May 15, 2012
The Big PictureThe 3D Learning CurveBy Nick Dager
Feature StoriesShow Report
Organized Chaos
Trade shows the size of the National Association of Broadcasters convention, which this year had more than 90,000 attendees all have one thing in common: they are a large collection of people and ideas gathered around a single organizing theme. For the NAB held annually in April in Las Vegas, the theme for the past few years has been “Where Content Comes to Life.” Increasingly this encompasses a wide and diverse selection of approaches to the same basic concept, which is developing the best ways to deliver audio and video information to a mass audience. Sounds simple, and in theory it is. In practice, however, that concept has become incredibly complex and there is no end to the complexity in sight. For this reason one of the overriding technology issues being discussed at this year’s NAB was the fact that on one hand there is a long and growing list of competing production formats and file types and, correspondingly, while on the other hand there is an equally long and growing list of competing distribution and display formats and file types. In between are post-production professionals who are tasked with reconciling all of this and are constantly faced with time and budget constraints. Delivering audio and video content to a mass audience has never been so challenging and you could sum up both the NAB trade show and the challenge that content creators face in two words: organized chaos. Show Report
Faster, Brighter, Bigger, Better
The exhibition industry has clearly joined the 21st century. A decade ago, when we launched Digital Cinema Report, the prevailing thinking at events such as ShoWest and ShowEast was that the movie business was working just fine the way it had for a hundred years and there was no real need to change to the digital devices that some people were then beginning to offer. Cut to CinemaCon 2012, which was held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas last month and everything has changed. Not only have mainstream exhibitors completely embraced the digital era, they actually welcome the new wave of technology ideas that were on display at the show. These days exhibitors understand that things such as laser projection and higher frame rates, to name just two, can only help make the experience in their theatres faster, brighter, bigger, better. Coming Soon
Bollywood DIThe digital intermediate and recording of Rajan Khosa’s multiple award-winning Gattu was completed at Filmlab in Mumbai. Complete story in our next edition |
News Stories
Classic Cinemas Continues Digital Rollout
Classic Cinemas in Downers Grove, Illinois has selected GDC SX-2000A Digital Cinema Servers with Integrated Media Block for it’s complete digital conversion of 100 movie screens.
Major Film Planned about Kennedy Assassination
As the 50th anniversary approaches in 2013 for one of the darkest, saddest days in modern American history – the assassination of President John F. Kennedy – plans have been announced for production of a major motion picture based on the New York Times bestselling book, The Kennedy Detail, written by former Secret Service agent Gerald Blaine and award-winning journalist Lisa McCubbin, with a foreword by former agent Clint Hill.
Marcus Theatres Installs Doremi’s CaptiView Systems
Marcus Theatres has announced that the new CaptiView Closed Caption Viewing Systems and Fidelio Descriptive Audio Systems are now available at virtually all its digital cinema locations throughout the Midwest. The innovative technology developed by Doremi Cinema allows hearing and visually impaired filmgoers to see most movies from any seat in the auditorium. The new technology enhancements are a result of the company's large-scale digital cinema rollout completed last September.
Requited Finalist for Student Oscar
Trevor Forrest Wins Tribeca Cinematography Award for Una Noche
Trevor Forrest won the Tribeca Film Festival Award for Best Cinematography for his work on the much-discussed Una Noche. The riveting story of Cuban teenagers attempting to defect to America has since become a case of life imitating art with the apparent defection of two actors.
Reinventing Cinema now available at Diesel Books
Reinventing Cinema: The First Decade of Digital Cinema by Nick Dager is now available at Diesel Books. In May 1999 Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace opened with digital screenings in a handful of movie theatres in and around New York and Los Angeles: digital cinema’s first decade was underway.
IDC Signs with Thaicom to Distribute Content in Southeast Asia
International Datacasting Corporation has signed a contract with Thaicom Public Company Limited, which, in conjunction with their customer, will own and operate a satellite cinema distribution system throughout Southeast Asia.
ACT Today Presents Film Program for Military Children
ACT Today (Autism Care and Treatment Today), a national non-profit organization whose mission is to provide access to care and treatment to children with autism, is joining forces with Cox Communications to present the Autism Film Program for Military Children. The two-week program, taught by Inclusion Films, will run from June 18-29 at the Cox Communications main campus in San Diego. The program is free for military children with autism and their siblings between 9-21 years of age. Shows / ConferencesView Conference 2012
Oct. 19-21, 2012
Cinema Massimo Turin, Italy http://www.viewfest.it IBC 2012
September 6-11, 2012 Rai Convention Center ShowEast 2012
November 5-8, 2012 Westin Diplomat Center Dimension 3 Expo
May 24-26, 2011 Saint-Denis |
To fully appreciate the fact that we are currently in the very early days of stereoscopic 3D movies, it helps to have the perspective of some of the most talented filmmakers of the era. With that in mind it was fascinating that the second annual CinemaCon held last month at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas again featured a luncheon during which major filmmakers discussed their work and the state of the motion picture business. Last year it was James Cameron and George Lucas with Jeffrey Katzenberg moderating. This year it was Martin Scorsese and Ang Lee, two filmmakers who seem to have very different approaches with, as moderator, Todd McCarthy, the Hollywood Reporter’s chief film critic. The overriding topic at both events was 3D and for me one of the most interesting exchanges of the Scorsese-Lee conversation occurred when McCarthy asked the veteran directors to comment on what he called the 3D learning curve.
A Point Park University student film is a finalist for the 2012 Student Academy Awards by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Requited, by seniors Mark Christian, cinematographer and writer, and Madeline Puzzo, director and production designer, is one of only nine films named as finalists in the narrative category. In all, more than 560 films from students in 105 United States colleges and universities have been considered.