San Francisco Opera, Bigger Picture announce a four-year Digital Cinema Agreement

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Raising the Stakes

 

 San Francisco Opera and The Bigger Picture, a subsidiary of Access Integrated Technologies have announced an agreement for world wide distribution of six operas per year beginning in early March. The agreement calls for an all-digital 2K release with 5.1 surround sound.This offers competition for National CineMedia’s presentations of New York’s Metropolitan Opera and further raises the stakes because it will be shown in 2K.

 

San Francisco Opera embraced technology last May by transforming its historic War Memorial Opera House into a high definition production facility with the installation of the Koret-Taube Media Suite. The media suite gives the Company the permanent capability to generate a high-definition, multi-camera live feed of the stage for many uses including digital cinema presentations.

 

A landmark revenue sharing agreement with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, American Guild of Musical Artists and the American Federation of Musicians paved the way for these digital cinema presentations and other electronic media projects. The parties have reached a tentative agreement, pending final ratification, for a four-year experimental agreement that involves a supplemental media fee to clear vastly expanded rights for up to six titles per year.

 

“My very first opera experience was actually in a movie theater – hearing Mario Lanza sing in the film, The Great Caruso,” says San Francisco Opera general director David Gockley. “I vividly remember the power of hearing that incredible voice at a young age and the feeling that I absolutely had to experience a live opera. I am thrilled that this partnership will bring opera to large audiences at a very reasonable price point, an undertaking that I firmly believe will bring more new people to the art form and ultimately into opera houses all over the world. San Francisco Opera strives for the highest possible artistic quality onstage and therefore we’re doubly grateful that our partners at The Bigger Picture and AccessIT are able to take us into the theaters via the highest possible quality digital cinema technology.”

 

“The promise of digital cinema is about more than simply exchanging 35 mm film prints for digital satellite delivery,” says Jonathan Dern, co-president of The Bigger Picture. “It enables theaters to become cultural centers for their communities, bringing audiences together to enjoy entertainment experiences previously limited to specific live venues. Audiences will be thrilled with the innovative and world-class operas from San Francisco Opera delivered in stunning 2K digital cinema quality on the big screen – there is nothing that can compare to that experience. Our exhibitor partners across the country are delighted to be able to offer their audiences the opportunity to share in the magic of the San Francisco Opera experience through this new Bigger Picture Opera Channel.”

 

http://www.digitalcinemareport.com/raisingstakes.html