The Netherlands – 4K will be a major topic at the upcoming IBC (show – not ice bucket challenge), with awards just announced for the 4K transmissions by the Vienna State Opera and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Be sure not to miss this year’s IBC Big Screen Experience – bigger and also free for everyone attending this year.

Dramatic advances in media technology bring new opportunities to engage with audiences and to extend the reach of an event around the world. At IBC2014, two very different projects will be recognised with prestigious awards. Innovations in coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup will receive the Judges’ Prize, and a Special Award will go the one of the world’s greatest opera houses, the Wiener Staatsoper – Vienna State Opera.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil was hailed as both a sporting and a media success, with close to a billion people worldwide watching the final between Argentina and Germany. They watched in on air and online, in formats from 4k and 8k Ultra HD to mobile phones and tablets.  LINK

Want to know more about 4K a.k.a. Ultra-HD? Check out this website, which scrolls like a powerpoint. Interesting and informative.

France – People fainting and being taken to hospital is what producers of schlock horror B-movies used to promise in the 1950s. But apparently that is just what happened at a French Film Festival in Angouleme.

Participants of the International Francophone Film Festival in Angouleme French were not ready for it. Already after a quarter of the film “Little Queen” in the audience prevailed movement through drastic scenes of blood transfusion. People fainted, and one of the spectators was transported to the hospital. The session was stopped and the cinema evacuated.

The film “La Petite Reine” (French for “Little Queen”) tells the story of a Canadian Genevieve Jeanson, who was a cycling champion. The film shows a scene where the heroine is transfusing blood. Participants of the festival were not made ??aware of the dramatic scenes.

After the first unsuccessful attempt to view the film, the organizers decided to postpone it for tomorrow. This time, every viewer will be informed about what we see on the screen, and in addition there will be doctors in the hall.  LINK

Advertising

USA (NY) – Millennials are best targeted using cinema advertising says Screenvision in a report by Insight Strategy Group.

The young millennial age group is a treasured demographic, especially for advertisers who want to turn a brand into a lifelong habit. The only problem – they have a ready supply of distractions to bestow their attention on when confronted by a traditional media commercial break. Except for one location:

It is the movie theater!

The study was commissioned by Screenvision, a theater operator with a vested interest.

The fact is, according to a study from Insight Strategy Group, millennials will often see an ad first in a movie theater despite the fact that it is getting frequent airplay on television.  LINK

Accessibility

UK – Cinemas in the UK have to up their game to welcome disabled customers a new report has found.

High street shops are missing out on business from more than 12 million customers across the country because they are not disabled-friendly, the government has warned.

Research carried out with 1,200 people with disabilities found shopping was the most difficult activity in terms of access, closely followed by going to the cinema, theatre or concerts.  LINK

Drive-in Cinema

USA (TX) – A cycle-in pop-up cinema in San Antonio – what’s there not to like about this? But how many cycles would it take to power a 4K laser projector I wonder.

Main Plaza Conservancy is in the second year of its Cycle-in Cinema, a summer series of free weekly flicks at Main Plaza where volunteers take turns on a bicycle-powered generator to run the projector that shows the outdoor movie.

Movies shown are generally modern fare, such as “Stand by Me,” “Karate Kid” and last week’s showing, “The Fifth Element.” Movie-goers are encouraged to ride their bikes to the plaza, 110 N. Main Ave., and can sign up for a shift to help generate the 300 watts of power the projector needs, said Main Plaza programs manager Ashley Quinn.  LINK

UK – More non-automotive outdoor cinema. This one in aid of an excellent cause: Remote, “a Rural Touring Cinema project that enables rural communities to put on cinema screenings in their village venue.”

ONE of my favourite things about British summer is our bizarre desire to watch TV, play video games and enjoy films outdoors.

We may not have the best of weather for the majority of the year but we really make the most of it as soon as those rays of sunshine break through the thick cloud looming over our island.

This year I decided to try Picnic Cinema, combining my love for horror films, food and the outdoors. I joined a crowd of campers and film fans in the middle of Cannock Chase Forest on Friday night to watch Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic horror, 28 Days Later, on a huge projector screen.  LINK

UK – Shoreditch’s Hot Tub Cinema is bravely returning for another season in September, which is not a month famed for friendliness to outdoor events in the British capital.

Those aquatic movie mavericks at Hot Tub Cinema have been on a roll this year. After holding screenings in the former Shoreditch train station and dedicating film programmes to the ’80s and ’90s, the crew are back and this time they’re going all noughties on us. From September 17-22 HTC is returning to its old haunt atop Rockwell House in Shoreditch, which means jaw-dropping views across London. From way up high you’ll be able to feast your eyes on a fine selection of classic noughties flicks, including ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’, ‘Team America: World Police’ ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ and ‘The Hangover’. LINK

Cinema Opening/Closings

UK – I would think that any town would welcome a cinema with open arms, but asking for “available funding” raises questions about whether this is should be a spending priority for local councils.

A cinema company is eyeing up Sleaford as a potential location for its newest venture.

Regal Cinemas already runs two thriving cinemas in market towns and believes Sleaford is a “viable location” for a third.

Tony Mundin, the firm’s managing director, has written to Sleaford Town Council asking for its support in finding a suitable venue and to explore options for any available funding for the venture.  LINK

Finally

Portlandia nails artisan movie theatre food.