Talk About Digital Cinema

Andre Mort
Technical Manager for Empire Cinemas

Andre Mort

For the past 18 months, Andre Mort has been Technical Manager for Empire Cinemas and responsible for operating the projection side of the organisation. His background is engineering and he has served as an engineer for a number of different cinema chains during his 22-year career in the entertainment industry.

From an engineer's point of view

When Kodak made the offer to set up a beta site with us, Justin Robbins, our CEO, made the decision to bring in Kodak. As the Kodak digital system was going in, I was looking forward to it - from an engineering point of view new technology is always a good thing and from an audience perspective it would result in no scratches on screen and a picture quality that's consistently fantastic. I was also looking forward to experiencing the impact of the project long term - we were putting digital in all six screens at the High Wycombe cinema so I was eager to see it as an educational experience; what the benefits were and also what the pitfalls were.

On system performance

The Kodak system is performing the way I expected it to. I anticipated some issues with it because it's brand new technology, it's a new install and from our point of view it's a system we didn't know much about. There were some initial problems with the working of it, but that's settled down. Moving forward, it's fantastic, the problems are all ironed out now, and the arrival of TMS is going to make life a lot easier as well.

On benefits to projectionists

The content players have been in since the end of February and our projectionists find the Kodak systems great. They're comfortable with it because they were brought up with computers and it makes their lives a lot easier. The projectionists are also getting involved more with the distributors as the hard drives and the KDMs are coming in so they're really enjoying that aspect of it. The feedback is that they like making up the programs as well.

On the work that goes away

And from the projectionists' point of view, they like not having to make up the adverts or the features because everything comes in ready to go. So, on the one hand, they find it easier than working with 35mm because with digital, everything is assembled before anything is shipped anywhere, but they still have to make phone calls, arrange to receive and ship back the hard drives. It's just different kinds of work and they're enjoying it.

On what's important with digital

From my point of view, what's important is a) picture quality; b) ease of use - that is, it needs to be foolproof; and c) most importantly - no lost shows. So, that's something I am very involved with, ensuring that we get all of the tactical issues dealt with long term. It is a big learning curve on what it takes to integrate digital into a complex as it's not like putting in just one projector or one server. When you've got six screens worth - all networked together - it's a lot more involved, a lot more work and there's a lot more pulling people together to ensure it works.

On audience reaction

With the surveys we've done, audiences are telling us that with digital the quality is a lot better; there is no dirt and no scratches. But as with 35mm, the audience doesn't notice the projection unless something goes wrong. The advantages of digital accrue more to us, the exhibitors, long term.

On the advantages of the Kodak Theatre Management System

Once we get the Kodak TMS and get it linked into our box office, we should be able to operate more efficiently, transferring the movie from the TMS to the content player when it needs to be there, so it's ready. Also, when we build new cinemas, the Kodak TMS will allow us to build smaller projection rooms because we don't have to install platters. We will need projectors and a rack for sound and content players and that's it. Furthermore, if we can build smaller projection rooms, it will allow us to put more seating in the same size building.

On new storage capability

We are looking forward to the Kodak TMS and the additional storage space this will give us on the main server. Right now, we are storing four or five features on every content player and that has become an issue in the last few weeks when we have been close to running out of space. The TMS will enable us to handle more films in each location.

On satellite delivery

Satellite is OK, if you have the time for it to download. I know that Hollywood would like satellite, but the technology really isn't there to use that on a wide basis, especially when you work out how many cinemas there are, how many dishes are out there and how long it takes to download. In five years, the best solution could be satellite, it could even be fibre optic cable -- it depends on bandwidth and speed of delivery of the content. But, currently we're fine with hard drive delivery, they work very reliably.

On his advice to others

One key point is to make sure your infrastructure has been set up correctly before you do your install. Ensure your sound system is up to scratch, that your automation systems are working well and that everyone knows what they're doing and what to expect (otherwise things take much longer than they should). But that's all of part of the learning curve. With digital, you'll have cables and things you never had with 35mm, it needs to be done correctly and it needs to be certified as well. If you've got everything ready, then your new system will just lock into place.

On training

We were lucky with training because the team at High Wycombe are very good with PCs, so it didn't take them long to pick it up. But the Kodak system is a lot easier to learn than 35mm because it's a computer-based system and most people today are familiar with PCs. If you can turn on a PC, you can operate a Kodak system. If you can open up a Word document, it won't take you long to learn how to build a program for your screens.

On partnerships

From a tactical point of view, I am looking at what the content player and the management system can offer us, storage space, ease of installation, ease of use and also long term service and support going forward. My responsibility is to evaluate what we put in and to deal with situations as they come up. I'm the guy who pulls everything together and I help to solve issues. With the Kodak system, the issues have gone away.

On working with Kodak

I have dealt with the whole Kodak team and everyone is very professional in their approach. Whenever we've had any issues, Kodak has been right there for us and they've solved those issues. Our relationship with Kodak has been very good from the word go. I personally just find the picture with the Kodak system a lot steadier, it's clean, it's crisp, it runs the same, looks the same, each time you show it - and it doesn't make any difference how many times you show it, it's always going to be the same.