Cinema City - State of independence

The best time of the year for cinemas overall is July/August (the school holidays). This is when the big Hollywood blockbusters are released. But this is not the best time of year for Cinema City. When does Cinema City get it's highest audiences and what factors effect this?

Cinema City gets its highest audience when they hold live events, broadcast via satellite including music, comedy, filmmaker Q&A's, red-carpet premieres and productions transmitted in high definition from the New York Metropolitan Opera and Royal Opera House. These events often get sold out screens and audiences quickly embrace the new concept of 'cinecasts'. 

What technological and cultural factors have affected cinema takings? Consider the 1950's, 1980's and late 2000's. What have cinemas done to respond to these technological and cultural factors?

In the 1950's there was the advent of the TV, people started to get televisions in their home. This meant that less people went out and watched things at cinemas, there takings decreased and they lost money. In the 1980's the multiple cinema was introduced and because a lot more money was going into these and they were showing new films from America they became more popular than the independent cinemas. Also, this was the time when video was introduced so people could buy tapes of films instead of going out and paying money to go and watch them once at the cinemas. In late 2000's Internet was introduced into homes which meant that more people downloaded films instead of buying them on video or going to see them at the cinemas. This saved people money, but meant that the takings of cinemas reduced. To respond to these technological and cultural factors cinemas have started showing films in 3D, at home we cannot get this which means it would make cinema more popular again and the takings increase. 

In 1945 the top 20 films accounted for 25% of the market.
In 2000 the top 20 films accounted for 50% of the market.
U.S films took a 20% share of the market in early 1970's.
In 1998 U.S films took a 63.3% share of the market.
What can we learn from these statistics?

From these statistics we learn that there is an increase of shares and that more U.S films are flooding the market. When the multiplex cinemas were built the rule that for every American film shown a British film is shown was dropped. This meant that American companies took over and they are now dominating our film industry.

Exhibition related leisure pursuits now = 14% of household spend.
Home - based ancillary (TV/video etc.) markets = 43% of household spend.
What can we learn from these statistics?

From these statistics we learn that most films are now viewed at home meaning that there is a decrease in cinema takings.

A cinema such as Cinema City used to get around 80% income from subsidies and 20% from ticket sales. How has this changed? Compare this to Vue/Odeon. How are cinemas funding new revenue streams?

These cinemas used to get the majority of their money from the government. This has now changed because the government is no longer giving subsidies therefore they have a lack of money, they only have the 20% they used to make from ticket sales. They are no longer making the amount of money that they need to make to buy new films to show etc. Unlike Cinema City, Vue cinemas are funded by the Bank Of Scotland meaning that along with the ticket sales they have another source of funding. Cinema City is now making extra money by putting on live events.

Cinema City underwent a significant refurbishment programme in and reopened in 2007. Why would Cinema City be unable to carry out these refurbishments if it was trying to do so today?

They wouldn't be able to carry out these refurbishments today if it was trying to do so because they are no longer getting subsidies therefore they would not be able to afford it. Also because it is a listed building so they would have to appeal for it to be refurbished.

Why did Cinema City install a 3D projector in 2010?

Cinema City installed a 3D projector because it will broaden the audience that they appeal to, it means that they can show a wider variety of films that are only available in 3D. More people are likely to go to Cinema City to watch a film in 3D than a Multiplex cinema because it is cheaper and not as busy than a multiplex.

What is a 'sleeper' film? How is Cinema City better positioned to adjust schedules for 'sleepers'?

A 'sleeper' film is a film that has a slow start with not a very big audience that gradually becomes more popular and eventually turns into a big film that is popular. Cinema City is better positioned to adjust schedules for sleepers because they can bring old films that have suddenly become more popular back unlike the multiplex cinemas.

Why wouldn't Cinema City show 'The Expendables' but they would show a Tarantino film?

'The Expendables' wouldn't attract the audience that Cinema City appeals to. A Tarantino films appeals to a different audience that 'The Expendables'. 

Why do Cinema City show Sex and the City/Mamma Mia? 

Cinema City show these films because the actors and actresses that play on these films are older and would appeal to the audience that Cinema City attracts. It appeals to a large group of women, aged 40+ and the films appeal to these women because of the people in them. 

How do Cinema City cater for minority/ niche audiences such as parents with children under one; students; local history enthusiasts; older audiences; parents with autistic children? 

Cinema City run clubs such as: Kid's club, parents and babies' screenings and senior citizens matinees. Also they run a Slackers Club which is set up by E4 for students. They also do screenings for parents with autistic children. 

What does Cinema City use its screens for other than showing films?

Cinema City also uses its screens for numerous live events, broadcast via satellite, including music, comedy, filmmaker Q&A's, red-carpet premieres and productions transmitted in high definition from the New York Metropolitan Opera and Royal Opera House.

Describe the audience of Cinema City.

Cinema City's audience is mainly women and men that are 40+. They cater for them because they bring back old films that these people will remember when they first came out. Also they do specific groups for them and they are comfy cinemas that their audience can enjoy.

Comparing Warp and Working Titles

Warp Films
Warp Films, a sister company of Warp Records, was set up in 1999 with funding of £150 K from NESTA. It is based in Sheffield, England with a further office in London and has 14 full-time staff. This shows the true size of Warp Films, an extremely small film producing compamy. Warp films show the true society how it really is without making it seem all lovely and like nothing bad in society happens, they think it is important to raise the profile of British film making worldwide.  Their aims are to be cutting edge, innovative, interesting and independant. They don't want to have carbon copy, Hollywood blockbuster films. They create pioneering British cinema, short films and music videos. In April 2008, Australian film distributor Madman Entertainment announced a collaboration with Warp Films. Warp and Madman plan to make at least 2 films together over the next 3 years. Warp films budget to spend on a film is £1,000,000 unlike the major film companys who spend much much more on a film. This means that they are lacking in special effects etc, yet with the little budget, Warp films still make good films with the materials they do have. Warp Films are funded by British companies such as the national lottery, film 4 and the UK film council.

Some films made by Warp Films are as followed:  
This is England 86'
Four Lions
Bunny and the bull
All Tomorrows parties
Hush
Exhibit A

Working Title
Working Title films is a British film production company based in London UK.The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983. It produces feature films and several television productions. Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan are now the co-owners of the company. Although it is British, it is partly funded by Universal films, an American film production company. Working Title films are allowed to produce any film with a budget of up to £25 million. This means that they can make films with much more special effects, the films they make are more action based and their demographic is teenage boys who like action and little dialogue.

Some films made by Working Title Films include:     
Atonement
Nanny Mcphee
Nanny Mcphee and the big bang
Burn after reading
Hot Fuzz
Johnny English
etc.

There are alot more films made by Working Titles as it is a main stream where as Warp Films is independant therefore it hasn't got the funding to make lots of films.


Comparing films from each producing companies
Working titles made the film Atonement, it cost about £30 million to make and has well known actors, Keira Knightly and James McAvoy in. In comparison to Working titles, Warp made the film This is England 86', it cost around £1.5 million to make and has unkown actors in. Atonement made $130 million worldwide, and in USA alone it made $50 million. Even though it is a UK film, it only made half of what it made in USA in England. This is because Working Titles is funded by American film companies. Unlike Atonement, This is England 86' made $8 million worldwide and in USA alone it only made $0.3 million, where as in the UK it made $3.1 million. Atonement was shown in 1335 cinemas in the UK and even though it was made by a British film producing company, it was only showed in 424 cinemas in the UK which is a big difference to how many it was shown in in the USA. Unlike Atonement, This is England 86' was shown in only 14 cinemas in USA which is a big difference to the 151 cinemas it was shown in in the UK. The genre of films made by the two film producing companies are very different. Whilst Working titles make films that are literary adaptions about love and romance, Warp films make dramas about the British society, racism and single parent families which are true events that happens worldwide.

Audience survey

Remote audience research: how many social network friends or e-community consume films?
The age group I did my survey on was 16 - 18, they were both genders and they were all students.

How often do you go to the cinema?
Participant 1 - One or two times a month
Participant 2 - Once a month
Participant 3 - One or two times a month
Participant 4 - Couple of times a year
Participant 5 - Once every two months
Participant 6 - Once a month

Which is your favourite cinema? why?
Participant 1 - My favourite cinema is Vue because it is cheap and easy to get to.
Participant 2 - My favourite cinema is Odeon because although it costs more, it is easier to get tickets and it is a lot more comfortable than Vue.
Participant 3 - I don't have a favourite cinema, I just go to the cinema that is showing the film that I want to see at a time that is appropriate for me.
Participant 4 - My favourite cinema is Vue because it is in the city so it is easy to get to. It is cheaper than Odeon so it is better for me as I am only a student and can't really afford it.
Participant 5 - My favourite cinema is Odeon because it isn't extremely busy during the day which is when I go to the cinema, it is also a lot more comfortable than Vue.
Participant 6 - I don't have a favourite cinema, I go to the ones my friends choose to go to.

How do you hear about films? trailers, word of mouth, magazines, newspapers, radio?

Participant 1 - I mostly hear about films from trailers that I see on the tv. Also if my friends have seen a film that is good then I am more likeyly to go and see the film or watch the trailer to see if that interests me.
Participant 2- The way I hear about films is mainly through my friends.
Participant 3 - I watch trailers of films and if I like them then I go and watch them.
Participant 4 - I hear about films from reading reviews of them. If they sound good then I watch the trailer on youtube.
Participant 5 - I usually hear about films in magazines and advertisements.
Participant 6 - I hear about films through friends, trailers and I also read reviews in magazines.

What's the last film you've seen?

Participant 1 - The last film I saw was Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Participant 2- The last film I saw was Inception
Participant 3 - The last film I saw was The Notebook
Participant 4 - The last film I saw was The Last Exorcism
Participant 5 - The last film I saw was Grown Ups
Participant 6 - The last film I saw was A Walk To Remember

What is your favourite genre?
Participant 1 - Comedy
Participant 2 - Thriller
Participant 3 - Romantic comedy
Participant 4 - Horror
Participant 5 - Comedy
Participant 6 - Romance

How do you like to consume films?
Participant 1 - I like the ambiance of seeing a film at the cinema. Also the screen is so much bigger and the sound is a lot better.
Participant 2- I like to watch films at the cinema because you can go with a group of friends and then discuss the film afterwards.
Participant 3 - I prefer to watch films either at the cinema or at home.
Participant 4 - I prefer to watch films at home on my television because there is nobody to disturb the film.
Participant 5 - I prefer to watch films at the cinema because it has new films that you haven't seen before
Participant 6 - I like to watch films at home because you can watch it for free, there is no one to disturb you and the food and drink is free.

Identify a British film or tv drama that you have seen recently

Participant 1 - The last film I saw that was British was Green Street
Participant 2 - The last tv drama that I saw was This Is England
Participant 3 - A British film that I saw recently was Harry Potter And The Half - Blood Prince
Participant 4 -  The last British film that I saw was 28 Days Later.
Participant 5 -  A British tv drama that I always watch is Skins
Participant 6 - The last British film I saw was Atonement.





Why do film directors consider cinema as the best place to view their films?
Film directors consider the cinema is the best place to view films because you get the full experience of the film. The picture is amazing and the surround sound really makes you feel as if you are in the film.

Content of analysis of film distribution in Norwich

How many films in total are being exhibited?

Odeon

3D Piranha - Horror – 18

3D Resident Evil: afterlife – Horror – 15

3D The hole – Horror – 12A

3D Toy story 3 - Animated – U

Buried – Thriller – 15

Devil – Thriller - 15

Dinner for schmucks - Comedy - 12A

Diary of a wimpy kid – Comedy – PG

Eat, Pray, Love - Drama – PG

Going the distance – Romantic comedy – 15                     

Grown ups – Comedy – 12A

Inception – Science Fiction - 12A

Marmaduke - Comedy – U

Salt - Thriller - 12A

Scott Pilgrim vs. the world - Action - 12A

Tamara Drewe - Comedy – 15

The expendables - Action – 15

The other guys - Comedy - 12A

The town - Thriller – 15

Tinkerbell and the great fairy rescue – Animated – U

The trailer for the film 'Buried' persuades audiences to watch the film because the trailer creates suspension and tension becaue we don't know where the voice is coming from because it is just a black background. People want to know where the man is and how he got there and if he survives or not.

Cinema City

My son, my son, what have ye done - 15                                  

The Town - Thriller - 15

Eat, pray, love – Drama – PG

My afternoon with Margueritte – 15

Tamara Drewe – Comedy - 15




This is the trailer for the film 'Tamara Drewe', it is the only British film that is in cinemas at the moment. I think that this persuades audiences in English to watch it because it is from England and it also looks really good. The comedy elements about it draw people in and makes them want to watch it.

How many films are being screened at the same cinema?
All of the films above are from the day Wednesday the 29th. All the films named under the title 'Odeon' are being screened at that cinema on the same day and all the films under the title 'cinema city' are being shown on the same day at that cinema. There are 20 films being shown at Odeon cinema on the same day and there are 5 films being shown at cinema city.


Identify the percentage of British films?
At Odeon the percentage of British films being shown is 5%. This means there is 1 film out of 20 that is British.  
At Cinema City there is 20% of films that are British, but considering there is only 5 films being shown, that means that out of these 5 there is only 1 British film.


Identify the percentage of USA films?
At Odeon the percentage of USA films is 95%.
At Cinema City there is 80% of USA films.


Identify the percentage of foreign language films?
Neither cinema is showing any foreign language films, therefore 0%.


Identify the percentage of films from Australasia, Canada or other country? 
Neither cinema is showing any Australasian, Canadian or any other language other than British or American.

What conclusions can you draw about film distribution in the UK?
By the results shown, we can see that the British film distribution is dominated by the American film industry, particularly at a multiplex cinema such as Odeon. This means that there is less opportunities for British film makers, directors and technicians because if all the films are coming from America then the British film industry will soon die out.

Which demographic are multi-plex cinemas targeting?
The demographic that they are targeting are males between the ages of 12 - 18. This is mainly because the majority of film directors are males, so usually they are more action with less dialogue. Another idea that highlights this is that when you now go to buy tickets for cinemas, you are automatically drawn to buy the food and drink available. This mainly attracts the younger generation because of the type of sweets, chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks that there is to offer.

Which demographic is Cinema City targeting?
This cinema contrasts with the multi-plex cinemas because it is keeping the traditional ways of an old fashioned cinema with very standard facilities. This attracts the older generation because it is a place where they can all go which isn't dominated  by teenagers. It is simple and easy for them to use instead of being caught up in modern day chaos.

Do you consider that British audiences have a rich diet of international films which entertain, educate and inform?
From our research we are able to see that British audiences rich diet of international films is dominated by American films. So the British audience aren't getting educated, informed or entertained about any other country apart from America. And if we do then it is from an American point of view. Therefore our knowledge of international films is extremely poor and also the films we watch have biased attitudes and values from USA's perspective, especially in action films.

What percentage of films are directed by female directors?
Out of all the films above, only one is directed by a female, this is only 5%. This shows that the film industry is dominated by men. This also supports the demographic audience that the films are targeting. This could be a reason why most women in films are tall and skinny with big breats and a large bum because that is what men find attractive. This makes women feel that they have to be like this and the film industry is a big reason why women feel that they have to change to be more attractive for men.

Overall I have found out that most films distributed in the UK are USA films and that the main audience is teenage males who want alot of action and little dialogue. This is bad because the film industries are losing a lot of the audiences because there is nothing suited for females or older people. Also the UK film industry are losing out on a lot of money and good films aren't being able to be shown because there isn't any funding for them anymore now that America is dominating.