The Civic was built in 1929 as the premiere movie palace in New Zealand and underwent a major refurbishment project in 1999. Today, The Civic is home to musicals such as JERSEY BOYS and MARY POPPINS and hosts international shows from the recent Melissa Etheridge concert to the upcoming Barry Humphries Eat, Pray Laugh tour.
The New Zealand International Film Festival has screened films at The Civic for every one of its 44 years, and this year is no different, with an incredible line up of films scheduled for this beloved venue, starting with last night’s opening film Beasts of the Southern Wild.
There has been a technology update at The Civic this year, with digital cinema projection installed in time for the film festival, to be used alongside the current 35mm film projection. The addition of digital technology ensures that The Civic remains a workable cinema as technology progresses, and can also be used to screen concert and sporting events and live broadcasts.
Digital technology is quickly becoming the preferred channel and is particularly attractive for independent film makers due to the low cost. The distribution of film is being phased out by the movie industry due to the high cost of producing and distributing film.
What is digital cinema projection?
Digital cinema projection is a method whereby the traditional film containing the movie is replaced by an electronic copy contained on a storage device, such as a high-capacity hard drive and server. A core goal of digital projection is to have the mastering room image seen by the public. Digital is quickly becoming the preferred channel for distribution and is particularly attractive for independent film makers due to the low cost. The distribution of film is being phased out by the movie industry due to the high cost of producing and distributing film.
What technology has been installed at The Civic?
We have chosen a 4K Barco projector as the desired option because the 4K digital option is best suited to screens that are a minimum of 20 metres in width with close viewing scenarios. A 4K projector is backwards compatible so it will show current 2K and HD with some upscaling in quality. A 4K projector is the best option for presenting 3D films with 2K per eye. The 4K content is not yet readily available from all distributors though it is perceived that film making technology will continue to change and develop with time so it is inevitable that full 4K productions will become common in the near future.
Technical specification
· Barco DP4K-32B 1.38” DMD’s 33,000 ANSI Lumen with 6.5Kw lamp, zoom lens, and touch panel controller
· Doremi integrated media block and 3.6TB show vault server.
· License for 4K playback, FIPS level 3 security certified including Thomson Watermarking
· Dolby CP750 digital processor
· Projector throw distance (projection room to screen) 50 metres.
· The installation meets the engineering standards of the Digital Cinema Initiatives uniform specifications for Digital Cinema.
