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 Sundance showcases the best in independent films. The first "U.S. Film Festival" debuted in 1978 in Salt Lake City as a way to lure filmmakers and tourists to the state. In 1985, the festival found the support of Robert Redford, who four years earlier had started the Sundance Institute to support young filmmakers.
From there, the event now well-known as the "Sundance Film Festival" grew very quickly to become a world-class film festival. In 1997, the festival director approached BL&S to advise Sundance on improving their projection and operational quality. Chapin attended the 1998 festival to survey operations and make specific recommendations on making the festival run better.
Chapin knew from his years of experience with events such as the Telluride Film Festival that in order to setup and run multiple venues as reliably as a cinema, they needed to treat each facility as a permanent installation, even though it was temporary. The BL&S team had considerable expertise building systems that they could transport easily for doing premier and road show work, and they applied this tested philosophy to Sundance.
"We have very complex presentation systems that we expect to operate as if they were permanent world-class cinema and video exhibition spaces," Chapin said. "People are coming to Sundance for that experience. Our goal is to ensure that nothing interferes with that experience."
In 1999, BL&S put that philosophy into action, constructing subassemblies consisting of integrated projection and sound systems custom designed for each of the 15 Sundance venues. They prewired all of the components as an integrated system, just as if they were going to be installed permanently in real movie theatres. They ran the systems through a full battery of tests at their facilities in Boston to ensure that they would work properly when installed at Sundance. In mid-1999, Chapin became the technical director of the festival. Since that time, he and the rest of the BL&S team have worked continuously to improve the performance and reliability of the subassemblies.
High-definition video
In recent years, high-definition video has become a major component of the Sundance program, adding to the complexity of the presentation. All the equipment has to be active and available all the time to allow the projectionist to move between formats in a matter of minutes. To address this need, BL&S builds and installs two to three standalone projection systems for each venue, allowing for seamless movement between 16mm, 35mm, and high-definition video formats.
The team also developed an AMX-based automation system, enabling one projectionist to cleanly move between formats and control all activity, from house lights to announce microphones, without having to leave the operational side of his projector.
In 2005, Sundance designed and installed a new 700-seat venue at the Park City Racquet Club. BL&S provided the design and consultation to turn this basketball court into a premiere quality theatre. The project involved redesign of the existing air conditioning system, acoustical isolation of an adjacent exercise room, and extensive acoustical treatments. The BL&S team also designed a complete Dolby Digital sound system to provide premiere quality audio for both film and high-definition video.
Each year brings new challenges that the BL&S team readily embraces. The team continues to build on their systems, working to ensure a flawless presentation for those fortunate enough to experience Sundance.  Request an Estimate  Download Client List
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