For more information about the ScreenCheck Experience visit the Kodak Web site at www.kodak.com/go/screencheck.
Movie Experience Joins Ranks With Kodak Program for Exhibitors
Widescreen Reviewís favorite Southern California cinema chain, The Movie Experience (SoCal Cinemas), a family-owned circuit in Southern California, has joined the roster of cinemas certified for the Kodak ScreenCheck Experience. All screens operated by the circuit will be certified by Kodak. ""I thought this was a great program the moment I heard about it,"" says Bruce Sanborn, President of The Movie Experience. ""Our family has always believed it is our obligation to provide a high-quality movie-going experience for the public. Our participation in the ScreenCheck Experience gives us the powerful marketing tool, which differentiates us form the competition. There are a lot of subtleties in the pictures and audio tracks of contemporary motion pictures that are important to the story. This program notifies our guests that they have been and will continue to experience movies the way they are intended to be seen and heard, but now we have a powerful way to market this experience; the Kodak name."" ""The Movie Experience has always provided top-notch film projection and digital sound, and lately Surround EX capability, and as soon as I saw the Kodak ScreenCheck trailer I knew that Bruce and his staff were once again raising the bar of performance up another notch. I was impressed with the screen illumination and resulting contrast improvement and praise this circuit for its attention to quality,"" said Gary Reber, Editor and Publisher of Widescreen Review. Kodak unveiled the program this year. Sean Lohan, Cinema Operations Manager for Kodakís Professional Motion Imaging division, explains that the company works with participating exhibitors to evaluate presentation quality in individual auditoriums. He says, there are numerous different factors considered in evaluating picture and audio quality. If necessary, recommendations are made for bringing presentation quality up to standard. When an auditorium is certified, it is eligible to use trailers and other promotional materials designed to inform the public where they can enjoy films with the Kodak ScreenCheck Experience. Lohan explains, ""Kodak has invested hundreds of millions of dollars on the development of products that give direction and cinematographers the tools they need to tell more visually compelling stories. Our digital intermediate technology and new generation of color prints films are designed to amplify the quality of those images when they are projected on cinema screens. Now, we are working with exhibitors to help ensure that the public experiences those films as they are intended to be seen."" Sanborn literally grew up in the cinema exhibition business. His grandfather opened a cinema in Southern California in 1918 when the movie industry was still in its infancy. ""Today, it is more important than ever before for a theatre to differentiate itself,"" he says. ""In the old days, the nearest theatre playing the same firm was 20 miles away. People pretty much had to go to the closest theatre if they wanted to see a particular movie. Today, there are more screens closer to their homes."" Sanborn notes that the certification program has a dual purpose. Regular inspection ensures that projection and audio quality on individual screens consistently satisfy the high standards required for certification. In addition, as the public begins to associate the Kodak brand with individual screens, he believes they will become more discerning about where they see films. ""There are people who say it doesnít matter,"" says Lohan. ""We believe they are wrong. The public does care, and we know filmmakers care a lot. They appreciate the dedication of exhibitors like Bruce Sanborn and their commitment to excellence.""