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Topic: "Film" rental on digital "prints"?

Martin McCaffery
Film God

Posts: 2481
From: Montgomery, AL
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-24-2008 10:02 AM

quote: David Zylstra
Digital is not a license to say "I'm going to run all 18 screens IJ4 and cancel all my other booked films" - the studios who have content booked on your other screens may not like it.

Around here it kinda looks like it is. We have a Carmike 8-plex and a Rave 15. On opening weekend of IJ4 there were 27 showtimes combined at the two plexes. I didn't bother to figure out by the listings how many screens were being used, but it looked to me like they were maximizing output. I have no idea how many HD's they had either, but knowing Carmike anyway, they weren't going to pay for more than one

If they want to use the same print to play matinees all day in a house where they will show a 10pm show of their "regular" feature (a fairly common practice here), why would the studio complain, as long as they get their cut of the action, and the "house nut" is being accurately credited?

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David Zylstra
Master Film Handler

Posts: 432
From: Novi, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 06-24-2008 11:11 AM

quote: Mike Blakesley
But I don't see why you couldn't use the same VPF to play a slew of midnight shows if no other showtimes are booked for those screens

Midnights are a different story - i.e. if the screens are open they don't seem to care if you run multiple auditoriums for the midnight shows - this falls under the current business practice of running interlocks . . . . . . but I would think they would need studio approval if they ran a midnight, 12:10, 12:20,12:30, etc.

quote: Martin McCaffery
We have a Carmike 8-plex and a Rave 15. On opening weekend of IJ4 there were 27 showtimes combined at the two plexes

27 showtimes with 5 showtimes per screen is about 5 or 6 "prints" - that sounds about standard with 2 at the 8 plex and 3 or 4 at the 15; we had 3 digital "prints" plus 1 35mm at each of our 18 screens.

The exhibitor does not have to pay any more for the HDs than for 35mm - actually with multiple prints you save shipping costs because you only get 1 HD for multiple copies.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 06-28-2008 02:57 AM

quote: Lyle Romer
Digital cinema will also put a damper on the "we're having a problem with that movie" method of creating an interlock screen. If something doesn't play the correct number of times, the studio will know about it.

How exactly do they know? Do the players have to report daily to the mother ship?

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Lyle Romer
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1400
From: Davie, FL, USA
Registered: May 2002

posted 06-28-2008 08:43 AM

quote: Brad Miller
How exactly do they know? Do the players have to report daily to the mother ship?

I don't know if they actually monitor it but the integrator (whoever is providing the equipment and dealing with financing) has access to the information.

I guess if you outright paid for the equipment they may not be able to monitor it but if you do it through one of the subsidized plans, they can check via the integrator.

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David Zylstra
Master Film Handler

Posts: 432
From: Novi, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 06-28-2008 02:41 PM

quote: Brad Miller
How exactly do they know? Do the players have to report daily to the mother ship?

In some cases maybe . . . . . . DCI includes security logging requirements that log every time a KDM is accessed to playback a film - the studio goal is to pull these logs to track every time their films are played . . . . .

Buying your own equipment does not exempt you from the possible requirement of sharing log files with the studios - the studios are including a log requirement in their digital cinema addendums to film contracts, besides all they have to do is say you cannot book any more of their digital films until you produce past logs and you pretty much have no choice . . . . .

Currently the integrators use the information to facilitate "VPF billing" so they can prove to the studios that the films ran in digital.

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