October 1st, 2021
Harkness Screens TV Round Table: Cine Europe Preview
Ahead of Cine Europe taking place in Barcelona, Spain, next week, Harkness Screens have recorded a round table to discuss the event and other key topics in the cinema industry.
Mark Ashcroft, Chief Executive Officer, Matt Jahans, Senior Vice President of Technology, Nico Chiovini, Associate Director, and Andrew Emmott, Associate Director, were hosted by journalist Joe Harvey to talk about the exhibition, as well as the return of cinema, a new Harkness product, how the company has restructured and more.
Along with Tony Dilley, SVP New Business, Andrew Emmott has been ever-present at a number of industry events worldwide.
Having attended Cine Europe for six consecutive years prior to the global pandemic, Emmott is looking forward to making his way to Spain in the coming days.
“It will be my first cinema trade show in what will be about two years,” Emmott told the round table.
“Missing last year, it was a bit strange not to be there, not seeing all the same people that we usually see and having a good time.
“A lot of good business happens there, but it is a very, very enjoyable week that we have, so I am looking forward to next week.”
Cine Europe comes at an extremely exciting time for cinema. In recent months, the box office has picked up drastically.
This has been aided in part by the release of Hollywood blockbusters Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and F9: The Fast Saga in the summer and on September 30 will see the long-awaited release of the latest Bond film, No Time to Die.
But, whilst releases from America regularly catch the eye, Matt Jahans is keen to express that regional releases are also key to the rejuvenation of the industry.
“When I look back on the early days of the pandemic and cinemas not getting the content because of different closures, it has been a very difficult time,” Jahans said.
“I think now, there is such a backlog of slates and such good titles coming in – and if we look globally, different regions and different countries are opening up at different times and these different areas are opening with their own backlogs, which is fantastic.
“I think a different buzz around the world, not just Hollywood content, Bond is a classic one, but there is lots of regional content. So, it is an exciting time.”
It has been a turbulent past year and a half for Harkness Screens and the cinema industry. Throughout that time the business has had to be pragmatic and progressive in how business is done and after keeping its major manufacturing facilities in China, India, France, the UK and USA, operating, Mark Ashcroft says that some employees have increased responsibilities as a result of the strains the pandemic caused.
“Through the pandemic we have attempted to protect all of our manufacturing assets and are able to provide product,” Ashcroft said. “However, we have had to unfortunately reduce our head count.
“So, there is less critical mass in these regions and what we are seeing is that Nico, Matt and Andrew have now got full global responsibilities. Our team are anxious to work with customers and we are not limiting our customers as to who they can work with.”
Harkness’ innovation over the past 20 months can be seen no further than one of the latest screens that is being put on sale.
Compact+ is a foldable screen, designed for not only a more compressed delivery, which in turn brings down emissions and the amount of face-to-face interaction.
Not only this, but Nico Chiovini says that Compact+ will also contribute to the enjoyment of the cinema experience.
“Compact+ for me, is an opportunity to give products at the right time to the right theatre,” Chiovini said. “We are talking about quality, not quantity, and Compact+ is the opportunity to bring the quality screen everywhere whilst saving money and really helping people enjoy the movies.
“Compact+ is not just a folded screen, it is something really exciting for us that we can bring to the market.”
Please come and see us at Cine Europe next week.
Harkness Screens
Harkness Screens™ is the world’s leading screen technology company, specialising in the design and manufacture of projection screens and supporting technologies for cinema and live events. From single-screen independent theatres to large multiplexes to large format immersive theatre experiences or live events, Harkness supplies thousands of screens every year helping provide outstanding presentation experiences to audiences around the world.
With global reach, Harkness is regarded as the world leader in cinema and has screens in more cinemas worldwide than any other manufacturer. With its industry leading 2D and 3D screen brands (Perlux HiWhite, Clarus XC and Spectral) along with an innovative range of presentation monitoring tools, digital surveying services and suite of cinema design and specification apps, Harkness continues to lead the way in screen technology for cinema.
Founded in 1929, Harkness has manufacturing facilities in the USA, UK, France, India and China and combines unrivalled experience with the latest technology and production methods to provide innovative solutions to the company’s key markets. For more information, visit the Harkness Screens web page at www.harkness-screens.com.
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