Cinema Survival: Compare the ways in which cinema city and Vue/Odeon attract audiences.

Cinema Survival: Compare the ways in which cinema city and Vue/Odeon attract audiences.

Over the past decade, cinema has had to change and adapt in order to survive. Cinemas, and the cinema experience, have had to become more attractive to audiences in order to compete with the new ways of consuming film that have become available to the public.

The availability of DVD has been a major competitor of cinema as it offers another way to view films other than visiting the cinema. Its ease makes it a more comfortable option for viewers, as they are able to view the films they want to view in the comfort of their own homes and as many times as they want. Often people will choose to, instead of visiting the cinema to watch a film upon release, wait until that film is released on DVD and buy it. My research supports this as it showed that a large number of people prefer to wait for the DVD release to enjoy the comfort of watching a DVD, than watching the film at a cinema. This increasing availability in DVDs means that cinema has to adapt in order to compete with DVD and attract audiences.

One example of adaptation to tackle this problem is the new partnership that Vue Cinemas has with ScreenSelect.co.uk. This particular partnership has been made to tackle the effect that DVD availability has on audience for cinemas, as it combines marketing activities from both companies in order to increase both cinema attendance and DVD rental, thus benefitting both companies. Vue has launched a new online DVD rental service called ‘Vue At Home’, involving promotions such as vouchers for 5 free DVD rentals at Vue At Home, to customers of Vue cinemas. This method has been introduced in order to increase attendance at Vue cinemas, working with DVD instead of against it.

Another competitor of cinema is the availability of film on the internet. It offers a fast way to view films after their release, and like DVD it offers the ability to watch the films in the comfort of the viewer’s home. As well as this, the films can often be watched anywhere, given an internet connection. This new technology offers an advance in the freedom of film, no longer confining it to cinema and home viewing.

They have also needed to increase their viewing experience. A lot has been done in order to modernise the cinemas. Independent cinemas have installed digital projection in their cinemas. They have done this to enable benefit from small distributors being able to distribute more copies of independent film digitally, rather than using and copying 35mm prints. This brings costs of copying down and makes it much faster and simpler.

Mainstream cinemas have also installed digital projection into their cinemas, however, in contrast to independent cinemas, they’ve done this is order to keep up with the 3D revolution. An example of this technological advancement is Vue Cinemas’ deal with Sony to install 4K projectors in its network of cinemas. The 4k projectors offer four times the resolution of full HD, thus delivering the best cinematic experience possible, giving audiences another reason to get out and visit the cinemas. More 4k projectors mean that more of Vue’s screens are able to show 3D films, giving audiences a greater choice of film.  Odeon cinemas, too, have begun the transaction to a new generation of digital projectors, in preparation for new 3D film releases. The mainstream film industry is upgrading the projectors so that viewers can watch 3D films, with a greater cinema experience, and also so that they can charge more for the 3D tickets.

It is not only mainstream films, but opera too that are requiring 3D screenings at cinemas. By introducing opera to the cinemas, a wider range of audiences can be attracted. With this increase in viewers, more money can be made as tickets often more than double in price.

Cinemas have needed to adapt their venues, to increase comfort and keep their cinemas modern. Cinema City is also an example of an independent cinema that has increased the number of screens in order to keep up with the demand for more showings, so as to attract more audiences to visit the cinema. The cinema now has 3 screens, so more people can see the films, that along with upgrading to digital projection, installing comfortable seating, the restaurant and bar, and the selling of alcohol, increase the cinematic experience for the visitors. 


Because of these features, Cinema City has an older, more mature target audience. The schedules of independent cinemas have adapted to suit audiences. Although Cinema City is part of the PictureHouse chain, it controls its own schedule. By doing this, it can mould which films it shows and when to show them around the local area. Cinema City does this because it knows more about local audiences and what they want to see. This gives the benefit of attracting the local audiences, and specifically the older target audience that the cinema has.

Research project into film audiences - FINDINGS

I intended to find out which audiences prefer which genres of film. To do this, i took all the data from both the quantitative and qualitative questionnaires, and arranged them into pie charts according to age groups, and gender. Below are the outcomes.
 

A pie chart showing the favourite genres for the BELOW 12 perticipants.

It shows that out of the 10 genres given to choose from, only 4 different
 genres were chosen. This indicates that the results with similar amongst
 this audience segment. It also shows that the adventure, comedy and
fantasy genres were the most favourite.

 

A pie chart showing the favourite genres for the 12 - 21 AGED participants.

The results of this audience segment show that comedy was the
clear favourite genre, closely followed by the action and romance genres.

 

A pie chart showing the favourite genres for the AGED 41 - 50 participants.

The favourite genre amongst this group are the science fiction and
comedy genres, closely followed by comedy.

 

A pie chart showing the favourite genres for all of the MALE participants.

It shows that by far the action genre was the favourite, followed by
comedy and science fiction.

 

A pie chart showing the favourite genres for all the FEMALE participants.

The majority favourite genre amongst this group is the comedy, followed
closely by romance.

























The research into genres produced the general trends that I expected it to.
The 12-20 aged audience favourited the action and comedy genres the most. This was as I expected. The answers to the qualitative questionnaire showed that this age group generally preferred to watch films with certifications of 15-18, as these films were specifically aimed at teenage/adult audiences. I found that the older participants of this group preferred the 18 films as they are more mature films, and that reflected the way that these people felt about themselves.
The older aged audience, 41-50, showed that they, too, preferred action and comedy films. Although this wasn't a completely unexpected result, I expected a greater difference between the results of the 12-20 group and 41-50 group. This audience also liked the science fiction genre more than the others. I predicted this audience to prefer to view the 18+ films because of higher maturity levels within the films and within the audience. However, I found that as well as this certification PG films were popular due to wanting to view family films, suitable for their children.


I also intended to find out how different audience preferred to view the films they watched. During the qualitative research, I asked whether they preferred to watch films at the cinema or at home. I split the data into four labels and presented each as a graph:

This graph shows that 5 males from all the age groups preferred to watch films at the cinema, and no males preferred to watch films at home. This is expected, as males tend to prefer the experience of visiting the cinema to watch the films they like. This might be due to the genres of film they prefer, such as action films, which produce a greater experience at the cinema than at home. When asked why they chose the cinema, the common answer was due to a greater atmosphere with the audio, lighting and quality.

Like the results for the male group, the females overall preferred to watch films at the cinema, although 2 out of the 7 females chose home. As expected, more females chose home than males. This is due to the greater comfort levels that watching films at home provides that cinemas don't. However, the majority preferred the cinema experience, like the males.

The majority of 12-21 year olds said they preferred going to the cinema than watching films at home. This result was expected due to the desire that teenagers and young adults have to get out with their friends and socialise.

This graph shows the results for the 41-50 year old category. Once again, the results showed that the majority preferred to go to the cinema than to stay at home. This contradicts my prediction that older audiences will prefer to view films at home due to lack of time with full-time jobs. Instead, the answers were as such commonly due to the general cinema experience, just like the other audience segments, but they often also chose the cinema as a way to treat their children and spend time outside of home with their families.  

As well as this, I wanted to find out how the different audiences find out about the films they watch. I did this in both the quantitative questionnaires and the qualitative research.

Although only a small amount of participants, the under 12s said that they found out about films through advertising only. This is expected, as this is really the only way for them to head about the films; they are to young to listen to the radio, read newspapers or use the internet to find out about films, and although they may talk about films with their friends, it isn't a hot topic amongst children.

This graph shows that the most popular way of hearing about films for 12-20 year olds is through TV advertising, although the data is much more spread out than that of the younger audiences. This is due to this age group having more control over what they see. Word of mouth is a popular way of finding out about films, as expected as this age group are going to share their cinema experiences with one another.

This graph shows how 41-50 year olds hear about the films they want to see. Like the results of the 12-20 year old audience, they data is reasonably spread out, with the majority saying that TV advertisement is the main way. Methods like the internet, newspaper and radio adverts are also popular in this audience as more people of this age use this media everyday.

The Beach

The Beach

Danny Boyle



Plot synopsis:

The Beach is a thriller based around the main character, Richard, who is an independant young man in search of adventure. We are first introduced to him as he is on holiday alone in Thailand. He is then, quite randomly, introduced to a psychopathic, deranged man who calls himself Daffy. Daffy later leaves Richard a map to an unknown, unheard of beach, and kills himself. Richard is drawn to investigating the beach by his desire for adventure, and although unsure whether or not to believe the deranged Daffy, takes off with 2 french strangers, Françoise and Étienne. When he, and the french couple discover that the beach is a real place, they're welcomed by a secret settlement and live there in their paradise. All is great, until Richard is broken off from the rest of the settlement and has to fend for himself. He, like Daffy, begins to lose his mind and the island plays games with his head. The whole settlement is forced off the island, and the final scene sees Richard settling back into city life, with only a picture of all the island people sent by Françoise as a reminder of his lost paradise.

In this scene at the beginning of the film, Richard finds Daffy dead in the run-down motel room, after discovering the map left for him by Daffy pinned to his room door.

This is a very generic shot. The messy bed, covered in blood, and the blood splashed across the wall is an immediate thriller identifier. It quickly shocks the audience and makes it clear that someone is dead - not just injured - as there is so much blood.

The closing of the door on the camera shows the audience that the main character, Richard, is going to be shut in the room alone. This increases tension and fear amongst the audience, and creates anxiety as it isn't yet known who killed the man or if he's still in the room.



Richard is seen walking and looking towards the body on the floor, but the camera acts as the body. The low angle shot shows the scene, including the wall with the blood and the dreariness of the mise en scene.



This shot is the first image of the dead body that the audience sees. The camera is moved in a way that shows the slow movement of Richard as he discovers the man. It also shows the view that he has. The rule of thirds applies by drawing the eye firstly to the left of the frame, to the blood stained bed, and then drawing it down to the body on the floor.



This extreme close up is used to present the bloody hand of the man, and also the weapon he used to kill himself (the knife).

The drawn picture on the wall indicates psychotic behaviour and therefore presents the dead man as a psychopath. The blood splashed over it is a generic image.





In this scene, Richard is playing a secret game with the dangerous farmers of the island as they sleep. It is clear that Richard is losing his sanity.



The non-ambient lighting used is this shot is effective by only revealing the eyes of Richard. It is in his eyes that we are able to see the insanity that he has developed, which intensifies the scene as the audience is unsure what he is going to do.



Again, the chiaroscuro lighting is used to only reveal part of Richard's face. His face is empty of emotion.



The low angle shot here shows how Richard see's himself as of higher importance and more threatening than the island farmers.  



This shot of one of the men sleeping is effective, as the high angle shot puts the man in a vulnerable position. The audience knows that if Richard attacks, he will almost certainly be outnumbered and killed by the farmers, as he has grown a false sense of immortality due to his insanity. This uncertainty of his actions increases the tension of the scene. The chiaroscuro lighting keeps the shot dark and disturbing, and the non-ambient lighting allows for a shadow of the gun that Richard is holding to be cast upon the canvas wall next to the man's head.



Research project into film audiences - questionnaires and proposal

Quantitative questionnaire:

1) How old are you?
[ ] Below 12
[ ] 12 – 20       
[ ] 21 – 30       
[ ] 31 – 40
[ ] 41 - 50     
[ ] 51 – 60       
[ ] 61 – 70
[ ] 71 +

2) What gender are you?

[ ] Male

[ ] Female

3) How many times do you go to the cinema? (Select one)

[ ] More than once a week

[ ] Once a week

[ ] Once a fortnight

[ ] Once a month

[ ] Less than once a month

[ ] Once a year

[ ] Never

4) Who do you like to visit the cinema with? (Select as many as apply)

[ ] On your own

[ ] With partner

[ ] With husband/wife

[ ] With friends

[ ] With family

5) Which genres of films most attract you as a viewer? (Select up to 4)

[ ] Action

[ ] Adventure

[ ] Horror

[ ] Romance

[ ] Comedy

[ ] Crime

[ ] War

[ ] Science fiction

[ ] Fantasy

[ ] Drama

[ ] Musical

[ ] Other (please state) .....................................................................

6) Where do you find out about the films that you watch at the cinema? (Select as many as apply)

[ ] Word of mouth

[ ] TV

[ ] Newspapers

[ ] Magazines

[ ] Radio

[ ] Billboards

[ ] DVD and Cinema trailers

[ ] Internet

7) When at home, how do you prefer to consume your films? (Select 2)

[ ] TV broadcast

[ ] Computer/ Laptop

[ ] Internet

[ ] DVD

8) Do you prefer to:

[ ] Hire your DVDs

[ ] Buy your DVDs

9) Which cinemas do you most prefer to visit? (Select 2)

[ ] Vue cinemas

[ ] Odeon cinemas

[ ] Cinema city

[ ] Hollywood cinemas

[ ] None

Qualitative questionnaire:
1)      How old are you?
.........................................................................................................................................
2)      Are you male or female?
.........................................................................................................................................
3)      What is your marital relationship status?
.........................................................................................................................................
4)      Approximately how much money do you like to spend for one person when visiting the
cinema? (On tickets, food and drink etc.)
......................................................................................................................................
5)      How many times do you go to the cinema in a month?
.........................................................................................................................................
6)      Who do you like to go to the cinema with?
.........................................................................................................................................
7)      When visiting the cinema, what certificate of films do you view the most and why?
.........................................................................................................................................
8)      Do you have a job? If so, is it part-time or full time?
.........................................................................................................................................
9)      How do you hear about the films you see at the cinema or on DVD? (TV, internet, radio,
word of mouth etc.)
.........................................................................................................................................
10)  What genres of films attract you the most and why? (action, adventure, romance, comedy etc.)
.........................................................................................................................................
11)  How do you prefer to watch films and why? (cinema, DVD, internet etc.)
.........................................................................................................................................

Proposal:
I am going to send the two types of questionnaires to people of all ages and genders, so as to get a large range of different participants rather than one age group or one gender. I am going to split the group of participants in half; one half completing the quantitative questionnaire and the other half completing the qualitative questionnaire. To do this i will use random selection.

The questionnaire will be sent via email to the participants. This will keep the process easy and simple, as it will be made easy to complete, quick to send out and quick to receive the completed version. It is a much simpler method than, for example, posting the questionnaires.

By conducting the questionnaires, I want to find out which genres are the most popular, which method of viewing is the most popular, and which method of finding out about the film is the most popular. More specifically, I want to find out how, and if, the different audience segmentations affect and change the marketing of films and the exhibition of films by first assigning each participant a category of audience and then asking them questions about the 2 topics. I want to find out which audiences prefer which genres of film, how the different audiences prefer to view their films, and how the different audiences find out about the films they watch.

I want to find out if there is a trend to how the different audiences prefer to watch the film and how they find out about the film. I’d also like to find out if the trends discovered are expected by making several generalising predictions.

My predictions:

·         Male audiences will prefer to watch the thriller, horror, action adventure, crime, gangster, war and science fiction genres.

·         Female audiences will prefer to watch the romance, romantic comedy, drama, musical, “chick flick” and fantasy genres.

·         Younger audiences will generally prefer action thrillers and horror films, with certifications of mainly 12 and 15.

·         Older audiences will generally prefer comedy, and romance films of an older certification (15 and 18).

·         Teenage audiences will prefer to watch their films at the cinema, due to discounts like student and teen tickets being cheaper, more spare time, and their desire to watch films with their friends.

·         Adult audiences will prefer to watch their films on DVD or TV, due to lack of time to get out to the cinemas, and having more money to spend on expensive DVDs.

Prelim task evaluation

This is the video outcome of the task.

1) I did plenty of planning for my short film, including storyboard, floor plan/map, a shot-list, and recce. The storyboard helped to develop my ideas by giving the visual, and helped string the individual parts together to make one body of story. Drawing what I imagined for the scene helped to make sense of it overall. The floor plan helped, like the storyboard, by making sense of my ideas. It helped me understand what was and wasn’t possible to do in the place of shooting. The shot-list helped develop my general ideas further into specific shots. I came up with different possible shots for each cut, and wrote them out in order. This helped when shooting, as I could follow my shot-list like instructions. By doing a recce, I could work out the location’s suitability for shooting, including checking for any potential lighting or sound issues. I varied from my initial plans whilst shooting by adding several unplanned shots into the film. I did this as they made sense to the storyline, fitted well into the film, helped to portray the connotations I wanted the film to portray, as well as ensuring a variety of shot types. An issue that I had during filming that I had not accounted for in my planning was the amount of other students using the room in which I was filming. I therefore found it difficult to control the sound levels, which affected the outcome of the film.

2) The camera skills that I have developed are using the dolly and the tripod to achieve the best shots in terms of composition and movement. I had little previous experience with video cameras, and so naturally my confidence with the cameras has grown by using them. I have learnt to keep the camera steadier whilst filming, especially when manually holding the camera, to keep the movements smooth. Using the zoom effectively and smoothly whilst shooting is another skill I can improve on to achieve better panning shots.

3) The editing skills I have developed during my project are using the software, using in & out points, creating smooth transactions, controlling the sound levels, and creating titles. I had no previous experience with the editing software, but I found it very easy to use. Using the in & out points was simple. Because of the simplicity of the editing software and the ability to use in & out points, I developed my skills in creating smooth transactions between cuts. I also found the sound controls useful, because of my issues with the sound levels whilst shooting. The sound controls were useful for making different shots quieter or louder, but I could improve this skill further to develop the effects of the sound I can achieve in my films. I could also improve my skills with other effects, such as lighting and colour. Another skill I developed in my project was creating and using title screens at the beginning and end of the film.

Thriller storyboard

Public Enemies analysis

This is the first 6 minutes of the Michael Mann film Public Enemies.


The film opens immediately to action, drama and fighting. The entire sequence, shown in the video, introduces the whole film as violent, aggressive and crime based. The first shot shows the feet of prisoners, chained together and being marched through the sand. The shot creates discomfort and immediately the sense of danger, as the action is in a prison, full of dangerous characters. The camera shots cut quickly, in time with the beat of the prisoners' march, between over-the-shoulder, close-up, low angle and long shots. The sounds are diegetic; the only sounds are from the chains and the prisoners' feet.

The first fighting that the audience see's begins when the prisoners are made to work. (1:42 - 3:12)
Again, Mann uses plenty of close up shots, including the close ups of the guns being passed around and the prisoner walking with a limp. The audience hears the sounds of the sewing machines working accompanied by slow string music whilst the audience prepares for the action about to unfold. A sudden surge  high-pitched strings occurs when the first prisoner turns on one of the guards, increasing the tension of the moment.

The next scene of the prisoners includes the first kills of the film. (3:50 - 4:47)

This shot is particularly effective as it shows the violence from the guards' perspectives, behind the prison bars. As the prisoner attacks the guard on the left, the audience views it from behind the bars, as if a witness to the scene. It puts the audience in a vulnerable position, increasing suspense. Another brief shot of this action is a close up of the victims head on the ground as the baton hits it. It is graphic and disturbing, and used to shock the audience.
By using diegetic sounds, Mann keeps the sense of realism high within the action. The diegetic sounds heard are the shouts between prisoners and guards, the baton hitting the man, the grunts of the attacker, the character John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) shouting, and the sudden gunfire as a second guard is killed. This is followed by the chilling sound of a siren, which creates an feeling of panic.

Location photos AND character mugshots

Images of the different locations used for our video:

This is an underpass in Chapelfield Gardens. It is sloped, and
well lit,  and allows a claustrophobic sensation due to the
close walls.



This image shows the inside of the underpass. It creates the
right environment for our project, but it is too short in length.








This is the second underpass we visited. We chose to use this
one, as it creates an eerie atmosphere, yet is well lit.
The ceiling is low, making the space claustrophobic.




The underpass is long enough for all the action to unfold in it.
This location is similar to the tunnel location in "The Girl With
The Dragon Tattoo" as it is a claustrophobic, modern city
underpass, and is empty giving the sense of isolation. The
way the lights reflect off the wet concrete is similar to the
way the light reflects off the tiles in the shot from "The
Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" (below) creating the same cold
feeling and further emphasizing the thriller genre.

As well as "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", this location

has strong similarities to those from a scene from "A Touch

Of Frost".

This shot shows the same neglected city location as our 

chosen location. The wetness, graffiti, and dirtiness creates 

this effect. Also, the crime witnessed in this scene is very

similar to the crime in our thriller opening, as it is a teenage 

hoody using wheels to attack and mug a woman in an underpass.



This is the alleyway in the street that we will
use in the film. It is dark, dirty, and there is
not much space.

These shots have a similar effect as the
city of Vienna in "The Third Man". The tight
spaces, chiaroscuro lighting, concrete used by
Carol Reed creates a labyrinth effect,
exaggerating the sense of nightmare.





This is another shot of the alleyway. You can
see how the entrance to the alleyway is lit more
than the rest of it. This will help hide and
conceal Harry Cooper.



These four photos show the ATM location. We chose this
spot due to the tight street it is in. We thought this was a
good location because it emphasizes the sensation of
claustrophobia at the ATM machine, which creates the
sensation that someone is looking over your shoulder as
you're using the machine. This idea of pin number theft  is
a common fear.

We also thought that the stone brickwork and cobbles add
to the coldness of the street and mise en scene.

Character Mugshots:

This is Tom Block, playing Will Block. He is 

dressed in jeans, trainers and a hoody. This is 

to give him a threatening, thug-like appearance.

This is Emily King, playing Eve White. She

 is dressed in casual clothes: leather jacket, 

jeans, scarf and gloves. Her appearance is 

feminine. It creates an image of a vulnerable

 female. Her scarf and gloves being red in 

colour challenges the conventions of 

vulnerability.