Reg. Trib. Milano n. 418 del 02.07.2007
Direttore responsabile: Elisabetta Brunella
 

International Edition No. 106 - year 9
3 June 2014


 
*** 

Join
the eleventh edition of the
"DigiTraining Plus: New Technologies for the European Cinemas of the Future"

Munich and Lake Constance (Germany)
9 - 13 July 2014


Early bird fee: 850 euro + VAT (if applicable)

still available

Further information is published on our website, at the page dedicated to the course:

http://www.mediasalles.it/training/training.htm

Application form

DigiTraining Plus 2014: New Technologies for the European Cinemas of the Future
9 - 13 July, Germany
 
Course programme

Wednesday, 9 July Thursday, 10 July Friday, 11 July Saturday, 12 July Sunday,13 July

Arrival of participants

in Munich

Munich at ARRI headquarters (Movie Theatre)

Session open to the audiovisual professionals from Bavaria and Baden Württemberg and to cinema schools

9.00 a.m.
Welcome message, by Franz Kraus, Chairman of ARRI
4K demo introduced, by Franz Kraus, Chairman of ARRI

10.00 a.m.
Digitalization in Europe and worldwide: facts and figures, by Elisabetta Brunella, Secretary General of MEDIA Salles

10.30 a.m.
Digital Cinema 2.0
Innovative efforts in the cinema experience have moved away from high frame rates (HFR) to high dynamic range (HDR), immersive sound, and higher brightness 3D, by Michael Karagosian, MKPE

Q&A session

Coffee break

11.50 a.m.
ARRI booking system, by Matthias Ritschl, ARRI

12.30 p.m.
Visit to the ARRI digital cinema dept
(DCP duplicating, digital delivery colour grading suite, demo of HDR content)

Constance

Programme focused on the impact of digitization on independent, quality and countryside's theatres

9.00 a.m.
Visit to Scala Filmtheater (Constance) with presentation of the cinema and its programming and marketing strategies, by Detlef Rabe

9.30 a.m.
Session on public policies:

MFG funding policy in the region of Baden-Württemberg,
by Maria Gomez, Head of Cinema, Distribution and Sales Funding of MFG

10 a.m.
The future of film distribution: different possibilities for electronic delivery, by Carsten Schuffert, VP Content Services (dcinex)

Move to Überlingen
(Bus transfer organised by MEDIA Salles)

  

Munich - at ARRI headquarters (Movie Theatre)

9.15 a.m.
Accessibility in Cinemas

Presentation for CCAP, by Daniel Vogl, Sound Division Manager of ARRI

Demo of Sony's Entertainment Access Glasses

Q&A session

Transfer to ARRI Dubbing Studio

11.00 a.m.
Coffee break

11.30 a.m. (at Dubbing Studio)

Event cinema

Added content and its role for the enhancement of the social and cultural role of cinemas, by Klaudia Elsässer, Pannonia Entertainment and Isabelle Fauchet, Founder and CEO of Live Digital Cinema

Q&A session

Munich - at ARRI headquarters (Dubbing Studio)

Group work based on experiences of participants.

Off the beaten track: a critical look at conventional wisdom on digitization by Vittorio Polin

The Spanish market and its digitization, written contribution by Pilar Sierra, Gremi d'Empresaris de Cinemes de Catalunya

Open letter on the cinema of tomorrow: group work

Ideas and inspiration for exhibitor training initiatives

Conclusion of the course

  Lunch at ARRI headquarters

Free time in Überlingen including lunch

Free time in Munich including lunch  

At ARRI headquarters in Munich (Studio 2)

2.00 p.m.
Registration and welcome coffee

2.45 p.m.
Welcome speeches from the organizers and partners

- Mike Vickers, Treasurer of MEDIA Salles
- Klaus Schaefer
Director of FFF Bayern
- Martin Schwertführer, Head of Cinema Distribution of ARRI

3.30 p.m.
Introduction DigiTraining Plus 2014: structure & content, by Elisabetta Brunella, Secretary General of MEDIA Salles and moderator of the course

4.15 p.m.
Panorama of German cinema and how digitization is proceeding in Germany, by Andreas Kramer, Director of HDF Kino

Digital technology at the service of quality cinema: the German experience, by Felix Bruder, AG Kino

Presentation of participants

Move to Monopol (tram 27)

At ARRI headquarters (Studio 2)

1.30 p.m.
Xenon vs Laser, by Jens Kayser NEC

2.15 p.m.
Masterclass: Benjamin Dauhrer (CineCitta), a pioneer of the digital transition

3.00 p.m.
Move to Constance
(Bus transfer organised by MEDIA Salles)

  

7.00 p.m.
Visit to the cinema Zebra Kino (Constance)

Welcome speech from Dieter Krauß, Member of the Management Board of MFG

Presentation of the cinema and its programming and marketing strategies, by Marvin Wiechert followed by drinks and finger food

2.00 p.m.
Visit to Cine Greth (Überlingen) with presentation of the cinema and its programming and marketing strategies, by Nicole Lailach and Thomas Aux

3.30 p.m.
Move to Munich
(Bus transfer organised by MEDIA Salles)

At ARRI headquarters (Dubbing Studio)

2.00 p.m.
The Digital Kitchen Sink (DCP, KDMs, Accessibility, Immersive Sound and High Quality Projection), by Michael Karagosian, MKPE

3.00 p.m.
Panel: How to contain the costs of managing a digital cinema

- Till Cussmann, dcinex,
- Gerrit Doorn and Albert Jan Vos, JT Cinema

4.30 p.m.
Programme focused on the offer to the public: new content and new services

Exchange of experiences on:

Insight into electronic delivery in 2014 and beyond/New possibilites with Cinema on Demand, by Harry Schusterov, Director Business Development of Gofilex Germany GmbH

Gaming - A case study by Tom de Bont, Heerenstraat Theater b.v.

Restored film: a new opportunity for cinemagoers, by Tereza Czesany Dvorakova, National Film Archive

The use of social media for theatre marketing and audience development, by Marian Plieštik, Kino Aero

Q&A session

6.30 p.m.
In collaboration with EDCF

The European cinemas of the future: which prospects for cinema experience?
by Dave Monk, EDCF

Q&A session

Departure of participants from Munich

Visit to Cinema Monopol - opening dinner

Free evening in Constance

Free evening in Munich

Closing dinner in Munich

 

Who is who at Digitraining Plus 2014


Michael Karagosian
,
Founder and President, MKPE Consulting
 

Andreas Kramer
,
Director of HDF Kino

Petr Vítek
,
Director, Pro-DIGI o.s.

ALL DIFFERENT ALL DIGITAL
by Elisabetta Brunella

This column hosts 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
No. of digital projectors
Projector
Resolution
No. of 3D screens
Germany
Theaterstadel
Markdorf
1
Sony
4K
0

The Theaterstadel in Markdorf

We all know the three keywords that sum up what makes a business activity a success: location, location, location. The Theaterstadel in Markdorf seems to have been created on purpose to challenge this well-established piece of wisdom: the picturesque little town in Baden-Württemberg, only a few kilometres from the north bank of Lake Constance, has only 12,686 inhabitants and the cinema stands in a rather isolated location on a hill opposite a dairy farm. The view of the lake is unique, the countryside has its bucolic charm and the air is filled with the scent of lilac - but these would not seem to be the essential ingredients for success.

We should add that the building is a former 19th-century, country dance-hall and obviously lacks all those features of the U.S. model of cinema now supposed to be the height of fashion that are considered essential for winning favour with the public: wall to wall screen, stadium seating, air conditioning etc.

And yet, Theaterstadel is a cinema that "works", because it has managed to create its own formula for success.

This may come as a shock to purists but the cinema does not have armchairs. Instead, there are tables and chairs: in front is the screen, behind is the bar, which serves appetizing dishes prepared by the restaurant occupying the top of the hill together with the cinema.

A single screening, at 8.15 p.m. but the doors open at 7 and spectators/diners thus have plenty of time to enjoy supper before the show.

Obviously the cinema is digital: whilst "different" from its competitors, the Theaterstadel wants to be able to offer its customers a selection of the latest titles. Together with the restaurant "Wirtshaus am Gehrenberg", it has succeeded in creating a sort of "commensal marketing", an effect of reciprocal encouragement to consumer buying achieved by combining different business activities, which is the typical formula of the shopping malls, where the public can shop, eat and go to the cinema.
And which - it seems - works even on a little hilltop with a view.

NOT ONE LESS
by Elisabetta Galeffi

The process of digitalization in cinemas, albeit with considerable differences from territory to territory, is reaching its final phase and the so-called "switch-off" for traditional film appears to be imminent. But which cinemas have not yet converted to the new technology? And why? This column has been opened to find answers to these questions, presenting portraits of cinemas in Europe that have not yet digitalized or that are still looking for a way to deal with the shift.
 

Country
Site
Town
No. of screens
Italy
Eden
Arezzo
2 + 1 open air

Eden - Arezzo

Once upon a time there was "The Cinema" in Arezzo: the Eden located in a surviving piece of the old city walls and consisting of an open-air space for summer screenings and two inside theatres for the winter, as well as the bar on the artificial lake, where it was possible to sit and chat. All a little old-fashioned, like the conversations. Programming that included fine arthouse movies, often impossible to find anywhere else. A place for real cinema buffs: the ones who are capable of staying outside in the cold and ice for hours commenting on the direction, the plot, how good the actors were. The Eden, rather like New York's Paris cinema.
With some differences, one of which fundamental: in New York they don't close, in Arezzo the hour has come. On 4 May the Eden, the town's last cinema, gave its goodbye screening.
It will no longer be possible to decide at the last minute to go and see a film, because the cinema's just round the corner. No more night owls going out not to have a beer on the street or to an amusements arcade but to walk to the cinema. Those who are a bit out of date and don't even need a giant packet of popcorn to dip into while they're watching a film.
Fine, "throw us on the scrap heap", us cinema lovers. It won't be easy for people like us to get used to the slavery of having to get the car to go to a multiplex outside town, obliged to arrive on the dot and sit in a numbered seat, perhaps next to a kid who's stuffing himself with junk food.
Will we forget the magic of the cinema? Perhaps not, but we'll certainly go far less frequently. Multi-screen cinemas are modern, comfortable but lacking in charm.
I'm not the only one of this opinion. A lot of people in Arezzo have tried to keep the Eden alive. They even opened a page on Facebook called "the Eden cinema must not die" and were flooded with messages of support. But it seems that the voice of the citizens doesn't count.
At one point it seemed that the local authorities would intervene and the Eden's theatres, renovated and expanded, would be used for other performances, too: concerts and live theatre. But no. In a town that hasn't had a theatre for ten years (here it is in numbers :10) it was decided to exploit an old gym, in an inconvenient location, and call a few little theatre companies. To think that the lovely bar on the lake had been built to cheer up the garden and would have been a perfect foyer!
Since they couldn't make the shift to digital, the owners, for their part, tried nonetheless to keep the cinema alive with their low ticket prices, only five euros a screening, and to hang on as long as they could find 35mm copies to screen.
Now it seems that the buildings will be sold. Are they going to open a new amusements arcade - the only business that seems to be successful?
Or is there still a vague hope of re-opening the cinema, equipping it with new projectors?
Last-minute rumours awaken new hopes: it seems that the town's ancient institution Fraternità dei Laici (The Fraternity of Lay Brothers) has offered to redeem the Eden cinema by purchasing a digital projector.
The inhabitants of Arezzo have asked for this at the top of their voices with their delcarations of love launched on the webpage dedicated to the Eden. Just one example: "Eden ti adoro!" signed by Barbara Peruzzi, Arezzo.

(Per leggere il testo in italiano cliccare qui)

NOT ONE LESS NEWS

ASTORIA CINEMA, Ravenna
One and a half years after its closure, on 13 March this year, the historical Astoria cinema in Ravenna, once again opened its doors to the public. The programme foresees screenings using a state-of-the-art 4K projector in seven out of the nine screens, not only of the films most popular with today's mass audiences but also art-house movies that have won awards in festivals at home and abroad.

SPLENDOR CINEMA, San Daniele (Udine)
Difficult times for the many provincial cinemas that have been obliged to invest thousands of euro to adapt to digitalization. This is not the case of the Splendor cinema in San Daniele (Udine) which, thanks to considerable public support from the Regional and the Municipal authorities, as well as a fund-collecting campaign opened last summer, was saved from closure and in mid-March inaugurated its new digital projector with an intense programme of free screenings.

ARLECCHINO CINEMA, Voghera (Pavia)
As for many others, the time has come for the only remaining cinema in Voghera, the Arlecchino, to digitalize its screens. In order to do so, 63 thousand euros are needed, of which only one third is available up to now. And this is a challenge that the Soms (Workers' Mutual Aid Society) takes to heart. It has launched a fund-raising initiative to support the conversion of the Arlecchino and prevent it being closed. (for further information: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amici-dell-Arlecchino/687347604657403).

(Per leggere il testo in italiano cliccare qui)

WOMEN IN DIGITAL CINEMA
Ena Dozo
Head of Sales & Acquisitions for Obala Art Center

I have always been fascinated by the cinema, imagining how a film was made, the technologies used, everything that was "behind the big screen".
I remember the period, when I was visiting the Sarajevo Film Festival: it was a must-go event and everything was focused on carefully studying the programme and choosing the films that had to be seen.
Before the screenings, I would think about the people who were behind the organization of such an event, what kind of work it was, imagining how it was to work in this environment and it seemed like the perfect job, but unattainable for me.
In 2008 I finished my journalism studies in Sarajevo and moved to Vienna, where I worked as a Radio and TV producer.
Before moving to Vienna I had my first professional experience with the Sarajevo Film Festival, at the Documentary Competition programme in 2008.
In 2010 I moved back to Sarajevo and started working full-time for the Sarajevo Film Festival, which is an international event with a special focus on the region of South East Europe. In an emerging territory of over 140 million inhabitants, the Sarajevo Film Festival serves as a common platform for the film industry in the entire region, setting standards for the organization of film festivals, as well as for the promotion and presentation of films in South East Europe. It shines an international spotlight on films, talent and future film projects from South East Europe.
Today, I am the Industry Manager of the Festival, which runs many initiatives, such as the co-production market CineLink, Work in Progress, the Regional Forum, its Industry Terrace, Talents Sarajevo, Sarajevo City of Film and the Docu Rough Cut lab.
Besides that, I am managing the project Operation Kino, which is a year-round traveling cinema project across Bosnia and Herzegovina, enhancing digital distribution, audience education and development.
This year, Operation Kino will also launch its Video on Demand service for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
I am also on the management board of the cinema Meeting Point and the Head of Sales & Acquisitions for our company Obala Art Centar.
The thing I love the most about my job is the particular feeling and energy that comes from working in the organization of the Sarajevo Film Festival, but also working on developing different models for reaching audiences, choosing content for them, bringing the big screen to places where there isn't any audiovisual output.
It is all about the film and the different ways to approach audiences, but also a unique way, through various technologies and models, to share your passion for the work you are doing.
I am also the national representative of the Kinofication project, developed and started last year, aiming at turning existing publicly owned cultural centres into a modern cinema infrastructure in municipalities across Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
After the Sarajevo Film Festival became fully digitized last year, I used the opportunity to make my first "date" with the brand new DCP that we have also got in our cinema Meeting Point, being eager to learn more about the new technologies, its ways of use and advantages. Therefore I participated in the DigiTraining Plus, organized by MEDIA Salles, a great opportunity and a way to get more engaged with new technology and its models for the European cinemas of the future.

Please join our online questionnaire at http://www.mediasalles.it/modulo
 
Your data will contribute to MEDIA Salles "International Database of Digital Cinemas"
After registering with an individual password for his/her protection,
each exhibitor will be able to enter the data regarding his/her own cinemas.
The questionnaire is designed to make the compilation extremely quick and error-proof.
The data registered can only be consulted by MEDIA Salles for statistical use and each company will be able to view ad edit its own data.

 
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
Website: www.mediasalles.it