Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: UK Terrestrial TV Madness This Xmas

This is topic UK Terrestrial TV Madness This Xmas in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 12-06-2003, 01:15 PM:

What's with all the films coming to UK TV early after their cinema release? It starts with Channel 4 showing 'Bowling for Columbine' tonight. A mear year after it's cinema release. Also C4 are showing 'Amelie' sooner than I was expecting.

But BBC wins the award:

This has to be the quickest time in a history that a film has been scheduled on UK Terrestrial TV so soon after it's cinema release. They are showing 'Triplets of Belleville (aka Belleville Rendez-Vous)' on BBC2 on christmas day. That's only 2 months after it's cinema release!!!

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 12-06-2003, 01:38 PM:

and 15 days before I open it at my theatre. I hope we don't get it on BBC America.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-09-2003, 01:32 AM:

I can see the rationale for doing that (i.e. a TV broadcast soon after the cinema release) with arthouse and foreign language product. The kind of audience you're likely to get for films like Columbine and Belleville Rendezvous are people who either saw it in the cinema and want another look, or those who read the reviews and stuff but were unable to get to anywhere that was showing it. Either way, the films are fresh in people's mind and therefore are likely to get higher ratings on the telly. Broadcast them in a year or two's time and the viewing figures would be far lower, I'd guess. The only drawback I can think of is that it might hit retail video sales, but with so few people owning DVD recorders as yet, perhaps not.

Ian: I think you should be OK. I can't see how the film's distributors would sell the US TV rights before a theatrical release - doing so would just kill the box office takings.

Posted by Howard Johnson (Member # 62) on 12-09-2003, 03:28 AM:

That's great. Thanks BBC . The Dome Worthing has just started a film club and guess what's showing on January 11th. That's right Belleville Rendez- Vous . I think they should get a refund from the renters

Posted by Mark Hajducki (Member # 1732) on 12-09-2003, 08:01 PM:

The Cameo [Edinburgh] is showing Bowling for Colombine on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year as part of a double bill.

There is still interest in this film since when we showed at Edinburgh University Film Society last term we had our highest turnout for over a year [since overtaken by City of God]

Posted by Andy Muirhead (Member # 712) on 12-09-2003, 08:06 PM:

I dunno, there are a few film clubs around here in various locations. Although my site does not host a film club, another local cinema does, and because of a family connection we usually handle prints for and to this cinema. I've noticed a lot of the bookings for the film club are prints that are available on video/dvd and some have even been broadcast on tv.

I think the whole point of the 'film club' thang is very much a club type experience, where members can view films in a cinema enviroment, and discuss the film afterwards. I don't think it makes any difference whether the film is available in any other format. It's a social thing. In fact I know one film club where the members absolutely love the fact they can have a gin and tonic and a smoke while watching their chosen film on the big screen.