Everyone loves movies, and while people are streaming movies in their homes nowadays, nothing beats a theatre experience. You can set up small community cinema and do some brisk business. It is perfect for small viewing parties and film festivals. You can convert it into a local theatre with minimal worries if you have a decent space. Here are some tips on how to lay down the foundations of your community cinema.
Find the right place
The first thing to do is find the ideal place for the cinema. You don’t need a prominent place for your community cinema. A large room that could accommodate a few dozen people should be enough. The fundamental properties are a wide enough wall to project on and thick walls to be sound-proof. It ensures that the viewing experience can be a good one. If there are no available rooms, you may have to settle for building one, which is the most expensive option.
Install the necessities
When you find the suitable room for your community cinema, it is time to equip it with the essentials. You can’t play movies without a projector, so you should get one. It is now easy to get a digital one. Additionally, to make it an authentic cinema experience, you can use a wall mount soundbar. It provides better sound than the tiny speakers on your laptop or computer. Besides these two, you need some great seats. Since it is a community experience, couches and bean bags can be comfortable substitutes for standard chairs.
Make your presence known
Once you have everything ready, you should reach out to the community. Community cinemas are all about providing an experience for your friends and neighbours. So release some flyers and post them on local social media to let people know you’re ready for some movie showings.
Setup your programming
It will help if you start determining what you will show and reaching out to the community. While you won’t be able to show off the latest hits, that shouldn’t be what you should feature. Community cinemas are about featuring what the big theatres don’t. You can start with some public domain films, but you should reach out to local film societies to get permission to show off other features. You can also help small filmmakers by featuring some of their work. You can even hold local film festivals.
Iron out your payment scheme
You will need to charge to run your community cinema. Additionally, showing off films might require a small payment. Do some calculations to determine a reasonable ticket price that will allow you to break even despite not having a whole house. You can also consider renting out to private showings when necessary. Finally, consider operating costs and charge a reasonable price so you can keep running.
Final thoughts
Your community cinema is not going to be a big earner. However, it should pay for itself with some additional profit if you work. The true advantage is building connections with your local community.