May 1, 2012
The Big PictureCutting Through Bureaucratic Red TapeBy Nick Dager
Feature StoriesShow Report
The Top Products of NAB 2012
The 2012 National Association of Broadcasters show, which was held last month in Las Vegas, was one of the most exciting and interesting NAB shows in recent years. According to show organizers attendance topped 90,000 for the second year in a row and there was a ten percent increase in both the size and number of exhibitors. As in recent years, international attendees from 151 countries accounted for more than a quarter of the people there, which always gives the show a very cosmopolitan feel. For most people, the center of attention is the new technology on display and what it means for the production and post-production business and this year did not disappoint. In our next Report we will give a much more comprehensive look at the show but for now we are pleased to name what we believe were the Top Products of NAB 2012. Coming Soon
Show BusinessWe’ll offer in-depth looks at both the recent NAB Show and CinemaCon 2012. Complete story in our next edition |
News Stories
How Long Does Your Film Belong To You And Yours?
The European Audiovisual Observatory, part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, has published a new IRIS plus report on the lifespan for copyright of audiovisual works. The report, The Lifespan for Copyright of Audiovisual Works, considers the question of how long films and other creative projects and at what point do they cease to belong to their creators and fall into the public domain?
Court Gives Tax Victory to Documentary Filmmaker
In answering the question of whether documentary filmmaking can be considered a for-profit business, documentary filmmakers have claimed victory against the IRS. The US tax court has ruled that Lee Storey can write off hundreds of thousands of dollars of business expenses from the production of Smile 'Til It Hurts: The Up with People Story.
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. Now on sale for only $1.99.
Kleiser to Participate in Digital Cinema Workshop
Randal Kleiser, the director of Grease, will join several award-winning directors, producers and actors when they present the International Digital Cinema Workshop at California State University, San Bernardino this summer. The three-week hands-on workshop, scheduled for July 8-28, will feature instruction on the most advanced digital cinema technologies and best practice directing techniques, based on the teaching of renowned USC School of Cinematic arts instructor Nina Foch.
EYE Film Museum Re-Opens in Amsterdam
EYE, the new film museum on Amsterdam’s waterfront is the city’s museum for cinematography. The museum's internationally renowned collection of films covers the whole history of cinema, ranging from the very first silent movies to the latest contemporary digital productions. Dutch films also feature in the collection.
Greentopia Film Festival Accepting Submissions
Shows / ConferencesDimension 3
June 13-15, 2012 Paris, France View Conference 2012
Oct. 16-19, 2012
Centro Congressi Torino Incontra Turin, Italy http://www.viewfest.it IBC 2012
September 6-11, 2012 Rai Convention Center ShowEast 2012
November 5-8, 2012 Westin Diplomat Center |
One of the highlights at last month’s Technology Summit on Cinema was the laser projection presentation. The Summit was conducted by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and, as always, was held in Las Vegas the weekend prior to the annual National Association of Broadcasters convention. The presentation offered a look at laser technology’s past, present and possible future for the exhibition business. The stated purpose of the presentation was to try to answer the question are laser projectors really better than Xenon. The demo featured a Sony 4K projector with a prototype engine from Laser Light Engine. The Sony system, as is true of that of all its competitors, is some two years away from release. I was impressed by the footage that was shown and will have more to say on that in a bit. But, as all the speakers noted, the greater hurdle to overcome may well be cutting through all the government red tape that currently impedes any wide implementation of laser projection.
The Greentopia | FILM Festival takes place September 12-14, in Rochester New York as part of Greentopia 2012, building in size and scope on last year’s inaugural event. One highlight will be the screening of Detropia, winner of the Sundance Documentary Editing Award, a film about the iconic arc of one of America’s great industrial cities. Detropia’s gutsy and colorful denizens struggle to make sense of and adapt to a tsunami of changes in a post industrial Motor City, while building hope for a profoundly different future – a story relevant to cities like Rochester.