'EARLY BIRD' REGISTRATION SAVES $'s
Don't forget that Early Registration for the September CTC Seminars and Workshops goes until August 15th. You can save up to $70 per course simply by registering early - so if you are planning to attend any of the September Programs - register soon and save $'s.
"THEATRE DESIGN & PLANNING" WORKSHOP
Due to the amount of interest received by exhibitors we will be conducting the "Theatre Design & Planning" Workshop this September. Prompted by the interest in 3-D presentations and alternative content such as the opera, stage plays, and other events the need for re-design of interior and projection room space and the upgrading of seating, screens, and sound systems come into play. The one day "Theatre Design & Planning" Workshop will be held on Wednesday, September 16th. For a thumbnail of the workshop go to our website: gotoeec.com or request a CTC Guidebook.
WHEN DO MOVIEGOERS PICK THE FLIX?
According to a recent survey, only 1 out of every 5 moviegoers decides in advance of its release to see a movie. Most moviegoers - about 70% - either pick their movie the day of its release or on the day they are going to the cinema. 8% say they decide what to see when they actually arrive at the cinema - suggesting that in some cases there is always a film playing they are willing to see.
ARBOREEL NEWS
EPEAT FOR TVS
EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) - a consortium of retailers, manufacturers, and federal and state government agencies - rates the environmental friendliness of all types of computer equipment and soon will be instituting a rating/labeling system that will let consumers know how much lead, mercury, and other toxic substances are contained in the TVs they purchase. Considered a step-up from the EPA's Energy Star labeling because of its comprehensiveness, EPEAT-TV will go into effect in 2010 - watch for it.
WATER $
August is the peak water usage month in the U.S. The average American household uses 260 gallons of water per day - but that climbs to over 800 gallons per day during August with some households using as much as 1500 - 2000 gallons. Fresh water is fast becoming our nation's most valued asset so here are some tips to reduce wasteful use:
- Water lawns only in morning or evening and only when needed
- Place careful watch on automatic lawn/garden sprinklers and watering systems
- Consider upgrading to EPA - WaterSense labeled toilets, faucets, and accessories which use up to 40% less water than older fixtures
- Never run tap water until it is cold for drinking - refrigerate it
- Fix any leaking indoor or outdoor faucets or spigots
Just doing these five simple tasks can save a household hundreds of gallons of water and never be noticed.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
DVD VIDEO GAME CHANGER
REDBOX BATTLES HOLLYWOOD
Redbox, with more than 15,000 DVD Kiosks (and installing new ones at a rate of 8 per day) at supermarkets, restaurants, and discount stores is in a battle with Hollywood. Increasing taking away market share from Netflix, the mail order DVD company, Redbox charges only $1 per day for DVD rentals. Each Redbox Kiosk carries 700 DVDs and 200 titles, mostly the latest releases. However, they also sell DVDs for $7 sometimes in less than two weeks after release which prompted Universal Studies Home Entertainment to instruct Redbox to destroy the used DVDs vs. selling them. Redbox has now sued Universal for violating antitrust laws. Meanwhile, Redbox's success has motivated Blockbuster to team up with NCR (of ATM fame) to open 10,000 DVD Kiosks of their own.
CINEMA TRAINING CENTRAL - NEWS
PARENTS SPEND MORE THAN OTHERS ON CONCESSIONS
Parents are much more likely to purchase concessions than other moviegoers - and to spend on average $4 more than other moviegoers. Although the big three: popcorn, soda, and candy top parental purchases - these moviegoers are more likely to buy nachos, hot dogs, and pretzels, as well.
Every 4 out of 10 parents purchase boxed candy as compared to 3 out of 10 for other moviegoers. Peanut M&Ms top the list of preferred candy followed by Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Twizzlers, Junior Mints, with Gummi Bears and Whoppers tied for last.
Finally, parents are more willing to purchase concessions if the theatre offers discount concession combos.
SPEAKING OF SWEETS
For years, the top five candy purchases at theatres were: Raisinetts, Milk Duds, Red Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids, and Skittles, in that order. Recently that changed, in fact exhibitors can now segment their market based on taste and offer candy tie-ins depending upon the film being exhibited.
Males 15 - 34 top candy picks: M&M Peanut, Reese's Pieces, Skittles, Sour Patch
Males 35 - 55 top candy picks: M&M Peanut, M&M Plain, Reese's Pieces Cups
Females 15 - 34 top candy picks: Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, Gummi Bears
Females 35 - 55 top candy picks: Red Twizzlers, M&M Peanut, M&M Plain
Remember: discounts on combos, having a value menu, and offering concession discount days all increase concession sales. Most favored combo - large popcorn and two large drinks.
CTC WORKSHOPS ADD GREEN
In keeping with current environmental building sustainability trends regarding the design, operation, and maintenance of new and existing buildings, CTC's "Cinema Management" and "Theatre Design" Workshops now include information and how-to's regarding the "greening" of cinemas.
Practical, easily implemented and inexpensive eco-friendly policies and practices, as well as, instruction on how to put your cinema on a path to conserving energy and water while cutting expenses and improving customer relations and community goodwill have been incorporated into the Workshops.
THE SOLE SOURCE FOR CINEMA TRAINING
After 8 years, CTC maintains its unique status and remains the one and only source for professional management and technical training for the cinema exhibition industry. With hundreds of alumni from around the world, CTC's core premise of blending hands-on training coupled with the most up-to-date trends and information on the cinema has proven to be a winning combination that cannot be duplicated. So, when looking to increase and improve your knowledge and expertise regarding the management and operation of a cinema - go the the source - CTC.
ARBOREEL NEWS
SINGLE-STREAM RECYCLING - GOOD OR BAD?
Recycling is a continuous and interdependent process: collecting & processing, manufacturing, use of products, return to collection. Single-stream recycling, SSR (also termed "fully comingled recycling") allows for the comingling of paper and mixed container waste (plastic, glass, & metal). Started about 5 years ago, SSR is based upon the premise that comingling vs. separation is a more efficient and less expensive way to recycle trash.
Most communities now use source separation - meaning that residents sort trash before delivery to curbside - but studies have shown that using SSR increases trash tonnage collected, decreases landfill diversion, saves energy and is much more efficient for waste collectors. The bad side - paper manufacturers say that the quality of the paper materials they receive is problematic, with tons of material having to be re-routed to landfills due to contamination with aluminum, glass, and plastic in the paper products they receive.
So the jury is still out on the overall value of SSR. Like many environmental initiatives SSR has a good and bad side. My guess is that SSR will continue to grow but with improved recycle chain enhancements.
A SMALL ECO-FRIENDLY STEP FOR CINEMAS
Bagcraft Papercon now offers natural kraft popcorn bags and other food packaging for cinemas using natural kraft paper. Natural kraft paper is natural, unbleached, and chlorine-free paper. It is fully compostable and biodegradable and is made with 100% recycled paperboard.
Termed EcoCraft these paper products are not any more expensive than processed paper products and come printed using soy based inks and soy blended wax coatings. Check out EcoCraft products - contact us for information. It's an easy way for your cinema to become more eco-friendly.
ARBOREEL CERTIFICATION
Environmental sustainability and certification specialists, like Arboreel, provide not only the expertise to improve your sustainability but the very important third party certification necessary, in many cases, to obtain tax and other rebates and benefits to going Green. Contact us for more information.
Arboreel - a joint venture between Entertainment Equipment Corporation and Screentrade Magazine promotes, designs and develops environmental sustainability programs and initiatives for cinemas. Arboreel is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and an EPA - Energy Star participant.
Redbox, with more than 15,000 DVD Kiosks (and installing new ones at a rate of 8 per day) at supermarkets, restaurants, and discount stores is in a battle with Hollywood. Increasing taking away market share from Netflix, the mail order DVD company, Redbox charges only $1 per day for DVD rentals. Each Redbox Kiosk carries 700 DVDs and 200 titles, mostly the latest releases. However, they also sell DVDs for $7 sometimes in less than two weeks after release which prompted Universal Studies Home Entertainment to instruct Redbox to destroy the used DVDs vs. selling them. Redbox has now sued Universal for violating antitrust laws. Meanwhile, Redbox's success has motivated Blockbuster to team up with NCR (of ATM fame) to open 10,000 DVD Kiosks of their own.
CINEMA TRAINING CENTRAL - NEWS
PARENTS SPEND MORE THAN OTHERS ON CONCESSIONS
Parents are much more likely to purchase concessions than other moviegoers - and to spend on average $4 more than other moviegoers. Although the big three: popcorn, soda, and candy top parental purchases - these moviegoers are more likely to buy nachos, hot dogs, and pretzels, as well.
Every 4 out of 10 parents purchase boxed candy as compared to 3 out of 10 for other moviegoers. Peanut M&Ms top the list of preferred candy followed by Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Twizzlers, Junior Mints, with Gummi Bears and Whoppers tied for last.
Finally, parents are more willing to purchase concessions if the theatre offers discount concession combos.
SPEAKING OF SWEETS
For years, the top five candy purchases at theatres were: Raisinetts, Milk Duds, Red Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids, and Skittles, in that order. Recently that changed, in fact exhibitors can now segment their market based on taste and offer candy tie-ins depending upon the film being exhibited.
Males 15 - 34 top candy picks: M&M Peanut, Reese's Pieces, Skittles, Sour Patch
Males 35 - 55 top candy picks: M&M Peanut, M&M Plain, Reese's Pieces Cups
Females 15 - 34 top candy picks: Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, Gummi Bears
Females 35 - 55 top candy picks: Red Twizzlers, M&M Peanut, M&M Plain
Remember: discounts on combos, having a value menu, and offering concession discount days all increase concession sales. Most favored combo - large popcorn and two large drinks.
CTC WORKSHOPS ADD GREEN
In keeping with current environmental building sustainability trends regarding the design, operation, and maintenance of new and existing buildings, CTC's "Cinema Management" and "Theatre Design" Workshops now include information and how-to's regarding the "greening" of cinemas.
Practical, easily implemented and inexpensive eco-friendly policies and practices, as well as, instruction on how to put your cinema on a path to conserving energy and water while cutting expenses and improving customer relations and community goodwill have been incorporated into the Workshops.
THE SOLE SOURCE FOR CINEMA TRAINING
After 8 years, CTC maintains its unique status and remains the one and only source for professional management and technical training for the cinema exhibition industry. With hundreds of alumni from around the world, CTC's core premise of blending hands-on training coupled with the most up-to-date trends and information on the cinema has proven to be a winning combination that cannot be duplicated. So, when looking to increase and improve your knowledge and expertise regarding the management and operation of a cinema - go the the source - CTC.
ARBOREEL NEWS
SINGLE-STREAM RECYCLING - GOOD OR BAD?
Recycling is a continuous and interdependent process: collecting & processing, manufacturing, use of products, return to collection. Single-stream recycling, SSR (also termed "fully comingled recycling") allows for the comingling of paper and mixed container waste (plastic, glass, & metal). Started about 5 years ago, SSR is based upon the premise that comingling vs. separation is a more efficient and less expensive way to recycle trash.
Most communities now use source separation - meaning that residents sort trash before delivery to curbside - but studies have shown that using SSR increases trash tonnage collected, decreases landfill diversion, saves energy and is much more efficient for waste collectors. The bad side - paper manufacturers say that the quality of the paper materials they receive is problematic, with tons of material having to be re-routed to landfills due to contamination with aluminum, glass, and plastic in the paper products they receive.
So the jury is still out on the overall value of SSR. Like many environmental initiatives SSR has a good and bad side. My guess is that SSR will continue to grow but with improved recycle chain enhancements.
A SMALL ECO-FRIENDLY STEP FOR CINEMAS
Bagcraft Papercon now offers natural kraft popcorn bags and other food packaging for cinemas using natural kraft paper. Natural kraft paper is natural, unbleached, and chlorine-free paper. It is fully compostable and biodegradable and is made with 100% recycled paperboard.
Termed EcoCraft these paper products are not any more expensive than processed paper products and come printed using soy based inks and soy blended wax coatings. Check out EcoCraft products - contact us for information. It's an easy way for your cinema to become more eco-friendly.
ARBOREEL CERTIFICATION
Environmental sustainability and certification specialists, like Arboreel, provide not only the expertise to improve your sustainability but the very important third party certification necessary, in many cases, to obtain tax and other rebates and benefits to going Green. Contact us for more information.
Arboreel - a joint venture between Entertainment Equipment Corporation and Screentrade Magazine promotes, designs and develops environmental sustainability programs and initiatives for cinemas. Arboreel is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and an EPA - Energy Star participant.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
THE BLACK SIDE OF GREEN BUILDING
For some companies "going green" means changing light bulbs and installing a new thermostat. For others - those that are serious - it means taking the first steps on a journey to sustainability based upon a strategic commitment. The decision is not whether to go green, rather to go it alone or retain the assistance of a green building specialist.
More and more the decision is to use an environmental spcialist - that is the wise choice. In the overall development of a sustainability program, the price of utilizing a specialist who expedites, advises, and provides the critical expertise required to formulate and implement an environmental initiative is prudent.
BACKGROUND
In the U.S. alone, commercial buildings consume 39% of energy, 72% of electricity, and account for 35% of greenhouse emissions. Given this impact, the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 contains tens of billions of dollars in funding for green building incentives available to businesses. On the flipside, federal agencies and state and municipal governments are beginning to enact green building standards and mandates for any new commercial construction or renovation.
Like the Arboreel Group, environmental specialists - schooled in the art of green building operation and maintenance - provide the guiding hand that: streamlines the process, delineates best resource use (money and staff), trains, and perhaps more importantly, advises on a variety of (what I term) unforeseeable factors. In this article I discuss but one of these factors - the potential legal risks surrounding green building and how a qualified environmental specialist can provide a blueprint for avoiding legal entanglement.
THE RISKS
As green building and operations expand from the exception to the rule, certain legal risks are inevitable. Lawsuits related to negligence and fraud, violation of consumer protection laws, and failure to meet certification standards resulting in loss of tax credits are but a few examples. And those parties involved - owners, tenants, designers, architects, engineers and contractors - should be advised of these liabilities and the strategies to minimize or eliminate them. This is where competent environmental specialists comes in.
For example, owners risk that their projects will fail to achieve the required or desired green building standards or certification and thus fail to qualify for tax credits. Design professionals (architects, engineers and interior consultants) may face a higher standard of care and heightened liability stemming from design defects, liability due to the failure of systems or components to perform adequately over the building's life cycle, or trigger insurance exclusions where certain green outcomes were expected.
Contractors risk liability stemming from a failure to deliver contracted green builidng requirements, or from non-performing green products where sustainability outcomes were guaranteed. Tenants risk that the building fails to meet expectations for tax credits and abatements received based upon reduced energy use, etc.
Breach of contract claims might include breach of the implied warrants of construction materials, workmanship and purpose, or failure to deliver and/or meet energy efficiency standards. Parties may also be subject to fraud claims resulting from false or misleading statements regarding the performance of the building.
MITIGATING THE RISKS
Having a qualified environmental specialist greatly aids mitigating potential liabilities, especially when these issues are managed with thoughtful attention to detail. Here I identify four ways to minimize these legal risks:
1. The project management process must clarify the project goals up-front.
Use an integral design process, and assure the free-flow of project
information.
2. Each and every contract should be drafted to ensure the contractual
language clearly reflects the expectations for certifications, tax credits,
and future sustainability. This would include timeline and documentation
requirements, provide for non-performance damages and detail expectations of
tenant's benefits and obligations.
3. Design professionals and owners must pay special attention to their
insurance policies and seek coverage for green-specific warranties or
services.
4. Owners, tenants, and buyers need be mindful that any disclosures and
marketing materials defining expectations and risks for a green
construction project are aligned with reality.
Legal firms do not and cannot pretend to know all the issues regarding green building materials, green certification standards and requirements, and are neither trained nor equipped to effectively liaise with all of the team members and the numerous project nuances as does an environmental specialist.
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION GOES A LONG WAY
The benefits of going green are undeniable and non-arguable, but you must ensure the legal risks and pitfalls in the process are mitigated through retaining qualified professionals to asssist in the journey toward sustainability.
Green building is defined as an effort to apply principles of environmental sustainablity to every aspect of the construction and renovation of buildings. This presents three main bases for legal liability: breach of contract, fraud and negligence.
Mitigating your exposure in going green rests heavily upon assigning the right in-house staff to manage the project and having the right environmental specialist on your team to provide the required sustainability expertise that is imperative.
This article presents only one of the unforeseen risks of going green - to think that any business can ignore the greening issue and maintain a status quo posture is delusional. Going green is a long-term cultural commitment for any company, but a journey that will have to be taken. Currently for new builds there is no green option, for existing buildings it is quasi-optional. However, in the near future all existing structures will be mandated to effect a greener footprint - this is the future.
By: Jim Lavorato
President, Entertainment Equipment Corporation and Principal, Arboreel Group
More and more the decision is to use an environmental spcialist - that is the wise choice. In the overall development of a sustainability program, the price of utilizing a specialist who expedites, advises, and provides the critical expertise required to formulate and implement an environmental initiative is prudent.
BACKGROUND
In the U.S. alone, commercial buildings consume 39% of energy, 72% of electricity, and account for 35% of greenhouse emissions. Given this impact, the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 contains tens of billions of dollars in funding for green building incentives available to businesses. On the flipside, federal agencies and state and municipal governments are beginning to enact green building standards and mandates for any new commercial construction or renovation.
Like the Arboreel Group, environmental specialists - schooled in the art of green building operation and maintenance - provide the guiding hand that: streamlines the process, delineates best resource use (money and staff), trains, and perhaps more importantly, advises on a variety of (what I term) unforeseeable factors. In this article I discuss but one of these factors - the potential legal risks surrounding green building and how a qualified environmental specialist can provide a blueprint for avoiding legal entanglement.
THE RISKS
As green building and operations expand from the exception to the rule, certain legal risks are inevitable. Lawsuits related to negligence and fraud, violation of consumer protection laws, and failure to meet certification standards resulting in loss of tax credits are but a few examples. And those parties involved - owners, tenants, designers, architects, engineers and contractors - should be advised of these liabilities and the strategies to minimize or eliminate them. This is where competent environmental specialists comes in.
For example, owners risk that their projects will fail to achieve the required or desired green building standards or certification and thus fail to qualify for tax credits. Design professionals (architects, engineers and interior consultants) may face a higher standard of care and heightened liability stemming from design defects, liability due to the failure of systems or components to perform adequately over the building's life cycle, or trigger insurance exclusions where certain green outcomes were expected.
Contractors risk liability stemming from a failure to deliver contracted green builidng requirements, or from non-performing green products where sustainability outcomes were guaranteed. Tenants risk that the building fails to meet expectations for tax credits and abatements received based upon reduced energy use, etc.
Breach of contract claims might include breach of the implied warrants of construction materials, workmanship and purpose, or failure to deliver and/or meet energy efficiency standards. Parties may also be subject to fraud claims resulting from false or misleading statements regarding the performance of the building.
MITIGATING THE RISKS
Having a qualified environmental specialist greatly aids mitigating potential liabilities, especially when these issues are managed with thoughtful attention to detail. Here I identify four ways to minimize these legal risks:
1. The project management process must clarify the project goals up-front.
Use an integral design process, and assure the free-flow of project
information.
2. Each and every contract should be drafted to ensure the contractual
language clearly reflects the expectations for certifications, tax credits,
and future sustainability. This would include timeline and documentation
requirements, provide for non-performance damages and detail expectations of
tenant's benefits and obligations.
3. Design professionals and owners must pay special attention to their
insurance policies and seek coverage for green-specific warranties or
services.
4. Owners, tenants, and buyers need be mindful that any disclosures and
marketing materials defining expectations and risks for a green
construction project are aligned with reality.
Legal firms do not and cannot pretend to know all the issues regarding green building materials, green certification standards and requirements, and are neither trained nor equipped to effectively liaise with all of the team members and the numerous project nuances as does an environmental specialist.
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION GOES A LONG WAY
The benefits of going green are undeniable and non-arguable, but you must ensure the legal risks and pitfalls in the process are mitigated through retaining qualified professionals to asssist in the journey toward sustainability.
Green building is defined as an effort to apply principles of environmental sustainablity to every aspect of the construction and renovation of buildings. This presents three main bases for legal liability: breach of contract, fraud and negligence.
Mitigating your exposure in going green rests heavily upon assigning the right in-house staff to manage the project and having the right environmental specialist on your team to provide the required sustainability expertise that is imperative.
This article presents only one of the unforeseen risks of going green - to think that any business can ignore the greening issue and maintain a status quo posture is delusional. Going green is a long-term cultural commitment for any company, but a journey that will have to be taken. Currently for new builds there is no green option, for existing buildings it is quasi-optional. However, in the near future all existing structures will be mandated to effect a greener footprint - this is the future.
By: Jim Lavorato
President, Entertainment Equipment Corporation and Principal, Arboreel Group
Thursday, May 14, 2009
WHICH IS REALLY KING - CONTENT OR DISTRIBUTION?
Movie studios can go from zero-to-hero or vice versa in any given year. Boxoffice hits drive movie attendance and revenue, so one would expect the studios to continue to focus on fantasy and character films that can be leveraged into other licensing and ancillary products/outlets which is also good news for exhibitors. However, in the digital age, more and more, it's control of distribution channels and not content that is paramount.
The large studios are housed within media/industrial conglomerates (Time Warner, Disney, GE, Sony, News Corp., Viacom) and although they are relatively modest profit contributors to the consolidated operations of these media giants there are huge barriers to industry entry, most notably, the control of a global distribution network - which is based upon a worldwide media standard - 35mm film.
For the media giants music distribution is gone. Yes, Apple will share royalties for iTune downloads but the day of the media industry's control of music is history; and easily demonstrated by a web search where thousands of songs can be downloaded via hundreds of music "file sharing" sites.
Currently, it is the publishing business that is battling for survival. Newspapers are closing, books are being digitalized, and even the AP news service is under attack as they cannot control content as they could in an analog world. Media companies, worldwide, are scrambling to find new business models to cope with the digital (content free) onslaught and find new ways to charge for content with subscription fees and ad revenues - but it's a losing battle. Could the cinema follow the same fate if it goes digital?
In the digital future what would prevent a content provider from going directly to exhibitors for distribution. There is no shortage of movie content, each year thousands of movies are produced but only a few reach the silver screen, but only because the studios control an analog based distribution network.
Digitizing the movie industry's distribution channels will change forever the business model for both the studios and exhibitors and probably not for the better in terms of revenue and profits. As the adage goes - analog dollars/digital dimes - and it couldn't be more apropos in this case.
History has shown that the digital revolution has changed many industries in many unforeseen ways - spawning new, altering some, and killing others. The changes the digital age has and will bring to the cinema industry are and will be profound and unforeseen - and that is the only certainty that can be counted on. Hollywood should think hard before completely committing to digital cinema, for as archaic as it is, film allows the studios worldwide distribution control. Yes, with film there is piracy at the periphery but not the wholesale duplication and ease of distribution that could very easily and unforeseeably occur with digitally formatted content.
The large studios are housed within media/industrial conglomerates (Time Warner, Disney, GE, Sony, News Corp., Viacom) and although they are relatively modest profit contributors to the consolidated operations of these media giants there are huge barriers to industry entry, most notably, the control of a global distribution network - which is based upon a worldwide media standard - 35mm film.
For the media giants music distribution is gone. Yes, Apple will share royalties for iTune downloads but the day of the media industry's control of music is history; and easily demonstrated by a web search where thousands of songs can be downloaded via hundreds of music "file sharing" sites.
Currently, it is the publishing business that is battling for survival. Newspapers are closing, books are being digitalized, and even the AP news service is under attack as they cannot control content as they could in an analog world. Media companies, worldwide, are scrambling to find new business models to cope with the digital (content free) onslaught and find new ways to charge for content with subscription fees and ad revenues - but it's a losing battle. Could the cinema follow the same fate if it goes digital?
In the digital future what would prevent a content provider from going directly to exhibitors for distribution. There is no shortage of movie content, each year thousands of movies are produced but only a few reach the silver screen, but only because the studios control an analog based distribution network.
Digitizing the movie industry's distribution channels will change forever the business model for both the studios and exhibitors and probably not for the better in terms of revenue and profits. As the adage goes - analog dollars/digital dimes - and it couldn't be more apropos in this case.
History has shown that the digital revolution has changed many industries in many unforeseen ways - spawning new, altering some, and killing others. The changes the digital age has and will bring to the cinema industry are and will be profound and unforeseen - and that is the only certainty that can be counted on. Hollywood should think hard before completely committing to digital cinema, for as archaic as it is, film allows the studios worldwide distribution control. Yes, with film there is piracy at the periphery but not the wholesale duplication and ease of distribution that could very easily and unforeseeably occur with digitally formatted content.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
WHY GO GREEN?
CTC TRAINING
Today is the wrap party for the April Cinema Training Central Seminars & Workshops which took place this past week. Somewhat bucking the general trend of companies reducing their training expenditures, attendance at CTC - particularly for the technical and marketing workshops - remains strong.
All of the seminars and workshops were updated and refreshed for 2009 to take into consideration new trends and technologies in the cinema industry. We look forward to the September training week (14th - 18th) and, as always, anyone having an interest should contact us for a free CTC 2009 Guidebook.
WHY GO GREEN?
Having and implementing a meaningful and verifiable environmental sustainability program is a value judgement but is also a very smart goal for any enterprise as it saves money, water, and energy and improves employee and community relations. Although new "Green" construction catches most of the headlines the primary focus for improving the environment should be on existing commercial and residential buildings - which number over 120 million in the U.S. and of which 99 out of every 100 have not, as yet, implemented any significant green initiatives.
ARBOREEL GREEN TIPS
Water is one of our most precious resources and yet it is the resource we take most for granted. However, it's a certainty that potable water (water that is suitable for drinking or cooking) will become much more expensive and face restricted usage if we don't start conserving and altering the ways in which we use our water resource. For example:
- To take a bath requires 60 - 70 gallons of potable water. In contrast, a 5 minute shower uses only 15 - 20 gallons - which can be even lower if a water-efficient showerhead is used - that's a savings of 250 - 300 gallons per week! If you must take a bath - do so occasionally.
- Leaking faucets or running toilets are huge water wasters. A single leaky faucet can waste thousands of gallons of potable water in a year. It is imperative that leaking faucets be repaired or replaced - sometimes only a new gasket is required. Running toilets demand immediate attention and should be fixed or better still replaced with low-flow flush toilets. A traditional toilet will use 7 gallons per flush, low-flows use 3.5 gallons and the newest use only 1.6 gallons.
- The average washing machine uses about 41 gallons of potable water per load. New, high-efficiency washers use 28 gallons. So when replacing a clothes washer it is best to select the most efficient machine in terms of water use, and always wash full loads or be sure to use the appropriate load size setting for less than full load washes.
IS CONTENT KING OR IS IT DISTRIBUTION?
More and more it's control of the distribution channels that is paramount in the digital age. For the media giants it may be that keeping content on film is their best defense against a partial or (worst case) complete loss of movie distribution. Music distribution for the giants is gone. Publishing is battling for survival and losing, be it newspapers, books, or AP news service. If movies go digital the same fate may await. Hollywood should think hard before really pushing digital cinema, for as archaic as it is, film allows the studios worldwide distribution control. Yes, with film there is piracy at the periphery but not the wholesale duplication that could very easily occur with digital formatted content.
Best,
Jim Lavorato - Entertainment Equipment Corporation
Today is the wrap party for the April Cinema Training Central Seminars & Workshops which took place this past week. Somewhat bucking the general trend of companies reducing their training expenditures, attendance at CTC - particularly for the technical and marketing workshops - remains strong.
All of the seminars and workshops were updated and refreshed for 2009 to take into consideration new trends and technologies in the cinema industry. We look forward to the September training week (14th - 18th) and, as always, anyone having an interest should contact us for a free CTC 2009 Guidebook.
WHY GO GREEN?
Having and implementing a meaningful and verifiable environmental sustainability program is a value judgement but is also a very smart goal for any enterprise as it saves money, water, and energy and improves employee and community relations. Although new "Green" construction catches most of the headlines the primary focus for improving the environment should be on existing commercial and residential buildings - which number over 120 million in the U.S. and of which 99 out of every 100 have not, as yet, implemented any significant green initiatives.
ARBOREEL GREEN TIPS
Water is one of our most precious resources and yet it is the resource we take most for granted. However, it's a certainty that potable water (water that is suitable for drinking or cooking) will become much more expensive and face restricted usage if we don't start conserving and altering the ways in which we use our water resource. For example:
- To take a bath requires 60 - 70 gallons of potable water. In contrast, a 5 minute shower uses only 15 - 20 gallons - which can be even lower if a water-efficient showerhead is used - that's a savings of 250 - 300 gallons per week! If you must take a bath - do so occasionally.
- Leaking faucets or running toilets are huge water wasters. A single leaky faucet can waste thousands of gallons of potable water in a year. It is imperative that leaking faucets be repaired or replaced - sometimes only a new gasket is required. Running toilets demand immediate attention and should be fixed or better still replaced with low-flow flush toilets. A traditional toilet will use 7 gallons per flush, low-flows use 3.5 gallons and the newest use only 1.6 gallons.
- The average washing machine uses about 41 gallons of potable water per load. New, high-efficiency washers use 28 gallons. So when replacing a clothes washer it is best to select the most efficient machine in terms of water use, and always wash full loads or be sure to use the appropriate load size setting for less than full load washes.
IS CONTENT KING OR IS IT DISTRIBUTION?
More and more it's control of the distribution channels that is paramount in the digital age. For the media giants it may be that keeping content on film is their best defense against a partial or (worst case) complete loss of movie distribution. Music distribution for the giants is gone. Publishing is battling for survival and losing, be it newspapers, books, or AP news service. If movies go digital the same fate may await. Hollywood should think hard before really pushing digital cinema, for as archaic as it is, film allows the studios worldwide distribution control. Yes, with film there is piracy at the periphery but not the wholesale duplication that could very easily occur with digital formatted content.
Best,
Jim Lavorato - Entertainment Equipment Corporation
Monday, March 16, 2009
ARBOREEL GREEN TIPS
One of Arboreel's main components is recycling, which is a concept everyone embraces. Yet, when it comes to electronics the EPA estimates that only 14% of all e-waste was recycled in 2007. This low rate of e-waste recycling is compounded by the unrelenting production/consumption of electronic products throughout the world. For example, 71 million computers were sold in the U.S. last year. Worldwide 300 million were sold. That one product category generated a huge amount of high-tech garbage that is much more toxic than cans or bottles and in many cases winds up in dump sites in the U.S. or (even worse) in foreign countries - this is not good!
Arboreel assists businesses in adopting and implementing non-burdensom recycling and reuse programs which, moreover, can be successfully tied into a business's overall community relations program. Keep in mind that over 80% of the public favorably views and supports local businesses that are eco-friendly and promote environmental issues.
Arboreel assists businesses in adopting and implementing non-burdensom recycling and reuse programs which, moreover, can be successfully tied into a business's overall community relations program. Keep in mind that over 80% of the public favorably views and supports local businesses that are eco-friendly and promote environmental issues.
1080p & BEYOND
The native resolution of a 1080p HDTV and that of a 2K DLP Digital Cinema Projector are essentially the same. However, that standard is rapidly evolving in the world of HDTVs. At the January International Consumer Electronics Show I viewed HDTVs with resolutions of 1380p. So, home viewing, in the not too distant future, will surpass D-Cinema's image quality. Hmmm...not a very rosy prospect for the standard DLP based D-Cinema systems - 3D may be a different story - only time will tell.
ARBOREEL LAUNCHES @ SHOWEST
Join us at the Bellagio - Gauguin Room #1 on Thursday, April 2nd for breakfast @ 9am or afternoon refresher @ 1pm for the launch of Arboreel. There will be casual conversation and expert advice regarding increasing environmental sustainability of buildings and the implemlentation of energy, water, and waste programs for all types of businesses in the cinema industry. Please RSVP for the morning or afternoon session.
RELEVANCE OF TRAINING STAFF - LAWSUITS
One of the topics thoroughly discussed during our Cinema Management Workshops is that of sexual harassment. I can't stress strongly enough the importance to the movie exhibition industry. You may have viewed the Sunday, February 22nd airing of "NOW" - a weekly current events program on PBS. The show addressed teenage sexual harassment in the workplace. One of the prime examples given was a lawsuit brought against UltraStar Cinemas, a small theatre circuit in San Diego, that was sued by several female employees. The lawsuit - which alledged sexual harassment by several male Managers and Asst. Managers - was found in favor of the plaintiffs who won a multi-million dollar settlement. UltraStar has appealed the ruling; however, this points to the requirement by all cinemas to pay special attention to training and policies regarding teen sexual harassment.
Even those companies that feel they have policies in place need to know those policies are properly working to protect staff and yourself (the theatre owner). Look to CTC for training, guidance, and proper policy developement and implementation on this and other pertinent issues.
Even those companies that feel they have policies in place need to know those policies are properly working to protect staff and yourself (the theatre owner). Look to CTC for training, guidance, and proper policy developement and implementation on this and other pertinent issues.
Friday, March 13, 2009
CINEMA TRAINING CENTRAL 2009 WORKSHOPS
All of CTC's 2009 seminars and workshops have been updated and refreshed to bring you the latest information, technology and developments impacting the cinema industry. Additionally, new products and equipment servicing techniques are being introduced into the technical training workshops. Training dates for 2009 are the weeks of April 20 - 24 and September 14 - 18. Request to entequip@aol.com and we'll send you the 2009 CTC Guidebook. The CTC training facility is an 8plex movie theatre that has been equipped with a variety of movie projection and sound equipment - film and digital formats. Contact Entertainment Equipment Corp. through our website at gotoeec.com.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
PICTURE PERFECT?
I recently heard an exhibitor call the 2K Digital Cinema image 'picture perfect.' That got me thinking. Just how good is the 2K D-Cinema presentation compared to other images we see on a daily basis?
High Definition Television (HDTV) is 1080P or 1080 lines of vertical resolution/Progressive scan, with an aspect (image) ratio of 16:9 (length-to-height) or 1.78:1. 2K D-Cinema has (as the 2K implies) 2048 lines of resolution, but not measured vertically as is HDTV, but horizontally with an aspect ratio of approximately 1.9:1.
If you convert HDTV's 1080 vertical lines to horizontal lines the resolution goes to 1922 lines (1080 x 1.78 = 1922); therefore, 2K D-Cinema and HDTV are, more or less, equivalent in terms of image resolution. Result: the moviegoer gets essentially the same "look" at a cinema with a 2K D-Cinema projection system that he/she gets in their living room, den, or home theatre. Hmmm...not too compelling and certainly not "picture perfect."
So, why purchase and install a 2K projector? The technology is now over 10 years old and has been obsolete for some years as Sony's D-Cinema technology delivers a 4K image (4096 lines) having not twice but four times the pixels (i.e. resolution) of the 2K projectors.
In comparison, 35mm film has a 6 - 8K resolution and IMAX films, (70mm/15 perforations per frame) are literally off the resolution scale. Yet there is a movement to install 2K D-Cinema projectors in IMAX Theatres - talk about taking a giant leap backwards!
Why is it that some in the movie industry continue to embrace a technology that results in offering the moviegoing public a poorer presentation and one that is getting less relevant by the day. As I write this article, it is late December and I'm preparing to attend the International Consumer Electronics Show in early January at which time I fully expect to be viewing HDTVs at a resolution of 1380P or perhaps higher. So, in the not to distant future, home viewing will be more "picture perfect" than 2K D-Cinema.
So, to all Digital Cinema proponents - I'm begging you, stop the madness! You lost and the least you can do is leave the playing field with a little dignity.
(December 2008)
High Definition Television (HDTV) is 1080P or 1080 lines of vertical resolution/Progressive scan, with an aspect (image) ratio of 16:9 (length-to-height) or 1.78:1. 2K D-Cinema has (as the 2K implies) 2048 lines of resolution, but not measured vertically as is HDTV, but horizontally with an aspect ratio of approximately 1.9:1.
If you convert HDTV's 1080 vertical lines to horizontal lines the resolution goes to 1922 lines (1080 x 1.78 = 1922); therefore, 2K D-Cinema and HDTV are, more or less, equivalent in terms of image resolution. Result: the moviegoer gets essentially the same "look" at a cinema with a 2K D-Cinema projection system that he/she gets in their living room, den, or home theatre. Hmmm...not too compelling and certainly not "picture perfect."
So, why purchase and install a 2K projector? The technology is now over 10 years old and has been obsolete for some years as Sony's D-Cinema technology delivers a 4K image (4096 lines) having not twice but four times the pixels (i.e. resolution) of the 2K projectors.
In comparison, 35mm film has a 6 - 8K resolution and IMAX films, (70mm/15 perforations per frame) are literally off the resolution scale. Yet there is a movement to install 2K D-Cinema projectors in IMAX Theatres - talk about taking a giant leap backwards!
Why is it that some in the movie industry continue to embrace a technology that results in offering the moviegoing public a poorer presentation and one that is getting less relevant by the day. As I write this article, it is late December and I'm preparing to attend the International Consumer Electronics Show in early January at which time I fully expect to be viewing HDTVs at a resolution of 1380P or perhaps higher. So, in the not to distant future, home viewing will be more "picture perfect" than 2K D-Cinema.
So, to all Digital Cinema proponents - I'm begging you, stop the madness! You lost and the least you can do is leave the playing field with a little dignity.
(December 2008)
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
THE MOVIE INDUSTRY 2009
A sub-sector of the larger Media and Entertainment industry, the 'movies' are under much less pressure from the cyclicality of the global economic downturn as their venerability is driven more by the absence of boxoffice hits than economic weakness. Moreover, movie attendance does not make up a significant enough proportion of a consumer's overall entertainment/recreation spending to be cut dramatically in a downturn.
For 2009 the U.S. cinema's performance, both boxoffice attendance and revenue, should match or exceed 2008's results with continued hit-driven films and the absence of the Olympics and Presidential election, which negatively impacted this year's results. Additionally, in-cinema advertising, which grew by 17% in 2008 to $860 million, will buck the more general slowdown in overall advertising expenditures and can be expected to increase 9 - 12%, and touch the $1 billion mark.
Exhibitors although somewhat burdened with escalating operating expenses and high fixed costs, carry limited inventory and all sales are essentially immediate (cash or credit card), making for a very low level of receivables while payables are extended and paid on traditional business terms. Although the movie exhibition business does have some concentration - with large circuits like Regal, AMC, etc. - there are limited benefits to industry concentration given strong buyer (moviegoer) and supplier (studios) power present in the industry. Exhibitors are highly susceptible to top-line volatility as they are completely reliant on the studios for the quality and quantity of their product stream, making for limited opportunities to differentiate particularly in the case of the large circuits. However, direct competition for exhibitors is low, their threat comes from indirect competition - the distribution of movie content through non-traditional channels such as DVD, VOD, and the Internet coupled with a collapsing window of exclusive theatrical release.
Nonetheless, movie going remains popular and affordable, although I would be cautious regarding exhibitors ability to maintain boxoffice and concession pricing increases over the next several years. Therefore, movie operators must pay particular attention to operating costs as debt levels and lease obligations are high on average, as are capital expenditures meaning that excellent cash flow and operating expense management is imperative.
OUTLOOK
Digital initiatives, such as Digital Cinema, are not consequential to the movie industry's overall profitability and can be viewed as being more detrimental than positive to stability and profitability for exhibitors.
The movie industry is a hit-driven business. The large studios are housed within media/industrial conglomerates (Time-Warner, Disney, GE, Sony, News Corp., Viacom) and are viewed as relatively modest profit contributors to the consolidated operations of these media giants. However, there are huge barriers to industry entry by outsiders, the most notably being control of a global distribution network. Moreover, there is limited direct competition between the studios as they do not compete on price but on content delivery that can fluctuate significantly year-to-year. Quality of film product (or should I say the public's perception of quality) will continue to be the main driver of movie attendance and revenue. Going forward, I would expect the studios to focus more on titles, characters and stories that can be leveraged into other licensing and ancillary products and outlets. This should be good news for exhibitors as well given that these concept/character-driven movies - particularly the fantasy and superhero films - are the current boxoffice center spikes.
Moving forward exhibitors should look to improving operations by increasing productivity and efficiency. Implementing environmental sustainability programs which reduce energy, water, and waste costs, improving local community relations, introducing non-movie (alternative) content and activities, and finding ways to enhance their patrons' entertainment experience.
(December 2008)
For 2009 the U.S. cinema's performance, both boxoffice attendance and revenue, should match or exceed 2008's results with continued hit-driven films and the absence of the Olympics and Presidential election, which negatively impacted this year's results. Additionally, in-cinema advertising, which grew by 17% in 2008 to $860 million, will buck the more general slowdown in overall advertising expenditures and can be expected to increase 9 - 12%, and touch the $1 billion mark.
Exhibitors although somewhat burdened with escalating operating expenses and high fixed costs, carry limited inventory and all sales are essentially immediate (cash or credit card), making for a very low level of receivables while payables are extended and paid on traditional business terms. Although the movie exhibition business does have some concentration - with large circuits like Regal, AMC, etc. - there are limited benefits to industry concentration given strong buyer (moviegoer) and supplier (studios) power present in the industry. Exhibitors are highly susceptible to top-line volatility as they are completely reliant on the studios for the quality and quantity of their product stream, making for limited opportunities to differentiate particularly in the case of the large circuits. However, direct competition for exhibitors is low, their threat comes from indirect competition - the distribution of movie content through non-traditional channels such as DVD, VOD, and the Internet coupled with a collapsing window of exclusive theatrical release.
Nonetheless, movie going remains popular and affordable, although I would be cautious regarding exhibitors ability to maintain boxoffice and concession pricing increases over the next several years. Therefore, movie operators must pay particular attention to operating costs as debt levels and lease obligations are high on average, as are capital expenditures meaning that excellent cash flow and operating expense management is imperative.
OUTLOOK
Digital initiatives, such as Digital Cinema, are not consequential to the movie industry's overall profitability and can be viewed as being more detrimental than positive to stability and profitability for exhibitors.
The movie industry is a hit-driven business. The large studios are housed within media/industrial conglomerates (Time-Warner, Disney, GE, Sony, News Corp., Viacom) and are viewed as relatively modest profit contributors to the consolidated operations of these media giants. However, there are huge barriers to industry entry by outsiders, the most notably being control of a global distribution network. Moreover, there is limited direct competition between the studios as they do not compete on price but on content delivery that can fluctuate significantly year-to-year. Quality of film product (or should I say the public's perception of quality) will continue to be the main driver of movie attendance and revenue. Going forward, I would expect the studios to focus more on titles, characters and stories that can be leveraged into other licensing and ancillary products and outlets. This should be good news for exhibitors as well given that these concept/character-driven movies - particularly the fantasy and superhero films - are the current boxoffice center spikes.
Moving forward exhibitors should look to improving operations by increasing productivity and efficiency. Implementing environmental sustainability programs which reduce energy, water, and waste costs, improving local community relations, introducing non-movie (alternative) content and activities, and finding ways to enhance their patrons' entertainment experience.
(December 2008)
Thursday, December 11, 2008
ARBOREEL
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
WHAT IS ARBOREEL?
ARBOREEL is an environmental initiative for managing the ongoing operations and maintenance of existing cinemas, industry suppliers and service providers. Arboreel identifies and rewards best practices and provides a plan/template to:
- use less energy and water,
- improve the indoor environment, and
- uncover and correct wasteful operating inefficiencies
Arboreel is about transforming businesses into an invironmentally sustainable building through the implementation of a compliance and certification process.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ARBOREEL?
Arboreel helps reduce operating costs, saves on utilities' expense, reduces a business's environmental impact, enhances its marketability, and greatly improves customer goodwill - without the requirement of major infrastructure upgrades. Additionally, attaining industry-recognized Arboreel Certification ensures a business reaches its minimal sustainable potential and energy and environmental efficiency.
HOW IS ARBOREEL DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS?
Arboreel certifies a business's sustainable operations and creates a plan for ensuring that performance over time. Arboreel evaluates the physical systems but, more importantly, the way it is managed and maintained. A rating and certification system specific to the Cinema industry, Arboreel is based upon and is a path toward attaining the globally-recognized U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) Certification.
HOW DO I KNOW IF ARBOREEL IS RIGHT FOR MY BUSINESS?
Arboreel is a three level program. The prerequisites for each must be met before moving to the next level. Arboreel is unique in that it is entirely at the client's discretion as to what level of compliance they attain. They can stop or postpone the process at any time if they believe they have attained the level that meets their standard of environmental sustainability. The three levels are: Acorn, Sapling, and Oak. Participating in Arboreel is cost-effective and its implementation guarantees savings and efficiencies over the life-cycle of the building.
HOW WAS THE ARBOREEL PROGRAM DEVELOPED?
Arboreel was conceived and developed through the joint efforts of Screentrade Magazine and Entertainment Equipment Corporation and is based upon the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Rating System. USGBC is an affiliate of the International Green Building Council - the global authority on construction and operation of environmentally-sustainable commercial and residential buildings.
HOW DO I GET STARTED WITH ARBOREEL?
Register your project and review the start-up procedures with an Arboreel representative and arrange for a site visit to develop an implementation plan. It's that easy!
To register or for more information contact:
- In the U.S.:
Jim Lavorato, President, Entertainment Equipment Corporation - 800-448-1656 - entequip@aol.com
Pam Stanton, North America Editor and Events Manager, Screentrade Magazine - 616-847-0144 - pam@screentrademagazine.com
- In Europe:
Philip Turner, Editor, Screentrade Magazine -
+44 (0) 1689 833117 - philip@screentrademagazine.com
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
D-CINEMA IS DEAD - LONG LIVE D-CINEMA!
As predicted weeks ago the funding for the much touted Digital-Cinema rollout has evaporated and with it the misplaced hopes of many in our industry. The lethal combination of high investment/no return (in itself a reason to dismiss the concept outright) and the global economic downturn rendered the D-Cinema initiative a non-starter and hopefully puts it to final rest.
Funding reconsideration - if ever - will not occur for 3-5 years, so independent exhibitors can breath a sigh of relief and return to a normal business posture in managing their cinemas. Further, a 3-5 year hiatus will find the technology upon which D-Cinema is based to be completely obsolete. The studios will hopefully and finally dismiss this misconceived method of movie distribution and accept the fact that film - although burdened by huge logistical baggage - is still the best way to combat piracy as the ease and sophistication of digital copying strengthens by the day.
Funding reconsideration - if ever - will not occur for 3-5 years, so independent exhibitors can breath a sigh of relief and return to a normal business posture in managing their cinemas. Further, a 3-5 year hiatus will find the technology upon which D-Cinema is based to be completely obsolete. The studios will hopefully and finally dismiss this misconceived method of movie distribution and accept the fact that film - although burdened by huge logistical baggage - is still the best way to combat piracy as the ease and sophistication of digital copying strengthens by the day.
CTC INTROS NEW Eco-nomic TRAINING WORKSHOP
For 2009 CTC will be adding a new training workshop to its curriculum devoted specifically to helping cinemas with their environmental sustainability issues and initiatives.
The workshop can be attended by management and staff (at all levels) within the cinema industry - exhibition, manufacturing, distribution, and film production. Action-oriented with emphasis on immediate on-the-job implementation the training will be beneficial to the business, employees, and customers.
2009 CINEMA TRAINING CENTRAL GUIDEBOOK
The new 2009 CTC Guidebook will be available in mid-January but contact us NOW to reserve a copy. This comprehensive booklet provides all the info. you'll need regarding the world's only training facility devoted exclusively to the cinema exhibition industry.
The workshop can be attended by management and staff (at all levels) within the cinema industry - exhibition, manufacturing, distribution, and film production. Action-oriented with emphasis on immediate on-the-job implementation the training will be beneficial to the business, employees, and customers.
2009 CINEMA TRAINING CENTRAL GUIDEBOOK
The new 2009 CTC Guidebook will be available in mid-January but contact us NOW to reserve a copy. This comprehensive booklet provides all the info. you'll need regarding the world's only training facility devoted exclusively to the cinema exhibition industry.
ARBOREEL - "BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE"
If you are planning to attend ShoWest in Las Vegas this coming April - mark your calendar now to join us for a complimentary breakfast or afternoon refreshments at the Billagio Hotel, Thursday, April 2, 2009 for the introduction of Arboreel.
Arboreel is an environmental initiative developed specifically for the cinema exhibition industry. Its purpose is to implement operating and management practices that enhance the green sustainability of a cinema and certify those initiatives. It is very important that our industry become more environmentally aware and institute day-to-day policies and practices which, at least, reach a minimum level of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.
In April, get introduced to Arboreel and begin "Building For The Future". Spending just a short time to learn and increase your awareness of Arboreel will be well worth the effort and could change the course of your business for years to come.
Look for more on Arboreel in the coming weeks!
ECO-FACTS
In the United States, commerical builidings account for:
- 65% of electrical consumption
- 36% of energy use
- 30% of green gas emissions
- 29% of raw material use
- 28% of waste output, and
- 12% of potable water consumption
What are your cinema's consumption levels?
Arboreel is an environmental initiative developed specifically for the cinema exhibition industry. Its purpose is to implement operating and management practices that enhance the green sustainability of a cinema and certify those initiatives. It is very important that our industry become more environmentally aware and institute day-to-day policies and practices which, at least, reach a minimum level of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.
In April, get introduced to Arboreel and begin "Building For The Future". Spending just a short time to learn and increase your awareness of Arboreel will be well worth the effort and could change the course of your business for years to come.
Look for more on Arboreel in the coming weeks!
ECO-FACTS
In the United States, commerical builidings account for:
- 65% of electrical consumption
- 36% of energy use
- 30% of green gas emissions
- 29% of raw material use
- 28% of waste output, and
- 12% of potable water consumption
What are your cinema's consumption levels?
Thursday, November 06, 2008
ABOREEL GREEN TIPS
Even simple on-the-job green initiatives carry significant environmental impact. Here are several easily implemented ones:
- Where possible print all documents double-sided
- Use recycled paper as much as possible
- Utilize paperless communications and save emails on line instead of copying them
- Encourage telecommuting by employees when feasible
- Provide indoor bicycle racks
- Have employees use non-paper cups, mugs, and dishes when at work vs. disposables
- Encourage the use of water fountains or coolers vs. single serve bottles
- Where possible print all documents double-sided
- Use recycled paper as much as possible
- Utilize paperless communications and save emails on line instead of copying them
- Encourage telecommuting by employees when feasible
- Provide indoor bicycle racks
- Have employees use non-paper cups, mugs, and dishes when at work vs. disposables
- Encourage the use of water fountains or coolers vs. single serve bottles
ARBOREEL - GREEN TIPS
Starting with this article, we will be featuring "Green Tips". These are actions any business or person can adopt which will have a positive environmental impact - and keep us Eco-conscious.
GREEN TIPS FOR FUEL CONTROL & DRIVING
- Use Cruise Control - maintaining a constant speed saves gas.
- Consider Speed Limits - speeding (as we all do) uses up more gas. Most vehicles maximize
fuel efficiency at 50 mph.
- Maintain Your Vehicle - change air filters and spark plugs on a scheduled basis.
- Remove roof racks when not using.
- Maintain proper tire pressure - low pressure costs lots in wasted fuel.
- Reduce Vehicle's Weight - remove heavy objects from trunk and rear seats, i.e. sand bags
used during the winter months.
- Consolidate Your Driving - organize your to-do list and plan ahead to minimize time and
distance.
GREEN TIPS FOR FUEL CONTROL & DRIVING
- Use Cruise Control - maintaining a constant speed saves gas.
- Consider Speed Limits - speeding (as we all do) uses up more gas. Most vehicles maximize
fuel efficiency at 50 mph.
- Maintain Your Vehicle - change air filters and spark plugs on a scheduled basis.
- Remove roof racks when not using.
- Maintain proper tire pressure - low pressure costs lots in wasted fuel.
- Reduce Vehicle's Weight - remove heavy objects from trunk and rear seats, i.e. sand bags
used during the winter months.
- Consolidate Your Driving - organize your to-do list and plan ahead to minimize time and
distance.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
SPEAKING OF VIDEO PROJECTORS!
Make no mistake, every cinema must have a video projector for pre-feature presentations, for rentals and parties, for film festivals and gaming, but you must insure (and I can't stress this strongly enough) the projector that you purchase produces on-screen image that is equal to a high definition TV image. That means purchasing a projector with enough lumens (at minimum 75 - 100 lumens per foot of image throw) and the appropriate lens necessary for the image to fill the screen.
EEC sells Christie, Sony, and Panasonic video projectors each having a large selection of projectors suitable for cinema operation. Don't make the mistake of buying a small, inexpensive consumer model from one of the big box retail stores - it won't and can't do the job.
DETERMINING LUMEN REQUIREMENTS
In the article above (published in Cinema Training Central Flash #5/08) it was brought to my attention from several readers that my recommendation on lumen calculation in determining what size video projectors would be best suited for a particular auditorium and screen size was not as accurate as other calculations. This is true. I recommend the use of a simple lumen calculation based on length of image throw. Simply, throw times 75. For example: a 50 ft. throw x 75 = 3750 lumens.
A more precise calculation, as was pointed out to me, would be image height times width x 14FL (FL = foot lamberts of reflected light). For example: a 12 ft. high x 22 ft. wide image would calculate to 264 sq. ft. x 14 = 3696 lumens required. The simple throw calculation will always be higher (which in and of itself is OK) but not as precise. Where the problem may arise is when you have a situation where there is a large image and a short image throw. Then it's best to use the more precise sq. footage calculation.
To receive the CTC Flashes, email entequip@aol.com and request to be added to the email listing.
EEC sells Christie, Sony, and Panasonic video projectors each having a large selection of projectors suitable for cinema operation. Don't make the mistake of buying a small, inexpensive consumer model from one of the big box retail stores - it won't and can't do the job.
DETERMINING LUMEN REQUIREMENTS
In the article above (published in Cinema Training Central Flash #5/08) it was brought to my attention from several readers that my recommendation on lumen calculation in determining what size video projectors would be best suited for a particular auditorium and screen size was not as accurate as other calculations. This is true. I recommend the use of a simple lumen calculation based on length of image throw. Simply, throw times 75. For example: a 50 ft. throw x 75 = 3750 lumens.
A more precise calculation, as was pointed out to me, would be image height times width x 14FL (FL = foot lamberts of reflected light). For example: a 12 ft. high x 22 ft. wide image would calculate to 264 sq. ft. x 14 = 3696 lumens required. The simple throw calculation will always be higher (which in and of itself is OK) but not as precise. Where the problem may arise is when you have a situation where there is a large image and a short image throw. Then it's best to use the more precise sq. footage calculation.
To receive the CTC Flashes, email entequip@aol.com and request to be added to the email listing.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
ARBOREEL
As you are aware Entertainment Equipment is putting forward a concerted effor to address the environmental sustainability of the cinema exhibition industry. To this end we have partnered with Screentrade Magazine to put forth a program which will guide and asisst cinemas in improving their environmental impact.
Termed the Arboreel Program, it addresses the initiation of actions which will greatly improve the usage of energy and water, and the minimization of waste through recycling and reuse. We can all agree that improving a building's sustainability is a good thing and it's NOW time to act! Arboreel will be good for you, your family, your community, and your bottom line as it will foster significant saving on the spiraling costs of energy and water. In the future, the real estate marketplace will strongly favor and place a premium value on green buildings; therefore, it behooves every cinema owner/investor to build or upgrade to green standards and that is where Arboreel comes in.
You will be hearing more about the Arboreel Program and the many benefits it will bring to your cinema and the exhibition industry. Its formal introduction will be in April at the 2009 ShoWest convention. More information on the where, when, and who will be forthcoming. Plan on attending! It will be well worth your time and effort.
OF NOTE
Providing valid information always helps to visualize a problem - so here are a few reasons why you should consider participating in the Arboreel Program and which demonstrate the enormity of the problems we all face:
Termed the Arboreel Program, it addresses the initiation of actions which will greatly improve the usage of energy and water, and the minimization of waste through recycling and reuse. We can all agree that improving a building's sustainability is a good thing and it's NOW time to act! Arboreel will be good for you, your family, your community, and your bottom line as it will foster significant saving on the spiraling costs of energy and water. In the future, the real estate marketplace will strongly favor and place a premium value on green buildings; therefore, it behooves every cinema owner/investor to build or upgrade to green standards and that is where Arboreel comes in.
You will be hearing more about the Arboreel Program and the many benefits it will bring to your cinema and the exhibition industry. Its formal introduction will be in April at the 2009 ShoWest convention. More information on the where, when, and who will be forthcoming. Plan on attending! It will be well worth your time and effort.
OF NOTE
Providing valid information always helps to visualize a problem - so here are a few reasons why you should consider participating in the Arboreel Program and which demonstrate the enormity of the problems we all face:
- According to the Consumer Electronics Association over 426,000 cell phones are "retired" in the U.S. EVERYDAY!
- If every commuter carried just one more passenger the U.S. would save 600,000 gallons of gasoline and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 12 million pounds EVERYDAY!
- PC screen savers DON'T save energy! - Turn PCs and Laptops OFF!
- The average office worker discards over 175 pounds of office paper every year - use recycled paper - which takes 64% less energy and 58% less water to manufacture than new paper.
Friday, June 20, 2008
MILDLY HOSTILE CUSTOMER PRACTICES
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce the number one reason customers stop dealing with a business is because of indifference, rudeness, or lack of service on the part of the employees (see inset).
All businesses - but particularly service oriented ones, and certainly cinemas - must be constantly attentive with regards to practices that are what I term - "mildly hostile" - towards their customers. These are the small annoyances that by themselves may not garner sufficient weight to motivate a customer to cease dealing with your business but tend, over time, to compel customers to look elsewhere to satisfy their needs.
WHY CUSTOMERS LEAVE
1% Die
3% Move
5% Buy From Friends
9% Prefer Competition
14% Judge All Like Businesses The Same
68% Indifference, Rudeness, Lack of Service By Employees
Examples of mildly hostile customer practices are fairly widespread particularly in the retail/consumer products and services areas and I'm sure each of you reading this are fully aware of what I mean and can recite horror stories from your own experiences in the retail jungle.
As cinema owners/operators, being aware of mildly hostile practices requires constant vigilance for, like wrinkles and graying, their precise beginnings are hard to determine until the day when their grim evidence is impossible to refute.
There are a myriad of mildy hostile customer practices, and include such things as:
All businesses - but particularly service oriented ones, and certainly cinemas - must be constantly attentive with regards to practices that are what I term - "mildly hostile" - towards their customers. These are the small annoyances that by themselves may not garner sufficient weight to motivate a customer to cease dealing with your business but tend, over time, to compel customers to look elsewhere to satisfy their needs.
WHY CUSTOMERS LEAVE
1% Die
3% Move
5% Buy From Friends
9% Prefer Competition
14% Judge All Like Businesses The Same
68% Indifference, Rudeness, Lack of Service By Employees
Examples of mildly hostile customer practices are fairly widespread particularly in the retail/consumer products and services areas and I'm sure each of you reading this are fully aware of what I mean and can recite horror stories from your own experiences in the retail jungle.
As cinema owners/operators, being aware of mildly hostile practices requires constant vigilance for, like wrinkles and graying, their precise beginnings are hard to determine until the day when their grim evidence is impossible to refute.
There are a myriad of mildy hostile customer practices, and include such things as:
- Employing under-qualified staff
- Poor & unfriendly service
- Thoughtless policies, such as inconvenient show times
- Slow response in resolving customer queries and problems
- Inconsistent service standards
- Messy, semi-clean facilities
- Untrained staff
Many of these practices are derived from weak, ineffective management which usually emanates from a tolerance for poor staff performance. Others may come from a company's fuzzy notion of customer satisfaction or from inconsistent service fortified by a lack of corporate support and funding for proper staff training.
Remember; it's not only blatant mismanagement and major mistakes that cause customer dissatisfaction and defection, but also those practices that are mildly hostile but which over time cause customer departure.
Before ending I would like to mention a trend that has developed over the last several years in corporate America and is worth mentioning. That is the creation and staffing by large organizations of a position called Chief Customer Experience Officer or CXO. A CXO is a senior level executive charged with evaluating, directing, and overseeing the customer experience effort and its implementation throughout the entire organization. The CXO position started to appear in 2005, and now, almost 25% of the largest 100 U.S. corporations have a CXO.
Reporting to the CEO, the CXO's responsibilities cut-across all product, service, and distribution channels and they have significant input into the corporation's marketing, promotion, and advertising activities. The CXO position will quickly become relevant for both large and mid-sized companies, in both the services or manufacturing sectors, and you'll be hearing more about this new and critical position as time goes on.
Reprinted from Spring 2008 Screentrade MagazineWednesday, June 11, 2008
DROP YOUR SHORTS
Now that I have your attention, let's talk about something less provacative but, nontheless, serious and perhaps even dearer to an exhibitor's heart. Drop Your Shorts is one of over 25,000 film festivals held annually across the globe. Forget Cannes and Sundance. We're talking about Toronto's Hunk of Junk Fest, Tokyo's Short Shorts, Sydney's Homebrewed Fest, Hollywood's Scream Fest, and London's Food Film Fiesta. The list and topics are endless. So with all these film festivals why should I be writing about cinemas sponsoring their own digital film fest? Because - it's an easy way to make money and (perhaps more importantly) connect your cinema to the local community in a very positive way. Film festivals fall under my current pet business premise for cinemas: Think Global / Act Local.
THE HOW TOs OF SPONSORING A FILM FESTIVAL
THE HOW TOs OF SPONSORING A FILM FESTIVAL
- Advertise locally that your cinema is sponsoring a film festival. Start the promotion at least 6 - 8 weeks before the Festival. You should be able to get free local press coverage before and during the event. Also use the Cinema's website and in-theatre notices.
- Charge entrants a minimal submission fee - say $15 - $25. Limit all submissions to 10 minutes or less and accept only DVD formatted entries.
- Shortly after the deadline submission date review each submission for integrity (you set the entry rules), and then compile the accepted works onto a single "Festival" DVD.
- Form a 3 person judging panel (awards will be given). Staff the panel with people who know something about the cinema or have local stature - professors/teachers at local schools or universities are a good source, as are local media people (radio, TV, press). You'll find most are ready and willing to assist.
- Determine where and when to hold the Festival (provide a name). Have it at least two or three presentation times over a two/three day period - preferably weekend mornings/early afternoons.
- Produce copies of the Festival DVD which would be available for sale during the Festival and through your Cinema's website.
- For the presentations, use a video projector that is putting out 50 - 100 lumens of light per foot of picture throw. This is your benchmark projector size.
- Give out awards - trophies, certificates, cash prizes - and have a number of awards, by: age group, submission genre, length of submission, etc.
- Sell concessions!
YOUTUBE ON THE BIG SCREEN
The key in having the community participate is to get the word out early and often. If promoted properly you'll be surprised on the number of entries submitted. Get local schools involved. Another good idea is to link up with a community arts group as co-sponsor - this will provide a promotional jump start and further encourage local participation. The trick in having a digital film fest is not to get too fancy or too complicated. This is all about reinforcing the link between the cinema and the local community - it's that simple but that imperative.
Being a big proponent of cinemas offering up a full range of "alternative content" - be it a film festival or an in-cinema video gaming initiative, over the long haul cinemas will have to gravitate toward the use of non-movie entertainment to survive. Single theatre operation or chain it doesn't matter, sponsoring a digital film festival is easy, straight forward, and profitable - try it!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
3-D Cinema: A 2-D Perspective
Already faced with the problem of conversion to digital cinema, exhibitors now have the added worry of 3-D. Just as Cinemascope was created and adopted by theatres to get people away from that new gadget, the TV, now
On the distribution end, this concept will definitely float, because even if only a fraction of theaters are equipped with 3-D projection equipment, their film can still be screened on both formats. They already get the majority of the box office and nothing comes out of their pocket for the equipment on which it is projected.
However for exhibitors, it’s more sink or swim. If you’re not already equipped with 3-D (and chances are you’re not, since digital screens alone in the U.S. are only around 4,000 out of 38,000), here are your options. If you already own a D-Cinema projector, great, you only have to drop around $15-20,000 per screen to kick it up to the 3-D notch. If you’re looking to upgrade from your 35mm to 3-D, the sticker will be $100-150,000 per screen. For the big chains who are publicly traded, where’s that money going to come from, we’ve seen your numbers. And for the small circuits, good luck in finding the bank that’s willing to back you.
Once you have the money, here are some options. Real D, out of
To combat the bite of the price tag, exhibitors have been charging a higher admission for 3-D films over the boring old 2-D. So pose this to your average customer, would you pay $15 over $7 to see Indiana Jones come off the screen? Sure, but would you answer the same for Made of Honor, Baby Mama, and the rest of the 90% of releases that are not the heavy hitting blockbusters? Right now only ten films are slated to be released in 3-D in the next year, with possibly 20 following in the next. It is still a small number compared to the number of releases annually – over 450 for the year 2008.
And let’s not forget about the 3-D glasses. They’re not your parents’ glasses, they are special polarized ones, that, with Real D, will run you $2 a pair (recyclable yes, but they don’t have that environmental friendliness that more and more people are looking for), while Dolby’s glasses have a price tag of $40 a pair (reusable yes, but they will need to be cleaned by your staff and closely watched to prevent theft).
Let’s look to Hannah Montana for further analysis. “The Best of Both Worlds” 3-D concert film scored well, considering it only opened on 683 screens. $30 million was grossed in its first week in that handful of theatres, but Disney took 90% of it back before you blinked, and many of those $40 a pair glasses were damaged or walked off. It’s success could also be largely in fact due to that tweener demographic that has made Hannah Montana a sold out arena phenomenon. That, and the pressure of those little girls, “Well Kaitlin’s Mom is taking her to see the movie!”
With technology there’s always risk involved. The software and hardware you install today, could be replaced by the software and hardware they develop tomorrow. At least with 35mm, it’s the same device that has been used for over a hundred years, it’s mechanical, a belt breaks, you replace it. You oil its gears and it does its job. It won’t crash, it won’t require periodic system upgrades. Technology’s lifespan is somewhat short to that of something mechanical. Just as CD’s became MP3s and movies can be watched on laptops and iPods, it’s predicted that in the next five to ten years, 3-D will reach the home theater, at which point then, what will be the next fad to get people back?
- Tracy Janis
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