exhibitor nrs final eval report summary · 2017-06-07 · ! 5! thenew!release!strategy!films!...

BFI Film Audience Network New Release Strategy

Summary Evaluation report Sarah Boiling Associates April 2017

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Contents

Background and introduction ........................................................................................................ 3

NRS objectives .............................................................................................................................. 4

Evaluation objectives .................................................................................................................... 4

The New Release Strategy films .................................................................................................... 5 The Pearl Button ................................................................................................................................... 5 Mustang ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Chevalier ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Sonita .................................................................................................................................................... 7 The Fits ................................................................................................................................................. 7

Hub member bookings of NRS titles .............................................................................................. 8

Exhibitor bookings by Hub ............................................................................................................ 9 Central East ........................................................................................................................................... 9 London ................................................................................................................................................ 10 North ................................................................................................................................................... 10 North West Central ............................................................................................................................. 11 Northern Ireland ................................................................................................................................. 11 Scotland .............................................................................................................................................. 11 South East ........................................................................................................................................... 11 South West & West Midlands ............................................................................................................. 11 Wales .................................................................................................................................................. 12

Exhibitor engagement with the NRS ............................................................................................ 12 Awareness of the NRS ......................................................................................................................... 13 Did the NRS encourage more exhibitors to show the selected titles? ............................................... 15 What stopped exhibitors booking the NRS titles? .............................................................................. 17 How useful was the marketing support .............................................................................................. 18 Regional hub support ......................................................................................................................... 22 Influence on booking decisions .......................................................................................................... 24

Film Society/Community Cinema engagement with the NRS ....................................................... 24

Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 25 What is working well .......................................................................................................................... 25 What could be improved .................................................................................................................... 26

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Background and introduction The BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) New Release Strategy (NRS) is an ambitious pilot initiative that aims to inspire and incentivise cinemas to take ‘risks’ on new film releases that could be perceived as ‘challenging’ and in turn grow the audience for a broader range of films amongst Film Hub members and the wider exhibition sector. The pilot programme ran from March 2016 to March 2017 and consisted of the selection and promotion of five titles to exhibitors along with tailored marketing support. The initiative is co-‐ordinated by Film Hub South West & West Midlands (SWWM) on behalf of FAN. Titles are selected by the BFI Film Audience Network Programming Group, comprised of Programmers from the nine Film Hub Lead Organisations (FHLOs), the BFI and BFI FAN’s Strategic Partners -‐ the Independent Cinema Office, Into Film and Cinema For All. There are six criteria to inform NRS support and a film is expected to meet at least three of these to qualify. The NRS supports films which

• Go beyond the mainstream offer and may be perceived as ‘challenging’ • Have the potential to engage diverse and/or young audiences* • Show a diversity of on-‐screen portrayals*, cultures and languages. • Tell distinctive British stories -‐ with a focus on non-‐London* • Make a particular contribution to the art of film (for example a distinctive style) • BFI FAN can impact on in terms of audience reach and engagement

*Aligning with BFI strategic aims around Diversity The focus is on new smaller releases that are coming into distribution in the UK and that are not likely to receive other BFI support. Titles that are not yet in distribution and/or are self-‐distributed may also be considered. A total of £86,000 has been invested into the NRS. 38% of the overall budget was co-‐ordinated by the nine Hubs through funding activity such as regional press support, support for special events, publicity production and distribution and social media advertising. The remaining 62% was managed centrally. Marketing support is devised on a film-‐by-‐film basis, in partnership with the distributor of each title to amplify and extend their campaign, without duplicating their activity. A ‘Marketing Pack’ is produced for each title containing a consistent set of marketing assets:

• Stills • Online trailer download • GIFs (or other digital assets) • Copy • Outreach ideas and networks to tap into • Key articles and press quotes • Press templates • Sample Facebook and Twitter posts

In addition a set of tailored resources to reach and engage the identified target audience for each title are produced.

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NRS objectives The objectives of the programme are to:

• Extend the reach of selected titles, through an increase in cinema bookings • Expand the audience reach for the titles selected through additional marketing support

Which together it is hoped will…

• Demonstrate how the FAN can impact on the reach of diverse cultural cinema and therefore…

• Impact on wider sectoral confidence about the possibilities and opportunities in engaging audiences with cultural films perceived as “challenging”

Evaluation objectives An evaluation of the NRS has been commissioned to identify the impacts of the pilot scheme on audiences and the exhibition sector. The Audience Agency were engaged to undertake research of audiences for the five NRS titles and Sarah Boiling Associates have been commissioned to carry out a qualitative evaluation of the pilot, focusing on understanding the impacts on Film Hubs and their members, partners and distributors, and capturing the legacy and learning from the programme. The following data has formed the basis of this report:

• Exhibitor survey data from the five titles (160 responses) • Semi-‐ structured telephone/face to face interviews with exhibitors, distributors,

partners and Hub staff • Email questionnaire from three Film Societies • Audience report by The Audience Agency • Distributor booking data for each NRS title

Individual interviewees have not been identified in this report but their type of organisation is referred to where relevant, and we would like to thank all those consulted for their contribution.

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The New Release Strategy films

The Pearl Button Distributor: New Wave Release date: 18 March 2016 Box Office: £62,200 Admission: 7,900 Rationale for NRS support “The lyrical documentary from internationally renowned documentary director Patricio Guzmán (Nostalgia for the Light, The Battle of Chile) opens up a rich reflection on landscape, history and culture in Chile. As a foreign language documentary it goes beyond the mainstream offer; it shows a diversity of on-‐screen portrayals, cultures and languages, and Guzmán’s accessible and lyrical filmmaking style makes a unique contribution to the art of cinema. With the proposed regional talent tour with Director Patricio Guzmán, FAN has an opportunity to significantly impact the audience reach and engagement with this title.” The budget available for marketing and promotion of The Pearl Button was modest, so the NRS support made a considerable difference to the campaign:

• Director Patricio Guzman travelled from Paris to support the film with Q&As and special event previews with a focus outside of London for the first time. These event previews including Cardiff (Chapter Arts Centre); Manchester (HOME) and Edinburgh (Filmhouse)

• Video recordings and clips from tour • Web assets, eg quote and press cards • A4 and A3 posters • Targeted network and partnership work with Royal Anthropological Institute, Royal

Photographic Society, Latin American networks and universities • NRS Marketing pack • A range of regional support was offered via Film Hubs including preview screenings,

support for special events; social media; freelance marketing support; regional press and advertising; support for flyer, poster and banner design & print

Mustang Distributor: Curzon Artificial Eye Release date: 13 May 2016 Box Office: £326,479 Admissions: 54,4131 Rationale for NRS support “Beautifully shot, with stunning performances by its non-‐professional young cast, the Oscar-‐nominated Mustang is both a rousing tale of spirited youth and a powerful, moving and timely work of engaging social cinema. Mustang was always going to be a strongly distributed film in terms of both the distributor and target box-‐office potential as Curzon Artificial Eye are expert at nationally releasing quality high-‐end foreign language titles. As a foreign-‐language film Mustang is still perceived as challenging by many exhibitors and FAN can make a difference by encouraging a wider range of exhibitors to book and by complementing Curzon’s campaign – and the work of stratetic partners Into Film -‐ in targeting young (19-‐25), female audiences. In terms of criteria Mustang also has the potential to engage diverse audiences and shows a diversity of on-‐screen portrayals, cultures and languages.” 1 Admissions is derived by dividing box office income by 8 (average price of UK film ticket)

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The Curzon Artificial Eye campaign focused on a core audience of 25-‐50 year old, heavy cinema-‐going/cultural consumers, and the NRS complemented this with a campaign aimed at reaching young people aged 19-‐25, and the UK Turkish community. Marketing support included

• Flyer print and city wide distribution in 12 cities • Creation of Mustang GIFs • Three talker screenings organized in collaboration with Into Film • Young person audience reaction video • Reaching out to feminist, young people, Turkish networks (including Turkish film copy) • Support for special events (panel discussions, Q&As) • Online platform The Time Is Now (https://ttin.uk) focusing on young female audiences • NRS Marketing Pack • A range of regional support was offered via Film Hubs including preview screenings,


Chevalier Disributor: Studio Canal Release date: 22 July 2016 Box Office: £73,075 Admissions: 9134 Rationale for NRS support “Winner of Best Film at the London Film Festival, Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Chevalier, was described by the jury as both“a hilarious comedy and deeply disturbing statement on the condition of Western humanity.” In terms of NRS criteria, Chevalier goes beyond the mainstream offer; shows a diversity of on-‐screen portrayals and languages and FAN can make an impact by helping this film find a place and an audience in cinemas at a traditionally difficult time of year (July/August) where there are limited independent box-‐office bit hitters.” NRS support focused on drawing out the comedic elements of the film, to help it find a place in cinemas and an audience during the summer months – a traditionally difficult time of year. The campaign aimed to extend the reach of the film by providing cinemas with high quality assets and ways to pique audience interest. Materials included:

• Table top game cards and beermats • Social media competitions • Promoted Facebook posts • NRS Marketing Pack • A range of regional support was offered via Film Hubs including preview screenings,


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Sonita Distributor: New Wave Release Date: 21 October 2016 Box Office: £12,496 Admissions: 15622 Rationale for NRS support “Sonita speaks dynamically to a younger audience about a range of issues from forced migration to the value and power of self-‐expression. It follows in the wake of Malala’s story in offering young people -‐ in particular women -‐ an inspiring, real individual who is able to come through difficult, harrowing experiences and engage positively with her circumstances. Interestingly, it also presents a challenge to the observational ‘neutral' position of the documentary genre suggesting that we can’t simple sit by and lets things happen. In terms of New Release criteria -‐ as a foreign language documentary it goes beyond a mainstream offer, and it shows a diversity of onscreen portrayals. FAN can make an impact in terms of audience and reach as it builds on work with young, diverse female audiences building on work with previous New Release Strategy title, Mustang. “ The campaign was developed with the aim of driving ticket sales and on-‐line engagement with 16-‐25 year old, female-‐skewed, politically and socially aware audiences. Marketing support included

• Marketing consultant Laura Rothwell who: o Offered support developing special events o Co-‐ordinated venue-‐based Facebook campaigns o Offered tailored surgeries to venues on maximizing Facebook campaign

engagement o Commissioned and promoted ten pieces of on-‐line content

• A Skype Q&A with the director available as a .mov file • Content on The Time is Now on-‐line platform exploring the film from a feminist

viewpoint • Sonita’s own Bride for Sale music video • NRS marketing pack • A range of regional support was offered via Film Hubs including preview screenings,


The Fits Distributor: Lionsgate Release date: 24 February 2017 Box Office: £6602 Admissions: 8253 Rationale for NRS support “The Fits is a low-‐budget feature film by a first time female director with an unknown all black cast which premiered at Venice Film Festival in 2015. In terms of criteria, The Fits goes beyond the mainstream offer -‐ this critically acclaimed film would not be getting a cinema release 2 Admissions is derived by dividing box office income by 8 (average price of UK film ticket) 3 See above

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without FAN’s intervention. It has the potential to reach a diverse audience and show diversity on-‐screen through the quietly striking presence of its young black lead, Royalty Hightower. It’s distinctive visual style and approach to subject matter, make The Fits a real cinematic discovery and critical contribution to the future canon of film. Finally, FAN supporting the film to gives it a theatrical platform and cultural profile in the UK, which will help The Fits reach diverse audiences in cinemas.” The campaign focused on young people 16-‐25 and marketing support included

• Advertising and promotions in print and digital versions of Crack Magazine, the Skinny and Culture NI

• A5 flyers and A4 posters • Distribution in key cities • Community dance and boxing networks research • A range of regional support was offered via Film Hubs including preview screenings,


“NRS support for The Fits ensured its theatrical release, which in turn led to it being able to secure strong broadsheet reviews. Released within a group of strong features films by or about Black experience -‐ Moonlight, Fences, Hidden Figures -‐ and also following BFI Black Star season. The Fits became part of UK discourse on cultural diversity and representation in film -‐ something it would not have achieved had FAN not intervened to ensure its cinema release.” Mark Cosgrove Chair of NRS Programming group

Hub member bookings of NRS titles 207 exhibitors across the nine FAN Hubs booked an NRS title and there was a combined total of 442 exhibitor bookings across the five titles.

As we might expect given the scale of the releases, Mustang achieved the largest number of exhibitor bookings by a considerable margin, and The Fits achieved the fewest.

0 20 40 60 80 100

Central East London North

North West Central Northern Ireland

Scotland South East

South West West Midlands Wales

NRS title bookings by Hub

The Pearl Button Mustang Chevalier Sonita The Fits

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In terms of exhibitor bookings across the FAN network, as we would expect, these are very much reflective of the exhibition infrastructure of that particular hub, for example the London Hub had by far the most exhibitor bookings for NRS titles and Northern Ireland the fewest.

Exhibitor bookings by Hub

Central East Aldeburgh Cinema Phoenix, Leicester Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge Royston Picture Palace Broadway, Nottingham Saffron Screen, Saffron Walden Electric Palace Harwich Savoy Cinema, Nottingham

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

The Pearl Button

Mustang Chevalier Sonita The Fits

Hub exhibitor bookings per NRS title

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

NRS Exhibitor bookings per Hub

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Errol Flynn Filmhouse, Northampton Stamford Arts Centre Garden City Cinema, Welwyn Garden City The Luxe Cinema, Wisbech Ipswich Film Theatre The Venue, Lincoln Lincoln Film Society Watford Palace Theatre

London Arthouse Crouch End Everyman Muswell Hill Barbican Cinema Everyman Screen On the Green,

Islington Bernie Grant Arts Centre Gate Cinema, Notting Hill Bertha Dochouse Genesis Cinema, Mile End BFI Southbank Greenwich Picturehouse Ciné Lumière, London Hackney Picturehouse Cinema Museum, London ICA, London Clapham Picturehouse JW3 Crouch End Picturehouse Odeon Covent Garden Curzon Bloomsbury Olympic Cinema, Barnes Curzon Goldsmiths Phoenix, East Finchley Curzon HMV Wimbledon Picturehouse Central, London Curzon Mayfair Regent Street Cinema Curzon Richmond Rich Mix Curzon Soho Rio Cinema, Dalston Curzon Victoria Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton David Lean Cinema, Croydon Stratford East Picturehouse East Dulwich Picturehouse The Institute of Light, Hackney Everyman Baker Street The Lexi Cinema, Kensal Rise Everyman Barnet Tricycle Theatre, Kilburn Everyman Canary Wharf Watermans, Brentford Everyman Hampstead Wimbledon Film Club Everyman Maida Vale

North ARC, Stockton Arts Centre Leyburn Arts & Community Centre Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal National Media Museum, Bradford City Screen Picture House, York Parkway Cinema, Beverly Forum Cinema Hexham Sheffield Film Unit Hebden Bridge Picture House Showroom, Sheffield Hyde Park Picture House Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle Keswick Film Club

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North West Central FACT Picturehouse, Liverpool QUAD, Derby HOME, Manchester Stoke Film Theatre Kinokulture, Ostwestry Storyhouse, Chester Ludlow Assembly Rooms The Dukes, Lancaster Northern Light Cinema, Wirksworth Wem Town Hall Pomegranate Theatre, Chester

Northern Ireland Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast Strand Arts Centre

Scotland Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy Grosvenor Cinema, Glasgow An Lanntair Arts Centre MacRobert Arts Centre, Stirling Belmont Filmhouse Mareel, Lerwick Cameo Picturehouse, Edinburgh Perth Playhouse Dundee Contemporary Arts Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Dumfries Eden Court Cinema, Inverness Screen Machine, Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh The Tower, Helensburgh Glasgow Film Theatre Waterfront Cinema, Greenock

South East Chichester Cinema at New Park No. 6 Cinema, Portsmouth Corn Exchange Wallingford Norden Farm, Maidenhead Corn Exchange, Newbury Reading Film Theatre Duke of York's Picturehouse, Brighton Regal Picturehouse, Henley Dukes at Komedia Picturehouse, Brighton

South Hill Park, Bracknell

Electric Palace Cinema, Hastings The Palace Cinema, Broadstairs Farnham Maltings The Phoenix Picturehouse, Oxford Gulbenkian The Theatre Chipping Norton Hailsham Pavilion The Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford Harbour Lights Picturehouse, Southampton

Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells

Kino, Hawkhurst

South West & West Midlands Bath Film Festival Number 8, Pershore

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Borderlines Film Festival Plymouth Arts Centre Curzon Community Cinema, Clevedon Stratford-‐upon-‐Avon Picturehouse Electric Birmingham Strode Theatre, Street Exeter Phoenix The Barn Cinema, Dartington Exeter Picturehouse The Courtyard, Hereford Gloucester Guildhall The Cube Microplex, Bristol Light House, Wolverhampton The Poly, Falmouth Lighthouse, Poole The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury Little Theatre Cinema, Bath Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry Mac Birmingham Watershed, Bristol Newlyn Filmhouse

Wales Aberystwyth Arts Centre Pontardawe Arts Centre Chapter, Cardiff Pontio, Bangor Clwyd Theatr Cymru Taliesin Arts Centre Galeri Arts Centre, Caernarfon The Magic Lantern, Tywyn Neuadd Dwyfor, Pwllheli Theatr Colwyn Penarth Pier Pavilion Cinema

Exhibitor engagement with the NRS This section of the report combines data from the exhibitors e-‐survey with the findings of individual interviews. As illustrated below the response rates for survey vary considerably across the different titles and across different hubs. The results should therefore be considered as indicative rather than representative of the full range of exhibitors across the Film Audience Network.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Central, East London North

Northern Ireland North West Central

Scotland South East

South West, West Midlands Wales

Exhibitor survey response rates per hub

The Fits Sonita Chevalier Mustang The Pearl Button

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Awareness of the NRS

There is widespread awareness of the NRS across exhibitors, with at least 75% of respondents for each survey having at least some idea of the scheme. Awareness of the NRS amongst exhibitors appears to have gradually increased for each successive title until Sonita, when it dropped slightly. This is likely to be a methodological issue rather than an awareness issue: the majority of responses for the Sonita exhibitor survey were from Film Hub South East members, and as this was only the second NRS exhibitor survey to have been distributed in this region since The Pearl Button, we might expect there to be less awareness of the scheme.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

How much do you know about the NRS?

Nothing -‐ I haven't heard anything about it

Not much -‐ I think I've heard of it

Some -‐ I have an idea about what it involves but I'm not sure about the detail A lot -‐ I know all about it

I have been involved in its development

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In terms of specific titles, again at least 70% of respondents knew that that specific title was part of the scheme. Exhibitor interviews confirmed this generally high level of awareness with most people consulted having a clear idea of the aims of the scheme, and a minority remaining unclear, for example one exhibitor described the scheme as support for foreign language titles, another considered it was part of the same programme as the Black Star season. Some exhibitors however interviewed felt that they hadn’t really full engaged with the NRS

We need to take responsibility, I haven’t been as informed as I should and need to find the time to do this properly

I probably saw and e-‐mail but didn’t pay much attention as I already have our seasons and festival programmed quite far in advance

And others felt quite removed from the scheme

We come in at the end, we hear from the hub what the film is and what resources are available. I’m not sure how our programing team are involved -‐ not very I think ….we don't know why the films are chosen, do they fit in with a BFI strategy?

I was involved at the beginning as I’m on the steering group for the hub, the scheme was inspired by the decline in audiences for foreign language titles, so it was looking to address this, in terms of mid level releases. Then I got a bit confused about what it is for

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

The Pearl Button


Did you know this title was part of the NRS?

yes no not sure

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Did the NRS encourage more exhibitors to show the selected titles?

The NRS had a positive influence on the decision to book the film for the majority of exhibitors for every title. It had a particular impact on The Pearl Button and Sonita; one in four exhibitors would not have booked each of these films at all if it wasn’t for the NRS. Conversely there is also a core of between 25% and 45% of exhibitors for whom the NRS has not made any difference to their programming decision, these being the types of films they would be showing anyway. Looking in more depth at those exhibitors who considered the NRS to be either very important or important in their decision to book that title, we can see that a wide range of exhibitors of different scales are represented, however, as was hoped, the scheme has had the greatest impact on smaller and mid sized venues. Large Mac, Birmingham QFT, Belfast QUAD, Derby Medium Brewery Arts Centre South Hill Park Strand Arts Centre Newlyn FilmHouse

Saffron Screen Exeter Phoenix Arts Picturehouse The Roses

Erroll Flynn Filmhouse The Poly, Falmouth

Smaller/ Film Societies Electric Palace The Film Place Magic Lantern Portico

Glass Eye Carn to Cove Swale Film Society The Watermark

Kinokulture Denbigh Film Club Liverpool Small Cinema, Ludlow Assembly Rooms

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

How important was the NRS in your decision to book [title]?

Very important -‐ I wouldn’t have booked it if it wasn't for the NRS

Important -‐ I was considering booking it and the NRS support intluenced me a lot Quite important -‐ I was considering booking it and the NRS support intluenced me a little Unimportant -‐ I was going to book it anyway

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An Lanntair

Overall, survey findings suggest that the NRS had the greatest impact on exhibitor bookings for Sonita, and least impact on Chevalier. Exhibitor interviews enabled us to explore this area in more depth, and reasons for booking the NRS titles stated by interviewees were: If they had already seen the film, so felt able to make an informed decision

I saw Mustang and thought it was brilliant. I would have shown it anyway but because of NRS we extended its run (brought it back the following week for another 3 days). I really believed in the film

If the film had some kind of track record, eg previous work by that director was popular

The Pearl Button directors’ previous film did well for us The marketing support available through the NRS

For Chevalier, the marketing pack was a hook. The background and context is useful, it saves time and helps when you haven’t seen the film, the beer mats were a nice touch, and we used them in our own bar to raise awareness of the film programme

What other films were available at that time

August is a bit of a dead time so there were no other titles competing anyway Supporting the aims of the NRS

I wanted to support it, I have a commitment to the idea and the purpose of the scheme Encouragement from their hub

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3

The Fits

Sonita

Chevalier

Mustang

The Pearl Button

Average impact of NRS on booking decision

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I wasn’t going to show The Fits but [xxx] persuaded me, on the phone she shared what they [the FHLO] were doing as ideas

What stopped exhibitors booking the NRS titles? Looking at the reasons why exhibitors chose not to book the NRS titles we can see that it is primarily about the audience and box office potential for that particular title rather than a lack of confidence in the NRS. Note -‐ All respondents had already or planned to book Mustang, therefore it doesn’t feature in this chart.

Exhibitor interviews suggested other factors too, primarily timing. When titles were announced there wasn’t enough notice to fit the film in their programme, to be able to plan an effective marketing campaign, use the materials, and make the most of the opportunity. Many exhibitors have a single screen and limited programming flexibility. They are also producing monthly (or even less frequent) publicity brochures.

They both felt quite last minute, The Fits particularly

Sonita, I would have taken and wanted to, but the deadline was too tight for us to get in our brochure and do marketing

Timing in terms of other films available at the same time also played a part, if there were other strong titles available, this had an impact

Sonita I wanted to show it, but difficult timing as there were too many big releases at the same time and I couldn’t justify losing the screen space

Like all cultural organisations these exhibitors are balancing financial and cultural objectives and without the flexibility of multiple screens they feel these pressures particularly

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

The Pearl Button

Chevalier Sonita The Fits

If you didn't book [title] -‐ why not?

I didn't think the NRS would make any difference to the audience I could reach I didn't think it would do very good business

I didn't think it was the right kind of title for my audience

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acutely, and the interviews provided more detail of the business and audience factors identified in the survey.

There is ongoing friction between financial imperatives to be a sustainable organisation and desire to show 'groundbreaking' art…. the balance between artistic and financial considerations is key for us

Need to always balance being a film fan with financial pressure, and I can't always programme the films I love, I need to think about audience and financial implications

Part of this is programming what they perceive as being ‘right’ for their audience. All of the exhibitors consulted for this evaluation described their core audience as older (45+) white and middle class, and this has a direct impact on their programming choices.

The Fits, I saw it and had a feeling it wasn't the right kind of fit for our cinema and what we show

Our local population does inform our programming, quality drama does well, but we try to intersperse with more left field choices Chevalier I probably would play anyway, the others probably not, given the young audience skew

How useful was the marketing support The NRS marketing support consists of

• A centrally produced ‘marketing pack’ with assets such as sample social media, brochure and press release copy, images, GIFs, printed publicity, trailer links and videos

• Regional support that is either organised or funded by each hub, including preview screenings, support for special events; social media; freelance marketing support; regional press and advertising; support for flyer, poster and banner design & print.

The marketing pack was used by the majority of respondents for three out of the five titles. As we might expect, for The Pearl Button which was the first title, just under half of respondents used the marketing pack, but by the time Chevalier was released, over 80% of venues accessed the support. This dropped to just 30% for Sonita, which is likely be explained by respondents to the Sonita survey being less familiar with the workings of the NRS. Looking at the reasons why exhibitors didn’t access the resources for this title, the most cited reasons were lack of time, and that they didn’t know how to.

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There is a relatively even split between use of the centrally provided ‘marketing pack’ and Regional Hub support for most titles, with the exception of The Pearl Button, for which exhibitors were twice as likely to use the central support compared to the Hub support. Almost one third of respondents to the Sonita survey who did use the marketing resources weren’t sure which aspect of support they had used. What were the most useful resources? The centrally provided ‘marketing pack’ contained a variety of resources depending on the target audience for the film including, sample copy, templates, web assets and GIFs, links to trailers and posters and flyers.

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40%

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80%

100%

The Pearl Button


Did you use the marketing support provided?

yes no not sure

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20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

The Pearl Button


Which aspects did you use?

Central Hub Not sure

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0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Online trailer Posters

Press pack Web assets Postcards

Sample posts and tweets Email template

Video/audio content Special event/Q&A/speaker

Sample brochure copy Facebook ads Talent tour

Regional press support Local preview screening

The Pearl Button -‐ how useful were marketing resources?

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Online trailer Web assets

Facebook ads Sample posts and tweets

Video/audio Regional press support

Local publicity distribution Email template

Conversations about cinema website The time is now website Local preview screening Sample brochure copy

Special event/Q&A/speaker Turkish language copy/posts/tweets

Mustang -‐ how useful were marketing resources?

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0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Quad poster Online trailer Web assets

Print Social media competitions

Financial support for Facebook ads Regional hub support

Sample posts and tweets Regional press support Sample brochure copy

Conversations about cinema website

Chevalier -‐ how useful were marketing resources?

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Online trailer Financial support for Facebook

Sonita articles and content Web assests

Regional Hub support Conversations about Cinema website

Conversations about Cinema Sample brochure copy

Network contacts

Sonita -‐ how useful were marketing resources?

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Overall, exhibitors considered on-‐line trailer, posters and flyers, Facebook ads and web assets as the most useful aspects of the marketing resources. Conversations about Cinema (website and postcards), brochure copy and regional press support were considered the least useful.

Regional hub support Regional support from Hubs was primarily in the form of funding to individual cinemas for Facebook and other social media advertising, funding was also used to support the production and distribution of flyers and other marketing materials. A small number of respondents to the survey commented that they didn’t know what support had been provided by their hub, whilst others described their hub as providing links, sample copy and print (which were in fact part of the ‘marketing pack’).

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Online trailer Posters and tlyers

Sample posts and tweets Regional hub support

Onine ads/competitions GIFs

Short video clips Network contacts

Financial support for Facebook ads Conversations about cinema website

Sample brochure copy Conversations about cinema

Financial support for publicity

The Fits -‐ how useful were marketing resources?

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As we have seen, the majority of exhibitors used the materials provided for the majority of titles. Looking at the reasons why the resources weren’t used, the picture is mixed. For The Pearl Button the main reason (as we might expect, as this was the first title) was I didn’t know what was available, for The Fits, the main reason was other (primarily I haven’t screened the film yet). For the other titles the reasons are varied. The main reason cited under other for the other titles was materials arrived too late to be of use. There was widespread appreciation amongst exhibitors we interviewed for the marketing resources; saving time was considered the key benefit, and financial support of social media advertising was the most frequently mentioned aspect of support.

It’s like an outsourced part of the marketing team with the prep work already done, it accelerates our marketing. Discussion of angles, target audiences etc is really, really valuable, particularly if you haven’t seen the film

Two exhibitors noted that they needed to balance the time they spend on promoting particular titles

I don't really have the time to use the marketing for just one film, one day, that might only attract a handful of people

Assets are great, but only if you have the time to use them

Exhibitors varied in how much they made use of the Hub financial support, one commenting that

Our Film hub plays a key role -‐ we are 'spoilt' because of lack of other exhibitors in [our region]. They funded a banner for Mustang, boosted Facebook posts etc.

Whilst one was unaware that there was small scale financial support easily available, and assumed he needed to go through the same process as for other initiatives

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

If you didn't use the marketing support provided by the NRS why was

that? Other

The materials weren't relevant to me I didn’t know how to access the materials I didn’t think it would make much difference I didn’t have time

I didn’t know what was available

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I did a couple of applications to [Hub] for our diversity season but the time involved to do the form, sort out the logos, do the surveys, it scares me off…

And another only realised this support was available when Sonita was released.

Influence on booking decisions Exhibitor interviews explored the factors that would make exhibitors more likely to book an NRS title. Once again, timing was the most consistent factor, with interviewees noting that a longer lead time (two months ideally) would enable them to fit the film in their programme, make full use of the marketing resources and organise relevant events and promotions. One exhibitor made the point that knowing about marketing messages for a title is also really useful to inform their programming decision. Some interviewees also noted that the definition of challenging titles varies, depending on the scale and location of venues, and that that titles that might not necessarily be considered risky in some contexts (multi screen venues in big cities) are challenging for venues such as theirs. Not because they don’t want to programme a diverse range of titles, but because they are acutely aware of the financial impacts of these decisions. This would mean they would be less likely to programme them (even with the NRS marketing support). More consistency and clarity in communicating the aims of the scheme would help shift the perception that films were chosen on an ‘ad hoc’ basis. A couple of people mentioned more sharing of information about which other venues had already booked the film, to enable sharing of ideas and plans; and after the title had been screened a chance to share learning and experiences, especially with cinemas which had been successful. One person mentioned reducing the financial risk in terms of offering a lower minimum guarantee.

Film Society/Community Cinema engagement with the NRS Although the NRS is aimed primarily at the theatrical exhibition sector, community cinemas and film societies can potentially play a significant role in the ‘long tail’ success of a film title. We contacted three of the most active and adventurous film societies to get their perspective on the NRS. All three were very positive about the screening the types of films selected by the NRS and all had shown Mustang, which was considered to have been very successful; two societies had also screened The Pearl Button. Their decision to show these titles was primarily because the programmers had the opportunity to see the films at the ICO’s Screening Days, and so felt confident to include them in their programme. Even though NRS marketing support wasn’t necessarily a key factor in their programming decision, two of the societies did make use of the resources provided through the NRS. All three agreed that the key challenges of involving societies like theirs in the NRS are their long lead times, (with many programming six, or even

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twelve months in advance) and providing the opportunity to see titles before programming them.

Conclusions

What is working well There is widespread support and enthusiasm across the independent exhibition and distribution sector for the New Release Strategy and what it is trying to achieve and many aspects of the scheme are working well.

• The scheme has achieved high levels of awareness and engagement across the Film

Audience Network, and more than 200 exhibitors have shown at least one of the NRS titles.

• The scheme has successfully encouraged exhibitors to screen a wider range of titles

than they would usually; with the strongest impact on bookings for Sonita.

• The scheme as a whole is effectively engaging distributors with the aims and activities of the Film Audience Network.

• The NRS has successfully broadened audience choice. One in four audience members

overall were introduced to a type of film they wouldn’t usually watch, and this was most pronounced for The Pearl Button; almost half the audience considered this film to be different to what they normally watch.

• Audiences feel very positive about their new film experience with 96% of those who

were watching something different, saying they were likely or very likely to watch something similar in the future.

• NRS titles were particularly successful in terms of showing other cultures and

introducing audiences to foreign language films, and the films chosen had a powerful emotional impact on audiences.

• Almost one third of audiences who saw an NRS title were involved in other activity

around the film they watched, either an introduction, Q & A or a discussion (both formal and informal), and more than three quarters of audience members considered they had learnt something as a result of watching the film.

• The marketing pack is highly valued by both exhibitors and distributors. The resources

– particularly the digital assets – save busy and stretched exhibitors valuable time, and the assets produced -‐ particularly for Chevalier -‐ effectively complement distributors own campaigns.

• The Project Manager is universally praised for their enthusiasm and efficiency, and the

process of liaison with distributors is running very smoothly.

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What could be improved The NRS team are already putting a number of ideas into place following the NRS strategy day, including

• Exploring how to align NRS title selection with Screening Days • Exploring ways to make screeners more available • Developing a more formal distributor agreement • Improving communications • Exploring potential for regional marketing support • Exploring potential offer for community cinemas

Some of the recommendations that follow may duplicate developments already taking place. The key issues for developing this next stage of the NRS are around improving engagement and communications with all key stakeholders and participants who can contribute to the success of the scheme, and the following inter related developments are suggested. Improving understanding of, and engagement with, the scheme

• Consultation with invited Hub and exhibitor representation and partners to discuss and agree how the scheme should work moving forward. We suggest a number of developments to the scheme below, but we think it is crucial that the NRS is created by those that are its primary beneficiaries.

• Areas to consider include o Clarifying the overall aims and process of the scheme o Reviewing the programming process o Confirming the role and responsibilities of those on the group as

representatives of their Hubs and wider exhibitors o Clarifying the role and responsibilities of Hubs as a vital bridge between the

programming group and exhibitors o Improving consultation and ongoing communication between the Programme

group and Hubs and exhibitors

• Once there is agreement about the refined shape, structure and process of the NRS, the scheme should be ‘re-‐ launched’ to Hubs, exhibitors, distributors and partners with clear messages about its purpose and how it will work.

Improving the process for selecting titles

• Selection of the next three titles should be informed by their ‘riskiness’ in terms of smaller and mid scale exhibitors.

• There should also be a set of criteria agreed – and adhered to -‐ around minimum window of time required for an NRS title and minimum level of distributor support.

• The programming process should be aligned with Screening Days, and a wider range of

people invited to contribute to programming decisions, including those with audience development/marketing expertise. However it is important to recognise that decisions have to be made and that will not always be possible to get a unanimous agreement.

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• Dates for each selection process should be set in advance (see above) and this information shared with distributors and the wider FAN membership.

Adopting a more strategic approach

• There should be discussions with the BFI as soon as possible to clarify the situation with the new ‘Audiences’ Fund and strong representation made about the advantages of enabling titles to be supported by both the NRS and the Audiences fund.

• NRS investment should be aimed at smaller and medium sized exhibitors – its key

purpose should be to encourage these exhibitors to show the selected NRS titles and it’s audience focus should be on encouraging their existing audience to try something different. Marketing resources and support should therefore be focused on achieving this objective. However, there also needs to be a recognition that FHLO support of NRS titles and their cultural leadership can play a key part in the success of the scheme.

• Opportunities to align the NRS with existing similar initiatives such as Tyneside

Cinema’s ‘Spotlight’ and Film Hub North West Central’s ‘Venue Support Scheme’ should be explored to avoid duplication and maximise the impact of the investment

• Titles should be selected with a consistent target audience in mind. This would enable

exhibitors to integrate the scheme with their own audience development strategies and support more long term planning, whilst still creating responsive and flexible campaigns based on the selling points of the particular title selected.

• One obvious suggestion is to align with the BFI’s strategic focus on 16-‐ 30 year olds.

However, the challenge of effectively reaching this audience should not be over estimated, partly because such a broad demographic doesn’t represent a coherent and practical target audience, and partly because achieving such a shift in audience profile for smaller and mid sized exhibitors is likely to require a more comprehensive approach beyond the scope of the NRS. For example

o A realistic sense of what can be achieved, based on understanding the local

context o Broader changes to programming and other aspects of their offer o Investment in marketing o Capacity development o Long term focus

Realising the potential of the Hubs

• Hubs have a key role to play in ensuring the success of the scheme. Hub staff should have strong representation in the consultation noted above, and all of the areas under consideration are likely to help with Hub engagement, in particular:

o Increased clarity around the aims of the scheme o Increased clarity about their role as advocates and active supporters of the

scheme to exhibitors in their area o A focused approach in which Hub staff identify and engage key exhibitors

amongst their membership in the scheme – this can be responsive to their own

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context and membership, and could include for example, community cinemas and commercial cinemas as well as medium and small independent exhibitors

o Investment in freelance regional marketing co-‐ordinators to provide focused specialist support for exhibitors, and relieve the pressure on Hub staff (if funding allows)

Improving the evaluation process

• The evaluation process should be simplified and streamlined to try and ensure more representative audience and exhibitor data is obtained for the next stage.

exhibitor nrs final eval report summary · 2017-06-07 · ! 5! thenew!release!strategy!films!...

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