This e-mail was sent to a Mr. Woodward, who wanted to show a film to
raise money for a school PTA in Yorkshire. There are some elements in this
answer that relate specifically to his problem.
Thank you very much for your enquiry. Our experiences at Oscar Film Unit
in this area are obviously limited to the aspects specific to a University
film society, but nevertheless, I would be delighted to provide you with
some pointers. Since this is going to be quite a long e-mail I shall start
with an index.
1) Type of showing
1.1) Non-commercial screenings
1.2) Commercial screenings
2) Projection
2.1) Video / DVD
2.2) 16mm
2.3) 35mm
2.4) Recommendations
3) Obtaining the film
4) Sources of help
5) Concluding remarks
1) Type of showing
There are basically two sorts of film performance to audiences, commercial
(or "theatrical") and non-commercial. As a film society, we at OFU are
mainly concerned with the latter, but we also do run some commercial
screenings on behalf of the University.
1.1) Non-commercial screenings
The rules for a non-commercial screening are quite specific. You may not
charge for admittance to the film. You may not advertise full details of
the film in a place where it might be seen or heard by the general
public. You may not supplement your income with on-screen advertising.
The immediate question is then, how do you make money from non-commercial
screenings? The answer to that is that you can sell membership
subscriptions, as well as supplementing that with film programme notes and
so on. Film societies do not tend to make a lot of money, and for obvious
reasons.
The main advantage of a non-commercial screening is that you do not need a
licence to show the film, with the exception of a PRS (music) licence. You
can also ignore BBFC certificates and local licensing authority
censorship. The reason you can legally do that is because you are
exhibiting the film to a closed membership.
For non-commercial screenings, the hirer of the film pays a flat rate for
the hire, depending on the size of the venue.
1.2) Commercial screenings
Commercial presentations are, obviously, what cinemas use to generate
cash. Cinemas are charged for the film as a percentage of the amount they
take at the box office - usually a comparatively small 35%.
In order to qualify for a commercial screening, you must successfully
apply to your local licensing authority for a Cinematograph Licence. This
is basically a certificate of fire safety issued for your venue,
specifying the maximum audience size and the types of film that may be
used. (Old filmstock used to be very flammable.)
Here in Surrey, a licence costs in the region of 600 pounds per year. It
is possible to get one-off (occasional) licences, and it is also possible
to negotiate with your licensing authority if you are putting on a
performance for a good cause, as you are interested in doing.
If you show a film commercially, then you must abide by BBFC certificates,
and also by local licensing authority judgements, which always overrule
the BBFC. However, if you are looking to show a children's film, then this
should not be a problem.
2) Projection
You may have already decided what medium to use for projecting the
film. Here is an extremely quick guide to the pros and cons of each
method.
2.1) Video / DVD
Advantages: Easy to operate, good sound quality (particularly DVD), easy
to get hold of the necessary equipment, cheap to hire the film.
Disadvantages: Despite recent advances in technology, picture still isn't
very good on a big screen.
2.2) 16mm
This is what we use at OFU. If you do not have a projector of your own,
you could try asking your nearest film society - better yet, they may be
able to supply a projectionist who can visit you and then advise on screen
sizes etc.
Advantages: Clear, bright picture, even at large sizes and / or in
widescreen.
Disadvantages: Sound is monaural and of a limited bandwidth and
quality. It is also very easy to damage film, so depending on the age of
the film you choose, the image may be scratched or dirty.
3.3) 35mm
This is what most cinemas these days use.
Advantages: Less damage occurs to 35mm than to 16mm because cinemas look
after the films better. The sound and picture are both
(usually) excellent.
Disadvantages: Very expensive to hire the film, plus there are not many
places to get a projector from; the British Federation of Film Societies
does have some for hire. Also, the films themselves are physically very
long (several miles!) and heavy, and hence need careful handling.
2.4) Recommendations
As someone involved in a film society, I can not help but recommend film
over video projection. On the other hand, it will involve a lot of hard
work. My overall recommendation, therefore, is that you find a local film
society who is willing to work with you. They may even agree to book the
film for you in their name.
If you have any technical queries over projection, again, may I suggest
you talk to a local film society, or alternatively, please e-mail me
again.
3) Obtaining the film
Needless to say, with all the rules about commercial and non-commercial
screenings, it is not legally possible to just walk into a video shop and
hire a film for the night. You will need to go to one of the specialist
companies set up to hire out films to organisations.
For video and 16mm, this is Filmbank Distributors Ltd., a division of
Warner Bros, who specialise in hotel, prison, and film society
distribution for all the major studios. Less mainstream films may be
available from the British Film Institute. You will need to open an
account, for which a reference and a deposit will be required.
For 35mm, you would normally have to go to the studio / production company
direct; however, these will not normally deal with such small orders as
yours, so you will need to employ a film booking agent. There are two
well-known ones, who will, of course, charge you a fee for their services.
IMPORTANT POINT - when you book a film from an agent, including Filmbank
or the BFI (who are effectively agents for the major studios anyway) they
will assume that it is a non-commercial screening unless you tell them
otherwise. Simply having a Cinematograph Licence does not then entitle you
to charge entry, etc.; you must arrange with the agent to be billed for
the film in a commercial screening fashion, i.e., as a percentage of box
office takings. Sometimes, despite the agents' best efforts, they will be
unable to arrange this with the copyright holder. This is particularly
likely if the film you choose is currently showing at a local multiplex,
as clearly distributors prefer to keep their big corporate clients happy.
4) Sources of help
I assume you have access to the WWW; here are some websites that may be
useful.
The British Film Institute (distributors / advisors):
http://www.bfi.org.uk
The British Federation of Film Societies:
http://www.bffs.org.uk
There is an unofficial list of all UK film societies at:
http://freespace.virgin.net/dave.watterson/
-- this also includes a link to the Yorkshire Group of the BFFS, who may
be able to help you specifically:
http://freespace.virgin.net/dave.watterson/yogroup/yindex.html
5) Concluding remarks
I hope some of the above makes some sense and is useful to you. It is very
difficult for me to be able to do more than inform and advise, but I am
sure that if you ask your local film society, they will be more than happy
to help you in more practical ways.
You may find that the best way to run the event is to have some form of
sponsorship, rather than charging entry; in this way, you can act as a
film society (with a non-commercial screening) which is much easier to
organise.
Finally, the very best of luck with your enterprise, and if you have any
further questions, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me again.
Best wishes,
David
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