Published:
04-Apr-07
Russia has installed first digital cinema mastering station, as a first step in the Digital Rollout Programme. Ministry of Culture has launched a digital rollout programme for the territory, under auspices of the Head Data Computing Centre (GVIC) of the Federal Agency of Culture and Cinematography. GVIC has equipped a digital cinema mastering station with Doremi's DMS-2000, which conforms as closely as possible to DCI specifications. The roll-out programme is intended to be developed from 2008 to 2010, with State and private investment. At present, only two exhibitors have taken the digital plunge, in a limited way: In October 2006, Kronverk Cinema Circuit employed local digital cinema outfit NevaFilm to install a Christie CP 2000S with a Doremi DCP-2000 server in the Zanevsky Cascade site in St Petersburg. Cinema Park installed a d-screen at its site in St Petersburg in 2006 (including 3D capability) and exhibitor expected to open a Moscow site with digital projection in March 2007. Cinema Park aims to equip seventy screens with digital systems in Russia over coming 36 months.
Our take...
Russian cinema market is undergoing renewal, and screen growth, while slowing, is still growing at 22.4 per cent a year. The regeneration of the screen base (there are now 1,299 modern screens in the country according to NevaFilm) is having a significant effect on box office which is in turn attracting US studios and internal and external investment into Russia. However, one of the key drivers of the pace of digital rollout in Russia will be the availability of content in digital format, and the digital mastering facility will significantly help in this regard. While recent cinema building is driving growth in cinema, and significantly enhancing the prospects for Russian film production, it may also be the largest single obstacle to going digital. The financiers behind the money invested in new projection equipment for recent cinema builds are unlikely to want to rip out all the new 35mm equipment in order to convert to digital, unless a substantial incentive (or attractive business plan) is devised to make it worthwhile
Russia,
