Robinson Film Center

Infobox_Company
company_name = Robinson Film Center
company_
company_type = NPO
foundation = September 2003
location_city = Shreveport, Louisiana
slogan = "Where an audience becomes a community and a community learns."
homepage= [http://www.robinsonfilmcenter.org/ www.robinsonfilmcenter.org]

The Robinson Film Center is a Shreveport, Louisiana-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to establish a venue for the best in international, independent, and classic cinema while serving as a resource for filmmaking and film education.

History

Since publicly announcing intentions of bringing an art house cinema in September, 2003, the Robinson Film Center has become one of the city's most involved organizations in the community including continuing media education, outdoor cinema events and support for the growing film industry of Northwest Louisiana.

After almost six years in conception and a year in construction, the center commenced daily operations on May 5, 2008 following the May 3rd Grand Opening Gala entitled "That's Entertainment." Now the film center runs daily screenings of independent, foreign, and classic films.

Location

The address for the center is 617 Texas St., which will house two state-of-the-art theaters as well as a screening room, multi-use spaces for public events, a café featuring a variety of healthy dining options, a film library and more. Much more than a theater, The Robinson Film Center will serve as a hub of filmmaking activity, serving the needs of filmmakers and encouraging film production at all levels - from the grade school class creating their first film to multi-million dollar productions seeking resources in the Ark-La-Tex region.

The strategic "Main Street" location of the Robinson Film Center will aid in Shreveport's ongoing Downtown Revitalization Project by providing programing and events that bridge all demographics.

Auditoriums

The theaters at the Robinson Film Center were designed by six time Academy Award-winning theater designer Glenn Berggren along with projection specialist Emil Poggi. Each auditorium is built to state of the art specifications and are both expandable to the future of film exhibition including Digital cinema.

The projection abilities of the center are also notable because they allow for the use of classic changeover projection. This style of projection is useful on library titles that are forbidden by the distribution company to be plattered- as is common practice with new prints today- in order to insure less damage to a rare print.

Willis-Knighton Health System Theater

The Willis-Knighton Theater is the larger of the two auditoriums at the film center capable of seating 135 patrons for viewing of a variety of 35 mm and digital programming including high definition content.

Craig Kennedy Red Ball Oxygen Theater

The Kennedy Theater is the smaller of the two auditoriums at the film center capable of seating 48 patrons and is also capable of exhibiting both 35 mm and high definition content.

Multi-Use Spaces

The second floor houses a large, configurable mult-use area. The space can be configured into 3 smaller spaces or a combination of each room configuration. Each of the three spaces features High Definition projectors and 5.1 Surround Sound audio system. The rooms can be configured for endless uses including screening room, video and teleconferencing, lecture space, and banquet hall among other uses.

Abby Singer's Bistro

The second floor also houses a bistro and bar named after the noteworthy filmmaker Abby Singer. The name is also a film term used for the second to last shot of the day.

About Abner E. "Abby" Singer

Over the course of his 60-year career in film and television, Abby Singer has become a living legend whose name is in every glossary of film terminology. It all began at Universal Television, where he worked as a 1st Assistant Director.

“In television, back in those days, we would make maybe five or six moves during the day, going from one set to another. I would say, ‘Fellas, we’ll do this shot and one more and then we’re moving,’ which would give the crew a chance to begin wrapping up their equipment,” explained Singer.

Others picked up on his system and started using his name to signal the shot. Decades later, the term “Abby Singer” is still used to call the second to last shot of the day on film sets around the world.

Trivia

*The first images on any screen at the RFC were from the Blu-ray release of Steven Spielberg's 1977 film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". At the time, no sound equipment had been installed.
*The first film screened in its entirety was the Blu-ray release of Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket". Several staff members stayed the night the sound system was installed to screen the film.
*The first changeover film (rather than using a single reel or plattered method) will be Alfred Hitchcock's film "Rear Window" in November.

External links

* [http://www.robinsonfilmcenter.org Official website]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinsonfilmcenter/ Flickr Photo Account]
* [http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shreveport-LA/Robinson-Film-Center/27390050536 Page on Facebook]
* [http://www.myspace.com/robinsonfilmcenter MySpace Page]
* [http://www.moviesandmoonbeams.org Movies & Moonbeams: Outdoor Cinema]