I don’t normally feel the need to write a blog post in relation to any news story, but reading Phil Clapp’s article “Don’t Make UK Cinemas a Victim of ‘Small Government’ Ideology” which was published on the Huffington Post website on 26th August 2013 has incensed me enough that I feel that I have needed to. I presume the consultant which is being referred to is this one “Licensing Act 2003: Community film exhibition consultation“, and I imagine that much of what Mr Clapp has written will represent the enviable CEA’s response to the consultation which closes on the 28th August 2013.
After reading this article it definitely feels like this is Mr Clapp trying to protect his members rather than the actual benefit to the wider audience and consumer. As technology has changed in recent years it has allowed more and more people to create their own cinemas, be they pop-up or community cinemas. The question has to be why are so many people doing this as it isn’t just the easy access to the equipment and the films? Is it because the cinema exhibition chains are not offering what the consumer actually wants?
The change in Licensing Act 2003 would allow more cinemas to appear and develop than currently, but anyone can apply to have an Entertainment Licence and therefore show films at the moment, and this change would instead remove one of the barriers to this, and I would suggest that it is this which is one of the worries for the CEA’s members. From experience I have met and seen a number of community or pop up cinemas which have been both professional and enthusiastic.
One of the worries here is that all the big cinema exhibitors have had to spend ‘£50,000’ on new projection equipment, where as many of these cinemas in the pubs will use much cheaper equipment, but the environments they operate in are very different, and what was also not mentioned was that many of the cinema circuits are getting some money back through the Virtual Print Fee deals which they have done.
The second half of the article goes on to use the age old scare tactic of piracy of content. But cinema chains are also places were film piracy takes place, in 2012 17 cinema employees were recognised because they stopped an attempt in their auditoriums. While it is also possible that piracy could take place in these community cinemas and pop-up cinemas, it is no more likely that it happening at home. Many community cinemas have to watch a couple of months before they are able to show a new release, by which point the chances are that the content is already pirated across the world.
In the article Mr Clapp then goes on to suggest that relaxing the rules would have an impact on established community cinemas, such as the Curzon Clevedon and Plaza in Crosby would be negatively effected by “fly-by-night operators”, but they can already be effected by these people at the moment, who already have an Entertainments Licence. And it is simply not just a case that because another community cinema appears that all the audience would go over to that venue. Real community cinemas are loved by the locals and if it is delivering what the audience wants will survive the competition.
Judging by the comments which have so far been left on the article, I am not the only one who feels this way. All but one of the comments was about in favour of the community cinemas, and the one comment in favour, talks about the quality of presentation, which is a whole other story altogether.
I have written on a number of occasions about how cinema started off as being shown in community halls, churches and other such places, and that now with modern technology we are seeing that again now; and I believe that is a important and good thing. I believe that ”proper’ cinemas are important as well, and they do have it tough, with the amount of money they have to pay for the building itself, the staff, the box office percentage the company receives to name but a few; but I also feel that the cinema chains have in part lost their way a little.
I have met Phil Clapp and understand where he is coming from with this post, but I’m story Phil, on this occasion I really can’t agree with what you have written here and that it is anything other than designed to be scare mongering.