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Belmont Cinema in trouble?


Lemonade

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I rarely go to the cinema because my tolerance for being disturbed by unruly children in a film way too out of their interest zone (large group of under-ten girls in a 3 hour Lord of the Rings film? Really?)/twats with mobile phones/twats who decide that the cinema is the best place to take a date to yap rather than a pub or caf/twats in general, but I do tend to check if what I want to see is on at the Belmont first. Trouble for me is lack of showings so often can't find one to suit my restrictions. Screen size doesn't really bother me, nor do the folk who work there, although the job interview stage surely has some sort of marking for number of bits of metal inserted in the coupon?

I remember wanting to see the first Sam Raimi 'Spiderman' film and decided to go after work on my tod to the Belmont. There was only me and one other person in there, which was awesome for film watching in peace, probably not so good for business.

I also went to see the Elvis concert film 'That's The Way It Is' when it was re-released minus the segments with creepy uber-Elvis fans, that was also awesome.

So was 'Kill Bill Part One'. But then I could have watched that film in a public lavvy and thought it was amazing...

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The problem with the Belmont I always found is that it straddles the indie cinema/regular cinema divide. The screens aren't big and fancy enough to get droves coming in for the blockbusters and the programme isn't varied enough for the nerds.

Except for the recent The Room screenings there is hardly ever niche/cult screenings or decent retrospectives and when there are, they are always at odd times. A good indie cinema should have all the latest foreign films and jim jarmusches but also screen trashy cult films and oldies.

I used to go loads and did the nails film quiz every week for years.

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I used to use that kind of logic as well, i used to refuse going to the self scan check outs because soon enough they will take over and we won't have till monkeys any more, putting people out of jobs. Sooner or later though, that's going to happen and there isn't anything to do about it. Same with this, the big chains are going to win and it's all that will be left. As for movie loving, i go to see the films i want to see when i think there will be no one there, i normally strike gold but i've had some misses too. Won't be good to see it go but it won't be much of a personal loss for me.

Yeah, well as long as it's not going to affect you.

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I think the Belmont should do an Unlimited card.

I'd love to take a punt on every random foriegn or indie movie that appears there, but fuck paying 9 a ticket on a completely random punt. I'd happily pay around 150 for an annual pass though and the money I'd spend on popcorn and drinks from the cafe etc would add up too. They are stupid not to do it.

xx

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Don't see the attraction with the place. The only people i know who go to it are elitist snobs who think they're something special because they go they go to places like that. We discuss the type quite frequently on here.

Attitudes like this really, really annoy me. They seem particularly prominent in Aberdeen, which is why we're losing all this stuff.

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I've had some excellent times in that cinema. I have a fine friends who work there too, and would be very upset to see them lose their jobs. I am in a similar boat to Moose in that I used to go to the Belmont with a particular group of friends, most of which sadly have moved away, and thus don't go much anymore.

I hope the place survives, and show more cult and future-cult films.

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Here's the full story from http://clnfrqhr.tumblr.com/:

Apr 13

#savethebelmont

Well, I said I would eventually do a long blog post about exactly what had been happening at the Belmont Picturehouse, so here we go.

Firstly a few disclaimers. This is my blog, not an official Picturehouse one, or an official #savethebelmont campaign point. I may put up a more formal piece with less conjecture and personal opinion eventually, on a separate blog, but for now this is it. As such, all views are my own and not those of the Picturehouse or anyone else associated with them. Similarly if any other parties (like the Aberdeen City Council or Edinburgh Filmhouse) want to respond to anything I say here or challenge it, then go ahead.

As it is my blog, there are other things posted up here, but Ive restricted the front page just to this post. If you do scroll back, you may see things that are NSFW. You have been warned.

I am, as many reading know, an employee of The Belmont Picturehouse and of City Screen LTD. What I am to achieve here is to give everyone interested a fairly straightforward account of what has happened over the last year or so at The Belmont, why we are now in a position where we could face closure and what the possible outcomes of any Council decision (or non-decision) would be.

Currently City Screen are still running the Picturehouse. This is the company that have ran the building for these past ten years+. The lease will end on May 26th 2011, this itself an extension of the lease ending in August/September 2010 (I forget the exact date). City Screen have confirmed with the staff that May 26th 2011 will be the date of their final involvement and they will agree to no further extensions if the Council request it. The staff all got a nice letter (no sarcasm intended) which informed us of this a couple of weeks back. So, if by May 26th the Council has not agreed a contract with their preferred bidder, which I think Im free to say is the Edinburgh Filmhouse as the Evening Express has already named them, the cinema will close and the staff will be made redundant.

So, how did it come to this. Well, the Council own the building that we operate in. When they were given money by the National Lottery to put toward the arts, the Council opened what was (to use the official title) the Belmont Media Centre. Instead of running the cinema side of the project themselves, they leased the building to City Screen. The lease was for 10 years and as far as I understand it the Council were to give City Screen a 75000 grant per annum to help with running costs.

In summer 2010 this lease ran its course, just as the cinema celebrated its tenth birthday. Initially we believed that extending the lease would just be a case of City Screen and the Council negotiating a new contract. I cant speak for all the staff, but personally I was worried whether City Screen would want to keep us open at all. As many of you may know, business hasnt exactly been booming in the past few years, due to the combined effects of a recession, increased competition from Cineworld and the cinema being hampered in its business plan due to uncertainty around retaining the lease. However, City Screen did eventually say that they wanted to retain the Cinema as part of its chain. This was around July 2010.

The Council then told us that they were legally obliged to put up the building for public tender. This meant that any other party who were interested in running the building (we must assume as a cinema, as to use it for much else would take major refurbishment) would be able to step forward and present a bid to the council to compete with the bid offered by City Screen. Initially we didnt believe that anyone would, but rumours started to circulate the Edinburgh Filmhouse were planning on putting forward a bid. The Council informed us that the decision on who won the bid would be made on the final day of September 2010.

This is were the staff were starting to wonder about Filmhouse and their intentions. How this would change our jobs and if we would even have jobs if Filmhouse were awarded the lease? If I remember correctly this would have been also around the time that the story entered the press, so the customers had started asking questions about the future of the cinema. Amazing to think that here we are around 7 months on and we still dont have an answer.

The bid decision of course was never made by the Council at the end of September. Next month, they said. Then, next month, then next month. Eventually (I cant even remember if it was finally the start of December or January) the staff were informed that Edinburgh Filmhouse had been chosen as the Councils preferred bidder. City Screen were told that they had lost the bid and began making plans to tie up business. Initially, City Screen and the Council began to work to a changeover date of March 31st.

Any customers reading this will know this date, especially if they are part of the Friends membership scheme of The Belmont. This is the date that we started extended existing memberships to, as we couldnt renew any that had come to an end after January. The staff (for the most part) I think were quite pleased. We had finally managed to move past all the Council indecision and had a firm point where a new company would move in. I dare say we were all quite looking forward to it, especially as by this point we had been told that if Filmhouse were to take over the building, we would all have to be retained at the same wage. We all love our jobs and the chance to work for a new company, possibly with a little money to throw around, made us believe that the cinemas ticket sales and impact could be rejuvenated.

This is the point where things started to get a little murky though and again take a turn for the worse.

We found out, through one of our own staff visiting Edinburgh and then eventually from the Council that the deal wasnt in fact done yet. Filmhouse had been told that their bid had won and then decided to take the council back to the negotiating table instead of signing on the dotted line. We all assumed that they were to use their new position of power (being that City Screen had by this point walked away and the council had no plan B) to knock a few more thousand pounds on to whatever yearly grant had been agreed. Obviously we dont know what exactly happened here, but that didnt stop anyone from speculating.

A of today, April 13th the council and Filmhouse have still not reached an agreement. We can only really speculate as to what the causes of this are, and I have heard a few rumours. Im not going to go into them here though, as I wouldnt want anyone to get into trouble with what other folk may have seen as confidential conversations. The one thing I can guess at however, as well all came to this conclusion on our own, was that the Filmhouse, having been awarded the bid then decided to take a closer look at the books and wondered if the move was financially viable.

Toward the end of March, I think it was the 24th, the Council and City Screen agreed another extension to City Screens contract which will now take us up until May 26th. What happens after May 26th depends on whether the Council and Filmhouse can bang their heads together long enough to reach a compromise on whatever the sticking point in the contract is.

Hopefully, for the sake of the community and for the sake of my job, which I enjoy very much, they can. Id be lying if I said I wasnt irritated by how Filmhouse or the Council have went about their business. We havent had much contact from them, which would certainly have been nice, even if it were to say, we arent sure if we are taking the cinema on, were sorry for the uncertaintly.. However, I still believe that if Filmhouse were to take us on that the cinema could once again be a success. Take a look at the Edinburgh Filmhouse programme and you can see why. It simply would be perfect for us.

In a time where there are now three major multiplexes in Aberdeen, all within about 25 mins walking distance of us, we were being slightly strangled. This wasnt being helped by what I perceive as a move toward the mainstream by the City Screen chain, even if they may disagree. Filmhouses programme would fill a niche in the market which isnt really catered for in Aberdeen anymore and certainly wouldnt be if The Belmont shut. They show a lot of older films, have a lot more film seasons and special screenings and all round more variety. They would also make more use of what is a great bar space downstairs.

So, all in all, I think that about covers it. If anyone has any questions or what not, then get in touch with me at colinfarquhar1985@hotmail.co.uk. Im also on Twitter at Twitter.com/CLNFRQHR

I hope I havent said anything out of place, forgotten any major facts or pissed anyone off with this. But if I have, give me a shout and let me know.

We are currently running a petition here Save The Belmont Picturehouse Petition. If you believe that the Council (or Filmhouse) should support us, then do sign. The council were given Lottery money for this use and Aberdeen is currently in danger of becoming a cultural void. It doesnt have to be that way. We are also running a petition of signatures at the box office, which you can also drop by and sign.

Any support is greatly appreciated.

Wish us luck.

Colin.

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Looking at their lineup, I can't help thinking it needs two pound pitchers, pizza and showing of Goonies and Back To The Future more than Pinot Noir.

This is what I was hinting at. Although the problem is I doubt there is enough of a market in Aberdeen for it. 10 barbour-clad couples in to see the new Juliette Binoche would probably spend more on snacks and drinks than 40 Lebowski-quoting nerds, if there are that many.

I've had some of the best cinema experiences at the Belmont (Scratch, Brick, City of God) but it's always been far too stuffy. They should turn the bar into a dingey grotto-type place to buy t-shirts and posters and drink warm beer from plastic cups accompanied by Dario Argento soundtracks instead of putting on acoustic singer songwriters amid crap art.

I'm almost tempted to not sign the petition because it's not and never has been what I consider a good independent cinema. I've always felt it's not really a place for me, catering more for an older chin-stroking crowd. A real shame because it's all Aberdeen has got.

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This is what I was hinting at. Although the problem is I doubt there is enough of a market in Aberdeen for it. 10 barbour-clad couples in to see the new Juliette Binoche would probably spend more on snacks and drinks than 40 Lebowski-quoting nerds, if there are that many.

it would probably need to be a bigger venue to really stack 'em high, a real flea pit type place. probably all long taken over or converted by now. you could probably get enough youngers into a proper indy cinema scene though, this is a double uni town.

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Friday Night Creature Features like they used to show on Channel 4 after The Word. I must have seen every ropey claymation, b&w, subtitled Godzilla movie in existence during the 90s.

Yes!

Fantastic idea. Make the tickets 2/3 and I'd definitely go. Not sure much other people would though.

I think much of the programming is outwith the Belmont's hands, rather it is the parent company that handles it. It's not really an independent cinema, but I think if it was it's be doing a hell of a lot better.

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Signed. The Edinburgh Filmhouse sounds a good option if they get things sorted and introduce a similar arrangement in Aberdeen, can see my sttendance going up if they do...

If they had some decent retrospectives running, like Dario Argento seasons, or Sergio Leone Westerns, or the Evil Dead trilogy, or shit like that, it would be amazing and I'd be trying my damnedest to get there but then they can't cater for the whims of individuals. I'd love to see that sort of thing on a bigger screen rather than my TV but I have no idea what is involved in trying to obtain the prints, costs involved, etc though.

The old Scala cinema in London sounded the biz, showed loads of obscure, cult, weird films, video nasties, 24 hour horror marathons, along with hosting gigs by bands such as The Cramps. I wish I had loads of spare cash to give something like that a try. I'll add that to my lottery win plans.

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Yes!

Fantastic idea. Make the tickets 2/3 and I'd definitely go. Not sure much other people would though.

I think much of the programming is outwith the Belmont's hands, rather it is the parent company that handles it. It's not really an independent cinema, but I think if it was it's be doing a hell of a lot better.

Late night showings of horror films with people going about scary folk during it would be a big hit in my opinion.

and I mean old school / b-horrors. with stewards dressed up a zombies creepin' up on folk.

would be great fun.

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I'm not sure I'm understanding what the petition is for?

"The aim of this petition is to show the Council that The Belmont Picturehouse is a valued cultural entertainment venue within the community and closure would not only threaten the jobs of the people that work there but also affect the cultural output of the city."

Right, so the blog says that business hasn't been going too well in recent years under the lease of City Screen. He also speculates that the reason for Filmhouse going back to negotiations could be because they've seen the books and not particularly liked what they've seen.

So where does this leave the council? Negotiate a deal with Filmhouse which will probably see the council lose more money through extra grants? Or if that deal falls through, go with their tail between their legs and go back to City Screen with which the business has not been performing well in recent years?

It seems like a very tricky situation, especially if the council want to save a bit of cash.

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I would go so much if they showed classics more. As I mentioned before Jaws would be great to see, Star Wars trilogy, original Planet of the Apes. I'm sure plenty of people would love to see films that were before their time in the cinema setting.

Outwith their control I suppose though if it's the parent company setting the schedule.

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I went to see 'Jaws' on a decent sized screen in the Commodore Hotel in Stonehaven as a kid.

I also saw the original 'Star Wars' trilogy in the cinema plus the Special Edition re-releases(actually I've seen them all in the cinema). Curse you George Lucas for fleecing me of so much cash over the years.

Sadly even I'm nae old enough to have seen the original 'Planet of the Apes' in the cinema. Did go and see the remake though, not quite the same though...

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They used to show more old films at the Belmont and a wider variety of new stuff. It seems that over recent years the emphasis has been on showing fewer films and more well-known ones - maybe to reduce costs. Not sure this has been a good move as it's created more overlap with the mainstream cinemas rather than offering something really different.

I still go to the Belmont regularly and I think that having an independent cinema in a town the size of Aberdeen is just one of those essential things. It's not perfect but I'd be pretty devastated if it closed.

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