THE STATE OF INDEPENDENCE Independent Cinema in the Digital Age

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Animal Kingdom

• 1948 UK Box office admissions = 500m• 1975 Jaws released - becomes the first summer ‘blockbuster’• 1980 UK Box office admissions = 50m• 1984 first multiplex opens in Milton Keynes• 2008 UK Box office admissions = 164.2m

UK cinema attendance history

UK Box Office Report: 2008 Monthly Admissions 2007-2008

MARKET SHARE

25%

50%

20%

63.3%

1. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (USA)2. MIENTRAS DUERMES (SLEEP TIGHT) (Spain)3. CONTAGION (USA)4. THE THING (USA / Canada)5. ABDUCTION (USA)6. LA VOZ DORMIDA (THE SLEEPING VOICE) (Spain)7. MARGIN CALL (USA)8. JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN (USA / France / UK)9. I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT (USA)10. NO HABRÁ PAZ PARA LOS MALVADOS (Spain)11. INTRUDERS (USA / UK)12. EL SUEÑO DE IVÁN (Spain)13. ONE DAY (USA / UK)14. THE THREE MUSKETEERS (Germany / France)15. CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE (USA)16. ANOTHER YEAR (UK)17. PHINEAS AND FERB (USA)18. THE TREE OF LIFE (USA)19. FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (USA)20. THE SMURFS (USA)

SPAIN Box Office 21- 23 October 2011

UK Box Office 21- 23 October 2011

1. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (USA)2. JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN (USA /France/UK)3. CONTAGION (USA)4. THE LION KING (3D) (USA)5. REAL STEEL (USA / India)6. THE THREE MUSKETEERS (Germany / France)7. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (UK /USA)8. TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY (France / UK)9. DOLPHIN TALE (USA)10. FOOTLOOSE (USA)11. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Spain /USA)12. MONTE CARLO (USA / Hungary)13. DRIVE (USA)14. THE SMURFS (USA)15. CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE (USA)16. THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE (UK)17. DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK (USA / Aus)18. MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS (USA)19. ABDUCTION (USA)20. THE DEBT (USA)

• Warner Brothers (Time Warner)• Paramount (Viacom)• 20th Century Fox (News Corp)• Universal (General Electric)• Buena Vista (Disney)• Columbia Pictures (Sony)

Distributors: The Big SixIn the UK six distributors (all divisions of multinational media conglomerates) control about 85% of the market.

Sony Pictures Entertainment List of holdings

Motion Pictures and Home Entertainment

Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group Columbia PicturesSony Pictures IndiaSony Pictures Classics Sony Pictures Releasing Monumental PicturesScreen GemsTriumph Films FEARnetSony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony WonderSony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Destination Films Stage 6 Films Affirm Films

www.sonyclassics.coman autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment that

distributes, produces and acquires independent films from the United States and around the world.

Film BudgetsANIMAL KINGDOM (Sony Pictures Classics)Budget $5.2m. worldwide gross $6.8m

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (Disney)Budget $250m worldwide gross $1bn

THE KING’S SPEECH (Momentum)Budget $15m est. worldwide gross $414m

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (Pathé / C4)Budget £9m ($15m) worldwide gross $378m

AVATAR (20th Century Fox)Budget $237m worldwide gross $2.8bn

What is an Independent Cinema?Traditionally either:

1) privately owned and profit-driven: showing only the most commercially popular films

2) non-profit making and receive public subsidy in recognition of their cultural policy:striving to present the widest range of new world cinema, plus older films and special events

Source: Independent Cinemas: A Case Study. BFI Publishing 2000

What is an Independent Cinema?‘Cultural’ cinemas differ from multiplex cinemas in four key ways:

1) They generally show different films2) Films are selected and programmed in a different way3) The cinema has a different ambience4) Audiences have different expectations

Source: Independent Cinemas: A Case Study. BFI Publishing 2000

films screening this week

THE HELP (USA)

THE IDES OF MARCH (USA)

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (UK / USA)

AMELIE (France)

PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES (USA)

ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (UK)

POLTERGEIST (USA)

PAPRIKA (Japan)

DISTANT VOICES STILL LIVES (UK)

history• Founded in 1966 as Norfolk and Norwich Film Theatre • Moved into St Andrews Street site 1978• First Regional Film Theatre in England• 1 screen• Closed for redevelopment in December 2003• Part-time exhibition programme at Norwich Playhouse• Re-opened as 3 screen Cinema City October 2007

• New cinema opened October 2007• 3 Screens:

Screen 1: 184 seatsScreen 2: 100 seatsScreen 3: 60 seats

• All screens digitally equipped (Dec 2009)• 3D installed (Screen 2) 2010• Restaurant and bar in Grade 1 listed hall• Membership scheme• Education Programme

Range of films in typical brochure• United States• UK• France• Canada• China• Spain• Italy• Australia• Germany

• Sweden• Denmark• Japan

Programming Policy• First run titles• Contextualisation of films• Themed seasons• Festivals and special events• Repertory and archive programming• Education programme

Regular and special events• Big Scream!• Kids’ Club• Metropolitan Opera• National Theatre Live• Culture Shock• Picturehouse Docs• Silver Screen• Friday Frighteners• Reels of History• Archive screenings• Slackers Club• Out at the Movies• Black History Month• Autism-friendly screenings• Short films• Popcorn free screenings

Film category Description

Mainstream High profile mainstream and crossover films and a few very familiar classic films

Crossover More complex and ‘difficult’ crossover films, light arthouse and popular repertory programming

Challenging Most ‘hard-core’ arthouse titles

Specialist Archive and the more obscure repertory programming

programme analysis

Cinema City Top 20

(Oct 07 –Sept 10)1. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE2. MAMMA MIA!3. A SINGLE MAN4. THE READER5. QUANTUM OF SOLACE6. INCEPTION7. TOY STORY (3D)8. SEX AND THE CITY 29. THE DUCHESS10. HARRY POTTER 611. THE KITE RUNNER 12. A SERIOUS MAN13. SEX AND THE CITY14. GLORIOUS 3915. COCO BEFORE CHANEL16. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN17. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO 18. BURN AFTER READING19. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD20. AN EDUCATION

Benefits of digital technology• Choice – more ‘product’ and the ability to match it to customer demand• Quality – better sound and image, no deterioration of the print• Alternative content – cinemas diversifying through live concerts, sport• Spectacle – higher resolution, new 3D technologies (Avatar)

LEONARDO LIVE FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERY

Sports -live World Cup screenings

Film Related Events - director Q&As, transmitted to other sites.

Opera & Music Events- music concerts.

Gaming- games consoles can be connected and played on the big screen.

TV Shows- ‘event’ TV shows such as the first or last episode of a series.

Corporate- laptops can be connected to digital projectors to show presentations.

Educational- Surgery broadcast to students in cinemas as part of training.

Alternative Content

Unlike 35mm film, digital prints do not degrade over time

The 5000th showing of the film looks as good as the 1st

2k resolution (2046 x 1080 pixels)

Quality

The Virtual Print Fee Model

A cost-sharing arrangement with film distributors.www.artsalliancemedia.com