Industry Aligns to Fund Film 3D Rollout to Exhibitors
Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:00am EDT
Technicolor, Deluxe, Eastman Kodak and Fujifilm Create Silver Screen Fund ORLANDO, Fla.--(Business Wire)-- Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453) (NYSE: TMS), through its Technicolor Business Group, has aligned with entertainment industry leaders Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, Eastman Kodak Company, and Fujifilm to provide financial assistance to exhibitors seeking an immediate 3D solution. The Silver Screen Fund defers costs associated with the purchase and installation of silver screens by providing financial assistance to exhibitors who deploy the Technicolor 3D solution. The fund will be managed by Technicolor, which last week announced broad studio support for the Technicolor 3D solution. The Silver Screen Fund will finance up to 500 silver screens to be installed at theatres in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Funding is available immediately for qualified exhibitors. When exhibitors complete the terms of the Silver Screen Fund agreement, they will own the silver screen, a necessary component for future digital 3D projection. "Technicolor is committed to delivering high-quality, affordable 3D solutions, and the creation of the Silver Screen Fund accelerates our promise to our exhibition partners by helping them defer upfront costs associated with the purchase and installation of silver screens," said Lanny Raimondo, head of Technicolor. "Thanks to overwhelming studio and industry support, we expect to sign up these first 500 screens in the coming weeks, keeping us on track to reach our target of more than 1,000 Technicolor 3D screens by mid-2010." "Deluxe is proud to have a long history of supporting our customers by providing whatever format they choose for their content. This technology bridge for 3D exhibition is a cost effective way to help our customers maximize their theatrical release schedules," said Cyril Drabinsky, President and CEO of Deluxe. "Right now, there are not enough 3D screens to accommodate major releases and the screen shortage becomes compounded when you consider issues of overlapping 3D releases," said Kim Snyder, President, Entertainment Imaging, and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. "The industry desperately needs additional screens to satisfy demands by studios and movie fans, who consistently vote for 3D with their box-office dollar. The Silver Screen Fund levels the playing field so all exhibitors can realize the benefits of 3D presentations." "With the Digital 3D roll-out slowed significantly by the economy, and because of the prohibitive cost associated with digital cinema conversion, we believe Technicolor`s film-based 3D innovation is the right solution," said Graeme Parcher, Group Vice President, FUJIFILM North American Motion Picture Group. "We are excited to partner with our industry colleagues to introduce this significant advance in film 3D technology." Technicolor 3D Motion Picture Support Multiple major motion picture studios are supporting the Technicolor 3D solution. DreamWorks Animation, Lionsgate, Paramount, Overture, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., and The Weinstein Company are working with Technicolor to deliver content for presentation in Technicolor 3D. Seventeen 3D titles have already been announced for 2010 release, with more expected from several distributors. The studios noted above account for the majority of these titles, including How to Train Your Dragon, Piranha 3D, Shrek Forever After, Despicable Me, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, Friday the 13th: Part 2; Guardians of Ga`Hoole, Alpha and Omega, Burst, Oobermind, and Yogi Bear. How the Technicolor 3D Solution Works The Technicolor 3D Solution employs a proprietary "production to projection" system that leverages 35mm (or film) projectors already in use by the majority of U.S. and international theatres today to deliver high-quality 3D content to moviegoers. A patent-pending lens system assembles the left and right eye images as the film runs through the projector and delivers a 3D-ready image onto a silver screen. The solution works with circular polarized glasses-identical to the ones used for existing digital 3D cinema-to "translate" the film`s content into an image that is perceived by the viewer as being three dimensional. The silver screen can be used for the projection of both Technicolor 3D as well as digital 3D content. The Technicolor 3D Solution can be installed nearly immediately. No build-out or significant modifications of the projection booth are required. About Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc., is the leading provider of a broad range of entertainment industry services and technologies to major Hollywood Studios and an international client base. http://www.bydeluxe.com About Kodak's Entertainment Imaging Kodak's Entertainment Imaging Division is the world-class leader in providing film, digital and hybrid motion imaging products, services, and technology for the professional motion picture and exhibition industries. For more information, visit www.kodak.com/go/motion, or follow Kodak Motion Picture Film on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kodak-Motion-Picture-Film/40524618557. About Kodak As the world's foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of pictures and printing to enrich their lives. To learn more, visit http://www.kodak.com and follow our blogs and more at http://www.kodak.com/go/followus. About Fujifilm Motion Picture Products Since its founding in 1934, Fujifilm Motion Picture products have driven advances that established the company as a pre-eminent leader in the science of ultra-thin film coating technologies. The company's photographic, graphic arts and medical imaging films, magnetic recording media, flat panel display materials, and photolithographic semiconductor coating technologies all share in this core technology heritage. Fujifilm has made continued advances in its film stocks, most notably through its popular Eterna line. In addition to numerous awards for technical merit, Fujifilm's product performance has been acknowledged by leading cinematographers and directors of photography who have selected Fujifilm stock for productions including A Beautiful Mind, Sideways, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Slumdog Millionaire. About FUJIFILM Corporation FUJIFILM Corporation brings continuous innovation and leading-edge products to a broad spectrum of industries, including electronic imaging, photofinishing equipment, medical systems, life sciences, graphic arts, flat panel display materials, and office products, based on a vast portfolio of digital, optical, fine chemical and thin film coating technologies. The company was among the top 15 companies around the world granted U.S. patents in 2008, employs more than 70,000 people worldwide and in the year ended March 31, 2009, had global revenues of $24 billion. Fujifilm is committed to environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit www.fujifilmholdings.com. About Thomson Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453)(NYSE: TMS) is a worldwide leader of services to content creators. http://www.thomson.net. Technicolor Season Skuro, 818-371-0006 season.skuro@technicolor.com or Hill & Knowlton Julie Mathis, 415-281-7189 julie.mathis@hillandknowlton.com Copyright Business Wire 2009
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