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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Topic: Rosebud Theatre - Westwood NJ
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Stephen Furley
Film God
Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
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posted 05-30-2014 02:06 PM
This seems to have some things in common with the place that I'm involved with. 68 seat single seater within the town hall building, the space was part of the former public library before a new one was built on land behind. Opened in the late '80s and operated by the council until they closed it in April 2011 due to financial cutbacks. originally open seven days a week, but closed on Sundays for about ten years.
A campaign was started to get it re-opened, it looked like the council may have been able to find an operator to take over this, and other spaces within the clocktower complex but due to various changes the other spaces were required for other purposes, and unsurprisingly no commercial operator is likely to want to run just a single 68 seat auditorium. The campaign, which has over 1000 members decided to try to run it themselves. There were a lot of problems on the way, but they eventually managed to negotiate a deal with the council whereby they pay a small amount to hire the cinema, normally for two shows each Thursday. The campaign provides four unpaid staff for each screening, two stewards, one box office person and one projectionist. The bar is staffed and operated by the people who run the cafe elsewhere in the building.
The first public screening was on the 27th March and since then we have operated every Thursday, and a handful of other days for special events, including screening some digital rushes for a film company who were working elsewhere in the building in April. The auditorium is used from time to time by the council for other purposes, meetings, training sessions, the odd poetry reading etc., and is available for hire by other organisations.
Tickets are 7.50 pounds full price and 6 pounds for concessions. Several films have been sold out, and I think the worst We have had is about one third full.
Most films are on proper digital cinema and we typically pay about 35% with a minimum of 100 pounds. The last accounts I saw, about three weeks ago, show a small loss on only one film, with all others at least breaking even.
Two films have been shown from Blu-Ray via a Film-Bank licence because we were not able to obtain them as a DCP and one other because the DCP arrived very late, the KDM even later, too late for the first screening, and when it did arrive was invalid. The first film had not yet been released, and no DCP existed for it; it was a special event run on a laptop from a file supplied to us by the director. It had only previously been screened at a couple of festivals.
The Kinoton FP-30s are still installed and in working order, and we hope to run occasional special shows on 35 mm soon. There is also a 16 mm Hortson which has been in store elsewhere in the building since the digital was installed, but which is believed to still be in working order.
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 05-30-2014 06:34 PM
quote: Mike Blakesley
I don't know about in other countries but in the U.S. at least, the copyright notice very specifically says that videos are allowed to be viewed "in homes" only.
Is that actually enforcable, though? The manufacturer can print whatever it wants on the label, but that does not mean that the statement can be enforced.
The "public performance" concept _is_ protected by copyright, so any screening of a non-PD title that is open to the public would need to be licensed. The birthday-party rental thing is sort of a grey area that would probably require an experienced lawyer to sort out. Obviously, it would be safest to license the screening, but there is certainly an argument to be made that renting a theatre to show a movie to one's family and friends is not a "public performance."
As for the theatre discussed in this thread--I agree with the "good idea, bad implementation" comments. Anyone doing repertory programming in 2014 who isn't doing it right (original formats, properly presented, etc.) is doing a disservice to the industry as a whole. I could understand if this guy were doing a free "movies in the park" thing or something like that, but I fail to see how showing DVDs in a small venue with a tiny screen is a sustainable business model if he is licensing the screenings properly. Or maybe he is just a rich guy who is doing it for fun. To his credit, the web site indicates that the screenings are on DVD/BR, not film.
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