All posts by cj flynn

I came late to the cinema exhibition world, beginning with installations and training and marketing and quality assurance in 2002 with the film to digital transition all over the EU, and even China – from Sligo to Shenzhen is the catchphrase I use. It was a great time with great people. This project is my way to give some of that back. –––––––– History and Fate have led to this point, working in the audio recording business in the 70s during its initial transition to digital, in computer automation for audio consoles and other high end gear in the 80s and 90s, then in video equipment as it went from heavy iron to digital. And then somehow being a projectionist at the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals in the early 2000s and making certain that systems were set up properly for a manufacture who had to report to DCI and doing bug-searches and white papers and ...wow, it has been fun.

Academy to mandate theatrical expansions for best picture contenders starting in 2024 | News | Screen

 

 

In a move that will require distributors to plan wider and longer theatrical releases, the Academy has issued new rules starting next season that will ensure companies expand a best picture contender’s theatrical footprint no later than 45 days after the initial qualifying release.

In a bid to support theatre-going, new requirements by the board starting with the 97th Academy Awards honouring films released in 2024 mean that once a film has received its initial one-week theatrical release in one of six qualifying US markets, it must meet certain additional theatrical standards for best picture eligibility:

  • Expanded theatrical run of seven days, consecutive or non-consecutive, in 10 of the top 50 US markets, no later than 45 days after the initial release in 2024;
  • For late-in-the-year films with expansions after January 10, 2025, distributors must submit release plans to the Academy for verification;
  • Release plans for late-in-the-year films must include a planned expanded theatrical run, as described above, to be completed no later than January 24, 2025;
  • Non-US territory releases can count towards two of the 10 markets; and
  • Qualifying non-US markets include the top 15 international theatrical markets plus the home territory for the film.

The Academy will review the new requirements, as it does all eligibility rules, on an ongoing basis. Eligibility for achievements in the various discipline categories will not be impacted by the new requirements.

The new measures follow Academy conversations with distributors of all sizes and are in synch with the Academy’s belief that a vibrant theatrical sector is crucial to the well-being of the industry.

While the new requirements will extend theatrical runs by at least seven days they do not mandate distributors to keep films in theatres for 45 days; rather the companies must put their films in 10 markets within 45 days of release and could in theory open a film in 10 or more markets straight away.

The expansion requirement may be challenging to smaller distributors, which is why the Academy has announced the measures this week to give distributors time to plan 2024 releases. There are no restrictions on films subsequently getting a re-release more than 45 days after the initial launch date. Distributors often do this after the Oscar nominations are announced.

Distributors of late-year releases would have less than 45 days in which to expand their films’ theatrical footprints given the January 24 2025 cut-off.

While the rule change is not about the length of a theatrical run, it also remains to be seen how it will impact the streamers’ theatrical engagement.

For this season at least, Amazon Studios has shown it is committed to a considerable exclusive theatrical release as it did with Air, which got a 30-day exclusive theatrical run and played on more than 3,500 screens before it arrived on Prime Video.

Screen understands Apple is planning 45-day exclusive runs on its upcoming Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott epics Killers Of The Flower Moon (with Paramount) and Napoleon (with Sony).

Netflix does not always give a film a long theatrical run and last year the streamer put Rian Johnson’s whodunnit Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in theatres for one week before the platform debut. Executive chairman Reed Hastings explained that while he was aware the company was leaving money on the table by foregoing a longer theatrical release, it was promotional tactic in service to Netflix subscribers and Netflix had no plans to build a theatrical business.

What remained unclear at time of writing was how smaller distributors that lack spending power – particularly those handling international feature film contenders whose producers or national film bodies cannot commit to a substantial release – will afford to expand their initial theatrical footprint.

It was also unclear which source will define the top 15 international theatrical markets. Screen understands the Academy will adapt as market ranking fluctuates.

“As we do every year, we have been reviewing and assessing our theatrical eligibility requirements for the Oscars,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang. “In support of our mission to celebrate and honor the arts and sciences of moviemaking, it is our hope that this expanded theatrical footprint will increase the visibility of films worldwide and encourage audiences to experience our artform in a theatrical setting. Based on many conversations with industry partners, we feel that this evolution benefits film artists and movie lovers alike.”

How a Toilet Plunger Improved CPR – The New York Times

Is the cost of training and 20K worth saving a client’s life?

The conventional method for chest compressions doesn’t have a great success rate. Doctors are pumping it up with a high-tech plunger.

A CPR device that includes a plunger, hinged support and plastic valve apparatus that fits over a patient's face on a plain white background.
Cardiac arrest patients who received neuroprotective CPR within 11 minutes of a call to 911 were about three times more likely to survive with good brain function than were those who received conventional CPR.AdvancedCPR Solutions

In 1988, a 65-year-old man’s heart stopped at home. His wife and son didn’t know CPR, so in desperation they grabbed a toilet plunger to get his heart going until an ambulance showed up.

Later, after the man recovered at San Francisco General Hospital, his son gave the doctors there some advice: Put toilet plungers next to all of the beds in the coronary unit.

The hospital didn’t do that, but the idea got the doctors thinking about better ways to do CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the conventional method for chest compressions after cardiac arrest. More than three decades later, at a meeting of emergency medical services directors this week in Hollywood, Fla., researchers presented data showing that using a plunger-like setup leads to remarkably better outcomes for reviving patients.

Traditional CPR doesn’t have a great track record: On average, just 7 percent of people who receive it before getting to the hospital are ultimately discharged with full brain function, according to a national registry of cardiac arrests treated by emergency medical workers in communities across the country.

“It is dismal,” said Dr. Keith Lurie, a cardiologist at the University of Minnesota Medical School who treated the plunger patient in 1988.

The new procedure, known as neuroprotective CPR, has three components. First, a silicone plunger forces the chest up and down, not only pushing blood out to the body, but drawing it back in to refill the heart. A plastic valve fits over a face mask or breathing tube to control pressure in the lungs.

The third piece is a body-positioning device sold by AdvancedCPR Solutions, a firm in Edina, Minn., that was founded by Dr. Lurie. A hinged support slowly elevates a supine patient into a partial sitting position. This allows oxygen-starved blood in the brain to drain more effectively and to be replenished more quickly with oxygenated blood.

The three pieces of equipment, which fit into a backpack, cost about $20,000 and can be used for several years. The devices have been separately approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

About four years ago, researchers began studying the combination of all three devices used in tandem. At this week’s meeting, Dr. Paul Pepe, a longtime CPR researcher and the director of Dallas County’s emergency medical services, reported results from 380 patients who could not be revived by defibrillation, making their odds of survival particularly bleak. Among those who received the new CPR method within 11 minutes of cardiac arrest, 6.1 percent survived with brain function intact, compared with just 0.6 percent who received traditional CPR.

He also reported significantly better odds for a subgroup of patients who had no heartbeat but had random electric activity in their heart muscles. The typical odds of survival for people in those circumstances are about 3 percent. But the patients in Dr. Pepe’s study who received neuroprotective CPR had a 10 percent chance of leaving the hospital neurologically intact.

Last year, a study carried out in four states found similar results. Patients who received neuroprotective CPR within 11 minutes of a 911 call were about three times as likely to survive with good brain function as those who received conventional CPR.

“This is the right thing to do,” Dr. Pepe said.

A couple of years ago, Jason Benjamin went into cardiac arrest after a workout at a gym in St. Augustine, Fla. A friend took him to a nearby fire department, where trained workers deployed the neuroprotective CPR gear. It took 24 minutes and multiple defibrillations to revive him.

After he recovered, Mr. Benjamin, a former emergency medical technician himself, was amazed to learn about the new approach that had saved his life. He read the studies and interviewed Dr. Lurie. The three-part procedure had several complicated names at the time. It was Mr. Benjamin who came up with the term neuroprotective CPR “because that’s what it’s doing,” Mr. Benjamin recalled, adding that “the focus was on protecting my brain.”

Dr. Karen Hirsch, a neurologist at Stanford University and a member of the CPR standards committee for the American Heart Association, said that the new approach was interesting and made physiological sense, but that the committee needed to see more research on patients before it could formally recommend it as a treatment option.

“We’re limited to the available data,” she said, adding that the committee would like to see a clinical trial in which people undergoing cardiac arrests are randomly assigned to conventional CPR or neuroprotective CPR. No such trials are happening in the United States.

Dr. Joe Holley, the medical director for the emergency medical service that serves Memphis and several surrounding communities, isn’t waiting for a larger trial. Two of his teams, he said, were getting neurologically intact survival rates of about 7 percent with conventional CPR. With neuroprotective CPR, the rates rose to around 23 percent.

His crews are coming back from emergency calls much happier these days, too, and patients are even showing up at fire stations to thank them for their help.

“That was a rare occurrence,” Dr. Holley said. “Now it’s almost a regular thing.”

 


What to Know About Heart Health

Heart attacks and strokes are among the leading causes of death around the world, but there are ways to protect yourself.


UNIC’s 2023 Annual Report Published at CineEurope

 

 

UNIC’S 2023 ANNUAL REPORT PUBLISHED AT CINEEUROPE

 

CineEurope 2023, Barcelona: 20 June 2023 – The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC), the trade association representing cinema operators and their national associations across 39 European territories, has today published its Annual Report on key cinema trends in the region in 2022/23.

 

Cinionic Named Official Projection Provider of CineEurope 2023 – Celluloid Junkie

 

#Cinionic Named Official Projection Provider of CineEurope 2023#

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ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NEW JERSEY ( May 25, 2023 ) –

Cinionic, the global leader in laser cinema technology, has partnered with the Film Expo Group to become the Official Cinema Projection Provider of CineEurope for the fifth year in a row. All projection equipment in the CCIB Auditorium will be supplied by Cinionic, powering the studio product presentations and screenings with Laser Projection by Cinionic.

“We are excited about the opportunity to yet again partner with a technology giant like Cinionic at CineEurope. We are confident this continued partnership will help the development of cinematic technologies expand throughout the region,” said Andrew Sunshine, President of The Film Expo Group.

Welcoming today’s announcement, UNIC CEO Laura Houlgatte-Abbott said: “We are hugely grateful for this latest show of support for CineEurope by Cinionic. As one of Europe’s leading cinema technology suppliers, we look forward to continuing to work closely with Cinionic colleagues on the show and more broadly.”

Cinionic, a Barco company, has pioneered numerous industry firsts ever since the early days of digital cinema, cementing its leadership in technology innovation. Today, Cinionic leads the global transition to laser with an award-winning portfolio of solutions and services designed to support cinemas as they prepare for the next generation of moviegoing. Over 35,000 screens around the world are now powered by Laser Projection by Cinionic.

Recognizing a paradigm shift in the marketplace, Cinionic has launched a new way to approach cinema technology, leading to partnerships with top global exhibitors to transform moviegoing in this next era. The introduction of new business models now enables exhibitors to embrace top entertainment trends and deliver the future of cinema today.

“Cinionic is proud to continue our role as the Official Cinema Projection Provider for CineEurope,” said Wim Buyens, CEO of Cinionic. “We are committed to supporting the global exhibition industry and enabling a bright future for cinema. With laser projection, we are delivering a greener way to showcase and enjoy movies during CineEurope and year-round through our theater partners across the world.”

About CineEurope
CineEurope 2023 will take place 19-22 June at the Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain. CineEurope is the longest-running and most successful European convention and trade show for major, regional, and independent cinema professionals. CineEurope will feature exclusive screenings and product presentations of upcoming films, sponsored networking events, timely and informative seminars, and the CineEurope Trade Show. CineEurope is the Official Convention of the Union Internationale des Cinémas/International Union of Cinemas (UNIC).

About UNIC
The Union Internationale des Cinémas/International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) represents the interests of cinema trade associations and cinema operators covering 39 countries in Europe and in neighboring regions.

About Film Expo Group
The Film Expo Group is the premier organizer of events in the motion picture industry. The Film Expo Group produces CineEurope, held in Barcelona; ShowEast, held in Miami; and CineAsia, held in Bangkok. Additional information on CineEurope can be found at www.cineeurope.net.

About Cinionic
Cinionic, a Barco company, was founded in 2018 with a commitment to creating a new visual standard and moving the cinema industry forward. Cinionic’s future-ready enhanced services and technology solutions provide compelling cinema experiences. The company’s world-class technology portfolio includes award-winning laser projectors, HDR, integrated media servers, and premium cinema experiences, among other innovations. With more than 100,000 projectors installed globally, Cinionic is trusted by more than 200 exhibitors to help capture audiences at multiple touchpoints in their cinema journey and keep them coming back for more. Cinionic has offices in Belgium, United States, Mexico, Australia, and Hong Kong.  Visit www.cinionic.com and follow us on TwitterLinkedInFacebook  or YouTube  for more information.

Italian Premiere of “Avatar: The Way of Water” ARCADIA Cinema Melzo, PLF Energy Screen  

View profile for Laura Fumagalli

From LinkedIn

Tuesday, December 13th 2022

Arcadia as Avatar 2Avatar Water on 30 meter screenArcadia Avatar Pre-show crowdArcadia Avatar Pre-show crowd 2

What an A.M.A.Z.I.N.G evening!

Special thanks to The Walt Disney Company for choosing PLF Energia Screen for the premiere. Our huge theatre lobby has been transformed into Pandora.

Guests were first treated to WOW experiences in the huge lobby and then in PLF Energia Screen with a special 3D screening, dual projection on Christie Digital Systems 4K digital projectors both with laser light source by CINEMECCANICA SPA, lighting up our 30 meters wide screen, with Dolby Atmos™ immersive sound on largest configuration of Meyer Sound audio system.

Breathtaking Cinema experience on the Big Screen, the way it was meant to be seen.

Our kudos to James Cameron to his amazing 5 years production work which can now be finally screened to audiences worldwide. It is an honor for us to offer to our patrons to seat together, to dream together with their eyes wide opened to the big screen, to let them journey back to Pandora together. Arcadia as Avatar 1Unmissable Unique experience to be remembered for decades to come. 💙 More photos and video on our @arcadiacinema IG page.

Arthouse Cinema Group – CICAE – Calls for Support After Funding Cuts

CICAE calls for support after Creative Europe – MEDIA cuts funding for the only international training for arthouse cinemas

– The association claims their course for young cinema professionals will not be able to be continued without the main funder

CICAE Logo – Confederation Internationale des Cinemas d'art et E'essai

The International Arthouse Cinema Association CICAE is calling for support after Creative Europe – MEDIA cut funding for the only international training for arthouse cinemas. In 2004, the association established an international training course for young cinema professionals from Europe and many other countries to strengthen and build their skills, develop new ideas and create new business models for the cinema of the future in an ever-changing media world. For the period 2023-2025, the MEDIA programme of the European Union has withdrawn its support for this initiative.

According to the association, “Without the main funder, the training course will not be able to be continued. And this at a time when cinema urgently needs new impulses for the future after three years of the pandemic and rising energy costs.”

CICAE has issued a call for action, which you can read below:

“The business model of cinemas is evolving, as is the behaviour of its audience. Events, programme diversity and new marketing strategies are becoming just as important as investments in digital and ecological modernisation.

“All of this is embodied in the Arthouse Cinema Training, which has trained and further educated almost 1,000 cinema operators and film professionals over the years so that they can successfully establish the cinema as a permanent place of encounter in the neighbourhood in a rapidly changing society,” the association adds in their press release.

“Professionalisation, innovation and networking are the keys to the necessary change in our industry. Through the Arthouse Cinema Training, a network of alumni has been created to foster the ideas of the European Union and the MEDIA network in their everyday work, such as increasing audiences’ interest in and knowledge of European films and audiovisual work, and promoting competitiveness, scalability, cooperation, innovation and sustainability in the European audiovisual sector.

“The training programme remains the only international training scheme that is specifically, explicitly and individually tailored to the needs of the independent exhibition industry. Unlike other market participants, such as creatives and producers, there are neither targeted national training programmes nor many opportunities for international meetings for the arthouse exhibition industry.

“With the discontinuation of EU funding, there is a serious risk of losing a painstakingly built network and support structures developed over many years, which strengthened the role of arthouse cinemas, and which contributed to the dissemination and visibility of the diversity of European filmmaking.

“In her State of the Union address in September, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, declared 2023 to be the ‘European Year of Competences’. These are exactly the competences we need for European cinema because the shortage of skilled workers is also affecting movie theatres.

“We need a new generation of courageous cinema operators who also trust in the power of cinema and will stand up for film and art diversity, and thus also for democratic values in Europe.

“We need the Arthouse Cinema Training to continue having exhibitors doing the essential work of showcasing and creating visibility for a rich, beautiful and daring European cinema.”

Barco looks back at 8 years of LIPA leadership

Kortrijk, 14 December 2022 – Ahead of the upcoming annual general meeting when he will hand over chairmanship to his successor, Goran Stojmenovik looks back at 8 years that have changed the laser industry and where he thinks it might go.

The 2022 annual general meeting of LIPA (Laser Illuminated Projector Association) will mark a turning point for the body. When Dr. Goran Stojmenovik retires as chair, it will see the end of Barco’s eight-year run heading the industry body. The previous chair, Jan Daem, was also from Barco. A founding member of LIPA in 2011, Barco still intends to play “a very active role” moving forward.

Barco LIPA presentationEducating the market

LIPA’s role is to present the world with a single industry voice when it comes to rationalizing laser regulations. One example is the governmental regulations that put onerous and costly requirements on the cinema exhibitors that integrate laser engines into their projectors. LIPA has had some success with better explaining the industry’s position, noting that regulators prefer that the industry stakeholders speak with a single unified voice.

Stojmenovik’s tenure was marked by what he calls “market education”, providing science-based responses to regulatory issues. These have included articles, interviews, webinars, white papers and blog articles. “This body of work now constitutes a bank of material for rationalization and education around technical and regulatory topics,” according to Stojmenovik.

LIPA also worked the optical hazard department of the FDA in the US. This led to the easing of some requirements for laser illuminated projectors, notably reducing their minimum height from 3 meters to 2.5 in some cases. “The goal was to avoid people getting the light in their eyes from too close,” he says. “The requirement is there for safety purposes, which we understand. But it also has to be rational.”

“Engaging with the community”

The Covid restrictions also provided a challenge, with LIPA struggling to continue “engaging with the LIPA community” during lockdown. The annual general and board meetings of 2020 and 2021 were moved online. Webinars kept people in touch and the ten-year celebration of LIPA was done online.

Aptly, Barco’s eight-year chairmanship of LIPA will close with the 2023 board and annual general meetings that it will host at its campus in Kortrijk, Belgium.

Looking ahead

Over the last four years, LIPA’s membership fluctuated with comings and goings but has remained stable overall. Stojmenovik can still see lots of work for the body over the next four years. “All the standards governing laser projections – notably cinema – are up for review. So it’s important the industry’s voice is heard.” He compares it to the early days of LIPA when legislation and standards were being written worldwide. Now new standards are appearing, notably in emerging markets. “We need to follow these developments. A lot has changed in the laser market, so it’s not easy to predict what will happen.”

 

About Barco
Barco is a global technology leader that develops networked visualization solutions for the entertainment, enterprise, and healthcare markets. Our solutions make a visible impact, allowing people to enjoy compelling entertainment experiences; to foster knowledge sharing and smart decision-making in organizations and to help hospitals provide their patients with the best possible healthcare.

Headquartered in Kortrijk (Belgium), Barco realized sales of 804 million euro in 2021 and has a global team of 3,000+ employees, whose passion for technology is captured in +500 granted patents. Barco has been listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange since 1985. (Euronext: BAR; Reuters: BARBt.BR; Bloomberg: BAR BB)

Get the latest market and trend insights in our brand magazine ‘Bright Insights’. And visit us on www.barco.com, follow us on Twitter (@Barco), LinkedIn (Barco), YouTube (BarcoTV), Instagram(barco_nv) or like us on Facebook (Barco).

 

© Copyright 2022 by Barco

Failures in Twitter’s Two-Factor Authentication System

Without getting into the politics, if you think that two factor authentication will help you with your Twitter security, run away! From Schneier on Security.

Twitter is having intermittent problems with its two-factor authentication system:

Not all users are having problems receiving SMS authentication codes, and those who rely on an authenticator app or physical authentication token to secure their Twitter account may not have reason to test the mechanism. But users have been self-reporting issues on Twitter since the weekend, and WIRED confirmed that on at least some accounts, authentication texts are hours delayed or not coming at all.

The meltdown comes less than two weeks after Twitter laid off about half of its workers, roughly 3,700 people. Since then, engineers, operations specialists, IT staff, and sécurité teams have been stretched thin attempting to adapt Twitter’s offerings and build new features per new owner Elon Musk’s agenda.

On top of that, it seems that the system has a new vulnerability:

A researcher contacted Information Security Media Group on condition of anonymity to reveal that texting “STOP” to the Twitter verification service results in the service turning off SMS two-factor authentication.

“Your phone has been removed and SMS 2FA has been disabled from all accounts,” is the automated response.

The vulnerability, which ISMG verified, allows a hacker to spoof the registered phone number to disable two-factor authentication. That potentially exposes accounts to a password reset attack or account takeover through password stuffing.

This is not a good sign.

 

UNIC PUBLISHES 2022 ANNUAL REPORT AT CINEEUROPE 

CineEurope 2022, Barcelona: 21 June 2022 – The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC), the trade association representing cinema operators and their national associations across 39 European territories, has today published its Annual Report on key cinema trends in the region in 2021/22.

The report – available online here – provides an in-depth look at recent trends and developments in the European cinema industry, one of the most diverse, innovative and dynamic in the World.

Having faced the unprecedented challenges of the COVID pandemic, 2021 saw cinemas across the globe move swiftly along the road to recovery. European cinema admissions increased by an estimated 36.4 per cent in 2021, with almost 590 million visits across the region. Box office reached €3.7 billion, an increase of 40.8 per cent on the previous year. At EU level – including the UK – close to 400 million tickets were sold in cinemas, worth an estimated €3.0 billion at the box office – an increase of 31.1 per cent and 38.4 per cent respectively. All this when most screens across the region were shut for the first six months of the year and operating for the remainder under limited occupancy and/or additional restrictions.

The relevance of local European releases was never clearer than during these challenging times, with countries such as
France (40.6 per cent), the
Czech Republic (38.3 per cent),
Serbia (37 per cent),
Denmark (37 per cent) and
Norway (28.1 per cent)
leading the way in terms of national films’ market share. In 2021, several European and International titles managed to break box office records at national and international level, all the more astonishing given their challenging release context.

The hugely impressive figures featured in the UNIC report – and the predictions for 2022 – provide ample demonstration of the resilience of the cinema sector, underpinned by the insatiable public appetite for the cinema-going experience. With the cinema industry now firmly set on the path of recovery, we are confident that it will get back to the record- breaking results of 2019.

Commenting on the report’s publication, UNIC President Phil Clapp said:

“While the numbers shown here for 2021 are very positive, it remains the case that these remain challenging times for the European cinema sector. As a consequence, all industry stakeholders and policy-makers need to continue to pursue efforts aimed at ensuring the survival of local cinemas, whatever their size and location.

The only way to achieve this is to focus on ensuring both sustainability for all stakeholders in the value chain as well as the availability of films to the benefit of audiences.

2022 will be a pivotal year for the industry. UNIC members are confident that the cinema industry will come back stronger from this crisis, and that, as before, the audience will continue to enjoy films together, on the Big Screen.”

Many of the trends examined in the Annual Report will also be discussed during the week at CineEurope, UNIC’s official convention and Europe’s premier gathering of cinema exhibition professionals from the region and beyond.

Notes for editors

The 2022 UNIC Annual Report is available online here.

The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC)

The Union Internationale des Cinémas/International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) represents the interests of cinema trade associations and cinema operators covering 39 countries in Europe and neighbouring regions.

CineEurope

CineEurope 2022 is taking place 20-23 June at the Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain. CineEurope is the longest running and most successful European convention and trade show for major, regional, and independent cinema professionals. CineEurope will feature exclusive screenings and product presentations of upcoming films, sponsored events, timely and informative seminars, and the CineEurope Trade Show. CineEurope is the Official Convention of the Union Internationale des Cinémas/International Union of Cinemas (UNIC).

The Film Expo Group

The Film Expo Group is the premier organizer of events in the motion picture industry. The Film Expo Group produces CineEurope, held in Barcelona; ShowEast, held in Miami; and CineAsia, held in Bangkok.

Further enquiries

[email protected] / +32 488 08 51 95 | @CineEurope | @UNIC_Cinemas

UNIC
Union Internationale des Cinémas | International Union of Cinemas | UNIC
Av. des Arts 10-11 boîte 11 | 1210 Brussels (Saint-Josse-ten-Noode) | Belgium
www.unic-cinemas.org 
Twitter: @UNIC_Cinemas | Facebook: @UNIC.Cinemas
 

THE OTHER-ABLED, AND YOU

There’s a funny thing on the internet that lets people in public service jobs know how to deal with those who are disabled – those poor disabled people who have no ability to use Braille or sign language in this case!

What to Do when You Meet a Sighted Person

“Sighted people tend to be very proud and will not ask directly for assistance. Be gentle, yet firm.”

“Calmly alert the sighted person to his or her surroundings by speaking slowly, in a normal tone of voice. There is no need to raise your voice when addressing a sighted person.”

OK;  jokes aside. We are in a service business, and we get a lot of practice dealing with people who can walk strait to the proper line without assistance, but we don’t get a lot of practice dealing with people who need different kinds of assistance.

Does that blind person get a benefit from using Closed Caption equipment? Uhm…probably not. Audio Description equipment? Yes! Probably, yes. Should you ask? Good idea. 

There are a couple good reasons to ask. One, it helps with the first basic communication point: everyone gets to know that they are being paid attention to. Two, people jump to the wrong conclusion sometimes. I may think that you are looking at your ticket to find the auditorium number, but you are looking to see if you have the right date.

When someone needs to use the Accessibility Equipment, they may think that

  • you are an expert and that
  • the equipment has been tested recently and that
  • the batteries are fully charged and that
  • the projectionist has made the playlist perfectly, including the captions and narration tracks and that
  • the accessibility hardware in the projection booth is turned on and tested

And, of course you are an expert…or want to be…but no matter how hard you study the equipment you don’t seem to get enough practice. And you are never around on SlowTuesday when the practice sessions are.

<Work in Progress – tell us your stories until we get this done…>

Tips for Working with People (clients and workmates) with Specific Needs

Follow the tips below when working with people with specific needs:

  • Use common sense. Remember a client or workmate is a person first, the specific need comes second.
  • Avoid being patronizing. Show the person the same courtesy and respect you expect to receive from others.
  • Be considerate and patient. Try to anticipate what the person’s needs might be,  without being too presumptive or obsequious. Offer assistance if needed without forcing yourself on them.
  • Be patient if he or she needs more time to communicate or accomplish a task.
  • Communicate with the person. Some people with specific needs may have an assistant or companion with them. Look at and speak directly to the person, rather than the assistant.
  • Make certain that your posted signs help the person with specific needs to find the most accessible way to get to the room where they can get the service they require.

Working with People with Limited Mobility

When working with people with mobility issues:

  • Do not push or touch a person’s wheelchair without his or her consent. People using adaptive equipment often consider the equipment as part of their personal space.
  • Ask before helping. Grabbing a person’s elbow may throw the person off balance. A person with mobility impairments might lean on a door while opening it. Quickly opening the door may cause the person to fall. 
  • Secure mats, rugs, and cords to the floor or move them out of the way. This will help prevent tripping.
  • Keep floors dry.
  • Keep ramps and wheelchair accessible doors unlocked and free of clutter.

Working with People with Speech or Hearing Impairments

When working with people with speech difficulties or who are deaf or hard of hearing:

  • Allow a person who cannot speak to write his or her request. Read the statement or request out loud.
  • Follow the person’s cues. This will help to determine whether speaking, gestures, or writing is the most effective method of communication.
  • If speaking, speak calmly, slowly, and directly to the person. Do not shout. Your facial expressions, gestures, and body movements help in understanding. Face the person at all times.
  • Rephrase, rather than repeat, sentences that the person does not understand.

Working with People Who are Blind or Visually Impaired

When working with people with speech difficulties or  who are blind or partially sighted:

  • Identify yourself as a cinema employee. Do this as soon as you come in contact with the patron. Offer your arm, rather than taking the person’s arm when assisting.  Help the person avoid obstacles in the path of travel by being specific when giving verbal directions.
  • If the person has a service animal, walk on the opposite side of the person, away from the service animal . Do not pet or interact with the service animal without the owner’s permission.
  • Describe what you are doing as you are doing it. If walking away from a person who is blind or partially sighted, let him or her know. This prevents the situation where they continue talking to no one.

META AFRICA CINEMA FORUM

The National Film Authority of Ghana and GM Group, organisers of the META Cinema Forum, today announced the launch of Africa’s first ever cinema industry event dedicated to the development of cinema infrastructure in Africa, the META Africa Cinema Forum, scheduled to take place on 21st and 22nd November 2022 in Accra, Ghana.

The Forum is set to explore the significant growth opportunities for cinema exhibition and the film industry in Ghana and across the continent, which remains a largely under-screened region with less than 1.700 screens for a population of 1.3 billion inhabitants (representing one screen per 787.402 people). Yet the wider African film industry is currently attracting unprecedented levels of inward investment. A recent UNESCO report on the potential of the African film sector valued the currently $ 5 billion industry to be worth $ 20 billion.

Yaa Asantewa Asante at META Cinema Forum

The META Cinema Africa Forum aims to bring together cinema operators from across Africa and abroad, national film bodies and regulators, film distributors, producers, investors, vendors and equipment integrators – as well as the creative community – to develop strategies for a thriving cinema exhibition landscape in Africa.

Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante, CEO of the National Film Authority, comments:

“We invite the African and international cinema community to join us in Accra in November for this much needed convention. Ghana is proud to position itself as the cinema gateway opening the doors to the continent in its strategic bid to the World of cinema investors, exhibitors and builders. A vibrant cinema infrastructure will ease the distribution headache of the continent and encourage more investments into high-quality content.

Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner of GM Group, comments:

“We are thrilled about our partnership with the National Film Authority of Ghana and extremely excited about the development potential of cinemas in Ghana and the continent. Our experience of running the META Cinema Forum in Dubai as well as 

having executed numerous events in Ghana in the past years positions us well to create a unique industry event with NFA, one that is taking into account local circumstances and trends as well as open to industry collaboration with cinema colleagues from around the World.”The Forum will also include a content market – the ‘African Film Market’ – of which more details will be made available in due course.

SMPTE IMF DOCS FREELY AVAILABLE 

Before the first SMTPE D-Cinema standards hit publication – back in 2008 – Post Production people began talking about workflows that would start with the DCinema Package as the mezzanine format then break those into anything else that someone needed for distribution on their channel.

That discussion worked its way independently of SMPTE for a while, then started the process that eventually turned into the ST 2067 – Interoperable Master Format (IMF), which today has its own website that makes these tools available for anyone to dig in and get it right.

The website is SMPTE ST 2067 — Interoperable Master Format (IMF)

It includes not only a suite of documents, but the normative references to those documents.

Modern logic says that since these documents are required to correctly implement these ideas and standards, then interface with other group’s equipment and implementations, they need to be available to the very people who can’t afford to get them all. SMPTE experimented with dozens of documents during the Covid times, and this implementation of the IMF documents is an advancement of that concept.

Take a look and get your products involved.