sundance
cinemas
What can ONE Theater
Chain Do to transform
the American Cinematic
Experience?
SUNDANCE CINEMAS
The Moderns
translated the
Sundance brand into
a series of permanent,
branded, physical
spaces that
reinvented
the cinematic
experience.
S
undance, in partnership with General Cinemas, developed
a nationwide chain of film centers, Sundance Cinemas,
in order to capture a market niche in the exhibition of
independent films.
Robert Redford selected The Moderns as the winner of a competitive film center strategy to transform the Sundance brand and
revolutionize the film industry. Our vision granted national
cinematic exposure to independent filmmakers, forged a connection with formerly unreachable audiences and generated entirely
new sources of revenue for the corporation, while maintaining
the localized, individual spirit of independent art.
Our strategic approach informed every aspect of the brand;
including site selection, flagship rollout strategy, architecture
and interior design, advertising and marketing campaigns,
corporate identity and logo design, as well as strategy and
design of all collateral surrounding the user experience, including
signage, customized auditoria tailored to cinematic genre,
concession guidelines and package design, promotional posters
and ticket design.
Location: Locations were selected
to create or join local character and
energy.
Size: In an effort to create an
experience with gathering space,
we looked past the traditional paradigm of wedging too many screens
into each space.
University and College Sites:
Penn demonstrated that
universities make it easier to
be creatively and economically
flexible.
Local Tenants: Desirable
co-tenants or adjacencies.
Neutral Space: Neutrality does not
mean a beige box, but rather space
which inspires.
Contradictions: The Sundance
experience is not static—it is
organic, growing, breathing.
A Gathering Place: Sundance
Cinemas seeks to recreate the
gathering space that calls to mind
the piazza.
Environmental Sensitivity:
To the extent that it is possible,
our desire is to construct “green”
buildings.
F
ar from being a soft issue grounded
in emotion or ethics, sustainable
development involves cold rational business
logic. . .the market is going to want
sustainable systems.
Gannett News Service, 3.12.98, “Market Trends Indicate There Will Be More Veggies in Your Life”
A Gathering Place…
to celebrate the culture of film
and the work of independent
filmmakers.
A Cultural Experience…
Film as the storytelling medium
of our time.
Target Audience: The Festival
has successfully demonstrated
that the trendy “Angelika” crowd
in black can mingle with the “plaid
shirt” dentists from Salt Lake City.
E
xperiences have
emerged as the next
step in what we call the
progression of
economic value.
Joseph Pine, Harvard Business Review
marketing & branding
Membership Packages, Monthly Program Calendar, Gift Certificates,
Tickets, Coffee Cups, Merchandising Collateral, Concessions Packaging,
Gift Wrapped Items/T-shirts, Custom Designed Movie Trivia Tableware,
“Things to Do” Postcards, Lecture Series Poster Campaign,
Corporate Identity
UPenn Site: Cafe, Newstand
Renderings developed by The Moderns
board
2
lobby experience
Sundance Cinemas
concessions
theater 1
theater 2
lecture
room
newsstand
theater
3
info. desk
banquet
seating
fireplace
cross over
bridge
tapas bar
kitchen
kitchen
tapas
bar
ticket/info.
theater
5
concessions
espresso bar
restaurant
theater 6
theater 7
theater 8
portland
Lobby Experience
newsstand
espresso bar
reflecting pool
gallery
theater vestibule area
garden
cafe
board
1
lecture
room
info. desk
street level
fireplace
Sundance, Upenn
main
entrance
tapas bar
restaurant
garden
cafe
Landscape/Garden
upenn
main
entrance
Concessions
Rendering by The Moderns
 Terrarium
 Concessions
Ticket/Concierge
Open Theater, Gallery Entrance
 Concessions
 Restaurant Entrance and Outdoor Dining
 Theater Entrances
 Main Bar
View of Restaurant and Main Bar 
The Moderns
900 Broadway, Suite 903, NYC 10003
Telephone 212 387 8852
themoderns.com