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MITIC
MAKES A QUANTUM LEAP
The
digital tidal wave engulfing the entertainment
industry goes under the spotlight at MITIC
2000, with its exhibition arena boasting
some of the prime movers in technology
plus a Cannes Conference Series, with
panel discussions ranging from front-end
production to e-cinema and the internet.
Now celebrating its third birthday on
the Riviera, MITIC- the International
Market of Technology and Innovations in
Cinema-looks to build on the success it
enjoyed last year after it first moved
into the Palais. With over 5,800 visitors
in 1999- up almost 100% on the previous
year, when MITIC’s tent languished amid
a construction site- the 1,000 sq.m. Palais
pavilion plays host to the maximum number
of exhibitors (almost 40 in total), given
the limited space available. This year’s
roster of companies includes Sony Broadcast
& Professional Europe (Sony PBE), which
premieres CineAlta, the filmmaking technology
adopted by George Lucas and Wim Wenders
on their latest projects.
“CineAlta brings together the quality
and universality of 24-frame cinematography
with the speed, efficiency and flexibility
of high-definition technology,” maintains
Milan Krsjlanin, Sony PBE’s senior marketing
manager, adding: “It readily interfaces
with the computer graphics world, liberating
post-production.”
Montreal-based Spotvision, meanwhile,
has teamed with the Cannes Market to provide
two high-profile Saco-Smartvision Screens,
which will feature breaking Festival and
Market news, celebrity interviews and
trailers. Given that the city has cut
back on the number of billboards, the
aspiring market leader in large screen
broadcast looks set to make a definite
impression.
In its first foray into mainstream entertainment,
France Telecom makes history with its
latest digital cinema initiative, while
Creative Planet, the production industry
services website, provides coverage of
the Festival from a production perspective
on the official MITIC site (www.mitic-cannes.com).
Other companies exhibiting include Discreet
Logic, FICAM, Mikros Image, Offshore S.A.,
Philips Digital Networks, TDF Cinema Numerique,
and for the plex-oriented, Kineset unveils
its new theatre seat technology, while
BARCO and Kinoton demo their latest digital
projectors. For visitors seeking for a
change of scenery, MITIC also boasts a
phalanx of film commissions, including
the Association of Film Commissioners
International (AFCI) and the Commission
Nationale de Film France, as well as regional
players from Alpes Côte d’Azur, Provence,
and the Italian Riviera. MITIC, however,
is becoming recognized for its high profile
Cannes Conference Series, hosted in partnership
with the Commission Supèrieure Technique
CST and Variety in the Variety Pavilion.
This year’s highlights include “Digital
Filmmaking 2000”, with The Shooting Gallery’s
Larry Meistrich, actor/director Griffin
Dunne, “Third World Cop” film editor Suzanne
Fenn and producer Peter Broderick on the
panel. There is also a case study, courtesy
of Lars von Trier’s “Dancer in the Dark”
production team. “With technology evolving
so rapidly, it’s no longer a question
of if, but when, and the session will
focus on digital projection and its impact
on distribution,” says Jerome Paillard,
the event organizer and executive director,
MIF. |
