The always readable Andreas Fuchs has an excelent piece in the latest issue of Film Journal International on the difference that the UK Film Council’s Digital Screen Network has made. It was never intended to help the Hollywood blockbusters, though arguably it got the ball rolling in UK for digital cinema, but the benefits have been tangible where they were intended. From the article:
Last year, “The Summer of British Film” used the Digital Screen Network to bring back classic British films. Seven films from Goldfinger to Withnail & I were shown digitally in 136 cinemas each Tuesday over a period of as many weeks. “We tied in with the BBC’s ‘British Film Forever’ series of documentaries, which looked at seven different film genres the preceding Saturday,” Stolz explains. “Each program genre under discussion was then illustrated [with] a classic British film in cinemas.” This initiative was “a great success and demonstrated the possibilities of digital programming, attracting cinema audiences of over 62,000. We received extremely enthusiastic responses from members of the public who were delighted to see these classic films back on the big screen. This summer we are supporting two distributors in releasing classics from the legendary British filmmaker David Lean.”
Although any one of Sir David’s films certainly more than matters, it was Warner Bros. which had already opened its vaults on that particular note. From mid-May onwards, the first “Movies That Matter” festival brought 15 marvelous titles for one-week engagements into 30 Vue Cinemas across the U.K. (www.warnermtm.co.uk). Starting in Casablanca and bloody well ending for Bonnie and Clyde, with highlights like The Wizard of Oz in between and East of Eden and North by Northwest further pointing in the right directions, the press notes promised them all to be “remastered to flawless, crystal-clear 2K-resolution digital cinema, the highest quality standard in cinemas today.”
Sadly the UKFC’s example has not been adopted very widely. With the exception of the anyways exceptional Norway, only Canada and Australia has adopted something similar, though these went arguably wrong by going for lower end e-cinema networks.
Popularity: 32% [?]
If you’re looking for a screaming deal on a finished film you should probably give Warner Bros. a call. In his Los Angeles Times column today Patrick Goldstein details an interview he conducted with Alan Horn, the studio’s top dog. Goldstein contacted Horn after he learned producer Joel Silver was pitching Lions Gate Films to pick up “RocknRolla”, the British gangster film from director Guy Ritchie which Warner Bros. was due to release in early October.
Apparently, with the recent shuttering of subsidiaries Warner Independent Pictures and New Line Cinema Warner Bros. finds itself with too many films to release over the next six to twelve months. Besides “RocknRolla” Goldstein reports that Warner would be happy to unload two additional films; Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire”, originally a WIP release, and the New Line cop drama “Pride and Glory” starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell. Silver became proactive in a finding a new home for his film when he realized Warner Bros. wasn’t about to spend the money to market the movie. Horn confirmed this in his conversation with Goldstein, saying: Read More »
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Crediting their “aggressive commitment to explore and implement the latest technological advances in production and industry standards” Warner Bros. promoted Wendy Aylsworth to Senior Vice President, Warner Bros. Technical Operations. Aylsworth, who has been with the studio since 1994, previously served as Vice President, Technology, Warner Bros. Technical Operations.
Many in the industry are familiar with Aylsworth through her work as Engineering Vice President of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Over the past year she was instrumental in reorganizing the Technology Committees to better service emerging technologies such as digital cinema. In fact, before she took over as Engineer Vice President she was Chair of SMPTE’s D-Cinema Technology Committee, a group that created the first 24 standards for D-Cinema. Like many executives who work in standards bodies, Aylsworth participates in other standards activity, including those run by ATSC and CableLabs. Most recently she announced the creation of the 3-D Home Display Formats Task Force within SMPTE, a group that will help set standards for mastering stereoscopic content for home viewing.
Aylsworth’s new position within Warner Bros. is not unlike her old one in that she will be overseeing a group that is responsible for pushing the studio’s (as well as the industry’s) agenda in both national and international standards organizations. In addition, she will continue to head up the group within Warner Bros. responsible for reviewing and implementing emerging technologies in the content production and distribution space. In the press release announcing the promotion Chuck Dages, Executive Vice President, Emerging Technologies, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group was quoted reiterating Aylsworth’s background and rising stature within the industry:
“Wendy has taken a lead position not only for our studio but in the external organizations dedicated to creating new standards for such exciting innovations as digital cinema and 3-D viewing for the home. This promotion recognizes not only her achievements to date but the increasing importance of her efforts to our studio and our industry.”
While Aylsworth has built a strong reputation for herself in the entertainment industry, she began her professional career in technology working in the aerospace industry at companies such as Lockheed. She earned her MS/MBA in Managerial Sciences and Strategic Planning fro the University of Southern California and holds a BS in computer Sciences from the University of Michigan.
Popularity: 24% [?]
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