AudioMedia - January 2009 - (Page 14)

w h a t ’s u p UK whatsupuk@audiomedia.com New Tricks For The Old School Independent cinemas and arts theatres, although showing classic films, are also looking to the future with digital technology. KEVIN HILTON visits the Lexi, now fully digital. T hese days small local cinemas are often known as art houses, a slightly sniffy term applied to independently owned and minded movie theatres trying to recreate the past by showing older films, cult movies, and foreign language titles. They may look back in this way, but many are also looking forward and taking advantage of digital, or electronic, cinema (d- or e-cinema, depending on your preference). The basic idea is that films are made in the digital domain, with footage stored as data, rather than on film or videotape. This reduces costs because there are no multiple negatives or large numbers of finished prints. The main feature is instead kept on a central server and screened as digital images through a projector that looks like its forebears but which is also based on digits. Replacing the infrastructure in cinemas up and down the country is a considerable and costly proposition, for the big multiplex chains and independent operators alike. This was recognised by the UK Film Council and Arts Council in 2007 when the Digital Screen Network (DSN) was established. The scheme handed out over £12 million of National Lottery cash, enabling 210 cinemas (in effect 240 screens) to install digital projectors and the supporting hardware in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Big multiplexes operated by Vue and other national operators were among the benefices, but art houses also got a share. In return for this generosity the cinemas pledged to give more screen time to a wider choice of what are described as ‘specialised films’, in other words non-Hollywood, classic, and foreign language movies. By their nature these films have a much smaller potential audience than a big, general appeal release like a Bond film. The government and industry bodies like the UK Film Council want to stimulate the British film industry, and ensuring the potential audience for what is produced can see the films is as important as helping productions get off the ground in the first place. New technology is seen as crucial in distributing minority interest titles, as a digital copy costs approximately one tenth of a 35mm print, which can be around £1,500. The Kino Hawkhurst in Kent is regarded as the first all-digital small independent movie theatre in the UK, opening just over “Replacing the infrastructure in cinemas up and down the country is a considerable and costly proposition, for the big multiplex chains and independent operators alike.” two years ago with funding from DSN and a sound system designed by Munro Acoustics. Andy Munro applied similar design techniques he used for post-production suites and dubbing theatres to create the system for the Kino and recently extended the concept at the Lexi Cinema, which opened in the Kensal Rise area of northwest London during October 2008. The Lexi is part of the Pinkham Lighthouse project, established by Sally Wilton, a businesswoman who has lived in Kensal Rise for 25 years and wanted to give something back to the community, particularly after freak winds devastated the area in 2006. Wilton had also harboured an ambition to run an independent cinema and sold her etc venues business to finance the new venture, which she knew had to be digital. “It’s the way of the future,” she says. The Lexi missed out on DSN funding, so the refurbishment of the Edwardian theatre that houses the cinema and the general Pinkham Lighthouse facilities, as well as the technical installation, was financed wholly by Wilton. It is run as a charity, with all profits going to going to the Sustainability Institute, an eco-village in the Winelands of South Africa. From the beginning, Wilton wanted the Lexi to do and offer more than just films. As well as screening new releases and re-issues, it will have the more esoteric one-offs and seasons associated with the art house circuit. Then there is the community aspect; Wilton is keen for local filmmakers to create a ‘film market’ as an outlet for personal pieces and emerging talent. With her background in corporate presentations, Wilton also wants the Lexi to be a venue for product launches and conferences, as well as live music and dancing. This idea of a flexible, multi-purpose venue called for audiovisual equipment that was suitably adaptable, and sound is a key component. With 1,700 ft of internal space, a total of 80-seats, plus the 16-seater VIP gallery known as the Commander’s Box, the Lexi is what Andy Munro calls ‘the ideal size for an art house cinema’. Munro favours line array loudspeaker systems for dubbing rooms and small picture houses: “This approach is only 14 AUDIO MEDIA JANUARY 2009

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AudioMedia - January 2009 Contents Recording News Post News Broadcast News Geo Focus: India What's Up UK? Special Report: Pimp My Ride AKG C214 Sony Acid Pro 7.0 Final Cut: Mirror's Edge Opportunities in the Reality World She's Got the Look The X-Factor Sadie LRX2 Source Elements Source-Connect 3.1 Buying a Recorder In Control Product Sampler: Trade Shows Video Guide AMSR News Digico SD8 The Last Picture Show File Server

AudioMedia - January 2009

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