Commenting on the future of cinema for the publication Where is Cinema, writer and former artists' moving image programme director at Tyneside Cinema (2018-20) Adam Pugh says:
“If cinema has a future, it certainly is in its being a social space. There are a lot of things that the visual arts could learn from cinema. A lot of people will not go into a gallery because they feel put off or threatened by it. A cinema is inherently more democratic because its history is all about this space for people to come together and have a collective experience.”
How does the cinema define itself in an age of multiplexes and online streaming? What kind of public setting for the screening of films exists beyond the conventional cinema space? Do the operation of alternative spaces compromise the filmmakers vision?
Art galleries, pubs, bars, community halls, churches, drive-through spaces and city parks are all commonly used to organise film events. These spaces broaden the public presentation of films to a wider audience who might not normally have access to a traditional cinema venue. The codes and practices of these spaces, as well as their technical and physical affordances, open up a variety of film experiences for audiences across different cultural and geographic contexts.
Images: Deptford Cinema - a volunteer-run 39-seater cinema space in South-East London.
For more information visit: http://deptfordcinema.org/.
The environmental, technical and social factors of these alternative spaces contribute to the formation of a unique screening soundscape, one in which the signal and noise of the film work, as well as the event itself, are redefined. The alternative space is, to apply Jonas Mekas’ famous phrase, the promise of “a less perfect but more free” site for cinema.
“There is no other way to break the frozen cinematic conventions than through a complete derangement of the official cinematic senses.” - Jonas Mekas [1959].