SECRET CINEMA. Tell everyone.
July 4, 2012 8:38 AM Subscribe
London underground film group Future Cinema exploded into public consciousness this week with the news that their Secret Cinema run of Prometheus outsold the BFI, the usual box-office champion.
Secret Cinema started beneath London Bridge in 2007. Only the location was announced; the chosen film was a mystery until it started rolling. Since, Secret Cinema has hosted over 120,000 people across 17 different events – primarily older/classic films.
With Prometheus, the Future Cinema team received a blessing from Ridley Scott for a secret screening of a first-run film. 25,000 audience members were immersed in the world of Prometheus, starting by signing up for a mission with BraveNewVentures. Once at the secret location, audience members not only watched the film but experienced it within movie-set surroundings.
Live Cinema is Future Cinema's next evolution. Secret Screenings expands on the success of the Prometheus experiment today in London and in NYC in the Autumn.
Secret Cinema started beneath London Bridge in 2007. Only the location was announced; the chosen film was a mystery until it started rolling. Since, Secret Cinema has hosted over 120,000 people across 17 different events – primarily older/classic films.
With Prometheus, the Future Cinema team received a blessing from Ridley Scott for a secret screening of a first-run film. 25,000 audience members were immersed in the world of Prometheus, starting by signing up for a mission with BraveNewVentures. Once at the secret location, audience members not only watched the film but experienced it within movie-set surroundings.
Live Cinema is Future Cinema's next evolution. Secret Screenings expands on the success of the Prometheus experiment today in London and in NYC in the Autumn.
So did you go around touching everything then?
posted by The Whelk at 9:00 AM on July 4, 2012 [9 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 9:00 AM on July 4, 2012 [9 favorites]
$54 for a movie ticket is pretty steep, but the audience sounds happy enough. However:
the actual screening of the film isn’t that different from the experience you’d have at a traditional movie theater — the film is still projected onto a big screen and features advertisements at the beginning
$54 and they still show ads? Really?
posted by Forktine at 9:10 AM on July 4, 2012 [7 favorites]
the actual screening of the film isn’t that different from the experience you’d have at a traditional movie theater — the film is still projected onto a big screen and features advertisements at the beginning
$54 and they still show ads? Really?
posted by Forktine at 9:10 AM on July 4, 2012 [7 favorites]
Every film has ads here in the UK.
posted by Optamystic at 9:15 AM on July 4, 2012
posted by Optamystic at 9:15 AM on July 4, 2012
So did you go around touching everything then?
Actually, now that you mention it, yes we were invited to touch ALL THE THINGS. At one point I was tasked with running around with an open petri dish with some gunky gunk trying to find Holloway. I'm tellin' ya, their attention to detail was flawless.
On preview: not only were there ads but the chairs were REALLY uncomfortable. I think I just consider the price comparable to a great, interactive night out where you happen to also watch a movie.
posted by like_neon at 9:18 AM on July 4, 2012
Actually, now that you mention it, yes we were invited to touch ALL THE THINGS. At one point I was tasked with running around with an open petri dish with some gunky gunk trying to find Holloway. I'm tellin' ya, their attention to detail was flawless.
On preview: not only were there ads but the chairs were REALLY uncomfortable. I think I just consider the price comparable to a great, interactive night out where you happen to also watch a movie.
posted by like_neon at 9:18 AM on July 4, 2012
Every film has ads here in the UK.
Do you mean previews of coming films, or ads for candybars and cars and, I don't know, fast food? Because I can see paying for an expensive, full-immersion experience and getting some previews, but I can't see being happy about paying that and being shown ads.
posted by Forktine at 9:23 AM on July 4, 2012
Do you mean previews of coming films, or ads for candybars and cars and, I don't know, fast food? Because I can see paying for an expensive, full-immersion experience and getting some previews, but I can't see being happy about paying that and being shown ads.
posted by Forktine at 9:23 AM on July 4, 2012
I want to say we were shown a fancy car ad... I honestly don't remember (money well spent by the car company, eh?)
posted by like_neon at 9:30 AM on July 4, 2012
posted by like_neon at 9:30 AM on July 4, 2012
For $54, every movie should have a happy ending.
posted by crunchland at 9:38 AM on July 4, 2012
posted by crunchland at 9:38 AM on July 4, 2012
Or *any* ending, actually, would have been nice.
posted by The Whelk at 9:47 AM on July 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 9:47 AM on July 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
Every film has ads here in the UK.
(Almost) every film has ads here in the US, too, but we don't generally pay $54 to see them.
posted by adamdschneider at 10:16 AM on July 4, 2012
(Almost) every film has ads here in the US, too, but we don't generally pay $54 to see them.
posted by adamdschneider at 10:16 AM on July 4, 2012
Oh very cool. This sounds like a close relative of Sleep No More, which I saw twice in Boston, but with cinema, too.
posted by rmd1023 at 10:19 AM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by rmd1023 at 10:19 AM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
Every film has ads here in the UK.
Theatres like the Electric Cinema don't show previews or commercials.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 11:21 AM on July 4, 2012
Theatres like the Electric Cinema don't show previews or commercials.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 11:21 AM on July 4, 2012
Some of the films shown in the Cinema in the Square don't have ads, in Shrewsbury, and none of those shown in Theatr Gwaun, Fishguard, by the film society (Thursdays). They also have to stop and change the roll of film for long films, whereas in Shrews it's all digital. Shrews is tiny, in historic building, ace cafe and most comfortable seats i have ever had in a cinema - six quid when i lived there in 2010. Theatr Gwaun is cheaper, but not as lush. It's an old theatre or picture palace. (Spelling&word order=Welsh)
posted by maiamaia at 12:01 PM on July 5, 2012
posted by maiamaia at 12:01 PM on July 5, 2012
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Shame the movie sucked.
Well it didn't completely suck: it was really cool when I saw stuff in the movie that matched the pre-film experience (ie "Oh THOSE are those crazy big vehicles down in the basement!" "Haha, yeah that explains why Lawrence of Arabia was projected on that wall!" "Ohhhhh that tall blonde chick in the silver suit in that weird room was Charlize Theron!"
posted by like_neon at 8:55 AM on July 4, 2012 [2 favorites]