IAC DISCUSSION FORUMS

On Friday 30th April 04 Caithness Arts will be presenting it's 3rd Showcase
for artistic talent across the county. Everything from crafts and literature
to music, drama and FILM or video will be on show. The event takes place
at Skinandi's Nightclub (the former Picture House Cinema) Thurso starting
at 7.30pm. Admission is free.
Cinema For Thurso Group has exhibited sample material of super 8 mm in a
previous showcase and this time there will be the work of a local drama student
who produced a short video whilst on a media course at Dundee College.
The showcase events are run to promote the arts of and in Caithness and
future events will occur. Skinandi's as a former cinema is still a good venue
for film exhibition with room for a 7x20ft screen upstairs. Ironically the
venue has two big screens already installed for football matches (so the
big screen is pushing back in). Between the two levels of the open interior
there is room for around 350 seated, not bad considering it used to seat
465 as a cinema.
If you have filmed a project in Caithness or have Caithness connections
or influences there is a possabilty to get your work screened publically.
Standard showcases' offer a 15 minute slot for each interest and aim for
about 1.5 to 1.75hrs performance followed by a networking session with artists
and performers encouraged to learn more about and from the other artists
at the event. Premiere Showcase events are in the ideas stage where the aim
will be to give no more than 2 individuals or groups the oportunity to exhibit
new work. This can include film, AV or video and gives more time for people
to take in the work. Something to think about people. Thurso is a low population
area but has a vibrant arts scene. We are able to promote our work in the
Warner multiplex in Inverness so we can hit the whole Highland region with
publicity.

Good luck with the show.

There was more to my message ... but it vanished into
the aether ...

It is a shame there are not more public screenings of
amateur movies. And while I know CfT is a cine
enthusiast, one thing video is good at is providing quick
titles and announcements on screen in an imprerssive style.
I hope you use those other screens and some video to
plug your efforts.

Does anyone else remember when you would buy cine titles
from S.J.Seccombe Cine Services? I recall you had a choice
of backgrounds or could send them your own artwork.

Dave

one thing video is good at is providing quick

titles and announcements on screen in an imprerssive style.
There's an idea that hasn't passed me by. A few years ago when I was viewing

a possible cinema take-over one of the marketing ploys that I came up with
was to use the in-house video projection in the bar and resteraunt areas
for exclusive material made by the cinema to promote it's various entertainment
sections. I strongly believe that cinemas and places with screening fasilities
should make their own advertising material whether it be on video or film.
Both mediums offer excellent oportunities to create a unique image and style
that customers can associate with those places of entertainment.
In the old days of course, cinemas used the painted glass slide for in-house
announcements although they tended to project them on top of the film which
was a trifle distracting to say the least. None the less the idea is still
worth persuing even if not on top of the film.
As for titles, CFT produces it's film titles by using a blank PIP file.
PIP is our very own special effects process which enables us to create matte
composites for Super 8 that end up on super 8 for cinema projection. The
blank PIP is simply a normal 8-frame section with the frames whited in to
provide a clean space to apply titles. Each frame holds one title shot and
3 PIP sections fit onto A4 paper giving us 24 titles per sheet. A full 8
titles can be prepared and ready to photograph in 30 minutes. The titles
are prepared using ImageFolio 4.1 LE which allows the lettering to be anamorphically
altered for CinemaScope. They are then printed through MGI Photosuite under
the 'print preview'- 'size to fit' options.
PIP format is handled as movie film because it is merely the film reprinted
to a 65mm paper version so in just the same way as the original footage you
can see all the frames (see July/Aug 2003 FVM). All the sections are trimmed
and edited in the same way as film and they are mounted in our optical print
system which allows us to rephotograph between super 8 and 65mm PIP to a
new super 8 print with only one lens change required. It can also be used
to reprint 70mm, 35mm, 17.5mm, 16mm, 9.5mm and std 8mm with options to crop
or alter color balance and exposure. PIP also enables color restoration and
correction or anamorphic reformatting to old footage.
Yup CFT sure is cine enthusiastic but we do use video and have had some
long held ideas for projects that we just haven't had time to get down to
but it remains in our thoughts. Of course as PIP has opened up vast areas
of production capability we are looking for others to come on board to work
in the video field as our film projects are givin priority.