Entertainment: Screening films
Looking at it from behind you bar, it might seem as though staying in is the new going out, as they say. But it's by no means as simple as that. One booming leisure activity, for example, is film-going.
Despite early-release DVDs and big screens for the home, multiplex cinemas and the new digital presentations continue to lure people out for the latest blockbuster.
So isn't it time pubs got a piece of the movie action? Well, that's the conclusion increasing numbers of licensees are coming to as they use their plasmas to pull in the punters on a quiet night.
Filmbank Distributors, the studio-owned organisation which arranges screening licences, says that the company is getting more interest from pubs and bars this year - but a lack of knowledge, especially about where they stand legally, is holding some back.
Here Filmbank marketing manager Nicola Metselaar answers the questions.
How much business do you do with pubs?
We are receiving more and more applications from pubs and bars across the country for both our Public Video Screening (PVS) licence and the commercial Single Title Screening (STS) licence.
The PVS licence permits unlimited screenings during the year for an annual fee to a non-paying audience.
The STS licence permits screenings to a paying audience, enabling pubs to create meal deals or promote themed events around a film.
Are there any particular kinds of films pubs go for?
It depends on the pub. The majority of applications we are seeing are from family pubs who are looking for ways to bring the whole family through their doors.
For them this means they may come and have lunch there and stay for the afternoon so the whole family can enjoy the film. On the other hand, the parents may think this is a fantastic way of entertaining the kids alone while they have a drink in the pub with their friends.
Either way, the publican ensures their custom for a longer period and encourages use of the pub as a family/community centre.
We also have some pubs that are organising regular Sunday film clubs where they show anything from blockbusters such as Spiderman through to independent films, depending on their clientele. There are so many films to choose from that licensees can be as creative as they like.
How frequently will a pub screen films?
Again, it depends on the pub. We have mostly been raising awareness of the PVS licence since this covers screenings throughout the year and allows pubs to use their own or rented DVDs for one fixed fee.
This means that they can either show films in the background to add ambience - say, screening It's A Wonderful Life during their Christmas lunch - or as part of a regular film club.
The only restriction is that because this is a non-commercial licence they cannot charge for entry to see the film and they can only promote the screening within the pub.
If a pub is looking to raise some money for the local community, wants to create a themed event to promote outside the venue or wants to charge for entry, it can apply for an STS licence. The major benefit to this licence, aside from the direct money-making aspect, is that many films are made available prior to DVD and Pay TV release and only 10 to 12 weeks following the cinema release.
If people have missed the film in the cinema this means the pub could be their first chance to see a new release - the pub can hold its own film premiere event!
Do you have any ideas on how to promote film nights, and what works in terms of making an evening of it?
We're all about ideas using film. How about the following:
• If you have screens in more than one room why not screen a film in one and sports in the other so wives and kids are not left at home during a big sporting event? They will also be eating and drinking which can bring in more revenue. With the home nations all out of Euro 2008 this could be a new and valuable source of revenue
• Theme nights work very well in pubs too, for instance:
- a Bond night with a casino theme using poker tables, a roulette wheel and martini cocktails
- a Girls Night Out with the new Sex and the City film and everything pink - pink champagne, pink cocktails and matching food
- an Italian night. Screen The Italian Job with pasta and a bottle of chianti for a set price
- a witches and wizards night for family pubs screening Harry Potter films and offering a prize for the best costume the kids are wearing
• Meal deals are also a good idea, offering food and a film for a set price. Drinking is not permitted in most cinemas in the UK but the two can easily be combined in a pub to make it a more social evening.
