Warwick Student Cinema
Encyclopedia
Warwick Student Cinema is the student run cinema at the University of Warwick
, operating out of a 312 person capacity lecture theatre, and is currently the only UK
film society
with the capability to show 70 mm film
.http://www.homeandaway.com/England_cinema.htm The Society seeks to show films to members of Warwick University (anybody holding a current University card) for cinematic value only, and as such runs as a Non for Profit Organisation. Between January 2004 and March 2010, over 18,300 different people have attended WSC, not including the free Outdoor Screenings each year.
in 1976, using the projection booth and rooms situated behind (at the time) the largest lecture theatre on campus. Since its inception, WSC has moved from Westwood (Campus)
to the Science Concourse, and come to permanently inhabit the three rooms behind the lecture theatre it uses. Despite popular opinion, WSC shows film projected from actual film reel prints hired (usually for the day) from a film distributor
, which are delivered and picked up within a week.
A different films is shown each night, except in Summer terms where the Sunday night film is repeated on Tuesday http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?Page=schedulearchive&termschedule=2008+3 (although popular films that sell out have been known to be repeated the following evening, on rare occasions), and as a second-run cinema, the newest films WSC can get are normally the ones leaving mainstream cinemas. As such, there is approximately an eight week delay between a film's main release and when it can be shown at WSC.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=suggestions/faq
A film which is expected to receive a high turn-out is normally scheduled on a Friday or Sunday, and several foreign films are shown a term in the mid-week slots. It is uncommon for 'art' films to be shown, as these are shown by Warwick Arts Centre
on campus.
Films are projected using two cinema-grade Cinemeccanica
Victoria 8 projectors, and in one of the Dolby Digital
, DTS or SDDS sound formats.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=tech/technical
Audio is amplified by 7-8kW of power and played through society owned speakers. These speakers are in mounted columns at the front of the theatre, the surrounds mounted on the side walls, and the centre speakers on moveable trolleys which are wheeled out from storage for each screening.
Tickets are sold by Front of House Crew on society owned trolleys stored on the Science Concourse and from our own custom tills.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=getinvolved/foh
Each term A2 and A4 posters, and an A5 booklet, are generated by the Publicity Team to advertise future screenings. In the 2009/10 academic year, the lowest order for a term was 14,000 items of publicity.
The IT Team provide the cinema's bespoke built systems, including a society-written Website, EPOS (Ticket Sales Software), mail and network. These run from 11 servers, with the most recent being 2 brand new Dell Rack Servers and a bespoke built fileserver. The Society has three high-spec computers available in its office for society use (particularly the generation of publicity), along with approximately four other computers in use to provide projection facilities.
Crew, although unpaid, are rewarded with a free ticket for themselves and a guest to any standard screening and a cheaper ticket at higher priced events. All members of the Society are entitled to become Crew or run for election onto the nine-person Executive Committee.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=getinvolved/main WSC Crew are central to the society in every way and donate time from as little as 45-minutes every two weeks (Stewarding Commitment), to 30+ hours a week.
In addition to the Committee Chairs mentioned, the Executive also has a Secretary (for internal communication, socials and room bookings), Treasurer (to deal with accounts), Films Officer (to choose the schedule, book films and ensure their delivery), and Marketing Officer (to manage the content of the LCD screens outside the cinema and the slides shown before each film) http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=info/constitution
, a demanding and time-consuming task but extremely rewarding upon completion.
The Training Programmes run during standard showings, and a person is expected to be at qualification standard after approximately 15 shows in each role. The Front of House Committee or Projection Committee will organise a Duty Manager or Projectionist
qualification (respectively) at a show, where you are expected to demonstrate the required skills competently. Successful 'graduates' of the training programmes are rewarded with a free embroidered Polo shirt by the society (by way of uniform).
Further to these wins, we also received the following:
, since they offer superior picture and sound to 35mm prints, and because very few cinemas have the ability to show these prints. Recent 70mm films have featured: Aliens, Edward Scissorhands, Top Gun and many more.
to bring a free one night outdoor screening to the Warwick campus.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=newsarchive#art_436 On the day of the showing a screen is inflated on one of the campus' fields, whilst a projector and other equipment are transported from London, the equipment is all set up so that it is ready for the audience by nightfall, a massive undertaking. These have been very successful, given the conditions, with upwards of 400 people in the audience each year, with our top attendance in 2009 with over 700 people.
All films chosen for outdoor screenings have, to date, been classified as Universal by the BBFC, in order to comply with the requirement that no minors accidentally view PG or higher rated material. Previous films screened include:
In the 2010/11 Academic year the Society hopes to launch a new website and ticketing software.
Digital cinema
: At some point (hypothesised by the Projection committee to be within 7-10 years), WSC will have to replace its projectors with a new digital projector, as film will stop becoming available in the standard 35mm print currently shown. The advance of 3D films may expedite this process, but this is currently unknown. The Society is currently investigating the costs of digital and 3D projection in order to start saving for this expenditure down the line, but it expected to be in the region of £75,000.
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
, operating out of a 312 person capacity lecture theatre, and is currently the only UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film society
Film society
A film society is a membership club where people can watch screenings of films which would otherwise not be shown in mainstream cinemas. In Spain they are known as "Cineclubs," and in Germany they are known as "Filmclubs"....
with the capability to show 70 mm film
70 mm film
70mm film is a wide high-resolution film gauge, with higher resolution than standard 35mm motion picture film format. As used in camera, the film is wide. For projection, the original 65mm film is printed on film. The additional 5mm are for magnetic strips holding four of the six tracks of sound...
.http://www.homeandaway.com/England_cinema.htm The Society seeks to show films to members of Warwick University (anybody holding a current University card) for cinematic value only, and as such runs as a Non for Profit Organisation. Between January 2004 and March 2010, over 18,300 different people have attended WSC, not including the free Outdoor Screenings each year.
History and Background
Warwick Student Cinema was established at the University of WarwickUniversity of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
in 1976, using the projection booth and rooms situated behind (at the time) the largest lecture theatre on campus. Since its inception, WSC has moved from Westwood (Campus)
Westwood (Campus)
Westwood is one of three campuses of the University of Warwick .-Description:It is a triangular shaped campus bordered by the houses on Charter Avenue and by Gibbet Hill Road,located to the north of the main campus...
to the Science Concourse, and come to permanently inhabit the three rooms behind the lecture theatre it uses. Despite popular opinion, WSC shows film projected from actual film reel prints hired (usually for the day) from a film distributor
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
, which are delivered and picked up within a week.
Day-to-Day Sreenings
Films are shown during university term time, every Tuesday to Friday, on some Saturdays and every Sundayhttp://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?Page=schedulearchive&termschedule=2009+2. A standard showing usually involves a minimum of six crew members; a Duty Manager (responsible for all Front of House matters), a Projectionist (who projects the film delivered to the cinema by film distributors) and four Stewards (either selling tickets on the Cinema's electronic tills or checking tickets on the door). Tickets are available on the night only, from twenty minutes before the scheduled start time, for £2 for students who are members of the society, and £3 for students that are not.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=info/tickets Before each screening, slides are shown advertising upcoming films, encouraging involvement in the society, and displaying sponsored messages.A different films is shown each night, except in Summer terms where the Sunday night film is repeated on Tuesday http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?Page=schedulearchive&termschedule=2008+3 (although popular films that sell out have been known to be repeated the following evening, on rare occasions), and as a second-run cinema, the newest films WSC can get are normally the ones leaving mainstream cinemas. As such, there is approximately an eight week delay between a film's main release and when it can be shown at WSC.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=suggestions/faq
A film which is expected to receive a high turn-out is normally scheduled on a Friday or Sunday, and several foreign films are shown a term in the mid-week slots. It is uncommon for 'art' films to be shown, as these are shown by Warwick Arts Centre
Warwick Arts Centre
Warwick Arts Centre is a multi-venue arts complex at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England. It attracts around 300,000 visitors a year to over 3,000 individual events embracing contemporary and classical music, drama, dance, comedy, films and visual art.Warwick Arts Centre comprises six...
on campus.
Equipment
Thanks to corporate sponsorship deals over the years WSC has been very successful investing in high end equipment.Films are projected using two cinema-grade Cinemeccanica
Cinemeccanica
Cinemeccanica is a motion picture equipment company specializing in cinema projectors. The company was formed in 1920 in Milano, Italy. Currently they have two film projectors available, the Victoria 5 and the Victoria 8...
Victoria 8 projectors, and in one of the Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
, DTS or SDDS sound formats.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=tech/technical
Audio is amplified by 7-8kW of power and played through society owned speakers. These speakers are in mounted columns at the front of the theatre, the surrounds mounted on the side walls, and the centre speakers on moveable trolleys which are wheeled out from storage for each screening.
Tickets are sold by Front of House Crew on society owned trolleys stored on the Science Concourse and from our own custom tills.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=getinvolved/foh
Each term A2 and A4 posters, and an A5 booklet, are generated by the Publicity Team to advertise future screenings. In the 2009/10 academic year, the lowest order for a term was 14,000 items of publicity.
The IT Team provide the cinema's bespoke built systems, including a society-written Website, EPOS (Ticket Sales Software), mail and network. These run from 11 servers, with the most recent being 2 brand new Dell Rack Servers and a bespoke built fileserver. The Society has three high-spec computers available in its office for society use (particularly the generation of publicity), along with approximately four other computers in use to provide projection facilities.
Crew
Warwick Student Cinema is run completely by current Warwick students, from its Executive Committee to the standard showing. With the approval of the Students Union and the Executive, a few Associate Members also contribute to the running but are not involved in the decision making process.Crew, although unpaid, are rewarded with a free ticket for themselves and a guest to any standard screening and a cheaper ticket at higher priced events. All members of the Society are entitled to become Crew or run for election onto the nine-person Executive Committee.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=getinvolved/main WSC Crew are central to the society in every way and donate time from as little as 45-minutes every two weeks (Stewarding Commitment), to 30+ hours a week.
Organisation
Warwick Student Cinema is segregated into the following committees:- Executive (Chaired by the President)
- Front of House (Chaired by the Chief Duty Manager)
- Projection (Chaired by the Chief Projectionist)
- Publicity (Chaired by the Publicity Officer)
- Technical (Chaired by the Technical Officer)
- IT (Chaired by the IT Officer)
In addition to the Committee Chairs mentioned, the Executive also has a Secretary (for internal communication, socials and room bookings), Treasurer (to deal with accounts), Films Officer (to choose the schedule, book films and ensure their delivery), and Marketing Officer (to manage the content of the LCD screens outside the cinema and the slides shown before each film) http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=info/constitution
Training
It is a central concept of Warwick Student Cinema that we pass skills onto new crew members and keep the skills within the society. Most of these skills are worthwhile to write on a Curriculum Vitae for employment. Excellent and keen Stewards are invited to train as Duty Managers and gain knowledge of handling money, health and safety, dealing with people and increased responsibility. Those interested in Projection are invited to train as a ProjectionistProjectionist
A Projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector. In the strict sense of the term this means any movie projector and therefore could include someone who operates the projector in a home video show or school. In common usage the term is generally understood to describe a paid employee of...
, a demanding and time-consuming task but extremely rewarding upon completion.
The Training Programmes run during standard showings, and a person is expected to be at qualification standard after approximately 15 shows in each role. The Front of House Committee or Projection Committee will organise a Duty Manager or Projectionist
Projectionist
A Projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector. In the strict sense of the term this means any movie projector and therefore could include someone who operates the projector in a home video show or school. In common usage the term is generally understood to describe a paid employee of...
qualification (respectively) at a show, where you are expected to demonstrate the required skills competently. Successful 'graduates' of the training programmes are rewarded with a free embroidered Polo shirt by the society (by way of uniform).
Awards
WSC is a member of the British Federation of Film Societies http://www.bffs.org.uk/ (BFFS). As such, it has taken up the opportunity to enter the annual BFFS Film Society of the Year Awards http://www.bffs.org.uk/awards/. Over the past few years, the society has performed admirably, including wins in the following categories:- 1993: Technical Award
- 2008: Student Film Society of the Year
- 2009: Student Film Society of the Year
- 2009: Best Programme Notes
- 2010: Best Website
Further to these wins, we also received the following:
- 2009: Special Mention in Engholm Prize for Film Society of the Year
- 2009: Distinction in Best Marketing and Publicity
Events
As WSC exists on a University Campus and is not out to make profit, it is able to run special events each term, the likes of which are not found in a mainstream cinema.Sponsored Events
WSC runs a sponsored event in both the Christmas and the Easter terms. These events are usually partially or wholly funded by WSC's Sponsor. In the past they have featured: free films, free quiz with pizza and drinks, film parties (one year hiring TopB, a popular event at the Students Union on Monday night), a Casino Night (where an external company provided Roulette and Blackjack and students competed for DVD Boxset prizes) and others.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=newsarchive#art_44670mm Screenings
At least once or twice a term WSC try to show a 70 mm film70 mm film
70mm film is a wide high-resolution film gauge, with higher resolution than standard 35mm motion picture film format. As used in camera, the film is wide. For projection, the original 65mm film is printed on film. The additional 5mm are for magnetic strips holding four of the six tracks of sound...
, since they offer superior picture and sound to 35mm prints, and because very few cinemas have the ability to show these prints. Recent 70mm films have featured: Aliens, Edward Scissorhands, Top Gun and many more.
The AllNighter
In the Christmas and Easter Terms WSC holds an AllNighter. As the name would suggest WSC plays 5 to 6 movies over one night, interspaced with quizzes and other entertainment. The lineup is often strong, with the Films Officer regularly keeping some very strong films out of our regular screenings especially for the night.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=filminfo&id=2404 The event's schedule also includes a 'Mystery Film', known only to the Films Officer (who chose it) and the Treasurer (who paid for it). Recent mystery films have featured, Ghostbusters, American Pie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Goonies and Serenity.Outdoor Screening
Since 2006, each summer term, WSC has worked with the Warwick Student Arts Festival (WSAF)Warwick Student Arts Festival (WSAF)
Warwick Student Arts Festival is an annual festival taking place at the University of Warwick. It was founded by Steve Pretty in 2004 with the aim of showcasing and celebrating all aspects of student art...
to bring a free one night outdoor screening to the Warwick campus.http://filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/index.php?page=newsarchive#art_436 On the day of the showing a screen is inflated on one of the campus' fields, whilst a projector and other equipment are transported from London, the equipment is all set up so that it is ready for the audience by nightfall, a massive undertaking. These have been very successful, given the conditions, with upwards of 400 people in the audience each year, with our top attendance in 2009 with over 700 people.
All films chosen for outdoor screenings have, to date, been classified as Universal by the BBFC, in order to comply with the requirement that no minors accidentally view PG or higher rated material. Previous films screened include:
- 2006: Finding NemoFinding NemoFinding Nemo is a 2003 American comi-drama animated film written by Andrew Stanton, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and produced by Pixar. It tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin who, along with a regal tang called Dory , searches for his abducted son Nemo...
- 2007: Ice AgeIce ageAn ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
- 2008: ShrekShrekShrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
- 2009: Monsters, Inc.Monsters, Inc.Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 American computer-animated film and the fourth feature-length film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It was directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Lee Unkrich and David Silverman, and written by Jill Culton, Peter Docter, Ralph Eggleston, Dan Gerson, Jeff Pidgeon, Rhett...
- 2010: Wall-EWALL-EWALL-E, promoted with an interpunct as WALL•E, is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. The story follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future...
- 2011: UpUp (2009 film)Up is a 2009 American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America and opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first animated and 3D film...
Future
In Summer 2010 a refurbishment is scheduled of the lecture theatre used by the Student Cinema. Plans include new seating, upholstery, a new colour scheme and general maintenance by the University's Estates department. The WSC Executive is taking the run-up opportunity to refresh a lot of equipment. As a consequence of this, it is running with a half-schedule next term before closure at the end of Week 5.In the 2010/11 Academic year the Society hopes to launch a new website and ticketing software.
Digital cinema
Digital cinema
Digital cinema refers to the use of digital technology to distribute and project motion pictures. A movie can be distributed via hard drives, optical disks or satellite and projected using a digital projector instead of a conventional film projector...
: At some point (hypothesised by the Projection committee to be within 7-10 years), WSC will have to replace its projectors with a new digital projector, as film will stop becoming available in the standard 35mm print currently shown. The advance of 3D films may expedite this process, but this is currently unknown. The Society is currently investigating the costs of digital and 3D projection in order to start saving for this expenditure down the line, but it expected to be in the region of £75,000.