Briefing an architect
Whether you are planning a new-build, a conversion or a simple refurbishment, chances are that you will require the services of an architect.
Ideally, you will find a firm with a good track record in cinema design. However, in the UK only a handful of architects can claim to be cinema specialists, and if you want to employ someone local, you may find yourself employing a generalist.
If so, it’s vital that you seek additional specialist technical advice in order to ensure the space is fit for purpose. Sightlines and sound performance are critical – affecting the floor, seat layout, ceilings and projection booth location, among other things.
At the start you should be trying to build a team and the quality of that team is vital. As well as your architect, you will also need a planning supervisor to comply with the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. He or she is the one consultant you are legally obliged to employ; failure to do so is a criminal offence and punishable by a jail sentence. You will probably also need a structural engineer, a services engineer and a quantity surveyor, depending on the size and complexity of the development.
In your brief to your architect, you should outline precisely what you want. Time spent at the start of the process will repay you tenfold at the end. Guidance is available from Arts Council England, Wales or Northern Ireland or from the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS). Certain topics must be covered:
- Details of your organisation and artistic policy: Who is going to act as client / instruct the design team, dos and don’ts, policy issues, etc.
- Objectives of the scheme
- Description of the site, building and the surrounding area. This can be more than just a physical description; it might include a socio-economic breakdown of the neighbourhood and outlying catchment area
- Key aspects of management
- A detailed description of the uses and activities to be housed in the building
- A specification of the space needed for each of these activities and a description of these spaces
- Definition of the relationships between these spaces
- Technical performance required of these spaces – sound proofing, lighting, heating, air handling
- Level and pattern of use: how many people, at what time of day or night? What are peak times / numbers?
- Expectations for disabled access: Building Regulations have something to say on this, as does the Lottery and the Disability Discrimination Act. These should be regarded as minimum requirements and a greater degree of facility planned for
- Budget – phased if necessary; sources may also be relevant. This item is crucial – remember that VAT is to be added to certain figures quoted to you. Your budget must be realistic. While a lot of creative ideas can be brought to fruition economically, you still do not get a Rolls Royce for the same money as a Nissan Micra.
- Priorities – if costs exceed budget, what can you sacrifice?
State of the art design
“The calling card of the contemporary cinema is the physical image it presents. Going to the movies has become more than a 110-minute long flood of images… Moviegoers want to be immersed in a different world before and after the film as well. The public is satisfied only when the total experience is unforgettable.” Roderick Hönig in Frame, Jan-Feb 2000
The heyday of extravagant cinema building is generally considered to be the 1930-40s, when spectacular and ornate interior design created an environment far removed from domestic living rooms. Now, standards of domestic comfort and design, increased technical quality of home cinema set-ups and the wider availability of films on home entertainment formats and streaming platforms represent tough challenges for cinema exhibitors.
Cinema design itself is changing rapidly. Contemporary audiences across the world now demand very high standards of comfort, ancillary facilities and technical presentation. Local cinemas that fail to upgrade are quickly considered inadequate. Surveys regularly cite criticisms of older or poor quality cinemas (“pull it down”, “we need a modern cinema”, “cold and uncomfortable” are typical comments).
Building quality and appearance play a substantial part in the marketing of a cinema. A number of notably well-designed arts buildings, including cinemas, have become leisure destinations and achieved higher than predicted attendances.
For cinema, the features given prominence in marketing plans include:
- Total view seating – an unobstructed view is the ideal. A stepped (stadium) seating arrangement is preferred to a sloping (raked) auditorium
- High quality seating – seat design has undergone extensive changes in recent years and may feature high backs, non-tipping squabs (hinges), adjustable armrests, double or ‘love’ seats, generous leg room, multi-sensory seats (which vibrate and move along with the action on the screen), and a side table or drinks holder
- Access – a high standard of disability access is required
- Large screen – wall-to-wall screens are increasingly common, affecting the position of front row seating and emergency exits
- Black box interiors – these can be controversial, but the general concept of minimum distraction is generally accepted
- Air conditioning – or at least a good quality heating and cooling system
- Projection – in-focus and flicker-free projection complemented by multi-channel sound, usually based around a digital process such as Dolby Digital or DTS
- Concession choice – more than just popcorn, soft drinks and hot dogs, with local, ethical and good quality suppliers likely preferable to multinational brands. Coffee and alcoholic drinks are also welcomed by cinemagoers. Many new cinema builds put as much investment into their concession offer as they do their screening facilities, as concessions often provide a crucial income stream.
Number of auditoria
Almost all new cinemas are multi-screen designs. Even in smaller communities, new single-screen cinemas are rare. The reasons are partly economic and partly relate to programming.
The economic rationale is based on the fact that there are several quite different cinema audiences and few films cross several categories. Screening one particular film will appeal to some sections of the potential audience, but not to others. Having two or more screens therefore increases the number of different audiences you can reach in any given week, effectively spreading the risk and helping ensure a particular level of income for the year. Cinemas that show films on release date will usually have to offer screen exclusivity in order to secure the film. So with first run cinemas, it is only possible to offer greater choice for different audiences with multiple screens.
The programming justification involves matching different types of film to appropriate auditorium size as well as being able to launch a film in a larger screen and then let it continue playing for a second week, or more, in the smaller auditoria while allowing a new release into the larger screen. The cinema trade is increasingly focusing on the opening weekend box office for new releases and it is important that cinemas can capitalise on the initial surge of attendance that accompanies popular new titles.
Multi-screen cinemas provide additional benefits when a wide range of programming is being presented, such as during a film festival or when a diverse range of community and education uses is involved.
In terms of operating costs, there is not a great difference between running a two or three-screen cinema compared to a single larger cinema. Projection boxes are often built now so that one can serve multiple screens. Capital costs may not differ greatly either, depending on the design.
Seating capacity and space requirements
The amount of space required for each auditorium depends on a number of factors but the figures below provide an approximate guide. The calculations are based on a modern design using 1.10-1.20 metres from seat back to seat back and 550-600mm seat widths.
- 200 seats: 270m² / 2,900 ft2
- 150 seats: 190m² / 2,000 ft2
- 75 seats: 125 m² / 1,350 ft2
The ideal number of screens and auditorium capacity depend on many factors, ranging from audience potential estimates and planned programming range to the finance available and the characteristics and size of the building.
In general, one medium or large auditorium seating at least 150 people is required. A more typical capacity is around 200-230 seats. This auditorium should be able to accommodate peak audiences at weekends (people turned away from a full house may not return).
Additional auditoria should be graduated in size down to 70-100 seats for the smallest screen. The variation in capacity allows films to be placed in auditoria that match their anticipated audience. Smaller capacity auditoria may prove viable as outlined in the ‘Digital cinema’ section further down this page. There are a few new community cinemas beginning to buck the trend as cities gain small single screening rooms offering unusual or luxury seating. It is, however, advisable to carefully investigate the operational economics of operating such small auditoria before including them in a new design or a refurbishment project.
Sound issues
Although film is first and foremost a visual medium, poor sound quality will ruin even the sharpest pictures. Sound is often overlooked but just as you need good sightlines, you also need good sound-lines.
Apart from the obvious comfort and size considerations, it’s imperative that auditoria are designed with the following in mind:
- External sound insulation (how many times have you heard traffic noise, trains or building works over the soundtrack of the film you are watching?)
- Internal sound insulation – this is particularly important with multiple screens where a loud soundtrack can leak into the adjoining auditorium
- Services and equipment noise control – noises such as air conditioning, lifts, toilets and projection equipment must be controlled
- Acoustics – acoustic design in cinemas should be considered from feasibility stage – location, auditorium planning etc. right through to final commissioning
Catering and bar facilities
Bar, café and restaurant facilities of some kind are now incorporated into almost all types of cinema, from large multiplexes to small part-time venues, and viewed as an integral part of the cinema business.
What catering can do for your venue
Catering in a cinema can mean anything from running a kiosk to selling coffee and popcorn to offering a full à la carte dining menu in luxurious surroundings. Your choice of catering operation will depend largely on what you are trying to achieve in terms of your audiences, the space you have available and your organisation’s finances.
Bars and restaurants within arts venues are sometimes perceived by their management as an opportunity to make a quick financial return to subsidise core activity, i.e. the arts. Others may take the view that financial return is a secondary consideration and that the main purpose of the catering facilities is a service to customers that will enhance their overall experience of the venue.
These objectives are not mutually exclusive and ideally, you would aim to achieve both; in practice, it can be very difficult to achieve either. Like any other business, catering operations experience product life cycles that means that while the potential for reasonable financial returns exists, it can take time to establish an operation that yields a high rate of return: typically, it can take two to three years for a new restaurant and/or bar to begin yielding any profit at all.
Restaurants and bars are also subject to the vagaries of trends, which suffer ever shortening life cycles; so catering operations inevitably require frequent renovation and reinvention. You will probably get no more than five years for your investment before you have to start thinking again about the original concept and spending money on refreshing it.
Operationally, catering is one of the most difficult businesses to run. Both the raw materials and the end product are highly perishable and can be subject to daily price fluctuations; demand is subject to seasonality effects within the day, week, month and year. Production techniques can be highly skilled and good service requires articulate and talented people, but catering is one of the worst paid industries in the world and has a very high level of turnover. Above all, food is one of the most intimate and emotive subjects of conversation around. Everyone has an opinion and will certainly feel entitled to voice it if they are eating in your restaurant.
For these reasons and others, many establishments opt to subcontract a specialist to run their catering operations. The advantages and disadvantages of these arrangements are discussed in Chapter 11: Operational Matters. Having said all this, catering and bar facilities can make a very significant contribution in a number of ways to your venue:
Differentiation from other venues
Bars and restaurants are another opportunity to make your venue stand out from the competition. Many would argue that it is almost a commercial imperative to offer audiences some kind of refreshment before, during and after films. The style of operation, ambience, good food, and a range of interesting drinks can all make a contribution to the overall product offering to your audiences. The food and drink available, coupled with a pleasant ambience, will often be the reason why your audiences choose your venue over that of your competitors.
Enhancing customer experience
Offering restaurants and bar facilities has the potential to enhance the overall experience of your audiences during the time they spend at your venue. It will also prolong the experience. However, the converse is also true. A good arts venue can be totally ruined by poor catering services. It is therefore essential to retain control and flexibility over what you offer. Even if you sub-contract your catering operation to an outside operator, it will still be perceived that the restaurant and bars on your premises are part of your organisation, and an unsatisfactory experience for your patrons will reflect badly on you.
Financial contribution
Over-optimism about the levels of financial return available from bars and restaurants is common. Revenue levels depend on location, competition, space, pricing, activity levels and marketing. It is notoriously difficult to forecast levels of demand for a new catering operation and the maximisation of revenues will depend upon very careful consideration being given to each of the above factors. Levels of net return are likely to be no more than 10-15% of turnover. Catering operations are characterised by high levels of fixed costs (in particular labour) and lack of controllability on the variable cost side. They are therefore high risk and it is not hard, with a bit of bad luck and bad management, to sustain large losses.
Access for people with disabilities
Cinemas have a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments for guests with a disability and should make every effort possible to support their attendance. Cinema staff, particularly box office and bar staff, should be confident in providing assistance to disabled customers.
This section covers a few basics. For more detailed advice see Art Council England’s guide ‘Building Access: A good practice guide for arts and cultural organisations‘ and the ICO’s Accessibility and Inclusion guides for cinemas.
U.N. Rules
The United Nations Standard Rule 5 on accessibility declares:
“States should recognise the overall importance of accessibility in the process of equalisation of opportunities in all spheres of society. For persons with disabilities of any kind, States should (a) introduce programmes of action to make the physical environment accessible; and (b) undertake measures to provide access to information and communication.”
European Commission
The EU endorses the UN standard rules and requires that disabled people are included in all programmes and mechanisms of the Commission and are considered in all Directives on standards set by the Union. All citizens of the EU are entitled to freedom of movement and employment across the European States and will expect equality of access to places of entertainment – even if some of the venues are very old. There are an estimated 90 million disabled people living in Europe.
The Disability and Discrimination Act and Equality Act 2010
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (enveloped now by the Equality Act 2010, but still relevant) makes it unlawful for service providers such as cinemas to discriminate against disabled people.
Both Acts require service providers to make “reasonable adjustments” to the physical features of their premises to overcome physical barriers to access. In broad terms, new or refurbished cinemas, including staff areas, box offices and projection rooms, should be constructed so that people with a range of disabilities are not discriminated against and can gain easy access to the cinema.
The Equality Act 2010 similarly lays out legal obligations for organisations to treat all customers and staff equally regardless of their age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race, marital status, religion or beliefs.
Specialist advice is available from the UKCA, Shape Arts and Business Disability Forum as well as your architect.
Funding
The Arts Councils and other major arts funding bodies such as the BFI, and the Heritage Lottery Fund will only award Lottery funding and other key funding for to venues where access policies are in place which treat disabled people no less favourably than non-disabled people.
Commercial considerations
Audiences with disabilities are a large market and cinema operators cannot afford to exclude any audience in the highly competitive environment of film exhibition.
Many venues used to be equipped with the bare minimum of facilities: disabled parking, an adapted toilet, a lift, a hearing induction loop in the auditorium and minicom at the box office. Now, all digitally equipped cinemas in the UK have descriptive subtitle and audio description facilities, and the number of subtitled screenings in particular has risen dramatically, with many cinemas now offering regular subtitled screenings for Deaf or hard of hearing audiences.
Deaf and hard of hearing audiences benefit greatly from a properly installed induction loop system and/or an infrared-based system. The infrared systems can also be used for audio described performances for people who are blind or partially sighted.
New technologies are being trialled all the time, such as wearable glasses with live caption display for Deaf or hard of hearing audiences and audio description tracks that can be accessed via customers’ own headphones for visually impaired audiences.
Sign interpreted screenings
Sign interpreted screenings give people who are Deaf access to films. British Sign Language (BSL) is a language in its own right and many Deaf people use it as a first language and English as a second language. People who are Deaf are often willing to travel further than most if this facility is on offer, although it is probably too costly to offer on anything except an occasional basis. When holding BSL-interpreted screenings, contact local Deaf and hard of hearing groups to let them know about your programme and schedule. Contact Action on Hearing Loss, the British Deaf Association and the National Deaf Children’s Society for further advice.
Subtitles
Following the wide adoption of digital projection, subtitling for people who are hard of hearing has become far more accessible and widespread. The provision of descriptive subtitles for films is standard from most bigger studio distributors but is variable with non-studio distributors, as they are costly and distributors’ ability to create them may be dependent on timelines and budget.
Audio Description
Audio description works by providing an audio commentary on the action of a film in between the dialogue. People who are blind or partially sighted are given a headset at the start of the screening and listen to a recording which is synchronised with the film. The description is impartial, highlighting aspects such as, for example, the colour of people’s clothes. As with descriptive subtitles, audio description is often provided as standard on films from bigger studio distributors but provision may vary with films from non-studio distributors.
Guide dogs should be welcome in all cinemas.
Autism-friendly screenings
Guests with sensory or learning disabilities and those on the autism spectrum can often find cinema environments challenging. Changes that can help include:
- The lights being kept on at a low level
- Lower sound levels
- No trailers or adverts, just the main feature
- Allowance for increased levels of movement and noise.
UK CEA card
The UKCA’s CEA Card scheme supports cinemas and their disabled guests in ensuring that cinema environments are accessible to all. The card ensures that guests with a disability, who need someone to go with them as a result of their disability, are entitled to a complimentary ticket. The development and operation of the scheme is overseen by UKCA’s Disability Working Group, whose members include cinema operators and film distributors as well as a number of national disability charities.
Consultation, outreach and marketing
One of the most important things with access provision is consultation and this should be a priority from the outset. Contact local disability arts groups and get information on their needs to prevent you from making assumptions. Disability arts groups can offer awareness training for your staff. You may want to set up a disability advisory group to help with access issues.
Your publicity materials should be available on a range of accessible formats such as spoken word, large print and written in ‘plain English’ (straightforward, basic English with a lack of complicated language or difficult words).
Websites must be accessibly designed. There are recommendations in Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 to make content accessible to a wide range of people with disabilities.
All your print and online marketing should carry details about accessibility. Your Local Cinema is a well-known cinema listings website for subtitled and audio described screenings throughout the UK and is sponsored by key organisations such as the BFI and the UKCA.
An illustrative specification
An illustrative specification for a well-equipped three-screen cinema centre could be as follows (many of the facilities, shown with an asterisk below, could be shared if a combined cinema and performing arts centre is developed):
Essential facilities
- Cinema seating capacities: 180-250, 100-140, 70-110 (aiming for a total of approximately 400-500 seats)
- All screens equipped with wall-to-wall screens, digital projection, adjustable screen masking and multi-channel high quality sound
- Stadium seating (stepped rake) with high backs and generous legroom (1.0-1.2 metres back to back, 550 or 600mm seat width)
- Access, toilets and seating for wheelchair users
- An induction loop and an infrared system to assist people with hearing difficulties
- The largest auditoria to have a small raised stage area capable of lecture and business presentation uses. This auditorium should have good quality video projection capable of cinema and data/computer uses.
- Foyer with box office, information displays, sales kiosk and/or shop*
- Bar and/or café facilities*
- Staff offices*
- Energy efficient design for the whole building*
- Illuminated external displays and poster areas*
Desirable facilities
- Additional film projection formats
- Flexible spaces for hire for leisure and/or business uses, such as meeting rooms or performance spaces*
- Gallery capability within public spaces such as bar/café or corridors*
- Media production and post-production units (some available to let)*
- Commentary/sound control booth in at least one cinema
Other building issues
Public areas and sales points
Ancillary facilities – toilets, box office, sales kiosk, display areas and so on – are similar in both single screen and multi screen cinemas. These areas create the atmosphere for your visit to a cinema and can range from the garish, funfair feel of some multiplexes to a relaxed ambience with sofas, plants and a lack of strident marketing.
Many cinema foyers also include a vibrant café or restaurant, with people sometimes visiting for these alone and not to watch films. If the cinema is to accommodate a range of audiences, especially young and old, distinct areas should be created where each can feel comfortable.
Concession sales of ice cream, soft drinks and confectionery are highly profitable (popcorn yields notional margins of 10,000%!) and it is essential that the foyer includes a good retail space or food and drinks offer with a range of refreshments that serve different preferences (it should also be noted that high concession prices often attract criticism from cinemagoers).
A number of independent local cinemas include product ranges from local or independent suppliers – which, as well as supporting local businesses, can help distinguish local cinemas from national multiplex chains.
Transport and parking
With the exception of city centre sites, the vast majority of cinemagoers arrive at the cinema by car. The free and plentiful car parking often provided by out-of-town multiplexes is popular and, conversely, cinemas with poor parking are criticised. Adequate, safe and nearby car parking is a basic requirement for most successful cinemas.
Government policies (there are a wealth of Local Transport strategies and policies which are constantly being revised) aim to reduce the number of leisure journeys made by car and to promote public transport. For most cinemas this means local bus services, but all too often these fail to provide a suitable evening service. In rural areas, the cost of bus services may also create a barrier to cinema attendance. If a cinema is planned in an area with low levels of car ownership, the quality of local bus services should be investigated as a priority.
Expansion potential
Leisure trends change rapidly and cinema design is no exception. There are few certainties but one is that a cinema built today will be due some refurbishment and perhaps modification within five to 10 years. It is therefore important that sites for new cinemas make allowance for future changes.
Many of the problems facing existing cinemas are due to a lack of expansion potential.
Digital cinema
Since 1999, when the first public screenings of digitally projected mainstream feature films took place, digital cinema technologies have transformed the way films are made, edited, distributed and screened across the globe.
In the UK, digital projection is now the standard, replacing 35mm print projection, though some key independent cinemas maintain a 35mm projector for repertory or special screenings.
All films are now released digitally, with a small number of 35mm prints now only made available for bigger budget new releases that have been shot on film by high-profile directors and where studio distributors have the budget to create them (in recent years, films like Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer).
Summary of key points from Chapter 7
- Cinema design is changing and greater emphasis is being placed on providing a high quality viewing experience along with better social and catering facilities
- The quality of a building can make a considerable difference to the successful marketing of a cinema
- Few new cinemas are built with just a single screen. Even in smaller communities there are good commercial and programming reasons for providing at least two screens
- Digital cinema technology has impacted the way films are presented, and auditoria design. Some digital cinemas have their control rooms located remotely from the projector
- New cinemas should ideally be constructed to allow for a range of community and educational uses
- Concession sales play an important part in the economy of cinemas. Sales areas (and associated storage) should be designed to allow this income source to be realised
- Full disabled access is required under current legislation. Provision for hearing and sight disabled customers should be incorporated in the design of the cinema
- Safe and plentiful car parking is required for most cinemas and it is advisable to ensure that adequate public transport is also available
- Cinema design and leisure requirements are changing rapidly. A new cinema development should therefore have some capacity to expand or change in response to future demands.