The 286-seat Kino Piispanristi independent cinema is the long-time passion project of Henry Erkkilä, a Finnish movie lover who wanted to create a modern cinema that transcends tradition with its audiovisual technology. To this end, the Turku venue has installed a Genelec sound system to accompany its premium screen.
Erkkilä discovered his love for the film industry as a boy whose father had a film projector that he travelled around Sweden with, bringing the latest screen favourites to audiences in his home country. Prior to the screening, Erkkilä would distribute advertisements in the local area, showcasing the movie on offer that evening and encouraging people to attend.
Inspired by his father, he set up his own touring movie theatre in 1998, and followed this venture by opening his first permanent space in2017. Kino Piispanristi began with two theatres, but now offers five screens, as well as having been joined by cinemas in Turku, Salo and Laitila.
‘We strive to offer all the perks of a modern cinema without being a faceless corporation,’ Erkkilä states. ‘We react to trends quickly and make moves boldly so that our customers can walk in and out feeling happy. Having the greatest theatre sound system in Finland is an excellent way to help us light up people’s faces.’
Kino Piispanristi’s newest screen is a premium, more intimate space with exceptional picture quality and a 7.1 audio system based around Genelec’s The Ones family of coaxial three-way studio loudspeakers. Three 8361s – The Ones flagship – handle LCR, with six compact 8341s for surround, complemented by two 7380 subwoofers.
‘For our premium space, sound is everything,’ Erkkilä explains. ‘Theatre technology, be it projectors, screens, audio or seats, is constantly evolving and unless you’re among the frontrunners, you might get left behind. Genelec is widely known and admired as a wonderful example of Finnish engineering and design. As a local business, we try to emphasise the importance of using locally sourced products, and Genelec’s quality is unmatched. This was a pilot project for us and we’re looking into expanding our other spaces – since it’s been such a hit. We charge a few Euros extra for the premium screen, but the experience is so good that our customers see it as excellent value.’
Usually found in the world’s most notable music, broadcast and film studios, Genelec’s studio loudspeakers are now being specified for an increasing number of high-end residential and boutique commercial cinemas around the world. The Ones models provide optimal performance by intelligently adapting to the acoustics of the room, achieved by a combination of GLM software and internal DSP within each loudspeaker and subwoofer.
‘GLM calibration allowed us to achieve a better balance with the lower and higher voices on screen,’ Erkkilä says. ‘Without it, it’s likely that the room would’ve changed the natural feel of the audio. It gave us full control over the system.’
GLM offers precise calibration of each loudspeaker’s in-room frequency response, playback level and distance delay, minimising room influences and ensuring the best possible audio quality. In addition to the Genelec system, Kino Piispanristi uses Dolby Cinema processors, immersing the audience in the true excitement of cinema.
‘Our expertise in cinema and Genelec’s legacy in sound was the perfect match, and the collaboration was even more meaningful because of the local connection,’ Erkkilä says. ‘The Ones loudspeaker series has completely transformed the cinema, and now we can offer audiences everything that the big players can – and more. The cinema is a result of a lot of hard work and dedication, and the Genelec system feels like the icing on the cake. It’s reinvented what we show on the screen.’
More: www.genelec.com
