FILM EXHIBITION. REPORT Bigger Picture Research - November 2014

Transcription

1 FILM EXHIBITION in the South East REPORT Bigger Picture Research - November 2014 DEVELOPING AUDIENCES & SUPPORTING EXHIBITORS throughout Berkshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire,Surrey and West Sussex.

2 CONTENTS contents 1. Introduction Background 1.2 About the research 1.3 Report structure 2. Existing film exhibition activity in the South East Film exhibitors, venues, screens and seats 2.2 Location 2.3 Circuits and mobile networks 2.4 Staff and volunteers 2.5 Projection format and satellite technology 2.6 Screening frequency 2.7 Specialised programming 2.8 Admissions 2.9 Accessibility 2.10 Social media presence 2.11 Upper tier local government area profiles 3. Strengths, weaknesses and opportunities Reach 3.2 Breadth: specialised film provision 3.3 Depth: special events and education activity 3.4 Conceptual framework for benchmarks Appendix 1: Exhibitors no longer active 106

3 1. Introduction 1.1 Background The BFI and the members of the BFI Film Audience Network want to encourage everyone to enjoy a lifelong relationship with film. Our aims are to bring the full diversity of film to more people as well as a greater understanding of, and engagement with, film across the UK (a key priority of the BFI, as set out in Film Forever, our five year plan for UK film). We want to put film at the centre of cultural life. Established in 2013, Film Hub South East is one of nine regional Hubs forming the Film Audience Network (FAN), funded by the British Film Institute to increase the range and reach of film and film-related events available to audiences across the UK. Film Hub South East s mission ( to expand audience access to, and knowledge of, specialised and British Independent film in the South East ) is delivered through audience development funding for film exhibition projects, alongside support for training, networking, advocacy and research activities. The South East region comprises the geographical counties of Berkshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex. 1 The Hub is managed by a consortium of organisations led by the University of Brighton, along with Screen Archive South East, CINECITY, Picturehouse Cinemas, Lighthouse and Brighton & Hove City Council. Figure 1: Film Hub South East region Source: Film Hub South East 1 The region also encompasses the following Unitary Authority areas: Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Medway, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, West 0

4 Film Hub South East commissioned the present research to deepen knowledge and understanding of the region s current film exhibition landscape, and identify areas of strength and weakness in provision and opportunities for development. The research is also intended to help establish baseline metrics for use in judging the performance of Film Hub South East interventions. Viewed in the context the Film Audience Network s wider ambitions, the research is timely because existing market intelligence, derived from a range of sources, paints only a partial picture of film exhibition provision in the UK. For example, analysis of the BFI s unpublished UK cinema list (derived from data supplied by Dodona Research) reveals that the South East region had 102 commercial cinemas in 2013, 13% of the UK total (Table 1), operating 450 screens with a screen density of 5.7 screens per 100,000 people (Table 2). 33 screens were devoted to specialised programming in 2013, 7% of all screens in the region (Table 3). Table 1: Part- and full-time cinemas in 2013, by FAN region FAN region Number of cinemas % Population (2011) % South West & West Midlands % 9,337,400 15% Central East % 10,136,700 16% London % 8,204,400 13% South East % 7,896,300 12% North 84 11% 8,384,500 13% North West Central 78 10% 9,147,900 14% Scotland 66 9% 5,254,800 8% Wales 49 6% 3,063,800 5% Northern Ireland 28 4% 1,806,900 3% Channel Islands & Isle of Man 4 <1% - <1% Total % 63,232, % Sources: BFI/Dodona Research, Office for National Statistics, Bigger Picture Research, Cinema Nation 1

5 Table 2: Screen density in 2013, by FAN region Number of FAN region screens Population (2011) Northern Ireland 200 1,806, London 605 8,204, Scotland 338 5,254, Wales 195 3,063, South West & West Midlands 572 9,337, North West Central 537 9,147, South East 450 7,896, Screens per 100k people Central East ,136, North 420 8,384, Channel Islands & Isle of Man Total 3,867 63,232, * Sources: BFI/Dodona Research, Office for National Statistics, Bigger Picture Research, Cinema Nation * UK average Table 3: Specialised cinema screens in 2013, by FAN region FAN region Total screens Specialised screens Specialised as % of all screens London % Scotland % North % Central East % South East % South West & West Midlands % Wales % North West Central % Northern Ireland % Channel Islands & Isle of Man Total 3, %* Sources: BFI/Dodona Research, Bigger Picture Research, Cinema Nation * UK average While this analysis reveals the South East to have one of the lowest screen densities in the UK, and a low level of specialised screen provision (albeit in line with the national average), the underlying dataset only applies to commercial cinemas and mixed use venues tracked by Dodona Research. It does not cover other types of part time and occasional film exhibition provision, including film festivals, film societies and community cinemas, mobile/touring cinema networks and temporary ( pop up ) or occasional exhibitors. 2

6 In many areas, particularly in rural locations, these alternative forms of film exhibition fill gaps left by commercial providers unwilling to take the financial risk associated with running cinemas in sparsely populated areas. In other places, including in towns and cities, such exhibitors may meet demand for a wider range of films otherwise unmet by commercial players, or provide educational opportunities and value-added film events that go beyond regular cinema scheduling. These elements of provision are absolutely germane to FAN s aims in terms of reach, breadth and depth (see Table 4). It was therefore important to conduct research taking into account the full variety of film exhibition provision in the South East. Table 4: FAN aims, outcomes and measures 2 Aim Outcomes Measures REACH To increase audience numbers and reach, including greater engagement with under-served and hard to reach audiences in order to increase and broaden UK audiences for specialised and independent British film BREADTH To considerably extend film choice for audiences across the UK DEPTH To enhance understanding of film culture Source: BFI Expanded audience reach including greater engagement with under-served and hard to reach audiences Increased diversity of film content and settings in which to experience film More opportunities to learn about and engage with film culture Admissions for specialised and independent British film; The diversity of audiences; The locations of provision. Number and range of films screened Number of locations. The number and range of events, talks, introductions, contextual materials and workshops provided; The quality of experience and engagement offered to audiences. 1.2 About the research The project involved building a database of active exhibitors (the South East Film Exhibitor Database ) that includes commercial cinema circuits and independents, film festivals, film societies, volunteer-run community cinemas and mobile/touring networks. The database also reflects Film Hub South East s 2 This is adapted from the list of outcomes and measures included in the BFI s brief for a FAN evaluation framework. The brief also includes outcomes and measures for Audiences, Capability, Leverage and Partnership. 3

7 expanded vision of film venues and audience activity by including nontraditional exhibitors like arts festivals, community groups and venues, as well as universities and museums/galleries offering occasional or part-time screening programmes. There were three components to the research: Desk research Desk research, involving a combination of online searches, review of sources held by the consultants and by Film Hub South East and examination of other publicly available information, was undertaken to build a picture of existing film exhibition across the South East. In addition to general online searches (using keywords like cinema, film club, film society, and geographical filters), key sources included: The BFI s UK cinema list prepared by Dodona Research; Cinema for All s Community Cinema database 3 ; ICO independent cinema list 4 ; The UK Film Council s online specialised exhibition map, Screened 5 ; Big Lottery Fund awards database 6 ; BFI Neighbourhood Cinema Fund Community Exhibitors database; Film Hub South East membership list; Film Hub South East bulletin list/ contacts database; Screen South database; Arts Council England funded venue list; Information on mobile/touring networks operating in the South East, held by the consultants. Exhibitor records culled from these sources were logged in an Excel spreadsheet listing the following variables: Variable Exhibitor name Exhibitor type City/town/village name County Categories Free text (in the case of commercial circuits, individual venues will be listed) Commercial circuit; independent cinema; film society/community cinema; film festival; mixed use venue; touring/mobile network; other Free text Berkshire; East Sussex; Hampshire; Isle of Wight; Kent; Oxfordshire; Surrey; West Sussex

8 Upper tier local government area (County Council/ Unitary Authority) Postcode Location Circuit/ mobile or touring network Venue type Bracknell Forest UA, Brighton and Hove UA, Isle of Wight UA, Medway UA, Portsmouth UA, Reading UA, Slough UA, Southampton UA, West Berkshire UA, Windsor and Maidenhead UA, Wokingham UA, East Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, West Sussex Free text, for geo-coding Village; town/city centre; out of town Free text Arts centre/theatre; college or university premises; community centre; multiplex; temporary or occasional screening space; traditional cinema; multiple venues Number Number DCI; DVD/Blu-ray; 35mm; 16mm Yes; no Yes; no Yes; no Yes; no Number of screens Number of seats Primary projection format Satellite technology AV accessibility Autism friendly screenings Wheelchair access Annual admissions Number, for calendar years 2012 and 2013 Number of film performances Number, for calendar years 2012 and 2013 Screening frequency Full time; part time; occasional Number of titles Number, for calendar years 2012 and 2013 % of programme classified as specialised or independent Calculated from programming records, for calendar years 2012 and 2013 British Alternative content in Yes; no programme Number of full time staff Number Number of part time staff Number Number of volunteers Number Membership scheme Yes; no Number of special events Number, for calendar years 2012 and 2013 Web site URL Online booking Yes; no address Free text Telephone number Free text Facebook page Name of page and URL Twitter account Name of account Other social media (e.g. Name of account(s) Instagram) 5

9 1.2.2 Consultation Consultation proceeded in two stages. First, a draft list of exhibitors built up from desk research was circulated to the Film Hub South East Management Board and Advisory Group to check for completeness. Feedback from Film Hub South East s two Audience Development Producers also informed this stage. Running in parallel, exhibitors were contacted to fill gaps left by the desk research, and to source programming and admissions information unavailable elsewhere. In addition to supplying missing information for the South East Film Exhibitor Database, consultees were asked about: Data they hold on audience diversity (e.g. audience survey work or membership records); Their interest in joining Film Hub South East, or learning more about its offer. Desk research and exhibitor consultations yielded complete records for 123 exhibitors in the database (out of 303 identified). In the majority of other cases, the only missing information was confined to admissions data for 2012 and 2013, and programming details. The former cannot be sourced independently in the absence of box office records for these exhibitors, and data analysis involving this variable was confined to exhibitor categories where data exist in the majority of cases. To address the shortfall in programming information, the proportion of exhibitors programme devoted to specialised film was estimated based on examination of current programming derived from desk research. Estimates were categorised into broad bands in order to minimise the possibility of mislabeling while retaining sufficient detail to enable meaningful analysis to take place Data analysis and visualisation The South East Film Exhibitor Database was analysed using PivotTable Reports, generating a suite of descriptive statistics demonstrating the size, scope and composition of exhibition in the region. The Database was also imported into Google Fusion Tables 7 and postcode records were automatically geo-coded to map exhibition provision and generate geographic visualisations of the data

10 1.3 Report structure Section two presents a detailed picture of film exhibition activity in the South East, including: the number of exhibitors, screens and seats, and their location; the presence of circuits and mobile/touring networks in the region; staffing and volunteer levels; projection formats and deployment of satellite technology; screening frequency, programming and admissions; venue accessibility; and social media use. This section ends with a top line profile of film exhibition in each upper tier local government area (County Councils and Unitary Authorities), highlighting geographical variations within the region. The third section draws together the available evidence to describe the principal strengths and weaknesses of existing provision, and explores opportunities to develop film exhibition in the context of Film Hub South East s mission. The report concludes by considering how the exhibition mapping data can best be used to measure performance against FAN s aims and outcomes under the headings reach, breadth and depth. 7

11 2. Existing film exhibition activity in the South East In what follows, the term exhibitors is used as shorthand to describe all those companies and organisations included in the Database compiled for this research. The category includes commercial cinema circuits and independents, film festivals, film societies, volunteer-run community cinemas and mobile/touring networks. The Database also includes organisations and groups that would not necessarily classify themselves as exhibitors in the traditional sense, but that nonetheless screen feature length or short films on an occasional basis as part of their wider cultural offer, including arts festivals, museums, art galleries, community groups and hospitality venues (hotels, restaurants/ cafes etc.). In addition to recording infrastructure and screening activity details, the Database allocates three geographical categories to each exhibitor, based on their location: (a) geographical county (also known as ceremonial counties ); (b) County Council or Unitary Authority area (part of the upper tier of local government in England); (c) District Council or Unitary Authority area (part of the lower tier of local government in England). 8 Finally, the Database houses details of exhibitors confirmed as active at the time of the desk research (in the period May 2014 to August 2014). Appendix 1 includes a list of exhibitors that were active within the last ten years but had ceased their screening activity by the time of the research. 2.1 Film exhibitors, venues, screens and seats Exhibitors Desk research and consultations found evidence of 303 active film exhibitors in the South East. 109 of these are operated by 18 commercial cinema circuits or mobile/touring networks, and 194 single venue organisations are active in the region. This brings the total number of organisations (including companies, voluntary groups, charities and local authorities) active in film exhibition in the region to 212 ( ). 8 Unitary Authorities straddle both the upper tier and lower tier of local government in England. 8

12 Of 303 exhibitors in the South East, one third (34%) are volunteer-run film societies or community cinemas. A further 25% are commercial cinemas and 15% are mixed use venues (arts centre/theatre) that screen films (Figure 1 and Table 5): Figure 1: Exhibitors in the South East Source: Film Exhibition in the South East Database Key: Blue marker = Cinema. Green marker = Film Festival. Orange marker = Film Society/ Community cinema. Purple marker = Mixed use venue. White marker = Mobile/touring promoter. Yellow marker = Other. Note: Not all exhibitors are depicted on the map as only one marker is shown for each postcode. Table 5: Film exhibitors in the South East Exhibitor type Number % Film society/ community cinema % Cinema (circuit and independent) 76 25% Mixed use venue 45 15% Mobile or touring cinema promoter 40 13% Film festival 17 6% Other* 22 7% Total % * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues 9

13 68 exhibitors (23%) operate a membership scheme. 9 The majority (85%) of membership organisations are film societies/ community cinemas (Table 6): Table 6: Membership organisations % of all membership Exhibitor type organisations Film society/ community cinema 85% Mixed use venue 6% Mobile or touring cinema promoter 6% Cinema (circuit and independent) 3% Film festival - Other* - Total 100% * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues Just over half (52%) of exhibitors offer online ticket booking, using in house box office systems or third party software. The availability of online booking options varies by exhibitor type. Nearly all commercial cinemas (95%) offer the facility, compared with only 20% of film societies/ community cinemas (Table 7): Table 7: Online booking, by exhibitor type % offering online Exhibitor type booking Cinema (circuit and independent) 95% Mixed use venue 80% Film festival 65% Mobile or touring cinema promoter 33% Other* 27% Film society/ community cinema 20% * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues 9 For the purposes of this research, a membership scheme is defined as any subscription-based system of affiliation which grants members voting rights at an AGM and/or members have a role in running the organisation (including making programming decisions). This is distinct from a customer loyalty scheme (offered by many commercial cinemas), which conveys no rights or responsibilities for running the organisation. 10

14 As the majority of exhibitors operating on a full time basis are commercial cinemas, it follows that 95% offer online booking, compared with 34% of those operating on a part time basis (Table 8). Table 8: Online booking, by screening frequency % offering online Screening frequency booking Full time 95% Occasional 54% Part time 34% Venues Figure 2: Venues in the South East Source: Film Exhibition in the South East Database Key: red marker = Arts centre/ theatre. White marker = College/university premises. Green marker = Community centre. Yellow marker = Multiplex. Orange marker = Traditional cinema. Purple marker = temporary or occasional screening space. Note: Not all venues are depicted on the map as only one marker is shown for each postcode. 11

15 Community centres are the most common venue type for film exhibition in the South East, followed by arts centres/theatres and traditional cinemas (Table 9). 22 exhibitors use multiple venues for their screening activity, and 17 use temporary or occasional venues. Table 9: Venue type Venue type Community centre (village or town hall etc.) Number of % exhibitors 93 31% Arts centre/ theatre 73 24% Traditional cinema 46 15% Multiplex 40 13% Multiple venues 22 7% Temporary or occasional venue 17 6% College or university premises 12 4% Total % Screens Figure 3: Screens in the South East Source: Film Exhibition in the South East Database Key: Red marker = Single screen venue. Blue marker = Multi-screen venue 12

16 Note: Not all screens are depicted on the map as only one marker is shown for each postcode. The South East has a total of 604 screens, 69% of which are used by commercial cinemas (Table 10). This is equivalent to 7.6 screens per 100,000 people in the region. 427 (71%) screens in the South East operate on a full time basis, while 165 (27%) are part time and 12 (2%) host occasional screenings. 97% of full time screens are based in commercial cinema venues, and the remainder are found in mixed use venues. Table 10: Film exhibition screens in the South East, by exhibitor type Total Exhibitor type* screens % Commercial cinema (circuit and % independent) Film society/ community cinema 81 13% Mixed use venue 53 9% Mobile or touring cinema promoter 37 6% Other** 13 2% Film festival 2 <1% Total % * Venues used by more then one exhibitor have only been included once for the purposes of this table to avoid double counting. ** Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues Over half (56%) of all screens are based in multiplex venues, which house an average of 9 screens per venue (Table 11). Table 11: Film exhibition screens in the South East, by venue type Venue type Total screens % Average screens per venue type Multiplex % 9 Community centre 89 15% 1 (village, town, church halls) Traditional cinema 83 14% 2 Arts centre / theatre 71 12% 1 Temporary or occasional screening 15 2% 1 space College or university premises 10 2% 1 Total % 2 13

17 2.1.4 Seats The South East has over 105,000 seats used for film performances (NB: records are only available for 223 exhibitors). 73% of these are in commercial cinemas (59% in multiplexes), 12% are in mixed use venues and 8% are in venues used by film societies and community cinemas (Tables 12 and 13): Table 12: Film exhibition seats in the South East, by exhibitor type Exhibitor type Total seats % Average seats per exhibitor type Cinema (circuit and independent) 77,216 73% 1,103 Mixed use venue 13,177 12% 329 Film society/ community cinema 8,091 8% 156 Mobile or touring cinema promoter 3,793 4% 135 Other* 3,152 3% 525 Film festival** 250 <1% 250 Total 105, % * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues ** All film festivals but one use multiple venues for screening purposes, and are not included in this table to avoid double counting. Table 13: Film exhibition seats in the South East, by venue type Venue type Total seats % Average seats per venue type Multiplex 62,244 59% 1,831 Arts centre / theatre 16,755 16% 284 Traditional cinema 14,812 14% 423 Community centre 7,766 7% 129 (village, town, church halls etc.) Temporary or occasional screening 3,252 3% 542 space College or university premises 850 1% 283 Total 105, % Temporary or occasional screening spaces have the largest number of seats per screen on average (these include large open air events, which inflate the numbers), followed by college or university premises (Table 14). Community centres (including town, village and church halls) have the smallest number of seats per screen on average. 14

18 Table 14: Average number of seats per screen, by venue type Average seats Venue type per screen Temporary or occasional screening 542 space College or university premises 283 Arts centre / theatre 265 Multiplex 200 Traditional cinema 200 Community centre 129 (village, town, church halls etc.) Average Location Nearly three quarters (72%) of exhibitors in the South East are located in town or city centres, while almost a quarter are found in villages (23%). The remainder (5%) are in out of town locations. Table 15: Exhibitors by location Number of Location exhibitors % exhibitors Town or city centre % Village 69 23% Out of town 15 5% Total % Six out of ten screens in the South East are found in town or city centre locations (63%), which account for 68% of all seats. Table 16: Film exhibition screens and seats by location Location Number of screens % screens Number of seats % seats Town or city % 71,687 68% centre Out of town % 28,503 27% Village 67 11% 5,489 5% Total % 105, % 15

19 Multiplexes in out of town locations have 10 screens on average, while venues in town and city centres have an average of 2 screens. Table 17: Average screens and seats per venue by location Average Location screens Out of town 10 2, Town or city centre Average seats Village Circuits and mobile networks The national circuits of Odeon, Vue and Cineworld operate the largest number of screens in the South East, while Moviola has the most extensive mobile/touring network (Table 18). Table 18: Circuits and mobile operators, ranked by number of screens Circuit/ mobile operator Screening frequency Number of venues % Number of screens Odeon Circuit Full time 18 17% % Vue Circuit Full time 10 9% 96 22% Cineworld Circuit Full time 11 10% 93 21% Moviola Mobile Part time 31 28% 31 7% National Amusements Circuit Full time 2 2% 27 6% CineMobile Mobile Part time 12 11% 11 3% Picturehouse Circuit Full time 5 5% 10 2% Empire Cinemas Circuit Full time 1 1% 10 2% Everyman Cinema Circuit Full time 4 4% 7 2% Group Ambassadors Theatre Circuit Full time 1 1% 6 1% Group Picturedrome Circuit Full time 2 2% 5 1% Reel Cinemas Circuit Full time 1 1% 5 1% Rochester Film Society Mobile Part time 3 3% 3 1% Southern Cinema Mobile Part time 3 3% 3 1% Services Silver Screen Cinemas Circuit Full time 2 2% 3 1% Scott Cinemas Circuit Full time 1 1% 3 1% Curzon Circuit Part time 1 1% 1 <1% The Extraordinary Travelling Film Show Mobile Occasional * * * * Total % % % 16

20 * The Extraordinary Travelling Film Show tours multiple venues, which vary from season to season Vue operates the largest number of screens in out of town locations in the South East (Table 19), while Odeon has the most screens in town and city centres (Table 20): Table 19: Circuits and mobile operators in out of town locations Number of screens in out of % Circuit/ mobile operator town locations Vue 52 34% Odeon 37 24% Cineworld 36 24% National Amusements 27 18% Total % Table 20: Circuits and mobile operators in town and city locations Number of screens in % Circuit/ mobile operator town and city locations Odeon 86 35% Cineworld 57 23% Vue 44 18% Empire Cinemas 10 4% Picturehouse 10 4% Everyman Cinema Group 7 3% Ambassadors Theatre Group 6 2% Picturedrome 5 2% Reel Cinemas 5 2% CineMobile 3 1% Rochester Film Society 3 1% Scott Cinemas 3 1% Silver Screen Cinemas 3 1% Southern Cinema Services 3 1% Curzon 1 1% Moviola 1 1% Total % Moviola is by far the largest mobile/touring operator of screens in village locations, with promoters concentrated in rural Hampshire: 17

21 Table 21: Circuits and mobile operators in village locations Number of screens in % Circuit/ mobile operator village locations Moviola 30 79% CineMobile 8 21% Total % 2.4 Staff and volunteers The consultation yielded staffing and volunteering information for 102 exhibitors, 34% of all exhibitors in the Database. As these were mainly film societies/ community cinemas and mixed use venues, the data cannot be generalised reliably beyond these exhibitor categories. 10 On average, mixed use venues have seven full time staff, two part time staff and 21 volunteers, while film festivals have two full time staff, one part time and 21 volunteers (Table 22). Of the volunteer-run exhibitors, film societies/community cinemas had an average of 9 volunteers, while mobile/touring promoters had 5. Table 22: Average number of full time & part time staff and volunteers Exhibitor type Full time Part time Volunteers Mixed use venue Film festival Film society/ community cinema Mobile/touring cinema promoter Projection format and satellite technology DVD/ Blu-ray is the projection format used by the majority of exhibitors in the South East (61%, Table 23). Two fifths of exhibitors use DCI technology (38%), with only three still using 35mm as their principal format. One exhibitor, Medway Film Society, screens exclusively using 16mm % of film festivals, 45% of film societies/ community cinemas, 40% of mixed use venues and 38% of mobile/touring cinema operators provided data, so we can be reasonably confident the results are representative of exhibitors in these categories. However, we have relevant information for only 9% of commercial cinemas, which is too low to draw any meaningful conclusions about their staffing patterns. 18

22 Table 23: Principal screening format Venue type Number of exhibitors % DVD/ Blu-ray % DCI (digital cinema) % 35mm 3 1% 16mm 1 <1% Total % Digital conversion has proceeded apace in recent years, and almost all (99%) commercial cinemas for which information is available use DCI as their primary projection format (Table 24). DVD/Blu-ray formats are used by all film festivals where data exist, and the majority of film societies/community cinemas (90%), mobile/touring cinema promoters (92%) and other exhibitors (94%). Provision in mixed use venues is split between DVD/Blu-ray (53%) and DCI (44%) formats. Table 24: Projection format, by exhibitor type DVD/ Exhibitor type Blu-ray % DCI % 35mm 16mm Total % % Cinema 1% 99% % (circuit and independent) Film festival 100% % Film society/ community 90% 7% 2% 1% 100% cinema Mixed use venue 53% 44% 2% - 100% Mobile or touring cinema 92% 8% % promoter Other* 94% 6% % * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues DVD/Blu-ray is the principal projection format used by all venues other than multiplexes (which have all converted to DCI) and traditional cinemas. 19

23 Table 25: Projection format, by venue type DVD/ Exhibitor type Blu-ray % DCI % 35mm 16mm Total % % Arts centre/ theatre 62% 35% 1% 1% 100% College or University 80% 10% 10% - 100% premises Community centre 98% 1% 1% - 100% (village/town/church hall) Multiple venues 100% % Multiplex - 100% % Temporary or occasional 93% 7% % venue Traditional cinema 7% 93% - - In addition to performances of feature films and shorts, exhibitors are increasingly turning to alternative content to enhance their programme, including satellite broadcasts of live performances (theatre, opera, concerts etc.) and sporting events. 82 exhibitors in the South East (27%), have satellite technology, offering a range of alternative content (Table 26). Table 26: Satellite technology for alternative content Number of exhibitors % Yes 82 27% No % Total % Over three quarters (78%) of satellite installations are in commercial cinemas, while nearly one in five (18%) are found in mixed use venues. Three film societies/community cinemas (Reading Film Theatre, Lymington Cinema and Charlsbury s Own Cinema) offer alternative content alongside their regular feature film programme. 20

24 Table 27: Satellite technology, by exhibitor type Yes Exhibitor type number Yes % Cinema (circuit and independent) 64 78% Mixed use venue 15 18% Film society/ community cinema 3 4% Film festival - - Mobile or touring cinema promoter - - Other* - - Total % * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues 88% of full time exhibitors have satellite technology, compared with 6% of those operating on a part time basis. 2.6 Screening frequency The majority of exhibitors in the South East (62%) operate on a part time basis (Table 28). However, seven out of ten of all screens in the South East (71%) operate on a full time basis (Table 29). Table 28: Screening frequency, by number of exhibitors Number of Frequency exhibitors % Part time % Full time 81 27% Occasional 35 12% Total % Note: Full time = daily film performances throughout the week Part time = performances on a part week basis or monthly Occasional = Annual screening events, or one-off performances Table 29: Screening frequency, by number of screens Number of Frequency screens % Full time % Part time % Occasional 12 2% Total % 21

25 Note: Full time = daily film performances throughout the week Part time = performances on a part week basis or monthly Occasional = Annual screening events, or one-off performances We have insufficient information to describe the average number of film performances hosted by full time exhibitors in 2012 and 2013, but we can determine such figures for those operating on a part time or occasional basis. Part time exhibitors hosted an average of 19 performances in 2012, and 23 in Those operating on an occasional basis hosted 31 screenings in 2012 and 27 in 2013 (Table 30). Table 30: Screening frequency, by number of screens Frequency Average number of performances 2012 Average number of performances 2013 Part time Occasional Note: Part time = performances on a part week basis or monthly Occasional = Annual screening events, or one-off performances Part time and occasional exhibitors based in villages hosted an average of 12 screenings a year in 2012 and 2013, compared with around 40 performances a year by those operating in town and city centre locations. 2.7 Specialised programming For one in three (31%) exhibitors in the South East, 10% or less of their programme is made up of specialised titles 11 (Table 31), although these exhibitors account for nearly three quarters (73%) of all screens (Table 32). In contrast, over a quarter (27%) devote 90%+ or more to specialised films. These exhibitors account for only 7% of all screens in the region. 11 The research follows Film Hub South East s definition of specialised film: Independent British film, foreign language, documentary, archive (film from 1895 onwards), artists work, short films, and work with stories and subjects relating to diversity for example Black, Asian, minority and ethnic; disability; LGBTQ. 22

26 Table 31: Specialised programming in the South East, by exhibitors Number of exhibitors % 10% or less 83 31% 11% to 33% 47 18% 34% to 66% 26 10% 67% to 89% 39 15% 90% % Total % Table 32: Specialised programming in the South East, by screens Number of screens % 10% or less % 11% to 33% 50 9% 34% to 66% 29 5% 67% to 89% 34 6% 90%+ 40 7% Total % Of all exhibitor types, film festivals programme, on average, the largest proportion of specialised films, followed by Other exhibitors (like arts festivals, museums and galleries) and film societies/community cinemas (Table 33). Meanwhile specialised films made up around 15% of the programmes offered by commercial cinemas, on average. Table 33: Specialised programming, by exhibitor type Average % of programme Exhibitor type dedicated to specialised titles Film festival 97% Other* 75% Film society/ community cinema 69% Mixed use venue 53% Mobile or touring cinema promoter 37% Cinema (circuit and independent) 15% * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues 23

27 While these mean figures are a helpful indication of where specialised programming is most likely to be found, they mask variations within each exhibitor type. Table 34 provides a better reflection of this variety, highlighting the fact that despite the low average overall, there are examples of commercial cinemas whose programme is 90%+ specialised (including The Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford; Duke of York s, Brighton; Chichester Cinema at New Park, Chichester): Table 34: Specialised programming by exhibitor type, ranked by 90%+ specialised programming Exhibitor type 10% or less specialised programming 90%+ specialised programming Film festival - 88% Other* 17% 67% Film society/ community cinema 5% 38% Mixed use venue 17% 26% Mobile or touring cinema promoter 26% 9% Cinema (circuit and independent) 80% 4% * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues Rochester Film Society is the only circuit or mobile/touring operator to devote 90% or more of its programme to specialised film (Table 35). Of all the commercial cinema circuits, Picturehouse Cinemas has the highest proportion of specialised programming across its venues: Table 35: Specialised programming by circuit or mobile operator Average % of specialised programming across circuit/ Circuit or mobile operators network 90%+ Rochester Film Society 67% to 90% The Extraordinary Travelling Film Show 34% to 66% Picturehouse, Moviola 11% to 33% Everyman Cinema Group, Curzon, Southern Cinema Services Less than 10% Scott Cinemas, Picturedrome, Odeon, Ambassadors Theatre Group, CineMobile, Empire Cinemas, National Amusements, Reel Cinemas, Silver Screen Cinemas, Cineworld, Vue 24

28 On average there is little difference in specialised programming levels between exhibitors based in town/city centres and those in villages (Table 36). However, there is a greater likelihood of exhibitors based in town and city centres devoting 90%+ of their programme to specialised film, compared with those in villages (Table 37). The most notable difference is found in out of town locations, where multiplex venues programme very few specialised titles overall (Table 37). Table 36: Specialised programming, by location Average % of programme Location dedicated to specialised titles Out of town 5% Town and city centre 50% Village 52% Table 37: Specialised programming by location, ranked by 90%+ specialised programming 10% or less specialised programming 90%+ specialised programming Location Town and city centre 33% 32% Village 10% 17% Out of town 100% - As the majority of full time exhibitors are commercial cinemas, it is little surprise to find that 78% devote 10% or less of their programme to specialised film (Table 38), whereas the majority of exhibitors that operate on an occasional basis programme specialised titles almost exclusively. Table 38: Specialised programming by screening frequency, ranked by 90%+ specialised programming Screening frequency 10% or less specialised programming 90%+ specialised programming Occasional 8% 81% Part time 11% 29% Full time 78% 5% Lottery Fund, Bigger Picture Research, Cinema Nation 25

29 Membership organisations tend, on average, to programme a greater share of specialised titles than those that do not offer membership (72% of programming compared with 41%, respectively). Almost half (46%) of membership organisations devote 90%+ of their programme to specialised film, compared with 21% of non-membership exhibitors (Table 39). Table 39: Specialised programming by membership, ranked by 90%+ specialised programming Membership organisation 10% or less specialised programming 90%+ specialised programming Yes 5% 46% No 39% 21% 2.8 Admissions The research was unable to source reliable admissions data for every exhibitor in the database. As Table 40 shows, data for 2012 and 2013 were collated, via consultation, for 109 exhibitors (36% of the total). Table 40: Admissions data, by exhibitor type Admissions data available Exhibitor type Number % Mobile or touring cinema promoter 26 65% Film festival 10 59% Film society/ community cinema 45 44% Mixed use venue 20 44% Other* 6 27% Cinema (circuit and independent) 2 3% Total % * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues Furthermore, data were sourced for only three full time exhibitors. This makes it impossible to calculate total admissions in 2012 and 2013 across the South East, or by different types of provision. Nonetheless, we can learn something useful by examining patterns of average (mean) admissions, although as the database contains relevant data for only 3% of commercial cinemas it is unwise to include this exhibition 26

30 category in the analysis. What follows is a snapshot of average admissions data for part time and occasional venues: Film festivals recorded, on average, the highest annual admission totals in the South East, followed by mixed use venues, while mobile/touring cinema promoters generated the lowest (Table 41). However, Other exhibitors achieved the highest average admissions per screening (204), followed by film societies/ community cinemas (74), while film festivals recorded the lowest screen average (49 admissions) (Table 42). Table 41: Average annual admissions 2012/2013, by exhibitor type Exhibitor type Average annual admissions Film festival 2,708 Mixed use venue 1,841 Film society/ community cinema 1,513 Other* 790 Mobile or touring cinema promoter 590 * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues Table 42: Average admissions per screening 2012/2013, by exhibitor type Average admissions Exhibitor type per screening Other* 204 Film society/ community cinema 74 Mixed use venue 61 Mobile or touring cinema promoter 60 Film festival 49 * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues Part time and occasional exhibitors located in town and city centres recorded higher average annual admissions than those in villages (out of town venues were not included in this analysis due to lack of data). They also saw the highest average admissions per screening (Table 43). 27

31 Table 43: Average annual admissions 2012/2013, by location Location Average annual admissions Town or city centre 1,812 Village 740 Table 44: Average admissions per screening 2012/2013, by location Average admissions Location per screening Town or city centre 82 Village 59 For part time and occasional exhibitors, total annual admissions were highest for those where specialised film made up 34% to 66% of the programme. Exhibitors with the highest proportion of specialised film in their programme achieved a greater number of annual admissions than those with the lowest specialised programme share (Table 45). They also recorded the highest average admissions per screening (82) (Table 46). Table 45: Average annual admissions 2012/2013, by % of specialised film in programme % specialised film in programme Average annual admissions 10% or lower 1, % 1, % 2, % 1,091 90%+ 1,304 Table 46: Average admissions per screening 2012/2013, by % of specialised film in programme Average admissions % specialised film in programme per screening 10% or lower % % % 68 90%

32 The existence of a membership scheme does not appear to affect average admissions per screening, as Table 47 demonstrates: Table 47: Average admissions per screening 2012/2013, by membership organisation Average admissions Membership organisation per screening Yes 74 No Accessibility Wheelchair access is the most common facility to improve accessibility at venues, offered by 96% of exhibitors (NB the database contains information for 206 out of 303 exhibitors). Audio visual accessibility, in the form of Audio Description for people with sight impairment and Subtitling for the hard of hearing, is provided by one in five exhibitors (22%), while 18% host Autism friendly screenings (where venue lighting and sound levels are tailored to suit people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder). Table 48: Accessibility Accessibility Number % Wheelchair access % Audio description and/or subtitling 60 22% Autism friendly screenings 49 18% Wheelchair access There is little difference in the proportion of exhibitors offering wheelchair access among films societies/community cinemas, mixed use venues, commercial cinemas and mobile or touring networks (Table 49). A lower proportion of film festivals and Other exhibitors provide wheelchair access, reflecting the fact they may use unconventional spaces for screenings, including outdoor locations, hospitality establishments and other privately owned venues yet to, or unable to, adopt accessibility requirements. 29

33 Table 49: Wheelchair access, by exhibitor type % offering wheelchair Exhibitor type access Film society/ community cinema 98% Mixed use venue 97% Cinema 97% Mobile or touring cinema promoter 96% Film festival 80% Other* 71% * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues As might be expected, publicly owned venues (education premises, local authority-maintained community centres etc.) and modern facilities purpose built for film exhibition (like multiplexes) are most likely to provide wheelchair access (Table 50). As noted above, temporary or occasional screening spaces are far less likely to offer wheelchair access. Table 50: Wheelchair access, by venue type % offering wheelchair Venue type access College or University premises 100% Multiplex 100% Community centre (village/ town/ church 98% hall) Arts centre/ theatre 97% Traditional cinema 95% Temporary or occasional screening space 60% Audio visual accessibility Two thirds of commercial cinemas (67%) offer AV accessibility, the highest proportion of all exhibitor types (Table 51). As Table 52 shows, multiplexes are most likely to offer this facility (92%), followed by traditional cinemas (37%). 30

34 Table 51: AV accessibility, by exhibitor type % offering AV Exhibitor type accessibility Cinema 67% Mixed use venue 9% Film society/ community cinema 5% Mobile or touring cinema promoter - Film festival - Other* - * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues Table 52: AV accessibility, by venue type % offering AV Venue type accessibility Multiplex 92% Traditional cinema 37% College or University premises 10% Arts centre/ theatre 9% Community centre (village/ town/ church 2% hall) Temporary or occasional screening space Autism friendly screenings The provision of Autism friendly screenings requires sufficient capacity in screening slots to enable exhibitors to run them alongside their regular programme. This all but precludes exhibitors operating on a part time or occasional basis. Therefore commercial cinemas and mixed use venues offering a full time programme are most likely to provide Autism friendly screenings (Table 53). Among commercial cinemas, those operating from multiplex venues are most likely to provide such screenings (82%), compared with 32% of traditional cinema venues (Table 54). 31

35 Table 53: Autism friendly screenings, by exhibitor type % offering Autism friendly Exhibitor type screenings Cinema 59% Mixed use venue 7% Film society/ community cinema 1% Mobile or touring cinema promoter - Film festival - Other* - * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues Table 54: Autism friendly screenings, by venue type % offering Autism friendly Venue type screenings Multiplex 82% Traditional cinema 32% Arts centre/ theatre 6% College or University premises - Community centre (village/ town/ church - hall) Temporary or occasional screening space Social media presence Social media are increasingly important for film exhibition marketing and promotion, and the majority (70%) of exhibitors in the South East have a Facebook page or group. A smaller proportion (61%) have a Twitter account, while 58% have a presence on both Facebook and Twitter. Table 55: Social media presence Social media Number % Facebook page or group % Twitter account % Both % 32

36 These proportions vary by exhibitor type. Almost all commercial cinemas, Other exhibitors, film festivals and mixed use venues have a Facebook page or group. In contrast, less than half of all film societies/community cinemas (45%) and mobile/touring cinema promoters have a Facebook presence (Table 56). A similar pattern is evident for Twitter accounts (Table 57). Table 56: Facebook page or group, by exhibitor type Number of Facebook page/ Exhibitor type group owners % of all exhibitors of this type Cinema 72 95% Other* 21 95% Film festival 16 94% Mixed use venue 41 91% Film society/ community cinema 46 45% Mobile or touring cinema promoter 16 40% * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues Table 57: Twitter account, by exhibitor type Exhibitor type Number with Twitter accounts % of all exhibitors of this type Mixed use venue 40 89% Cinema 67 88% Film festival 15 88% Other* 18 82% Film society/ community cinema 36 35% Mobile or touring cinema promoter 9 23% * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues 33

37 Table 58: Facebook and Twitter presence, by exhibitor type Exhibitor type Number on both social media % of all exhibitors of this type Cinema 67 88% Film festival 15 88% Mixed use venue 39 87% Other* 17 77% Film society/ community cinema 31 30% Mobile or touring cinema promoter 8 20% * Includes arts festivals, museums & galleries, hospitality venues Looking at social media use from the perspective of levels of specialised film programming, exhibitors with the lowest proportion of specialised film in their programme are more likely to have a Facebook page or group (88%), although those exhibitors who programme most specialised titles are not far behind (70%) (a pattern mirrored for Twitter use): Table 59: Facebook page or group, by % of specialised film in programme % with % of programme comprising specialised Facebook page or group films 10% or lower 88% 11-33% 55% 34-66% 73% 67-89% 51% 90%+ 70% Table 60: Twitter account, by % of specialised film in programme % of programme comprising specialised % with Twitter account films 10% or lower 75% 11-33% 47% 34-66% 69% 67-89% 49% 90%+ 58% 34

38 2.11 Upper tier local government area profiles The preceding data analysis paints a picture of film exhibition across the South East region as a whole. In what follows, a closer look is taken at differences in provision by County Council and Unitary Authority area. The first section draws comparisons between the 17 County Council and Unitary Authority areas in the South East. This is followed by more detailed profiles of each upper tier area Comparing upper tier local government areas The area administered by Hampshire County Council has the largest number of film exhibitors and screens in the South East (Table 61). Table 61: Film exhibitors by County Council/ Unitary Authority, ranked by screens County Council/ Unitary Authority Number of exhibitors % Numb er of screen s % Numb er of seats Hampshire 55 18% 94 16% 13,862 13% Kent 39 13% 88 15% 15,883 15% Surrey 30 10% 73 12% 15,494 15% West Sussex 37 12% 63 10% 9,184 9% Oxfordshire 29 10% 59 10% 9,640 9% East Sussex 31 10% 34 6% 5,993 6% Brighton & Hove UA 24 8% 30 5% 7,653 7% Portsmouth UA 7 2% 23 4% 6,341 6% Medway UA 8 3% 22 4% 5,034 5% Southampton UA 8 3% 22 4% 3,068 3% Isle of Wight 9 3% 18 3% 851 1% West Berkshire UA 9 3% 15 2% 1,183 1% Wokingham UA 2 1% 15 2% 3,452 3% Reading UA 3 1% 14 2% 2,037 2% Slough UA 4 1% 12 2% 2,334 2% Bracknell Forest UA 3 1% 11 2% 2,048 2% Windsor and 4 1% 11 2% 1,622 2% Maidenhead UA Total 302* 100% % 105, % *Luna Cinema, a touring exhibitor, screens at venues across several council and Unitary Authority areas, and is therefore not included in this table % 35