Blogs

This year the GSCA conducted an in-depth study of more than 5,000 theater-goers from 36 venues in 12 countries to gain information on them and gauge their thoughts on the giant screen industry, theater experience, film content and more. Topline findings were delivered at the recent GSCA International Conference in Toronto. Here are just a few samples of the data provided. While families with children remain the biggest audience, it’s not the biggest segment for growth, with nearly half (47%) of visitors attending giant screen [...]

I’m becoming a bit of a GSCA veteran. My first was New Jersey in 2008, where IMAX launched their new digital system to mixed reviews in front of this tough audience, who have been brought up on and immersed in 15/70 film capture and presentation. IMAX’s new digital system has served them very well though for many years, and it still does; over 800 digital theaters worldwide (across giant screen and cinema) is quite an estate to have developed. This 2014 conference marks a change, however. [...]

The GSCA Marketing and Member Services Committee has been focused recently on helping GSCA members share good ideas you can steal for your own benefit. Since the beginning, people who attend GSCA conferences have said the most valuable aspect of attending a conference is the networking that happens day and night. They return home with numerous new ideas inspired by seeing what another theater is doing to program more effectively, which new camera attains the best result, or how others are raising money. Now, your GSCA [...]

The OMNIMAX® Theater—why do we need one? Cultural institutions with large format theaters across the country struggle with this question. It is an expensive and risky operation. Many wonder if we should focus our attention elsewhere or get rid of the theater entirely. On Friday, June 6, 2014, an event took place that completely answered this question for me. The Saint Louis Science Center’s OMNIMAX Theater organized a Remembrance Day in honor of the 70th Anniversary of D-Day.  We started with a small plan to honor [...]

Since its inception, the giant screen’s stock in trade has been the ability to take the audience to places they couldn’t or, in some cases, wouldn’t go. This was accomplished through the presentation of pristinely clear, highly detailed images of some of the most stunning places on, and sometimes off, the planet. These beautifully detailed images have continually brought audiences back to our theaters time and time again. With the move toward digital capture for the giant screen, these traditional wide shots and aerials have suffered. [...]

I’ve been a documentary filmmaker for over 20 years and my projects have always been born out of my personal passions. From filming whales and dolphins in the warm waters of the Caribbean to chasing vintage aircraft across America, it’s a deep love of adventure that drives my storytelling. As I look back on the process of producing and directing my first giant screen film, I’m left with a very simple feeling… I loved it! As difficult, challenging, time consuming, and frustrating as the process of [...]