Giant Screen 101: Lessons for Success
Moderator: Diane Carlson, Pacific Science Center, Vice President Guest Services and Theaters; Member of the GSCA Marketing & Membership Committee and Professional Development Committee
Join industry veterans and newcomers alike in this popular and highly rated session that focuses on practical and useful tools of the trade. This year’s 2.0 program builds on the success of the past, while responding to the request for more targeted information for filmmakers and exhibitors. Do you only consider new films for your programming? Is your marketing strategic? Don’t know your DMRs from your DCPs or DCIs? Need to uplift your guest experience? Then join us. It is also a great opportunity to meet industry colleagues from around the world.
Exhibitor-Focused Session Speakers
Powerful Ideas to Successfully Re-launch Your Library Films
David Henderson, Manager, IMAX Theatre, Canadian Museum of Civilization
Business Practices, Digital Programming, Earned Revenue and Engagement
Toby Mensforth, President and CEO, Mensforth and Associates Consulting, GSCA Board of Directors
Re-thinking the Guest Experience
Gil Perez, Director Guest Operations, Museum of Science and Industry
Maximizing Giant Screen Marketing: Strategies and Success Stories
Rich Swietek, Founder/Creative Director, Friendly Giant Marketing, LLC
Filmmaker-Focused Session Speakers
Capture Tools on display through 6:00 pm with demonstrations by vendors
Daniel Ferguson, Cosmic Picture, Producer
Lessons Learned from a First Time Giant Screen Filmmaker
Christian Fry, Co-Owner, Pretend Entertainment
3D for the Giant Screen with Live 3D Cameras and 3D Examples
Phil Streather, CEO of Principal Large Format, 3D Producer and Consultant
Making the Case for Digital
Moderator: Paul Fraser, Blaze Digital Cinema Works.
Presenters: Richard Cox, Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City; Laurent Dondey, La Geode in Paris.
Several museum theaters have installed digital projection systems, but the majority have not yet made a change and would benefit from the experience of those who have. Three digitally equipped theaters, representing flat screens and domes, will walk us through their own “case study." They’ll explain their rationale for exploring digital in the first place and their decision-making process. They’ll review the options considered, describe what they chose—and why. Each presentation will conclude with their post mortem on the installation and the business results in the year that followed. Each presenter will follow the same analytical and presentation format, sharing data and insights. The new "cases" will be preceded by a re-cap of those presented at two previous conferences, along with an update on their results and advice they would give now. Q&A with the audience will follow.
Wake Up to Great Marketing Ideas
Moderator: Rich Swietek, Founder/Creative Director, Friendly Giant Marketing, LLC
Grab breakfast and don’t miss any of the great ideas at this year’s marketing blitz. What new tools and strategies are some of the most successful exhibitors using? What ideas from past MAC award winners are still valuable today? Share your audience-building ideas in 90 seconds or less at the open microphone session. Don’t oversleep or your theater attendance may just suffer!
Mining Gold From Past MAC Award Winners
Mary Jane Dodge, Director of Theater Marketing, MacGillivray Freeman Films, Originator of the MAC Awards
Transporting Visitors: Travel/Culture Films at a Science Museum
Corinna Graham, Marketing Analyst, Museum of Science
Extending Your Reach Through Partnerships and Good Ideas
David Henderson, Manager, IMAX Theatre, Canadian Museum of Civilization
Sharks on the Screen and in Exhibits
Julie La Roche, Director, Sales, Products & Customer Service, Montreal Science Centre/Old Port of Montreal
Success with National Media Talent
Alexandra van der Zee, Marketer, Omniversum
Giant Screen "Wow" Moments: Storytellers Workshop
Moderator: Daniel Ferguson, Writer, Producer, Director of Jerusalem
Presenters: Mose Richards; Reed Smoot, Sean MacLeod Phillips
Acclaimed giant screen filmmakers will present sequences from their films that they think best illustrate the special nature of the giant screen film experience. The session will focus on storytelling, with a panel of celebrated giant screen filmmakers offering their ideas on what it takes to create indelible content for the giant screen, from page to the giant screen. Film clips provided by FotoKem. This is the first of a planned series of sessions on this topic. At an upcoming GSCA event, filmmakers Greg MacGillivray, Toni Myers, and others, with the support of IMAX and DKP 70MM Inc., will present their wow moments in the continuing series.
More Buses, More Revenue
Moderator: Mary Jane Dodge, MacGillivray Freeman Films
Panelists: Michelle Duncan, The Tech Museum; John Zendt, Moody Gardens; Gordon Stalans, Tennessee Aquarium; Katy Hipp Burgwyn, Marbles Kids Museum
In this session our panelists will discuss best practices and new ideas in sustaining and even increasing attendance of teachers and students to the giant screen theater. What has worked well to attract students and teachers? What has not worked? What can producers and distributors do to help? What surveys and research would encourage institutions, governments, and foundations to give more money and resources to fund school field trips to giant screen theaters?
Film Financing: Canadian Federal and Provincial Tax Credit Incentives
Moderator: Normand McKay, film producer (D-Day)
Panelists: Representatives from CAVCO (Placide Turenne), Ontario Film Development Corp (Monica Szentezky), Sodec in Quebec (Sophie Labesse), and BC Film (Robert Wong).
In the last 15 years, the Canadian and several provincial governments have been important contributors to financing many giant screen films, investing millions of dollars through co-productions, official certification or as production services. Producers from outside Canada have benefited from this tax credit financing as well. The panel will address comparisons with other countries. The following giant-screen producers will be on hand to talk about their experience with tax credit incentives: Jonathan Barker (SK Films), Daniel Ferguson (Cosmic Picture), Elisabeth-Ann Gimber (Filmo Bandito Productions), Sylvain Grain (N3D Land), Don Kempf (Giant Screen Films), Jean-François Tremblay (Frima FX).