3D comes to Bristol

STEREO 3D, TAKE 2: THIS TIME IT’S PERSONAL WED 18 NOV 13.30 SHOWCASE CINEMA 2HRS £5 (Free for delegates. Tickets subject to availability please collect at delegate desk 1hr before the start time.) Join Skillset to discuss the innovative Stereo 3D technology that is currently being developed by the movers and shakers of not only the film industry (Pixar and Dreamworks) but across a range of media, with serious backers like BSkyB, Sony and Blitz Games creating product. Find out first hand from some of the content creators why S3D is taking off NOW, and the challenges it presents to film-makers and animators. Speakers include:  Andrew Oliver CTO Blitz Games, Phil Streather CEO Principal Large Format, Simon Robinson Chief Scientist The Foundry makers of Nuke and Occula software, and Ben Jones Redstar3D.  This seminar has been created by Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the creative media industries  www.skillset.org

VOD on over 250 platforms

Studios adjust to digital distribution

Pics now play in as many as 250 formats

By SUSANNE AULT

A movie used to enjoy a second life on DVD. Now that has exploded into third, fourth, fifth and more lives on digital platforms as studios adjust to the new ways people watch movies outside of theaters.

In addition to slotting discs into traditional DVD players, average Joes and Janes are now downloading or streaming entertainment to PCs, gaming consoles, iPods and other portable devices. To capture that emerging business, studios must distribute movies to dozens of new digital retailers that were virtually unheard of just a few years back, including Xbox Live, PlayStation Store and Amazon Video on Demand.

A single movie can be offered in as many as 250 digital formats worldwide to accommodate the various video resolutions and encoding guidelines of these digital retailers.

Faced with such new responsibilities, studios are changing business models to better cater to digital. Today, many titles launch on cable/satellite video-on-demand, Web-based download sell-through/rental services and physical DVD simultaneously. Historically, studios would give DVD a head start on store shelves, thinking that's where consumers go most.

"We know that consumers are changing their patterns from one platform to another. And we don't want to lose that consumer," says Steve Nickerson, president of Summit Home Entertainment. "If you don't offer it at the same time, you risk losing the sale."

Since its launch two years ago, Summit has rolled out its titles to nearly all available digital services day-and-date with their DVD bow.

Many other studios do continue to impose about a weeks-long window between DVD street and cable/satellite VOD, in the hopes of promoting the more valuable sale over rental transaction. But even that is disappearing as studios are chasing the increasingly digital consumer.

In fact, Warner Home Video decided to street "Observe and Report" and "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" to certain cable/satellite providers several days before their September DVD releases.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment began launching select titles day-and-date with VOD this year, starting with August release "Obsessed."

"It's much more beneficial if the consumer buys content (instead of) renting content," says Sean Carey, SPHE senior exec VP worldwide digital distribution. "That being said, we do feel that, for some titles, moving the VOD date to the same day as sell-through can grow (the business)."

Download sales are a small part of the home entertainment business, though they can be more meaningful on individual titles — as they were for Sony's "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist."

"This is still a small portion of the home entertainment pie, but digital is becoming an increasingly significant portion," Carey adds.

With the help of the Entertainment Technology Center, studios are engineering an interoperable digital master format (IMF) to further boost their digital businesses. Studios would seriously simplify -- and save money on -- the distribution process with one movie file, instead of 250, that could be delivered to fit most digital retailers.

Based at the U. of Southern California, the ETC has been overseeing regular studio meetings toward this IMF goal. The ETC expects to create a master specification by early 2010, having already completed more than half the work by September.

"We have an outline for all the necessary components required to make the IMF work," says David Wertheimer, ETC executive director. "We are all pleased with the progress. Everyone wants more efficiency in the system. This will definitely take what is now a highly people-intensive, manual process into something that is automatic, predictable and reliable. Studios want to make it easier to get content out as broadly as possible to as many companies that provide digital entertainment."

future Artists live is back!!! Nov 28th, Manchester

Future Artists Update 15^th Nov 2009-11-15

 

Click here for more info:

Madrid and The Oscars!!! – Skillset Take 12 and Future Artists – Shootingpeople digital bootcamp – Northwest new wave Salford film festival news – Broken Britain update – Future Artists 2 – we are at Encounters.

 

Mark Ashmore and Jenny Inchbald of FutureArtists.co.uk have just got back from a development meeting with Manuel Cristobal of Perro Verde Films, whilst in Madrid Manuel got a call to say that his animation feature film the ‘missing Lynx’ had just been short listed for the OSCARS!!!!  Wow, meeting went well, major announcements will be happening in the next couple of months, we are keeping top secret on this!!!.

SEE TRAILER HERE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALWtiQ1LdDg&feature=related

 

For Films Jenny Walker and Future Artists Jenny Inchbald are currently working on a new media strategy for our debut UK Co-production, Jenny Inchbald has also been accepted onto the Film council and Skillset Take 12 initiative, which aims to develop 12 leading UK film companies, so that their business plans can tackle the fast moving changes in the UK film industry

http://www.ethnicnow.com/channels/film/press-release/3/4154/skillset-launch-new-digital-film-training-programme.html

 

Future Artists are also pleased to announce that they are working closely with Shootingpeople.org , this strategic partnership will see Future Artists giving workshops at Shooting people digital bootcamps, we where last seen at Sheffield Doc fest and we will with shooting people at their Bournemouth and Edinburgh events towards the end of the year.

Shootingpeople info here https://shootingpeople.org/account/auth.php

 

The North west New wave continues to make wave’s, this time on our own patch, the 6^th Salford international film festival starts on Friday, with a weeks worth of cutting edge cinema, On Saturday 21^st of November the critically acclaimed Film ‘Diary of a Badlad’ comes to the Lowry, back to back with ‘Mancatten’ two films made for under 5k which are currently getting quite a lot of press, both are fantastic films, and unique and entertaining, more info here. 

Salford film festival here  http://www.salfordfilmfestival.org.uk/

 

Also screening at the festival will be Mark Ashmore’s ‘Broken Britain’ (Salford arts centre, 8pm, Sun 22^nd) funded for 2k from the Northwest Vision and Media Film councils short film fund, the film has been screened worldwide, last seen at the Strasburg film festival, come meet Future Artists co-director Mark Ashmore and chew the fat.

See EXCLUSIVE CLIP HERE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-dq_4PS2Eo

 

Also last few tickets for our live event Future Artists 2, which this time is an un conference, lots of things going off at this event, best check the forum for up to date info here http://www.futureartists.co.uk/forum/

, Diary of a Bad lad mentioned above will also be launched online for free for 1 week here also see http://www.dailymotion.com/renderyardchannel

buy a ticket (sold out in advance last time) get networking, do great work, be inspired and get creative. £6 adv.

 

And finally if anyone is about, Mark Ashmore will be at Encounters short film festival in Bristol from Wednesday, Broken Britain can also be seen here on the delegate film computers.

Encounters http://www.encounters-festival.org.uk/

Future Artists live is back!!! Nov 28th, Manchester

Future Artists Update 15^th Nov 2009-11-15

 

Click here for more info:

Madrid and The Oscars!!! – Skillset Take 12 and Future Artists – Shootingpeople digital bootcamp – Northwest new wave Salford film festival news – Broken Britain update – Future Artists 2 – we are at Encounters.

 

Mark Ashmore and Jenny Inchbald of FutureArtists.co.uk have just got back from a development meeting with Manuel Cristobal of Perro Verde Films, whilst in Madrid Manuel got a call to say that his animation feature film the ‘missing Lynx’ had just been short listed for the OSCARS!!!!  Wow, meeting went well, major announcements will be happening in the next couple of months, we are keeping top secret on this!!!.

SEE TRAILER HERE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALWtiQ1LdDg&feature=related

 

For Films Jenny Walker and Future Artists Jenny Inchbald are currently working on a new media strategy for our debut UK Co-production, Jenny Inchbald has also been accepted onto the Film council and Skillset Take 12 initiative, which aims to develop 12 leading UK film companies, so that their business plans can tackle the fast moving changes in the UK film industry

http://www.ethnicnow.com/channels/film/press-release/3/4154/skillset-launch-new-digital-film-training-programme.html

 

Future Artists are also pleased to announce that they are working closely with Shootingpeople.org , this strategic partnership will see Future Artists giving workshops at Shooting people digital bootcamps, we where last seen at Sheffield Doc fest and we will with shooting people at their Bournemouth and Edinburgh events towards the end of the year.

Shootingpeople info here https://shootingpeople.org/account/auth.php

 

The North west New wave continues to make wave’s, this time on our own patch, the 6^th Salford international film festival starts on Friday, with a weeks worth of cutting edge cinema, On Saturday 21^st of November the critically acclaimed Film ‘Diary of a Badlad’ comes to the Lowry, back to back with ‘Mancatten’ two films made for under 5k which are currently getting quite a lot of press, both are fantastic films, and unique and entertaining, more info here. 

Salford film festival here  http://www.salfordfilmfestival.org.uk/

 

Also screening at the festival will be Mark Ashmore’s ‘Broken Britain’ (Salford arts centre, 8pm, Sun 22^nd) funded for 2k from the Northwest Vision and Media Film councils short film fund, the film has been screened worldwide, last seen at the Strasburg film festival, come meet Future Artists co-director Mark Ashmore and chew the fat.

See EXCLUSIVE CLIP HERE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-dq_4PS2Eo

 

Also last few tickets for our live event Future Artists 2, which this time is an un conference, lots of things going off at this event, best check the forum for up to date info here http://www.futureartists.co.uk/forum/

, Diary of a Bad lad mentioned above will also be launched online for free for 1 week here also see http://www.dailymotion.com/renderyardchannel

buy a ticket (sold out in advance last time) get networking, do great work, be inspired and get creative. £6 adv.

 

And finally if anyone is about, Mark Ashmore will be at Encounters short film festival in Bristol from Wednesday, Broken Britain can also be seen here on the delegate film computers.

Encounters http://www.encounters-festival.org.uk/

3D Adverts

Next 3D frontier: Bigscreen ads

Territories lining up spots for 'Avatar'

By IAN MUNDELL

BRUSSELS -- After a tentative start, Europe is embracing 3D in-theater advertising. Most territories are lining up 3D spots to catch the "Avatar" wave in December, with expectations of growth in 2010.

Some territories have embraced the potential of having cinema advertising match the films screening, while others have reservations. In the Netherlands, advertisers are unwilling to invest in the more costly format. And in Italy, ads are shown on different projectors from the main feature, and these are not 3D-ready.

Price is commonly mentioned as a barrier, with advertisers worried that 3D spots are expensive to produce, yet only play with a few films on a small proportion of screens.

"Our greatest challenge is to get advertisers (and media agencies) to understand that 3D productions are affordable," says Espen Strand Henriksen, marketing manager with Norway movie ad distribution company CAPA Kinoreklame.

The country's first 3D campaign, for Hennig Olsen ice cream, ran over the summer. France also kicked off a 3D spot from candy company Haribo.

In the U.K., cinema ad company Pearl & Dean found the range of 3D options, and therefore costs, too broad for advertisers. Over the past year it has worked with production houses to produce a more structured offer.

"That has given advertisers a bit more confidence, and with the number of screens increasing quite dramatically they are able to get a better return on their 3D commercials than a year ago," says Mike Hope-Milne, enterprise director.

Pearl & Dean also ran its first campaigns during the summer, a promo for Nickelodeon and an ambitious interactive 3D game for telecom company O2.

In Portugal, there's concern that family films, which rep the largest number of 3D releases, aren't the best vehicles for splashy screen ads.

"Most 3D releases, at least in 2009, are family and animation movies, which exclude some important brands and segments. For example alcoholic drinks, which represent a huge percentage of cinema advertising," says Mafalda Malafaya of Screenvision in Lisbon.

In Belgium, Screenvision began wooing advertisers for "Avatar" in October. Aware that time is short to produce 3D spots, it is suggesting simpler options such as pulling 3D scenes out of 2D spots or adding a 3D logo, with ad costs starting around e10,000 ($15,000).