US Indie film And They’re Off has been captured by Ulf Soderqvist predominantly using Canon’s 5D and 7D cameras enhanced by the use of Light Illusion designed Gamma Curves aim at maximizing the capture capabilities of these ostensibly still cameras. And They're Off is directed by Rob Schiller (King of Queens Two and a Half Men) and penned by Alan Grossbard with Grossbard (Zerophilia) Pamela Fryman (How I Met Your Mother) and Howard Bolter as producers. The film portrays a failed horse trainer desperately trying to get back into the winners circle.
Sean Astin and Cheri Oteri top this independent comedy set in the world of US thoroughbred horse racing and includes Martin Mull Mark Moses Gigi Rice Lil' JJ Peter Jacobson Mo Collins Alex Rocco Luis Chavez and Kevin Nealon with horse trainers Bob Baffert and Doug O'Neill playing themselves.
DP Ulf Soderqvist says of the shooting experience “I exclusively used the Light Illusion curves on the feature film And They're Off. The bulk of the film was shot outside and in many of the scenes we had situations where the range of exposure was quite extreme. Using the super flat Light Illusion curve helped me to capture scenes that would have required quite a bit bigger lighting package bigger crew and more days. Thank you Steve for making serious film making possible on the Canon 5D/7D.” The Light Illusion Canon Gamma Curves have been developed on the back of the very successful Sony CineAlta Gamma Curves that Light Illusion has been providing for some time and have become something of an industry standard. “Making curves for the Canon cameras was not an our initial intention” says Steve Shaw CEO of Light Illusion “but we were inundated with requests and after some experimentation and testing came up with a batch of three curves that do seem to be being well received.”
Fellow US based DP Art Adams adds “I've shot two 7D projects one with the Light Illusion curves and one without. I've seen the difference and from now on I won't shoot a 5D or 7D project without them.
Light Illusion www.lightillusion.com ,1791
Arqiva Says it will Plant a Tree for Every DCP it Delivers
,2010-06-28, Arqiva has pledged to plant a tree for every feature film Digital Cinema Package it delivers to every digital cinema site.
Barrie Woolston commercial director at Arqiva Satellite & Media says “Our pledge to plant a tree for every DCP we deliver reinforces Arqiva’s longstanding commitment to promoting biodiversity by planting tree corridors in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil – a figure which already stands at 70 000 trees. We are delighted to extend this commitment through our digital cinema services.” ,1792
Arri Names Abel Cine Tech Alexa Authorized Reseller,2010-06-28,Arri has selected Abel Cine Tech as an authorized reseller for the Alexa camera. Arri will continue supporting its traditional film camera customer base in established rental houses and other avenues while Abel Cine Tech is charged with reaching independents and owner/operators through new and existing channels. Arri Abel and Alexa: It's a natural fit ” says Bill Russell Arri’s vice president of camera products. We have established a great relationship with Abel over the past few years and expanding that with Alexa makes perfect sense for both companies. Our combined efforts will allow us to reach the greatest number of customers with this extraordinary camera system and provide the best service and support ” “Abel has a broad history with Arri that spans a number of products and technologies ” says Pete Abel president/CEO of Abel Cine Tech. “This gives us a unique perspective and a real technical appreciation of what Alexa means to the industry. I’m confident that Abel will be a very effective sales and support partner for Arri.” The Alexa camera was scheduled to begin delivery at the end of June. Abel Cine Tech www.abelcine.com Arri www.arri.com ,1793
Two Milestones for Arts Alliance Media,2010-06-28, Arts Alliance Media has announced two significant milestones. First the company has signed a deal with Cineworld the second largest cinema chain in Europe to convert its 790-screen circuit to digital over the next three years. Cineworld will finance the deal from its existing financial resources and cash flow. Second AAM also announced the closing of a €50m financing deal with Sankaty Advisors to fund the conversion of over 1 000 screens from AAM’s existing pipeline of exhibitor deals. The estimated cost of the rollout for Cineworld is approximately £30m in addition to the £10m already spent on digitizing a third of the chain’s screens during 2009 and the first half of 2010. The majority of the total £40m cost to Cineworld will be refunded by distributors who use the digital projection systems through AAM’s Virtual Print Fee) contracts. Cineworld is the first major UK exhibitor to commit to a timetable for complete digitization of its circuit. The full digital rollout will allow Cineworld to continue to show the latest 3D films on more 3D screens; offer customers an increased range of alternative entertainment. Under the deal AAM will maintain the equipment and administer the VPF agreements with distributors. AAM will also provide its theatre and library management systems to all 77 sites as well as satellite capability in conjunction with its partner Arqiva Satellite & Media. CEO of Cineworld Steve Wiener says “We’re pleased to be able to extend Cineworld’s digital estate through this deal with Arts Alliance Media. We chose to work with AAM because of their market leading position in Europe and know they have the technical and operational experience to deliver our digital vision. We have already seen the benefits of digital in our cinemas - better quality 3D and alternative content such as opera concerts and 3D rugby and are looking forward to bringing these benefits to all Cineworld customers with AAM’s support.”
Arts Alliance Media’s CEO Howard Kiedaisch says “Cineworld is a true leader in exhibition and we’re thrilled to be in partnership with them. To be able to move forward with Cineworld while simultaneously closing the deal with Sankaty demonstrates very clearly that digital cinema rollout is running at full speed after the global financial issues of the past couple of years. These two deals mark the inflection point for digital cinema in Europe.” David Ross executive vice president at Sankaty Advisors says “It’s clear that the transition to digital cinema has reached a tipping point and that AAM are at the forefront of this transition. We believe it is the best placed company to work with in order to harness this growth.”
Patrick Foley chief financial officer of AAM says “Sankaty has a great team of forward thinking investors and the flexible model they have created allows us to offer a wide variety of deals to our exhibitor partners. They are very knowledgeable of the industry and we look forward to working with them over the coming years.”
Arts Alliance Media www.artsalliancemedia.com ,1794
Michael Goi Elected ASC President for Second Term,2010-06-28,Michael Goi has been elected to serve a second term as president of the American Society of Cinematographers. The other officers are vice presidents Richard Crudo Owen Roizman and John C. Flinn III; treasurer Matthew Leonetti; secretary Rodney Taylor; and sergeant at arms Ron Garcia. Members elected to serve on the ASC Board of Governors include John Bailey Stephen Burum Curtis Clark George Spiro Dibie Richard Edlund Stephen Lighthill Isidore Mankofsky Daryn Okada Robert Primes Nancy Schreiber Kees Van Oostrum Haskell Wexler and Vilmos Zsigmond. Being elected to serve a second term as ASC president is a great honor and a privilege says Goi. At a time when so much is going on in the industry this is a tremendous vote of confidence that this body of incredible artists believes in my vision of where the ASC and the art and craft of cinematography is going in the future. Goi says the ASC's foremost objective is educating aspiring filmmakers and others about the art and craft of cinematography. In addition to its focus on education the organization is actively involved in the development of motion picture technologies. It also works to promote a better understanding of the cinematographer's contributions to the filmmaking process. Last year the ASC partnered with the PGA to produce the Camera Assessment Series a groundbreaking study of film and digital cameras currently in use for theatrical motion pictures. The society has also collaborated with industry professionals and organizations exemplified by their participation in the Joint Technology Subcommittee on Pre-visualization with the Art Directors Guild Visual Effects Society and PGA which led to the formation of the Pre-visualization Society. The ASC recently completed the renovation and expansion of its historic Hollywood clubhouse to accommodate larger meetings of members and guests. The house was built in 1903. ASC purchased the private home and converted it to a clubhouse in 1936. The clubhouse is where all the magic originates Goi says. It comes from the exchange of ideas we share in the casual atmosphere where the history of cinematography truly lives. Goi is a Chicago native who studied filmmaking at Columbia College in his hometown. He launched his career shooting PBS documentaries while he was still a student. After completing his education in 1980 Goi began shooting local commercials and documentaries. He also opened a studio where he concentrated on fashion and product still photography. Goi earned his first narrative film credit for Moonstalker in 1987. He has subsequently earned some 50 narrative credits for feature films and episodic television programs. Goi earned ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards nominations for the telefilms The Fixer (1999) and Judas (2005) and an Emmy® nomination for an episode of My Name is Earl (2009). His other credits include Witless Protection Fingerprints Red Water What Matters Most Who Killed Atlanta's Children? Christmas Rush Funky Monkey Welcome to Death Row The Dukes the Emmy Award-winning documentary Fired-Up: The Story of Public Housing in Chicago and the TV series The Wedding Bells and The Mentalist. He also recently wrote produced and directed the narrative film Megan is Missing. Goi is a member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts And Sciences and serves on the National Executive Board of the International Cinematographers Guild. ASC www.theasc.com ,1795
Band Pro Reduces Price of Sony SRW-9000,2010-06-28,Band Pro has reduced the price of a fully loaded Sony SRW-9000 2/3-inch HDCam-SR camcorder from $105 840 to $95 000. The 9000 Package includes an HDVF-C30WR viewfinder and all option boards; enabling dual-link HD-SDI output variable recording 1-60fps and RGB 4:4:4 processing. Early adopters who purchase between now and September will be eligible to receive the PL mount and 35mm sensor upgrade kit on January 1st 2011 for only $30 000; the original price was $50 000. The result is a total potential savings of more than $30 000 dollars. Contact Band Pro now for more details and demos. ,1796
ZON Lusomundo Cinemas to Convert more than 200 Screens to Digital,2010-06-28, Portugese exhibitor ZON Lusomundo Cinemas the largest cinema chain in Portugal has completed its digital cinema deployment with Barco's recently launched DP2K series. ZON Lusomundo made the conversion with the help of digital cinema service company XDC. ZON Lusomundo Cinemas has 30 multiplexes and more than 200 screens. Luis Roboredo Mota managing director of ZON Lusomundo Cinemas says “Our aim is to be among the most innovative cinema operators in the world. Barco's digital cinema projectors allow us to be at the forefront of new technologies. This year we were able to install the new series and learned that many of the renowned features from the first series such as modularity and commonality of spares have even been improved.” Serge Plasch chief executive officer XDC says “Over the years Barco has proven to be a reliable business partner. Their projectors are easy to maintain and have a low cost of ownership two features that are of great importance to us. We want to offer our customers the best possible technology on the market.” “We strive to offer our clients a future-proof digital cinema projector tailored to their needs ” says Wim Buyens vice president of Barco's digital cinema division. “To be chosen by important exhibitors like ZON Lusomundo confirms that our customers appreciate our efforts.” ,1797
Nominations Open for Second Annual Catalyst Award,2010-06-28,Nominations are now open for the second annual Catalyst Award to be presented during CinemaCon the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners which will take place March 28-31 2011 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. As the motion picture exhibition industry moves further into the second decade of adopting digital technology Digital Cinema Report created the Catalyst Award to honor the independent exhibitor who best demonstrates the full capability flexibility and promise of digital cinema. Anyone in the industry is eligible to make a nomination. As the motion picture exhibition industry moves further into the second decade of adopting digital technology Digital Cinema Report created the Catalyst Award to honor the exhibitor who best demonstrates the full capability flexibility and promise of digital cinema. Digital cinema technology is revolutionizing not just how people see movies at their local theatres but is dramatically changing the kinds of things they see in theatres. When most people think of digital cinema they usually think of 3D and movies like Avatar. That wasn’t possible a decade ago. But the technology also enables theatres to show other kinds of programming. Now the choices include concerts sports opera political and cultural events and increasingly events that can truly enrich a community. Galaxy Theatres was named the winner of the first Catalyst Award in particular because of a free event it held in 2009 during which more than two thousand children and educators gathered at Galaxy Theatres in Gig Harbor Washington to participate in an all digital Day in Space which featured a live twenty-minute question-and-answer session between students and Expedition 18 astronauts Mike Fincke and Sandra Magnus aboard the International Space Station. Contact the publisher to nominate an exhibitor or to inquire about becoming a Catalyst Award sponsor. Digital Cinema Report. ,1799
Cinedigm Enhances Theatre Command Center System,2010-06-28, Cinedigm Digital Cinema has announced the worldwide release of its Theatre Command Center-Enterprise system which was designed in conjunction with its Theatre Command Center to provide real-time consolidated digital theatre information and to centralize certain scheduling and content management tasks. Real-time events and statuses from all networked digital theatres are captured in a central Enterprise database for unprecedented operating control and business intelligence. Enterprise also centralizes preshow scheduling and content management functions to eliminate repetitive theatre tasks improve consistency and control and reduce specialized resource costs and weekly setup time. Enterprise will also streamline and automate the calculation and reconciliation of virtual print fees.
“The Theatre Command Center is already the most automated and easy to use TMS on the market. Enterprise moves us very close to our goals of 15 minute weekly scheduling and virtually hands-free theatre operations while dramatically increasing circuit-wide awareness efficiency and control ” says Jim Miller president of Cinedigm Software. “We are currently working with a major UK business partner who has already installed over 40 TCC screens to bring Enterprise to Ireland and Europe and are in discussions with several others.”
Cinedigm www.cinedigm.com ,1800
Galaxy Cinemas Brockville Upgrades to 3D,2010-06-28,Cineplex Entertainment upgraded Galaxy Cinemas Brockville Ontario with 3D. The theatre has been equipped with a Christie Solaria 2K series projector and RealD 3D technology. Brockville residents are going to love the bright crystal clear images of digital presentations says Pat Marshall vice president communications and investor relations Cineplex Entertainment. With the addition of RealD audiences will be able to enjoy an incredibly immersive 3D experience with the great line-up of 3D movies scheduled to be released this year.” Toy Story 3 was the theatre’s first 3D presentation. Cineplex Entertainment www.cineplex.com
And They’re Off Filmed on Canon 7D with Light Illusion Gamma Curves
