It’s an exciting landmark in event cinema. For the first time ever, Sony is bringing The National Theatre’s acclaimed stage production of ‘War Horse’ live in 4K to movie-goers in London’s West End.
NT Live and Sony collaborate in live 4K theatrical first
War Horse’ has become an international smash hit
In a world first, the National Theatre’s acclaimed West End production of ‘War Horse’ will be transmitted live in 4K directly to the Curzon Chelsea cinema on 27 February 2014.
The link-up marks the first time ever that a live theatrical event has been captured and projected to cinemagoers in 4K.
National Theatre Live (NT Live) is the National Theatre's groundbreaking project to broadcast the best of British theatre from the London stage to cinemas across the UK and around the world.
Since its first performance at the National Theatre in 2007, ‘War Horse’ has become an international smash hit. Based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel, ‘War Horse’ takes audiences on an extraordinary journey to the trenches of First World War France.
From London’s West End to Chelsea, live by satellite
Sony’s F55 will be used to capture the performance
Sony’s F55 Super 35mm CineAlta cameras will be used to capture the performance at the New London Theatre in Drury Lane under the direction of NEP Visions – Sony and NT Live’s OB partner for the event.
4K video signals will be mixed by Sony’s live production team and NEP Visions at the theatre. They will then be transmitted via live uplink to a dish on the roof of the 713-seat Curzon Chelsea cinema, with the assistance of satellite services specialists Links Broadcast.
Decoded 4K pictures will be fed directly to the the Curzon Chelsea and projected live with 4K resolution. With four times the detail of 2K or conventional HD television pictures, projection in Sony 4K brings cinema audiences unmatched levels of immersive detail and realism.
A landmark in event cinema
“This is definitely a landmark in event cinema”
After its live transmission on 27 February, the performance will be offered to cinemas as a 4K DCP (Digital Cinema Package) for ‘encore’ screenings and future theatrical presentation.
“This is definitely a landmark in event cinema”, says Sony Digital Cinema Premium Content Executive John Bullen. “We’re delighted to be working alongside NT Live on this ground-breaking project that showcases the possibilities for engaging cinema audiences with alternative content. With Sony 4K it’s like being right there on stage at a live performance. And that’s a tremendously powerful tool for cinema operators to offer their customers something that they simply can’t experience anywhere else.”
