After first being announced at CineEurope in Amsterdam last June, more details are emerging about the Direct From Broadway, an alternative content series aiming to bring musicals from The Great White Way to movie theaters around the world.

New York based Broadway Worldwide, whose production of the Broadway musical “Memphis” found success when it screened in U.S. and Canadian cinemas this past spring, is teaming up with Supervision Media out of the United Kingdom to bring at least four hit musicals to theaters. Along with “Memphis”, the series will feature “Jekyll& Hyde: The Musical” starring David Hasselhoff, “Putting It Together” with Carol Burnett performing Stephen Sondheim tunes and “Smokey Joe’s Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller”.

From what I can tell from the press release, Broadway Worldwide is the production company behind each of the HD titles and SuperVision Media will be acting as the distributor. SuperVision Media is no stranger to theatrical alternative content. They recently screened Wimbledon in 3D and is in the process of rolling out Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance 3D”.

NCM Fathom distributed “Memphis” in North America back in April and now SuperVision Media will bring the musical to cinemas throughout the rest of the world, starting with the U.K. and Ireland on November 24th. The title will move on to South Africa, Hong Kong and other European countries before the year is out, and then travel to Latin America, Australia and New Zealand in March of 2012.

The remaining three titles will be screened in Europe next year on January 26th, February 25th and March 22nd. “Smokey Joe’s Cafe”, “Jekyll & Hyde” and “Putting It Together” will be shown in other territories starting in April 2012.

Of course, it’s great to see the selection of alternative content choices available to cinema owners expand, though I might question the choice of musicals selected for the inaugural Direct From Broadway series. “Memphis” is the only recent entry among them, having won the Tony for Best Musical in 2010. “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” opened on Broadway in 1995, “Jekyll & Hyde” opened in 1997 and the Broadway run for “Putting It Together” was in 1999.

The draw for “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” will likely be the hit 1950′s rock songs of Leiber and Stoller, whereas the poorly received “Jekyll & Hyde” will have to rely on Hasselhoff to bring in fans. “Putting It Together” may have a shot thanks to the star power of Carol Burnett and the legendary reputation of composer Stephen Sondheim.

In looking at Broadway Worldwide’s website it seems the only musical they’ve produced that is not being screened as a part of the series is “Sophisticated Ladies”. There was no word from either party as to whether additional musicals would be available for any potential future series in what is being announced as “an exclusive multi-year licensing arrangement”.

Over the past week Apollo Cinemas has decided that more is… well, more. The United Kingdom’s sixth largest exhibition chain is partnering with Sony Digital Cinema to bring more 3D alternative content to its customers and they have selected Vista Cinema Software to increase their overall operational effectiveness.

Apollo launched the More campaign to offer content from partners such as The Royal Opera House, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the English National Opera. Performances will be offered in what is being described as “super high definition live 3D” using Sony’s 4K projectors. The circuit is also planning to show sporting events such as rugby, football and tennis, as well as concerts and music festivals.

Apollo has held their first live 3D event earlier this month when pop star Avril Lavigne debuted her new album at the chain’s cinema in London’s Piccadilly Circus. Lavigne was on-hand for a question and answer session after the video screening. In March, Apollo will be showing a 3D film version of the opera “Carmen”. The George Bizet opera was filmed during performances at the Royal Opera House.

The deal seems somewhat inevitable since Apollo signed up with Sony as their digital cinema deployment entity in 2009. The theatre chain’s press release didn’t specifically detail how Sony was enabling them to bring 3D alternative content into their theatres beyond providing the equipment that makes it all possible. In fact, Nicole Oakley, Marketing Manager at Apollo Cinemas said just that:

“The Sony 4K technology provides outstanding image and sound quality, and enables us to extend our programming to alternative content, delivering new and exciting experiences for our existing and future customers.”

To ring up all those additional sales that 3D alternative content is meant to bring in Apollo will be relying on a point-of-sale system from Vista Entertainment Solutions. The chain’s 14 cinema locations will transition to a whole suite of applications from the New Zealand based company, including Vista Box Office and Concessions, CashDesk and HeadOffice.

Expanded modules such as Vista Kiosk, Vista Loyalty, Vista Web and Voucher Management are meant to expand the service options for both Apollo and its customers. The company’s managing director, Rob Arthur, explained the decision to go with Vista:

“[Vista will] allow us to maintain our position at the leading edge of UK cinema development. The result will be a much more
seamless experience for customers and for our staff.”

Of Apollo’s 83 screens all but five are digital and two thirds are 3D capable. The theatre chain represents 1.5% of the total U.K. box office.

Queen Elizabeth Watching Coronatin In 3D

When I first heard that Prince William and his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton had become engaged to be married I certainly never thought I’d be writing anything here about their wedding. But when it was announced that the couple wanted their royal wedding to be a “people’s event” rumors soon began to circulate that the ceremony would be broadcast in 3D.

The BBC, Sky TV and Virgin are reportedly in discussions to capture the event live in 3D when it takes place in Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.

This wouldn’t be the first time the British Royals were filmed in 3D. In November of last year Channel 4 aired unseen color footage of Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 coronation which had recently been discovered in the archives of the British Film Institute.

But don’t get too excited. As Jana Bennett, director of BBC Vision clarified in the Daily Mail, despite all the interest in 3D, no plans have been solidified yet:

“We are already planning with the other broadcasters so I know about the 3D thing as well. That is obviously of some interest but our responsibility is to bring things everybody can see on air and 3D has a very limited footprint.”

It is highly likely that limited “footprint” will include cinemas capable of screening a broadcast in 3D, which makes the story appropriate for an entry on Celluloid Junkie. Besides, who could resist posting a photo of the Queen of England wearing those snazzy 3D glasses?

Click here to view the embedded video.

After turning the New York Metropolitan Opera into a poster child for alternative content over the past five years, NCM Fathom is hoping to have the same success with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Starting in January of next year Fathom will broadcast three L.A. Phil performances to upwards of 450 theatres throughout North America.

Each concert will be broadcast on Sunday afternoons when attendance at many cinemas is presumably lower than it is on Friday and Saturday evenings. It should be noted however, that the 2:00 pm start time on the west coast may actually eat into primetime showings on the east coast where it is three hours earlier later.

The first concert is set for January 9, 2011 and will feature compositions by John Adams and Leonard Bernstein, as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Selections from Tchaikovsky’s Shakespearean work will be presented on March 13, 2011 with the final concert on June 5, 2011 highlighting Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 and Double Concerto. Each program will be conducted by the L.A. Phil’s Music Director Gustavo Dudamel.

Dudamel is the 29-year-old Venezuelan conducting prodigy is often hailed as a rock star of sorts in the classical music world. His image has been plastered around Los Angeles ever since he took over as the L.A. Phil’s music director in September of 2009. No doubt it is Dudamel’s charismatic and energetic presence was a factor in the L.A. Phil’s decision to broadcast the concerts.

In fact Deborah Borda, President and Chief Executive of the Los Angeles Philharmonic said as much when interviewed by the New York Times:

“We have some unique assets: Gustavo Dudamel, the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall, a wonderful orchestra and a vision about programming. You put that together, and we felt it was the right time.”

No wonder the title for the series features all three key “assets” – LA Phil Live with Gustavo Dudamel from Walt Disney Concert Hall. Not sure if audiences sitting in movie theatres hundreds of miles away willthr view the architecturally unique Walt Disney Concert Hall as one of the attractions, but they are will definitely get their fill of Dudamel. Besides conducting the Philharmonic during each performance, the maestro will also participate in Backstage Pass, which will feature behind-the-scenes interviews, rehearsals footage and a post-concert question and answer session with Dudamel.

The L.A. Phil, which hopes to break even on the program, is not the first big city orchestra to beam their concerts into cinemas. The Philadelphia Orchestra began doing so this year and the Berlin Philharmonic experimented with an opening-night program. This has led to what the New York Times has dubbed “the HD-ification of the arts”, which they claim is affecting everything from programming decisions to set design:

While the HD phenomenon has brought performances to millions of people who would not otherwise see them, it also raises major questions. How will it reshape the way shows are cast, directed and designed? Will the photogenic gain the upper hand? Will musicians start acting for the camera? Will stage direction be shaped for close-ups instead of for the view from the balcony? What effect will it have on attendance at local orchestras, theater companies and operas? In a cultural world in which even the use of a microphone creates shock waves, how will the new onslaught of electronic sound change people’s aesthetic expectations?

Though new technology is allowing arts institutions to reach a broader audience in a modern fashion, the Times points out it has also affected the very performances such cinema programs are meant to capture:

Already at the Met, consideration is given to how sets and costumes will look on screen. Singers at such broadcasts say they are acutely aware of close-ups. Some critics have questioned whether smaller voices will gain favor.

This doesn’t even take into account the fact that many orchestras have to lower ticket prices for performances which are broadcast because cameras intermittently obstructing patrons views. For theatre owners, on the other hand, the opportunity to provide premium content during off-peak hours is actually an opportunity to increase revenues. The average ticket price of USD $20 is higher than they would be charging for movie tickets at that time of day.

Tickets for the L.A. Phil Live program can presently be purchased through NCM Fathom, Cineplex Entertainment, and at most theatres scheduled to screen the concerts.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fans of Green Day will be able to see the concert in 150 theatres across 14 European countries starting on November 15th in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Serbia and the United Kingdom. France and Spain will screen the concert on November 25th and December 2nd respectively. Additional theatres and countries may be added as the screening date nears.

The 80-minute concert was filmed by MTV at the Olympia Halle in Munich, Germany in November 2009 and will be shown in cinemas with high-definition and surround sound. Tickets can be purchased at http://greenday.mtv.com.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This past Sunday Cinedigm, a leading North American digital cinema deployment entity, achieved another live event milestone and I was there to witness it first hand. As we reported back in June, Cinedigm partnered with Sensio Technologies to bring the FIFA World Cup Final live and in 3D to theatres throughout the United States and Canada.

Event Details
At the time there was some uncertainty as to how many theatres were to show the FIFA World Cup matches and where they would be located. In total 25 FIFA World Cup matches were shown live in 3D at 475 venues in 33 different countries accounting for 4,500 screenings.

Cinedigm was given permission directly from FIFA to show the matches at 15 locations and theatres in Arizona, California, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ontario Texas and Virginia were selected. Another 15 locations were allocated to NCM Fathom.

Originally Cinedigm intended to show both the semi-final matches as well as the championship game, which pitted Spain against The Netherlands. Instead they chose to hold screenings only for Sunday’s final in order to have one marquee event. The feed for the event was supplied by ESPN, which was capturing the match in 3D for its new 3D network.

From what I was told ESPN wasn’t too pleased about the final being broadcast in cinemas.

First Hand Account
Dave McNamee of the HL Group, Cinedigm’s public relations firm, was kind enough to provide me with a pass to see the FIFA World Cup final at Rave Los Angeles 18 (formerly The Bridge). I was told to arrive early as seating was on a first come first served basis, but due to traffic and weekend errands I wound up arriving just as the match began.

The box office was empty and I figured this would be yet another lesson in how football (or soccer) was an underappreciated sport in North America. However, the quietness of what appeared to be a deserted multiplex was an illusion shattered upon entering the 364-seat auditorium in which the World Cup game was being shown. Every seat was filled except for the one I managed to squeeze into (and only because it was broken).

The theatre also sold out a 218-seat auditorium for the football (or soccer) match. It was later reported that Cinedigm sold out all of its World Cup Final screenings with 50% of the venues selling out more than one screen.

The picture quality of the game varied between a perfectly crystal clear image on closer field-level shots to the standard half-field shots from the stands which were a little fuzzier. I overheard a couple of people in the audience say they couldn’t make out the soccer ball within the frame.

I noticed this problem as well on a few occasions, but only on half-field shots that showed half the stadium. At times the ball appeared to have some ghosting issues. In all likelihood what was causing this on a technical level was the live feed itself, which was being broadcast in 1080i and projected at 1080p. The fuzziness of the ball was a byproduct of the interlacing.

Even so, the 3D effect was truly amazing, especially on field level shots where you could see the exact position of the ball, the distance between players and the true length of the field. Penalty kicks near each teams goal really came to life since it was possible to see all the obstructions the goalie had to contend with. I’ve heard many people say that football (or soccer) is a sport that wouldn’t work in 3D since most broadcasts rely heavily on wide shots rather than 3D friendly close-ups. I can assure you that 3D added value to the viewing experience.

So did being among more than 300 sports fans glued to the screen, intermittently screaming and cheering with every shot on goal, amazing save and questionable foul. One patron even blew a vuvuzela in support of Spain every time they came close to scoring. At halftime a long line formed for the men’s bathroom and someone wearing a soccer jersey exclaimed, “Hey, it’s just like being at the stadium!”

Indeed, other than the lack of beer and alcohol, it was.

Reaction
Like the positive comments found on Rave’s Facebook page, those I spoke with after Spain won the match in extra time were all pleased with the event and praised the 3D picture quality.

Dev Oli, a young meditation and yoga instructor, traveled all the way from San Diego to Los Angeles to be present. “I though the ball would really come out of the screen, but I still enjoyed it,” he said. Though Oli had seen numerous 3D movies, it was his first time seeing a sporting event at a cinema in 3D. He said he would definitely return to see another sporting event in the future, “especially if they figure out how to shoot it.”

Cinedigm has previously broadcast live 3D sporting events such as the 2009 BCS Championship, the 2009 NBA All Star Saturday Night and this past year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball championship. If such 3D sporting events being broadcast in cinemas are sure to improve with more time and experience, then with the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final Cinedigm made a convincing argument for a bright future.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’re into heavy metal music then you’ll be happy to hear that some of the world’s biggest head banging bands will be playing live at a theatre near you. On Tuesday, June 22nd, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, otherwise known as the Big Four of heavy metal music, will be sharing the stage at the Sonisphere Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria and will broadcast their concert in high-definition to cinemas in 40 countries.

New York based By Experience is the company producing the event which as been dubbed The Big Four. In press announcements promoting the concerts Metallica’s outspoken drummer Lars Ulrich talked about what he felt was a historic moment in rock music:

“Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal’s big four would not only still be around and more popular than ever, but will now play together for the first time.”

The live cinema event will be four hours long, which on a Tuesday night shouldn’t pose a problem for most theatres showing the broadcast. In the United States, NCM Fathom is distributing the concert which will be shown in theatres not only on June 22nd, but also at an encore performance on June 24th in specific locations. Tickets are already on sale for USD $18 at a list of theatres eight pages long.

In the United Kingdom the concert will be broadcast at 79 theatre locations, including more than 30 Cineworld venues. Tickets are already on sale for GBP £15. Luke Roberts, head of marketing communications at Cineworld said of the event:

“It offers something a little different that many wouldn’t expect to see at the cinema.”

It would be interesting to find out after the event is broadcast into cinemas how much it cost to produce and what its worldwide gross was. What do you think of The Big Four concert as alternative programming? Is four hours too long for such an event? Do you plan to attend? Fee; free to give us your thoughts in the comments section of this post.

Last week Cinedigm announced a partnership with Sensio that will allow them to bring the FIFA World Cup Soccer Tournament being held in South Africa this month to theatres all over the world. What’s more, the matches will be shown live and in 3D.

The press release sent around to promote the partnership was was pretty standard, but there was one sentence that raised a question for me:

“To kick things off, the companies will use Sensio’s technology and Cinedigm’s theatre technology design to bring select matches from this year’s FIFA World Cup Soccer Tournament in Live 3D to hundreds of theatres around the world.”

My curiosity wasn’t necessarily stirred over which of the matches would be shown, because the release goes on to mention they’ll start with the quarterfinals. Instead, I was left wondering what “Sensio’s technology” actually was and how Cinedigm, a leading North American digital cinema integrator, would utilize it to project a live broadcast of a World Cup Soccer game in 3D. The rest of the press release only served to make me even more inquisitive, especially upon reading:

“…Cinedigm’s extensive experience in bringing live 3D sporting events to U.S. theatres through Sensio 3D format and CineLive technology.”

I was aware that Cinedigm had done a good job broadcasting live 3D events into theatres previously, and even attended some of the events, such as the 2009 NBA All-Star Saturday Night and the 2010 NCAA Men’s Final Four. I knew that the company had created the CineLive Network specifically for this purpose. However I thought it was about time to actually understand what this Sensio technology actually was and why it was being referred to as a 3D format.

A quick visit to Sensio’s website provided me with little more than the company’s history and mission which made it clear that their focus is on 3D technology. The professional 3D cinema section of the website only lists two different products:

• SFX Pro Cinema – 3D live encoder/decoder for digital cinema and live events
• CineLive – Cinedigm’s exclusive product which allows live 3D and 2D content broadcasting into digital cinemas

So now I knew that Sensio had something to do with encoding and decoding live 3D content. But specifics were hard to come by. With enough clicking around on the website I came across Sensio’s media kit which contained the same verbiage sent to me by Cinedigm’s PR firm, HL Group, when I inquired about the company and its technology:

Sensio develops and markets stereoscopic 3D digital compression, decompression and display formatting technologies. Its solutions are deployed on a global scale by content creators, game developers, broadcasters, specialty channels, and digital cinemas. . . It’s flagship technology, Sensio 3D, allows the high-quality distribution of 3D content through conventional existing 2D broadcast networks and playback on any 3D display device, including plasma TVs, LED/LCD, HDTVs, PC and glass free 3D displays, as well as home theater and digital cinema projectors.

Finally I had my answer. Sensio must be enabling Cinedigm to receive and decode 3D content that arrives through their satellite network. Presumably the content is being compressed at the live event in a proprietary manner that allows it to be transmitted over a standard broadcast network. What Cinedigm must bring to the relationship is cinema technology experience as well as strong relationships with theatre owners.

So, now that you’re up to speed on how Cinedigm will bring live FIFA World Cup matches in 3D to movie theatres, do you plan on attending one of the broadcasts?

Emerging Pictures will be offering non-profit art houses an interesting way to make a few extra dollars this June. The company, which runs the largest digital alternative content theatre network in the United States, is making a special version of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s concert film “London Calling: Live in Hyde Park” for special screenings.

Indie film theatres or community culture centers which have official 501-(c)(3) non-profit status will be able to screen the film for audiences up to three times between June 10th and June 21st in advance of the title’s DVD and Blu-Ray release on June 22nd, almost a year to the day that Springsteen performed the concert in London’s Hyde Park.

As a means of offering financial and promotional support for ongoing digital cinema programs, non-profit venues that show the 90 minute film will be allowed to keep 100% of the box office gross. Commercial cinemas are also invited to screen the Springsteen concert film after agreeing to donate box office receipts to The Danny Fund and the Melanoma Research Alliance. The fund was established in 2008 after E Street keyboardist Danny Federici passed away in 2008 due to skin melanoma.

Commenting on the benefit screenings Barry Rebo, co-founder of Emerging Pictures, said:

“With the warm weather just now coming on, it’s especially timely to warn folks about the dangers of the sun. For sheer joyousness, an outdoor Bruce Springstten & The E Street Band experience is perfection.” 

Anyone who has seen Springsteen perform live, as I have, will understand Rebo’s enthusiasm.

A noteworthy aside about this announcement is the use of benefit screenings to help promote the release of a DVD or album. The cost of distributing such content theatrically is minimal and is more than covered by the incremental DVD sales that occur after screenings help build awareness of new titles. Sony Music, which is releasing the Springsteen concert film, will get some nice promotion for an upcoming DVD launch, while at the same time getting points for donating theatrical revenue to art houses and cancer research. This is type of “marketing-by-screening” has also been practiced successfully by the likes of B-side.

What could really make this a no brainer for Springsteen fans would be a higher-cost premium ticket offering to the screenings that includes the DVD or Blu-Ray.

–Sony and Regal released a press release this morning, officially announcing that Regal will install the Sony 4K digital projections systems across its entire circuit. (See Celluloid Junkie’s Friday post below on this news).
According to the release, the installation of the systems is expected to take 3-5 years, but the financing is being handled through DCIP. So the question is, when will installations start?
There is still no word on DCIP securing the needed funding to begin its planned wide rollout. DCIP represents AMC, which also plans to deploy Sony technology; as well as Regal and Cinemark.
Sony also reported that approximately 1,500 of the Regal screens will be outfitted for 3D using Sony’s dual-lens adaptor technology.
Amy Miles, Regal Entertainment Group’s incoming chief executive officer, is quoted in the press release as saying: “The rollout of these Sony 4K systems gives Regal the opportunity to utilize the latest technology to provide our patrons the best available presentation. Sony’s state-of-the-art 4K systems produce the highest levels of resolution, contrast and overall image quality.”

–Another example of the growing interest and potential of alternative content, The Financial Times is reporting that a June 25 production of Racine’s Phèdre at London’s National Theatre is to be screened live in 170 cinemas worldwide. Dame Helen Mirren stars in the production, which according to the article is nearly sold out in the d-cinema venues. See the complete article, titled “British Theatre to be Seen Around World,” here

–An interesting feature on CNN Money/Fortune titled “Every Blog Becomes a Cinema” examines a new model of distribution, as well as advertising. SnagFilms aims to distribute documentaries—which have always been challenged to find a theatrical release—on the Internet. The article is here

–Call for Papers: SMPTE is seeking proposals for technical papers and tutorials for the 2009 SMPTE Technical Conference & Exhibition, 27-29 October in Hollywood.
The organization is seeking papers on a range of topics including digital cinema exhibition, d-cinema production and post, advancements in film technologies, content security and stereoscopic 3D Imaging.
Interested parties are invited to submit a one-page abstract, no later than June 12. Further details on how to submit a proposal are here

Call for Entries: The Hollywood Post Alliance has issued a call for entries for the Engineering Excellence Award, part of the 4th Annual HPA Awards. The call for entries is now open and will run through July 1. Entrants will be given the opportunity to present their technology during the Engineering Judging Day.
The HPA Awards also accepts entries in categories for compositing, DI/color grading, editing, audio post, as well as for the new Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation in Post Production. For more, see the website here