Film was once called “the language of sight and sound.” And that’s all that was needed creatively for “the seventh art,” as the French like to think of cinema. As of late, however, audiences are engaging all five senses at the movies and exhibitors have had to use their sixth sense to figure out what’s next.
As we enter the fourth dimension, Film Journal International is here to help, as always, and has collected detailed information and insightful advice from the key players in the area of “4D experiences.” Personally, this author prefers to call them “enhanced experiences” and our system experts are using words like tactile, immersive and augmented in describing their offerings. “Movement makes the movie more appealing, it adds another sensory experience,” explains Robert Desautels from D-BOX. “We strive to enhance that experience and leave customers always wanting more.”
As if virtually unlimited sound, 3D and higher frame rates of 48 fps (and more) were not enough, the latest cinema technologies are shaking seats and giving moviegoers sonic kicks in the butt. They blow water and wind into their faces, and scents to their noses. Smell-O-Vision and Rocky Horror all around.
“If bigger was once better, then enveloping all of our five senses is the next frontier,” opines Bruce Greenberg of CJ 4DXPlex. “Enhanced experiences are the next logical step in bringing back what was once lost and creating an atmosphere only available in theatres.” Alison Jamele of MediaMation X4D agrees that “theatres will continue to do whatever they can” by providing additional incentives to see movies in cinemas “as long as it shows a positive return. 4D is proving to be a powerful ally in that regard with higher attendance, longer runs, and increased revenue that is directly attributed to the up-charge in the ticket sales.”
“On average, three out of four people,” research at Guitammer confirms, “would pay more for a ButtKicker enhanced experience.” While the company’s Mark Luden knows that “my parents, who are in their early 80s, would not choose a ButtKicker theatre, nor a 3D or large-format venue for that matter, the 18-to-35 age group, and even 25-to-54 audiences who want a bigger, immersive movie, rate the ButtKicker experience even higher.”
The last word before signing over to the experts goes to the latest exhibitor to get on the ride, enhancing several multiplexes across Croatia and the former Yugoslavia with CJ 4DXPlex technology. “Blitz-CineStar continuously invests in the installment of the most up-to-date technology in all of its theatre complexes,” assures member of the company board Damir Milinić. “We were the first in the region to introduce digital 3D, eXtreme theatres, Auro 11.1 3D sound, IMAX and Gold Class formats. 4DX is another great cinematic experience that will indulge our customers, and give our theatres another exclusive and exciting note.”
Thinking Inside the (D-)Box
“D-BOX stands for Digital Box, as our server is the “brain” of our system and we are compatible only with digital movies.” Robert Desautels, senior VP of marketing at D-BOX Technologies, explains how the Canadian designer and manufacturer of motion systems for the entertainment and simulation industries came up with the name. “Movement makes the movie more appealing, it adds another sensory experience,” he elaborates. “D-BOX makes it so real, you’ll have a complete experience. Sitting in our motion effects [MFX] seats, you are right alongside your favorite characters: If Vin Diesel revs his car, you feel as if your own car is revving; if Sylvester Stallone shoots a round of ammo, each bullet, each shot and impact is felt. Even the subtlest of movements—the flit of a bee, the low rumble of a train—each movement makes the experience that much closer to reality.”
Key theatrical titles coded in D-BOX include Inception, The Expendables, The Hunger Games, Marvel’s The Avengers and Iron Man 3. Coming up in September and October are Riddick, Rush and, even more fittingly perhaps, Gravity. More than 200 theatres from key exhibitor partners such as Cineplex Entertainment, Cobb, Muvico, Cineworld and Odeon have installed D-BOX. In addition to North America and the United Kingdom, D-BOX MFX seating is available in Peru, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Slovakia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. “And counting,” Desautels assures.
How do you describe the D-BOX experience?
D-BOX provides an unmatched and realistic immersive experience. Our technology allows you to “feel” exactly what’s happening onscreen, as if you were part of the scene. We aim to replicate reality, without the gimmicks. The motion is so precise, the moviegoer will forget he’s sitting in a theatre! The D-BOX experience is a truly unique one, in that it provides the missing element to the cinematic experience. While some have tried to break the last barrier of the cinematic viewing process by adding gimmicks that can sometimes distract and take away from the movie, at D-BOX we add our motion seamlessly and do not distract from the film. We strive to enhance the experience and leave customers always wanting more.
What makes D-BOX special?
The precision of the movements. We really make you feel as if you’re in the car alongside your heroes in a Fast & Furious, for example, or as if you’re jumping out of a plane. We provide movements and vibrations so you can feel all the textures in the movie. D-BOX adds motion to the movie experience by artistically and logically creating MFX effects throughout the film. Our motion coders invest much time and creative energy to ensure the best possible experience for all customers and a motion experience of the utmost quality.
How do you work with the filmmakers on determining the activity levels and timing of effects? On average, how many movements/effects are chosen? And does any particularly effective film come to mind?
We work with the post-production team of the studio. We only put motion where the movie calls for it. Usually a two-hour film will have about 30 to 40 minutes of motion. We don’t want to distract from the movie, we want to immerse. So when scenes call for action (fight, races, etc.) we put the motion from subtle to intense, depending on the scene.
Generally, our motion coders provide the information as number of MFX events, MFX total time and MFX percentage. But it is hard to say which title that we have completed had the most effects or most diverse mix. But it is safe to say that classic chase scenes, gunshots, fight scenes, explosions, natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornados, storms, etc. all lend themselves for fantastic possible MFXs.
What is the basic technical backbone of the system and how does it work?
The backbone of our system is our proprietary software with which we encode movies, called “D-BOX Motion Code.” We are part of the movie tracks, after audio and visual. Each movement and vibration is created on a separate track and precisely linked to the audio and visual tracks. It is then packaged and put on the d-cinema server. The code is read by our motion controller, the “brain” of the system, which than sends the signal to each individual seat. All that in milliseconds, so that the moviegoer feels the movement precisely when it’s happening. Each seat is also equipped with a control that allows the moviegoer to set the intensity level, from high, to medium, to low, to none. It makes the experience totally personalized and individual.
Can theatres be retrofitted? What does it take?
Theatres can be easily retrofitted. Our model calls for usually two rows in the auditorium, so the theatre does not have to change all the seats of the auditorium. Our D-BOX seats are VIP seats and are in the prime location within the theatre. Therefore, we do not do full theatre installation, as this would hinder the VIP quality and specialty feel of the D-BOX seats.
We can install a theatre within two to three days, so there’s very low disruption for the exhibitor. At D-BOX we have our own installation team, which guarantees quality and service. We also give training on the server and provide marketing tools and training to help exhibitors sell their new acquisition quickly and efficiently.
What’s your five-sentence sales pitch to cinema operators?
D-BOX is a great differentiating asset for exhibitors. It caters to the need of their clientele in an innovative way: It offers moviegoers an unmatched, realistic, immersive experience and assigned seating, increasing advance ticket sales and online reservations. We also offer a steady flow of content with blockbuster movies from the biggest Hollywood studios.
How about the audience? What do moviegoers say?
We conducted multiple surveys with the independent firm IPSOS (formerly OTX) and are very proud of the guest satisfaction rate. Ninety-one percent of our customers would recommend D-BOX to a friend and feel that D-BOX has a positive price/value correlation. Those numbers speak high of us. Once moviegoers have tried D-BOX, they’re usually hooked!
Kick-Ass Too
“Well, of course, the cinema experience is always being enhanced to make it as special and enjoyable as possible,” agrees Mark Luden, president of Ohio-based Guitammer Company. “That is what filmmakers, theatre owners and operators and especially the public want: the best possible experience!” As a leader in low-frequency sound products and makers of the ButtKicker transducer technology, that very experience is all about sound vibration for Luden. “Unfortunately, subwoofers can be limited in their usefulness,” he reasons. “At certain levels required to fully bring out the soundtrack, it may become too loud for some. It might even be felt or heard in another auditorium in the same complex. Sound vibration or a more ‘tactile’ experience is a great solution…to best serve the film’s audience.”
In addition to Alamo Drafthouse, IMAX and Digiplex Destinations in Solon, Ohio, kicking some audience butts, Lumière Pavilions just secured its ninth and tenth cinema installations as well as expanding an existing ButtKicker screen. At the new sites, the Beijing, China-based operator is enabling almost 500 seats as part of its LD-branded auditorium model, which account for 11% and 18% of total seating capacity per complex. Luden relays what Lumière has lauded as “the accurate effect” produced by the transducers. “Their affordability and their ability to be added to any and all types of seating—without having to purchase specialty seats—make them an attractive and profitable addition to their theatres and an integral part of their customers’ overall experience. It is also important to note that Lumière is able to charge one-and-a-half times their 3D ticket price [approx. US$18] for their 4D experience that includes the ButtKicker.”
Source: mark@guitammer.com