Kodak And General Cinema Expand ScreenCheck Experience To Seattle

General Cinema debuted the Kodak ScreenCheck Experience at five Seattle-area theatres on Friday, August 6. Combined, 43 screens located at General Cinemaís Pacific Palace, Gateway Center, Kitsap Mall, Lincoln Plaza, and Renton Village were certified by Kodak for providing optimum on-screen image quality to movie audiences.General Cinema is the first chain to commit to the Kodak program designed to substantially enhance the movie-going experience by working with exhibitors to certify image quality on theatre screens. General Cinema launched the ScreenCheck Experience in Los Angeles and now brings the image quality certification from Kodak to Seattle. The circuit intends to certify more than 100 screens.""We are absolutely committed to providing great movie-going experiences for our audiences,"" says Bill Doeren, President and CEO of General Cinema. ""This partnership with Kodak is important because it demonstrates our commitment to the people who create movies and the audiences who pay to see them. The public recognizes and trusts the Kodak name and logo, and associates it with quality. When they see the Kodak ScreenCheck Experience logo on our screens and in our lobbies, theyíll know they are seeing films the way they were meant to be seen.""Industry standards specified by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and embraced by the National Association of Theatre Owners call for 16 footlamberts of brightness at the center of the screen and 12 at the edges. Studies by Kodak and other organizations indicate the average screen at theatres in the United States falls far below industry standards.""When that happens, the audience doesnít see details on the film that are an important part of the story,"" Sean Lohan, Manager of Cinema Operations, U.S. and Canada, for Kodakís Professional Motion Imaging division. ""Itís like leaving words out of sentences. It can be a factor when people decide whether or not they enjoyed a movie. Itís a more immersive experience when bright, sharp images are projected onto the big screen and audiences see the subtle details in colors and textures that are part of the story.""In the ScreenCheck program, a Kodak team works with cinema managers to evaluate image quality on their screens. Problems are diagnosed and resolved. The Kodak team also provides ongoing training for projectionists to ensure proper maintenance. After a screen is certified, exhibitors use the distinctive ScreenCheck logo, a trailer and other promotional items to inform moviegoers.Lohan says that most screens can quickly be brought up to standard with relatively inexpensive adjustments in projection equipment and maintenance procedures. Screens are periodically re-certified so the public can be confident the theatre is providing them with the best possible image on the screen.""Kodak is making great progress in providing filmmakers with very advanced imaging technologies, such as camera and print films,"" says Donald Lane, Kodak ScreenCheck Experience Manager. ""This gives them tremendous freedom to create more compelling visual stories. Itís a logical next step for Kodak to partner with exhibitors to standardize and promote an optimal viewing experience in the theatres as well.""The Kodak ScreenCheck Experience is available in the United States and Europe, and is rolling out to Australia this month and other parts of the world later this year.Professional Motion Imaging is part of Kodakís Entertainment Imaging business unit. Kodak has consistently been the leading-edge provider of imaging science and technology products and services since the earliest days of the motion picture industry.For more information about Kodak, visit the Web site on the Internet at www.kodak.com/go/motion.