The joy of film

Afternoon all,

Back for another blog on another topic that has been rattling around my brain of late, namely that of films. I've done a lot of programming in literature down the years, and it's a field I absolutely love. Hearing a really interesting discussion or a fantastic reading is always great, and I've been lucky enough to be there for some great ones.

But of course literature isn't my only interest, not by any means, and film is something I've always been really keen on. I may not have the broadest of taste, or be of any use at the monthly film quiz, but I'm a fan of genre films and cult films and foreign cinema, so I have my little patch anyway. But what I've been wanting to do for a while now - and have only seriously been looking at this week - is how you go about sourcing films for screenings. I've been able to get advice from a lot of people with an involvement in film, which has been a huge help. And to be honest, even since Wednesday when I first started making tentative phone calls, I've learned a lot about the process.

And boy, is it a tricky one.

Well, it is and it isn't. There's no intrinsic reason for it to be difficult - call the rights holder, tell them what you want to do, pay them a fee and then boom, you're ready to screen. The process in itself is simple, but what was particularly interesting to me, as an absolute novice, was how different it was trying to get hold of certain rights when compared to others. I'm not going to sit here and name studios or films, but some things were perfectly easy to get a hold of. Some you could even just play your own DVD without having to bring in a 35ml print or source anything from the distributor. Then other times it could be a long, exhaustive process involving shipping prints from the US or elsewhere overseas. Then there are differences in some cases for the size of the audience, the size of the screen, whether the audience is paying...

So while you have certain principles in general, there are a lot of differences in each individual case. Which made me realise just how tough a job the guys at cinemas, and particularly independent cinemas, have to do. They have to weigh up not only whether they can get the rights, and then cross the proverbial minefield that ensure, but whether what they pay for the rights will recoup itself at the box office. Sure, it's cheaper to bring in an old classic than it is something brand new on release, but then do people want to see it when they can just pick it up on DVD, in many cases for less than the price of a cinema ticket? Then if you're splashing out for a new film, is it going to draw enough audience and be popular enough to justify its outlay? I remember being thoroughly annoyed when I couldn't find a local cinema showing Pandorum when that was released, but having seen it since I can better understand why it would perhaps have been a risk - it's hardly safe ground like an action film or a romcom after all.

As I noted a few days ago, the process behind things has always interested me, and it's been a buzz to have the chance to explore this new process. Hopefully the fruits of all these phone calls and emails will be seen soon enough, and I'll be able to expand my programming horizons a bit into this new area. As I've always said, it never hurts to have another string to your bow (says the event organiser/tutor/proofer/copyeditor/writer...)

So that's been the joy of film for me this week. Be sure to stop by next week, as I should be able to announce some very exciting gigs for the first time...

Cheers!

Alex