The New Age Of Cinema

I work pretty much full time at a well known multiplex cinema, working on my own pet projects and dreaming big in my spare time. As a film lover, it doesn't take much to get disheartened by the latest block buster releases knocking far more interesting and creative films off the podium – of course, I have to mention the phenomenal exception of “The Artist” by Michel Hazanavicius which is still playing once or twice a night – 3 months after release! A rarity for such an unusual film. 

Exceptions aside however, some of my favourite films of last year lasted little more than a week on the silver screen. Winding-Refn's “Drive” and Wheatley's “Kill List” to name but a few of the artworks that have secured their name in my subconscious, but not the seats in the screen. 

It's not rocket science to know why people choose which films they do, and it's hardly news that independent films don't rake it in at the box office, but then again, fewer and fewer of the bigger production companies are managing to pull in the figures they expect. In a confused bid to return to their “glory days” they repeatedly squeeze out sequel after sequel, remake after remake, and all new 3D versions of the same old song to bump up those figures and losses.

The logic is simple. You've seen that name or that actor before and you thought it was okay so you'll go and see the next one, expecting more of the same. And that's what you get. More of the same. Hollywood are producing more of the same because it's easier and audiences are playing safe because it's easier. But why?

The internet has outrun the cinema so much already that we feel like we're queuing in a museum at the cinema box office. We can pretty much watch whatever we want, whenever we want, online in the comfort of our own home – and for the most part – it's free. So why do we still go to the cinema?

There's still that draw of seeing something on the big screen, the smell of the popcorn, the awkward first dates and group trips. We're conditioned to go to the cinema. It's a social thing, like going to the pub or a club. People do it because their friends are doing it. The internet may be a social phenomenon but it's a long way from reality.

But at the end of the day, the independent film fan, the enthusiast, they will struggle to find what they want in their local cinema, so they'll find it online. The very demand for more culturally significant, innovative cinema has shifted towards an online platform. In my opinion, it's only a matter of time before Youtube has it's very own feature film premier, produced and distributed solely online (I'm aware that “Life in a day” was made in collaboration with youtube and eventually released online – but it was premiered in cinemas).

It won't take long for production companies to cut out the middle man entirely and it wouldn't surprise me if this is the direction the film industry moves in. The internet is already the number 1 platform for short films. Websites like Netflix are acting as an online channel for hundreds of television shows and movies already. The world of film is changing – and not necessarily for the better. One day in the distant future, when I tell some kid my age that I used to work at a cinema, sweeping the isles, their first question will be - “what's a cinema?”. It's just a matter of time, but until that day, enjoy them while they're still here.

Simon Dymond