PRESSING PLAY Malisa Sledmare
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t’s been a tough time for everyone recently, not least for the numerous entertainment venues both near and far. The question now is how will we all get going again if 2m social distancing is still in place when we open again? Most venues will not be commercially viable with a 2m radius between each party, a 224 seater auditorium would only be able to seat 42 people. Ouch. H o w e v e r, l e t ’s look on the bright side! With good luck and a following wind No6 Cinema is hoping to open its doors again in September after what would have been our usual summer break, but how will we lure people back to our lovely cinema? Many of the films that would have been released over the last few months have been held over, whilst quite a number of movies have been distributed to on-demand streaming platforms. Universal Pictures made a pitch perfect call by postponing the release date of the new Bond film until November. There were gasps of disbelief at first that it should be pushed so far back, but they got their timing pretty much bang on. Other big hitters such as Wes Anderson and Christopher Nolan have films in the pipeline
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so what with those fabulous films to look forward to, plus cherry picking some of the best films that have already been released, we will endeavour to put together a programme so tempting it will prove impossible to stay away. Apart from the delectable programme of films being the main way we can encourage people to come back to the cinema it is also really important that No6 makes you feel safe, comfortable and confident that every effort and p r o t o c o l pertaining to safe behaviours has been followed. We will have to ask customers to book online or pay by contactless card and practice the required social distancing. All our volunteers will be trained and will be following best practice guidelines for venues. Films are life changing and cinema can make a huge difference to how people feel about themselves and their lives, they are transformative and make a big difference to communities. That’s why it is so important to keep independent cinemas alive. No6 will need your support when it re-opens, we are a not for profit organisation, and we are completely reliant on our audience for income.
