ADVICE AND GUIDANCE ON SHOWING A FILM IN THE DAVID LEAN CINEMA
The Save the David Lean Cinema Campaign (SDLCC) is a Community Interest Company that presents films in the David Lean Cinema. Using our knowledge and experience, we are happy to work with other organisations seeking to use the auditorium and facilities. This page explains how we can help and includes a facilities request form.
Showing a film as part of our programme
From time to time we may be able to include in our programme, films which are of particular interest to other organisations such as charities. In such cases we would pay the film costs, arrange ticket sales and keep any income. We could arrange for the organisation concerned to have a stall to publicise their work, if they wished. However, there are nearly always more films suitable for showing than slots in which to show them, and we aim to show films with general appeal. The opportunities for working with other organisations in this way are therefore limited.
Showing a film outside our programme
Organisations can reserve the David Lean Cinema themselves and arrange their own screenings. There are three separate steps:
- Booking the venue and facilities through Croydon Council who are the owners of the cinema – the point of contact is: venues@croydon.gov.uk. They will advise on the cost (see FAQs below for days/times it is likely to be available). Please note that the SDLCC does not deal with arrangements for hiring the cinema.
- Hiring a film (if applicable) – see appropriate section below.
- Booking a projectionist – please let us know your technical requirements (which will also start the projectionist booking procedure) by filling out and submitting our online form here.
We can then help you in various ways which are set out below.
Projectionist
Because of the specialisation of all equipment, the Council insist that those hiring the cinema use a trained projectionist and they are currently only prepared to allow projectionists trained by the SDLCC. You will need to liaise with us to make sure that one of our projectionists is available and after having contacted the Council about reserving the venue, the next step in this procedure is submission of our online form via the above link. The current charge for a projectionist is £15 per hour. Most screenings need 1 hour setup time prior to start of event in addition to screening duration. Some screenings may incur an admin charge for work done prior to the event. An estimate can be given once we know your plans (submit the form via the above link).
Hiring a film
Unless you have produced the film itself, you will need to pay the owners or distributors of the film for screening rights even if the film is screened privately, with no charge to your guests. We can assist with this process but please note that if the campaign arranges any film hire on your behalf, the fee to the distributor must be paid in advance, to us, at least 14 days in advance. In addition, depending on the format used, there is likely be a film delivery/collection charge of around £24. There will be a charge for the projectionist of one hour’s preparation time, plus an hour for each hour of the film being screened. We will also charge a small admin fee to cover our costs. You may also need to get a local council licence before any screening if the film is not certified by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification). Consult the council for any fee this entails.
Publicity
We can, if appropriate, publicise your screening in the marketing e-mails which we send regularly to nearly 2,000 addresses, or on our website. It is helpful if you can supply a trailer, or a link to a trailer, and provide a synopsis of the film. We cannot distribute flyers for your screening with our printed brochures leaflets in view of the work involved (we currently distribute some 4,000 brochures to various locations) but you are welcome to leave some in the rack to the left of the Arts Bar adjacent to the cinema.
For certain organisations, there may be no charge for film hire or publicity but we would welcome a donation if substantial help is provided. We can advise you of an appropriate amount taking into account the services used.
Further information is given below in the section headed ‘Frequently Answered Questions’. If you have additional queries please use the “Contact Us” section of this website.
Once the venue booking has been confirmed with Croydon Council please get back to us to confirm your projectionist date. Please make sure that you give us enough time to meet your needs. We suggest that the booking is made at least six weeks beforehand.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q What formats can be screened in the David Lean Cinema?
A Most common formats can be screened, including DCP (preferred), Blu-ray, DVD, 35mm and 16mm.
Q Can you do live streaming?
A Live streaming is not considered good enough for quality entertainment purposes. We can, however use this technology for live Skype interviews or similar if desired.
Q What is the cinema’s capacity?
A 68, or 66/67 if one or both the cinema’s wheelchair places are in use.
Q What size is the screen?
A The screen width would normally be 380cm when screening a modern feature film. The precise height varies according to the aspect ratio of the picture.
Q At what times is the cinema available?
A The SDLCC normally has daytime and evening screenings every Tuesday and Thursday. Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons are often used on a spasmodic basis. The Clocktower is normally closed on Friday and Saturday evenings, Sundays and Bank Holidays, so it’s likely that considerable extra charges levied by the Council would apply to screenings at such times. The Council will advise of these when you book the cinema with them.
Q Can the Arts Bar be opened before a screening?
A Yes, but there’s a charge for this levied by the council. Please ask when booking the cinema with them, if you require information on this. The cinema campaign does not provide bar staff for external events
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