The International Moving Image Society (IMIS) (formerly known as the British Kinematograph Sound and Television Society (BKSTS)) has announced the appointment of a new Chairman to oversee the development of its widely respected Cinema Technology Committee (CTC).
The appointment of Richard Mitchell (also VP Global Marketing & Commercial Development at Harkness Screens) was confirmed at the committee’s April meeting following the decision of the previous Chairman Richard Huhndorf (UK Technical Director at Warner Bros) to stand down after a term of nearly seven years.
“Over the past eighteen months the society has started the process of revitalising its infrastructure to serve the 21st century global media industry,” explains Roland Brown, President of IMIS. “It is no secret that up until very recently the society had been in decline through an ageing membership and the change over the past two decades in the way creative talent is employed. During this difficult period, the Cinema Technology Committee under Richard Huhndorf’s leadership and its associated journal Cinema Technology Magazine stood as shining examples of what the society could achieve, particularly against the backdrop of the enormous technological change from film projection to digital projection. As the society has broadened its horizons and ambitions, the Cinema Technology Committee has been doing the same attempting to redefine its core purpose to best serve the cinema industry and the new Chairman and his team will doubtless provide an invaluable resource to the industry,” he adds.
As well as delivering cinema presentation training courses, the committee has organised educational visits to product manufacturers, overseen a dramatic refresh of its acclaimed journal and delivered a number of presentations at the recent UK Cinema Association conference in London on topics including HDR, immersive audio and laser projection.
“I am extremely honoured to be the new chair of such a vibrant, diverse and progressive group of professionals that are seeking to share knowledge and skills for the betterment of the cinema industry,” explains Richard Mitchell, Chairman of the CTC. “Digital cinema technology presented the industry with substantial opportunities but also significant challenges and whilst many of these have been solved there is still much work to do to help the industry improve the movie-going experience whilst keeping a close eye on developing technologies. The breadth of expertise within our group (with members from distribution, post production, exhibition, integration and manufacturing) leaves us ideally positioned to support the industry not just in interpreting industry standards and how to apply these or in identifying the best of breed technology for the future but most importantly how to improve, optimise and maintain presentation quality with existing cinema equipment and the best practices associated with these,” he adds.
The CTC has also confirmed Graham Lodge (Managing Director of Sound Associates) as Vice Chairman, Peter Knight (Mad Cornish Projectionist) as Head of Communications and Dave Norris (Universal Pictures International) affectionately named “Last Projectionist Standing” by movie critic Mark Kermode as Cinema Technology Ambassador.
Over the coming months both IMIS and CTC will be launching a range of initiatives aimed at supporting the media creation and cinema industries.
About International Moving Image Society
The International Moving Image Society was born out of the BKSTS in 2016. The BKSTS was originally created as the ‘London Branch’ of Society of Motion Picture Engineers (now known as SMPTE) until 1930.
The society is focused but is not limited to supporting the development, production and exhibition of feature films, television, commercials, music videos, short films, animation, gaming, and future emerging formats for consumption through training, education, knowledge sharing and networking.
For more information, visit the Society’s web page at www.societyinmotion.com
About Cinema Technology Committee
The Cinema Technology Committee (CTC) of the International Moving Image Society (IMIS) aims to assist the cinema industry in recognizing the importance that cinema technology and indeed the way in which it’s utilized can have a profoundly positive effect on the movie-going experience.
As well as providing guidance and support, the CTC engages in a number of activities aimed at educating and improving the cinema experience. These include training courses, technical handbooks, educational visits, knowledge sharing, networking events, projectionist certification (in conjunction with the UKCA) and the industry’s leading technical journal, Cinema Technology Magazine.
For more information, visit the Society’s web page at www.societyinmotion.com/ctc
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IMIS CONTACT:
Peter Knight – Head of Communications – CTC
International Moving Image Society
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Road
Buckinghamshire, SL0 0NH
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1753 656 656
Email: ctc@societyinmotion.com
Web: www.societyinmotion.com