www.cinematech.

today

Th e l e a d i n g m a g a z i n e f o r c i n e m a industry professionals > VOL.31 NO.4 > 12/18

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Netflix & cinema Studio moves Planning for victory Produced in partnership with:

Could the streaming CT interviews Andrew How today's cinema

giant and exhibitors Cripps, 20th Century Fox's developers are helping
be the best of friends? advocate for change to save the high street
 blazing fast
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and Q-SYS readyfast
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blazing
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Ingest a full length motion picture DCP in the time it takes to play a Trailer? The new QSC CMS-5000 is
a next-generation cinema media server that features reliable onboard solid-state storage, dual HDMI 2.0
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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. 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

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
©2018 QSC, LLC all rights reserved. 5/14/18 4:41 PM
Laboratories. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. 0942-2018

0942-2018_BlazingFaxt_210x297mm.indd 1 5/14/18 4:41 PM

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c i n e m a t e c h n o l o g y > Vo l . 3 1 n o . 4 > 1 2 / 1 8

53
NEWS DCM 10 years on: so, what is
the future of the pre-roll?

08
The latest from around the
world of cinema exhibition

57
Interviewing 20th Century
Fox’s advocate of change
30
17
The Cinema Tech Committee

60
update on the future Just how much does the
viewer value technology?
FEATURES
68
68
Collaboration: the key to

19
In the online age, is cinema
KDM success and security
the high street’s salvation?

70
The ICO: champion of the

25
Franchises: David Hancock
UK’s independent cinema
examines their total impact

30 72
Is cinema really now about
Netflix… Can the streaming
recreating home comforts?
giant ever be cinema’s BFF?
EVENTS

37 74
Cinionic: step inside Barco’s SMPTEDCP.com: an all-new

64
new global joint venture portal for DCP knowledge The Mallen 20 Conference:
Patrick von Sychowski’s

43 76
CJ 4DPLEX: a revolution in Action on accessibility: the reports on an academic conference
the immersive tech sector future for HOH subtitling with the industry’s future in its sights

48 82 78
ScreenX: CT experiences a Cinema is a broad church, Don’t miss the ECA’s event
widescreen field of view and that’s a good thing cinema slate next January!

PRODUCTION EDITOR: COMMISSIONING EDITOR: M: +351 962 415 172

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
PETER KNIGHT E: bobcavanagh@sapo.pt
E: commissioning-editor@cinematech.today
ADVERTISING: BOB CAVANAGH SUBSCRIPTIONS
Caixa Postal 2011, Cinema Technology is mailed to IMIS Members.
Vale da Telha, For subscription details and to read the magazine
8670-156 Aljezur, Portugal online, visit www.cinematech.today
T: +351 282 997 050 or e-mail CT@motionpicturesolutions.com

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 5
 Think inside
the box.

mne
Design Cinema Differently.

The new DPS boothless

cinema solution from Omnex.

+44 (0)161 477 7633 office@omnex.co.uk omnex.co.uk

 c t v i e w

Franchises: the universe

keeps on expanding
www.cinematech.today

Th e l e a d i n g m a g a z i n e f o r c i n e m a industry professionals > VOL.31 NO.4 > 12/18

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Will audiences ever tire of “action hero, parts 1, 2 and 3…”? No hi

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Netflix & cinema Studio moves Planning for victory Produced in partnership with:

Could the streaming CT interviews Andrew How today's cinema

giant and exhibitors Cripps, 20th Century Fox's developers are helping
be the best of friends? advocate for change to save the high street

A
001_DEC18_COVER.indd 1 20/11/2018 10:03

superpower in the cinema world
passed away last month — the death of
Stan Lee has left a substantial void in the
creative firmament of modern popular
culture. His contribution to the artform of
film in the shape of Marvel’s cinematic universe is, as David
Hancock examines on page 25, entirely quantifiable. But as
someone involved in the cinema business, you don’t need
me to tell you the signficance of the impact his characters
and the storylines of his numerous comic book creations
have had on the industry in recent decades.
Admittedly the likes of Spiderman, Hulk, Black Panther,
the Avengers and the Fantastic Four have never genuinely
troubled the juries at cinema’s more highbrow film festivals,
but, my goodness, they are fun — and audiences flock to see
these heroes in action. As the father to two small boys, I
know very well how the comic book characters from Marvel
and others transfer off of the page and onto the big screen.
In just one word: successfully.
The premise of David’s article on page 25 is clear: the
franchise movie drives the modern box office — and that in
turn drives the technology that thrills the audience. Whether
it’s “Avatar” acting as a catalyst to digital transition or the
latest superhero franchises such as Batman exploiting the
full potential of deeper blacks in HDR, there’s no question
that superpowers make technology work at the box office.
If franchise movies lift the box office, then, as David
Wallace examines on page 19, cinema itself can lift the high
street. As we head into what many retail analysts suggest
will be the most “online” Christmas ever, there’s no doubt
that (re)development of cinemas in the heart of our town
1
centres has a major role to play in energising the high street.
There are some impressive new developments either
recently constructed or scheduled to open soon — not least
of which is Odeon’s multi-million pound refurbishment of
the famous Leicester Square landmark. These projects
illustrate quite the extent to which cinema has a role to play 2
in regeneration and creation of vibrant town centres, a
subject covered in this magazine often, but one that can’t
be understated. Frequently, these developments are
undertaken hand-in-hand with the local authorities. What
better indicator do you need of cinema as a force for good?
I started out in praise of Stan Lee’s creativity, but thanks 3
to the creativity of developers, cinema operators and town
planners, life is also being brought to our local communities.
Clearly cinema itself has superpowers. Enjoy this issue!

Writing 1 Martin Dew 2 David Hancock 3 Bryan Cook

in this
Formerly at Lucasfilm THX, on Research director at IHS Markit, Editor of Celluloid Junkie, on p.30,
issue p.60, Martin ponders whether new on p.25 David takes a close look at Patrick wonders whether cinema and
of CT technology is a big draw to audiences the power of the franchise movie Netflix will ever learn to play nicely.

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 7
 i n d u s t r y

London
e ve n t s
r o u n d - u p

&
g l o b a l
v i e w s
U p - to - d a te
t h e
n e w S ,
o f
CT NEWSREEL

Odeon Luxe Leicester Square to

reopen as UK’s first Dolby Cinema
UNIQUELY DESIGNED FOR ROYAL, Global and European Mark Way, president AMC Europe and managing
film premieres, Odeon’s multi-million pound luxury director Odeon Cinemas Group, said: “Quite simply, Odeon
refurbishment of its landmark West End venue is set to Luxe Leicester Square will be the best movie experience
recapture the golden age of cinema. available — an unrivalled luxury
Dolby Vision
The Odeon Leicester Square, will reopen this Christmas cinema that will proudly set the
heads to the West
following an 11-month, multi-million pound “Luxe” standard for generations to come.” End, with Odeon

refurbishment which has transformed the UK’s ‘home of

the premiere’ into a flagship site for Odeon Cinemas Group,
part of the AMC Entertainment company.
Home to hundreds of premieres over the years, the
building’s largest screen has now been fully upgraded to
combine reclining Odeon Luxe seats with the captivating
experience of Dolby Cinema, that presents dramatic
imaging that delivers a spectacular, leading-edge visual
experience through a Dolby Vision dual-laser projection
system and audio which fills the cinema and flows all
around you with Dolby Atmos. Odeon has stated that every
person in the auditorium is set to receive an unforgettable
experience, no matter which of the 800 seats they are in.
Samsung & Eclair partner up
THIS AUTUMN, Samsung Electronics and
Ymagis signed an agreement that will see Eclair’s
Paris-Vanves facility equipped with EclairColor-
compliant Onyx Cinema LED, paving the way for the
creation of theatrical content using this technology.
Eclair will be among the first to provide professional
services tailored to Onyx Cinema LED for European
filmmakers, producers and distributors, due to
begin as CT went to press in November.

8 > 0 6 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today

Sound Associates support Preston’s Flowerbowl
THE FLOWER BOWL in Preston,
Lancashire, is a unique entertainment
centre that forms a part of Barton
Grange Garden Centre — an exciting
new take on a cinema destination.
Sound Associates recently assisted
with design and installation of a three-
screen cinema that, with mini-golf,
curling and a bowling alley forms an
innovative new venue concept,
The cinema retains the unique
>
character of the complex with each
auditorium having its own name and
colour scheme. All three screens have
Barco 6E projectors, with Alchemy
servers and Unique’s Rosetta Bridge
TMS. The sound system is based
around QSC Q-Sys technology, with
DCIOH audio input devices and QSC 8
channel amplifiers controlled by single
Core 110 processors
www.soundassociates.com

Omnex installs Europe’s first

DPS boothless lift solution Ashford, UK

CINEMA ENGINEERING SPECIALIST Omnex recently

commissioned its first boothless cinema installation at the new
Ashford Picturehouse, a six-screen cinema, bar and restaurant
due to open this month in the centre of the Kent town.
The boothless lift unit, manufactured by DPS Lifts in the
US, is a new product and was selected for installation in the
Picturehouse’s Barco Laser-equipped Screen 6 auditorium.
“This was our first true boothless cinema installation,” noted
Omnex’s managing director, Simon Tandy, adding, “True in the
sense that the projector — in this case a Barco unit — is in a
readily accessible lift mounted to the auditorium’s back wall. All
automation and audio technologies required are housed at the
front of the screen, underneath the bottom masking apron.”
DPS mechanical lifts are designed and manufactured in St
Petersburg, Florida, and Omnex is licenced to distribute and
install the products throughout EMEA. As Simon explained, perspective, the projector doesn’t need to be realigned
The DPS lift,
“Omnex has spent the past 12 months evaluating boothless after accessing it — the lifting mechanism is sufficiently as installed
here at
concepts and the DPS system, in our opinion, outweighs others accurate and capable of supporting units up to 330kgs.” Grand
in a range of criteria, notably safety and security. From a technical DPS’s Roberto Guerrero was in Ashford to support Cinemas,
Beirut,
the installation. “Whilst we are seeing offers a
our lifts installed in new builds, we robust,
reliable
have a number being prepared for boothless
EclairBox deploys in Denmark retro-fit cinemas,” he explained. “Our
solution

IN AUGUST, ECLAIR announced the successful deployment of its background is in providing bespoke
EclairBox content delivery solution in Denmark through Nordisk Film and lifting solutions for highly demanding
with the support of DIVO Post Production. Plans to expand theatrical areas such as the maritime sector, so
services further across Scandinavia have also been finalised. The we were confident we could create a
announcement was made during the 2018 edition of the Norwegian product for cinemas that was reliable,
International Film Festival Haugesund. EclairBox is a receiver solution cost-effective and built to last.”
enabling content download for cinema exhibitors via broadband. www.omnex.co.uk

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 9
KDM errors causing
another headache?
Relieve all that pain by connecting your cinema to the Cloud, and watch
your KDMs simply appear in the right screen server. Arts Alliance Media
is offering all of our Screenwriter TMS customers fully automated KDM
delivery, for free!

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 c t n e w s r e e l
>

Munich Unique X rolls out

news in brief
in Canada and the
Middle East
Unique X has announced its
expansion into the North
American and Middle East
cinema markets with
agreement signed to provide
autonomous digital cinema
solutions to one of Canada’s
largest entertainment
companies, Cineplex and VOX
Cinemas in the Middle East.
The combination of Unique
X’s RosettaBridge TMS,
Dietrich Theater Neu-Ulm opts for Atmos and Alcons RosettaNet eTMS, Movie
Two Munich-based companies, ZweiB and Videocation, recently completed Transit DCP delivery network
The new saal 8
a joint project that saw the 363-seat Saal 8 of the Dietrich Theater in Neu-Ulm, of the dietrich and Advertising Accord
Theater — audio
Germany, refurbished through the installation of Sony SRX515DS 4K double on-screen advertising
to match the
projection, while zweiB took installed an the equally high-quality sound system. experience manager will deliver Cineplex
“ZweiB actively supports Alcons as an innovative loudspeaker manufacturer,” an automated, networked
explained ZweiB’s managing director Tammo Buhren. “What we have installed advertising solution to 165
in the Dietrich Theater is simply something different to the standard — and that’s theatres from coast-to-coast.
what you hear.” For zweiB it was their first cinema installation with the Meanwhile, a five-year
combination Alcons Audio and Dolby Atmos. Thanks to the success of this contract with VOX Cinemas
installation, a second, identical fit out, was commissioned in hall 9 of the cinema, will deliver improvements in
which has recently been successfully completed. workflow and management.
www.zweib.com and www.alconsaudio.com
Volfoni heads to
Riyadh with VOX
Volfoni Limited, a leading
4cine.io optimises the sound for Simply Red European provider of 3D
in noveMber, fans of Simply Red the challenging cinema environment. technology, last month
experienced the band’s Symphonica Julian Pinn Ltd partnered with announced that VOX Cinemas
simply red,
in Rosso concert on the big screen simply optimised MusicScreen to bring Simply Red’s has selected its 3D hardware
by 4cine.io
across the world in stunning 4cine 5.1 latest concert to systems for its first multiplex
surround sound. Recorded live at cinema viewers at Riyadh Park in the
Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome, the audio worldwide. “We Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
optimising technology from Julian are stunned and (KSA). VOX Cinemas was
Pinn Ltd, 4cine.io, introduced three thrilled with the awarded one of the first
ground-breaking concepts: mix- results, as our are licenses to operate cinemas in
extraction, analysis, and cinematic- Amsterdam clients, and Saudi Arabia and Volfoni’s
remapping. 4cine.io analyses final appreciate how SmartCrystal Diamond
audio mixes, identifies cinema faithful to the hardware underwent rigorous
compatibility issues, and solves them original is the testing and validation for use
quickly and accurately. The result is a cinema version,” due to the KSA’s strict laws
cinema master fully conformed to explained David and quality requirements.
relevant industry standards and Pope, the CEO of
optimised to preserve the original MusicScreen.
creative intent when experienced in www.4cine.io

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 1 1
 C T N E W S R E E L
AAM content
management
heads to Taiwan
Cinema software and services
provider Arts Alliance Media
(AAM) has been selected as a
software partner by Shin
Kong Cinemas, Taiwan’s
leading financial, retail, and
entertainment group. AAM’s
Screenwriter Theatre
Management System (TMS)
will provide automated
scheduling and content
management for every screen
in SKC’s estate across Taiwan.
The deal marks AAM’s first
entry into the Taiwan market.
SMPTE publishes
immersive audio
standards
SMPTE, whose work supports
a century of advances in
entertainment technology,
has announced publication of
the new SMPTE ST 2098-
1:2018, Immersive Audio
Metadata; ST 2098-2:2018,
Immersive Audio Bitstream
Specification; and ST
2098-5:2018, D-Cinema
Immersive Audio Channels
and Soundfield Groups
specifications. “Because of
the value immersive audio
adds, we’re seeing increasing
numbers of movies mixed for
this environment,” said Brian
Vessa, chair of SMPTE’s
Technology Committee on
Cinema Sound Systems
(TC-25CSS) and exec director
of digital audio mastering at
Sony Pictures Entertainment.
1 2 > 1 2 / 1 8
>
Christie CP4230 impresses cinema goers
at Düsseldorf Airport throughout 2018
Dusseldorf
SUMMER IS TRADITIONALLY the time for open air cinemas, and the OpenAirport Cinema in
Düsseldorf airport is no exception. During July, visitors experienced an open air cinema with a special
touch, as various blockbusters were shown on the airport terrace every weekend in July. Christie
partnered with BIG cinema GmbH, which specialises in large cinema event and experiences.
They chose the Christie CP4230, a native 4K 3DLP projector for the event’s 12x6m screen.
www.christiedigital.com
Alcons: from the highest highs to the lowest lows
THE NEWLY LAUNCHED Alcons
CRMS-LFE18 is, according to the
specialist audio manufacturer, a
new reference subwoofer system for
demanding applications. According
to Alcons, it delivers super accurate
bass and sub response for maximum
quality audible performance. Typical
applications include LFE system for
Holland quality-conscious post-production
facilities and mastering suites, high-end mix/screening rooms and recording
A reference
subwoofer for studios. The direct-radiating 18” transducer mounted in the internally-stiffened,
demanding
post-production sealed cabinet enables an in-room response below 10Hz; while the fast impulse
and screening response is a perfect match with the ultra-fast transient response of the Alcons
room applications
pro-ribbon systems. In addition, the 4 ohms impedance caters for maximum
amplifier efficiency.
Phil “Dr. Phil” De Haan, head of Alcons R&D explained “We’ve spent quite
some time on the development of this 18” transducer, as it required totally
different parameters than our maximum output PA transducers. We really
wanted to get into the single-digit frequency domain with this subwoofer, with
the typical Alcons non-compromise quality standard. We developed the 18”
woofer with a large motor structure with dual 3” voice-coils, so we were able to
reach an extreme excursion of 30 mm / 1.2-in. resulting in a 10 dB more excursion
capability than with a traditional PA 18” woofer.” The CRMS-LFE18 had it’s official
launch at the CEDIA show in San Diego, USA.
www.alconsaudio.com 
www.cinematech.today
 gofilex.com
cinio.gofilex.com
 C T N E W S R E E L

Cinionic helps create Japan’s first-ever all-laser cinema

JAPANESE MOVIE FANS are in for a
treat the next time they visit the Pole
Pole theater in Onahama: nine brand
new Barco laser projectors will present
their movies in dazzling brightness
and vibrant colour.
With several theaters located
across the Fukushima prefecture, Pole
Pole Cinemas’ Iwaki Onahama wanted
to boost its brand and create a
genuine competitive edge backed by
a high-quality experience, so specified
Barco’s Smart Laser projectors with
Barco Alchemy on board.
“As a long-time customer of Barco,
we have been very satisfied with the
performance and image quality of
Samsung debut world’s first Onyx LED multiplex
Japan
their projectors over time. After seeing
the Smart Laser models at CineAsia
and CinemaCon last year, we were
positively impressed with the product
range and competence,” comments
Shusuke Suzuki, the owner of the Pole
Pole cinema.
www.cinionic.com
ICTA honours Barco
In September, at its Summer
Business Retreat held in Napa,
California, the International
Cinema Technology
Association’s (ICTA) worldwide
cinema dealer membership
awarded Cinionic the top
honour for manufacturing
and service excellence. The
Japan’s first
all-laser association’s leadership
installation,
from Cinionic
conveyed the spirit and
purpose of the award, to
recognise “the ICTA
manufacturer that most
closely exemplifies the
progressive principals of
product development and
provides the dealers with
service and up-to-date
technical and sales
information, while supporting
the status of their product
without qualification.”
Cinionic has harnessed the
rich legacy and pioneering
developments of Barco
Cinema, elevating cinema
experiences and bringing new
business models to the
industry to benefit exhibitors

Shanghai and moviegoers alike.

“Receiving ICTA’s Teddy award
celebrates our mission, and
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS IS introducing the world’s first Onyx multiplex our focus on quality, to deliver
A world first: the
all-LED six screen cinema at Shanghai Arch Wanda Cinema. In September, the first cinema of its wow experiences for movie
installation at
kind officially opened, offering six Samsung Onyx screens in one location, and fans while empowering our
Wanda’s Shanghai
ARCH cinema creating a state-of-the-art entertainment venue. valued dealers,” commented
“The entire Samsung team is thrilled to be part of history with the first ever Wim Buyens, CEO of Cinionic.
Onyx multi-theater from Wanda Cinemas,” commented Seog-gi Kim, executive Founded in 1971, ICTA
vice president of the visual display business at Samsung. “Onyx technology was represents more than 180
designed to bring the visual power of LED picture quality to the big screen.” manufacturers and cinema-
Samsung’s Onyx LED brand delivers brilliant video and graphics with true related businesses, for a total
black colours and vivid, dynamic images. To complete the audio and visual of more than 200 members
experience at the  Shanghai ARCH, Harman’s JBL Sculpted Surround sound worldwide. Past recipients
audio will complement any movie or show. Sounds will be harmonised with the include, Christie, JBL, QSC,
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www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 1 5
 C T N E W S R E E L : C T C U P D A T E

CTC: working to keep cinema accessible to all

THE PURPOSE OF a community focused organisation this service to enjoy the cinema experience. Often it is only
such as the Cinema Technology Committee (CTC) is not just when a moviegoer highlights the concern that the exhibitor
to deliberate on matters of importance to the industry but realises there is a problem. The intention of both the UKCA
also to act and support where required to improve and CTC through our joint initiative is
outcomes. Recently, CTC has partnered with the UK Cinema to raise awareness over the importance
Associate to address growing concern by charities and Join our cause of testing audio description equipment
moviegoers over the state of audio description equipment The membership and regularly,” Mitchell adds.
within cinemas in the UK. sponsorship scheme launched CTC has made its unencrypted test
“Delivering the best outcomes for moviegoers relies on this year at CineEurope enables DCP available to cinemas. This includes
cinema operators regularly checking and maintaining all CTC to fund some of the within it additional test functionality to
their equipment in the auditorium,” says Richard Mitchell, exciting initiatives, research check output of channel 8 (traditionally
president of CTC. “Of course, due to the nature of the projects, training courses and used for audio description) from the
technology and its placement in the auditorium, audio events that the organisation audio processor or server. This freely
description hardware can be inaccessible so can go has planned over the coming available DCP also comes with an
unchecked for long periods of time. From a growing years. As a not-for-profit installation and best-practice guide for
number of reports, it appears that some legacy hardware organisation, all of the money checking audio description and is
(which relies on infra-red technology) has either lost the raised goes directly back available via the CTC website: www.
ability to broadcast signals at sufficient strength to cover into supporting the global cinema-technology.com/resources.
the auditorium or stopped working completely, thus cinema community and, “The UKCA is hugely grateful to
causing a negative experience for consumers who rely on therefore, creating a better CTC for its help in developing a
experience for moviegoers resource to help support the better
around the maintenance and testing of assistive
world. Please technology in cinemas. This will make
CTC EXECUTIVE TEAM CTC ADVISORY COUNCIL
Richard Mitchell (President), Graham Lodge Tom Bert (Barco), Mark Christiansen
join us today by a real and meaningful difference to
(Vice President), Denis Kelly (Secretary), Mike (Paramount Pictures), Laurence Claydon visiting www. the big screen experience for disabled
Bradbury, Sandie Caffelle, Michael Denner, (Consultant), Brian Claypool (Christie Digital),
Danny Jeremiah, Peter Knight, Sarah Theresa English (TK Architects), Nicolas Hamon cinema- cinemagoers and is just one example
Lewthwaite, Adam MacDonald, James (Kinepolis), Roland Jones (Vue International),
MacFarlane, Andre Mort, Mark Nice, David Dominic Simmons (BFI), Russell
technology. of a productive ongoing dialogue and
Norris, Ngozi Okali, Kevin Phelan, David Pope, Smith (Motion Picture Solutions), com partnership”, commented Phil Clapp,
Toni Purvis, Steve Rance, Jim Slater, Simon Debbie Stanford Kristiansen (Novo
Tandy, Patrick von Sychowski, Paul Willmott. Cinemas), Alexey Vinokurov (RealD) CEO of the UKCA.

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 1 7
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 R E T A I L

INEM A
C David
Wallac
e, dire ctor of g
lobal architects C
hapm
an Taylor, s
ets the s cene on
how, in

the UK, cinema is now a dominant force in shaping current thinking in town planning

CAN SAVE
YOUR TOWN
AGAIN!
www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 1 9
R E T A I L

SC.1 Life and death in

the town centre SC.2 The out-of-town
break-out

How cyclical cinema is! To understand cinema and the
opportunities ahead for town centres, we must first
understand the background of how and why it is where it is.
Cinemas, in their inter-war period heyday, were developed
in town centres, animating the evening scene with moving
lights, movie premieres and glamour. We are all familiar with
those wonderful black-and-white photographs of movie stars
stepping out of limos onto a red carpet and rushing into the
fanciful architecture of the latest cinema, with paparazzi
flashing their cameras and adding a heightened level of
excitement and glamour to the location. The simple fact was
that people loved to visit cinemas to escape their daily routine
for a few hours. This added a buzz to the areas adjacent to the
cinema. It was the main contributor to an active town centre,
particularly at evening time.
Fast forward to the 1970s and 1980s period in the UK and,
the same cinema was likely to be closed or near closure, the
fanciful architecture crumbling. For many, it appeared as if the
cinema industry was close to failing after too many years of
poor investment and the steady adoption of television and
home video as the main sources of entertainment. Movies
were now more commonly made in widescreen format, more
suitable to television proportions. Clearly, television was
regarded as the format that movies had to follow.
In 1985, a strange new building appeared in Milton Keynes,
closely followed by another in Salford. For many these were
like UFOs landing in desolate locations on bleak edges of
the town. The cinema industry had finally recognised that,
to save itself, it had to invest in its future with vision, faith
and many dollars. Over the next 15 years, this new building
type steadily appeared in more and more out-of-town
locations. Similar developments followed across Europe.
By 2000, cinema was a thriving business and, for property
developers, was becoming the ideal anchor tenant, offering a
secure source of rental income. Cinema companies would
commit to 15/20-year leases, often with strong parent
company guarantees. This was a significant shift from 1985,
when there was little faith in the success of cinema and much
of the investment was by exhibitors themselves. In the early
years of cinema development, property developers were not
so sure of the longevity of cinemas. By 2000, developers were
so confident cinemas were a solid anchor that many were
prepared to pay for the lot, down to seats and popcorn poppers.
However, for some, success came with drawbacks. Small,
local town centre cinemas were challenged by big new shiny
multiplexes, and many closed as a result. Town centres were
losing their night-time heartbeat and, town centre business
began to dwindle as out-of-town developments flourished.

1.64bn UK cinema’s all time

highest admissions
per annum in 1946...

54m 1940s
... compared to the
Cinemas became one of the
all time low slump
in 1985 central social hubs on the high
street — adding glamour to the
area, but this slowly changed due
to the home entertainment
boom of the 80s

1980s
Multiplex cinemas started to
crop up on the neglected
outskirts of towns, directly
impacting smaller centre of
town picture houses

2 0 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
 SC.3 The triumphant return
to the town centre
To combat this phenomenon, UK planning laws were
changed early in 2000, bringing in a requirement for
sequential testing; before an out-of-town development
could be considered, it had to be shown that a similar
development could not be built in the town centre.
Of course, to build in the town centre was often more
expensive, and plot sizes, plot ratios, shapes, adjacencies,
rights of light etc. all had to be woven into the design, often
with complex and conflicting needs. The first such cinema
development I can recall was the O2 centre in Finchley, a
complex, multi-use, multi-level building secured with a
Warner Village cinema. It was also connected to the London
Underground network. This building was to prove to be the
first in the next generation of leisure developments.
Developers were now so confident in the success of cinema
that it was worthwhile to build such complex buildings. It is
also worth noting that this cinema in Finchley Road was the
first in the UK to be fitted with a digital projector — a test bed
for the next seismic change that would eventually take cinema
to its next level of development.
For the following 10 years, out-of-town development
continued at a slower pace. Meanwhile, a new type of
development was happening and was becoming more and
more common in town centres.
170m
With digital, attendances grew by 2010 to
www.cinematech.today
SC.4 Digital and the
rebirth of cinema
Digital cinema truly took off in 2009 with the release of
“Avatar”. When James Cameron pushed for his vision to be
shown via digital projection, cinemas worldwide scrambled
to install projectors for the release. Prices of digital
projectors dropped, options to finance the investment
were agreed and manufacturers developed their systems.
The change from 35mm film happened relatively quickly
and, in just a few years, almost all cinemas had converted.
By 2010, cinema had become an integral part of the UK
leisure habit. Just prior to the birth of the multiplex in 1985, UK
admissions were at an all-time low of 54 million, a massive fall
from the all-time high in 1946 of 1.64 billion. By 2010, with
digital well underway, admissions had grown to 170 million.
With this increased popularity, it was inevitable market
segmentation would occur. Some were happy to go to the big,
bright multiplex. Others wanted something more intimate
and cosy, perhaps showing arthouse movies with a glass of
chardonnay — perhaps it reminded them of the charming old
cinema in the town centre that struggled to survive years ago.
This segmentation gave birth to a new type of cinema.
Previously, with 35mm in multiplexes, auditoria were arranged
in a strict geometry so that one reel of film could, in theory, be
shown on all the other screens almost simultaneously.
Elaborate mechanisms were developed that allowed the
same piece of film to rewind and whizz overhead, around
corners and, sometimes, through floors to serve each projector.
This was the key to making a multiplex possible and profitable.
Movies now came as DCPs and could be controlled from a
laptop or head office. This allowed the auditoria to be arranged
in different ways in more complex locations. One of the first
examples, opened in 2013, is Curzon’s Victoria Cinema in
central London. The site was challenging, comprising space
left over in the basement from the development of the office
tower above. No other operator was interested in a tight space
full of large columns at close centres with limited access.
Curzon shoehorned five small, luxurious screens into the
basement complete with a beautiful entrance at street level
that can easily be mistaken for a very smart bar. Large
projected images, and a cool digital display imitating an old
readograph sign, bring life and glamour to the street.
This was an instant success and allowed the developer to
secure similarly cool F&B tenants nearby, bringing life back to
the city centre. Others followed. The small, boutique cinema
format is perhaps the fastest growing cinema sector in the UK.
1 2 / 1 8 > 2 1
R E T A I L

SC.5 Back to the future:

today, yesterday and tomorrow

Today, town centre cinema is thriving. Boutique, small-scale cinemas are popping up
everywhere. Curzon, Everyman, Picturehouse and small independents are all eager to
take space in the right locations. Appropriately, some of the old cinemas of a bygone
period are being brought back to life. Everyman Bristol is in a 1920s Grade II-listed
building, and Everyman York has recently opened in a former art deco Odeon cinema —
another grade II-listed building, now used as a four-screen cinema, with many of the
original art deco features renovated in full.
We are now seeing bespoke, small-scale cinemas
appearing as a key element of the planning strategies for
town centres. Eltham Cinema is now under construction — a
stylish, multi-level Vue cinema complete with a sky-bar. To
illustrate further how successful cinema has become, and
how cyclical the development of cinema is, a 1913, Category
A-listed cinema has been brought back to life by Picturehouse
in the small Scottish village of Campbeltown. Anyone who has
been to Campbeltown on a dreich (miserable), wet Sunday
afternoon prior to the reopening of the cinema will appreciate
the positive effect this has on the town. It is transformational.
And it is not just small boutique cinemas that are bringing
about positive change. The ‘traditional’ multiplex (how quickly
the ‘new’ of the 90s became the ‘traditional’ of 2018!) is showing For the near future, cinema will continue to contribute to and
how cinema can bring life to a struggling out-of-town development. enliven whatever location it is in. Whether in a town centre or in an
The 14-screen Cineworld at Silverburn, Glasgow, has saved a large out-of-town retail development, people love to go to the cinema.
shopping centre from further decline. The cinema opened in 2015 The industry is investing heavily in new technologies, such as
and increased footfall by over 20% almost immediately. Its success immersive sound systems, laser projection, super-reflective
has brought in new F&B offers and, together, they provide a clear screens, massive contrast ratios, the whitest of whites and the
example of the positive impact the right combination of cinema blackest of blacks. Seats are reclining, sometimes custom-made
and multiple quality restaurants/cafés can make in combating the and leg room is increasing. Cinema operators are developing their
threats that retailers face from online shopping. own restaurant and café brands. Social media is allowing
Gloucester Quays is another good example — a typical retail likeminded aficionados of particular movies and genres to come
development from the 1990s with a large shopping centre on one together to request that the cinema show those features.
side of the main road and a typical cinema with restaurant units The same creativity is happening in other parts of the world.
on the other. That planning made sense in the 1990s, allowing the The Dubai Mall recently opened the ‘world’s most luxurious
cinema to stay open late after the shopping centre was closed in cinema’. In Dubai’s Mall of Emirates cinema, you can even have a
the early evening. One did not have to stay open for the other. meal created in partnership with Michelin star chef Gary Rhodes.
However, when the shopping centre began to suffer from reduced Decisions in the mid-1980s by major studios to invest heavily
footfall, the developer’s team made the smart decision to move in cinema development is paying dividends. No longer are the
the cinema into the shopping centre. They then developed the summer and Christmas holidays the only time to see the best
former cinema site for another purpose. Gloucester Quays is now movies. Great films are released every month, with record levels of
one of the busiest retail developments in the UK. investment, encouraging people to go back to the cinema and
The Light Cinema in Stockport has activated a part of the town keeping the wheel turning. Perhaps the most obvious sign that
that was dying. The way operator and town council collaborated cinema has come full circle since its low point in 1984 is how the
to develop the site is an example that others should follow. It shape of TVs are now inspired by cinema. Cinemascope ratio TVs
opened earlier this year, and has surpassed all expectations. are a must-have item. Televisions follow cinema these days.

2 2 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
Illustrating the modern diversity of cinema, clockwise from far left, open air
cinema afloat on the Thames; Gloucester Quays — now one of the UK’s most
popular shopping centres; where the multiplex began — The Point in Milton
Keynes, closed in 2015; Cineworld Silverburn has brought life to a Glasgow
development; dip into your favourite film; Vue’s futuristic Eltham proposal

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 2 3
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COMING SOON...

g e
e n !
v
y
e
g
h

e
t

lo
R c no
h
t e
o f
Stand back!
The franchise
film is taking
over earth!

In film terms, you’re nobody unless you’re
a part of a cinematic universe. Today, the
dominance of franchises, sequels and
intellectual property drives the box office
forward. David Hancock explores the
impact the marriage of technology and
“comic book” creations have had on the
global box office in recent years… Kapow!
Words: David Hancock/IHS Markit
T
HE TRUISM TODAY IS THAT the way
we can make and screen movies has
an impact on the type of films that
drive the box office on each year.
Since cinemas went digital, a twin
track of trends has led inexorably to a
world where a range of superheroes fight or collaborate
with each other, be that for good or bad. Technology trends
are partly responsible for that. Starting with 3D, which had

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 2 5
FRANCHISES

an impact on which type of films were greenlit to exploit % OF TOP BOX OFFICE
fully the extra premium to be made, all new technology
trends play a role in which films end up on our screens.
50 SEQUELS OF COMIC
Premium Cinema is the latest to favour a certain type of 2013-2017 SOURCED
film, those with vibrant colours and fast action sequences Franchises: any film that’s a part of a

that work best on the big screen.

series, the first in a series or latest in M AT E R I A L
a line with the same title, characters,
After the financial crisis hit the wider world, studios or author… Does not include remakes. 2013-2017
decided that their response to this would be to cut their
70
production slates and focus on fewer, bigger films. These
60
films needed to display less riskier profiles and they needed
50
to make more money at the global box office, while often
40
dovetailing with wider corporate strategies. Helpfully for my
30
premise, this was around the time that Disney acquired

48.2

64.6
64.5
60.5
4 8 .7
20
Marvel Entertainment and began to unlock the potential

20

29
25
25
18
10
held in the panoply of characters that the company had
0
developed over the years, while spurring on Warner to do
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
the same with DC Comics. This type of source material is
becoming more prevalent, spreading from these two in to
the world of toy manufacturers. The latter have generally 447
8.3 3.8
stuck to TV and physical media for programme making.
The output of the cinema sector is dependent on many
BOX OFFICE % NO. OF FILMS 176
things but chief among them is probably the six major US

$5.5bn
studios. These entities control around two-thirds of the The revenue
world’s box office revenue, but they do have cyclical slumps generated by
the films
as they try to adapt to new audience tastes and/or new considered part
of a franchise
consumption patterns.
in 2017

The call for Harry Potter-style magic

In 2005, the six major US studios (Fox, Paramount, Sony
Pictures, Universal, Walt Disney, Warner Bros) had a market
share of 72.5%, but after this point, cumulative market share
was above 80% (apart from 79% in
2007) until 2012. However, in 2013, the
“Sequels have been
studios accumulated a combined
around since the
market share of 71% which was the
lowest share of the North American
cinema’s early days
box office market they registered even if they only
between 2005 and 2017. This slump properly took off
coincided with the lack of major IP
in the 1970s”
franchises, with “Harry Potter” ending
in 2011 and “Star Wars” (which revived the studio share) not
beginning until 2015. Marvel/DC product also didn’t kick in
until the mid-part of the current decade.
So good they made it again (and again)
The subject of sequels and franchise films (not to mention
remakes and reboots) is not a new one and the market has
come to depend on this type of film to keep box office
levels up. In fact, they have been around since the very early
days of cinema’s history, even if they only really took off as a
major driver of the cinema business in the 1970s. The
relatively recent expansion of superhero and comic book
characters has taken their importance
to the North American, and therefore,
global box office to new levels. In 2017,
nearly two thirds of the box office
generated by the Top 50 films came
from franchise/sequels, compared to
less than half in 2013 and 2014. The
beauty of a franchise/sequel is that it
can tap into existing fan bases, without
the need to build up a new understanding of the characters.
Films in the Top 50 that can be defined as a sequel or
as a part of a franchise numbered 20 in 2013, contributing
$3.8bn or 48.2 % of the $7.9bn generated by these films in
North America. By 2017, the 29 films that can be counted as
a sequel or part of a franchise earned $5.5bn at the box
office, or 64.6% of the $8.5bn grossed by the Top 50 titles.
The success of these 20-30 franchise/sequel films are key to
the health of the global cinema sector.

2 6 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
 S H A R E P E R C E N TA G E O F F R A N C H I S E M A R K E T 2 0 0 5 - 2 0 1 7

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Studio 6 Studio 6 Studio 6 Studio 6 Studio 6 Studio 6 Studio 6

72.5% 80.8% 79% 80% 80% 81.9% 81.6%

Lionsgate Lionsgate Lionsgate Lionsgate Lionsgate Lionsgate Lionsgate

3.2% 3.6% 3.8% 4.5% 3.8% 4.8% 1.8%

Rest of Market Rest of Market Rest of Market Rest of Market Rest of Market Rest of Market Rest of Market
24.3% 15.6% 17.2% 15.5% 16.2% 13.3% 16.6%

STUDIO 6

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

LIONSGATE
Studio 6 Studio 6 Studio 6 Studio 6 Studio 6 Studio 6
74.2% 71% 77.4% 80.6% 84% 80.3%

Lionsgate Lionsgate Lionsgate Lionsgate Lionsgate Lionsgate

11.1% 9.3% 6.8% 5.9% 5.8% 8%
REST OF
Rest of Market Rest of Market Rest of Market Rest of Market Rest of Market Rest of Market MARKET
14.7% 19.7% 15.8% 13.9% 10.2% 11.7%

Drilling down a little, we can identify a highly successful
sub-plot developing. It is no secret that our screens are
full of superheroes, and with (a supposed) 7,000 Marvel
characters to choose from, and 153 major DC Characters in
play too, we may be seeing a lot more. So far this decade,
Marvel Entertainment, under Disney’s ownership, has been
the pre-eminent source. Over the past five years (data taken
from Top 50 films at the North American box office between
2013 and 2017) there have been 16 films including Marvel
characters released, which have grossed $4.5bn at the
North American box office at an average of $281.6m per
film. As a comparison, six films from the DC stable have
earned $1.8bn in cinemas at an average of $297.1m. Warner
had only released one DC film by end of 2015, compared to
Marvel’s nine and it is only in the past two years that the DC
characters have begun to be exploited more frequently. In
2017, “Wonder Woman” was the highest grossing film from
either of these two comic book universes, the first time in
the past five years that DC has ruled at the box office.
Conversely, so far in 2018, four of the top seven films have
been Marvel characters, with “Black Panther” exceeding
$700m at the North American box office and “Black
Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War” becoming the two
highest grossing comic book adaptations of all time.
Serious stuff comes out of the comics
What can be said is that both these comic-book inspired
lines of film-making have been advantageous to their
parent companies, with Disney’s box office market share
rising from 11.5% in 2009 to above 20% in both 2016 and
2017. As for Warner Bros, their market share was nearing
20% back in 2010 but was tailing off in the mid part of the
current decade and the DC franchises have helped it back
up to near the 20% mark in 2017, with “Wonder Woman”
and “Justice League” in particular contributing. These two
companies now dominate the North American box office,
taking 40% plus between them, very much on the back of
these comic book characters.
Even though Marvel and to a lesser extent DC Comics
are a growing element within the box office make-up, they
are not the only strong assets out there. The strongest is
probably Disney’s “Star Wars”, which has put in place a

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 2 7
FRANCHISES

pipeline of product and spin-offs for the next decade at
least. The franchise genre also includes highly visible
properties like Middle Earth, Harry Potter, Pirates of the
Caribbean, Bond, Jurassic Park, Despicable Me and so on. In
fact, if we include “Avatar” as a sequel (in the sense that it is
scheduled to be the first of several films in a series) and “The
Grinch” as part of the Doctor Seuss universe, then in the
past 20 years the only film to top the yearly box office that
was not a franchise or a sequel is “American Sniper” in 2014.
Making money — it’s child’s play
Outside of the two very visible examples of comic-book
characters coming to life on our screens, toymakers are also
entering the movie business to revive their fortunes in the
face of a declining market for traditional toys, as is evidenced
by the demise of retailer Toys ‘R’ Us. The movie business is a
rich potential source of growth for toymakers, and Hasbro
has had great success with the Transformers franchise,
which it produced and Paramount distributed. The
franchise has grossed $4.4bn globally in cinemas. The two
companies also worked on G.I. Joe, also controlled by
Hasbro. This was less successful than Transformers, but by
no means a disaster, bringing in $678m globally in the two
films. In late 2017, Hasbro created Allspark Pictures and
Allspark Animation to extend its collaboration with
Paramount, for both live-action and animated projects,
under a co-financing exclusive deal with a five-year lifespan.
Mattel Toys (whose intellectual property includes
Barbie, He-Man: Masters of the Universe, Hot Wheels,
Thomas & Friends, Monster High and Fisher-Price) has
launched a film arm to develop and produce films based
on its toy-related brands. Drawing on the success of not
only Marvel and DC Comics, but also rivals Hasbro and Lego,
Mattel believes it has a range of valuable IP that can be
better exploited in cinema and other media, and sees the
refreshed exhibition sector as a viable way to achieve that.
An alternative route has been that followed by Lego, which
used its toy brand in conjunction with Warner Animation
that kicked off with “The Lego Movie”,
and encompassed collaboration with “Toymakers are also
DC Comics in “Lego Batman”. Lego has
entering the movie
character deals for its building blocks
with both DC Comics and Marvel.
business to revive
With the dominance of franchise their fortunes in the
movies at the box office established, face of a declining
and with the folding of Fox into Disney market for toys”
offering new opportunities for super-
hero interaction, as well as a decade of Star Wars and Avatar
ahead of us, it seems that technology developments in
Premium Cinema allied to a business necessity have led us
to a world of superheroes, toys, action, humour and fantasy.
As long as these films continue to be seen in large numbers,
you won’t hear exhibitors complaining.
David Hancock is Research Director, Cinema at IHS Markit
and President of the European Digital Cinema Forum.

7000
The current
cast list of
Marvel-derived
characters that
filmmakers have
to choose from.

84%
In 2016, the big six studios had a market share of
84% — their highest for a decade. Coincidentally,
19
two Star Wars films were on the big screen

$700m 16
Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ exceeded $700m at the
Over the past five years
there have been 16
films including Marvel
in the past 20 years
the only film to top the
yearly box office not
North American box office this year, with ‘Black characters released, grossing $4.5bn at to be a franchise or a
Panther’ and ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ going on to be the North American box office at sequel is ‘American
the highest grossing comic book adaptations ever. an average of $281.6m per film. Sniper’ in 2014.

2 8 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
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STREAMING

Cinema & Netflix

The best of
‘Frenemies’?
3 0 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
 With the love-hate relationship between exhibitors and the streaming
giant coming to a head in 2018, Patrick von Sychowski examines
whether this darkly tragic tale is, in reality, a burgeoning romance.

OR SOMEONE WHO once quipped that the biggest

innovation in cinemas in the past 30 years is that “the
popcorn tastes better”, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings seems
awfully keen for his platform’s films to have a star turn on
the big screen. “We are not anti-theater,” Hastings explained
to reporters last year, “we just want things to come out at
the same time.” And therein lies the problem for cinemas.
The day-and-date release of films in theatres and online
has been at the heart of the conflict between Netflix and
NATO and UNIC — the trade bodies representing the
interests of cinemas in North America and Europe — for
several years. This discussion predates the days when when
Netflix was a DVD-by-post company. Yet, with last year’s
champion of eliminating the release window (Sean Parker’s
The Screening Room) having now vanished, this year the Mini major studio or
focus is back on the tussle between cinemas and Netflix. major studio delusion?

By late 2017, Netflix was smarting from its prestige

80
$140m

films “Okja”, “Mudbound” and “First They Killed My

Father” all being largely shunned by festivals, and
cinemas. Meanwhile, its $90million action-fantasy
“Bright” got a derisive 26% Rotten Tomatoes score
and reviews such as “Bright is when Harry Potter
vomits on a cop flick” (Mark Kennedy, AP).
Netflix announced they were
realeasing 80 original films this year Netflix threw down the gauntlet for exhibitors

26%
Amount and studios, announcing in October last year that it
$90m Netflix spent
on Scorcese- would produce and release 80 or so ‘original films’
Amount Netflix directed film
in 2018. By way of comparison, the Hollywood ‘Big
spent on ‘Bright’ ‘The Irishman’ Rotten Tomatoes rating for Netflix’s ‘Bright’
Six’ released 93 between them in 2017. This would
be the year Netflix proved it could create films as

1 Netflix & Cinemas

Are they co-dependent?
Talking to Cinema Technology magazine, UNIC’s CEO Laura Houlgatte begins
by acknowledging that a strong and healthy online market for film content is
essential for the health of the wider industry. “The cinema industry can exist and
thrive alongside streaming providers like Netflix,” she affirms, but also feels that
“their — and the audience’s — best interests are served by films receiving proper
theatrical releases, including clear and distinct windows.”
In this regard, rival streaming studio “Amazon’s commitment to the theatrical
experience sends an important signal to the broader industry that there is a
willingness to engage and be proper partners,” she points out. Amazon makes a
show of respecting the window and has reaped recognition with prestige films
appealing as its binge-inducing television shows.
Disney had also announced it would withdraw
its films from the platform, once its agreement
expired in 2019, to launch its own streaming site. To
make up for the loss of “Frozen” and “Avengers”,
Netflix could no longer rely on buying blockbuster
films from established studios but would have to
become a studio itself. This is why it is prepared to
spend a staggering $140million on films like Martin
Scorsese’s “The Irishman” that unites De Niro, with
Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel.

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 3 1
STREAMING

like “Manchester by the Sea”, while Netflix has had to

55%
contend with winning in the documentary categories with
One German
study found that films such as “Icarus”.
while 55% of

37% 2
VOD subscribers
visited a cinema A serious case of
in the past year,
the national
Awards Envy?
figure is 37%.

Netflix famously doesn’t reveal its viewing figures, since

the company’s metric of success is the number of
subscribers and churn. As such it needs high-profile titles,

55%
of all German SVoD subscribers buy an average of 5.5 whether TV series or films, to attract and retain customers.
cinema tickets, spending €9.44, as opposed to a This is why it can afford to buy the film titles that Hollywood

49%
market average of 4.7 tickets and €8.90.
studios lost their confidence in over a successful theatrical
release, titles such as Warner Bros “Mowgli”, Paramount’s
“God Particle” and “Annihilation”, and Warner Bros/New
Line’s “Shaft” (the latter two for overseas).
Netflix scored its biggest success this year when it
acquired Alfonso Cuarón “Roma” before it went on to win
the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and became
Zero Netflix films screened Millennials make up 49% of US moviegoing
at Cannes, France this year audiences, according to NCM hotly tipped to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.
Cuarón confirmed that the film will be screened “in many
places on the big screen,” under what Netflix somewhat
NUMBER OF ORIGINAL coyly describes as “a new type of hybrid distribution

TV SHOWS FROM EACH agreement,” without going into detail.

Netflix earlier caused uproar in Venice, with the head of
VIDEO SERVICE Italy’s distributors’ association resigning in the wake of
Source: Ampere Anaylsis. *Estimates from YouTube controversy over the day-and-date release of the police-
brutality drama “On My Skin” in cinemas and on Netflix days
after its premiere. The Venice Film Festival had come under
criticism for ‘embracing’ Netflix, with UNIC issuing an open
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE UPCOMING
letter which urged “festival competitions” to “only consider
for inclusion those films intended for theatrical release.”
260

240
No Netflix film had screened in Cannes earlier this year,

220
after French authorities said there would be no exemptions

200 to regulations requiring a strict window between theatrical

180
and SVoD platforms. Having said it was ‘boycotting’ Cannes

160 (technically its films did not qualify for the main competition),

140
CEO Reed was later conciliatory, saying “Sometimes we

120 make mistakes. We got into a bigger situation with Cannes

100
than we meant to.” Controversy continues to stalk Netflix.

3
80

60
Ramping up the
40 VOD production values
20
0 Netflix doubled down on its awards ambitions this autumn
when it announced that BAFTA’s head of film Jim Bradshaw
Showtime
Facebook
YouTube*
Amazon

HBO Go
Netflix

would leave after 11 years to join Netflix’s UK awards team.

Watch

Apple
Starz
Hulu

In addition to “Roma” Netflix has high hopes this year for the

3 2 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
Coen brothers’ “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” and Paul
Greengrass’ “22 July”, though Bradshaw won’t join Netflix
until after nominations are announced on 9 January, 2019.
Meanwhile, Amazon Studios has recently announced
that, not content with spending hundreds of millions
developing a television show based on the “Lord of the
Rings” books, it is now expanding from arthouse titles such
as “Beautiful Boy” into far bigger budget feature film
productions — it is appointing Julie Rapaport, at Amazon
since 2015, to co-head of movies. “We’ll be looking for
movies that might expand to a larger audience,” Amazon
Studios’ head Jennifer Salke recently explained to Screen
International, while hinting that the studio might be adding
direct-to-platform original film productions in the future.
If these new Amazon Studio projects reap both box
office, critical and awards success, it could put further
pressure on Netflix to re-evaluate its insistence on strict day-
and-date for all its titles.
4 “Netflix is killing the cinema”
Yaaaaaawn…
When North America’s box office declined in 2017, the lazy
newspaper headline trope that powered many thousands
of column inches was that ‘Netflix is killing cinema’. Rather
than poor films or changes in release patterns being to
blame for year-on-year declines, journalists had decided
that people had grown tired of the
silver screen and preferred ‘Netflix and “There is a strong
chill’ for their entertainment. Yet two
overlap in viewers
studies released in the past year have
shown that far from being mutually
who both go to the
exclusive, there is a strong overlap in cinema and who
consumers who both go to the cinema subscribe to services
and subscribe to Netflix. such as Netflix”
Giving its annual keynote at the
KINO 2018 conference in Baden-Baden, the German
Federal Film Board (FFA) presented its findings
“Kinobesucher 2017” that revealed some 23% of cinema
goers were also SVoD subscribers, but that 55% of all SVoD
subscribers were cinemagoers, buying on average 5.5
tickets and spending €9.44, compared with a market
average of 4.7 tickets and €8.90. The study undertaken by
GfK also showed that while 55% of German SVoD
subscribers had seen at least one film in the cinema in the
past year, for the whole population that figure was just 37%.
“Users of streaming services are not the enemies of the
cinema, but its friends,” affirmed FFA’s Frank Völkert.
www.cinematech.today
Another study by the US cinema advertiser, National
CineMedia, found that far from ditching traditional cinema
in favour of tablet cinema, Millennials remain passionate
about movies. In a study carried out with Omnicom Media
Group’s Annalect and CivicScience, it found that Millennials
“make up the largest frequent movie-going age group,” and
are “highly invested in the overall movie-going process.”
Although they naturally have an interest in promoting
themselves as a channel for advertisers and brands to reach
the highly desirable demographic, NCM has a valid point in
highlighting that, with Millennials making up 49% of movie-
going audiences, the cinema [or more specifically NCM-
affiliated cinemas] outrank all US broadcast networks (ABC,
NBC, etc.), hit TV shows (“The Walking Dead”, “Big Bang
Theory”, etc.) and films such as “The Last Jedi” and “Justice
TV on the big screen?
A rapprochement between Netflix and cinemas
might come about not through movies but through
TV shows. While its track record in films has been
more miss than hit, Netflix TV shows have become
cornerstones of popular culture, with almost all of
its new shows such as “Jessica Jones” produced
and streamed in 4K, Dolby Atmos and/or high
dynamic range (HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR12).
There is an opportunity for previews or special
screenings of some or all of Netflix’s high-profile
shows in cinemas with high-end display and audio,
such as Samsung Onyx or Dolby Cinemas.
“Screening TV series in cinemas remains rare,”
UNIC’s Houlgatte observes, but adds there is “a
clear opportunity to show prestige TV content in
cinemas on their release date as an avant-première
event.” HBO has held screenings of “Game of
Thrones” in IMAX, which also screened the pilot of
Marvel’s “The Inhumans”. IMAX CEO Richard
Gelfond revealed at the Goldman Sachs
Communacopia Conference recently, “We’re in
active discussions with all of the streaming services
about an IMAX release.” So if Netflix wants to get its
content into cinemas, there are simpler ways than
the recent rumour that Netflix (or Amazon) might
be buying a cinema chain.
1 2 / 1 8 > 3 3
STREAMING
Curzon Artificial Eye’s VOD per title for newer films like Cannes winner ‘Cold War’
12
Curzon12 gives subscribers VOD access to 12 carefully selected titles per month
League” outperform all sporting events with the exception
of the Super Bowl. It could be argued that some Netflix
shows might be even more popular, but since Netflix
doesn’t carry adverts or release its viewing figures, NCM
doesn’t have to concern itself with comparisons to the
subscription platform.
With cinema attendance having bounced back in the
summer of 2018 in the US (less so for some parts of Europe),
talk of Netflix killing cinema has recently died down.
Hopefully there will be more research into affinity for films
across online platforms and genuine cinema venues before
the next lull in cinema-going prompts a further wave of lazy
headlines. As one exhibitor at CineEurope mused, “if you
like cooking Italian food at home, it doesn’t mean you don’t
also like to eat out in Italian restaurants.”
5 Day-and-UK-date
releasing
Day-and-date releasing is already a fact in the UK, albeit
not for Hollywood blockbusters. Most notably the boutique
cinema chain Curzon launched its Curzon On Demand in
2010, later re-branding it to Curzon Home Cinema in 2013.
In partnership with its sister-distribution company,
Curzon Artificial Eye, it makes independent, arthouse and
foreign language films available to download at home on
the same day as they open in its UK cinemas. The per-title
price is £10 for a new releases like Cannes award winner
“Cold War” or as little as £3 for older films. Curzon also has a
platform called Curzon12 under which Curzon members
gain access to 12 carefully curated films per month, typically
arthouse classics. Far from being rejected by the cinema
industry for the promotion of day-and-date titles on VOD,
3 4 > 1 2 / 1 8
£10
£3
...and the VOD price Curzon Artificial Eye charge
for older films in its catalogue
BAFTA actually bestowed its 2017 Outstanding British
Contribution to Cinema award on the Curzon Group, which
incorporates Curzon Home Cinema, at the 2017 EE British
Academy Film Awards.
Taking the lead from Netflix, Amazon and Curzon, the
UK-based pay-TV platform Sky launched its Sky Cinema
Original Films earlier this year. Under this venture with
Altitude Films, Sky will finance and distribute original titles
that are scheduled to appear both in cinemas and on its
satellite platforms at the same
“With cinema time. Sadly, the critical and
attendance having box office success of this
venutre to-date has been
bounced back in the somewhat underwhelming,
US, talk of Netflix although the operator is still
killing cinema has firmly on track to co-finance
recently died down” and release six or seven titles
per year.
While Sky Cinema’s “Monster Family” was the widest-
ever day-and-date release in the UK, appearing on 134
screens, you would not find it or any other Sky or Rakuten
titles in any Cineworld, Odeon or Vue cinemas. The three
multiplex majors that operate around 64% of all UK screen
maintain a very strict 16-17 theatrical window and refuse to
show any title that does not respect it.
This has been the case since Walt Disney tried to shorten
the releases window of Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”
from four to just three months back in 2010. That move led
to a boycott by the Big Three that was only reversed just
hours before the film received a Royal Gala Premiere in
London. So, while day-and-date is a reality in the UK,
currently that is only true for certain smaller films and
cinemas — not the blockbusters or big chains.
www.cinematech.today
 cinema_technology_2018_Layout 1 30/07/2018 22:57 Page 1

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 PROJECTION

Behind the Cinionic

scenes at Barco
From humble beginnings in the world of radio, in Barco
Peter Knight discovers a firm that has refused to stay
static — as the new Cinionic joint venture demonstrates.

HOW DOES A COMPANY GET its name? Often, it’s a

manufactured marketing-led moniker, but in the case of
Barco, the name speaks precisely to its history. Established
in 1934, the Belgium American Radio Corporation (Barco)
assembled radios from imported parts. Barco has come on
a bit — it is now a multinational that develops visualisation
solutions to help professionals work together, share
information, and project images in cinemas and elsewhere.
Its focus is on enterprise, healthcare and entertainment.
With more than 3,600 employees in 90 countries, the
company has 400 granted patents. Headquartered in
Kortrijk, Belgium, Barco has facilities in Europe, North
America and Asia-Pacific and is listed on Euronext Brussels.

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 3 7
PROJECTION
The view from the top
Peter Knight interviews Wim Buyens,
CEO at Cinionic
Cinionic vs Barco?
At CinemaCon 2018 Barco launched Cinionic, its joint
venture with Appotronics (ALPD) and China Film
GroupCFG (CFG). Headquartered in Hong Kong and
with offices in the United States, Belgium and Mexico.
The name “Cinionic” combines ‘cinema’ and ‘ionic’, and
we define it as the “coming together of forces to create
energy in the Cinema industry.” The company focuses
on innovative cinema solutions, flexible financing and a
comprehensive service model that enables exhibitors
to focus on engagement with their moviegoers while
simplifying their technology and operations.
How does Barco fit within Cinionic?
Cinionic is a joint venture with Appotronics and CFG,
where Barco is the main driver with and has 55% of the
company, with each of the partners having a 20% stake,
the remaining 5% being taken by a finance partner.
In other words Barco has spun off its entire cinema
division into this new venture and has found partners
to help them go beyond just the technology that Barco
is famed for. The full organisation is built on Barco’s
heritage and talent. Barco will be the exclusive partner
to Cinionic for all projection and image processing
technologies in the joint venture. ALPD will provide
industry-leading laser technology and retrofit solutions
while CGS contributes high-quality solutions for
Premium Large Format (PLF) screens.
“In a post VPF world, it’s no longer enough to
provide superb engineering and market leading
products,” explains Wim. “Our customers are asking for
future-proof technology and more complete financial
and service solutions. That’s what Cinionic, with the
strength of all three JV partners, will deliver.”
The result is a new breed of entertainment company
says Wim: “We’re listening to exhibitors and taking
action. We’ll deliver everything to ensure operational
peace of mind while elevating the audience experience,
from the latest visualisation solutions to a comprehensive
service care offering and affordable financing.”
Cinionic is about allowing, Barco, a technology
company, to go beyond just technology. The idea is that
the joint venture will help to de-risk the introduction of
technology for customers, giving them confidence to
3 8 > 1 2 / 1 8
Projectors are
made in eight
dedicated
steps,
including a
clean room for
light engine
assembly
adopt a technological advance without the danger of it
being obsolete tomorrow. Part of this strategy can be seen
with the ALPD retrofit laser option — users can opt to either
buy outright or via a pay as you use hourly method. This
“technology as a service” approach can be seen in a variety
of other industries and sectors, notably within software.
A similar example is how the purchasing of cars has
changed. Previously, buying a car meant going to the
showroom, paying money and keeping the car until you no
longer needed it, then selling it on before buying a new
one. Now there are a range of methods available, including
monthly deals where everything except the petrol is
thrown in. Providing similar financial flexibility is one of the
three pillars of Cinionic — “wow experience”, “peace of
mind” and “financial flexibility”. These are core to the
company and its focus. Experience is important, people
hate bad experience and “wow experience” is about raising
the bar. Bringing in the wow factor is important to Cinionic
— and that can be a big screen, or simply the provision of a
cinema for the first time in a rural community, for example
in Brazil, where the technology is now affordable.
Cinionic is confident these experiences will boost
attendance. Not only will moviegoers attendance
frequency increase, new audiences will be attracted as
well. Technology integration is happening more and more,
and making it easy to use is important. Wim hinted at some
exciting developments in these areas to come from
Cinionic, but he wasn’t in a position to elaborate!
The “financial” and “peace of mind” elements of Cinionic
go hand in hand. Investing in any technology is a potentially
risky business, so Cinionic is able to provide different
financial models that go beyond the traditional. Here
Cinionic differs from Barco, too. It is able to provide a range
www.cinematech.today
 Inside the product range

By far the largest product range is the projector portfolio

Barco provides. It has more than 200 all-laser complexes
globally, and has one of the largest Smart Laser Projector
portfolios of any manufacturer with 18 different models to
select from, meaning a projector for any requirement.
Laser projectors fall into two categories ‘Mainstream
Smart’ and ‘Premium Flagship’. Long-term, Cinionic believes
laser is the technology for projection, with many different
flavours available. Despite the large portfolio, many of the
parts work on multiple models, meaning that TCO is lower
and makes sense business wise. One solution Cinionic is able
to offer is Laser as-a-service — rather than buy an entirely new
projector in order to convert to laser, Cinionic offers a retrofit
kit. that can be bought on a pay-per-hour basis that equates
to the cost of a bag of popcorn per movie.

Breakdown of

200k
of options to customers to help provide peace of What’s Next? Cinionic’s
mind — that is essential to Wim, as it means a There is still a lot of work to be done, including Ownership

customer can make a purchase decision without
fear there will be something new and better
next week, month or year.
A Year in Review
Wim has been with Barco for 20 years, joining as
the industry moved to digital. The launch of
building the trust and recognition of the Cinionic
brand with the customers. The work now starts
on implementing the joint venture’s new
strategy and to show that Cinionic is more than
simply a technology brand (that which makes it
Barco 55%
fundamentally different to Barco). Wim strongly
believes that Cinionic can improve occupancy Apptronics 20%

Cinionic at CinemaCon was the result of two levels across exhibition and sees the company CFG 20% Predicted
global screen
years work by Wim to bring the idea to fruition. helping to make incremental changes that will
Finance Partner number
While the number of new screens worldwide has stimulate the industry as a whole. 5% in 5 years’ time

slowed to 180,000 there is an expectation that

will increase to more than 200,000 over the next
5 years. Growth is slowing, maybe, but growth is Smart laser light
engine retrofitting
strong in a number of regions and territories.
— an affordable
For Wim it has been good to get feedback option thanks to
new financing
from customers, enabling Barco to grow from a models
technology provider to a service solutions
company many of whom are encouraged by the
new business model. Now that the model is
there it is about getting this out to the wider
audience and to start adding it to the portfolio.
Wim is quick to point out that the Barco
brand is still a key ingredient of Cinionic and that
there is still a lot of work to be done in the years
The new factory
ahead. Barco’s industry partnerships, with handles four
production lines:
integrators and channel partners remains vital.
two for projectors,
two for healthcare

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 3 9
PROJECTION

An innovative factory and new offices

In May 2016 Barco moved to a purpose-built headquarters

that not only combined the offices but the factory as well.
The design is light and airy, but also aims to bring all the
different parts of the company together. There is now an
experience centre designed to show off the range of Barco
products, from their control room, enterprise and medical
products through to the entertainment and cinema.
Located at Beneluxpark in Kortrijk, the 230,000m2 ‘One
Campus’ is a landmark — an all-glass, circular building
surrounded by green spaces, connected to three state-of-
the-art Barco facilities — the Silicon Valley of Belgium.
Barco needed a centralised infrastructure because the 1,500m2 of clean room where delicate work of assembling
The Circle,
distance between sites in Kortrijk and Kuurne was getting to Cinionic’s light engines takes place. This clean room is able to produce
be too much for employees. This centralising structure has new HQ at 70 pristine cinema projector light engines each day, with
the heart
been located next to existing corporate buildings in Kortrijk. of what each taking between three and five hours to complete. In
some call
The campus’s crowning jewel is ‘The Circle’, Barco’s new this area, Barco controls the temperature, humidity and
Belgium’s
headquarters. With a diameter of 75m and a height of 25m, Silicon airborne dust particles as is required to maintain the quality
Valley
this monumental building can be seen far and wide. of its products.
Designed by Jaspers-Eyers Architects, the glass façade and Four rows of assembly take place in the factory, two for
roof systems form a skin around the circular building’s open- projectors, two for healthcare. Within the projection area are
plan interior and central atrium. eight dedicated steps, with each having a screen with the
The new One Campus includes 48,000m2 of general latest assembly instructions. Barco is in the process of
facilities, surrounded by a pond and grass. Standing proudly, building an additional extension to the factory to enable it to
at the heart of the campus, is The Circle, connected to the have an automated warehouse for parts giving greater
Lab (the R&D and test-unit), the Pulse and The Engine (the flexibility, scaling and efficiency opportunities. With this fully
production facility), by a footbridge. The Circle comprises automated warehousing solution scheduled to become
airy, flexible offices, R&D offices and test areas, a 170-seat operational in 2019, it will support the company’s continued
auditorium, a training centre, a three-tier meeting deck and development in this new area, and will, naturally, help
an atrium with a first-class restaurant. The showpiece of The support the care and attention that Barco puts into the
Circle is the Barco Experience Centre, equipped with Barco’s manufacture of all of its projectors.
most advanced visualisation solutions.
The Experience Centre is built around how Barco’s
solutions help people enjoy entertainment experiences; how
they foster knowledge-sharing and smart decision-making
in organisations and help hospitals provide patients with the
best possible healthcare. There are four dedicated demo
pods for Entertainment, Enterprise and Healthcare, as well as
customised demonstrations. The movie theatre showcases
Barco’s immersive audio and cinema technologies.
Barco has two global manufacturing facilities, one in
China for the Asian market, in operation for eight years, and
one in Belgium, where all of Barco’s projectors for the EU
market are made in “The Engine” in Kortrijk. Here they have Boothless
design for
been investing in extending and refurbishing the facilities, the all
laser
as well as the way the whole factory operation performs.
Kinepolis
Within the 19,000m2 of manufacturing space there is Breda

4 0 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
 INNOVATIVE
The Future SCREEN
Throughout our interview Wim hinted at developments in a
variety of areas that are likely to be revealed in due course.
Out of interest I asked about 8K — with TVs now 4K and
SOLUTIONS
entertainment projectors offering 8K for certain applications, is it
PREMIUM SCREENS | 2D AND 3D
time cinema started thinking about it? In short, ‘not immediately’.
While technologically it is easier to achieve 8K than was 4K in SCREENS | MOTORIZED SYSTEMS
2010, there are other implications, notably data size in post and
STRUCTURES AND FRAMES
distribution. More importantly, there isn’t enough 4K content as
is. This needs to be increased before other resolutions are seen
— unless you are in Japan where it is likely to be seen sooner. On
its own technology is not the most important element, however.
It is about the audience experience and the added value and it
must make sense commerically for exhibitors. “At CinemaCon,
we gave a hint about the technologies we are working on, like
HDR, which we showcased,” explains Wim, “and we received
positive feedback, confirming we are on the right track.”

Barco and BAFTA

Barco, and now Cinionic have been a technology partner

with BAFTA since 2005 and the beginning of digital
projection, when they installed a DP100 projector into the
main auditorium, the Prince Anne at 95 Piccadilly.
As the evaluation of digital technology has developed so
have the projectors installed, first with a 4K projector and
now with the latest flagship 4K laser projector DP4K-20LHC
projector (the biggest possible for the size of screen).
Cinionic sees the relationship as a platform for them and
regularly uses the venue to present to studios, projectionists
and others, the relationship with BAFTA allowing Cinionic to
obtain valuable feedback and lots of useful data.

CineAsia - Booth 202

1 877 755-3795 | info@strongmdi.com
www.strongmdi.com
www.cinematech.today
 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

 I N T E R V I E W

Shifting gear in
the 4th dimension
Patrick von Sychowski interviews Choi Byung-hwan, CEO of CGV, on the
transition of 4DX from theme park attraction to absorbing film experience
Words: Patrick von Sychowski

I
MMERSIVE — IT MAY BE ONE OF the motion-mechanisms. In addition, we have launched ‘4DX

Fact most prevalent buzzwords in our
File business, but the driver behind it is
solid — make the audience feel they
Choi Byung- are part of the story. Few do more to
hwan, CEO achieve this goal than Choi Byung-
of CGV hwan, CEO of CGV, the South Korean conglomerate that
specialises in bringing the film beyond the screen.
with ScreenX’, a blend of 4DX effects with the panoramic
screen of ScreenX [see Peter Knight’s review on the
following pages — Ed]. The first site opened in Korea last
year, followed by the first European site in Paris in July. ‘4DX
with ScreenX’ created a new experience value for audiences,
with the movie on a 270-degree panoramic screen.
Combining the two formats creates a natural convergence
of two technologies that are rapidly growing in popularity.

Q
Long-standing How has CJ 4DPLEX gone about refining its 4DX
CEO of CJ technology since it was first conceived in 2009?
4DPLEX, in The idea behind 4DX evolved from 4D theme park rides.
October this year, 4DX harnessed that technology and developed it to provide
Choi Byung-hwan an increasingly immersive experience. The end result is less
was announced a theme park ride and more complementary to films.
as the CEO of the The motion-chairs and environmental effects of 4DX
parent company are constantly being upgraded with new effects, reflecting
CGV feedback from audiences. 4DX provides motion-chairs with
13 different motion effects and eight environmental effects.
Last year, we released the sway and twist effect and the fog
storm effect, and we continuously develop the existing
We’re always on the lookout for interesting collaboration
projects, specifically in the gaming and alternative content
fields. For example, Simuline, experts in creating dynamic
rides and simulators for the attraction industry, was
incorporated as a subsidiary of CJ CGV in January 2013, and
merged into CJ 4DPLEX in December 2016. To expand our
business beyond cinema, we have 4DX VR Cinema in the
concept stage. Our 4DX VR technology is currently featured
in theme parks and arcades around the world and we are in
the process of adapting it for theaters.
4DX has shaken
The VR world is an interesting, growing
up the cinema
industry, one we want to keep up with. market for seating

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 4 3
I N T E R V I E W

Q Q
CJ 4DPLEX is known for innovation as well as being
relentless in gathering customer feedback. Can
you tell us more about this process.
Since its debut, over 83 million people have experienced
our formats. We constantly check and accumulate audience
responses to create international standards for this industry.
When major Hollywood titles end their run, a satisfaction
survey is conducted up to twice a month, including a brand
satisfaction survey for five of the major global markets on an
annual basis. Audience feedback is invaluable so we try to
listen attentively and ensure these opinions are reflected in
how we move forward with technology.
Our business is built on providing the best experience
and in this context, our decision to expand ‘4DX with
ScreenX’ to the global market is the result of positive
feedback. It was unveiled at CinemaCon 2018 in April,
following a sneak preview in one theater in South Korea last
year. The format received significant attention from
exhibitors and was recognised this year at the Edison
Awards winning Silver in the Media and Visual
Communications-Entertainment
category.
What do you see as the key difference between 4DX
and its competitors?
CJ 4DPLEX is the world’s first 4D cinema company and 4DX
came from CJ CGV, the parent company of CJ. It has
achieved a dominant position in the market with numbers
and the reaction from our audience suggesting 4DX is the
leader of the premium cinema formats. 4DX operates more
than 66,000 seats in 563 theatres in 59 countries (as of
October). To date, 4DX has reached $240 million at the box
office and 20 million admissions for 2018 so far.
The biggest difference between 4DX and its competitors
is the creative aspect behind each film. 4DX provides precise
movements and a wide range of speed control through a
quality motor system installed in the chair. We’ve improved
the mechanism to be smooth and subtle so that viewers can
be fully absorbed in the film. Our focus is always on
improvements in the 4DX environment and the comfort
levels for the audience. We do not put in effects to “fill empty
space”. Each is selected to maximise enjoyment. More than
30 creative producers from Seoul, Beijing and Los Angeles

Choi Byung-hwan on....

Japanese success for 4DX
In 2013, 4DX opened its first auditorium in Japan
with Korona theaters. Before installing 4DX, Korona
was not especially well-known, but after having
4DX in one of its auditoriums, its popularity
increased including sales, opening with a 90%
occupancy rate. Our marketing concept was ‘Not
just cinema! It’s a Theme Park with a movie nearby
your Home’. 4DX’s successful opening performance
in Korona led to 4DX’s growth, with 4DX opening 25
screens in 2015 and 16 in 2016. There are now 55
auditoriums in Japan, our second biggest market.
To build popularity, 4DX first targeted local
movie fans and released more than 10 local films in
4DX a year. 4DX also screened the classic animated
film, ‘Girls and Panzer’ and the box-office ranking of
the film jumped from 38th to 8th after re-launching
in our format. Hollywood blockbusters have also
done well. ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ in 4DX
earned more than ¥1 billion surpassing 0.4 million
attendance in the Japanese box office.

4 4 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
collaborate in producing 4DX-enhanced films — 4DX Studio
works with producers and directors to create the most
innovative experience for each sequence of the film.
Q
Let’s talk about ScreenX. Do you see this as a PLF
concept competing with the likes of IMAX and
China Giant Screen or something different?
What sets ScreenX apart is that it not only offers a larger
screen but also an immersive factor. PLF systems simply
extend the image or make it appear 3-dimensional on a
single screen, ScreenX utilises the entire auditorium with a
270-degree viewing experience. Two specially installed
panel screens on the right and left side of the main screen
create a panoramic view of select scenes, allowing the
audience to feel as if they’re in the movie.
Q
ScreenX has had great success with Korean films
such as ‘Train to Busan’ and “Battleships”. What’s
the outlook for future Korean films releasing in ScreenX?
Films like ‘Train to Busan’ have proved to be very compatible
www.cinematech.today
with the format. ‘Gonjiam’, a Korean horror film, attracted a
lot of attention because of scenes shot using ScreenX’s 3
CAM system, and — with 200,000 audience members in
attendance — accounted for 10% of the total moviegoers for
the film. It could be a turning point for ScreenX for Studios to
consider ScreenX in the pre-production process. Currently,
we are preparing to release 3D Korean animations such as
‘Jumbagi2’ and ‘Underdog’, as well as K-pop’s top idol Twice’s
latest concert film “Twiceland” in coming months.
Q
Can You tell us about films from other Asian
territories releasing in ScreenX, particularly from
China. Will we see films specifically made for ScreenX?
Since we started showing ScreenX with ‘Mojin: The Lost
Legend’ in China in 2015, we have created 11 Chinese local
films to date. This year, we produced ‘Detective Chinatown
Vol 2,’ a romantic comedy in ScreenX and the response was
4DX with ScreenX better than expected with over 320,000 million attendees.
merges two of CJ
We are now in discussions with other major Chinese studios.
4DPlex’s market-
leading formats
Q
ScreenX had its Hollywood debut through the
Bruckheimer/Disney partnership for ‘Pirates of the
Caribbean.’ How did you convince Hollywood studios to
“4DX Studio works
with producers and
directors to create
the most innovative
experience for each
sequence of a film”
1 2 / 1 8 > 4 5
I N T E R V I E W

release their films and get involved in the creative post-

production process of converting films to ScreenX?
Our first Hollywood feature was in 2017 with “King Arthur:
Legend of the Sword”. Its success brought ScreenX the
privilege of working with many of the largest studios and
most brilliant filmmakers on 10 titles to date. ScreenX has
been invited to be a regular part of the creative post-
production process as Hollywood increasingly appreciates
our strength in communication and our meticulous care.
Our in-house ScreenX producers collaborate with the
likes of Marvel and New Line Cinema to create a process that
neither disrupts nor delays the pipeline of a blockbuster. Our
LA office is a frontline communicator to the largest content
creators and distributors and our producers work with
studio post-production and production teams to navigate
the creation of content approved by studio partners.

Q
Do all genres work in ScreenX and/or 4DX? Would a
romantic comedy like “Crazy Rich Asians” work?
In China, ScreenX has released comedy films such as ‘The
Village of No Return’ and ‘Hello Mr. Billionaire’ and audiences
told us their experience was enhanced through ScreenX.
‘Detective Chinatown Vol. 2’, a Chinese comedy-mystery
buddy film in the ScreenX format ranked the highest
attendance of all time in Chinese 4DX box office, surpassing
320,000 million attendances. ScreenX suits a variety of
genres, particularly films that contain expansive landscapes,
but our main focus has always been story. We want the side
images to complement the main screen, accentuating the
most important aspect — the story. We put a lot effort into
selecting scenes where ScreenX and the narrative match.
‘Jumanji’ to include extreme water
effects for the Japanese market.
Q film in 10 years
Is CJ 4DPLEX developing other
technologies for the cinema,
such as VR or augmented reality?
We try to get people into the habit of
going to theatres and we see enhanced
cinema experiences as a great step in
achieving an atmosphere that can
only be available in theatres. Not just to
sit back and watch a movie, but to be a
part of it. We started with 4DX, then
ScreenX, and now ‘4DX with ScreenX’
and ‘4DX VR’. We’re still developing
…and on
Considering the lifestyle changes
of customers and a competitive
environment, it is essential to
diversify formats. The number of
premium formats is growing and
this will be increase. We like to
keep ahead of the curve: upgrading
technologies has been one idea,
and converging new ones another

Q
CJ 4DPLEX recently signed a large global agreement
for both 4DX and ScreenX with Cineworld-Regal.
How were they convinced to roll out these technologies?
Cineworld is a great partner for their reach and for being
forward thinkers. They are believers in moving the experience
forward, and high-end technology is a component of that.
projects to bring innovative, formats to
audiences. Early this year, we screened
the world’s first 4DX VR film. ‘Stay With
Me’ at the CJ-CGV cinema chain — it
achieved over 75% occupancy rate.
way to compete, but the value of
cinema is not just watching movies.
It’s the communal experience. CJ
4DPLEX wants to be a leader in
creating a culture of moviegoing
that goes beyond just watching.

Q
Likewise, both 4DX and ScreenX are proven innovative Do you regard the solutions
cinema formats that outperform traditional theaters: for offered by CJ 4DPLEX as
example, in the US, 4DX outperforms regular theaters by creating a truly compelling reason for
generating an average of 2.2x higher Box Office Gross. people to come to the cinema instead of staying at home
for Choi Byung-
and streaming film and TV shows?

Q
hwan, and for
Do audiences respond differently to the 4DX As home video streaming has become prevalent over the CGV, keeping
the cinema
experience in different countries? past few years, the movie theater/film industry has been hit experience unique
is at the core of his
Depending on the studio and the exhibitor, there is the hard. Unique experiences that can only be enjoyed outside
business
option to produce a distinct 4DX film. For example, Korean the home are the next logical step.
audiences do not like strong water effects, but these are Our aim is to be a powerful driver of the future premium
popular in Japan. As such, 4DX has tailored films including cinema marketplace, continually providing differentiated
‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,‘ and experiences.

4 6 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
cinema_technology_2018_Layout 1 30/07/2018 22:57 Page 2

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NEW LAUNCH
Widening the ente
ScreenX arrives in the UK
Launched in the UK in August, CT experienced the first
installation of ScreenX, at London’s Cineworld O2. Peter
Knight widens his eyes to see how the format performs,
Words: Peter Knight
A
NYONE AT CINEEUROPE IN JUNE
can’t help but have been impressed
by Cineworld’s anouncement that it
had agreed with CJ-CGV, owner of the
ScreenX product, to install 100 screens
across the UK, US and eight other
international locations. The first of this new wave of ScreenX
auditoriums in the UK opened at the Cineworld, O2, North
Greenwich in August 2018 with the blockbusters “The Meg”
and “Antman and the Wasp”. What an opportunity…
The opening of the newly equipped auditorium comes
at a time when the CJ-CGV is not just expanding rapidly
4 8 > 1 2 / 1 8
with Cineworld but also globally. At the time of writing
there were 147 screens in 10 countries and, as outlined by
the newly appointed CEO of CGV, Choi Byung-hwan, in the
previous pages, there are ambitious plans to expand
ScreenX to thousands of screens worldwide.
No matter how great a format is, if there is no content
The ScreenX available to be shown in it, the format will falter. With
format brings an
ScreenX, movies are able to be adapted either at the
epic field of view to
the auditorium production stage, or later on in post-production to suit.
— as early demo
Often the side images that give ScreenX its impact are CG
material, such as
this expansive extension graphics that have been added. Thus far, the
Himalayan
panorama, show catalogue of titles to have received the ScreenX treatment
includes a host of Korean and Chinese hits such as “Train to
Busan” and “Detective Chinatown 2”, but Hollywood is
increasingly switching on to the format, with new titles
including Fox’s musical bio-pic “Bohemian Rhapsody”,
released last month, as well as the effects spectacular from
Warner Bros, “Aquaman”, releasing this month, and a further
www.cinematech.today

rtainment horizons
DC Comics revival, “Shazam!”, coming to cinemas in spring
next year. Studio executives have publicly put their faith in
the format, as have exhibitors, with commitment for
installations sure to support the format as it matures.
Premium for the experience
Just as with 3D and other screen variants, there is a premium
added to the ticket if you want to experience ScreenX — in
the UK that stands at around £3. For Cineworld Unlimited
customers it operates in the same way as it currently does
for 3D screenings — customers are required to pay an
additional fee for the premium, unless they have dipped
into their pocket for a Premium Unlimited card, which
means the format is included.
When I visited Cineworld’s first UK installation at the O2
to experience the ScreenX format, the most noticeable
thing about the auditorium was the amount of ambient
light that exists — the auditorium walls are now white, no
longer being dark to absorb additional light reflected from
the main screen. With the original wall-to-wall, floor-to-
ceiling screen at the end of the auditorium, in the site I
visited there were a total of four projectors in the ceiling
www.cinematech.today
ScreenX in brief
The ScreenX concept makes use of the main screen in
the auditorium and associated DCP cinema technology.
In addition, the walls of the auditorium are coloured
white, and additional projectors placed in the ceiling.
These are high-quality single chip DLPs which, when
combined, allow for a 270-degree picture.
Screen X was developed by a Korean company that
also operates the largest cinema chain in South Korea,
the CJ conglomerate. The company, CJ-CGV, is also
responsible for 4DX. The format was first launched in
2012 with the experience initially only available in
South Korea. ScreenX is able to be easily retrofitted
without impacting on traditional 2D or 3D screenings
that take place there. The cost is around £300,000 and
CJ-CGV foresees that exhibitors would add one or two
into a cinema as headline features for the site.
A landmark venue
for the first
installation in the
UK — the
Cineworld O2
each focused on a quarter of the side screens. High-end
single-chip DLPs, these projectors are all switched on at the
same time as the main projector, and provide a low level of
light onto the ceiling during the time when not in use.
Most ScreenX features at the moment only include a
number of scenes that are masterd for the full 270-degree
format, so there is a constant switch between having a
picture on just the main screen and on the side panels too.
At times that proved a little distracting, but you quickly get
used to the transition. Mainly the content that was in the
ScreenX format is material that is primarily CGI-driven or
1 2 / 1 8 > 4 9
NEW LAUNCH

some action scenes, but rarely did I see dialogue scenes

played out on the side screens themselves.
It was noticeable with the content I viewed that there
were times when the picture had been cropped, in order
then to expand it over the three screens. For the most part
this didn’t matter, but on a few occasions I felt some of the
subtleties of the scenes were diminished. (It is worth noting
that the feature in question is one I had seen projected
several times in a standard format so was well known to me
— would a first-time viewer feel the same way?) The main
screen also lost some of its contrast when the extra screens
were in use as there was so much additional light in the
auditorium. Things such as fire exit signs remain in place on
the walls and become part of the canvas of the additional
screens. Although this sounds distracting, for the most part
I didn’t find that they detracted from the experience.
The ScreenX format is intended to immerse the viewer,
but without obviously distracting you from story. In this
respect I found ScreenX added a certain amount to the
content and it was genuinely enjoyable. It is certainly a
format that I will seek out again. The main thing I would like
to see is more of the content projected in the full three-
screen ScreenX format, thereby reducing the chopping
from main screen only to all three at once.
Set for success?
ScreenX is another format in an increasingly competitive
arena of entertainment and experiences. It provides
something different, that most of today’s cinemagoers will
While it won’t be
never have tried in the past. ScreenX is considerably easier suited to all sites,
ScreenX is made
to install and manage than similar options from the days of for all-action,
film. There are many movies and cinemas for which the blockbuster-driven
headline venues
format will not be a suitable fit — equally there are many such as the O2
locations and movies, notably action-driven blockbusters,
for which ScreenX will be the destination of choice. One
indicator of the format’s success will be whether it is a
sufficient draw that it encourages audiences to see a big
movie multiple times in order to experience it in various
different formats. If it achieves that level of enthusiasm,
then Hollywood’s support will be forthcoming, I’m sure.
With the likes of ScreenX, 4DX and other PLF offerings,
the goal is to encourage audiences to experience something
at the cinema that they simply cannot get at home, and
while this format and style is by no means the be-all-and-
end-all of the cinema experience, it is certainly a very valid
part of the overall story.

Other similar formats Lives up to the VR demo! LEDs instead of projectors?

ScreenX is not the first time attempt
to provide images on more than one
screen at the front of the auditorium,
it has been happening since the
beginning of cinema with Cinerama
being one of the most famous and
most popular formats. In its earliest
forms it had a 146-degree field of
view, and was probably the first really
successful of such formats. More
recently Barco Escape had multiple
projectors, but used screens placed at
an angle, rather than utilising the
auditorium walls as ScreenX does.
ScreenX was at the CineEurope 2018
event, and had a demo of their format
— except rather than building an
entire auditorium and going to the
expense of installing ScreenX for a
short period, they had instead a
virtual reality demo of it. Wearing a
VR headset, you then experienced
ScreenX through that. The demo
allowed you to look round the
auditorium and view the content.
Having experienced ScreenX in the
real world, I found the VR equivalent
surprisingly true to the real thing.
With all the stray light bouncing around a not-so-
black auditorium, could an alternative solution be
to make use of LED screens for the wall panels? This
could allow for the walls to remain more or less
black while not in use, but provide a bright enough
image when they are. Of course, there are a number
of challenges with the use of LEDs in this context —
the shape of the auditorium walls is not rectangular
but more triangular because of the raked seating,
which would evidently have an impact on the cost
of the install. LEDs would have to be considerably
turned down in their brightness, and these panels
at the moment are costly, but it doesn’t mean that
in the future it wouldn’t be a possibility.

More information on ScreenX can be found on their website, screenx.co.kr

5 0 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
 Free online access!
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is countr over
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screens or The effects seen — others
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recently, since along as the capacity and
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end.
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free to access online at

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41
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cinematech.today
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 A D V E R T S

Digital Cinema
Media
10 years of change in
the advertising world

Ten years ago, Digital Cinema Media (DCM) was formed. Its input has helped cement the strength of
the exhibitor’s offer — CEO Karen Stacey reflects on the power of cinema as an advertising medium.
Words: Karen Stacey

T
EN YEARS AGO, CARLTON Screen 3-4-week lead time. One of our biggest achievements has More than just a
Advertising was sold by ITV, with been digitisation, which means we are now able to offer an big screen, DCM’s
research on the
Cineworld and Odeon forming a joint accountable and transparent process to our customers. medium sells
advertisers the
venture to run cinema advertising Cinema’s digital revolution saw advertising move quickly
strength of the
under a new company, Digital Cinema from film, to hard drive, to USB and ultimately broadband cinema offering

Media (DCM). Today, DCM makes up
82% the UK’s cinema advertising marketplace, representing
Cineworld and Odeon, as well as working with Vue,
Picturehouse, Everyman, Curzon and more than 160
independents. It has been an impressive journey.
A digital revolution
Despite the forward-looking name, DCM only converted to
a fully digital operation in 2012. For cinema, there used to be
a slow and tedious process of lengthy reel assembly and
distribution, often hand-delivered by couriers, with a
delivery in a short space of time. Lead times have been
shortened to under a week, with electronic distribution
offering greater flexibility for advertisers, who are now able
to target by film, by showing, by cinema and by time across
our whole estate, meaning cinemas can compete on even
terms with TV and other media, including online and radio.
To put the scale of this project into context, during the
first 12 months of going digital, 4m playlists were generated,
which works out as 72,000 playlists per week over 52 weeks.
Since September 2012, to date DCM has generated almost
30m playlists (now on average 92,000 per week).

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 5 3
A D V E R T S

Paying to pay attention

Cinema is in robust health - it delivers receptive

audiences, impact and longer-lasting sales for brands
faced with challenges over viewability. Cinema’s offering
is powerful - people actually pay to pay attention.

Advertising needs to stand out: it’s hard to make an

emotional connection when attention is divided. In
this respect, nothing rivals seeing a new release in a
cinema. It engages viewers like nothing else.

We know cinema plays a pivotal role in media and

work hard to challenge opinions that it’s only selling
point is a big screen. We take our role as market
leader seriously and our responsibility to act as our
own trade body to champion the medium. Research
we create is of the highest standard and provides
useful, actionable insight for all of the media industry.

DCM’s investment in insight enables us to reaffirm to “In this world of

agencies and advertisers the value the pre-show distraction, cinema
brings. Research has been central to our messaging
offers the only
since our launch. The way we embed rational proof of
cinema’s role in the media mix has significantly
advertising channel
contributed to the upswing in cinema revenues. in which people still
put phones away”

Your undivided DCM was at the forefront of this revolution, which has
attention, please:
resulted in today’s automated process. We’re proud to work
no other medium
offers advertisers closely with exhibitors to streamline and improve processes,
an audience as
receptive
while identifying business needs and driving profitability
and opportunities that maximise revenues.
Making cinema a “must have”!
Over the past decade, DCM has become the voice of cinema
as an advertising medium, driving awareness of the power
of the big screen. We’re have repositioned cinema so it plays
a vital role on the Audio-Visual (AV) schedule, broadening its
alignment away from just outdoor, proving the medium to
be impactful and efficient, cutting through the media
clutter and helping brands grow in value. DCM has helped
drive significant growth for the cinema medium. Since
2009, ad revenues are up approximately 74%, while the past
three years experienced unprecedented growth.
More than ever, advertisers believe in cinema and the
value it adds to their AV schedules and they see us more as
a “must have” rather than a “nice to have”. Providing our
customers with a more streamlined service and ensuring
cinema is aligned with other AV media channels ultimately
has a positive impact for exhibitors across the board.
Looking for other ways to set the company apart, in
2016 DCM commissioned the CARIA service, the media and
creative campaign service for TV, VOD and Online Video, for
the cinema industry. Adding 80% of the cinema advertising
market to this industry-wide AV system will provide DCM’s
partner media agencies with a streamlined campaign
management service, ensuring cinema is aligned with
other AV media channels. With cinema’s role in the media
mix cemented, commissioning CARIA was the next step in
DCM’s journey to improve its service and provide dynamic
buying, scheduling and reporting offerings to its agencies.
Beyond the big screen
Since its inception in 2008, DCM quickly became about
more than simply selling spots on screen. DCM and its

5 4 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today

Fact
File
Karen Stacey,
CEO, Digital
Cinema Media
(DCM)
Appointed CEO at
DCM in 2015,
Karen previously
held senior
talented and passionate team is always looking at new positions at the
ways to drive the medium forward, be it through alternative likes of Bauer
content or maximising the development of cinema spaces Media and
to include bars and restaurants to transform the experience Channel 4.
and grow the medium further.
A landmark achievement for us was in February 2015
when, for the first time in 13 years, cinema’s most prestigious
advertising position, the Gold Spot, started to be sold line-
by-line, offering advertisers more flexibility. The Gold Spot,
the 60-second commercial directly before the main feature,
had been a key platform for Orange and EE for more than a
decade. It offers unbeatable stand out and creative
opportunities that tie in with cinema’s unique experience.
DCM offers a wide range of opportunities for brands
looking to maximise the impact of cinema beyond the
realms of traditional on-screen advertising. These include
new experiential opportunities in foyers, unique sponsorship
platforms and new online and mobile channels to help
advertisers get closer to their customers.
We’ve been able to expand the experience with new
technologies and continue to deliver bespoke technical
solutions such as 4DX, 3D advertising, Higher Frame Rates
(HFR) and Dolby Atmos to pioneer the best sound and
screen technology for brands.
Late last year, we launched DCM Studios, a new creative
division which focuses on delivering more opportunities for
www.cinematech.today
brands. Our aim is to forge relevant partnerships to
transform how brands utilise the power of our medium
and inspire a range of original campaigns that are tailored
to the cinema environment, ultimately making the whole
experience more entertaining for cinemagoers. This is
something we will continue to grow in the coming years.
Always Looking Forward
Just as an audience is emotionally and physically engaged
and literally looking forward at the big screen, DCM is
always looking forward too. We are passionate about
cinema’s ability to deliver results for customers and will
continue to champion it and create new opportunities to
deliver blockbusting performance for brands.
The cinemagoing experience has also dramatically
improved over the past decade, with investment across the
multiplexes and independents. Cinemas are entertainment
venues in the heart of communities. Over the next 10 years,
we can only expect better cinemas in terms of the quality of
the customer experience.
Preservation of cinema’s 16-week theatrical window is
just one reason why the medium will remain a step ahead
when it comes to delivering unique and memorable
experiences that stimulate conversations that are current
and culturally relevant. We know our slate years ahead of
release, so we can help connect brands of today with the
content of tomorrow.
Cinema’s core strengths of delivering a dark room, high
emotional impact and cut-through and a receptive,
engaged audience is only going to get stronger, with our
industry in rude health.
Welcome to the world of distraction…
In this world of distraction, cinema offers the only advertising
channel in which everyone still puts their phone away and
gives their undivided attention for 120 minutes. True impact,
making an impression and achieving cut-through is the
hard part, and that’s what cinema provides.
As we look to the future, DCM wants to be leading the
way in developing bespoke workstreams that will
strengthen advertisers’ creative outputs and really maximise
the use of the cinema’s unique spaces. “Experiential” will be
a big part of the future, with a bigger focus on cinema
activations, including the likes of live-stunts, immersive
activations, pop-up cinema tours and bar sponsorships,
which will all be new revenue generating streams for DCM
and its exhibitors!
We’re determined to maintain the momentum we’ve
achieved over the past 10 years and drive the industry
forward into the future by connecting brands and people
in our unique environment.
1 2 / 1 8 > 5 5
 CINEASIA

10-13 DEC

CONVENTION AND TRADE SHOW

HONG KONG CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE
10-13 DECEMBER 2018 — CINEASIA.COM
OFFICIAL PRESENTING SPONSOR:
 I N T E R V I E W

An advocate for a
changing industry
CT interviews Andrew Cripps, a studio exec with a passion for the industry,
a positive approach to the future, and a truly international outlook.
Words: Melissa Cogavin

F
EW STUDIO EXECUTIVES have
Fact enjoyed the breadth of experience
File and responsibility as has Andrew
Cripps. His new role as president of
Andrew international distribution at 20th
Cripps, Century Fox in Los Angeles has been
President the fourth multinational in three continents over a career in
International entertainment that spans three decades. Ground-breaking
Distribution at technological changes have occurred during that time and
20th Century I wanted to know what he had learned. Is the digitisation of
cinema the most seismic change in our industry? Andrew
explained, “It’s broader than digitisation. Yes that’s easy to
For Andrew say but looking back over 30 years, the biggest changes
Cripps, a new role have come as a result of the Internet and the availability of
at 20th Century real-time information. In fact, I can’t believe now that we
Fox in Los Angeles ever found a way to work without it.
sees him at his “When I first moved to UIP in London we had a call
fourth multi- every Monday at 2.45pm with Lew Wasserman in the US. I’d
national across take that call when my boss was not available and it was a
three continents 10-15 minute catch-up every week, discussing box office
during a career in activity of the previous weekend. We managed to discuss
entertainment an entire weekend’s business in one call. That would be it.
that spans three “Now we have information on trailers immediately, box
decades. office results on the hour, every hour. Reporting, analysing
and distribution have all changed because of immediate,
real-time communication made possible by the internet.”

The slow march to progress

When you consider it like that, digitisation seems small fry
now but many of us remember how seismic and glacial it
appeared at the time. “Digitisation took a significant period
of time to get going,” notes Andrew, “but you have to
remember that the movie business hadn’t really changed
in 100 years. I was in London working for Paramount, and
committees in the US setting standards drove digitisation. I
was implementing agreements then with exhibitors over
multiple continents. Because the VPF concept rolled out

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 5 7
I N T E R V I E W

over many years, the process of digitisation dragged on.” Entertainment in Tokyo, and that
I asked whether Andrew and his colleagues came up opened a lot of doors for me. I went
against resistance amongst exhibitors during this time? onto UIP as a management trainee,
“The bulk of customers embraced it, though some went which I got because I was used to
kicking and screaming, but eventually gave in. If they didn’t working in Japan. This is important as
they had to pay for the equipment themselves — there was living there is a difficult transition to
a certain timeframe and after that they were on their own.” make for westerners, but for me it was
Andrew added, “I think exhibitors now see that there are a home. I was already used to Japan’s
lot of corollary benefits to digitisation, not least access to consensus-building management
event cinema. Where there was resistance, it has caught up style, among other things. This job led
now on the marketing side; how we approach consumers to my role as assistant to the GM of
has changed with the times as well.” UIP Japan before I moved to UIP in
Hong Kong running SE ASIA for UIP. 
The challenge of change
Over the course of Andrew’s career at four multinationals, A positive future
what were the biggest obstacles for him, charged with Given that he has had such life
steering these companies into the 21st century? “Embracing experience, what, I wondered, has
change has been a big issue, especially in an industry where surprised Andrew about this industry
there are a lot of long-timers; people stay in this industry that he wouldn’t have seen coming? 
and don’t tend to leave it.” Arguably a testament to a great “I am constantly surprised by how
sector surely? “Well yes,” he admitted, “but during the long people work in this industry.
digitisation period especially there were a lot of people that Including myself. People love it. It’s a
had a long history of doing something in a particular way small community especially on the
and it was difficult to change their practices. international side, and people move
“Some are very progressive, others stuck in their ways. I around but they don’t leave, which
would say that getting people to speaks volumes about the nature of
understand there are economical, the sector.“
better ways of doing things has been This led to a broader discussion about the future of the
an obstacle at times”, he added,
Andrew on.... industry and we considered where the consumption of
somewhat diplomatically.
his career media was heading, and how the world might look in 10
“But change is good, it’s necessary, years’ time. Andrew was optimistic, which was a tonic given
especially in an industry with a history “I’ve been very fortunate, very the onslaught of bad news we are faced with daily. “We’ve
as long as ours. Market forces dictate lucky, working for progressive had a great summer. Box office was up by 10% in the US so
change of course,” Andrew explained. multinationals. I don’t think I would far this year”. Considering Europe was frying in temperatures
“The ‘premiumisation’ of cinemas has change anything really. Working of 40 degrees in a year that rivalled the summer of ‘76, that
had to happen to differentiate it from internationally has been incredibly was a surprise; Andrew explained, “I know, but I put it down
the experience of staying home to exhilarating and exciting, and to exhibitors, who understand their customers better. The
watch Netflix. We offer a premium watching the shifting studio cinema is offering people something they don’t get at
night out, and people are embracing mind-sets as we have begun to home. “ [Including air conditioning! — Ed]. He continued,
this concept in large numbers; it’s not concentrate on the international “Yes we have premiumisation, but we are finding recliner
cheap but it’s special.”  market more and more has been seating is appealing, and mobile ticketing technology is
Andrew’s grasp of the complexities fascinating. Only 15 years ago the aiding the customer journey more than ever. Catering is
of the international market will have focus was entirely on the Domestic improving. I think in the future we’ll see fewer theatres,
set him apart from other studio execs (US) market. These days the box which is sad, but they will be better theatres. Cream rises to
who perhaps haven’t spent as long office split is around 70/30 in favour the top. Competition is a good thing.
overseas; I was interested in how that of the international market and
had affected his outlook. “I grew up in it reflects significantly on what Revolutionising the customer journey
Japan; I went there when I was a year movies we make. “ The nature of the world is changing throughout the entire
old and speak fluent Japanese. I got customer journey, as Andrew recognises: “There are
my first job at Thorn EMI Screen opportunities for growth with mobile technology as well; in

5 8 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
“Watching the
shifting Studio
mind-sets as we
have focused more
on international has
been fascinating”
China 90% of tickets are now bought online via mobile
technology, compared to 20-25% in the UK and USA.” This
represents a massive opportunity for improvement where
the number of clicks from enquiry-to-purchase online is still
frustratingly high and the customer loss rate unacceptable.
It seems inevitable that improvements will be made in this
area, so the industry is now operating firmly with the future
in its sights. Prior to the internet, that didn’t happen.
Bring back movie palaces!
Andrew’s long career has seen tumultuous shifts across the
industry technically, politically, culturally and economically.
People who survive and thrive as he has tend to be positive,
agile and unafraid of embracing change. But is he nostalgic
for the past? Is there anything in particular that he would
like to bring back again?
“We’re in a very good place and the future is bright and
optimistic — as long as people invest in cinema. I miss those
big fantastic movie palaces, and the 1980s selection process
was very specific. We tailored the film’s release according to
the actual theatre, the number of seats, the atmosphere of
the building itself. For some films we would have to book a
theatre months in advance. Multiplexes are commercially
successful of course but… times have changed a lot.”
www.cinematech.today
Andrew on....
digitisation
“Avatar” was the catalyst for digitisation, and the 3D
movement pioneered by Jeffrey Katzenberg was
rooted in an effort to curtail piracy. 3D never took
off as Katzenberg and the industry had hoped. I can
recall attempts at hurriedly and retroactively
converting 2D to 3D in post-production with
predictably shocking results, so I wondered from
Andrew’s perspective what technical challenges
are around the corner and what future-proofing
could be put into place? “You’re right about the 3D
movement back then. The industry did itself a
disservice by putting out films that should have
never been 3D. Light levels weren’t great and overall
it wasn’t a good consumer experience.”
How has that affected things? Andrew felt that
lessons have been learned though they were hard
lessons and have affected confidence and
attendance at the box office. “We are reaping the
lack of that now, so as far as the future is concerned,
now we have better sound, recliner chairs… it comes
down to comfort and convenience, really good
sight and sound. We have laser projection, proper
light levels, vivid colours, amazing contrast levels.
“Over 2 hours, with proper light levels, and
comfortable seating, it’s a far better experience.
You’re more likely to come back if you’ve had a
good time and the whole package works.”
Playing devil’s advocate I wondered if the
average cinema-goer would really care about these
technical improvements; are we in something of an
echo chamber and don’t realise the man on the
street is none the wiser? Andrew reminded me we
were future-proofing the industry.
1 2 / 1 8 > 5 9
T E C H / D E V

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6 0 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
 I
T’S EXTRAORDINARY TO THINK that
Thomas Edison first experimented
with high frame rate film images at
46fps as early as 1891, while Exposition
Universelle (World’s Fair) held in Paris
in 1900 showed off such technologies
as infinite aspect ratios, synchronised sound, and massive
screen projection systems. The public’s appetite for awe-
inspiring technology for the delivery of moving pictures has
apparently never waned, and cinema exhibitors today still
rally to lure in the public with ever-more impressive,
immersive picture and sound experiences. But while the
average moviegoer appreciates an enhanced experience,
there’s little evidence to suggest that he or she is looking to
understand the specifics of the actual technologies on offer.
Technologies come and go. Indeed, one industry veteran
once suggested that 3D keeps coming back “like athelete’s
foot”. There’s no guarantee that an apparently once sought-
after technology will always have commercial legs. In that
context (and outside of the realms of technology showcases
and exhibitions), it’s worth examining the two key timelines
of the evolution of both sound and picture technologies, and
why 1.37:1 Academy Ratio and Academy Optical Mono were
challenged for supremacy. It was, after all, the ubiquity of the
cathode ray tube in living rooms in the 1950s which spurred
exhibitors to explore uncharted waters of immersive cinema.

The Surround Sound Evolution (from analogue to digital)

As if the arrival of talkies in 1929 had not elevated cinema to new heights, surround audio was not
long behind with Disney’s introduction of the ‘Fantasound’ system for the 1941 release of ‘Fantasia’.
At a cost of $85,000 for a 54-speaker fit out in each location, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco
were the only three cities to get a taste of these first documented presentations of surround sound. Walt
Disney himself invented the concept with the help of Bell Labs, and the system included three front
screen channels and two rear channels of discrete audio. As
large-format projection, such as Cinerama, Vistavision and
Todd-AO 70mm took hold, so too did corresponding multi-
channel surround technologies. Three or five separate screen
channels, plus a rear mono surround channel of magnetic
striping, would capitalise on added real estate available
either side of the picture on the larger film format prints.
Declining US theatrical audiences in the 1960s and
1970s, combined with the advance of the shoebox-style,
one-speaker-per-screen multiplex cinema, meant that a
technology revolution was inevitable. Dolby Laboratories,
with its legacy of professional and domestic tape noise
reduction, introduced Dolby Stereo for the release of “A Star
is Born” in 1976, and four channels of matrix surround
information were encoded onto the analogue, non-
deteriorating optical track of 35mm theatrical release prints.
Dolby also developed its enhancement of the analogue
technology in the 1980s with Dolby Stereo SR (or ‘Spectral
Recording’), increasing the dynamic range of playback. The
1979 release of “Apocalypse Now” included Dolby Stereo
70mm with six-
track magnetic “Declining US
striping, with the
cinema audiences
addition of noise
reduction and
in the 60s and 70s
twin surrounds. made inevitable a
technological
revolution”

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 6 1
T E C H / D E V
The three screen channels and two rear channels allowed
space for a discrete .1 low-frequency effects track, an
architecture later adopted for Dolby Digital. In 1992, “Batman
Returns” ushered in Dolby Digital or SR-D. Scanner-read data
blocks housed between the sprocket holes of 35mm release
prints were converted into an AC-3 bitstream, delivering 5.1
channels of full-range audio (20Hz–20kHz). Meanwhile, DTS
roared onto screen with the release of ”Jurassic Park” in 1993,
and its 5.1 timecode and synchronized CD-Rom.
The Rise and Fall of Big Picture
In 1932, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
determined that the aspect ratio of film should be slightly
reduced in size (although still 4-perf), from 1.33:1 to 1.37:1,
to accommodate an optical soundtrack. Academy Ratio
would consolidate the look of movies for another 20 years.
1.37:1 Academy ratio: the
standard in 1932
$85,000
20%
Ostensibly, 20% of audiences
1941 cost for a 54-speaker would travel to seek out a THX
“Fantasound” fit-out
screen, according to research
By the early 1950s, however, with audiences starting to
dwindle, film studios knew that drastic action was required
to get people back into picture houses. Cinerama was culled
from a WWII military simulator and used three synced 35mm
(6-perf) cameras to capture a 2.59:1 aspect ratio with a 146°
field of view. The resulting presentation used three projectors
on a massive 105ft-wide curved screen (as in the case of The
Cooper Theater, Denver), and with seven channels of audio.
The unwieldy economics of Cinerama combined with a rigid
photographic focal length (and not always seamless joins
between three projected onscreen images) saw competitors
hot on the trail for more efficient widescreen options.
Executives at Fox cultivated a 1920s French technology,
the Anamorphoscope. Any film shot with an anamorphic
lens would squeeze an image from side-to-side by a factor of
two; when the same film was projected with a 2x anamorphic
lens in the cinema, the image was unsqueezed to deliver a
2.35:1 aspect ratio. “The Robe” was the first title to use this
new 4-perf 35mm process. Soon all the studios followed suit,
with the exception of Paramount who, in turn, developed
6 2 > 1 2 / 1 8
the side-winding non-anamorphic challenger — Vistavision.
Probably the two most historically important widescreen
breakthroughs of the era were Todd AO and MGM 65. Both
used 5-perf 65mm film stock running vertically through a
camera and projector. In each case, the release prints were
delivered to cinemas on 70mm stock (the extra 5mm of
width being preserved for multi-channel magnetic sound
stripes). Todd AO theatrical releases sported a 2.2:1 aspect
ratio, using spherical, not anamorphic lenses, and were
projected in massive auditoria with deep curved screens.
Meanwhile, Panavision developed 1.25x anamorphic lenses
for the MGM 65 system, which lead to the king of all large-
screen films, “Ben-Hur” (1959) with its 2.76:1 aspect ratio.
By the latter half of the 1960s, the age of widescreen and
large-format theatrical spectacle had largely gone into
retreat, and the age of experimentation had all but ceased.
The industry consolidated on two predominant aspect ratios
for general cinema release and presentation: 2.35:1
anamorphic (or 2.39:1 depending on projector aperture), and
1.85:1 Flat, but now in generally much smaller auditoriums.
A question of standards
With Dolby Stereo in-cinema audio rising from the ashes of
the inadequate standards of presentation that permeated
US cinemas in the 70s, a bedrock for improved presentation
emerged. In 1983, the THX Division of Lucasfilm Ltd set out
to revolutionise the way audiences experienced films
again. Audio guru Tom Holman formulated a strategy for
professional cinemas after George Lucas had determined
that the complex sound mix of “Return of the Jedi” should
be presented optimally in as many cinemas as possible.
Holman would frequently adopt an art gallery metaphor
to expound the concept, claiming that “if the filmmakers
are the painters, then THX are the picture framers.” For a
cinema operator to have a screen ‘THX-Certified’ and be
able to show the famous Broadway trailer before a feature
(under licence), they had to conform to strict criteria.
A THX cinema had to reproduce dialogue accurately and
intelligibly, achieve reference-level audio, be agnostic to
audio or vibration leaks from adjacent auditoria, include a
behind-screen baffle wall, and mitigate background noise to
a measurable NC30. The viewing angle to the screen from
every seat should be no less than 32°. A proprietary THX
crossover was also mandatory in every booth, the latter of
which had to be furnished with a double glass enclosure to
mask the sound of a 35mm projector. In some ways, THX was
the chrysalis of today’s PLF screens, although of course IMAX
www.cinematech.today
15/70 was already well established by the 1990s as a
spectacle venue for vertigo-inducing documentaries and
short subjects on its floor-to-ceiling 1.43:1 towering screens.
A New Order
The great disruptor in the form of object-based audio from
Dolby lent credence to the concept of spectacle cinema
once more. The 2012 launch of Dolby Atmos with its
replacement of conventional channels with ‘nodes’, sound
effects-plus-metadata allowing scalability across any
matrix of speakers, and ceiling-based immersion, was
revolutionary. The development of ever-brighter, efficient
light engines from the likes of Barco, Christie, NEC and
Sony, in single and dual configurations, meant pictures
kept up with audio. Addition of HDR systems could now
boast film-like contrast and image detail enhancement.
This new coupling of picture and sound would inevitably
lead to the birth of premium large format cinema with which
we are now so familiar. Ever more tightly-honed franchises
with their own USPs are born year-on-year. Dolby Cinema
sports its angular, acoustical ‘cocoon’, explosively potent
audio, Dolby Vision HDR and dynamic walkway; IMAX offers
up its 12-point-source rock concert-like public address, high-
resolution proprietary laser light engine, and DMR-produced
content; ScreenX from CJ 4DPLEX takes your senses further
by draping screens over three walls with five synchronised
Christie projectors delivering a 270° field-of-view.
Not all technology survives scrutiny. Cinerama never
recovered from its ongoing technical problems, costly
production budgets and corresponding lack of content.
Barco Escape (not dissimilar to ScreenX and arguably the
offspring of Cinerama) took its bow earlier this year, ironically
suffering from the content conundrum too. 3D, although
enjoying vast technological improvements over the past five
years, has seen a decline in audience appetite. Even the
marriage of AR or VR to either in-cinema applications or in-
lobby attractions is proving questionable in the short-term.
Does tech really tantalise audiences?
THX conducted research in the early noughties in the US
and EMEA that suggested up to 20% of audience members
would travel further from home to seek out a THX screen.
Dolby has reportedly conducted similar studies, assessing
the audience perception and draw of its own technologies.
Cinema exhibitors spend less time pushing technology
to audiences than touting more generalized improvements
www.cinematech.today
they offer. For some years, as a result of pressure from US
chains, the Studios have listed PLF auditorium types and
technologies available (such as IMAX 3D, Dolby Atmos, 4DX
etc.) along the base of billboard advertising banners and at
the end of 30-second TV spots. Pre-feature trailers promoting
specific audio or visual enhancements are commonplace.
For more discerning consumers, the UK’s big three,
namely Vue, Cineworld and Odeon, disseminate further
information via a simple click on their websites to explain
what features audiences get inside, for example, an IMAX or
ScreenX auditorium, as well as their home-developed PLF
brands. At the same time, as much emphasis is placed on
F&B offerings as part of the wider experience. Vue told CT
magazine, “With our marketing and communications we
place focus on the big screen experience as a whole: great
content presented in the best way — the technology of our
screens and sound — enjoyed in maximum comfort.” In the
end, perhaps that’s the crux. Technology makes experiences
better. There’s no need to expand on the details. The average
cinemagoer will tell you IMAX is big; Dolby sounds great.
Consumers have always proved most interested in ‘what’,
rather than ‘how’ or ‘why’. Whether at the Paris World’s Fair in
1900 or an augmented reality multi-sensory experience in
2030, cinemagoers have, and always will be drawn in by the
content, not how it is conveyed. Sad for those of us who
spend our lives dreaming up a model for the ultimate
cinema, but not a reason to ignore the virtue of its pursuit.
Putting on a movie show that a filmmaker will be proud of is
a worthy cause, and one that those who purport to love the
art of film must never overlook.
270o
Field of view delivered
by ScreenX today
146o
The field of view
delivered by
Cinerama in the
1950s
1 2 / 1 8 > 6 3
E V E N T S

E V E N T S

Patrick von Sychowski on a conference

with the future of entertainment at its core

The Mallen20 Conference

I
N POTSDAM’S
Babelsberg
Studio, outside
of Berlin, is the
largest studio
facility in Europe’s mainland. Here,
everything from “Metropolis” to
“Inglourious Basterds”, Wes Anderson’s
“Grand Budapest Hotel” to Netflix’s
“Dark” was filmed. So it is appropriate
that it hosted the first ever Mallen
Conference held outside the United
States in its 20 year history. Perhaps
you’ve never heard of Mallen? If you
work in film, cinema or entertainment,
you definitely should.
The invitation-only Mallen20 — or
to give it its full title, the Annual Mallen
Scholars and Practitioners Conference
in Filmed Entertainment Economics
— brings together the elite researchers,
academics and professors in the field
of economics, management and
entertainment. Think of it more as
an academic version of Davos or a
scholarly Bilderberg Group than IBC or
CinemaCon. Founded by Bruce
Mallen, a Canadian professor who

6 4 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today

20
This was the first
Mallen Conference
held outside the
US in 20 years
No fewer than
19 research
papers were
presented on
the second day
Jannis Funk at the Film University
Babelsberg Konrad Wolf. A cavernous
building, all exposed concrete, steel
and glass, it would feel like a futuristic
prison were it not for the plants and
cafeteria in opposite corners. It also
provided good space for presentations
by and for the 100-odd delegates.
Kick off with a ‘hackathon’
The first of the two days was billed as
a ‘Thought Leaders’ Workshop’.
Following a formal welcome by the
co-hosts, there was a briefing as the
delegates were put into 10 groups
A tour of Studio went on to succeed as a Hollywood and assigned different projects and
Babelsberg
producer and real estate developer, topics. These would bring together
revealed a trove of
media-relevant the aim of the event is “to get those two different communities: the Mallen
artefacts
who study entertainment together circle of scholars with representatives
with those who make practical from the industry, including senior
Left, top, the
Mallen20 decisions about it. Put differently, “to figures from the likes of Amazon, 20th
delegates at advance the science and practice of Century Fox, distributor Wild Bunch
Studio Babelsberg
entertainment.” and exhibitor Kinopolis.
Having previously been held at Each group would come up with a
Florida Atlantic University, UCLA, Yale, research paper idea that eventually
Left, bottom,
whatever your Yeshiva University and NYU, this year it will be published in an academic
production needs,
was co-chaired by Thorsten Henning- journal. Brainstorming together, they
the props dept has
it. Need a clock…? Thurau (University of Munster) and then presented their work in progress
www.cinematech.today
>
to the larger group. By promoting a
dialogue between Industry and
academia, the idea was to fuse data
and intuition, analytics and theory,
with the results published in late 2019.
I shadowed Thorsten as he dropped in
on different groups to see how they
were getting on, as they tackled some
of the issues facing the entertainment
industry in what came across as The
Apprentice with a PhD (NB: from MIT,
not Trump University).
How is Disney like LVMH?
It was not an easy or stress-free
undertaking “It’s like herding a bunch
of cats!” exclaimed one exasperated
team leader. But Thorsten was clear
and steadfast as he listened in and
gave feedback to each group. “As a
German you never say ‘That’s great!’”
he responded to one presentation in
his stern voice, masking a dry sense of
humour. Occasionally the exchanges
were heated, or as close as possible in
academic circles.
Part of the stress came from the
scale of the ambition. These were not
niche or small subjects. One of the
groups looking at Hollywood studios
— why do they exist and survive? A
particularly pertinent question as 20th
Century Fox is swallowed by Disney.
Studios have evolved, some over the
past century, alongside technological
developments. But is the nature of
studios changing with new players
such as Netflix and Amazon?
Led by the closest thing Mallen has
to an academic-rock star, Dr. Allègre
Hadida from the University of
Cambridge Judge Business, the group
delivered insights, such as looking at
the ‘portfolio logic of studios’ and
‘brand aggregator’, with Disney being
compared to the French luxury
conglomerate LVMH. The participants
also displayed plenty of flashes of
humour, with the title of their paper
being “Guardians of the Galaxy or
1 2 / 1 8 > 6 5
E V E N T S
Night of the Living Dead? A Cognitive
View of How Studios Make Decisions,”
with talks of studios’ “Field of Dreams”
strategy versus “Date Movie” strategy.
This ‘Genius of the System’ was
contrasted with different legitimizing
criteria of new operators like Netflix,
whose KPIs rely on metrics like
subscriber numbers. Similar insights
and papers were put forward for fields
that ranged from television
distribution to piracy and social media
‘buzz’. The full findings will
published in due course in partnership
with the Journal of Cultural Economics.
Big IMDB Data
Some of the most interesting insights
came not from the stage but from
discussion in coffee breaks with the
delegates, particularly on why filmed
entertainment economics appears to
be gaining momentum as
academic discipline. A large part of
the answer is data — and the biggest
source of that data is IMDb.
While most use IMDb to find out
where else we saw the actor from that
movie, academics deep-mine the
internet movie database for numbers
that yield insights. This should come
as no surprise to anyone who follows
[ahem…] more accessible research
such as StephenFollows.com weekly
numbers-heavy takes on aspects of
the entertainment industry.
While academics don’t just rely on
IMDb, several highlighted the outsize
difference the online resource has
made to academic research in this
field. Just how much came from the
example of one academic whose
colleague was offered tenure at UCLA,
but turned it down because a better
offer came form Disney’s Pixar. It is not
that Pixar was offering more money,
but because the animation major was
offering the chance to work with and
access almost unlimited amounts of
data. In the same vein, China is busy
6 6 > 1 2 / 1 8
reversing its brain drain by tempting
academics with offers of vast treasure
troves of data in every academic field.
The outlines of the papers were
presented at an evening event held in
central Berlin. This is where academia
and entertainment met the tech start-
up scene that has made the German
capital the ‘Silicon Allee’ of Europe. The
event was part of the FilmTech MeetUp
and that has been going on for over a year,
which focuses on the meeting point of
Topics included
be film media and technology. the challenges
The presentation of papers was and opportunities
of digitalisation
preceded by more networking and
discussing. It was a privilege to
eavesdrop on conversations — in one
group, a researcher explained how
their paper on the effectiveness of Networking
opportunities
trailers was hungrily snapped up by an aplenty saw
exhibitor who proclaimed, “I’m off to delegates from
academia and
beat up [well known Hollywood business mingle
an
Coffee-break insights
Yet not everything in entertainment economics
academia centres around films and television,
with another fascinating coffee break insight
coming from Professor S. Abraham Ravid of Yeshiva
University New York, who in a recent paper
discovered that on Broadway well-known theatre
actors have a net positive impact on the box office
of a play, while celebrities and movie stars typically
do not. Another of his papers had found that the
most profitable genre is sequels to family films,
while remakes could be profitable, but primarily if
the source material was strong but the first
adaptation was poor. It might seem intuitive, but as
“Moneyball” proved, there is no excuse for ‘gut
feeling’ not being supplemented with a solid
statistical cost-benefit analysis.
studio], because this is what I’ve been
telling them for years!” There is clearly
nothing like going into a business
meeting negotiation armed with
research vetted and published in a
peer-reviewed academic journal.
Day 2: Getting scholarly
The second day of Mallen20 was
devoted to research presentations. No
fewer than 19 different papers were
slotted in between 09:00 and 19:00.
The roster of speakers came from an
elite of universities and management
schools and the topics covered a
smorgasbord of areas. We were treated
to “Binge Yourself Out: the Effect of
Binge Watching on the Subscription of
Video on Demand,” and “The Impact of
Piracy Notice Sending on Motion
Picture Purchases: Evidence from a
Randomized Field Experiment in the
UK” and “Decomposing the Releasing
Timing Effect of Hollywood Movies in
International Markets: Evidence from
China”. Even if I had understood all the
underlying maths, I would not pretend
to be able to summarize them. You
can head to themallenconference.org.
Then there was the third element
to the conference. Not the evening
reception and awards ceremony that
concluded the day, or even the
following day’s “where-the-wall-was”
Berlin tour, this instead was the 900-
page tome: “Entertainment Science —
Data Analytics and Practical Theory for
Movies, Games, Books, and Music”
from Springer Verlag that was a gift to
www.cinematech.today
 Academia: a part of the equation Savoy >

Systems
I came away from Mallen20 with a bad cold but primarily a
greater appreciation of what academia has to offer the
entertainment industry. The challenge is not that academics
are not prepared to come down from the ivory tower to
engage with business, but that when they do they often
experience resistance. Thorsten recalls that upon publishing
a media entertainment piece of research a few years ago he
got major pushback from a well-known German cinema
Cinema Box Office Software
trade publication, effectively ‘who are you to tell us this?’
The answer is: somebody you should be listening to. The
Specialists for Independents
Mallen Conference has never been more relevant or needed
than today, fulfilling the ambition of Bruce Mallen “to get
those who study and teach entertainment together with
100+ Independent venues in the UK are
those who make practical decisions about it — the managers
using our software, Oscar
that pull the strings in Hollywood and elsewhere in filmed
entertainment.” Cinemas are now used to hearing about
the importance of Big Data. In the next step organisers of
We’re based in the UK, and so is our 24/7
both big and small film festivals and cinema conferences telephone support
need to start inviting and listening to academics. Even if
you can’t follow the equations, don’t worry, there is usually We’ve been supporting independent
a good film title related joke to end each presentation. cinemas for over 10 years

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Choose between Cloud-based or Server

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20 million tickets sold, and counting

each delegate. The ambitious aim of Highly relevant and current

Dr. Hennig-Thurau and Dr. Mark B. industry themes, such as
Hollywood content in China,
Houston’s book is to go beyond were under discussion

William Goldman’s famous “Nobody-

Knows-Anything” mantra. The work
All steel, concrete and glass:
also argues against purely data-driven Studio Babelsberg provided
decision making and “false precision” an industry-focused venue

traps, instead making the case that

combining “intuition with data
analytics and rigorous scholarly
knowledge provides a source of
sustainable competitive advantage,”
which is what has helped the likes of
Netflix, Spotify and also Disney. You
will know that you are dealing with a
business with an eye to the data-
driven future if you spot a copy in the
office.
Call us on +44 (0)115 714 1486
www.cinematech.today www.savoysystems.co.uk
1 2 / 1 8 > 6 7
S E C U R I T Y

Communication
& collaboration:
The key
EY DELIVERY MESSAGES, OR KDMs,
play a crucial part in securing digital
cinema content. They have been a

to KDM
daily part of cinema operators’ lives since the digital
switchover over a decade ago. They are also one of the main
causes of lost shows, often on Friday mornings when new

success
releases get their first play. From personal experience, if it’s
not lost shows, then at the very least they have heightened
stress and anxiety to answer for. Tens of millions of them are
created each year, so why do they still cause exhibitors and
content distributors such a headache?
In the mid-2000s the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI)
group laid out specifications to standardise the quality and
security of digital cinema content. It specified that assets
(the picture and audio files which make up the movie) are

encrypted to AES 128 standards. Even at the rate technology

Danny Jeremiah, head of cinema products at Arts
Alliance Media, gives a glimpse into an automated
future for KDM delivery — and data collaboration
Words: Danny Jeremiah
has been evolving, the world’s fastest computer would still
need millions of years to crack just one of these keys.
Only the master key used to encrypt video and audio
data can restore it back to its original form, making it
playable; and that is kept secure by the content mastering
house. This presents a problem. If the decryption key is sent
to one cinema, they could easily send it on to any other and
they too could decrypt content, even without the content
owner’s permission to do so. You’d have to have a completely
secure supply chain all the way from the content services
company to the playback device, which just isn’t feasible.
The solution to this is to encrypt that master key again.
RSA2048 encryption, a clever asymmetric cryptography
method, is used to ensure that only the intended recipient

6 8 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today

can unlock the assets. There are two parts to this type of
encryption — a public key and a private key. The master key
is encrypted by the content services company using the
target playback devices’ public key. You can only restore the
master key by using the corresponding private key. That
happens deep inside a secure part of the playback device.
These device-specific encrypted keys that are contained
in a KDM. The beauty of this system is that the KDMs don’t
need to be kept safe like the master key; the same Digital
Cinema Package (DCP) can be sent to any cinema in the
world. What are the chances of breaking RSA 2048? Well the
2048 refers to the size of the number in the key, which
means it is an integer larger than 22047.
There are some usability trade-offs we as an industry
have found difficult to mitigate until recently. The industry is
averse to gatekeepers, such as one single organisation
managing a global Trusted Device List (TDL), and companies
that have invested time building their own TDLs see them as
intellectual property. TDLs are ‘address books’ maintained by
mastering houses such as Motion Picture Solutions and
Deluxe
Technicolor “Once a service
Digital Cinema provider has sent a
that detail serial
KDM, they have to
codes of every
server and
trust that it will find
projector that its way on to the
they know about. correct device”
TDL value
Understandably, the biggest KDM generators see value in
their TDL information. It is hard for new competitors to enter
the market, and for small distributors who may be unwilling
or unable to use one of the bigger mastering houses for their
needs. The first trade-off is that in order to generate a KDM
for a given cinema screen you need to know which playback
devices are located in that screen. That isn’t a problem on a
small scale, you can ask a cinema to look up a device’s serial
number. Scale that to the 160,000+ digital screens in the
world and simply maintaining those records becomes a
fulltime job. TDLs are, on the whole, maintained manually,
relying on cinemas and integrators to email updates when a
new screen is built or a playback device is swapped out.
Despite best efforts, incorrect TDL information can lead to
frantic last-minute calls to get a KDM issued before a show is
lost. Unfortunately, at times this happens late, shows are lost,
www.cinematech.today
Auto-KDMs:
The future?
and audiences are left disappointed.
To automate KDMs, DTDC provides The second major problem
AAM with a KDM which is delivered surrounding KDMs is their method of
direct to a ScreenConnect-enabled delivery. In the early days of DCI it was
playback device. Confirmation of envisaged that playback devices (SMS)
the delivery is returned to DTDC, to would all connect to the internet and,
show whether the KDM reached via a URL in the DCP metadata, would
the intended device, so DTDC can download KDMs automatically,
rectify any issues. DTDC’s systems removing the need for human
in-turn connect back into studio- intervention. This has never come to
customer’s booking systems, giving fruition and, to this day, the
studios peace of mind that their overwhelming majority of KDMs are
audiences will see their content. delivered by email.
Solutions like these show what These emails are either copied to a
can be achieved with collaboration. USB drive, or forwarded to a Theatre
Automating processes like KDM Management System (TMS) which will
delivery is the tip of the iceberg. then deliver them to the SMS. There
There is huge potential for turning are risks and there is a blind spot - once
cinema into a far more dynamic a service provider has sent a KDM they
industry if the digital playback kit in have to trust it will find its’ way to the
place worldwide were connected correct device, they will only be alerted
to the cloud. We could create hubs to problems if they are contacted.
of data and build networks that Arts Alliance Media (AAM) and
foster connections, giving studio, DTDC this year announced the first
exhibitor and supplier alike insights collaboration between a content
need to make us responsive. services provider and cinema software
solutions company for automated
creation of TDLs and delivery of KDMs.
This addresses the two major pain-
points discussed above and aims to remove the burden on
cinema staff of discovering and rectifying KDM issues.
Through ScreenConnect, DTDC get up-to-the-minute
data on which devices are located in which screens to
populate their TDL. This information is provided in SMPTE
standards-compliant FLMx format which has also been
adopted by Qube Digital Cinema with its Qube Wire product.
As more exhibitor sites make metadata available via
FLMx standards-compliant feeds, it will be easier for
distributors to maintain TDLs without today’s manual
solutions, minimising the chance of lost shows due to
incomplete data. In addition to FLMx, the AAM integration
with DTDC handles both KDM delivery and reporting via API,
a machine-to-machine communications protocol that
completely automates KDM deliveries for exhibitors. With
such innovations hitting the market signs are good that
manually updated TDLs will soon be a thing of the past.
1 2 / 1 8 > 6 9
T H E I C O

KEEPING
INDEPENDENT
CINEMA
THRIVING
A number of smaller arts bodies punch well above
their weight — the Independent Cinema Office to
name but one. As it turns 15, Duncan Carson explains
the work of this champion for independents.

ITH A MISSION TO “develop Backed by the BFI

an open, challenging and
thriving film sector”, the
Independent Cinema Office
(ICO) supports independent
cinemas of all forms in the
UK. We want everyone to
have access to cinema that
nourishes the soul and changes lives. Founded in 2003 by
Catharine Des Forges, who is still the director,  the ICO’s
vision is for all in the UK to have access to life-changing
cinema. This vision grew so that the ICO could support the
skills of the those who work in these venues (via training
and professional development). We increase access to films
available (via distribution and Screening Days projects) and
ensure cinemas have the best advice and information.
Historically, the BFI had been central to the establishment
of what were once termed ‘Regional Film Theatres’ by
funding new builds and giving annual financial assistance.
With the advent of the UK Film Council however, the
funding landscape changed as well as priorities in cultural
activity. There were many venues which served local
communities and promoted independent and world
cinema who had no formal relationship with any funding
body or public agency. The ICO seeks to support these
venues, and they are supported by the BFI to do so.
At the same time, there was no training or professional
development available for those employed in the cultural
cinema exhibition sector, no recognised entry route for
individuals, no single information source for areas as diverse
as print availability, distributors, rights holders for films or

7 0 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today

Where does the ICO help?
The ICO programmes films for a network of more than 20 cinemas,
festivals and mixed arts venues so that anyone can access a shared
experience of life-changing cinema in their community, offering a
wider range of films to a wider range of people.
The ICO offers training so that independent cinema professionals
can benefit from high-level knowledge that ensure our sector is
successful, innovative and progressive.
The ICO provides consultancy to help start, save and grow cinemas,
making sure they stay economically viable and build their capacity.
The ICO distributes films that contribute to a diverse cinema culture
in the UK and make a cultural intervention into the marketplace.
The ICO provides free advice and information to make sure that
everyone can show films and take part in our sector.
The ICO runs events for cinema professionals that help build a
robust sector and encourage collaboration.
20 14
Over the past 14 years,
multiple bodies have
backed the ICO’s work
2003
The ICO programmes
The year ICO
films for a network of
over 20 cinemas was formed
funding sources for projects or capital schemes. There was
no agency charged with making cultural cinema available
to the widest range of exhibitors nationally through touring
material, distributing single titles, artists’ moving work or
archival material. The ICO seeks to fill this gap and provide a
resource for any independent exhibitor working in the UK.
With the closure of the UKFC in 2011, responsibility for
public film funding in the UK returned to the BFI including
the distribution of Lottery funds. The ICO continues to be
supported by the BFI and is a national strategic partner of
FAN (the Film Audience Network), charged with providing
of programming, advisory and information services for the
sector as well as acting as a national advocate and delivering
professional training & development, touring programmes
and events to exhibitors across the UK.
Over the past 14 years the ICO has also received support
from Creative Europe, Arts Council England, The Japan
Foundation, KOFIC and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
www.cinematech.today
A useful resource
The ICO website is full of valuable information for anyone
who wishes to establish and setup their own cinema. It
provides guidance on everything from planning, through
building design to operational matters.  
ICO Screening Days
Each year, ICO hosts multiple Screening Days events at
independent cinemas around the country, giving those
running cinemas an opportunity to see the best smaller
release films that are coming up. Without the benefit of
having seen the films, it can be hard to find and stand
behind titles without gigantic marketing budgets, those
films that make independent cinemas stand out.
Jobs Bulletins
The ICO is one of the main sources for job advertising in
the sector. Free for advertisers and job seekers, this service
helps people advance their careers and find the best staff.
Who is it for?
The ICO is for everyone who shows films or wants to show
films in public. It’s much more today for someone with no
previous knowledge of exhibition to start showing films in
a village hall. With no membership barrier, ICO receives
over a thousand enquiries a year from people at all levels.
A look to the future
When the ICO started, there were fewer independents
around. The switch to digital projection made it easier to
distribute independent films and to build an independent
cinemas. Many more entrepreneurs see independent
cinemas as an opportunity, many developments include
one in their community plans. The future is looking good
for the ICO and, as it turns 15, it has spent time looking at
the future of cinema. In a survey of over 250 independent
cinema workers that ICO conducted, several key themes
emerged. The cinema of the future, according to the
results, will put community at its heart, commit to
independent film, adapt to new pricing approaches and
invest in fantastic presentation to keep the big screen
special. The ICO is here to help all exhibitors achieve these
goals over the next fifteen years.
Further Information
Further Information about the Independent
Cinema office, can be found at their website:
www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/
1 2 / 1 8 > 7 1
 home
D O M E S T I C

Is cinema
really about

comforts?
An experience that can’t be replicated at home? Mark Trompeteler reflects on how it might seem that
the dividing lines between commercial and home cinema are increasingly becoming blurred.

FEW YEARS AGO, I read in a local paper the recollections of
a former box office sales cashier from the long-gone ABC
Cinema in Purley. She related how weekday matinees were
regularly attended by small numbers of senior citizens. She
also reminisced about how popular the cinema’s cat was
with these regulars. Often found wandering the auditorium
during a matinee screening, the cat liked small audiences of
senior citizens — and their laps. One particular lady regular at
these screenings, on arrival at the box office, always asked
whether the cat was on duty. If the answer was yes, she
bought a ticket immediately. If no, she hesitated and then
proceeded to ask the cashier about the quality of the film, its
stars, and whether it was worth her time and money.
Finding Home at the Cinema
The industry’s mantra has always been “an experience you
can’t get at home”. In researching and writing an extended
article on the changing cinema offer (“Goodbye cinema,
hello hospitality and catering”, September 2018), it struck
me how far many exhibitors now try to replicate the comfort
and convenience of the living room in their auditoria. Instead
of seats, we have armchairs, sofas, stools, tables for drinks,
snacks and meals and now full recliners — one cinema even
advertises the qualities of its blankets (“If you are feeling
chilly, ask one of our staff for a throw”). If it’s available, I’d go
for the cat option — far warmer and more relaxing — and
from the cinema’s perspective, self-cleaning.
IMAX, to me, has always been a “sit up, take notice and
wonder at these amazing pictures and incredible sound”
format. The idea that we now have IMAX auditoriums with
full recliners, I find hard to assimilate. And that’s before the
wine starts flowing on the recliner’s integral table. If cinemas
have to add these costs to the ticket price for, essentially, a
recreation of the home environment, a certain irony and
confusion about what those venues are begins to creep up
on me. As an aside, like many, I find it hard to cope with the
way some behave in the cinema as if they are in their living
room, checking phones, chatting during the film and so on.
The technological takeover
The irony becomes stronger when you think of the quantities
of large screen 4K HDR TV sets now sold to the public, and
the increasing numbers striving to recreate sound quality
they experience at the cinema. A 4K TV can, with a bit of care
about viewer-to-screen distance, deliver a great experience
of a movie at home. Either consciously or unconsciously,
many people now aspire to recreate mini-cinemas at home.
It all gets further confused by the arrival of active LED screens
at the front of the industry’s own auditoria. The complete
elimination of projectors means you do finally arrive at the
stage where some filmmakers’ recent pronouncements
that cinema is like watching TV in public are justified.
A cinephile’s confession
Now, I have a terrible confession to make. I love cinemas and
experiencing great films in them. I am lucky to have seen
wonderful movies in many iconic
“Either consciously venues in the UK and overseas, and I
or unconsciously still visit the key London cinemas. But
things have developed to the stage
many people now
that arguably my favourite cinema is
aspire to recreate now in my own living room.
mini-cinemas in For modest outlay, and in line with
their own homes” current exhibitors’ trends, we recently
refurbished our own venue to look like
a normal living room but with a fashionably minimalist and
completely re-plastered brilliant white matt wall down one
of its longer dimensions. Discretely placed in the room are a
second-hand short-throw BenQ HD digital projector on a
high shelf opposite this wall, an Onkyo amplifier, seven
decent audio speakers and a sub woofer. It has wiring neatly
routed in trunking. Blu-Ray discs yield beautiful 9ft-wide
pictures with excellent 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound, or, by
placing two white bits of wood under the two rear speakers
and angling them onto the ceiling, I can bounce sound back
over the sofa, yielding a passable impression of 5.1 Atmos.
Our version of a cinema comes with audience-focused
sofas, chairs, footstools, an integral coffee table for drinks,
snacks and meals, even a dedicated throw. Sadly the venue
doesn’t have a cat anymore, but our cinema room has a few
wooden and papier-maché substitutes. Now all I have to do
is flick a few switches, move absolutely nothing, press a few
remote controls and my feature presentation has begun.
A Final Irony
One final irony is that recently we had to re-arrange a lot of
photos downstairs in our house. One that we couldn’t find a
home for was an English Heritage archive photo of the local
cinema of my childhood and my adolescence — the Odeon
Balham, the very place where my lifelong love of the genre
started. It was once my favourite cinema. The only space
now left to put that photo is on the shelf, close to where the
HD digital projector that powers my new favourite cinema is
now situated. What goes around… comes around.
So what is modern cinema, truly? Is it really just about
recreating all the comforts of home?
1 2 / 1 8 > 7 3
D I G I T A L

SMPTEDCP.com:
A portal into the
new DCP world
Jack Watts and Tomasz Witkowski, managers
of the new SMPTEDCP.com portal explain the
benefits of this online information resource

T
HERE IS A SHIFT in the industry; more
specifically in the distribution market.
As we transition from Dcinema Interop
DCPS to SMPTE DCPs, nomenclature
has evolved to the point that people
refer to the SMPTE DCP to differentiate
packaging constraints from its Interop (IOP) equivalent. This
won’t change until the transition is complete and such
differences cease to exist in the mainstream market. Within
the European Digital Cinema Forum, there is a SMPTE
Project Group which manages the transitional logistics and
challenges of changing from the InteropDCP to SMPTE DCP.
Introducing smptedcp.com
Early on, a process was defined enabling this transition
which has been used as the basis for facilitating the
transition in each territory. Like every process, it has both
pros and cons associated with it. The Pros are that it is proven
to work and open to further refinement as it has highlighted
issues which are time consuming in the planning stages;
slow to yield results and present localisation challenges.
We looked at how we were currently approaching the
issue and identified a major pitfall plaguing the SMPTE DCP
initiative: information. Information beyond that of what the
engineering and standards communities are exposed to.
Information that exhibitors and distributors alike need, of
whom are the audiences that actually account for approx.
90% of the people who will handle this format in their day to
day responsibilities.
Smptedcp.com is an information resource on the new
SMPTE DCP and its operational use. More specifically, as a
resource, it pertains to the distribution model, recommended
practice and the current transitional status to the format. It
unifies all online resources, and caters to the knowledge
needs of integrators, mastering houses and distributors.
With years of experience including at Technicolor and
Deluxe, Jack Watts manages smptedcp.com with
Tomasz Witkowski, senior workflow engineer at Sundog
Media Toolkit.

SMPTE TRANSITION
SMPTEDCP.com currently targets the EMEA market with the aim of extending it to accommodate all markets globally.

1 2 3 4 5 6
There are still a Reluctance to Factually speaking, SMPTE DCP on the The focus is now on Only by working
number of change is mostly INTEROP is other hand is secure recording which together will we
challenges to down to lack of End-Of-Life. It — all essence types sites are SMPTE get to a point
address as an communication and presents security allow encryption. It compliant. We need where the SMPTE
industry to information. issues which should aids advancements to be In sync across DCP is the only
maintain Businesses cite be of concern to and is foundation to all territories when it fomat available
traction with the concerns of costs high-profile content extend technologies comes to how this for distribution
SMPTE transition vs benefit. owners. and integrate with. data is collected. packages.

7 4 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
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JUNE 17-20, 2019 BARCELONA, SPAIN

CENTRE CONVENCIONS INTERNACIONAL BARCELONA (CCIB)
 Action on
A C C E S S
The UKCA launches its
Grainne Peat updates CT on the innovation fund the UKCA has
launched to help develop accessibility solutions that bring the
full magic of the cinema to people with hearing loss.
N 10 OCTOBER, THE UK Cinema
Association launched a pioneering
challenge fund to help stimulate
innovation in technology to allow
people with hearing loss to have a
more inclusive cinema experience.
The initial aim was to cast the net
wide, with significant efforts over the
summer by the Association — in
partnership with Action on Hearing
Loss — to promote the Fund as widely possible both within
and in particular outside of the industry.
As a result, having received a promising number of
responses from almost two dozen companies and
individuals — including well-known industry operators —
applicants were invited to a launch event held at Universal
Pictures in London, to discuss further the current position
and explore ways of delivering closed captions screenings
in to cinemas.
The availability of subtitled screenings has long been an
issue of contention. While subtitles are a vital solution for
many who are deaf or hard of hearing, the general
experience amongst cinema operators remains that ‘open
captions’ — where subtitles appear on the screen for all to
see — are found to be distracting and unappealing for the
majority of customers, resulting in lower attendances for
7 6 > 1 2 / 1 8
these screenings and thus limiting the viability of adopting
such screenings more widely.
Subtitles get personal
The provision of ‘closed’ captioned subtitles — only visible to
the individual on a personal device such as a screen or pair
of specially adapted glasses — is seen to offer one way
forward. For some time, the UKCA has been keen to support
progress in finding a workable solution to this global issue
by stimulating the market. The Fund is perhaps the first of
its kind to bring together a range of professionals and
partners as well as representatives from hard of hearing
audiences to help support and steer potential solutions.
In order to advise as this work progresses, an expert
panel has been assembled that brings together a range of
professionals who can impart wisdom and advice across
the wide range of requirements and considerations needed
to ensure the best possible outcomes.
In partnership with Action on Hearing Loss, the UKCA
has also formed a focus group of regular cinema-goers who
are profoundly deaf or have a degree of hearing loss. Their
candid feedback and recommendations throughout the
process will be hugely important to its success.
In the UK, 11 million people — or one in six — is thought
to have some degree of hearing loss, By 2035, it is estimated
that this will rise to 15.6 million people. Globally, it is
www.cinematech.today
Accessibility:
Technology Challenge Funding
estimated there are 466 million people with some degree
of hearing loss. As such, the potential market for cinemas is
certainly significant and not one to be ignored.
Whilst there is a finite UK market for any new technology
created through the Fund, the challenge is genuinely a
worldwide one. Whilst assistive technology is in use in
some international markets, none of the systems currently
available is seen fully to meet the needs of the industry and
hearing-impaired customers.
The development of a viable, inclusive closed captioning
solution will not only serve the deaf and hard of hearing
community, but could easily have read-across to the
provision of foreign languages — a similarly vast and
currently under-realised market. There also is certainly
cross-over into other sectors such as theatre and museums,
which face similar challenges and considerations.
Keeping the cinema in mind
The UKCA is keen to ensure that any solution submitted is
one that is economically and operationally viable for
cinemas. At the time of writing, applicants are in the
process of submitting development papers for further
funding. The expert panel and focus group is scheduled to
meet as CT goes to press in late November to select five
projects to be funded for phase one of the Fund.
The UKCA has seen a good mix of possible solutions
that look to approach the problem from different angles.
For example, the development and increasing use of
speech to text technology is one area being explored.
Making this compatible with cinema standards and
www.cinematech.today
technology and delivery within
the cinema environment are
amongst the key hurdles.
Commonly, specially adapted
eyewear or some form of secondary
screen is also seen as a potential
delivery mechanism for closed
captions (and some models based on both approaches
already exist). Again applications for improved models of
these types of devices have been submitted.
There are clearly still a lot of discussions to be had and
ideas to be mulled over, but the launch of the Fund is a big
milestone, and one that brings together innovation and
collaboration to help grow audiences and better serve
disabled customers. In the next issue, the UKCA will
announce further details of the ideas selected for
development funding.
For more details, visit www.cinemauk.org.uk
Email grainne.peat@cinemauk.org.uk
The panel:
Mark Barlow: General Manager UK Theatres, National Amusements
Leah Byrne: Audience Development Manager, Picturehouse Cinemas
Calum Corser: Central Operations Support, Odeon Cinemas
Ed Rex: Patron, Action on Hearing Loss
Ben Luxford: Head of UK Audiences, British Film Institute
Jerry Murdoch: Country Manager UK & Ireland, Cinema Next
Gráinne Peat: Policy Executive, UK Cinema Association
Tim Potter: Regional Sales Manager, Cinema Next
Rick Williams: Access Specialist, Freeney Williams
Paul Willmott: Technical Director, Saffron Screen
Demir Yavuz: Head of Technical Operations, Universal Pictures
Stephane Zamparo: Subtitling Manager, Motion Picture Solutions
1 2 / 1 8 > 7 7
 E C A
Heard about the 2019
event cinema slate?!
The Event Cinema Association is delighted to announce
the return of the ECA Slate Day on 17 January at Vue
West End, London. Grainne Peat explains what’s on
T
S
HE EVENT CINEMA Association’s slate
day in January is set to be a feast of
upcoming content, data insights and
market intelligence from our partners
ComScore. With a formal welcome from
me as the new managing director of ECA, I will also have a
chance to share the strategic vision for the Association. The
day will be followed the ECA Box Office Awards and evening
networking and drinks reception.
The ECA Awards are designed to celebrate achievements
in the sector,. recognising both the production and
distribution of content and the crucial and multi-faceted role
that cinemas play in the successful screening of event
cinema content. ECA Members are invited to put forward
nominations during November and can vote for selected
categories during the month of December. Some awards
will be determined purely by box office results.
The ECA represents a wide range of global professionals
who work in or support the sector. Whether you distribute,
showcase or facilitate delivery of event cinema content, your
attendance at this re-launch is greatly welcomed.
Reasons to be cheerful (and a member)
The past year has been a buoyant one for event cinema and
with a refreshed Association, it is a good time to learn more
about what the ECA offers members and how we plan to
champion growth and leverage opportunities in our sector.
As a non-profit organisation funded by subscriptions, the
ECA recently launched new membership packages In order
7 8 > 1 2 / 1 8
V I E W
Image from ECA member ROH Live’s October production of “Mayerling”
to be as inclusive as possible and to reduce cost of getting
involved with the Association. We now have a flat fee
membership for any organisation/individual working in or
supporting event cinema. This is set at £500 per annum.
The Association offers a reduced rate of £200 for cinema
operators with 10 sites or fewer.
All members will be able to send two members of staff to
attend the ECA Slate Day FOC.
All members will have reduced rates to attend ECA events
that fall outside of their membership allocation.
What can you enjoy as a member? There are many
reasons to join the ECA, but first and foremost is the
opportunity to network with like-minded professionals. In
addition, as a member, you will also receive access to event
cinema news, information and best practice guidelines from
across the global community.
One of the central roles of the ECA is to support members
on relevant issues, notably we offer access to specialised
advice, as well as all-important promotional materials and
listings for special events. Our technical support includes
ComScore data on event cinema, guidance on content
classification, PRS, and global data insights, as well as
technical delivery information. We run training workshops
on member-focused subjects. and help create a strategy
and the tools for promoting event cinema to a range of
consumers and other sectors within the creative industry. In
short, the ECA is pretty engaged — so why not get involved?
For details on membership, the Slate Day, the Awards or to
be involved, email grainne@eventcinemaassociation.org.
www.cinematech.today
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To all those who have, or had, some interest in

Index to Advertisers
projected moving images, past and present.
Perhaps you’re already connected with today’s cinema, 4DX 47 Harkness Screens 47
technical or otherwise, but have an interest in vintage
equipment, or you have been retired from the business Arts Alliance Media 10 The Jack Roe Companies 75
so long, you would wish to revisit “the good old days”. Camstage 83 LTI 24
Take heart and consider joining The Projected Picture
Trust and help preserve the magic of cinema. Apart CineAsia 56 Motion Picture Solutions 36
from equipment restoration, the Trust provides help and CineEurope 75 Omnex 06
assistance to non-commercial community cinemas and
museums exhibiting film related artefacts. CinemaNext 13 Omnex 42
The National Museum of Cinema Technology has perhaps, Cinionic 29 Powell Cinema Engineers 18
the largest collection of all types of film equipment in the
U.K. The Data Archive within the museum holds over 3,000 DepthQ 75 Projected Picture Trust 79
items including technical manuals, film related documents, Flexound 03 QSC Cinema 02
press cuttings etc. Membership of the P.P.T. will give you
access to these amenities as well as the collections within Future Projections 35 Savoy Systems 67
the Trust’s regions.
Galalite Screens 04 Sound Associates 16
JOIN US TODAY by contacting either of the following
addresses. Gofilex 14 Strong MDI 41
e-mail: contact@ppttrust.org www.ppttrust.org Gofilex 52 Ushio EMEA 84
The Projected Picture Trust, Dean Clough Mills,
Harkness Screens 35
Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 5AX
Author Title
2018 Index Month Page Subject 1 Subject 2
Knight, Peter CTC Awards, Cinema’s Best March 15 projection cinema

von Sychowski, Patrick Every multiplex is new again March 18 large format projection

Wallace, David Renovating the world’s busiest cinema March 25 multiplex refurbishment

Hancock, David 2017: a year of technological development March 30 technology industry

von Sychowski, Patrick Interview: Steve Knibbs, COO for Vue March 34 cinema personalities

von Sychowski, Patrick CineAsia finds its own voice March 39 trade shows cinema

Balmain, Alastair Event cinema: Live & Lively March 46 trade shows live event cinema

Lodge, Graham; Foreman, Mark The dying of the light March 46 projection lamp maintenance

Raisbeck, Alexa Defining cinema in a world of pop-ups March 50 cinema history/future

Knight, Peter Help me VR films in 3D, you’re my only hope! March 53 virtual reality holography

Rapp, Benn What has GDPR got to do with me? March 61 data protection

Trompeteler, Mark Celebrating “Lawrence of Arabia” March 64 projection 70mm

Cogavin, Melissa Marketing the unusual March 67 organisations event cinema

Clapp, Phil Deep-seated change March 69 UKCA development

Lobban, Grant IMAX: bigger is better March 70 projection history

Spurling, Graham 70MM: A marketing own goal? March 74 projection 70mm

Balmain, Alastair Consolidation: a narrower world view? June 07 industry

von Sychowski Cinema LED screens in the real world June 18 projection LED screens

Knight, Peter Ferco: at the forefront of seating technology June 23 technology seating

von Sychowski, Patrick What can cinemas learn from others? June 28 industry retail

Lewthwaite, Sarah Driving occupancy with data June 32 occupancy data

Kapur, David; Higginson, Fergus Crowdsouring: a social revolution for cinema June 37 occupancy technology

Hancock, David The effects of consolidation June 40 distribution exhibition

von Sychowski, Patrick CinemaCon 2018 Review June 45 trade shows cinema

Balmain, Alastair CineEurope 2018 Preview June 50 trade shows cinema

Balmain, Alastair BigCineExpo Preview June 53 trade shows cinema

Cook, Bryan Lightfield Cinematography June 54 cinematography technology

Holdford, Jennifer Entertaining the Troops: Forces Cinemas June 59 projection organisations

Kilvert, Ollie Showcasing the 360 view June 65 cinema marketing

Evea, Joe Data: Powering the decision-making process June 68 data analytics event cinema

Trompeteler, Mark Movies for an audience of one June 73 history virtual reality

Dew, Martin The enduring appeal of film at home June 77 projection home cinema

Peat, Grainne Subtitling in UK cinemas June 82 accessibility subtitling

Tandy, Simon Event cinema: time to scale new heights? June 87 organisations event cinema

Raisbeck, Alexa Celluloid film: the format of the future June 90 projection filmmaking

8 0 > 1 2 / 1 8 www.cinematech.today
Author Title Month Page Subject 1 Subject 2
Balmain, Alastair Audiences love cinema. But how much? Sept 07 industry

Von Sychowski, Patrick All you can eat movies: cinema subscriptions Sept 21 occupancy cinema

Hancock, David USA: the bedrock of global cinema growth Sept 26 industry domestic box office

von Sychowski, Patrick The final plastic straw Sept 30 concessions environment

von Sychowski, Patrick How green is your projector Sept 34 projection environment

Mahoney, Saul Cinema’s head is in the cloud Sept 37 data management cloud computing

von Sychowski, Patrick CineEurope 2018 review Sept 43 trade shows cinema

Balmain, Alastair Building cinema at the crossroads of Europe Sept 50 trade shows cinema

Cook, Bryan Everybody wants everything Sept 53 projection filmmaking

Dew, Martin Audio that moves you Sept 59 technology audio formats

Cogavin, Melissa Interview: Michael Ford, BFI Sept 64 interview projection

Knight, Peter Sony: from lasers & LED to Finity & beyond Sept 68 technology laser projection

Pierce, Michael Scalarama: A month of cinema heaven Sept 73 film festivals organisations

Trompeteler, Mark Goodbye cinema, hello hospitality & catering Sept 76 concessions refurbishment

Knight, Peter Breathing new life into Series 1 projectors Sept 80 technology laser projection

Wolthuis, Johan; Bal, Jan-Hein 70mm Weekend 2018 Sept 82 film festivals 70mm

Peat, Grainne Staying ahead of the event cinema game Sept 84 organisations event cinema

Balmain, Alastair The future of all life new depends on us Sept 86 environment industry

Balmain, Alastair Franchises: the universe keeps expanding Dec 07 cinema industry

Wallace, David Cinema can save your town again Dec 18 planning development

Hancock, David The revenge of technology Dec 25 box office franchises

von Sychowski, Peter Cinema & Netflix, the best of “frenemies”? Dec 30 streaming box office

Knight, Peter Behind the Cinionic scenes at Barco Dec 37 projection technology

von Sychowski, Patrick Shifting gear in the 4th dimension Dec 43 immersive tech interview

Knight, Peter Widening the entertainment horizons Dec 48 immersive tech projection

Stacey, Karen DCM: 10 years of change in advertising Dec 53 trailers advertising

Cogavin, Melissa Andrew Cripps: an advocate for change Dec 57 interview distribution

Dew, Martin Blinded by science Dec 60 technology audiences

von Sychowski, Patrick The Mallen20 conference Dec 64 events academia

Jeremiah, Danny The key to KDM success Dec 68 content security technology

Carson, Duncan Keeping independent cineam thriving Dec 70 organisations cinema

Trompeteler, Mark Is cinema really about home comforts? Dec 72 refurbishment industry

Watts, Jack; Witkowski, Tomasz SMPTEDCP.com: a portal into the new DCP Dec 74 distribution technology

Peat, Grainne Action on accessibility Dec 76 accessibility subtitling

Peat, Grainne Heard about the 2019 event cinema slate?! Dec 78 event cinema organisations

Knight, Peter Cinema: a church for all Dec 82 industry diversity

www.cinematech.today 1 2 / 1 8 > 8 1
 O P I N I O N
Cinema: a
church for all
One size does not fit all,
a point that Peter Knight
celebrates in cinema terms
I
AM PRETTY SURE MY idea of a great
cinema experience will be different
to yours. But I bet my idea of a great
car, a day out or a superb meal is
different too. What’s more, I bet your
definition of all those things depends on how you feel on
the day, where you are, who you are with and why. It’s a
good thing too, because in this 21st century world, we are
fortunate to have a cornucopie of choice when it comes to
many aspects of our lives — especially in the area of leisure.
If you asked me for my ultimate cinema preferences, I
would probably tell you that it would be an independent
cinema with history and character, likely an Everyman or a
Curzon or maybe The Picturehouse at Uckfield. Something
that has atmosphere, not just a black box. I want an ‘old
world’ experience, but with the best possible picture and
sound. I want somewhere with masking and tabs, maybe
even footlights too — in other words somewhere with a bit
of showmanship to support the presentation I am paying to
see. A comfortable chair and more than just a bucket of
popcorn and a cup of Coke, a foyer that is pleasant to wait
in until the auditorium is available, with unobtrusive music
in the background too, if possible.
When only technology will do
There is a but: I also love technology and new ideas, whether
they catch on or not. Everything from Philips Lightvibes or
Barco Escape to offerings with more traction, such as 4DX
and ScreenX, they all aim to make the experience better.
8 2 > 1 2 / 1 8
There are times when I want to see the latest Hollywood
blockbuster film and only the latest technology will do.
The first film I watched in 4DX was “Wolverine” — I wasn’t
blown away. You can read my views in a previous edition of
Cinema Technology. However, I persisted and went back
and tried 4DX again for the latest “Mission Impossible” film
— and I enjoyed the experience. Admittedly, there were still
one or two occasions when I was pulled out of the film, so
on that basis I would select what I see in 4DX very carefully,
just as I would when going to an IMAX cinema. The point is
I have the benefit of choice.
Many courses for herds of horses
What I have noticed is that each of the different chains in
the UK has a markedly different style and focus. Each
appears to be aiming for a specific part of the market. This
segmentation helps customers when making their decision
about where they should head for their film. I appreciate
that living in London I have the opportunity to experience
everything from a small community cinema in a village hall,
through outdoor pop-up screenings, to multiplexes, historic
venues and full-on premium large format experiences, but,
increasingly, wherever the customer lives, an accessible
variety of cinemas is available to cater to all demands.
As a member of the buying public, I recognise the good
fortune we have in such a smorgasbord of cinema types.
Wherever you get your shared cinematic experience, you
can be sure it’s one that you will enjoy. I think that’s pretty
cool. Here’s to variety!
www.cinematech.today
 SOUND
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