With the booming of digital spaces, cinema has become more and more separated for audiences. Do we enjoy consuming film digitally over shared experiences face-to-face? Will it continue to be an isolated concept, or can we bring back film communities?
Following the uprising of streaming platforms, allowing varied types of content, the question of how this has impacted film festivals/societies will be discussed at length in this essay. The aim being to understand the cause and effect of these two different film-sharing concepts, and how we can improve any negative reactions by these clashes.
Due to the Covid-19 two-yearlong pandemic, streaming platforms became the new normal for cinema. Services such as Netflix, Now-Tv and Amazon Prime increased in popularity, thus real-time cinema spaces were left abandoned with no other option. These content sharing platforms are subscriptions for film and television content, the most significant aspect of this being that you get varied content all at your fingertips. Harbord (2002) discusses how technology, regarding platform streaming services, is both a way forward for the succession in society and a separative process for the public sphere.
‘Technology belongs to the realm of the workplace and industrialization, embedded in the narrative of progress and civilization, but it also belongs to another story, of alienation and the fragmentation of the social fabric’ (Harbord, 2002: 22)
Netflix as an example, is a video streaming platform that began as a DVD rental service. Created in 1997 by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings, this platform is the most popular of all the movie subscription services. In an article by Christopher McFadden (2020) he depicts the statistics of Netflix users, these being high numbers of people that enjoy the content being received as diverse, typically modern, and unique. Also, the creators of Netflix included an algorithm to find content tuned to the taste of the users’ profile in accordance with the films or programmes being chosen to watch. This is significant in the uprising of streaming services over face-to-face film sharing mediums, as this allows the viewers to become controllers of what is being shown to them. Whereas events such as festivals, societies and even cinema itself, is controlled not by the audience but by a content director who decides what will be displayed to the wider public.
‘Today, Netflix streams movies and has more than 151 million paid subscribers in over 190 countries around the world. It offers a wide range of TV series, documentaries, and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages, including original productions.’
(The Fascinating History of Netflix, 2020)
Buck and Plothe (2019) discuss howNetflix endorses the act of binge-watching of programmes, done by releasing full series’ rather than releasing episodes on a steady yet regular basis. This gives viewers the chance to watch episodes back-to-back, and in result creates a higher demand for this instant availability of content. Hence, viewers are becoming impatient with television formatting of steady releases. These subscriptions are at the forefront of viewer enjoyment, with feeding their constant need for entertainment.
‘Coinciding with the launch of the second season of its original series Stranger Things on October 27, 2017, Netflix published the following entry on T witter: “Ready. Set. Binge! #StrangerThings 2.” To promote the “up-to-dateness” of Netflix’s “programming,’
(Buck and Plothe, 2019: 13)
Netflix and other streaming platforms are beneficial for the public, as it allows for viewers to pick and choose the content they want to watch. Moreover, the uses of algorithms present viewers with more options, which shows the services as fully customer orientated. Unlike that of film festivals, which seem to be more about the glam/appearance of their event and less about presenting for an audience. Buck and Plothe (2019:21) state, ‘Subscription channels tend to further “praise” the dedicated viewer by promoting their programs as sophisticated, aesthetically appealing and “rewatchable” narratives.’ This further announces the advantages of these platforms, however the downsides being that these online spaces encourage an isolated society, and therefore an isolated version of cinema. Film should be enjoyed in shared places and discussed as well as in the home. Yet the circumstances had not allowed for the art form to be collaborative, with digital streaming services further deteriorating this.
Film Festivals are events for film creators and film enthusiasts, these events differ between being more professional and elitist and open to the wider public. An example of a smaller public film festival is the Aesthetica international short film festival, created in 2011 from York, UK. This festival allows anyone to submit a film, and with everywhere slowly re-opening from the 2020 pandemic, the creators have allowed all their films to be available for months online with just one purchase of a virtual ticket. During this time, to have access to this content even virtually, is a win for audiences that are missing the light-hearted fun, and social aspects of these events.
Furthermore, another strand of community film discussion and collaboration is that of Film Societies. These are community driven, publicly available groups and collectives made for those looking to enjoy, socialise and discuss films. However, struggling through these isolated periods, these societies and festivals had no choice but to shut down the face-to-face events. Although, few of these events created their own online and virtual occasions, to keep those isolating at home feeling supported. This was positively received from the public, showing the community’s natural need for reliable entertainment sources. Engaging with us as a team, working with one another, rather than a business and a customer model. Bosma (2015: 5) writes, ‘In the sociological perspective of the art world, a film festival is to be regarded as an institution where the newest film productions are presented.’ This implies that film festivals are like that of cinema spaces but more focused on independent and artistic categories of film. Exampling how these events are typically created from the public for the public, in showing the work of smaller creators to public audiences, usually with the involvements of local charities.
Cannes Film Festival (Festival de Cannes) as an example, is a film festival that began in 1946
with the intention to create a space for those passionate about the artistic values of film.
The typical attendance figures for Cannes Film Festival is generally very high. In an article from Forbes, Chris ’Obrien writes, ‘Normally, the population of Cannes triples during the festival, from 74,000 to more than 200,000.’ Suggesting that the pandemic will have had a major impact on events like this, which once had significant amounts of attendants.
Benefits of Cannes Film Festival are that it encourages lesser-known film creators to be rewarded, in the same way as the likes of Hollywood directors. Likewise, Downsides of this festival are the obvious disassociations with the public, and majority of devoting film viewers. Though, the Cannes Film Festival official website states how they aim to improve this issue in the near future.
‘Despite being an event for film professionals only, the Festival is mindful of this reality and is taking steps to improve the way it reaches film enthusiasts.’
(Festival de Cannes 2021, no date)
Cannes Film Festival is known as a more elite festival, showing films from all around the world. Films such as Cold War (2018), directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, the first polish spoken film since 1990 which received a twenty-minute-long standing ovation. These successions of film appreciation, especially from independent creators, are extremely important for the future of film for artists and audiences. Wong (2011: 6) states, ‘festival films more often are distinguished from those in general distribution: they tend to be nonstudio produced, lower budget, serious movies— similar to what many people label “art house” or “art cinema.’ Thus, being a more opinion-dominated, creative, and collaborative contribution to cinema. Furthermore, elitist, and professional versions of cinema sharing are valid in the celebratory aspects of such, validating non-mainstream creators and directors and validating these events is extremely important. Yet, the public contributions should be improved and more thoroughly accepted, in order to gain more awareness and realism for all those passionate about film.
To conclude, film communities have been severely compromised due to the isolating circumstances of the 2020 pandemic. With the rise of the digitally driven, and immediate access to content, how can we encourage film lovers of the public to engage in shared film experiences again?
Potential resolutions, for the lack of motivation towards experiencing film as a collective, need to engage home viewers by inviting them to feel comfortable in the spaces of viewings. Festivals such as Cannes Film Festival do the minimum to grasp attention from the main audiences of film, which is the public. Open spaces such as shopping centres, parks, pubs, stations etc, would be the ideal locations to allow attendees to feel comfortable enough to partake in discussions about film. However, the digital age has allowed for growing room with audiences at home, freeing those of boundaries in what they can watch. The answer and resolution offered in this essay being, customer engagement. Provide the audience with the questions being asked, such as the one asked here above, and push forward with the feedback given. The audiences and passionate film enthusiasts understand their opinions are important, as streaming services rely on these and are successful from doing so. Community driven projects such as film festivals and societies, would bond people to film just as perfectly as popular streaming services, if the audience feedback was proven as equally as useful to the curators as to streaming service creators.
Filmography:
Cold War (2018) – IMDb (no date). Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6543652/ (Accessed: 19 January 2022).
Bibliography:
ASFF – Tickets & Passes (no date) Aesthetica Short Film Festival. Available at: https://www.asff.co.uk/tickets/ (Accessed: 19 January 2022).
Buck, A.M. and Plothe, T. (2019) Netflix at the Nexus: Content, Practice, and Production in the Age of Streaming Television. New York, UNITED STATES: Peter Lang Publishing, Incorporated. Available at: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/edgehill/detail.action?docID=6038716 (Accessed: 24 January 2022).
Bosma, P. (2015) Film Programming: Curating for Cinemas, Festivals, Archives. New York, UNITED STATES: Columbia University Press. Available at: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/edgehill/detail.action?docID=1974611 (Accessed: 18 January 2022).
Cannes film festival | French film festival | Britannica (no date). Available at: https://www.britannica.com/art/Cannes-film-festival (Accessed: 21 January 2022).
Festival de Cannes 2021 (no date) Festival de Cannes 2021. Available at: https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/qui-sommes-nous/festival-de-cannes-1 (Accessed: 22 January 2022).
Harbord, J. (2002) Film Cultures. London, UNITED KINGDOM: SAGE Publications. Available at: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/edgehill/detail.action?docID=254726 (Accessed: 21 January 2022).
O’Brien, C. (no date) Cannes Film Festival 2021 New Challenge: How To Attract Attendees?, Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisobrien/2021/07/17/cannes-film-festival-2021-new-challenge-how-to-attract-attendees/ (Accessed: 19 January 2022).
The Fascinating History of Netflix (2020). Available at: https://interestingengineering.com/the-fascinating-history-of-netflix (Accessed: 22 January 2022).
Wong, C.H.-Y. (2011) Film Festivals: Culture, People, and Power on the Global Screen. Piscataway, UNITED STATES: Rutgers University Press. Available at: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/edgehill/detail.action?docID=858958 (Accessed: 21 January 2022).
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