Independent Cinemas Beyond Auditoriums
No Thumbnail Available
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
School of Arts, Design and Architecture |
Bachelor's thesis
Ask about the availability of the thesis by sending email to the Aalto University Learning Centre oppimiskeskus@aalto.fi
Author
Date
2024
Department
Major/Subject
Major of Design
Mcode
Degree programme
Bachelor's Programme in Design
Language
en
Pages
29 + 11
Series
Abstract
Independent Cinemas in the United Kingdom carry significant cultural value, providing audiences with high-quality entertainment. Regrettably, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted cinemas’ performance causing attendance rates to drop dramatically. As cinemas largely depend on income provided by young audiences, many venues in the UK are now facing severe financial challenges. Further, numerous venues are at risk of closure which would imply a great loss for the culture industry. Due to significant changes in the entertainment industry triggered by the pandemic, Independent Cinemas can no longer rely on pre-pandemic offers that can otherwise be referred to as the “classic cinema experience”. Instead, new services should cater to the current young audience’s needs and expectations. To date, there has been a lack in research on factors hindering young audiences’ attendance and their preferences regarding services in Independent Cinemas. No studies have been conducted on this topic since the COVID-19 pandemic, making available resources outdated. Therefore, this thesis aims to address the identified research gap by conducting a literature review followed by semi-structured interviews with young audience members and design consultants. Material collected during the research will help in understanding the young audience’s preferences and identifying hindrances to their attendance. Subsequently, several design interventions will be conceptualised to improve services in Independent Cinemas. As identified in the study, the primary hindrance to more frequent audience attendance is a lack of information accessibility regarding offers in Independent Cinemas. Young audiences often do not know where to obtain information on events taking place in cinemas or are completely unfamiliar with such services being offered. To invite more audiences to the venues, information on services provided by Independent Cinemas should be made easily available and visible to young audiences. Further, Independent Cinemas should focus on introducing services that promote social interactions. As a result of long-lasting restrictions, young audiences feel deprived of opportunities to socialise which motivates them to meet like-minded people. Therefore, Independent Cinemas could offer social events like film-related discussions and Q&As to encourage more frequent attendance. Finally, Independent Cinemas should encourage longer stays inside the venue by creating third places. The above could make young people feel more inclined to spend time in venues before and after screenings, providing opportunities to familiarise themselves with program offers and the environment. Independent Cinemas could therefore introduce areas where audience members sit down to talk, read or study. Independent Cinemas should begin a dialogue with audiences to understand their expectations and be able to respond to them. By employing accurate service design offers, cinemas could manage the challenge of decreased audience attendance.Description
Supervisor
Chun, NamkyuThesis advisor
Joseph, AntonySanchez, Camilo
Keywords
independent cinemas, service design, COVID-19, cinema experience, young audiences, cinema attendance
