Cinema + Audience Research

Introduction:I am conducting this research in order to gain an improved insight into the world of film distribution, I will be looking at three distinctive cinemas: Renoir Curzon, Vue Westfield and Odeon Camden. The questions I will have to look into and learn about across the three cinemas will be: How many screens do they each have?What films are they showing?How much are the tickets and what different ticketing options are there?What offers/deals do they have?Do they have any special events?Do they have bars/cafes?Where are they located and what impact might this have on the audiences? - type of audiences, what else could they do before or after seeing a film?Anything else interesting that they have/sell/promote? - what kind of ‘cinema experience’ does it offer?The research will be helpful for me as it will help me realise where the optimum place would be to screen different types of film, this would allow the work to be viewed by as many people as possible, furthermore it also links nicely to how I can tailor my own coursework task and finally it will improve my own comprehension of the film industry which will be needed in the written part of the A2 Media examination.

Renoir Curzon:The Renoir Curzon is situated in the Brunswick Centre. The cinema possesses five screens in total which are fittingly named after historic venues operated by the Curzon. The Renoir Curzon is an art house cinema, by definition art house cinemas focus on screening independent film, independent film is very much storyline driven and aesthetically pleasing rather than for commercial profit which is seen far more in multiplex cinemas. Literal examples of film the Renoir Curzon shows include The Salesman, Elle and Personal Shopper, which were all shown on the day I am writing this, the 22nd of March. The ticket prices, as far as I know are static no matter what film you watch, however, tickets costs more in the evening rather than earlier on in the day. The different ticketing options that are available include adult, senior and student. Adult tickets cost the most, whilst senior and student tickets are the same price.The cinema offers a membership scheme which comes in three levels including classic, cult and complete. The membership schemes are a one time payment and they boast permanent perks and rewards such as money off film tickets, food and drink and free copies of the Curzon magazine.The Renoir Curzon does in fact have special events which embrace the fans. The hyperlink 'EVENTS' is located at the top of their webpage, the events include Q&As, festivals and live performances which are broadcasted to cinemas around the world via satellite.The Renoir describes claims that they have 'fully licensed bars are on three levels including a ground floor foyer with outdoor seating'. The specific venue I was asked to research was the Renoir Curzon in Bloomsbury. Bloomsbury has a rich history and cultural life, and thus has lots of facilities that their customers could use before and after screening such as a visit to the British Museum. This also means that the average person in Bloomsbury's demographic would actually be interested in a visit to the Renoir Curzon as they probably would be more intrigued by independent films compared to other places across Britain.The cinema experience is inclusive, each of the screens has disabled access which emphasises how the Renoir Curzon caters for all people. They also allow you to directly contact them with any sort of enquiry, my overall verdict about the Renoir Curzon is that it places quality over money, this creates a great representation which is why the cinema is one of London's many attractions.

Vue Westfield:Vue Westfield is titularly located in the Westfield London shopping centre in White City. They have 17 screens which vary from 48-453 seats, the different types of screen they offer include: Digital, Digital 3D and Vue Xtreme.The types of film they screen are blockbuster and mainstream films, examples of films they are screening today include Logan, Fifty Shades Darker and Get Out. These films lean towards grossing more profit, rather than the quality of the film.Vue Westfield's ticket prices vary as per time of the film much alike the Renoir Curzon, they also have discounts for children, seniors and students. The cheapest ticket for an adult can start from £7.50. They also offer VIP tickets, which cost slightly more in which you receive an improved chair that vastly increases comfort whilst watching the film.Vue Westfield does include various offers, examples include family tickets and a reward scheme for users of comparethemarket.com which allows them to enjoy 2-for-1 film tickets every Tuesday and Wednesday for an entire year.The only special event I could find surrounding Vue Westfield on the day of writing this was NT Live: Amadeus, in which screens will broadcast a performance live from the National Theatre.They do offer food and drink before screenings, however it is quite lacklustre in comparison to the Renoir Curzon which is more like a restaurant inside the venue.They are located in a shopping centre in White City, as previously stated. The industrious area is much more suited to blockbuster films than the residents of Bloomsbury, this is mainly down to the perception of class, richer areas are stereotyped to have more culture and artistic awareness, whilst working class areas are believed to have the opposite. This is great for both cinemas as the demographic will be local to the venue.

Odeon Camden:Odeon Camden has 5 screens ranging from 72 seats in Screen 2 and 4 to 320 seats in Screen 1, the rest of the services available are the exact same as Vue Westfield as far as I know!