Cinema’s New Era Coming
In any industry, new technology can bring about about revolutionary changes. New business models emerge to adapt to these changes. And the cinema industry now finds itself on the threshold of such a revolution. In the more than 100-year history of the film business, there have been many such changes and the industry has seized each opportunity to keep growing and thriving. Different distribution models have emerged, for example, expanding beyond just traditional movie theaters to TV, internet , mobile phones and more. The recent rise of video streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and You Tube means lower distribution costs for companies like them and a higher rate of return and faster recovery of production costs for movie distributors. Meanwhile the rising cost of cinema tickets is one of the factors that has seen movie theatre admissions and the revenues of major cinema groups declining as audiences enjoy movies in other ways. Now that t raditional film distribution methods have hit such problems the development of the industr y is threatened. Does this mean that cinemas are going to ride of f into the sunset? Absolutely not .
The Revolution Approaches
A revolution is approaching which can breathe new life into film distribution and cinema businesses. The Revolution Approaches Due to a personal interest in the production and technology sides of the film business, I began to attend, at the urging of my friend Buting Yang—former president of China Film Group—the world’s biggest cinema equipment and technology conferences, CinemaCon and the NAB Show which are both held annually in Las Vegas. Having attended 10 years in a row, I have witnessed major changes in technology used for screening films and been present for some major announcements. The spark of the cinematic revolution was lit by Samsung when the company launched its gigantic high-resolution 4K-LED screen at CinemaCon in March 2017 and awed both the media and conference delegates from over 80 countries by playing 4K promotional videos on its state-of-the-art new LED cinema screen. Then in July 2017 Samsung installed the world’s first commercial 4K-LED cinema screen at the Lotte Cinema World Tower in Seoul, South Korea, and began its trial operations. The revolution continued to gather pace when Samsung’s 4K-LED screen appeared in a Switzerland movie theater in December 2017 and at the same time, the company signed strategic cooperation agreements with China and Thailand. By the time CinemaCon 2018 came around, Samsung had retired its old product and launched the new and improved Onyx LED cinema screen there. A few months later, the Onyx screen was operational in Hong Kong. By the end of the year, Samsung had teamed up with Wanda Group to build an Onyx LED cinema in Shanghai and launched a 14-meter wide Onyx LED screen in Beijing. Samsung was suddenly at the forefront of innovation in the industry and an increasing number of investors and business executives became intrigued by the dawn of a new age of futuristic movie theaters.
Comparison between traditional cinema and new LED cinema
While there have been numerous reforms in film projection technology on the way to today’s high-definition digital approach, the same basic principles have remained. A powerful beam projects the image onto a big screen and it must happen in a dark space to avoid interference from other light sources. A professional projectionist and technical maintenance is needed to support the projection. But the LED cinema screens completely subvert traditional projection methods and bring many superior upgrades like definition improvement and less perspective distortion inaccuracy while not needing a dark room and offering easier management and maintenance. As traditional projection cannot compete wi the area, a cinema with LED screens disrupts the industry by creating opportunities for a new business model which I call CineMedia, a meeting point of film and television entertainment.
A Different Business Model
CineMedia Movie theaters have undergone big reforms in recent years such as adding restaurants, bars, and other amenities. But the fundamentals of the screening rooms have stayed the same. Take the iPic chain as one example. But in the future CineMedia can change all that, by making modern new screenings rooms suitable for not just movies but also live sports, big-screen E-sports, video conferences for global companies, and high-end parties.
In an LED screening environment:
•All screenings are run from a central control system, eliminating the need for individual projectionists.
•A variety of lighting levels and daylight environments can be used
• High-tech headphones can be used enabling audience members to talk with each other without disturbing the rest of the crowd
•Gourmet food and specialty drinks can be ordered from seats and delivered right to the customer •Sports shown on such a large screen provide a similar feeling to actually being at the event
•Concerts, stage plays, opera, and ballet can be screened in the same immersive way
•E-sports players can compete online with rivals anywhere in the world or in the same room
•Ability to provide customized private parties featuring the likes of Karaoke, Wii, Nintendo, X BOX motion-sensing simulation games, and other video content in the big LED screening rooms.
•Big screening room available for global corporations & enterprises’ conference meetings.
•After school After-school educational videos can be offered turning the screening room into a classroom CineMedia will not only bring a new film screening environment but also a new and wider variety of entertainment in the same place.
Looking to the Future
The rapid developments in technology, expansion of the internet, and upcoming 5G high-speed data transfer has made the impossible possible—and quickly. But that doesn’t mean traditional cinemas are doomed. No matter how widespread CineMedia becomes, the traditional cinema will remain an integral part of the film business—especially as a venue for blockbuster releases on their initial theatrical run. But this writer envisions that, due to budgets and other concerns, all the remaining movies will become part of the CineMedia system. More and more filmmakers will choose to drop their movies into an internet-based streaming system. This offers a variety of opportunities for audiences too. Especially those who have the latest screens at home. Because of high-speed data transfer and pin sharp picture quality, audiences will be able to enjoy movies on their televisions as much as they would do in theaters. Rapid developments in science and technology have brought us to the brink of this revolution. Enormous opportunities lie ahead for businesses, audiences anpin-sharpd filmmakers. Are you ready to embrace them?
Writer: Dr. Jimmy Jiang