£500,000
FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR SUBTITLED CINEMA!
Not
content with kickstarting and part-funding 'accessible' cinema in the
UK, the UK Film Council is to input another £500,000 in grants,
to assist independent cinemas to upgrade equipment and infrastructure
so that ALL audiences can have access to the cinema-going experience.
People!
It's UP TO YOU to persuade cinemas to apply to this fund. The
more cinemas that apply, the better chance of more 'subtitled cinemas'
in the future. PLEASE contact cinemas in your local area
and request that they take up this fantastic offer, which ends on 30th
November of this year.
Closing
date for applications: 30th NOVEMBER 2007.
Read
all about it below...
Facilities
for cinema-goers with hearing and visual impairments have improved over
recent years but are still too patchy, that’s why we are hoping
to fund a number of cinemas to improve their access.
People!
WE NEED YOUR HELP to persuade cinemas to purchase, install
and use subtitle equipment. Cinemas can purchase 'access' equipment
at HALF PRICE. Or they could BUY ONE &
GET ONE FREE, to enable more than one screen to become accessible.
Whichever
way you look at this, it's a great opportunity for a cinema to become
accessible at a VERY reduced cost
PLEASE
help to persuade more cinemas to become accessible. Please contact cinemas
in your area and request that they take up this fantastic offer.
If a cinema
has any questions or queries they view full details here
Full
details:
Not
content with kickstarting and part-funding 'accessible' cinema in the
UK, the UK Film Council is to input another £500,000 in
grants, to assist independent cinemas to upgrade equipment
and infrastructure so that ALL audiences can have access to the cinema-going
experience.
Cinemas
across the UK will be able to apply for Lottery funding to update
their buildings, improve facilities and boost access for disabled audiences,
including those with hearing or visual impairments. The £500,000
'Capital and Access Fund for Cinemas' has been set up to ensure high
standards of cinema facilities around the country, improve the cinema-going
experience for the public.
Independent
cinemas (ie those in a circuit of fewer than nine cinemas) have until
30 November 2007 to apply for funding of up to 50% of the cost
of the project, subject to a maximum award of £50,000.
The UKFC said 'Improving access to the cinema experience for audiences
with sensory impairments is a core objective of the Capital and Access
Fund. There are nearly 9 million people in the UK with some kind of
hearing loss and around 2 million who are blind or partially sighted.
The UK Film Council believes that provision could be much better. It
is anticipated, therefore, that a significant number of awards under
the scheme will be towards ‘Cinema Access Equipment’ i.e.
soft subtitling and audio description kit".
This Capital and Access Fund for Cinemas builds on previous funding
– the Small Capital Fund where more than £700,000 was allocated
to independent cinemas for capital projects – and the Cinema Access
Programme when £350,000 was made available for subtitling and
audio description equipment.
Peter
Buckingham, Head of Distribution and Exhibition at the UK Film council
said: "We hope this funding will help small, local cinemas
to remain at the heart of their communities offering all audiences access
to fresh and exciting films in a comfortable environment".
People!
It's UP TO YOU to
persuade cinemas in your locality to apply to this fund. The more cinemas
that apply, the better chance of more 'subtitled cinemas' in the future.
More
info:
More
than 250 cinemas in the UK now have subtitle and audio description facilities,
to enable hearing or visually impaired people to enjoy the cinema. Most
popular films are released with subtitles and audio description files,
and around 1,000 subtitled shows - and 10,000 audio described shows
- are screened nationwide every month.
Cinemas
that have a system can simply overlay subtitles onto the latest films.
The system can be turned on and off easily - similar to teletext subtitles
on TV, or DVD subtitles, so the screen can be used for non-subtitled
shows too.
The
system can also broadcast audio description - a narrated soundtrack
- for visually impaired people. The on-screen action is described in
detail through personal headphones.
Now
many more cinemas have a fantastic opportunity to become accessible...
Cinemas
in can apply for funds from the UK Film Council. To qualify, each cinema
must invest the same amount as it claims from the fund.
The funds
(£500,000), combined with match funding from cinemas, could enable
many more cinemas to be equipped. (Cost is around £5,500 per system
including installation, projector for subtitles, and headphone system
for audio description).
Some cinemas
may be concerned that subtitled shows will have a low turnout. They
are right - compared to the size of the general public audience, the
number of hearing or visually impaired people in each town is small.
Most people take a friend or family member to the cinema, which increases
the audience, but it's still not a huge figure.
But audience
figures for most morning or afternoon normal cinema shows are very low
anyway, and many cinemas are used to fairly empty houses.
Cinemas
could view the subtitled shows as they view disabled ramps, lifts, wheelchair
spaces, loop systems etc. - NOT there to make a profit, but to enable
people in their communities, who need a little extra help, to enjoy
the service that cinemas provide.
Audio
described shows need never interfere with "normal" shows,
as the description - a narrated soundtrack - is broadcast through personal,
wireless headphones. Only the user can hear it.
Remember:
It
is not tragic to have a disability. Disability only becomes a tragedy
when society fails to provide the things one needs to lead one's life(Anonymous)
We would
like everyone who might benefit from these facilities, or who knows
someone who might benefit, to contact their local cinema and request
they provide a service to people who need it. Request that 'access'
equipment be installed. We would like people to try to encourage their
local cinema manager to make an application to the UK Film Council before
the closing date on November 30th 2007.
PLEASE
help to persuade more cinemas to become accessible! Please contact cinemas
and request that they take up this fantastic offer.
If a cinema
has any questions or queries they can view full details here
Queries?
Email: subtitles@yourlocalcinema.com
In
the words of the UK Film Council:
The
UK Film Council wants to ensure that people have access to good quality
cinema facilities and wishes to encourage cinema operators intending
to undertake capital works to improve provision. However, the UK Film
Council recognises that some operators may sometimes struggle to meet
the costs of essential building, refurbishments and other capital projects
that can be necessary for the cinema’s continued running or to
facilitate wider audience access.
In
2003, the UK Film Council launched its Cinema Access Programme by offering
£350,000 to harness the value of new technology by assisting cinema
to purchase equipment that would allow the projection of soft-subtitles
onto physical prints and to beam an audio-described track in order that
cinema-goers with hearing and sight impairments might be able to more
fully enjoy the cinema-going experience.
At
the same time it provided funds to support the development and ongoing
service of a website to provide the maximum possible information on
access-friendly screenings at cinemas all over the UK (yourlocalcinema.com)
and set aside funds to assist distributors in the production of the
subtitled prints for use by cinemas.
UKFC
made 78 awards to all types of cinemas for equipment and the success
of this strategy is evidenced by the fact that today almost 250 UK cinemas
now have this equipment and it is installed in most new cinemas as a
matter of routine. Furthermore, yourlocalcinema.com has gone from strength
to strength, is supported by all sides of the industry and is the first
port of call for cinema-goers with sensory impairments seeking information
on where and when they can see the film of their choice.
In
2006 UK Film Council allocated £800,000 to its Cinema Exhibition
Fund for Small Capital Projects to assist those cinema operators to
undertake and/or complete capital projects, particularly where the works
are considered essential to the cinema’s continued existence or
of benefit to audiences that may currently be excluded (for example,
by improving access for disabled cinemagoers).
However,
much more remains to be achieved. Both of these initiatives were considerably
oversubscribed and the UK Film Council is keenly aware that small, independent
cinemas can struggle to find the funds to equip themselves.
In
the publication ‘Film In The Digital Age’, UK Film Council
detailed the next three years spending priorities. £1m per annum
was allocated to a partnership fund to include amongst other areas Cinema
Access and Small Capital for cinemas. Therefore building on these initiatives,
UK Film Council is now making available up to £500,000 through
this Capital and Access Fund For Cinemas to assist independent cinemas
to upgrade equipment and infrastructure so that all audiences can continue
to have access to the cinema-going experience.
Years
2 and 3 have not been allocated a total sum of money as yet and will
depend upon the level of demand demonstrated by this first call and
the priorities that the other areas of the fund may need to fulfil."
Note
to CINEMA EXHIBITORS!
On
behalf of hearing and visually impaired cinema fans - PLEASE
take up this fantastic offer, which ends on 30th NOVEMBER 2007.
Please enable people - who need a little extra help - to enjoy the service
that a cinema can provide.
A
cinema could purchase subtitling & audio description equipment at
HALF PRICE. Or BUY ONE & GET ONE FREE,
to enable more than one screen to become accessible.
Whichever
way you look at it, it's a great opportunity for a cinema to become
accessible at a very reduced cost.
Application
forms can be downloaded here
Queries?
Please
contact:
Caroline Nagle, UK Film Council press office.
Tel: 020 7861 7508
Email: press@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
More
info:
£500,000
has been made available to cinemas in the UK.
An
independent cinema can apply for funding for capital projects such as:
•
improving cinema facilities
•
buying and installing new technology and equipment (including subtitling
& audio description equipment)
•
converting existing buildings for use as cinemas and/or additional screens
•
new build for cinemas.
Full
details here:
Thank
you!
Your local cinema .com
Website: http://www.yourlocalcinema.com
Email: subtitles@yourlocalcinema.com
