The thoughts of (pre-pandemic) UK cinema staff

[Stephen Follows]

Hi With the UK government promising that all adults will have had a vaccination jab by early summer, our minds are starting, very cautiously, very slowly, without getting too excited, to think about the re-emergence of the theatrical experience.   To remind ourselves of what we used to take for granted, I thought I would share a couple of past pieces revealing the views of cinema staff and cinema-goers. In 2015, I interviewed 151 people who worked in cinemas, from entry-level employees up to managers. This is what they said: https://stephenfollows.com/thoughts-uk-cinema-staff And almost exactly twelve months ago, I spoke at the UK Cinema Association's annual conference, presenting some outtakes from a research project into cinema reviews from the public. The results were highly entertaining... https://stephenfollows.com/analysing-half-a-million-cinema-reviews/ Until next week, Stephen FROM THE ARCHIVES AT STEPHENFOLLOWS.COM The thoughts of (pre-covid) cinema staff Today, we get to hear from the frontline staff who take your money, serve your popcorn, tear your tickets and clean up after you. I collected answers from 151 people who work in UK cinemas, from entry-level employees up to managers. https://stephenfollows.com/thoughts-uk-cinema-staff FILM DATA DIGEST Articles, reports and news from the past seven days Moviegoers Are Growing More Comfortable With Returning To Cinemas Moviegoers have grown more comfortable returning to movie theaters, according to an NRG poll. Movie theaters have taken a massive hit since first closing almost a year ago due to the coronavirus pandemic. While many theaters were given the green light to reopen over the summer, theaters have struggled to bring in audiences since, and major film studios have chosen to either push their movie releases back or have a limited theatrical run and head to streaming early. https://screenrant.com/movie-theaters-reopen-return-cinema-comfort-level-poll/ Are streaming algorithms really damaging film? For many stuck inside during lockdown, streaming services have kept the movie-going experience alive - offering a safe alternative while cinemas remain shut. But film director Martin Scorsese isn't such a fan. In an essay for Harper's magazine, he's warned that cinema is being "devalued... demeaned and reduced" by being thrown under the umbrella term "content". https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-56085924 Lee Daniels: ‘Studios will give you about $10 to make a black movie’ ‘I’m sure the publicity people are spinning out of control because I’m having this conversation with you. But life is too short for me not to keep it real," the director-producer Lee Daniels tells me, and it is neither the first nor the last time during our interview that he says words to that effect. (And he is right: the publicity people don’t like our conversation, but we’ll get to that later.) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/feb/20/lee-daniels-studios-will-give-you-about-10-to-make-a-black-movie Amazon Prime Video Direct Denies Docs and Shorts a Platform Amazon makes some major changes to its submission policy. As filmmakers, we want to get the most eyes on our work. Sometimes that means getting them onto a streaming service where there is easier access for sharing and for people watching. Well, Amazon’s PVD self-publishing program issued a new policy that would directly change all of that. https://nofilmschool.com/amazon-prime-locks-out-docs-and-shorts Hong Kong Film Business Reopens With a Surge After Lockdowns Hong Kong’s film industry moved ahead on several fronts over the weekend after coronavirus-mandated lockdowns were reduced. But the return to business is likely to be uneven. Cinemas reopened on Thursday, after being ordered shut since Dec. 2, 2020. A local producer-distributor Golden Scene pulled back the curtains on its expansion into exhibition. https://variety.com/2021/biz/asia/hong-kong-film-reopens-with-a-surge-after-lockdowns-1234912105/ This email was sent to studionort...@gmail.com Click here to unsubscribe. Click here to provide feedback or just reply to this email © Stephen Follows, Erroneous Wit, Somerset House, London, WC2R 1LA, United Kingdom