News Stories

National Cinemedia Upgrades, More 3D Ad Options

10.7.2010

National CineMedia, the nation’s largest cinema advertising company, announced it will be getting another digital upgrade, courtesy of founding members AMC, Cinemark, and Regal Entertainment Group. All are installing new digital cinema projection systems in their theater circuits with more 3D advertising capabilities.

NCM, which already uses a digital network for distributing and projecting ads and other content, said the new system will also allow it to present 3D live and pre-recorded events.

In 2007, AMC, Cinemark, and Regal, the country’s three largest movie theater chains, formed a joint venture, Digital Cinema Implementation Partners, to create a national network of 3D projectors. DCIP raised $600 million of new financing to carry out this formidable digital infrastructure project, which will triple the current number of 3D screens. Altogether, the upgrades will bring new digital projection systems to roughly 15,230 screens over the next three years, according to NCM.

The cinema advertiser will use the new projection systems to present enhanced versions of its “FirstLook” package of pre-show advertising and entertainment content, in conjunction with its Fathom Events experiential marketing program.

The 3D projection upgrades follow a series of initiatives to expand NCM’s digital ad offerings in theaters, lobbies and online. NCM unveiled its first 3D cinema ad on April 2 — a spot promoting Samsung’s new 3D LED TV, created by Leo Burnett and placed by Starcom MediaVest.

The cinema advertising world has been especially active in recent weeks, including last week’s news that Shamrock Capital purchased a majority stake in NCM’s chief rival Screenvision from previous owners U.K.-based ITV and Technicolor. ITV sold the entirety of its 50% stake in Screenvision, while Technicolor is retaining a small stake.

Last year, total cinema ad revenues grew 2% from $571.5 million in 2008 to $584 million in 2009 — a modest gain, but impressive compared to steep drops in print and broadcast last year. But the business is dependent on the health of the movie business overall, which seems to be hitting a rough patch after expansive growth in 2009.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, total summer movie ticket sales fell 1% to $4.24 billion this year, while total admissions dipped 6% to 538 million.

by Erik Sass,

original post: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=137185

Alice in 3D Chains Friday

10.6.2010

This Friday’s concert by Alice in Chains at the Key Arena in Seattle will be recorded for 3D by HDlogix.

“The Social Network” cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth (also DP on David Fincher films “Se7en,” and “Fight Club”) will be the director of photography for the 3D production of the “Alice in Chains” concert under director and sibling Tim Cronenweth, an award-winner for commercials for Dell, Budweiser, Jaguar, and others).

Alice in Chains was one of many bands shown in 3D in August using HDlogix technology for the inaugural fivenight Rock ‘n’ Rev Festival held in Sturgis, S.D. in conjunction with the 70th Annual Sturgis Bike Week Motorcycle Rally. HDlogix intends to release a 3D documentary of the festival in the coming months.

“Having worked with Alice in Chains earlier this year, we are excited to join them in Seattle to produce a very special 3D concert,” said Jim Spinella, CEO of HDlogix. The company and Alice in Chains plan a 3D theatrical release of the concert, and eventually use HDlogix technology to make it available in 3D on all other formats, including cell phones.

A large portion of the 3D production will utilize HDlogix’s ImageIQ 3D, which automatically converts HiDef 2D images from TV cameras in real-time. The system was used for the much-publicized Dallas Cowboysgame last December that was shown live on the giant stadium scoreboard viewable to fans in the arena wearing traditional cardboard 3D glasses with colored lenses for the anaglyph-only display.
It was also used this past July for Major League Baseball’s first
official 3D TV broadcasts of a two-game series between the Seattle Mariners and
New York Yankees in Seattle, and then the 2010 MLB All Star Game.

HDlogix is also presently doing 3D conversion trials with major sports leagues (2010 Daytona 500, Yankees 2010 Spring Training) and broadcast networks.

HDlogix is a privately-owned firm started a year-and-a-half ago by veterans of Sun Microsystems, IBM, Clique Communications and AgileVision, specializes in imaging and video-based products for the world’s consumers, entertainment companies and service providers.

Alice In Chains is headlining BlackDiamondSkye with special guests Deftones and Mastodon.

– By Scott Hettrick

original post: http://hollywoodinhidef.com/2010/10/alice-in-3d-chains-friday/

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Specification for Naming VFX Image Sequences Released

ETC’s VFX Working Group has published a specification for best practices naming image sequences such as plates and comps. File naming is an essential tool for organizing the multitude of frames that are inputs and outputs from the VFX process. Prior to the publication of this specification, each organization had its own naming scheme, requiring custom processes for each partner, which often resulted in confusion and miscommunication.

The new ETC@USC specification focuses primarily on sequences of individual images. The initial use case was VFX plates, typically delivered as OpenEXR or DPX files. However, the team soon realized that the same naming conventions can apply to virtually any image sequence. Consequently, the specification was written to handle a wide array of assets and use cases.

To ensure all requirements are represented, the working group included over 2 dozen participants representing studios, VFX houses, tool creators, creatives and others.  The ETC@USC also worked closely with MovieLabs to ensure that the specification could be integrated as part of their 2030 Vision.

A key design criteria for this specification is compatibility with existing practices.  Chair of the VFX working group, Horst Sarubin of Universal Pictures, said: “Our studio is committed to being at the forefront of designing best industry practices to modernize and simplify workflows, and we believe this white paper succeeded in building a new foundation for tools to transfer files in the most efficient manner.”

This specification is compatible with other initiatives such as the Visual Effects Society (VES) Transfer Specifications. “We wanted to make it as seamless as possible for everyone to adopt this specification,” said working group co-chair and ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver. “To ensure all perspectives were represented we created a team of industry experts familiar with the handling of these materials and collaborated with a number of industry groups.”

“Collaboration between MovieLabs and important industry groups like the ETC is critical to implementing the 2030 Vision,” said Craig Seidel, SVP of MovieLabs. “This specification is a key step in defining the foundations for better software-defined workflows. We look forward to continued partnership with the ETC on implementing other critical elements of the 2030 Vision.”

The specification is available online for anyone to use.

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