Tyneside Cinema share findings from three-year programme to develop younger audiences for specialised film

The Kids Are Alright? - A symposium for the specialised cinema sector in the UK Sharing research and experience of developing new and younger audiences

Thursday 12 December 2013, Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Presented by Tyneside Cinema in partnership with SampoMedia

www.tynesidecinema.co.uk/kidsarealright

Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema is sharing the findings from a three-year programme to develop younger audiences for specialised film at a one-day symposium on Thursday 12 December hosted by BBC One’s Film Programme presenter Danny Leigh. The Kids Are Alright? will present the outcomes and insights gained from the Cinema’s Young Tyneside initiative for 15-19 year olds, including a comprehensive report conducted by research consultancy Morris Hargreaves McIntyre. Organised in partnership with film and media specialists SampoMedia, the event will also explore the future of engaging young people with cinema through case studies and panel discussions featuring leading industry professionals working in film exhibition and distribution, youth marketing experts and young people themselves. Research published in 2009 by cinema industry consultants Dodona showed that although UK multiplexes were full of young people watching mainstream film, they made up a small percentage of arthouse cinema audiences. Against this background, in 2010 Tyneside Cinema set up the Young Tyneside initiative which aimed to buck the national trend and increase attendance by 15-19 year olds at the Newcastle cinema, with support from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Three years on, the evaluation report compiled by Morris Hargreaves McIntyre reveals that Young Tyneside increased the numbers of people aged 15-19 years attending Tyneside Cinema, and that young people visit the Cinema more often as a result of being involved with the scheme. Today the Cinema has almost 3,000 Young Tyneside members, and has also engaged hundreds of young people in participatory filmmaking, digital art and programming activities. This is in contrast to the most recent figures published by the BFI this year, which indicate that the proportion of young people going to the cinema in the UK is falling (making up 25% of visits in 2012, down from 39% in 2009). Holli Keeble, Cinema Projects Manager at Tyneside Cinema, said, “Statistics continue to show that 15-19 year olds form a tiny fraction of specialised cinema audiences nationally, and this is becoming a critical issue for the UK film industry. Tyneside Cinema has spent three years developing a relationship with young people and working hard to make our venue, our staff and our offers more relevant to this demographic, and we’re thrilled to have this opportunity to share our findings at this event and broaden the debate with the sector.” The Kids Are Alright? will start by presenting Tyneside Cinema’s experience of devising and delivering the Young Tyneside programme, including what worked and what didn’t work when trying to engage young people with specialised film. Panel discussions throughout the day will then expand the discussion and address the wider issues around engaging young audiences, including ideas for best practice across cinema programming and marketing. The speakers at the symposium will include representatives from the BFI, national film education body Film Nation UK and the Independent Cinema Office, plus experts working in some of the UK’s leading specialised cinemas including Manchester’s Cornerhouse, the National Media Museum Bradford and the Curzon Cinema chain, and youth marketing specialist Captain Crikey. Tickets for The Kids Are Alright? cost £60 (including lunch). To find out more and to book tickets, please visit www.tynesidecinema.co.uk/kidsarealright or call Anna Casey, Projects Assistant at Tyneside Cinema on +44 (0) 191 227 5524. The Kids Are Alright: Day Programme 12 noon – 5pm, Thursday 12 December 2013, Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Presentation: The Tyneside Programme Get a fresh insight into young audiences relationship with film as Jo Hargreaves from cultural strategy and research agency Morris Hargreaves McIntyre shares the new and valuable research gained from exploring the Tyneside Cinema’s very own young audience development programme. Panel: The Young Persons’ View Chaired by cultural research and brand communications specialists Sean Pillot de Chenecey (Captain Crikey), this panel gathers together a wide range of young people, from film ‘geeks’ to arthouse sceptics to find out about their leisure and entertainment habits, their views and experiences of going to cinemas (both multiplexes and independents), and also looks at the different segments of the youth market and why there is a need to steer clear of classifying them as one homogenous group. Panel: The Industry’s View Chaired by analyst and consultancy outfit Sampomedia this panel comprises of representatives across marketing, programming and education who will respond to the research and share their ideas for developing our future audiences and addressing the barriers to doing so. Featuring guests Simon Ward - Acting Director of the ICO, Marisa Draper - Head of Engagement at Cornerhouse, and Joan Parsons - Senior Programmer at Showroom Workstation. Presentation: Captain Crikey Cultural research and brand communications specialists Sean Pillot de Chenecey (Captain Crikey), will give valuable insight into the youth market, sharing macro and mirco trends and good practice in youth marketing engagement Panel: The Future of Young Audiences This panel will address the future of young audiences for cinema and look at the wider picture of young audience development with some of the most significant decision makers in the UK film industry today, including Dr Paul Gerhardt – Director of Education at the BFI, Jason Wood - Director of Programming at Curzon Cinemas, Karsten Grummit - Managing Director at cinema and film industry research and consulting firm Dodona, and Kathryn Penny – Film Manager at the National Media Museum, Bradford and BFI Hub representative.