Tag: inflight entertainment

Inflight Dublin has been chosen by Korean Air, the flag-carrier of South Korea, to provide a 6-month trial of its Wireless IFE solution, Everhub™.

Commencing in May, Inflight Dublin will equip Korean Air’s legacy fleet with the DO-160G certified Everhub™ Portable wireless server. The Everhub™ software platform will be accessible to Korean Air’s passengers through Inflight Dublin’s web-based passenger application which features a brand-aligned Graphical User Interface (GUI) available in up to 12 languages. The content package consists of Hollywood blockbusters and TV shows, selected International content, documentaries and games.

Korean Air is the largest airline in South Korea with a fleet of 100+ aircraft and flights to almost 150 international destinations.

What is the French New Wave?

The French New Wave, or Nouvelle Vague, was a film movement that started in the late 1950s in (you guessed it) France.

Origins

Of the opinion that cinema had become dated and out of touch, a group of French filmmakers and critics – influenced by Italian Neorealism and directors like Hitchcock and Welles – proposed a new vision for the medium.

Through a series of essays, they laid out their manifesto in influential movie journal, Cahiers du Cinema.

The critics had four main points:

• Cinema must be considered an important and significant artform.
• Filmmakers should experiment, and develop new formal techniques.
• Films must address themes and issues that relate to modern audiences: existentialism, memory, love, childhood and friendship – to name a few.
• A film’s director had full control over all elements of the film, from script to cinematography and everything in between. This is known as auteur theory.

These critiques were revolutionary for their time, and became the foundations for the French New Wave.

Notable Directors

Generally speaking, the movement’s directors were split into two collectives: Cahiers Du Cinema or the Left Bank.

The former, which included luminaries like Claude Chabrol, Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Rivette, produced several outstanding films that, for many, define the New Wave.

At the time, the Left Bank was less associated with the medium than the cinéastes of Cahiers. 

However, this looser relationship had its advantages. Free from the formal constraints and expectations of traditional filmmaking, the Left Bank incorporated other forms – like literature, poetry and documentary – in their movies.

This cross-disciplinary approach led to some of the era’s most unique and interesting films.

Some names you might recognise from this group include Agnès Varda, Chris Marker and Alain Resnais.

Key Characteristics

These directors used techniques that were bold, new and experimental.

Two famous examples are Jean-Luc Godard’s rapid-fire jump cuts in À bout de souffle, which give it its unpredictable, energetic, “breathless” feel, and Francois Truffaut’s iconic tracking shots in Les 400 Coups:

Others developments include shooting on location, the use of direct sound and natural light, and filming with handheld cameras. 

In terms of themes, filmmakers focussed on the personal, philosophical and political concerns of mid-20th century France.

Agnes Varda’s Cléo de 5 à 7, for instance, is a powerful look at existence, illness and fame, while Truffaut’s Jules et Jim and Jacques Rozier’s Adieu Philippine capture the anxiety, confusion and liberation of the post-war years.

Another notable feature was the use of ironic and sarcastic humour, rhetorical devices used to great (and often hilarious) effect.

Must-Sees

It’s a tough ask listing all of the great New Wave films! There are so many worth watching. Nevertheless, here are some absolute must-sees.

In no particular order:

• Hiroshima Mon Amour (dir. Alain Resnais)
• Les 400 Coups (dir. Francois Truffaut)
• Jules et Jim (dir. Francois Truffaut)
• Cléo de 5 à 7 (dir. Agnes Varda)
• Claire’s Knee (dir. Eric Rohmer)
• À bout de souffle (dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
• Les Bonnes Femmes (dir. Claude Chabrol)
• Lola (dir. Jacques Demy)
• Paris Nous Appartient (dir. Jacques Rivette)

Take your pick; they’re all fantastic.

Influence

In this excellent article, Miss Rosen describes how auteur theory changed cinema forever:

We can see the impact of this on the many stylists (or auteurs) of today. 

Tarantino, Scorcese, the Coens and Nolan, for instance, have created bodies of work that are unmistakeably their own; this is a direct influence of the New Wave’s insistence on directorial autonomy.

Also, the movement’s storytelling and filmmaking techniques, so bold and adventurous back then, are now ingrained in cinema.

Take handheld cameras, as just one example. Used in everything from 28 Days Later to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to Saving Private Ryan, you can’t imagine contemporary movies without them. 

But if I haven’t convinced you, maybe Marty Scorsese himself will. Check out the below vid, where the huge influence the French New Wave had on his work:

Concluding Thoughts

Is it a stretch to say that the Nouvelle Vague created modern cinema?

It sounds like hyperbole, but it’s fair to say the likes of Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas arguably wouldn’t exist without it. Or, if they did, would certainly be very different.

Cultural and artistic significance aside, the films still hold up.

The best are funny, smart, profound, exciting and fun. In terms of visuals, style and themes, they don’t feel or look dated; which is quite something when you consider that some are close to seventy years old.

So, there you have it! The French New Wave.

It took the rulebook, ripped it up, wrote a new one, and, in the end, changed cinema forever.

Inflight Dublin prides itself on providing the best International titles to our clients, from the French New Wave and beyond. If you’d like to learn more, contact us at mail@inflightdublin.com.

To coincide with Tenet hitting inflight entertainment screens this month, we thought it’d be a nice idea to write a few words about our favourite Christopher Nolan films.

Hope you enjoy, and keep an eye out for more “Inflight Dublin Favourites” – coming your way soon.

Jamie Baker – Audio Services Lead

Prior to the release of Batman Begins in 2005, live-action Batman films had garnered a reputation for being campy, tongue-in-cheek, and often silly representations of the comic book icon and his Gotham City escapades.

The franchise was in dire need of an overhaul, but few people could have expected the dramatic shift in tone once Christopher Nolan took the helm.

Batman Begins is built on foundations of realism and grit. For the first time on the big screen, it tells the origin story of Bruce Wayne, the son of a billionaire who tragically loses his parents to one of the many criminals churned out by the sinister streets of Gotham City.

It takes relatively lesser-known villains from the Batman universe and magnifies them, creating complex characters with interesting motivations and unique relationships with Batman.

But what truly sets Nolan’s film apart from all the Batman films before it is its determination to focus in on Bruce Wayne as a character, adding layers of intrigue to the man behind the mask.

At its core, the film is a character study which follows a broken and brooding man’s search for purpose, fuelled by trauma, rage and an unwavering need for revenge.

While often overshadowed by the incredible narrative and mammoth Heath Ledger performance featured in the sequel, Batman Begins is my favourite Christopher Nolan film because it is the first movie to truly get Batman right.

It set up one of the most memorable and consistently brilliant trilogies in film history, and significantly raised the bar for all superhero movies that followed it.

Rika Argadireja – Metadata Executive

The Christopher Nolan movie I like the most is Interstellar. An epic sci-fi set in a dystopian time in the future when the earth is dying, it follows a group of astronauts who attempt to find a new home for mankind through interstellar travel.

The combination of time relativity adventures, space exploration, exceptional acting (I personally think that Matthew McConaughey’s acting is Oscar-worthy), an unpredictable cameo appearance, and aesthetically pleasing visuals perfectly compliment the story about humanity.

The other thing that I really like about the movie is the ending – I don’t want to say too much but the last five minutes are emotional, tear-jerking, and it made me realise how valuable family and time are.

I can’t recommend it enough, Interstellar is definitely high up on my most favourite movies list!

Conor Regan – Snr. Content Acquisitions Executive

Inception has all the hallmarks we’ve come to expect from a Nolan film: beautiful cinematography; thrilling action; a non-linear narrative; mind-bending visual effects; a pulsating Hans Zimmer score, and ruminations on philosophy and metaphysics.

But for me, one thing in particular gives it an edge over his other work, and that’s how moving it is.

Because if you take away the talk of extractions and projections, what we’re left with is a man, who’s exiled from his family, doing anything it takes to get home. And it’s this simple narrative strand that anchors the movie, and gives it its emotional heft.

Key to the film’s power is Dominick Cobb, Inception‘s brilliant, yet troubled, protagonist.

Like the director’s best characters, he’s a bundle of contradictions, and far from the “good guy” archetype of way too many action flicks. He mightn’t always be likeable, but, as we learn more about his backstory, we come to understand his motivations and empathise with his situation.

The closing scene, in particular, packs a serious emotional gut-punch. Without giving too much away, it’s a rollercoaster of excitement, tension, release, and ambiguity that stays with you long after the credits have rolled.

Inception isn’t just my favourite Nolan, but one of my favourites full stop. An awesome film.

Jane Boland – Marketing Executive

The casting was 10/10 with an outstanding performance from Heath Ledger as the Joker, which for many people carried the entire film. However, Christian Bale brought two great characters to life; the strong crime-fighting Batman and the wealthy yet troubled Bruce Wayne.

Intense action scenes such as the opening bank robbery scene and the car chase/truck flip are iconic still to this day.

I think I need a Batman trilogy movie marathon now!

Tenet will be available for inflight entertainment systems from January 2021. At Inflight Dublin, we pride ourselves on providing the best film, TV, audio and innovative content to our clients – and that includes Christopher Nolan films! If you’d like to learn how we can do the same for your airline, make sure to get in touch; you can contact us here.

All images property of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

Inflight Dublin has been awarded a 3-year contract for the provision of inflight entertainment (IFE) by long-standing client Ethiopian Airlines Group, the national flag carrier of Ethiopia.

Inflight Dublin has been providing IFE services to Ethiopian Airlines since 2010, ranging from content, wireless software, motion graphics and an interactive microsite.

Inflight Dublin will service Ethiopian Airlines’ entire IFE-enabled fleet with content, including 3 B767 aircraft that utilise Inflight Dublin’s Everhub™ wireless software platform. The content package will feature Hollywood blockbusters, classic movies, TV shows, local content and YouTube videos.

Ethiopian Airlines is the largest airline in Africa, operating a fleet of over 128 aircraft for short, medium, and long-haul flights to 127 international destinations. The airline was also voted ‘Best Airline in Africa’ for the 3^rd consecutive year at the Skytrax 2019 World Airlines Awards.

Inflight Dublin, the leading independent content service provider in the IFE industry, has announced today an agreement with the international business aviation group, PrivatAir, for the deployment of their dynamic Wireless IFE solution, Everhub.

Everhub is a cutting-edge inflight entertainment system that enables passengers to engage with entertainment, on-board retail and destination services via their mobile device or laptop. Via these devices, the passenger can stream video and audio files, play games, read publications, review city guides and view a live moving map. They can also review and purchase duty-free and snack-bar products and plan and book destination services.

“It is also aiding the optimisation of in-flight operations for crewmembers. Taking into consideration our client base, we have partnered with Inflight Dublin, who developed a bespoke wireless IFE system that addresses all our needs. In particular, the crew app is of big significance to us as it enables the crew to manage a variety of inflight services pre, during and post-flight!”

Everhub was launched on board of PrivatAir on 21^st of February 2017.