D-PLATFORM

accompanying the European distributors in the digital transition

> Digital distribution will be a chance for european content :

. Ease of circulation and localisation

. New ways of programming

. The sales agent or producer will pay for the encoding, the distributors will then pay for the

duplication and localisation : savings can be done.

BUT :

> the transition will be very hard for independent distributors

. costs still very high (and not homogeneous!)

. the sales agents and producers still reluctant to pay

. very difficult to book the digital prints, i.e. to afford the costs of the digital release

. new technologies, new actors, new ways of programming etc.

European distributors must be active in this rollout, and not be too late behind the studios.

The digital transition

2 axis :

> Help independent European distributors experiment on digital releases

> Build a programming tool adapted to independent distributors

> 3 years pilot project started in 2007.

> 11 distributors :

Arthaus (Norway), Cineart (Belgium), Frenetic Films (Switzerland), Haut et Court

(France), Notro Films (Spain), Rezo Films (France), Soda Pictures (Great-Britain),

Budapest Films (Hungary), Dogwoof Pictures (Great-Britain), Non Stop Entertainment

(Sweden), Wild Bunch Distribution (France)

D-PLATFORM

help independent european distributors experiment on digital releases

> Financial help : up to 50% of the technical costs of the digital release are taken in charge

> Technical and operational help :

• find the most suited title,

• find already encoded titles,

• find the service providers and if necessary ask for quotes,

• find ways to share the costs with other distributors,

• explain all the technical details etc.

> 10 films supported so far

D-PLATFORM - 1st axis

D-PLATFORM – supported releases

NorwayFrance, Belgium,

Norway, Sweden, PortugalUK ? Germany ? Finland ?

Belgium France Belgium

Switzerland UK UK Belgium Hungary

Build a programming tool adapted to independent distributors

> Releasing a film in digital will be a real challenge for independent distributors :

Today : fixed amount of 35mm prints, the challenge is to book these prints the best way. In

digital the logic won’t be the same :

> Multiple actors : labs, third parties, transportation companies, key management

companies etc.

> Multiple costs : VPFs, access fees, rental rate etc.

=> each of these parameters will be different for each theater, and each film !

The interaction between booking and the logistics will be more complex, with a

need for flexibility

> Every major distributor is currently using or developping such a tool :

Hollywood Software developped by Access IT, or worlwide proprietary tool

cinego.net

The same tool for the commercial and the technical aspects of the release

> This tool will gather the details for each equipped screen: type of equipment, type of

delivery, financing (VPF etc.), etc.

> The distributor will then in his booking tool directly :

> launch and monitor the digital delivery of the film whenever it’s possible

> manage the key generation and distribution

> manage the hard-drives’ stock and their circulation

> cinego will also :

> calculate the cost of the release depending on the agreements the distributor

has signed

> record the contract’s condition (MG, rental rate), gather the box office,

generate the invoices towards the exhibitors

cinego.net

cinego.net

Contact :

Thierry DELPIT

CN FILMS

+33 1 45 23 08 16

www.cinego.net

Thank you !