically, have never been the gold standard for
resolution cameras to allow reframing of images in post,
filmmakers. As digital cinema cameras have become more
remove shakiness induced from operating in high-action
prevalent in recent years, sensor sizes have typically retained
scenes, or to assist with visual effects shots. Of course, with
the Super 35 standard. In recent years, however, sensors
4K images comes 4x the amount of data than an HD
sizes have begun to surpass Super 35. RED Digital Cinema’s
recording and 8K being 16x the data of HD. While the
Weapon Dragon was one of the first to be larger than Super
quantity of footage is substantial, releasing a film with
35. This was followed by RED’s Monstro VistaVision which is
higher resolutions means more storage of files as well as
nearly twice the size of Super 35. Other manufacturers have
longer times to download films from distributors.
followed suit. In 2014, ARRI announced the return to 65mm
Cameras have become able to record incredibly high
with the Alexa 65 camera which was exemplified best in
frame rates (HFR) in recent years — the Phantom Flex4K can
Alejandro Iñárritu’s “The Revenant” (2015) which won the
capture a staggering 1,000fps in full 4K. Recording in HFR
Academy Award for Best Cinematography. ARRI’s new
has been helpful in slowing down time to give effects
Alexa LF (Large Format) camera features a full-frame sensor
similar to the ‘bullet time’ in “The Matrix” (1999). However,
— again twice the size of Super 35.
Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” (48fps), Ang Lee’s “Billy Lynn’s
The other recent trend is a shift to higher resolution. In
Long Halftime Walk” (120fps) and the upcoming James
2008, affordable professional 4K cameras began to become
Cameron’s “Avatar” sequels (120fps) were or are all captured
available and, during the past decade, more and more
with the intention of a release in HFR. While many current
manufacturers have continued this trend.
While early
HFR projectors were able to support “The Hobbit” and even
adopters were able to record ultra-high definition footage,
60fps, special systems will be needed for exhibition at
many productions have opted to edit, manipulate, and
120fps for the ones around the corner.
distribute these films in 2K; the reasoning behind this is
High dynamic range (HDR) is the ability to capture more
severalfold: 1) there was a lack of monitors or projectors that
stops of latitude of what is seen, or in simpler terms, to be
supported 4K; 2) the sales or development of 4K consumer TVs had been lacklustre; 3) 4K images downsampled to 2K resolution look better compared to 2K images. As the adoption rate of the technology down the pipeline has become more common, the post-production to get it to that level has occurred. Some platforms have
Effects-driven film-making brings with it a host of technological challenges — for exhibitors, too
able to see more difference between the lights and darks a camera can record before losing detail at either end. In standard dynamic range, cinematographers may have had to choose to sacrifice capturing a blue sky in favour of exposing an actors face that is in the shade; this often led to overexposed or blown out (white) skies. HDR can assist in some situations for capturing the detail of an actor’s face
1000
The Phantom Flex4K can capture a stunning 1,000 frames per second in full 4K — giving the ability to capture “bullet-time” shots as in “The Matrix”
2008 Affordable professional 4K cameras have been with us for more than a decade
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www.cinematech.today
PROFUSION
Capturing major action scenes in only one take requires multiple cameras — and multiple dollars
and the sky in this example. While cameras have been capable of capturing higher dynamic range (HDR) for years, the ability to see these images on the big screen has not been possible until recently. Because time and resources may be limited on set, some cinematographers have been able to take advantage of this one-sided relationship by choosing to sacrifice a perfectly lit shot knowing they can adjust the final image in post with sufficient range to correct any exposure issue. However, as HDR in cinema becomes more mainstream, cinematographers will have to light their sets more carefully with controlled lighting rather
resources of the production are
than being able to rely on a colourist’s ability to manipulate
doubled
their footage. More veteran cinematographers who have always lit with light meters might soon have an advantage on those reliant on technology to fix their images.
2
Logistics with Technology
The Vision Comes Together
for
each
new
unit
needed. Dealing with these multiple cameras, units, and a plethora of technology that comes with them only multiplies the ramifications
Some of the decisions on what
down the line. The quantity of
technology will be used can be
data throughout the workflow is
Not only is the variety and selection of technology
credited to artistic vision while
often hundreds of terabytes and
something that has to be carefully considered, but also the
others choices may simply be made
nearing petabytes. No wonder the
quantity of the technology.
as a desire to break from the norm
relatively new positions of Digital
If a production decides to capture 3D on-set rather than
and experiment. In either case,
Imaging Technician (DIT) and Data
convert to 3D in post, the number of cameras has to be
filmmakers need to consider the
Wrangler were created to address
doubled in order to achieve this effect (see June’s CT Mag
entire pipeline to exhibition in
collecting, logging, and managing
on Light Field Cinematography on how this could change.)
order to take advantage of the
all this information.
It becomes incredibly important that 3D camera systems
technology and effort that has
are calibrated and additions to the regular camera crew like
gone into making the film.
3
convergence pullers are involved in maintaining the settings throughout different scenarios on set. Any tiny error that is
Trends in Filmmaking
made can lead to the budget being redirected to correcting
Technology itself may not be an issue, but how the
a problem before it hits the cinema.
technology is used could be. Normally everyone
Cinematographers often choose to use multiple
assumes that new developments are universally better
cameras to ensure that scenes are seamless from cut-to-cut
for filmmaking, however this is not necessarily the case
or to ensure that intense action scenes reliant on timing are
when they are combined. Sensor sizes are becoming
captured just once. Setting up special effects explosions
larger, sensors can record higher resolution images,
with actors can be dangerous and, of course, might not look
lenses are becoming more efficient combined with
the same each take. “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015) used an
shooting in low-light scenarios, all lend themselves to
astonishing 30 cameras for some sequences to capture in-
shallower depth of field, which translates to a far more
camera effects rather than rely on visual effects. Similarly,
difficult job for the focus puller to obtain sharp focus.
productions will split into multiple ‘units’ to assist capturing
Tiny deviations of focus may not be noticeable on your
multiple locations simultaneously.
home television, but when projected at 30 to 90 feet,
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In doing so, the
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30-90
Tiny deviations of focus may not be noticeable on your home television, but when projected at 30 to 90 feet, the smallest error can make the whole shot feel out of focus.
the smallest error can make the whole shot feel out of
at a particular time and you risk excluding the cinema to
focus. This can be off-putting to an audience member and
new developments on the horizon. If cinemas had been
can bring them out of their experience. This is just one way
early adopters and upgraded to 4K projectors, for instance,
in which the sum of the parts can have implications on the
they might miss out on HDR. The same goes for HFR and so
cinemagoer’s experience.
on. A never-ending cycle of upgrading is not economical
With the development of all of this new technology, it is
when considered in terms of ROI.
now even more important that the producer, director,
Although major studios are responsible for distributing
production supervisor, post-production supervisor, and unit
films, smaller production companies are usually the ones
production manager be thoroughly informed about the
that create them. These production companies often rent
new tools available, they hire experts in their craft, and
cameras and related equipment from rental houses instead
understand the impact that their choices have throughout
of outright purchasing as costs can be exceptionally high.
the entire workflow — all the way to the big screen.
This minimises the risk of equipment becoming obsolete
4
Cinema exhibition’s impact on production
Sometimes the technology developed for exhibition and video games can alter the ways filmmakers tell stories as well. CtrlMovie’s “Late Shift” (2016) takes video games and feature films and merges them together. “Late Shift” allows cinema audiences to participate in a story and vote on
5 6
Production companies have the luxury of renting cameras and related equipment instead of outright purchasing — an option not always open to exhibitors
“Pay attention to the development of technology in the production world to anticipate what is coming next”
quickly as well — cinemas do not have this luxury of renting the newest or committing to an upgrade as frequently. A
further
risk
is
the
decision on what to upgrade to. It’s incredibly difficult to predict which of the, latest developments is going to lead
decisions for the protagonist to take — akin to the ‘choose
to customers experiencing cinema in a genuinely different
your own adventure’ books. The film features an assortment
way. What will drive interest and ultimately sales?
of choices along the way with seven possible endings. This
conundrum, of course, is that there has to be committed
style and choice of platform has ramifications back towards
content that supports the new technology before it can
the production itself — a web of different scenes and
become mainstream. Barco’s Escape, for example, was a
endings must be written, recorded, and edited for the
terrific development towards a multi-screen, panoramic
various scenarios. It doesn’t take much to imagine how
experience but it suffered from a lack of content to support
much more has to go into a project like this to see it to the
its adoption. The best clue you have an the upgrade path is
end. The point is that technology works both ways.
to pay careful attention to the developments of production
5
technology and identify patterns from content developers
Cinema upgrades
The
to anticipate what is coming next. Let us not forget that despite all the technical advancements, the quality of the final film is dependent
The difficult question for cinema exhibitors has been when
upon a number of factors: great vision, great teamwork,
they should upgrade to new sound and audio kit. Upgrading
and most importantly a great story.
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F L E X O U N D
Audio that moves you Finnish entrepreneurs Flexound Augmented Audio have developed an economical in-seat multisensory sound solution that might shake up your audience and your business. Martin Dew talks to CEO Mervi Heinaro and chief of cinema Mika Oesch about Flexound’s genesis and its patented technologies.
S
OME OF THE MOST RECENT cinema vernacular revolves around buzzwords such as ‘experiential’, ‘high-impact’ and ‘interactive’. If the upward trend for adoption of PLF auditoriums, immersive audio, HDR projection and
The Flexound EVE system promises immersive audio in cinemas, but, importantly, no new audio mix is required
patented Elastic Vibrating Element (EVE) is the “single source” audio module in each seat back which does the heavy-lifting. If reaction from studio execs at CineEurope in June is testament to the product’s viability, the future may well be bright for this interactive, yet passive, technology. Mervi Heinaro, CEO and co-founder of the new
in-lobby attractions is anything to go by, it won’t just be the
company, is rightly enthusiastic about the venture, and tells
punters needing seatbelts for the upcoming ride. With
CT the key component is that “There’s no re-programming
cinema exhibitors on the lookout for value-add propositions
needed for any films or content.” It is not a competing, but
in this post-digital rollout era, together with their quest for a
a complementary technology. “It doesn’t matter whether
larger slice of the leisure dollar pie, it’s no surprise that SMEs
it’s Auro, DTS, Atmos, mono, stereo or 5.1 playing in the
like Finnish-born Flexound Augmented Audio have started
auditorium, it’s compatible with all of these,” she says. The
to raise their heads above their seat backs.
Flexound EVE module in each seat is capable of outputting
Flexound Augmented Audio is an in-seat audio
a full audible range of 15–20kHz, capitalses on being able to
experience for cinema audiences. It doubles down on both
deliver equal sound quality at each seat location, and even
the external soundscape created in the cinema auditorium
plugs into the cinema processor via a DSP board to receive
itself, as well as the localized sound and vibration envelope
its signal. Furthermore, the ease of integration and potential
generated at the individual seat level. An embedded and
to retro-fit older seating — as well as co-develop with any
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new seating manufacturer — make the economies of scale
The EVE module itself is two-channel stereo but
of the technology “extremely attractive,” according to Mervi.
because the mix is handled by the proprietary Flexound
The company confidently states in its PR messaging
DSP board connected to the cinema processor, any format,
that moviegoers are prepared to pay a premium in cinemas
“even Atmos and immersive systems,” is compatible. Mervi
using their revolutionary technology, that dialogue clarity is
is adamant that one of the overarching upsells with
improved, and the augmentation of vibration — instead of
Flexound is the equal and high sound quality available from
brute force subwoofer-produced bass — makes for a more pleasant, balanced listening experience. This latter claim might be a strong sway to chains that have had to field
Part of a specialist team, Mika Oesch, chief of cinema at Flexound
every seat with it installed. “It doesn’t matter if you are in the corner, in the back row, in the front row, currently — even with the best sound systems — it will only be some select
complaints from customers enduring tinnitus-inducing
seats that experience a perfect soundstage. With our
sound pressure levels at the local multiplex.
solution, you can avoid this restriction because the sound is close, as well as having the combination of, and perfect
Flexing their muscles
synchrony with, current sound systems. When filmmakers
Flexound started in January 2015 after acoustics whizz
decide an aeroplane flies over you or a train comes from the
Jukka Linjama, formerly of Nokia, developed a module
left, all of the binaural or immersive sounds come from the
which combines audio and soundwave vibration from the
correct direction, and that’s the beauty, In each seat, even if
same source. His wife, Mirja, had also been working with
you are sitting in the far left of the auditorium, you will still
disabled
get the sound coming from the correct place.”
and
autistic children
Both Mervi and Mika go to some lengths to explain that
for the previous
in no way does the system compete with the wider audio
25 years, during
mix being delivered in the auditorium. Flexound is time-
which she tested
aligned, so it will match the external soundscape. “We want
combining music
to respect the original sound design,” says Mika. “We don’t
and vibration as
want to create a circus or a gadget that takes the viewer out
a form of therapy,
of the story. Our system is transparent, even though sound
contributing
to
comes from the headrest.” Mervi also believes the system is
Jukka’s formation
truly immersive, and that the focus for the audience will be
of a template for
the movie. “The idea is that you don’t pay attention; of
the new tech. It wasn’t long before the small team decided this was “…a technology that fits perfectly into the cinema world, and now here we are three and a half years later.”
Testing out the system at the company’s stand at CineEurope
course, there may be some moments when you say ‘Wow! I’m feeling something’ but the focus should not be ‘I’m
The company also began to examine other vertical business channels and has started selling a vibrating audio pillow for the home, known as Humu, which is sold under an OEM deal with The Sharper Image in the US, and should find its way its way to online retail platforms shortly. A more comprehensive and wider worldwide distribution network for Humu is in process, while Flexound’s professional system itself may eventually appear in museums, live theatre and concert arenas. The focus for the moment is cinema, and CineEurope 2018 marked the official launch. As for the architecture and moving parts of the Flexound cinema system, chief of cinema Mika Oesch stresses the importance that the EVE module will “even go below 20Hz” and into the range where “you don’t hear it, but you can feel it.” He explains that “we split the signal from the existing sound processor and feed all the channels to our DSP, and there we mix the sound for our chairs”. Because the system is passive and the power consumption low, it is possible to “use quite thin speaker cables” to connect each seat. 6 0
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The EVE system is suitable for installation in all types of seating
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“The focus should not be ‘I’m hearing something from my seat’, it has to be ‘I’m in the story!’”
hearing something from my seat.’ The focus has to be ‘I’m in the story.’ It has to support the story, and be very natural, and that’s one of its beauties”
Flexound’s Humu is a consumerfocused audio product
The Flexound team has been visiting several speaker
in Beijing where it has been monitoring and analysing
manufacturers over the past couple of years, many of whom
audience reactions. That location has been compiling
have asked “‘How the hell did you come up with this?’,” says
reports with measurements based on physiological
Mervi. She says the company has six patent categories tied
changes between ‘off’ and ‘on’ modes of the system. It is
up in the various business channels and in a number of
due to the comparatively short history of the company’s
international markets, most of which are pending. However,
cinema offering and its lack of geographical proximity to
the EVE core technology has been granted patents in both
Hollywood that Mervi says the company has not had a
Finland and the USA. Mervi believes this is nothing short of
chance to get official endorsements from the creative
a breakthrough for this unique multi-sensory product class.
community yet. That’s not to say that they haven’t been
The real-world testbed
forthcoming. Anecdotally, she confirms that the Californian studio executives and filmmakers who have experienced
The company only began working secretly on a theatrical
the system so far have been “ecstatic” and that sound
version of this augmented audio solution in September last
designers in Finland “go nuts about it.”
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F L E X O U N D
On the EVE of greatness Much discourse in exhibition circles revolves around the need for a prescient response to the habits of a youth demographic distracted
increasingly
by
competing
media and entertainment. Cinema must remain flexible and agile in this climate if it product categories and a licensing business model will
and commissioning too, and that the
is to maximise profits and
apply to many of its customers as in, for example, the case
Flexound offering is more streamlined
deliver an experience the
of automotive. In scenarios where the core components are
than competitors’ models. “Obviously
public simply can’t get at
provided by Flexound, the augmented audio module
there’s an investment needed to
home or on the move. If
becomes a “branded ingredient, almost like ‘Intel Inside’ on
install the equipment and commission
products such as the EVE
a computer.” As far as cinema is concerned, Flexound must
it, but it is more straightforward than
augmented audio module
become the full system provider because both integrators
the scenario presented by comparable
can be commoditised and
and seating companies are key to delivery of the solution.
technologies,” says Mervi. Flexound is
delivered
“A lot of seating companies felt they need to talk to us
open to how the sales process is
downtime, without the need
since our launch,” says Mervi, “and major integrators have
realised, whether the company sells
for vast capital expenditure,
approached us.” And, of course, the company is excited that
the system directly, or via the seating
then Flexound might be onto
it is being taken seriously. Mervi and Mika have no illusions
company. “We are not looking to give
something.
about Flexound’s strategic requirement to become not only
exclusivity to any seating companies,
the component providers, but the integration trainers as
but would rather work with exhibitors
well. Seating companies are looking to add sound systems
and their chosen seating suppliers.”
to their portfolios and Flexound’s team are confident they will be at the leading edge of that drive.
Is seating driving the cinema business?
Mervi and Mika are highly tuned to the requirement of refurbishment. They know that a given auditorium or complex will present a different challenge each time, but the company is currently examining models that project
in previous years too, in tandem with a concerted effort by
mean downtime in a standard 200-seat auditorium. If a
exhibitors to charge their employees with delivering a more
refurbishment only entails changing out the auditorium’s
customer-centric approach from point of entry to point of
back-rests, maximum downtime should peak at 48 hours,
exit. “Several industry notices recently have suggested that
with work conducted overnight. This includes integration
it’s actually seating now driving some of the business in
and cabling, time-alignment setup and commissioning.
immersive sound systems. We combine both,” says Mervi.
With several exhibitors now opting to install a limited number of interactive seating units in, for example, a PLF
Cost efficiency also lies at the heart of Flexound’s vision.
auditorium, Flexound makes clear that it will factor this
Mervi declares several times in conversation that there is no
trend into its marketing message too. Mervi adds that “you
need for a tailored programme software, nor special audio
don’t lose any of the total number of seats with our system,
format, and these advantages leverage the simple fact that
which is another cost efficiency. Flexound should fit into a
at no point in the production chain do you “have to redo the
normal chair.” The EVE module should also only use “ten
films.” She believes these cost savings extend to installation
percent of the energy of some of our competitors’ systems.”
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minimal
their customers to minimise downtime during a Flexound
The comfort of cinema seating is holding more equity than
cinema. But, obviously, there has also been the rise of
with
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I N T E R V I E W
Meeting the BFI’s greatest showman CT climbs the stairs at the BFI IMAX in London to meet Michael Ford, chief projectionist and careful steward of an award-winning projection team. Words: Melissa Cogavin
M
CAREER
influencers. “Steven Cronin trained me. He’s still in the
shadowing his own mum who was
business in Malta, and he’d tell me stories about Phil Crawley
projectionist at the Swiss Centre and
and his friend Michael who used to be at Marble Arch. I
the Cameo Charing Cross Road and,
used to go to these cinemas, look at them and think, wow,
before that, the Gaumont Haymaket
these are like real legends, I’m in the presence of greatness!”
before it became Odeon Haymarket
How did they influence you? “Presentation. 100%. Make
Projectionist,
in the 1950s. A lifelong Southend resident, he has been with
the music timed, not faded out. Go the extra mile.” I’d heard
BFI/Odeon
Odeon as a projectionist for 40 years, with the last five at the
that in particular Michael worked hard to set the auditorium
IMAX, London
IMAX in Waterloo. Michael is known for many things, but I
lighting to match the colour theme on the screen, a nice
was told to expect a decent cup of tea before anything else.
touch that makes the IMAX truly stand out. “We are very
He didn’t disappoint.
lucky as we have a DMX lighting system in RGB so for
Fact File Michael Ford, Chief
Michael has been
ICHAEL
BEGAN
HIS
with Odeon as a
I was curious to know about his background and his
“Jurassic World” we would create a green-and-blue scheme
projectionist for
influences. So your passion comes from your mum? “Well
to look like the Earth, and then for something like a desert scene we would light it in orange and so on.”
over 40 years,
yes,” he says, “but I think it’s because she brought me up on
including five as
her own. Sometimes she couldn’t get a babysitter, so I’d go
True cinephiles say exhibition is about showmanship,
chief projectionist
to work with her and sit in the back of the cinema and get
and presentation is an integral part of that. I wanted to
at the prestigious
told, don’t make a sound!” What an amazing time to be at
know if Michael felt that has changed over the years if at all,
BFI IMAX
the movies, I note. “Not really — I saw a lot of terrible films!”
and what he still insists on. “You’ve got to get the basics
Modest to a fault, Michael can’t really pin down one particularly fond memory over another during his long career, and he tells me part of his passion for the industry is that “you never know what’s going to happen next.” He admits there are so many good times, it’s difficult to say. What a lovely tribute to the industry, I tell him,
right first. First it’s the sound in the
“You’ve got to get the basics right first. First it’s the sound. Before every show I go down and check. Temperature, too”
that you can’t isolate any one moment. I was expecting him
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auditorium, before every show I go down and check it. IMAX is supposed to be self-calibrating audio-wise but you want to go down there and check it yourself. Temperature — I go and check it, is it too warm? It’s all very well looking at a thermometer, but there’s nothing like testing it yourself.”
to get starry eyed about the time he bought Sean Connery
On the modern audio assault
a pint but no, he’s not impressed by that kind of thing.
Michael’s walkie-talkie crackled; while he was attending to
As the kettle boils, Michael tells me more about his
something in the booth I wondered if he found volume an
background. “I worked mainly at the Odeon Southend and
issue. Seven is supposed to be the reference point but
then for 19 years at the Odeon Elmer Approach which was
,latterly, for the past 7-10 years it’s been so much louder. Or
like an old theatre. For the past five years I’ve been
maybe it’s just CT’s ears that are older…
commuting to the BFI IMAX.” How long does that take? “On
“Oh yes. With “Dunkirk”, again
a good day, an hour and a half. On a bad day, up to 3 hours…”
that would have been calibrated to
I was curious to know about Michael’s mentors and
reference, but we had to run it 2db
Michael has headed BFI’s IMAX team in Waterloo for over five years
www.cinematech.today
above reference and it was painfully, painfully loud. Those were the director’s wishes.” I suppose WWII was painfully, painfully loud at times; perhaps that was the idea. Do you find that people complain? “They do, but if it’s what the director wants — and it’s Christopher Nolan as well — they
The auditorium at the Odeon Elmer Approach, where Michael worked for 19 years and, right, inside the projection room
have to kind of put up with it.“ What have you learned about projection that you think transcends changes in technology? “It’s the desire to put on
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“With digital there is too much to play with. There are no limitations, unlike with chemical. Less is more.” a good show. Some people say ‘it’s digital now, it’s not like a
time. Then it was a see-saw and more digital content came
proper cinema’, but that’s just technology. You’ve still got to
through. “Avatar” changed it all. We had a second machine
put on a proper show. They audience should be oblivious to
installed for it, then the next year another two. At the time it
you. That’s what you’re after. You’re not doing a good job
didn’t seem as good as film but it really caught up.”
when they start noticing you. Sometimes someone will point out the projectionist and everyone is like ‘Really?!!’
We agreed the skill of chemical development has been lost and is now a specialist area. “Chris Nolan said it’s a lot
“We encourage school tours here. It’s like an Aladdin’s
easier to colour time a film rather than digital because you
cave. We have a wonderful job and it wouldn’t be fair to not
sit with a guy and they grade it for you. With digital there is
share that. You also want to inspire the next generation of
too much to play with. There are no limitations with digital,
projectionists — it is a bit of a dying art. Filmmakers come up
unlike with chemical. You wonder if the quality actually
sometimes and they don’t know anything about projection.
suffers because you have too much choice. Less is more.“
They know their side but they don’t know this one.” I ask Michael if he feels that filmmakers should have
An award-winning team
that understanding of projection — even if it’s digital? It’s
I congratulate Michael on winning Cinema Team of the Year
more important with 35mm filmmaking than digital, he
in 2017 — it’s great news. I wondered what makes his team
feels. I was curious to know if he shared the same resistance
special and what sets his cinema apart? “Well I am lucky I
that a lot of people had towards digital in the early 2000s.
have the team I have. They are all brilliant. I feel blessed that
“I remember going to digital demos thinking ‘it’s not as
they are so good and it’s them that make the show. I mean,
good as film’ and ‘ooh the blacks aren’t as good and grey
I just make the tea!” Modesty aside, I’m sure there’s more to
scales aren’t as good’, but then we had our first machine in
it than that. What’s your leadership style? “I try to give them
Southend installed in about 2006; part of the Arts Alliance
as much training as possible. I want to leave something
roll-out, We ran one film and then four months of nothing.
behind, so encourage them to be the best they can be. To
We were still running 35mm alongside digital for some
do that you’ve got to give them the tools for the job and
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For Michael, handling film may be a niche market, but it sits well alongside digital
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responsibility. It doesn’t always work out, but that’s how they learn. If you inspire them they learn. Then they’ll go on and do so much more, inspire others, teach others. Give them the confidence to do it on their own. You have to be serious, you have to have a certain way of doing things, but you can still try and make it fun.”
Starting from scratch? In Saudi Arabia has relaxed censorship regulations and cinema is enjoying something of a boom. I wondered what advice Michael would give to an operator starting from scratch there? “Be varied with the programme, because there will be such a mix of things you could show. I was in a cinema in Malta recently — to get out of the heat — and once I bought my ticket, the woman picked up the phone and had a word with someone. I walked in, the show
Michael, centre, with his team receiving the honours at last year’s CTC awards
screen displays instead of cinema screens. No need for projection anymore, it’s basically just a massive telly!” “I’m unsure about that,” he went on. “I have a vision of a giant TV and a BluRay player round the back. I don’t know.
started and I was the only one there.” It makes you wonder
It’ll be interesting to see, but the £250k cost for a small
how cinemas stay in business. We face down doomsayers
screen means it won’t happen any time soon.” It makes you
every 10-15 years but cinema has always endured.
feel sorry for exhibitors having to cough up every few years
Does the rise of smartphones, online streaming and so
for yet more kit, I say. “That’s right. When we were on film,
on worry Michael? “Back when I started they said, ‘Oh, you’ll
the actual film stock got better and changed, but whatever
only have the job for about a year, video will kill us off…’, and
came out we just bolted onto the projector we already had.
in the end video did us a favour. People could record stuff
When we went digital we stepped onto this travelator that
while they went to the cinema. There’s always a view that
is just getting faster and faster.”
cinema is going to die but it always reinvents itself. There’s no reason why film and digital can’t live together, but film as
Well, it’s not like the Met…
a medium will become a very niche market. Something
I wondered about Michael’s view on event cinema. “The
new will always come along — you’ve got laser now and flat
opera is interesting. We used to do the Met here. And we had a letter from someone and they said something about the acoustics in the auditorium not being the same as the Met — the cinema is designed to be dead, isn’t it? — so for about six months we’d do acoustic readings, to get a profile With the biggest screen in the UK, watching films at BFI IMAX really is an experience
programmed into the sound processors that gave us the reverberation, then we did a blind test. The majority of the audience preferred it over the standard set up. So there is a special set up for opera now thanks to one letter.” Lastly I wanted to know, if Michael could bring anything back from his time as a projectionist, what would it be? Could be a Steenbeck, could be Barry Norman, anything he liked. Michael considers this. “I’d bring back the old Odeon at Southend. When they were knocking it down I asked them for a brick. The first guy told me to get lost. The second guy I asked said ‘which do you want?’, so I got one. When Jurassic Park technology becomes readily available I’ll clone that brick and bring back the Odeon Southend.”
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PROJECTION
Sony: From lasers and LED to FINITY & beyond In the first of series of articles that takes an in-depth look into the major projector manufacturers and their product line-up, Peter Knight explores the points of differentiation that set Sony Digital Cinema apart. Words: Peter Knight
S
INCE ITS FORMATION IN 2010, Sony
film studios in the business. The wider interests of the
Digital Cinema has seen significant
corporation make Sony Digital Cinema different to other
success in the exhibition arena. The
projector manufacturers — it has a hand in everything from
company is able to draw on its unique
lenses to screens as well as content creation and distribution.
skills in digital imaging, presentation technologies and, of course, filmed
Introducing the SRX-R815P laser
entertainment. Notably, it was Sony that introduced the
For a long time, while other manufacturers were releasing
first commercially available 4K Digital Cinema projector
laser products, Sony was notable in not having one on the
back in 2011, delivering engaging cinematic experiences to
market. Instead the company was working busily away in
audiences worldwide. Since then, the projection portfolio
the background on the release of its SRX-R815P projector
has expanded into a family of reliable, high-contrast 4K
— launched a year ago — the company’s first all-new
solutions that offer leading image quality on any size screen
projector in nearly four years.
from auditoria with less than 10m screens, all the way up to Premium Large Format 24m+ spaces.
Like the other projectors in the SRX-R800 series, the SRX-R815P is an HDR-ready 4K laser projection system for
Sony Digital Cinema is a part of Japan’s ubiquitous Sony
digital cinema applications that caters for both 2D and 3D
Corporation headquartered in Konan, Toyko, which last year
screenings. The SRX-R815P can deliver its 4K image with a
ranked 105th in the Fortune Global 500. The wider
contrast ratio of 10,000:1, combined with a brightness of
corporation includes a diverse range of businesses that
15,000 lumens. This allows for stunning presentation of
focus on both consumer and professional electronics,
standard cinema content as well as enabling High Dynamic
gaming, entertainment and financial services. As cinema
Range (HDR) projection on suitably sized screens. The laser
professionals know well, Sony also runs one of the largest
light source effectively eliminates the need for lamp
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Sony’s Crystal LED display offers a hint of the future for image-making in our cinemas
www.cinematech.today
LCOS: a point of differentiation replacement and the SRX-R815P can also be dual-stacked
Unlike other manufacturers, from the start Sony utilised an LCD rather
in the same way as the SRX-R515 to allow presentations on
than a DLP-derived technology to produce images on screen. Their
larger screen sizes. An integrated media block comes with
LCOS (Liquid crystal on silicon) technology promises one of the highest
a USB 3.0 connection, meaning high transfer speeds, and
contrast ratios in the industry at 10,000:1 and an advanced 3D system.
its storage capacity ranges from 4-8TB.
The SXRD panels include only the liquid crystal — polarisation is handled
“While the European adoption of laser and availability of
by external polarised beam splitters (PBS). Before light reaches the
4K content has continued to gain pace, there is a reality that
SXRD panel, it reflects off the corresponding pre-PBS. This pre-polarised
not all lasers are created equally,” explains Oliver Pasch,
light passes through the SXRD liquid crystal where it is aligned as the
European sales director, Sony Digital Cinema 4K, “Our HDR-
image requires and reflected back out. If the SXRD pixel has rotated
ready 4K laser phosphor projectors offer an industry-
the light, it then is not aligned with the post-PBS polarisation and is
leading contrast ratio at all brightness levels, so there is no
allowed to pass. If incoming light has not been rotated, then it is
compromise for enhanced contrast ratio only at lower
reflected by the post-PBS back into the source light path. It may not be
brightness levels, as well as efficient, lamp-free operation
seen by everyone, but there is a different sort of image as a result.
with more than 35,000 hours of high-performance use.
Sony also took a different approach to the light source, using an
Offering true 4K images with generous brightness levels, it
array of mercury lamps rather than traditional xenon. With up to six in
combines outstanding, crisp images with the quality,
each array, a show can run even when one lamp has failed. Another
reliability and low-maintenance of laser.”
advantage is ease of maintenance — no special equipment or training is
Appetite for — and the momentum behind — Sony’s laser offering is growing in Europe. In Germany, Cinecitta
needed to make a lamp changeover. It’s no harder than changing the toner in a photocopier.
Nürnberg, one of the country’s largest and most technically advanced multiplexes, has invested in two SRX-R815DS www.cinematech.today
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PROJECTION
projection systems, while dual 4K 4Klaser laser projection systems, Cineplex Münster has installed a single while Cineplex Münster has installed a SRX-815DS system. CineSpace has single SRX-815DS system. CineSpace also also selected Sony’sSony’s phosphor laser selected has phosphor projector for its luxurious laser projector for its Waterfront luxurious
outset From the outset Sony opted opted to use Sony its LCD, rather rather than its thanusual the usual the DLP-derived DLP-derived sensor technology technology sensor
months,” explains Kevin Markwick, owner of The Picture House Uckfield, “and increased appetite among consumers House Uckfield, increased consumers for native, lifelike“and 4K content hasappetite mirroredamong this, Being able to for native, lifelike 4K content mirrored this, Being able to provide high-contrast, 4K ishas a real differentiator. Theatrea real differentiator. provide high-contrast, 4K isdiscerning Theatregoers are becoming more and well-educated discerning and well-educated goers are becoming now when it comes tomore fundamental questions of brightness
complex incomplex Bremen.in InBremen. France, Inmultiplex operator Waterfront France, multiplex
now when it comes toscreen, fundamental questions brightness and resolution on the and with our newofsystems our
operator Cinéplanet installedfirst France’s first SRX-R815DS Cinéplanet installed France’s SRX-R815DS last April.last
and onthe thetrue screen, and our new systems our goalresolution is to unlock power ofwith visual fidelity and quality
April.
goal to unlock the true power of visual fidelity and quality in theiscinematic experience.”
To FINITY… and beyond Also FINITY… new in the Sony To andfirmament beyondis Finity, the company’s
in the cinematic experience.”
Also new solution in the Sony firmament is Finity, the company’s complete for Premium Large Format (PLF) screens
Ready for the LED revolution… As was discussed the June 2018 edition Ready for theinLED revolution…
complete Premium Large Format (PLF) screens from 12msolution up to for 23m. Combining high-brightness 4K
As was discussed in the June 2018 edition of at Cinema Technology, Sony demonstrated an LED screen both
The new SRX-815P laser projectors projectors laser can be dualstacked to to satisfy satisfy stacked even the most demanding tasks tasks demanding
Whether it’s it’s LED, LED, Whether lamp or laserimaging, based imaging, Sony’s solutions Sony’s solutions meet a wide range of use cases cases
of Cinema
from 12mwith up powerful to 23m.in-cinema Combining high-brightness 4K projectors branding, Finity delivers projectors with powerful in-cinema Finity delivers an unforgettable big-screen moviebranding, experience — and the an unforgettable experience — and promise of greaterbig-screen profits formovie theatre owners. Part of the promise greater foroftheatre owners. Part ofboth the rationale of behind theprofits launch Finity was to provide rationale behind the launch of Finity was toabout provide cinema and audience with clear messaging theboth PLF
Looking back, Looking back, projecting projecting forwards forwards Oliver Pasch, European sales sales director, director, Sony Digital Cinema 4k 4k
cinema and Finity audience with clear messaging thefor PLF format. The brand tells audiences theyabout are set a format. The Finity brand tells audiences they areability set forto a superior experience, boosting the exhibitor’s
“Since launching our PLF solution, Finity, a highlight of the past year has
superior experience, the exhibitor’s unlock potential profitsboosting from super-sized screens. ability to
been the first wave of European customers committed to this —
unlock potential profits from super-sized screens.
including Vue International which confirmed 19 Finity screens for its
Upgrades for the next generation The replacement projector market has, in Upgrades forcinema the next generation
German operations, CinemaxX, and Vue Entertainment in the UK, Oliver
whose flagship West End venue underwent a multi-million-pound
The replacement has, in Oliver Pasch’s view, truly cinema started —projector he notesmarket that the company is
Finity technology in its refurbishment, reopening reopeningwith withDolby DolbyAtmos Atmosand and Finity technology in
notes that the to company is Pasch’s truly started — he seeing aview, lot of interest in its products thanks the right
twotwo largest screens. Most recently Iceland’sIceland’s leading operator, Most recently leading SamFILM, operator, its largest screens.
seeing a lot of interest productsease thanks to the right combination of total costinofits ownership, of maintenance
invested ininvested a Finity system for system its biggest screen. SamFILM, in a Finity for its biggest screen.
combination of total cost of ownership, ease ofon maintenance and image quality that the audience will see screen.
“I joined Sony last year at an exciting time for cinema technologies.
andOne image quality thatfrom the audience will see on screen. such example smaller independent operators
That future lies in our Crystal LED Display system, currently going through
such example from smaller whoOne want to put the best image onindependent their screens operators in the UK
Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) specification. It is a prime example of the
who want to putHouse, the bestUckfield, image onwhere their screens in the UK is The Picture three of Sony’s
feats of engineering Sony is capable of. We wowed audiences at
is The Picture House, Uckfield,aging whereDLP three of Sony’s products are set to replace systems. At
CinemaCon in April with projector-free presentation — the screen has a
At products setSony to replace aging DLPto systems. CineEuropeare 2018, announced a sale this historic,
contrast ratio of more than 1,000,000:1, with incredible clarity and colour,
CineEurope Sony announced a its sale to this historic, independent2018, venue, which celebrated 100th anniversary
and a viewing angle of nearly 180 degrees. Seeing the reaction was a
independent venue,House which Uckfield celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016. The Picture is upgrading to new 4K
highlight of the show. This was Sony’s own technology, not to be confused
in 2016. The Picture House Uckfield is upgrading to new 4K capable systems from Sony’s SRX-R510 series. The buying
with regular surface-mounted devices — it’s a different technology giving
capable from influenced Sony’s SRX-R510 series. The buying decision systems was strongly by increased consumer
a completely different experience. Every cinema is unique, however, and
decision wasgreater strongly influenced by increased demand for contrast and visual fidelity. consumer
our mission is to provide each with the tools to offer audiences the best
demand for greater contrast and visual “I’ve seen a growing number of 4Kfidelity. releases in recent
experience, be that LED-, lamplamp- or or laser-based laser-based projection.” projection.”
“I’ve seen a growing of owner 4K releases recent months,” explains Kevin number Markwick, of Thein Picture 7 0
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www.cinematech.today
Before light light hits hits Before panel, the SXRD panel, off aa it is reflected reflected off corresponding corresponding polarised beam beam polarised splitter in in the the unit unit splitter
Technology, CinemaCon and SonyCineEurope demonstrated in 2017 an to LED gain screen a view at on both its
discussed various differences and projectors the have compared to others
its CinemaCon technology. Sony and CineEurope is the only in projector 2017 tomanufacturer gain a view onthat
similarities Sony’s Sometimes projectors these have on the market.
technology. has publicly Sony demonstrated is the only anprojector LED screen, manufacturer and the second that
compared on the market. differences to canothers be business-oriented,
has general publicly manufacturer demonstrated to showcase an LED screen, a cinema and solution. the second This
Sometimes these differences be sometimes technological, butcan Sony’s
general gives it both manufacturer the abilitytotoshowcase manage aitscinema own projector solution.sales This
business-oriented, approach is always about sometimes giving the
gives whilstitstill both having the ability a product to manage ready should its ownmarket projector appetite sales
technological, Sony’s approach is always about giving customer mostbut suitable option.
whilst changestill sufficiently having a for product it to become ready should sensible market to rollout appetite an
the During customer suitable themost session, I was option. able to ingest content through
change LED cinema sufficiently solution. for it to become sensible to rollout an
content the some Sony interface was interface able to ingest the ISony and have a gothrough at building playlists.
LED cinema solution.
go atto building some playlists. Later, I was able to and a able Later,have I was align two of the stacked R515 projectors
Not just xenon vs laser When just muchxenon of the conversation Not vs laserconcerns laser projectors
align the stacked R515 projectors using the using two the of auto-alignment device. This adjusts bothautothe
laser When much of the and LED screens, it isconversation important to concerns remember the projectors viability of
and to period create aofsingle It only took a short only effectively took a short time, image. and can be scheduled to
viability and screens, it is important remember the of olderLED xenon and mercury lamp to technologies. Sony has only
period of time, andwhen can be run run automatically thescheduled theatre is to not in automatically use, allowing
technologies. has only older xenonmercury and mercury ever used lampslamp in its projectors. Sony This provides
when the check. theatre is not in use, allowing for a daily check. for a daily
The screening The screening set-up at Sony’s set-up at Sony’s UK UK headquarters headquarters allows a range of allows a range of products to be products to be fully tested fully tested in-house
alignment device.and Thiseffectively adjusts both the projectors simply projectors simply to create a single image. It
This ever used mercury lamps its projectors. provides advantages in operation (noin complicated safety equipment
On any projector, I have always felt that the biggest
advantages in operation (no complicated equipment is required while changing them), allowssafety for redundancy
challenge is with the software interface. These often feel
is required while changing redundancy (more than one lamp can failthem), duringallows a show,for but the image
“practical” rather than user-friendly. Variation in some of the
(more than lampand canpredicted fail duringcost a show, but the image will stay on one screen), of ownership as a
naming conventions doesn’t help matters. On many
on screen), will stay and predicted cost of ownership result is also lower. No-one buys a projector wedded as to a
systems, details relating to the way the projector carries out
result is alsoBuyers lower. consider No-one buys projector wedded to a light source. cost, amaintenance and image
lens changes are “macros”, but Sony, in its wisdom, refers to
light source. Buyers consider maintenance quality — hence Sony’s range cost, addresses multipleand use image cases.
them as “functions”. I found that several of Sony’s interface
quality — hence Sony’s range addresses multiple use cases.
screens could perhaps be made more versatile with an
Hands on Opportunity Hands I was ableon to Opportunity spend a day with
extra button to add functionality, rather than requiring the Mark Clowes, strategic
user to swap back to a different screen to make an
Iproduct was able to spend a day with Mark Clowes, strategic manager, digital cinema, at Sony’s UK offices in
adjustment. Overall, my impression was that the Sony
manager, product cinema, at Sony’s offices in Basingstoke where Idigital was able to investigate allUK its projectors
software is perfect for the majority of locations in which the
Basingstoke was able to investigate all its aprojectors had to offer.where Mark I spent time going through detailed
projectors are based, namely those cinemas where
had to offer.asMark spent timetechnology going through a the detailed explanation to how the LCD used in Sony
standard ads, trailers and feature programmes run everyday.
explanation as to how the LCD technology usedthis in the Sony projectors differs to DLP chips. He followed with an
Complex shows are more of a challenge to put together
an projectors DLP chips. Heprojector followed interface. this with We overview ofdiffers every to function on the
and manage, but this is easily overcome using Sony’s own
overview every function on the projector interface. We discussedofthe various differences and similarities Sony’s
TMS which handles playlist construction construction well. well.
in association with
to host
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SCALARAMA
A month of cinema heaven!
Scalarama — a festival of cinema across the 30 days of September takes over auditoria and film clubs across the UK every year. Michael Pierce explains the dream to fill the land with cinemas
tribute to the Scala Cinema (hence the name), a legendary cinema most memorable for its Kings
Scalarama is an “open-source” festival. So join in
Cross location in the capital. The Scala had a real sense of identity, a swagger
ELCOME TO SCALARAMA, a month of
and a style that has outlived its closure in 1993. It had
cinema heaven that takes over the UK
such a wide programming range, a real dynamic
every September. It’s an opportunity for
approach to the design of its publicity and also cats,
cinemas and film clubs to work together
and its legacy is still felt today, especially for the
to show the movies they love and
numerous British filmmakers, such as Christopher
encourage others to get involved in
Nolan, Peter Strickland and Carol Morley who counted
screening films. Across the 30 days of
it as a vital part of their film education. That original
September, venues of all shapes and
tribute season in 2011 was conceived as a way also to
sizes are united in a celebration of why we think showing
showcase the range of film clubs across London which
films on a big screen with an audience is the best way to
in some way kept that Scala flame burning. People
enjoy a film, and also that cinema can really start new
were free to choose whatever films they wanted to
conversations, transform areas and bring like-minded
screen, some keeping in the Scala tradition and doing
people together. Anyone can put on a Scalarama screening
double bills and all-nighters, whilst others thought
and there’s no cost for submitting events to the season —
about what the Scala might have shown if it was still
the motto is Fill the Land with Cinemas!
around. The range was so wild and widespread, that it
Scalarama is now in its eighth year after kicking off in London back in August 2011. That initial edition began as a
www.cinematech.today
felt like an innovative way to make cinema exciting and accessible to a new generation.
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SCALARAMA
The goal of Scalarama is to celebrate film-watching as a communal activity
The ambitions just got bigger After a successful summer in 2011, the organisers thought that was it. But film fans from across the UK such as Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham had come to London for the events and wanted to know if it was happening again and if organisers would tour films around the country. The tribute was conceived as an open source format that could take place anywhere, so the most important thing was for people to do it at the same time, the next year Scala Beyond was born and the tradition was started with over 30 different cities and towns taking part. In 2013, the name Scalarama was coined and the whole month of September chosen as an easy way to avoid having to choose beginning and end dates. Since then Scalarama has evolved to include as many cinemas as possible and to keep it fresh each year. From the beginning, Scalarama has been inclusive to a wide range of exhibitors and is not snobby about venue or projection format. The initial season started as an idea by Philip Foxwood who was running the Roxy Bar and Screen in London’s Borough, a bar with a huge cinema screen and high-spec digital projector in the back, with plush seating and red velvet curtains. He wanted an idea for a programme that would take place across the quieter months of summer when there were no big sporting events or major independent film releases that would usually make up the screening schedule. Andy Kimpton-Nye, a fan of the space, mentioned that a previous season had reminded him of the
In the first year, Phil recruited me. I co-founded the
Scala Cinema in its range of programming, so the idea stuck.
Midnight Movie events at Curzon Soho and produced the
A tribute to the cinema was planned. Successfully acquiring
first season. I’ve since moved into directing the shape and
funding from Film London, Phil’s idea
ambition of the season, alongside various coordinators in
was to invite film clubs to the Roxy to
cities such as Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and Brighton, who
screen what they like, or do screenings
work in organising local activity and create meet-ups for
in other venues and have a London
exhibitors to share ideas and plan together. From that first
wide “fringe” style festival, like the
fringe festival, Scalarama has transformed into a wide-
Edinburgh Fringe but for cinema. That
reaching initiative that makes cinema exciting and
first year saw events from Cigarette
adventurous for audiences. People try new genres or venues
Burns Cinema, the Cinema Museum,
and hopefully discover the spark that ignites a passion.
“Scalarama is not snobby about venue or projection format. We’ve even shown films in cemeteries”
Filmbar70, Rio Cinema, Passengerfilms, ICA and the Prince
Over the years, highlights of Scalarama include a UK tour
Charles Cinema to name only a few. Screenings ranged from
of the Hungarian 7-hour arthouse smash “Satantango” on
DVD screenings in pubs to full 35mm double bills in picture
35mm (which translates to 36 reels of film!), a reproduction
palaces. There were even screenings on boats, in cemeteries,
of John Waters’ scratch-n-sniff Odorama cards for a new
under motorways and in garden sheds.
digital re-release of “Polyester” and a partnership with
Scalarama — it’s about amplification
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Directed by Women encouraging screenings of films made by women throughout the month. Over 700 different
Since then, that energy has multiplied and Scalarama has
exhibitors have shown films during Scalarama and an
seen new clubs start up in September, using the season as a
increasing number of distributors (such as BFI, Dogwoof,
platform to amplify their activity and connect with similar
Altitude and Second Run DVD) have started to offer
organisations. One aim is to build a collaborative environment
discounts on back catalogues in September. Formats range
in exhibition and move away from a competitive atmosphere
from DCPs, Blu-rays, DVDs, 35mm and 16mm. Even VHS has
that can sneak in when the film community feels threatened.
made a comeback, at the annual VHS Trashfest in Scotland. www.cinematech.today
SCALARAMA
Scalarama doesn’t exist in antithesis to YouTube, Netflix and the other ways people discover films now. Instead, it asks how we can make film-watching communal. That’s why Home Cinema Day was created for the last Sunday of September. It’s a way for friends and family to connect over cinema in the comfort of their home. They share discoveries on social media as a way of showcasing a range of films and make others appreciate that choosing films isn’t simple! This year, Scalarama returns to its roots and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Scala Cinema. Jane Giles, former manager of the cinema, has dug into the archive and with FAB Press, will release a massive book with all of the amazing iconic programmes. Even with today’s digital design tools, the original three-colour screen printed posters are feats of eye-popping artistry that haven’t been bettered. And that’s the great thing about Scalarama and cinema in general. If you respect the history, film is a combination of analogue and digital and can be the best of both worlds, and an ambition of Scalarama is to make a time and place where celluloid can be shown off, much like how Record Store Day now prizes itself on exclusive vinyl releases.
MANSION HOUSE
TEMPLE
TOWER HILL
MONUMENT
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CHARING CROSS EMBANKMENT
2
LONDON BRIDGE
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A crowd-funded future? There are some challenges, especially around funding. A lot of it is down to
WATERLOO
A film map from an early edition of the film festival
volunteers and people putting their own money in, however, Scalarama has been supported by the BFI and the Film
SOUTHWARK
1 WESTMINSTER
7
BOROUGH
LAMBETH NORTH
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Audience Network, and hopes to move towards local
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crowdfunding so that people can connect to what’s going on in their area. Scalarama produces a newspaper with
12
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articles about film, participants and themes which brings in some advertising revenue. Our website has a listings service for events and in future this will expand to include advice on putting on screenings, as well as a rights database which can be tricky to navigate for people starting off in cinema. Reflecting on technology, it is clear the digital realm and
For more information
the internet have allowed events of this type to flourish — from discovering cinemas and film clubs on social media, to
For information on Scalarama, visit www.scalarama.com. The event runs
being able to afford a decent projector and setting up in
from 1-30 September. This year’s themes include a look back at 1968, a
remote locations. Organisations such as the BFI, Cinema For
retrospective of Agnes Varda’s films as part of the Directed by Women
All and the Independent Cinema Office have created a
celebrations and National Lottery Cinema Day on 30 September. Event
collaborative and progressive community of cinemas that is
submissions stay open throughout, but if you’d like to put on an event next
leading the way globally. When technology makes it easier
year, follow @Scalarama or email hello@scalarama.com for details.
to watch films at home, it still does not beat the personal
Fill the Land with Cinemas and May a Million Movies Bloom!
choice of a curator or programmer who can also introduce the film, tell some anecdotes and recommend other films. www.cinematech.today
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G L A M O U R
Goodbye cinema... ...hello hospitality & catering Mark Trompeteler questions the extent the exhibition industry is moving away from being part of the traditional film industry towards being part of the hospitality business
NCE YOU HAVE SIPPED your Martini in Tinseltown’s oldest restaurant — the Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard — take a look at the wall at the back. Hung up there you will see a 1926 menu extolling the virtue of crossing
the
road
to
Grauman’s
Egyptian Cinema to watch a film. It’s point to reflect on — as a relatively older cinemagoer I can still remember from childhood elegant cinema tea rooms and restaurants that existed in the 1950s in grand cinemas built back in the 1930s. Cinemagoing, drinking and dining have been closely associated since the beginning of the movies. There was a period when cinemas were converting to multi-screen 7 6
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www.cinematech.today
Airline Cinema? venues that eating and drinking took a less important role
Cinemas have adopted strategies
now can be venues: a racetrack, a
but today it seems, more than ever, that cinemas and
employed by the airline industry to
concert hall, a theatre, a boxing
hospitality and catering are inextricably linked.
maximise income in a given space.
ring… and a restaurant.
The foresight of Daniel Broch
By stratifying the classes of seating
No-one in exhibition is unaware
and comfort, and increasingly by
of the imperative to maximise the
Ten years ago I met and interviewed Daniel Broch, then
pricing dynamically according to
food and beverage spend. This is
CEO of Everyman. Daniel originally bought a run-down,
demand, cinemas can maximise
ironic given that new-build venues
slightly exclusive but failing “art house” site, the Everyman
income. The different levels of
take into account locations not
Cinema Hampstead. He turned it into a profitable non-
hospitality and catering provision
only high footfall and transport
exclusive boutique cinema that provided a new experience
are fast-becoming an integral part
availability, but also the immediate
in an affluent part of London. In 2009, the Everyman Group
of the offering.
proximity of actual or proposed
consisted of eight cinemas with 13 screens. Several of his
The changed nature of modern
statements to me at the time remain in my memory: “I have
cinemas is underlined by a “This is
Independent
a background in property, but foremost I think of Everyman
not a cinema” short visual promo
Zeffirelli’s, Everyman and Curzon’s
as a hospitality company”; “It is basically for people who
screened recently in Vue Cinema’s
focus on luxury have collectively
want to go out, in the easiest way possible, have a nice time
auditoria to promote event cinema
bolstered the move towards better
and go home. That is the base requirement that at a day-to-
screeenings. programme. Cinemas
on-site hospitality and catering.
catering and drinks establishments. cinemas
such
as
day trade level we deal with”; and “What we try and do is put all the component parts together to give an experience that the customers can connect with and see value in. That is what we do as a company”
Today’s Everyman
company reported a compound annual growth rate in its revenues of 37 per cent between 2013 and 2016, earning it a spot in this year’s FT 1000 list.” The Financial Times feature
A decade on and under a new CEO, Crispin Lilly, the
quoted Everyman’s CEO as stating; “First and foremost, we
Everyman Group has 22 cinemas and 69 screens, and is a
are about doing cinema really, really well, and about getting
publicly listed company. The formula of refurbishing city
people to fall in love with our venues, Value for money is
centre venues, reducing the amount of seats and replacing
important. Value for time is actually even more important.”
them with fewer luxury versions, adding much-improved drinks, snacks and dining, has led to higher occupancy and
Odeon Gallery and Lounge
takings. The brand is about luxury, hospitality and catering
The boutique cinema share of the UK box office is tiny
and giving patrons the feel of a high-end experience: a
compared to the bigger chains. Despite the niche aspect of
central value of the hospitality industry.
Everyman and those like it, their luxury approach is reflected
Going to an Everyman is not inexpensive. At Hampstead,
in developments elsewhere. Odeon recently has been
a standard ticket costs £16.90 with the signature Everyman
offering a “Gallery” class of experience based around an
armchairs and sofas costing £19.90 each. This is the base
improved catering model. Its impressive “Lounge” class is
expenditure per person. Add drinks and food on top, and
currently available only at Whiteleys, Bayswater, London,
you can see why the luxury and hospitality approach is
and is strictly for over-18s only.
attractive to exhibitors. The “Financial Times” reported in
Odeon “Gallery” has been available at Cardiff, Greenwich,
April that Everyman was charging more than double the
Liverpool One, Metrocentre, Milton Keynes, and Norwich.
average entry price across the UK last year, according to
For an upgraded ticket price customers enjoy extra-wide
data from the UK Cinema Association. The article went on
seats, added leg room, unlimited popcorn, nachos and soft
to state: “Despite the expense, Everyman’s audiences have
drinks and, of course, a prime viewing position in an
swelled. They climbed almost a third in 2017 alone, from
exclusive area of the auditorium. “Gallery” ticket holders can
just shy of 1.7m in 2016 to more than 2.2m. That represented
also enjoy a drink in the private bar before the film (some
a slowdown from the previous year, when Everyman
Odeons allow you to take alcohol into the screen with
boasted annual admissions growth of 40 per cent. The
you). The “Gallery” is also usually only open to over 18s.
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G L A M O U R
The Odeon “Lounge” concept is advertised as “Fine Food and Film” in the most exclusive and luxurious of settings. It combines a private bar area serving food and drinks, with a small, intimate screen where you can order food delivered straight to your seat. Customers can choose to eat in the
“The Odeon ‘Lounge’ concept is sold as ‘Fine Food and Film’ in the most exlusive and luxurious setting”
bar or in the auditorium — discreetly delivered to your seat, whether during the trailers or halfway through the film. Waiting staff are on call throughout at the press of a button on the armrest — more airline cinema. Each table has a layer of soundproof material to ensure minimal noise is made as
house an IMAX complete with the newly launched recliners. Following a three-month refurbishment, Odeon Putney re-opened as Odeon “Luxe” Putney in December, complete with 333 recliners across all three upgraded screens. The cinema features a new Oscar’s Bar serving alcoholic drinks, in addition to a re-vamped on-site Costa coffee bar. The “Luxe” developments are not exclusively focused on London. Birmingham’s Broadway Plaza has become the Midlands’ first (and the UK’s largest) fully reclining Odeon
Are you sitting comfortably? The Everyman chain has lead the charge in making cinemas luxurious
“Luxe” cinema.
Complete with 1,264 brand-new seats
across 12 screens, it has an iSense screen with 4K projection. Susan Harrison, general manager at the site stated “The experience we now offer guests, with handmade recliners,
food is delivered. Every detail has been considered; even
triple the legroom and a new range of
the plates are black to minimise distractions.
food and drink options, means our cinema is going to be at the forefront
Odeon Luxe
of entertainment for years to come.”
Based on their experience with “Gallery” and “Lounge”,
Odeon is rolling out its “Luxe” brand, too. December 2017
The lifestyle choice
saw the launch of London’s first fully reclining Odeon Luxe
One would expect a listings magazine
cinemas with Odeon Putney, Odeon Panton Street and
such as “Time Out” to include surveys
Odeon Swiss Cottage in London all featuring luxury recliners
on the six or 10 best cinemas in a city
with retractable tables and Dolby 7.1 surround sound
to go to for a meal, a drink and a
throughout the auditoria. Odeon Panton Street was re-
movie, which it does. You realise
launched as Odeon Luxe Haymarket and the New Year saw
however the significance of hospitality
Odeon Luxe Swiss Cottage become London’s first Odeon to
and catering to cinema venues when
2.2m Everyman’s audiences climbed almost a third in 2017, from just shy of 1.7m in 2016 to more than 2.2m last year.
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333
Number of recliners Odeon Luxe Putney has installed across all three of its upgraded screens
lifestyle-focused
bibles
such
as
“Vogue” start to include such features in their magazine. When that happens, you know the luxury experience has well and truly arrived! In the next issue Mark flips the subject on its head to explore how hospitality and catering businesses are installing cinemas to offer an experience in competition with cinemas. www.cinematech.today
CINEASIA 10-13 DEC
CONVENTION AND TRADE SHOW
HONG KONG CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE 10-13 DECEMBER 2018 — CINEASIA.COM OFFICIAL PRESENTING SPONSOR:
D I G I C I N E
Breathing new life
into series 1 projectors Some exhibitors don’t want to ride the upgrade rollercoaster… For those who want to prolong the life of older digital equipment, DigiCine offer a solution. Peter Knight examines its retro-fit media player. Words: Peter Knight
T
HERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 17,000 or more series 1 projectors in use around the world. With cinema constantly progressing, new immersive sound options, the entry of laser projectors, and now LED technology hitting the
DigiCine’s retro-fit IMB opens up the latest cinema technologies to earlier series 1 projectors
feature-rich solution. With hot-swappable hard drives to allow for a quick change should one in the Raid fail, this new lease of life for series 1 kit gives exhibitors an alternative to the projector manufacturers’ replacement strategy.
Who are DigiCine?
market, what do you do if you’ve invested in digital
From California, DigiCine is a combination of a technology
equipment which is, in practical and economic terms, still
and business solutions company. It offers a digital cinema
viable for years to come? Do you want to wave goodbye to
server that has been designed to work specifically with
series 1 projectors that still give good service in your cinema?
both Series 1 and 2 projectors from Barco, Christie and NEC.
To address this problem and provide longevity to earlier
Digital Cinema Systems Corporation (DigiCine) was
digital projectors, the DigiCine series 1 solution is designed
formed in August 2008 by Bill Elswick, former CTO at Avica
to replace early media players with a new DCI-compliant
Technology and chief technologist for digital cinema at DTS
THE BRASS TACKS DigiCine Series 1 media players retail prices start at $8,999 — prices can vary dependant on configuration and volume discounts. Included within the price is the first years’ warranty and support. Annual support and warranty is based on 10% of the purchase price for each future year. The support and warranty not only provide cover in the event of any hardware-related issues, telephony and remote diagnostic support, but future software updates including functionality enhancements.
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“The series 1 projectors are extremely reliable,” notes Karl Anderson, “and, in some cases, we’ve heard of them outlasting series 2 projectors. The primary issue is with the original media player where replacements are limited, component spares are becoming obsolete and the functionality of the software hasn’t kept pace with technology changes.”
www.cinematech.today
Inc. International investors acquired DigiCine in 2015 to
Karl Anderson, DigiCine’s CEO, says that their goal is to
transition it from a software development “skunk works”
breathe new life into projectors. At CinemaCon in April they
into a commercially viable entity selling its media players.
demonstrated by using an old series 1 projector — and the
Bill remains involved with DigiCine as technical architect.
company received favourable comments from Hollywood
The intellectual property used in the DigiCine media
studio staff about the quality of the image it was producing.
player has taken the best part of a decade to assemble.
“We are DCI compliant for series 1 and 2,” says Karl,
There are three core components to the solution, the
adding, “The Hollywood position, as mentioned to me by
integrated media block (IMB), the server and the SMS
several executives at CinemaCon, is that anything that helps
software. The IMB was originally designed by MikroM, based
exhibitors maintain DCI compliance, move forward with
in Berlin, which came to market around 2011. There have
SMPTE DCP, and helps the smaller exhibitors remain viable
been several enhancements not only to the PCB, but to the
has Hollywood’s support.” As in Jurassic World, life finds a
firmware over time. The most notable of these was an
way. It could just be that the DigiCine media player
upgrade required for deployment with series 1 projectors.
is exactly the thing to keep those series 1 “dinosaurs”
DigiCine funded the development by MikroM of the IMB
trucking along.
DigiCine’s 2RU and 1RU server units, and below, the Digital Cinema Sleeve that offers portability to series 2 projectors
and now owns the intellectual property for the IMB. The DigiCine development team built the SMS software on a Windows operating system with the intention that it could be used in conjunction with a range of vendors’
Empire’s experience
hardware. The first DigiCine media players were installed with series 2 projectors in 2013/4, with the code being
The Empire chain’s business model
servers with 10tb of storage and
adjusted to address the series 1 projector ‘retro fit’ market,
is to show feature films for a longer
Windows Server 2008r2, but has
eventually gaining CTP accreditation in June 2017. The
duration than many competitors —
recently upgraded to SuperMicro
DigiCine media player is now in use in units across Europe,
as a result there is a need for a high-
Windows 10 servers with 20tb
North America and the Far East.
capacity media player that allows
of hot-swappable Raid 5 media
for a greater retention of content,
storage. DigiCine’s media players
The secret’s up DigiCine’s sleeve…
thereby reducing the need to
are now the default standard
The DigiCine Digital Cinema System Sleeve is a managed
undertake regular housekeeping.
media player solution for Empire,
enclosure that houses a series 2-capable IMB for use with a
Empire elected to use Dell T420
with more being introduced.
series 1 projector. The Cinema Sleeve allows the IMB to be seated in an external enclosure and communicates with the series 1 projector using DCI-compliant methodology. The DigiCine Series 1 Cinema Sleeve uses the full functionality of the system and is only limited by the inherent capabilities of the projector. This means that nonimage digital cinema upgrades in audio, subtitling, metadata, DCP support and other operations are fully supported as a result. Later on when the time comes to upgrade a series 1 projector to a series 2, it is possible simply to remove the IMB from the sleeve and install it into the series 2 projector using an upgrade kit which includes the projector-specific assembly.
“Some big exhibitors retained a stock of media players, but smaller ones haven’t. Projector companies sell new units and see the failure rate of early media players as motivation to exhibitors to replace an otherwise working projector.”
www.cinematech.today
“Costs of a new projector are $25k+ for a series 2 unit and it may still need a new media player. Digital cinema evolves and we believe there are benefits in being able to defer a projector decision by simply replacing the media player.”
“Spending less than $10k now defers an expensive decision on a projector for maybe five years; allows you to take advantage of advances in technology (such as Atmos) and subtitling; enhances the moviegoers’ experience and reduces the cost of engineering call outs. Our media player enhances the value of series 1 projectors, rather than their having zero value.”
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PROJECTION
70mm Weekend 2018 The 70mm Weekend in Varnsdorf saw a range of classics on screen once more. Johan C.M. Wolthuis, from International 70mm Publishers, and Jan-Hein Bal, from EYE Filmmuseum, reflect on the event.
I
Words: Johan CM Wolthuis & Jan-Hein Bal
IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC on the
different speakers, with five original speakers from 1971
border with Germany, lying under the
behind the screen and eight new JBL speakers — these
Lussatian Mountains is the small city
were used during the cinema’s “70mm Weekend” held in
of Varnsdorf, where a classical cinema
May this year. The set-up should give you an indication that
— the Centrum Panorama — features a
this was an excellent place for the 70mm Weekend 2018
curved screen of 18.4 x 7.9 metres. The
(the second time the festival has been held in the Czech
depth of the curvature is 1.8m and the stadium-seated
Republic — previously at Krnov). From 17-20 May, a unique
auditorium can accommodate 550. In the projection booth
program of old and new films was screened in co-operation
are all the necessary digital projectors (Christie) and sound
with the Prague Film Archive, DEFA-Stiftung and the Kino
processors required to run a major show, but the cinema
Museum Berlin, who provided most of the 70mm copies.
also has all its traditional projection technology (16mm, 35mm and 70mm), all kept in excellent working condition. The cinema is proud of its two Meopta UM 70/35mm
Reflecting growing interest in 70mm screenings, this was the fourth time the 70mm Weekend has been run — this
screen classic 70mm films with six-channel magnetic
year’s program started with “War and Peace, part I - Andrej
sound and newer 70mm prints with Datasat timecodes.
Bolkonskij” and (a much better print of) “War and Peace,
There is noise suppression for audio recordings without
part II - Natasha Rostova” (1965), German-dubbed prints
Dolby and Dolby A and Dolby SR and other audio systems
from the Kino Museum in Berlin, followed by “Gettysburg”
for 70mm were installed, to support low bass frequencies in
(1993), a 70mm print from the Bradford Media Museum.
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The authors, Johan Wolthuis and Jan-Hein Bal; below, from London, Mark Lyndon and Margaret Weedon
Once more in the Czech Republic
projectors, built in its home country in the 1970s. They can
a particular track or to recreate stereo sound effects.
The large 18.4 x 7.9m curved screen of the Varndorf Centrum Panorama cinema: an impressive
The second day saw the screening of an abridged English-dubbed film called “Old Shatterhand”, a German, www.cinematech.today
project to promote the city of Varnsdorf. At that time the city had a population of around 35,000 and was known for its textile factories. From the outset, it was installed for 70mm projection with the Meopta UM 70/35mm projectors, however it closed in 1991 as a result of the closure of many factories. The number of inhabitants reduced by nearly 50 per cent. The cinema and the next door hotel fell into ruins. Fortunately, in 2000, Pavel Nejtek, owner of a neon lighting factory in Prague, bought the complex. Being a cinema enthusiast, he started to rebuild and finally — after five years — in 2005 reopened. The exterior still needs much renovation, but the interior is beautifully restored. In the same building, he opened two restaurants and in the lobby is an exhibition of equipment including a Czech Meopta UM 70/35, Dutch Philips DP75, Russian KH17/ 35mm. During the weekend, many movies were introduced by Mr Nejtek himself in Czech and in English by Jean-Pierre Gutzeit from the Berlin Kino Museum and Martin Šinkmajer, project manager. Tom Ackerman from Austria provided German commentary. The Russian movie “War and Peace”
Varnsdorf French, Italian, Yugoslav co-production from 1964 originally filmed with German Super Panorama MCS 70 cameras. This was followed by the almost-obligatory (German dubbed) “2001: A Space Odyssey” from 1968, filmed in Super Panavison 70; a brand new 70mm print of “Murder on
was introduced by Jan-Hein Bal from the Amsterdam EYE Filmmuseum. The staff did a fantastic job projecting everything reel by reel, without non-rewind equipment. They had to overcome a number of technical difficulties, including a print of “Gettysburg” which was often out of The saviour of the Centrum Panorama: cinema owner Pavel Nejtek next to a Meopta 70/35 projector
focus because of vinegar problems (decay of film material). Before and after projection this print was stored in refrigerator boxes!
Part of a wider cinematic celebration The majority of the festival was financed by the Ústí nad
the Orient Express” and a German-dubbed blow-up from
Labem region, the city of Varnsdorf itself and finally by the
1968: “Guns for San Sebastian (La Bataille de San Sebastian)”.
Neisse Film Festival — the 70mm weekend took place in the
Followed by a German dubbed blow-up from 1968: “The
context of the 15th Neisse Film Festival, organised in 10
Shoes of the Fisherman” (the third movie with Anthony
locations on the German-Polish-Czech border triangle from
Quinn), a blow-up of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”
15-20 May. Jean-Pierre Gutzeit should be complemented
(1977); “Lawrence of Arabia”, David Lean’s famous movie
on bringing in eight 70mm movies, most in fair condition.
from 1962 filmed in Super Panavision 70, Samuel Bronston’s
The philosophy of the organisation is to show movies that
“Circus World” (1964) in Super Technirama 70. The last movie
are rarely presented. During the festival the cinema’s
was a blow-up from 1968 — “Finian’s Rainbow”. Though
restaurants were often crowded with local visitors.
many of the prints were to a certain extent faded, “Lawrence
The quiet city of Varnsdorf is awaiting a repaired railway
of Arabia” was in excellent condition. Prints were English or
connection and sadly has a number of closed — but
dubbed in German and subtitled with a beamer in Czech.
beautiful — churches and factories, though it does feature a
The weekend saw cinephiles from around the world
number of lovely restored buildings that give a hint at the
flock to Varnsdorf, including visitors, from Austria, Germany,
city’s future. It lies near the city of Dresden — itself well worth
the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. “Murder on the
a visit, with beautiful churches and other historic buildings
Orient Express” in particular drew a good crowd. There also
rebuilt after the bombardment it experienced in February
was an interesting short History of the Cinema in Varnsdorf.
1945. And last but not least, the beautiful Rundkino, built in
A phoenix rising from the ashes… Some history of this unique cinema: it opened in 1971 as a www.cinematech.today
1972, with 898 seats, is one of the largest 70mm cinemas in the former German Democratic Republic — it still functions today in Dresden as a large digital cinema. 0 9 / 1 8
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E C A
V I E W
Staying ahead of the event cinema game What’s in store for the Event Cinema Association? The newly appointed managing director, Grainne Peat outlines the future vision and priorities of the Association.
T S
HE EVENT CINEMA SECTOR has so
the status of the sector worldwide.
much to offer — and an increasingly
This worldwide presence is certainly one the association
diverse range of content is testament
will continue to harness and grow. The ECA will establish a
to
deliver
programme of keys events designed to give the association
cinematic experiences to a diverse and
that
commitment
to
a structured and global outlook. The association will also
growing cinema audience. Once again, box office takings
look at how it can refresh the annual conference and seek
in 2018 for event cinema are strong and stable, with solid
opportunities to work more collaboratively with colleagues
takings for “An American in Paris”, “NT Live: Cat on a Hot Tin
from across the industry, including working more closely
Roof”, “Muse: World Drones Tour” and, more recently, “André
with the UKCA, UNIC and NATO.
Rieu in Maastricht”. The latter of these is now currently the
Vitally important is to stay informed about global
highest grossing event cinema title of 2018, having taken
market opportunities — there is so much to be learnt from
over £1.5million in UK box office. It’s a vibrant sector. The
sharing experiences from other territories. It’s time to start
Event Cinema Association (ECA) is keen to stay ahead of the
exploring fresh conversations around event cinema and it is
trends and to push the boundaries on what can be achieved.
essential to build and present the business case for the
The ECA was welcomed back to CineEurope with our
sector. The ECA will start collecting global data and case
biggest presence ever. This included a dedicated Event
studies to showcase and champion the growth of this
Cinema Focus Session, as well as several targeted member
category in terms of box office and availability, and also to
seminars. On the trade show floor, the Event Cinema Focus
help identify and inform future opportunities. A key aim will
Session ‘Jump-Starting Event Cinema’, featured a panel of
be to strengthen communications and marketing of the
knowledgeable industry figures, including Josep Maria
category. The ECA wants to build better engagement with
Farras (FC Barcelona), Katrin Mathe (CGR Events), Simon
cinema operators and distributors and also to have stronger
Rees (Cineplace), Miguel Rivera (Cinepolis Group) and
front-facing public engagement with audiences.
Gabriel Swartland (Movio). Moderated by Celluloid Junkie’s
There is so much potential for the association and I join
Patrick von Sychowski, the panel looked beyond the arts to
at a challenging time. The ECA will host its annual slate day
examine next steps to grow the event cinema industry, as
in November, which will be the perfect opportunity to get a
well as how technology and brand partners may help
glimpse of some of the exciting content to hit screens in
engage new customer groups. The session was introduced
2019 and to learn more about the ECA’s future plans. I am
by ECA board member and VP of event cinema at Cineplex
keen to meet members and event cinema advocates as I
Entertainment, Brad LaDouceur with a keynote speech on
can. Email me at grainne@eventcinemaassociation.org
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www.cinematech.today
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To advertise, please email bobcavanagh@sapo.pt
10:
34
To all those who have, or had, some interest in projected moving images, past and present. Perhaps you’re already connected with today’s cinema, technical or otherwise, but have an interest in vintage equipment, or you have been retired from the business so long, you would wish to revisit “the good old days”. Take heart and consider joining The Projected Picture Trust and help preserve the magic of cinema. Apart from equipment restoration, the Trust provides help and assistance to non-commercial community cinemas and museums exhibiting film related artefacts. The National Museum of Cinema Technology has perhaps, the largest collection of all types of film equipment in the U.K. The Data Archive within the museum holds over 3,000 items including technical manuals, film related documents, press cuttings etc. Membership of the P.P.T. will give you access to these amenities as well as the collections within the Trust’s regions. JOIN US TODAY by contacting either of the following addresses. e-mail: contact@ppttrust.org www.ppttrust.org The Projected Picture Trust, Dean Clough Mills, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 5AX
Index to Advertisers 18
NEC
03
Camstage
87
Omnex
36
CineAsia
79
Powell Cinema Engineers
52
Cinemeccanica
33
Projected Picture Trust
85
Cinionic
16
QSC Cinema
02
DCS Event
72
ShowEast
58
Flexound
88
Sound Associates
20
Future Projections
63
Sony Digital Cinema
57
Galalite Screens
10
Strong MDI
29
Gofilex
14
UK Cinema Association
41
Harkness Screens
41
Ushio EMEA
42
Harkness Screens
63
Veritek
17
The Jack Roe Companies
63
Veritek
19
JBL Professional Audio
13
Veritek
71
LTI
49
Ymagis Group
06
Motion Picture Solutions
04
Arts Alliance Media
o p i n i o n “The future of all life now depends on us” The cinema industry isn’t alone in impacting on the environment, but we’re in a privileged position to drive change, argues CT production editor Alastair Balmain
W
ell it’s a pretty stark headline,
deliveries, lighting and lamps, transport connections to
but those words actually belong to
venues, construction materials, posters, water use — what in
Sir David Attenborough — and if you
our world wouldn’t benefit from thoughtful technological
haven’t seen the final episode of his
solutions to help reduce our impact?
“Blue Planet II” series, do watch it. The
Soon after the plastic straw hullabaloo, Starbucks
footage of marine life is staggering, but the scenes of man-
proudly announced a new range of strawless plastic lids.
made waste and pollutants choking our oceans are decidely
Though it sounds like robbing plastic Peter to pay plastic
sobering. Thanks to that documentary, our blinkers have
Paul, given the recyclable nature of the new lid’s materials,
been removed and, rather belatedly, the world can now see
it is arguably a step forward. More impressive is Starbuck’s
why a plastic drinking straw is the devil’s own utensil.
$10million investment in the NextGen Cup Challenge,
As a consequence, corporations are eager to show how
which seeks to develop a fully recyclable and compostable
responsible they are. Disney, for example, has commendably
hot cup — but this is a topic that really shouldn’t be driven by
announced plans to eliminate single-use plastic straws and
PR positivity. Fluff it up, call it corporate social responsibility if
stirrers at all its owned and operated locations by the
you like, but this is a simple case of doing the right thing.
middle of next year. That’s encouraging for Nemo, but the
As a species, we’re addicted to consumption, but if a
issue goes further — and our industry can lead on this. On
trip to our venues is as influential as we tell everyone it is,
pages 30-35, we explore some of the ways in which it does.
especially to younger visitors, then we must be demonstrably
There are myriad commercial, financial and logistical
responsible about buckets, straws, cups and wrappers. At
reasons with which we can defend the use of packaging in
CineEurope in June, Coca-Cola showcased its reduce, re-
the F&B sector, but we must acknowledge that to sustain
use, recycle campaigns. This, and initiatives like them, are a
our businesses, the concessions stands alone generate a
huge start. Cinema’s place should be in the vanguard of the
sizeable amount of waste. Do we as an industry care
circular economy, not facilitating a throwaway culture. For
sufficiently about the resources we use, or is this merely the
every customer who jettisons a non-recyclable plastic-lined
collateral damage of our business? And what has this got to
cup three foot from a bin, there’s five more who’d happily
do with cinema technology…? Well, if ever there was a case
choose to drink from a re-useable, returnable, recyclable
for the application of inspiring technological solutions, the
glass or cup — if only they were encouraged to do so.
reduction of our impact on the environment is clearly it.
If you believe the object of this column is to make our
To labour a slightly heavy-handed metaphor, plastic
industry feel immensely guilty, you’re wrong. It’s a reminder
straws are the tip of the iceberg. Air conditioning, hard drive
that cinemas are in a prime position to help effect change.
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www.cinematech.today
SOUND as good as it looks CUSTOM DESIGN acousticAL solutions FOR CINEMA Refurbishment and new install Highest sound efficiency
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www.camstage.com info@camstage.com Camstage Ltd., 31 Hedley Road, St. Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 5JL, UK t: +44 (0) 1727 830151
f: +44 (0) 1727 855993
BOOST YOUR CINEMA WITH FLEXOUND ™ AUGMENTED AUDIO High quality sound and the sensation of touch for every seat in your cinema Flexound Augmented Audio™ combines high quality audio with physical vibration, creating a unique immersive experience. It adds high value to your cinema offering and can easily be integrated into a range of seats.
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A cost-efficient upgrade • Sensation of touch to all audiovisual content without reprogramming. • Complementing current sound systems. • Hi-fi sound and vibration with one element. • Full system supplier to the cinema operator. • Easy integration and excellent ROI. • Long life-span and low maintenance. • Low energy consumption.
Contact us now to capitalize on your new competitive advantage. ”This is absolute escapism. The ultimate experience in entertainment.” –StereoStickman
”The result is an immersive experience. The sounds are in my ears and I feel them down my back.” –GearDiary
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Mika Oesch, Chief of Cinema mika@flexound.com Tel +358 40 578 0771
Mervi Heinaro, CEO mervi@flexound.com Tel +358 40 553 1000
The Augmented Audio Company Finnoonniitynkuja 4, FI-02270, Espoo, Finland flexound.com • humu.fi • taikofon.com