Tag: live

  • The Staggeringly Good Commitments Live Cinema Experience

    The Staggeringly Good Commitments Live Cinema Experience

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    Making Waves Film Festival has grown over the last few years from a festival screening films in unusual venues to its latest creation producing Portsmouth’s first live cinema experience – The Staggeringly Good Commitments.

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    The 2024 festival culminated with the event staged in a working brewery and taproom at the Staggeringly Good Brewery.  Set around the screening of the hit 90’s musical The Commitments, the experience invited audiences to step back into the 1990’s, into the fictional world of “Pompeytown” and mingle with familiar characters from the film as they prepared for a high-profile music competition offering a record deal that would transform their lives.

    Eight budding members of the public signed up for the live auditions to win a chance to sing with band on stage and a free recording session at Portsmouth’s Casemates Studios. All eight were superb but there could only be one winner.

    In between the live auditions, Pompeytown’s residents Lisa, Paul, Julie, Dave, Lee and Ceri could be overheard by the expectant audience in the taproom. Apparently, Pompey music promoter Paul was putting together a soul band like no other, “Pompey style”, although they didn’t have a name yet !  Tensions were brewing between the female backing singers and the male egos. Could the power of soul save the day ?

    As the band did a final sound check upstairs and auditions progressed, lead character Lisa became more determined to secure her place in the band. The audience followed her upstairs and settled down to watch Alan Parker’s hit film screened on a big screen.  In the lively setting of a warehouse, the audience laughed, cheered and sang along with The Commitments.

    One audience member remarked how the film had brough her and her husband together, and they were now sharing the experience with their parents and children altogether for the first time.  Other audience members driven by the idea of an immersive cinema experience were happily watching the film for the first time.  Some complete fans of the film were dressed as the backing signers and sang their way through.  Most of the audience were committed wearing double denim and Doc Marten’s.

    As the film credits rolled, the audience became expectant to discover which of the audition entrants would be singing with the live band. They didn’t have long to wait. The two finalists rose to the occasion and local man John won the prize after a stunning live performance of “Mustang Sally”, worthy of comparison with Andrew Strong.

    The seven piece band, Soul Suspects then got the house jumping and grooving to a range of soul classics and the good times did indeed roll.

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    The Staggeringly Good Commitments was supported by funding from BFI Film Audience Network, and supported by Film Hub Southwest with sponsorship from Casemates Studios.

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  • Immersive Cinema and A Future Beyond Belief: Inside the Creative Producer’s Hub

    Immersive Cinema and A Future Beyond Belief: Inside the Creative Producer’s Hub

    As many fellow cinema-goers fear, the future of cinemas in today’s era of streaming service giants appears uncertain. Still, hope clings on that going to the cinema doesn’t have an expiry date any time soon. The good news is that a cinema crisis isn’t near and there is so much to look forward to. At the “Wave Makers Creative Producers Lab: What is the Future of the Cinema?” event at the University of Portsmouth on 18 February, the potential for immersive cinema to be part of that ongoing success was put to the test.

    The Creative Producers Lab had a successful turnout and opened with attendees engaging in workshops that explored event marketing, event management and community & live cinema programming. The event marketing lab, hosted by Bill Sainsbury of Making Waves Film Festival and Malisa Chafer of No.6 Cinema, covered the basics of marketing film events and introduced some key marketing principles such as AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action) and the marketing 5 P’s.

    Community and Live Cinema Programming, hosted by Neil Ramjee of BFI Film Hub SW, covered how to build an audience and gave an outline of what is considered to be ‘best practice’. A pivotal topic covered in the lab was considering how to host an event that honours accessibility, especially for those with particular needs and those who live with neurodiversity. The session explored how cinema experiences affect these groups of individuals and how they function at a cinema event like this when there are overwhelming stimuli such as flashing lights and loud volume that can startle those with sensory issues.

    Event Management looked in detail at one of the most exciting aspects of the day’s topic: the experience, planning and management of an immersive event. Dividing the planning between two teams and taking the 1973 release That Will Be The Day; one team explored the environment and more logistic side of the event whilst the other built a story around the immersive cinema experience that would take the audience on an adventure. The session ended with a call by the organisers to put this show on in Portsmouth and everyone seemed keen to be involved.

    The afternoon panel session featured an impressive array of speakers on the topic of live and event cinema. As the director of Compass Presents, Tara Sachedeva, and Creative Producer of Creative Giants Arts, Charlotte March, explained in their panel presentations, immersive cinema is becoming more popular and intriguing than ever before.  Immersive Cinema takes cinema and makes it into a live, engaging, sensory experience that brings audiences in to feel a film in a way that brings them in further than ever before. At events like those staged by Secret Cinema, films like Singing in the Rain, Wes Anderson Films and vintage films like Grease can become alive in the most indulging manner that could be imagined.

    In Portsmouth, this magic is being bought into our city through local organisations like DVMISSION and No.6 Cinema. No.6 Cinema’s arthouse and niche cinema picks are accompanied, at times, by their creative volunteers’ ideas through costume, and decor all adding to the atmosphere of the experience. DVMISSION, the riveting, annual 48-hour-filmmaking festival has for many years been adding immersive performances into their screening ceremonies. Last year, they had zombie-like performers creeping around the venue and plus a remarkable puppet that dominated the entire show.

    Whilst DVMISSION and No.6 Cinema bring their experiences alive on a smaller budget, Charlotte explained during her panel presentation that the giant, mega-millions shows she works in are becoming more expensive to stage as they become more popular and less niche. Venues are charging more for rent as they are becoming aware of how much these shows make. And with the cost of living crisis ongoing, attending these kinds of shows is becoming as expensive as going on a holiday.

    Even with its’ difficulties, the immersive cinema industry has a massive amount of potential to broaden its activities across the UK in all shapes and forms. For example, neurodiverse screenings can grant accessibility to neurodiverse individuals who want to be able to go to the cinema and be able to be themselves without being frowned upon. BFI Film Hub Southwest Community Manger Neil Ramjee told us that:

    “With screenings aimed for neurodiverse adults in the last couple of years, the majority of the films shown have been made for children. Whilst all neurodiverse people operate on a degree of levels, neurodiverse people have astounding abilities and remarkable skills and are entitled to have an accessible cinema experience rather than have to stay home because they are ‘too disruptive’ to go to the cinema.”

    Neil Ramjee, Community Manager, Film Hub Southwest

    Neurodiverse screening entails individuals being able to stim, tic and move around without receiving complaints. These screenings take into account sensory issues and play no ads at the beginning of the film. Some organisations also have begun posting photos online of every seat in their theatre to help neurodivergent audiences know what their seat will look like before going to a show, what their view will be and give them ease.

    The future of cinema is immersive and accessible. But with all the ideas and possibilities in front of us, is the classic cinema included in these plans? Well, if the future is accessible, surely, it must be.

    By Kearin Green, 19th February 2023

  • What is the future for the cinema experience?

    What is the future for the cinema experience?

    Join this WAVE MAKERS CREATIVE PRODUCERS LAB, a one day event at the University of Portsmouth with speakers from the world of cinema exhibition asking if live cinema is the way forward for the cinema experience. Supported by BFI Film Hub SW, the day will include practical sessions on how to run a successful event.

    Are you a cinema fan looking to experience film exhibition in exciting new ways?
    Or are you an event producer looking for new opportunities to curate and create innovative cinema experiences?
    Then this may be the event for you!

    Why ask this question now?

    The landscape of cinema exhibition has changed over the last few years, in part due to the pandemic which understandably saw a shift towards consumption of streaming content and a general change in audience behaviour. But there has also been a move away from ‘theatrical windows’ for the release of feature films reflecting a challenging new marketplace with the rise of the digital disruptors Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and others. The collapse of the DVD market this has brought about has put further pressure on distributors to seek out new models for exhibition and audience engagement.

    On the other hand, there have been a number of success stories for live, event, immersive and expanded cinema. From 2019 onward the expansion of large-scale immersive cinema experiences led to a widespread recognition for live cinema as an exciting new opportunity for cinema exhibition. Organisations such as Secret Cinema have led the way in moving live cinema from the margins to the mainstream. Putting live and event cinema at the forefront of the newly emergent experience economy.

    Is live cinema the way forward for innovative curation of the cinema experience?

    This one day event is going to ask this very question with speakers from the world of cinema who are curating and creating events that offer new ways to experience cinema.

    During the morning workshops you can build your personal skills in event management, exhibition marketing and community cinema programming. Aimed at anyone with an interest in putting on their own live cinema events these sessions will be hands-on and practical.

    Then in the afternoon there will be an opportunity to share in the wisdom of people expert in the field of cinema exhibition including: Tara Sachdeva (Compass Presents), Charlotte March (Creative Giants Art), Malisa Chafer (No6 Cinema) and Roy Hanney (MWFF). A series of short talks by each of our speakers followed by a Q&A, the session will ask the question: what is the future of the cinema experience.

    Programme

    09:30-10:00 Registration

    10:00-12:00 Parallel Workshops (chose from one of three sessions)

    • Session A: Event Management with Roy Hanney (MWFF) & Ajay Parakeh (Kabuki Productions)
    • Session B: Event Marketing with Bill Sainsbury (MWFF) & Malisa Chafer (No6 Cinema)
    • Session C: Community & Live Cinema Programming with Neil Ramjee (BFI Film Hub SW) & Yael Freidman (University of Portsmouth)

    12:00-13:00 Lunch

    13:00-14:30 Panel Presentations and Q&A

    • Roy Hanney – Creative Director, Making Waves Film Festival

    Where & When

    Date: 10-14:30 Saturday 18th February 2023

    Location: Eldon Building, Middle Street, CCI, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 2DJ

    Tickets: free but must be booked in advance 

    Supported by Making Waves Film Festival, University of Portsmouth, and Film Hub SW, funded by the BFI Film Audience Network.