report from the gold coast
Richard Sowada, Head of Film Programs at ACMI, reports from the Australian International Movie Convention:
"Well...what an interesting experience this is!
The Australian International Movie Convention brings together a strange mix of major and minor distributors touting their wares (to mixed technical results), exhibitors from all regions and the small cadre of screen culture flag wavers - like me - sticking their noses in where it's not wanted but always warranted.
There may be seemingly endless trailer reels but you do have to say there's no expense spared in making them look good.
I guess the Gold Coast location says plenty, and there's even young blonde ladies wearing rabbit ears and cotton tails - yes, you read right - handing out show bags as I write this.
But despite the razzamatazz, you can't help getting a veiled sense of desperation, especially from the majors: one presentation from a major international distributor seemed downright apologetic, and another's well-used phrase was "fingers crossed".
The order of the day though is obviously Baz Luhrmann's Australia, with Mr Hugh Jackman here in person being enormously engaging with his take on the film. That's a big card to trump, and it's clear there are a lot of chips in the pot - but as Kenny Rogers once said, "Yer never count yer money when yer sitting at the table."
The other big talk is, of course, around digital cinema, 3-D and immersive experiences. But for such a giant digital leap in the industry, discussion on 3-D seems strangely vague. The enticement for exhibitors it seems is their ability to be able to charge a premium levy for the experience.
Being that one of the problems facing the industry is the cost of admission - especially for families - you'd think that this strategy may have some early flaws. Coupled with the current global economic climate, building a business model on charging more, with the added vagaries around 'built-in redundancy' of the technology, well, it has obvious problems.
The digital discussion is a really interesting one though. As one speaker declared, "It's a solution looking for a problem."
But that screen, that big screen - you have to love this business!"
Published Wednesday, 3 September 2008
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