In reaching its goal to push cinema technology to a new level, SM Cinema participated in CineAsia 2011 which took place in Hong Kong on December 6 to 8, 2011. This year, it was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).The delegates included film industry executives and exhibitors from the different regions of Asia, including Edgar C. Tejerero, senior VP of SM Cinema and Christiana N. Caparas, SM Cinema’s business unit head for cinema and exhibition. Twenty percent of the total number of delegates came from China according to Robert Sunshine, the managing director of CineAsia. The event was also graced by many digital technology innovators from the West. The number of the representatives increased by 20% this year.
CineAsia is an annual convention and trade show with the goal of bringing together film distributors, exhibitors, and technology innovators for the advancement of the film industry. CineAsia 2011 focused on anti-film piracy and 3D technology.
The event included a series of seminars, exhibition and trade show. Some of Asia’s leading exhibitors shared their best practices. There was also a discussion on ways to increase revenue by showing alternative content, such as live sporting or concert events.
The activities commenced with a praiseworthy story of the exhibition industry in the Philippines and how it is leading the Southeast Asian film market through its anti-piracy legislation law and amusement tax reduction.
According to Edgar C. Tejerero, the strict piracy law in the country and the reduction of amusement tax from 30% to 10% is a boost to the country’s film industry. He also said that converting the theaters to digital also has a lot of benefits. Tejerero further said that they chose to convert all their screens to digital. “It gives us bigger box office, more usage for cinemas and screens -- pay per view, sports and entertainment, educational content such as film literacy program. And we hope we can encourage local movie industries to produce more", Tejerero said. Moreover, he said that ‘rapid’ digitization is essential because we’re already late.
Film piracy is still considered as the biggest challenge faced by the Asian market. According to Brian Dunn, the CEO of the leading company in anti-piracy technology PirateEye, the International Film exhibition earns $40 billion per year, but loses $3 to $5 billion because of film piracy. Dunn also discussed the dangers that social media like Facebook can do. “An ordinary person can do as much damage to a film by uploading contents to his or her Facebook page”, Dunn said. This year’s CineAsia endeavoredto address this problem. The delegates had an extensive discussion on the prevention of film thefts in theaters.
Aside from anti-film piracy, CineAsia 2011 also highlighted the advancements in 3D technology. The International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) organized a special seminar that focused on screen selection, digital update, and 3D capture.
Leading innovators in cinema technology showcased their latest developments. Christie, a provider of projection displays and visual applications, presented its high frame rate enhancements. High frame rate technology is forecasted to enable the film industry make a big leap forward by bringing an ultrarealistic viewing experience to the audience. Another noteworthy presentation came from Barco with a focus on its revolutionary sound system.
The delegates were able to take a peek at the movies that will be shown this upcoming year through the product presentations made by Sony Pictures Releasing International, 20th Century Fox International, United International Pictures, Paramount Pictures International, Universal Pictures International, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International and Warner Bros. Pictures International.
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