65 MediaMagazine | February 2011 | english and media centre

MM

Multiplexes have long ruled the cinema-going empire while independent cinemas have struggled to retain relevance in a blockbuster world. But now the indie chains are fighting back, delivering a quality, style and social atmosphere that showcases the true event of film. Matt Freeman explores this whole new culture of movie-watching…

a quiet change has been taking place in the cinemas of South-East England. Not all cinemas, it should be quickly added, but a significant number of them ... Although the tide of multiplexes continues to rise, bringing more screens but not necessarily more or better films to show on them, their dominance is not entire.Christopher Priest, novelist, screenwriter and

journalist

Although Priest’s words were written at the end of the 20th century, and limited to the South-East of the country, much the same can be said for the UK’s vast cinema industry today. Independent cinemas are on the rise for the first time in decades, and they’ve acquired themselves an exciting cultural relevance…

If you’re looking for a sign that the Odeon era is declining, the current blaze of independent cinemas in the UK is as good a place as any to start. Here it’s a case of the smaller the better, as many independent cinemas strive for quality, intimacy, personality and a more social experience. I sat down with Andy Myers, current CEO of Everyman Cinemas, one of the UK’s

leading and most exciting independent chains, to discuss this social-minded revival. Presenting its guests with a warm and special invite, the feel of comfort oozing through the atmosphere, the London-grown independent cinema chain defines, in the words of Myers, ‘quality, comfort, sophistication – and above all entertainment!’

With a mission statement to go above and beyond the experience provided by multiplex powerhouses, Everyman Cinemas, like a number of thriving indie chains in the UK right now, are intimate hubs for those who love their cinema as much as their film – bringing the living into community, they cater for the sorts of people who genuinely care about cinema and its ability to leave us with a lasting impression. In other words, handing over cash to see a film is only the beginning. Some smaller chains have opted for the boutique approach, tempting guests with sofas and alcohol licenses, where waiters bring glasses of your favourite beverage to your seat. Myers insists:

We feel that we are responding to a demand from our audience to re-establish the enjoyment of cinema as a social medium. The comfortable and relaxed atmosphere of our

MM

english and media centre | February 2011 | MediaMagazine 65

cinemas encourages people to chat, drink, relax and unwind. Our audiences appreciate the personal service when they arrive, and there is a real sense of affinity within the community.This affinity is certainly a warming idea, and

one that the Everyman chain is not alone in embracing. Myers suggests:

Customers feel like it is their cinema. Everyman is very much their home from home and new customers get that feeling of belonging very quickly.Indeed, this cherished feeling comes hand

in hand with the personal versatility that the best boutique chains strive to maintain. For the smartest indie chains today, film is an event that should not just be watched and enjoyed – but celebrated.

Everyman, for example, saw the transformation of their Belsize Park venue for the release of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, creating an entire Mad Hatter’s tea party inside the foyer. And that’s not the end of it. The theatrical release of Sex and the City 2 saw each and every Everyman venue decorated and converted into spaces inspired by the film. As Myers recalls:

red carpets were installed; champagne was served; we had shoes adorning the ceiling and fashion displayed.This is a cinema with its own internal movie

world, a place: always looking for new and innovative opportunities to maximise the appeal of film.But there is a serious flipside to the fun.

While independent cinema would appear to be flourishing, with high profile successes such as Everyman, the tradition of art-house repertory is dying – a consequence, perhaps, of the rise

of internet consumer sites like Amazon and LoveFilm where any genre of film, mainstream or not, is available to all at the click of a button. As a result, it’s hard not to notice the changing of programme schedules within art-house or independent venues. Many independent cinemas are today screening more mainstream content than they did a decade ago – The Curzon Mayfair, for instance, a renowned independent venue that previously shied away from commercial product, screened Sex and the City 2 on its main screen earlier this year.

And it’s not difficult to understand why. While premiers of art-house films might sell out during an international festival, the same films struggle to fill seats when released theatrically. Similarly, director Q&As and live soundtrack performances – a tactic that a number of indie chains are now embracing – may entice cinema-goers to book for a particular date; but without these extras, ticket sales can be too slow to be worthwhile for cinema programmers. Besides, people’s idea of what an independent cinema should screen has shifted: it is no longer about an alternative to the mainstream film; it is about providing an alternative to the impersonal nature of the multiplex. In other words, the film itself is merely the icing on the cake when it comes to many independent venues, using the movie as the framework to go above and beyond expectations and offer a genuine entertainment experience.

Staying independentAs a result, the comparison between

mainstream multiplexes and art-house independent chains suggests that their programming is remarkably similar. Across the

summer of 2010, both Inception and Knight & Day were two of the biggest sellers at Everyman’s Hampstead venue – the same two blockbusters which headlined at the nearest Odeon. This reliance on mainstream product could be seen to signal the indie cinema dilemma: with independent film struggling to attract the masses and keep the small chains alive, how does an independent venue remain inherently independent without succumbing to the commercial allure of the blockbuster? In many ways, this is a dilemma which cannot be helped or resolved easily; but for a chain like Everyman, it would also be missing the point.

Myers happily acknowledges the truth that ‘conventionally a customer may not instantly look to an independent cinema for general releases’.

After all, the multiplex still rules much of the empire, with many movie-going audiences today associating blockbusters with multiplexes. But this is an assumption that many independent cinemas are hoping to de-mystify. For Myers:

you have to know your place in the food chain, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try to fight above your weight ... We are already seeing that distributors are adapting to accommodate the needs of more independent cinema chains. They are recognising that although we may not provide the volumes that the multiplexes provide, we do play an important part in the industry.

Changing times, changing culture

Indeed, this important role is one built upon changing times and changing perceptions. There has often been a misconception surrounding independent cinemas, with general audiences presuming that local chains are in some way old-fashioned and multiplexes are their contemporary equivalent. And yet, with many indie chains’ mission statement to offer more and to go further than the average while the multiplex relies heavily on 3D – a notoriously old concept which has been re-branded as new – is it possible that independent cinemas might actually represent the future? Myers, for one, is

MM

66 MediaMagazine | February 2011 | english and media centre

67 MediaMagazine | February 2011 | english and media centre

MM

wary of this idea, instead choosing to compare the nature of the independent cinemas’ cultural role to the differing standards of quality available in a single market:

I often make a comparison to restaurants – you have Pizza Hut, Pizza Express, Prezzo, ASK, Zizzi and many more, all basically selling pizza but how they do it, who they appeal to and how they serve and treat their customers are completely different.Suggesting that both independent and

multiplex cinemas are merely two sides of the same coin, both working towards the same goal, he continues:

We happen to think there is ample room for local cinemas to thrive and offer an alternative genre of the same industry.

Screening InceptionBut let’s talk about the aforementioned

Inception for a moment. Christopher Nolan’s labyrinthine thriller, an ideas-heavy blockbuster that explored the concept of implanting thoughts beneath layers of the subconscious, was one of the highest grossing movies of the year. The fact that its narrative was structured meticulously as a Bond-inflected heist film and starred

Leonardo DiCaprio certainly helped matters, but it was Nolan’s craftsmanship that really sealed the approval. Here was that rarest of beasts – a film that played to the strengths of the multiplex and to the art-house crowd in equal measure, resulting in a film that paid the bills at both Odeon and Everyman, two chains that once catered for very different audiences. Nolan’s brain-bender may be rare, but does it suggest that the film industry has now reached a point where commercial and art-house films can share a home? Myers thinks so:

Everyman Cinemas want to lead the way by providing commercial releases alongside art house, specialised and alterative content and placing an emphasis on events and experience, offering it all under one roof.Only time will tell if such a novelty will blossom

into normality, but for now Myers is happy to revel in the beauty of this change.

Some people come to escape; some people come to be moved. As always, watching a film is a subjective experience, so whether you do or don’t enjoy the film, Everyman’s aim is to ensure that all of our customers have come away with something more.He then pauses for a moment, clearly

pondering the impact that he hopes smaller cinemas are having on the industry.

I definitely believe that film is an important influence on people’s lives. Lots of the events that we hold are our way of increasing the impact of a film on an audience, and ensuring that they leave the cinema having enjoyed themselves above and beyond the duration of the film itself.However you look at these events, it’s all

a celebration of film. Traditionally film is a medium enjoyed in silence, with little of the live immediacy of theatre or music, and rarely even applause. But this is a commonality that many independent chains have worked hard to change, creating intimate movie-watching environments that accentuate the human and social side of cinema-going. As Bob Dylan once said, the times they are a-changin’. Independent cinemas have raised the bar, and it’s now up to multiplexes to keep up with the pace…

Matt Freeman is a freelance film journalist who has

written for Film Journal International, GoreZone and Total

Film.

english and media centre | February 2011 | MediaMagazine 67

MM