Reg.
Trib. Milano n. 418 del 02.07.2007
Direttore responsabile: Elisabetta Brunella
International Edition No. 49 - year 4
20 October 2009
***
Welcome to the North!
The
“DigiTraining Plus 2010”, the seventh edition of MEDIA Salles’
training course for European cinema professionals, is approaching. I
am more than happy to announce that it will take place from 17 to 21
February 2010 in Helsinki, Finland.
I have participated in each of the previous editions of the “DigiTraining Plus”. As a personal opinion, I can say that MEDIA Salles does a remarkable job in training people in the exhibition business. The activities of MEDIA Salles are especially important for cinemas which do not have similarly well-established connections to equipment producers and colleagues around the world as bigger operators have. The best part of this training is the possibility to exchange experiences and to have inspiring discussions with participants from all over Europe.
Why Finland? Finland is one of the European countries where the Government has been actively trying to support the digitalisation of its cinemas. In recent years the Finns have realized that the biggest benefits of digitalisation lie in the fact that it may help us save the small and medium-sized cinemas in rural areas. Those cinemas need premieres and all the new activities that digitalisation may offer. All these benefits - and also the well-known threats - are under discussion at the “DigiTraining Plus”.
As the representative of the Finnish exhibitors and distributors as well as a member of the Executive Committee of MEDIA Salles I am very happy about the support to “DigiTraining Plus” course from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish Film Foundation.
I warmly welcome all European exhibitors to the “DigiTraining Plus” 2010. I am sure that we will have productive and enjoyable training.
Tero Koistinen
CEO, The Finnish Chamber of Films
Member of the Executive Committee of MEDIA Salles
WOMEN IN DIGITAL CINEMA
Giorgia Guarino, Attività Cinematografiche
s.r.l.
I
manage three single-screen cinemas in my home town of Sassari, in Sardinia,
Italy. I can say that I have inherited my passion for cinema, which
has been passed on to me by my father, together with my passion for
this work, which he started as far back as 1960.
Since 2008 one of my cinemas, the Moderno, has been digitalized and
in 2009 it was also equipped for screenings in 3D.
I think that it is very difficult to be a cinema exhibitor nowadays,
in a market dominated as it is by the big multiplex circuits, but I
believe that investing in new technology is an essential and important
step: that’s why I have taken it with great enthusiasm.
In particular, I was struck by the potential for alternative content
offered by the new equipment. The possibility of screening operas, concerts
and so much more allows our cinemas to become poly-cultural centres,
as well as to attract segments of the general public who would rarely
visit our theatres otherwise. In fact, for over a year now, I have embarked
on the OPERALCINEMA project - screening both live and recorded operas
through the Microcinema circuit (an Italian distributor not only of
content but also of digital equipment) - which has met with great consensus,
both from audiences and from the critics.
Further satisfaction is coming thanks to 3D. This was inaugurated with
Ice Age 3 and, as well as a 40% increase in spectators, I have had the
pleasure of seeing audiences enthusiastic and content with the new product.
I must confess, however, that I am not at all satisfied with the way
that the digitalization of exhibiting theatres in Italy has been managed.
Whilst I understand the problems faced by our professional association,
Anec, I find it absurd that we do not yet have a Virtual Print Fee system.
This has meant that up to now my colleagues and I have had to shoulder
the costs of the entire investment.
The unique feature of Italian cinema exhibition has always been the
presence of many small businessmen who, like myself, have believed and
invested in the cinema but I am of the opinion that, if something is
not done soon to support us, we shall be obliged to succumb to the big
multiplex circuits.
(Per leggere il testo in italiano cliccare qui)
MEDIA Salles announces
Participation fee: 750
€ Click here to download the application form For more information please visit
our website, at the page dedicated to the course |
Dutch collective digitalization plan widely supported
Eveline Ferwerda MA
In the Netherlands, a serious lobby for a national digitalization
plan to help the industry towards a fast digital transition has finally
started.
The digitalization process in the Netherlands has experienced a slow
start. Dutch exhibitors are reluctant to make the transition because
of the lack of a viable business model to get a return on their investment.
But now the tide seems to have changed mainly because the Dutch exhibitors’
organization (N.V.B.) has made digitalization of the Dutch cinema
industry one of its priorities.
In the last couple of years there has been practically no involvement
of the N.V.B. in the digitalization process. The opinion of the organization
was that digitalization was a business decision that every cinema
owner would have to make on his own. Since January 2009 however, the
attitude of the N.V.B. has changed. Supporting and informing exhibitors
in the challenges that lie ahead has become one of the pillars of
the organization, driven by the belief that without adequate action
a significant number of Dutch exhibitors would have trouble recouping
the investment costs. Under this financial pressure a large number
of cinemas, consisting mainly of smaller theaters and art cinemas,
might disappear.
Inspired by the successful Digital Roadshows held in the UK earlier
this year by the C.E.A. and the UK Film Council, the N.V.B. is organizing
its own Digital Seminars to inform exhibitors objectively about the
impact digitalization has on their cinema business. These seminars,
held in October 2009, will clarify and illustrate different options
for financing digital equipment.
But the involvement of the N.V.B. goes beyond spreading information
about digital cinema. The N.V.B. has translated the German FFA model
for the Dutch market. This model entails a collective transition for
all Dutch cinemas with the financial contribution of exhibitors and
distributors, combined with commercial and public funding. The Dutch
version interacts with a pilot of the Dutch Media Hub. The ambition
of the Dutch Media Hub program is to establish a strong media content
hub in the Netherlands that can compete with London and Paris. A national
digitized cinema network can help establish this ambition.
The plans proposed by the N.V.B are widely supported by the Dutch
Film industry. Distributors, film producers and the Dutch Film Institute
all agree that a fast national transition will benefit the Dutch film
industry. Branch partners N.V.F. (film distributors) and N.V.S. (film
producers) together with the N.V.B. have started talks with the Ministry
of Education, Culture and Science and the Ministry of Economic Affairs
to find ground for public funding to back up this plan. If these talks
succeed, Dutch cinemas will be able to make a coordinated transition
to digital projection, securing the diverse offer of films and the
future of all (including smaller) cinemas.
(Per leggere il testo in italiano cliccare qui)
To see the digital sites and screens situation in The Netherlands as at 1st January 2009, as published in the “European Cinema Yearbook” click here
All
different, all digital
by Elisabetta Brunella
A new column beginning in this issue will host portraits of cinemas in Europe and the rest of the world which are quite different from one another but have in common the fact that they have all adopted digital projection.
| Country |
Site |
Town |
Company |
Number |
Projector |
Projector’s type |
Resolution |
Server |
No. of |
Supplier |
| |
Astor Film Lounge |
|
CINEMAXX |
1 |
Kinoton |
DCP |
2K |
Dolby |
1 |
RealD |
Astor Film Lounge: a Nest of Luxury in Berlin
The FilmPalast at 225 Ku’damm: ever
since the ‘Fifties a prestigious address for cinema-going at the
heart of West Berlin and one dear to cinema-lovers in Germany’s
historical capital and to those attending the Berlinale. Since 21 December
last, this “haut-lieu” of cinema in Germany has begun a new
lease of life: its name has changed to Astor Film Lounge and it has become
the country’s first “luxury” film theatre. The idea,
inspired by examples in Great Britain and central-eastern Europe, comes
from Joachim Flebbe, already a pioneer of the German multiplex phenomenon
with the Cinemaxx brand name, who claims to have made his dream come true
in Berlin: the ideal cinema. (Ideal but not unique: projects are already
on the cards in other German cities).
This innovation hinges on technology, elegance and customer service. Which,
at the Astor Film Lounge, have to be the best. This is why Flebbe places
his odds on top quality projection systems – 35 mm, digital, with
satellite connection for live events – and 3D, on a mildly vintage
look with no concessions to the cold appearance of steel or the practicality
of plastic, and on anything that might give the spectator the feeling
of enjoying a very special experience. We are in a ‘boutique’
cinema: one theatre only, which has regained its theatrical atmosphere
thanks to restoration, fabrics that are soft to the touch and muted colours,
225 seats in real leather each with a table where the delicacies offered
by the cinema’s kitchen can be served. In the foyer, the privilege
of a wardrobe and a bar where popcorn is not admitted but there is no
lack of champagne. The programme combines the “must sees”
of the moment with a range of “alternative content” concentrating
on opera and ballets from the world’s most prestigious theatres,
ranging from La Traviata to Swan Lake. A “chic” Saturday
night at the cinema in the best seats costs 17 euros for entry, including
a welcome drink (in a normal multiplex the price would be 8 or 9 euros
without the drink). If the choice falls on opera, the price rises to 25/29
euros. For a taste of “finger food” – an excursion through
“ethno-fusion” cuisine, starting with mozzarella and a froth
of balsamic vinegar – a further 14 euros are to be reckoned. A couple
of other details, if we don’t want to do without another exclusive
service: hand the car keys over to a valet and forget parking problems
(3 euros for the duration of the film). And if we enjoy the experience
– like the Berlin people who have determined the success of the
Astor Film Lounge – and want to impress our friends, on the next
occasion we can even hire the cinema: the management will be happy to
suggest a “tailor-made” programme including musical entertainment.
Price available on demand.
The full version of this article was published in Italian in the “Giornale dello Spettacolo” no. 13, 3 July 2009.
| News on
the development of digitalisation in the world The Digital Cinema Revolution:
what is Europe’s Strategy? MEDIA Salles will present during the workshop its most recent statistics on cinema digitalization in Europe. |
| Microcinema’s annual
meeting in Venezia and the Digital Cinema Network Click the logo to visit the
Microcinema website Click here to see the list of cinemas belonging to the Microcinema Network in Italy, as at September 2009. |
| Italy: More
screens for the Digima Circuit Click the logo to visit the Digima
website Click here to see the list of cinemas belonging to the Digima network in Italy, as at October 2009 |
| Kinoton’s New Portal for
Online Assistance Opens for Business |
| At the San Sebastian Film Festival,
too, 3D is in the Limelight |
| Nordic Digital Alliance announces
the merger with IntelliNet |
MEDIA Programme: consultation
on digital cinema launched |
MEDIA Salles’ contacts and address
MEDIA Salles
Piazza Luigi di Savoia, 24 - 20124 Milano - Italy
Tel.: +39.02.6739781 - Fax: +39.02.6690410
E-mail: infocinema@mediasalles.it
Sito web: www.mediasalles.it