Oundle Cinema
Oundle Cinema
As the first exhibitor chosen to be be featured on the front page of the new BFFS website, Oundle Cinema provides a professional and inspiring model of community cinema. Here, Chris Gill talks about the outreach project that has brought film to Northamptonshire and beyond.
When the Victoria Cinema opened in Oundle in 1947 it gave this small Northamptonshire town the distinction of being the first in England to have its own municipal cinema. The picture house provided 16 successful years of entertainment until its closure in 1963, so perhaps it’s no surprise that when a number of enthusiasts decided to re-instate films in Oundle in 2005, the venture took off fast. After securing an agreement from Oundle School to show 24 movies a year at their 250-seater Stahl Theatre, the committee gained generous support from local business, the National Lottery and the general public which enabled them to purchase a £2,500 screen and a Sanyo digital PLV-70 projector with an LNS T31A long-throw lens. Their first season was very popular and shortly afterwards they received a commendation in the best newcomer category at the BFFS annual awards. More recently, Oundle Cinema has constituted itself as a Company Limited by Guarantee, to assist professionalism and enhance public liability protection for its volunteers.
What has been more unusual though is that the operators of Oundle Cinema Limited (OCL) have responded to demand to show films in an increasing number of nearby villages in parallel with their central programme. The first request came in November 2005 from Wadenhoe, a small village 3 miles outside Oundle and the subsequent years have seen a steady increase in both the number of villages hosting films, and in the number of films per season in many of these villages. 2008 saw 18 participating villages, with a total of 70 screenings through the year. Originally, the equipment used in the Stahl (except for the screen) was also shipped around the villages, but grant income (see below) has allowed the purchase of additional kit (including a second Sanyo projector, in this case a PLV-80) that can be dedicated to the Outreach programme, saving wear and tear on the Stahl projector and other equipment.
OCL tries to act simply as an ‘intelligent contractor’, organising all aspects of procuring the selected title with a screening licence, turning up with all the necessary kit and an operator, showing the film, and clearing the kit away afterwards. It is the village’s event and choice of title (although OCL will make suggestions if required), and the village undertakes all marketing and assembles the audience in the suitably-licensed venue. Marketing ideas vary from one village to another, some favouring themed evenings, others combining the screenings with a meal. Other villages have specialised differently, perhaps bringing in café seating at the back of the venue, or focusing on children’s matinees.
Because OCL is constituted to show films on a commercial basis, the minimum charge of £125 per village film is of course higher than it might be for a non-theatrical show but even so, good attendances will often enable a village to make a voluntary contribution to OCL’s overheads. The build-up of this Outreach programme was subsidised by surpluses from the larger revenues of the main Stahl Theatre programme, and also supported by a generous grant from the Rockingham Forest Trust, whose aim is to promote social cohesion in the rural areas of the Rockingham Forest district. More recently, grant aid has been given by the Welland Transport and Accessibility Fund.
This expansion of venues has allowed OCL to screen a wider number of titles than would have been possible within the original 24 slots per year limitation. Inevitably, the choice of films in the villages is rarely cutting edge, but the Stahl programme is able to include a wide range of films, with some more populist titles in each season to generate surpluses, but plenty of more esoteric films as well. For the village audiences, sociability and the convenience of having occasional cinema within walking distance are big advantages, and the majority of the audience arrive early so they can have a drink and a chat first.
The greatly increased demand for village films has meant that the volunteer projection team has had to be boosted from two to five, and the aim is to train up a resident projectionist in each village who will collect OCL’s kit from a central point.
For more information visit www.oundlecinema.org.uk or email chris@oundlecinema.org.uk
