What does it feel like to walk on a wire, over 400 meters above the ground, in bustling New York City? Scary! That’s what film lovers experienced on Monday night, when viewing ‘The Walk’, the pre-opening movie of Film Fest Gent. The extraordinary 3D effects used in the story of high-wire artist Petit were exceptionally life-like as the movie was screened on Barco’s ultra-bright 6P laser-illuminated projector. A long-term sponsor of Film Fest Gent, digital cinema expert Barco is truly excited about the festival première of its flagship DP4K-60L laser projector.
With more than 40 laser-illuminated projectors installed all over the world, Barco is now a global leader in laser projection. The Belgian Kinepolis Group was one of the first cinema groups to première with laser projection, at the end of 2014. After the Kinepolis theaters in Antwerp, Brussels, Lomme and Madrid, Theater 2 of the Gent-based Kinepolis multiplex is now also featuring Barco’s flagship laser solution during Film Fest Gent, from 12 to 25 October. Under the critical eye of a whole hoist of movie professionals, eight festival movies will be screened on Barco laser, including the opening and closing movies. ‘The Walk’, the 3D retelling of tightrope artist Philippe Petit's 1974 walk between New York's twin towers, is just the perfect film to highlight the power of Barco’s DP4K-60L projector.
Amazing brightness, colors and contrast
Boasting over 30 years’ expertise in 3D and already eight years with laser projection, Barco knows how to entice moviegoers into the cinema for dazzling 3D adventures. Its laser-illuminated projectors now take the 3D experience to the next level, solving all the major drawbacks of current 3D systems. “Our laser illumination more than doubles how much light can be transmitted through a digital projector, making it the ideal solution for brighter 3D. What’s really unique about our laser projectors, in fact, is that they feature an integrated Laser3D system, with 6-Primary (6P) color laser modules,” explains Goran Stojmenovik, Product Manager. “In this way, they show stunningly bright and uniform images in crisp detail, with exceptionally rich colors and eye-popping contrast with great blacks. Without ghosting or crosstalk. Moreover, our special Barco Laser3D glasses have very high transmission to enable a truly immersive viewing experience.” More than ensuring this exceptional image quality, Barco’s 6P laser projectors are compact and their operational cost is lower. After all, no lamp replacements are needed, laser light sources have a long life span and they consume 40% less energy than lamp-based projectors. The Barco 6P laser family comes in four models, providing the right laser solution for screens of any size.
Brilliant immersive effect, powered by laser
“Our investments in laser illumination support our two fundamental commitments to the cinema industry: to provide moviegoers with a premium experience and, at the same time, supply our cinema exhibitor partners with a flexible, simple, efficient and cost-effective, next-generation platform,” says Wim Buyens. “We’ve worked on this unique laser technology for many years and are excited to showcase this flagship product series during this year’s Film Fest Gent! We couldn’t have thought of a better movie to highlight the power of our Laser3D system than ‘The Walk’. This 3D movie, which premiered at the New York Film Festival in September, is praised for its brilliant special effects. Our laser projection further reinforced the immersive feeling, letting the audience feel how the walk really felt.”
About Film Fest Gent
Established in 1974 as a student's film festival, Film Fest Gent has developed into one of Europe's most prominent film events. Every year in October, the festival presents some 100 features and 30 shorts from all across the world. A range of different film programs are showcased, attracting over 130,000 viewers each year. More than presenting a broad array of international films, Film Fest Gent is also renowned throughout Europe for its unique focus on film music.
