LTC 175-2011 SoundScape Cinema }
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OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # ;175 -201 1 LETTER TO COMMISSION
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TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager
DATE:. July 11, 2011
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SUBJECT: SoundScape Cinema Series at the ExoStage, an Arts in the Park Program
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This Letter to Commission is provided as an update on the inaugural season of the SoundScape Cinema
Series beginning in March. The City developed and produced the SoundScape Cinema Series at the
ExoStage to allow the public to experience FREE weekly movies. The Cinema Series is part of the City's
Arts in the Park program that was launched in 2006 in response to the results of community surveys and
focus groups that indicated residents would like to see more free cultural events. The SoundScape Cinema
Series uses the state -of- the -art visual and audio technology in SoundScape, providing a variety of movies
on the soaring, 7,000- square -foot projection wall.
In producing the SoundScape Cinema Series, the City uses the _following Selection Criteria for movies:
1. Public Performance Event License availability
2. Rating of "G.', "PG" or "PG -13" by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
3. History of critical and commercial success to appeal to largest resident population
4. Variety of programming through length of series: balancing recent and classic films in numerous
genres (action, comedy, musicals, drama, animation, suspense, science fiction /fantasy)
5. Appropriateness of film to public outdoor large- screen format
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The inaugural season of the Cinema Series ran fourteen (14) weeks. The movies were shown on
Wednesday nights) in an effort to bring consumers to the area during a slower night of the week. The
following . movies were shown:
March 16: Avatar
March 23: Fantastic Mr. Fox
March 30: Grease
April 6: Sta Wars
April 13: Moulin Rouge (cancelled due to rain)
April 20: Bigl
April 27: Fantasia
May 4: North By Northwest
May 11: Wall -E
May 18: 20011: A Space Odyssey
May 25: The Sound of Music
June 1: Casablanca
June 8: The Wizard of Oz
June 15: Dirty Dancing
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SoundScape Cinema Series
The SoundScape Cinema Series has been, very well received by the Community. The program had an
average weekly attendance of 938 people, with a high of 1,200 for Wizard of Oz. Attendees continue to
provide very positive feedback to City Staff regarding the experience, and many say it has enhanced their
sense of community and quality of life.
Due to the programs success, movies will now also be shown in August prior to the start of the next school
year. The following is a list of the selected August movies:
August 3: Ghostbusters
August 10: Spider -Man
August 17: Back To The Future
August 24: HBO Film: Iron Jawed Angels
The City was able to secure Total Bank as a sponsor of the June 15 movie and continues to seek
sponsorship for the program at large. At this time, the Administration is planning to continue the Cinema
Series from October 2011 — May 2012, subject to funding availability. Additionally, other programming
alternatives are also being developed by the Administration. We will provide that information and schedule
once it is fully devel
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We are also very proud to report that Today.com, in cooperation with Travel + Leisure Magazine, ran a story
in the travel section of the website on June 10, 2011, highlighting America's Best Outdoor Movie Theaters,
which included the City's SoundScape Cinema Series.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
C: Hilda M. Fernandez, Assistant City Manager
Max A. Sklar, Tourism and Cultural Development Director
Gary Farmer, Cultural Affairs Program Manager
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