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 Towne Cinema goes digital - Vernon, BC Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 50° 15.827 W 119° 16.200
11U E 338215 N 5570425
This old Art Deco Theatre was built in 1928 as a live theatre venue and dance hall. In 1938 it was converted to a movie theatre. Today it remains a movie theatre running second run films for matinees and evening screenings.
Waymark Code: WMN772
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 01/10/2015
Views: 1
The Vernon Town Cinema is located in the city of Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. Vernon is a city of 37,000 people located in the North Okanagan region of B.C. The actual theatre building was built in 1928, and was originally constructed as a dance hall and live theatre. In 1938 the live theatre was converted to a movie theatre by the Famous Players Corporation.
Famous Players have long since departed the old Town Cinema, and it now operates as an Art House, playing art films for those patrons that enjoy the more intellectual movie fare than the main stream multiplexes tend to provide. There have been many strange and odd occurrences in the theatre for years, many of these occurrences have been detailed in the book, Ghosts II, by John Belyk. It is walks the theatre at night after the final curtain falls.
From the BCGHRS
When the Towne Cinema went digital in 2011, the Vernon Morning Star was on hand to tell the world of this momentous event. The story, from their October 9, 2011 issue, is reproduced in part below.
Towne Cinema goes digital
posted Oct 9, 2011 at 1:00 AM
With movie theatres all over Canada converting to digital projection, the demise of regular 35mm film prints is anticipated within 18 months.
It left Gerry Sellars, owner of Vernon Towne Cinema, with a big decision – whether to hold out as long as possible using existing technology, or re-equip his projection booth with the latest in digital technology.
Sellars’ choices were, either invest $100,000 in an entirely new projection system, with the inevitable steep learning curve, or consider closing the theatre.
Already, the Technicolor film laboratory in Vancouver had ceased making film prints and the film handling warehouses in Vancouver are closing their doors.
One major factor in Sellars’ decision was his connection with Shawn Greek, a technician with Calgary-based Maximum Project Management. An expert in digital theatre systems installation, Greek agreed to help Sellars amke the transition.
The decision was made, a contract was signed, “but I went through a few sleepless nights. First with the cash outlay, and then dealing with problems encountered with importing the digital server from the U.S.,” said Sellars.
Upon his arrival, Greek was pleased to discover the theatre’s projection booth was considerably larger than most. The extra room has allowed Sellars to preserve the vintage projection equipment and still have enough space for the new system.
“I felt it was important to preserve the historic projection room while still providing a completely modern movie viewing experience for our patrons,” said Sellars.
It also allowed Sellars to run all-day matinees during summer holidays while the new gear was being installed.
The projection room rarely drops below 100 degrees Fahrenheit all summer, so the work had to be done early in the morning or late at night.
Following the old adage “The show must go on,” Sellars said cancelling movies or temporarily closing was not an option.
Once everything was installed, Sellars tested the new system with The Magnificent Seven, the 1960 cowboy classic featuring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson. He said the screen brightness was excellent with good contrast and sharp focus.
Sellars was delighted.
Read more at the Vernon Morning Star
Type of publication: Newspaper
When was the article reported?: 10/09/2011
Publication: The Vernon Morning Star
Article Url: [Web Link]
Is Registration Required?: no
How widespread was the article reported?: local
News Category: Business/Finance
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