All different, all digital

http://www.mediasalles.it/dgt_online/index.htm

by Elisabetta Brunella

This column hosts portraits of cinemas in Europe and the rest of the world which are quite different from one another but have in common the fact that they have all adopted digital projection.

Country	Site	Town	Company	Number of projectors	Projector	Resolution	Server	No. of 3D screens	Supplier of 3D technology
UK	Electric Cinema Theatre	London	Electric Cinema Theatre	1	Christie	2K	Dolby	1	XpanD

Electric Cinema

Take London on a Saturday afternoon and a classic tourist destination: Portobello Road. Take the easily imaginable rain which, after a while, will discourage even the keenest market-goer and shopper. Why not let oneself be drawn to the blue sign and elegant, classical-style façade of the Electric? What's more, even the most expert guides and important websites from visitlondon.com to yelp.co.uk, will tell you that this cinema – a single screen, a hundred years old in February 2011, seating for 102 – is an objective of tourists from every continent and one of the British capital's real 'musts'.
Starting from the packaging: a Regency building with sober stuccoes and gilding, built as a cinema – which makes it the oldest surviving "purpose-built" cinema in Great Britain, with the advantage of great olden-day charm (there are even the fire-precaution buckets full of sand hanging on the walls) and with the practical disadvantage of it being impossible to install air-conditioning. But the most interesting feature is the formula chosen by its latest owner to breathe new life into a cinema that had suffered the crisis of the '80s and which is the exact opposite of the multiplex model: an exclusive cinema-going site distinguished by its luxury. Very British luxury, reminiscent of the style and atmosphere of the London clubs: the seats are in burgundy-coloured leather, comfortable but simple, accompanied by a cube-shaped footrest zipped to the carpeting. Taking into account the fact that after sinking into his seat and stretching his feet out on the footrest, the spectator also has room to place his overcoat and shopping before the next row, we have another essential ingredient of this discreet luxury: the space.
Between the seats are little built-in wooden tables, fitted with wine coolers.An indispensable facility is the bar, situated in the theatre itself, which is a distinctive feature of the Electric and not only offers a list of international labels and spirits but also boasts one of the City's best barmen. His version of the Bellini is a bestseller, especially during the summer months.
A bar but also a restaurant: the Electric offers its clients "real" food, cooked in the adjacent restaurant. Half an hour before screening the waiters pass by with the dishes on show at the bar: the choice ranges from sausage rolls or a selection of British cheeses to more exotic tastes, from guacamole to hummus. And if this should not suffice, no problem: by giving your seat number, an efficient and equally discreet waiter will have a piping-hot plate of food brought for you.
Considering that these delicacies are prepared by the same chef who cooks for the happy few at the exclusive Soho House club, of which the Electric is a part – it can be agreed that in the end the five pounds are well spent.
It is true that by adding the cost of the ticket (from 12.50 to 14.50 pounds) and a glass of wine (4 pounds) your visit to the Electric is not exactly cheap but you can always boast of having been in a special place for many reasons. Last but not least the fact that when Notting Hill was being shot, the cinema – which was not then in operation – was rented as a place for the cast to relax in.
After having enjoyed the architectural quality of the building – protected by Her Majesty's Government – and the thought of having trod the same ground trodden by Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, the spectator will be offered one of the most successful films of the moment.
John Nathan, both actor and director of the cinema – clear proof of the fact that at the Electric they like their staff creative and original – tells us: "At present programming at the Electric tends to be mainstream, after a launch devoted more to art-house cinema". Since February a digital projector has not been lacking with the main objective of screening films in 3D. "But here at the Electric, we have more specific offers," continues Nathan. "The early afternoons on Saturdays are devoted to children, whilst on Sunday there are the previews reserved for members of the Soho House."
With a view to the celebrations for the Electric's centenary, the "Vintage Screenings" have begun, with themost significant titles in a century of film, including screenings from the age of silent cinema accompanied by an orchestra.
That the formula, supported by clever marketing strategy – there are 40,000 addresses in the Electric's mailing list - is successful is demonstrated by the "sold-out" screenings.
Given that you have managed to acquire the much sought-after burgundy-coloured armchair seat and escape from the rainy afternoon, prepare for another of the Electric's marvels: thanks to an efficient mechanical device, the cinema screen will appear before you from behind a red velvet curtain. Sit back and relax!

This article was published in Italian in the "Giornale dello Spettacolo" no. 8, 23 April 2010