07-08 proposal
From The Star And Shadow Cinema Wiki
STAR AND SHADOW CINEMA: FILM IS ART.
1, YOU AND YOUR WORK
A)What you want to do:
The Star and Shadow Cinema is a uniquely exciting and novel social enterprise in that it is sustained by people's motivation and love. The Star and Shadow has grown out of a desire within our local community to develop shared resources and a shared culture. Our organisation reveals and cultivates the common threads that bind our communities and brings people together for stimulating cultural experiences. Our cinema provides screenings, facilities, support and opportunities for developing personal and professional knowledge, skills and networks. Through this programme we aim to develop a stronger understanding of film as an art form/means of communication and as a social experience, and through that a better understanding of each other.
With this application we aim to present a truly experimental programme of avant-garde film and video, and develop the space for displaying moving image culture beyond our current cinema screenings. We want to develop our truly experimental programme of avant-garde film and video for the cinema in line with our last 5 years of activity (as Side Cinema before Star and Shadow), but also think about how to use other spaces in our building for the display of contemporary moving image culture. We want to recognise the significance of artists using film from throughout film’s history, and further develop our audience for contemporary artists locally, nationally and internationally.
We can break the programme down into specific areas: contemporary artists film (international/ national), the history of avant garde film, local artists development, and longer term exhibitions.
Please see the separate sheet for our proposed programme.
B) The Idea behind it and how you plan to do it
During our first year of operation, the response to the building and resources Star and Shadow offers has been astounding. Beyond the 2000 members who have joined in the first 4 months of opening, we have developed artists and community resources for small scale publishing, screen printing, experimental music, film making and networking; through partnerships with Platform North East, Polytechnic and the University of Newcastle we have developed exhibition opportunities like House Tree Mobile Phone, Watch This Space and Datarama, a platform for sharing knowledge and ideas about open source and interactive technologies. This level of interest and involvement from the wider artistic community gives us both more ideas (suggested by new volunteers) and confidence in the decision to develop this strand of our programme. We are keen to further develop our practice of supporting new volunteer curators, who are often encouraged to get involved following their experience as audience members of the Star and Shadow. There are of course many extremely experienced and qualified people working at the Star and Shadow to support new people and their ideas, but it also means there are more hands to deliver the projects, particularly in terms of marketing.
The desire for this programme of films is the same desire with which we initiated an artist film programme 5 years ago in the Side Cinema – that there is no venue dedicated to screening moving image work as an art form. We would like to fill that hole in the cultural landscape by exposing audiences to the rich variety of work made on film and video by artists both now and over the last 100 years, within the cinema context. Because artist film and video tends to be more experimental in its content and form, this important side of filmmaking rarely gets screening opportunity – very rarely on tv or even in art house cinemas. We want to pose questions about how artist film is displayed - do cinema screenings as opposed to gallery viewings provide a more rigorous context for artist film and video? How can we place film and video in an exhibition context in more interesting ways? We are keen to have a live element to as many of the screenings as possible (an introduction by the filmmaker for example), because it adds so much to the event, and also it gives audiences a chance to have a closer relationship with the material they are watching. In the same way that retrospectives of visual artists provide a crucial experience for developing artists, so do retrospectives of historically significant artist filmmakers. Avant garde film has a rich but obscure history, and we would like to continue to clarify that history in the North East - an aim that makes us unique in this region. We plan to incorporate this programme of artists film and video into the regular film programme of the Star and Shadow Cinema, adjacent to feature films chosen for their contemporary or historical interest, documentaries, queer culture, experimental music, community based workshops, accessible arts events and film screenings, and film programmes organised by hard to reach communities (through our south asian and cinema of the world film clubs).
C) What you want to achieve/ how it fits in / sees a development of work:
With this project, we want to provide more access to, and thereby achieve a greater understanding and appreciation of, film (or moving image) as an art form in all its guises.
The Star and Shadow is uniquely positioned to present visual arts through film, performance and new media in that we are independent and volunteer programmed. Over the last 5 years, a number of people with differing levels of experience have had the opportunity to programme high quality artist film and video through our organisation and we would like to continue to broaden that opportunity, and the audiences for artist film and video through the participatory nature of the organisation.
Artists and art students make up a significant proportion of our audience and our organisation, so this programme fits in to our regular pattern of screenings. The opportunities the Star and Shadow offers, as an artist run space to collectivise resources, are very attractive to local artists and other artist run organisations.
Developing from our first curated programme of artist film and video at the new venue, this year sees an opportunity for us to really push the boundaries. We have the support of over 150 volunteers and over 2000 members.
2. MAKING IT HAPPEN:
A) Evidence of support from partners:
We have received £10,000 from Newcastle City Council and we are applying for £5000 from NFM to commit towards this financial year of film programming and operational costs. We have the support of over 150 volunteers and over 2000 members. Our partnerships extend to working with Isis Arts, Tyneside Cinema, Sage, No-Fi, Newcastle University, Baltic, Live Theatre, Helix Arts, Waygood Gallery, NGI, Amber Films and Side Cinema. We have the support of some very experienced people in the region – Michelle Hirschorn, Ele Carpenter, Sarah Cook from CRUMB and David Butler through the University of Newcastle to name a few.
B) Past experience:
We have over 5 years of experience in programming artist film and video as an organisation, but many members of our organisation have been working in this field for much longer - Michelle Hirschorn, Ilana Mitchell, Christo Wallers, Mat Fleming, James Johnson-Perkins, Jo Bourke and Noah Fisher all have extensive experience in programming artist film and video. We also have Ele Carpenter who supports programming too, through Mobile Cinema. We have succeeded in delivering four similar programmes of screenings at the Side Cinema and Star and Shadow, and we have strong links with all the artists/ distributors mentioned in the programme proposal.
C) Managing stages:
The programme is spread quite evenly over 12 months, and different programmers are taking responsibility for each event. The programmes will be separated as follows: September, October-November, December-January, February-March, April-May, June-July, August-September. Specific projects will be confirmed and booked in the season prior to their screening.
3. BUDGET:
A) How is the budget suited to the activity?
The budget is almost a 50/50 split between programme costs and operational costs. We believe it is extremely good value, because it not only promotes artist film culture, it helps sustain an artist run organisation in its early years, at a relatively small cost. It is actually only a small percentage of our total running costs, 60% of which we cover from our own bar sales (up from about 5% in the Side Cinema). Showing films made by artists is often an expensive activity, especially if it involves inviting artists to talk about their work, and travel and be accommodated. We believe this is exceptional value for money because we are entirely run by volunteers, and a grant for a similar programme in a wage paying organisation would inevitably be far larger.
B) What is your approach to raising money from other sources
Star and Shadow Cinema is annually funded by Newcastle City Council (£10000 p.a), and gets project funding from NFM (£5000 applied for Sept-Mar 07-08). Star and Shadow works with many partners to deliver specific programmes – Culture 10 for the Glow Festival, and Summer Tyne; Newcastle University for Post Colonial Cinema group. Our intuitive partnership approach means we will build on the many partners we have. The extent and diversity of activity with our partners, with limited resources, demonstrates excellent value for money. Our most important source however is the volunteers that help run the cinema from ushering to fund raising, of which we have over 200 on our database.
We are also fortunate to have the opportunity now of generating our own income through the bar and private hires (60% of turnover) – which has propelled us from being heavily reliant on funding to a degree of sustainability. Our first annual accounts show we are in a very strong position to generate income through the bar and private hires.
C) What is the effect on your long term financial position?
This project allows to continue to programme the rigorous and experimental programme we have become known for, as well as ensuring the business retains its strength in its early fragile stages. If we were not to receive this fund, we would be in danger of not surviving the first year of opening, because the percentage of operational costs included in this application needs to be met, and our capacity for generating income may not meet that target alone. We received less money from NFM this year, and we do face a serious financial risk if this application does not meet our operational costs. We also sub-let to two other artist run organisations (Platform North East and Polytechnic) who would be adversely affected if we did not meet our operational costs.
D) Financial controls
We have an accountant (Paul Dempster) who is working closely with us, and a bank account with Cooperative Bank. We have a team of three volunteers looking after finances – Laura Harrington, Flora Whiteley and Christo Wallers, and we have set up a system for doing monthly bank reconciliations, quarterly management accounts reports and annually our accounts will be prepared for Company’s House by our accountant. All cheques must be signed by 2 signatories.
4. BENEFIT:
A) To your organisation? There are very few artitst run spaces – many of the programers and volunteers are artists, and this project gives valuable resources and curatorial experience for new volunteers, as well as helping the organisation survive and thrive. Artists involved get an insight into the distribution and exhibition of artists film, which is useful for their own practise. This project augments relationships with distributors such as LUX, and introduces our organisation to other artists, networks and organisations nationally and internationally. We anticipate 250 people will be involved in the Star and Shadow on a volunteer basis in 2007-08.
B) The public benefit?
The screening programme benefits the artists being shown (locally, nationally and internationally), as well as benefiting artists as audiences, and as potential makers of film and video. This in turn will hopefully add towards graduate retention in Newcastle, as more students become involved in making and exhibiting film through the Star and Shadow Cinema. It is a resource for communities, schools, further education institutions, resident/tenant groups, adult education groups, youth groups, drop-in centres, lesbian and gay community, service-user groups, community arts organisations. We anticipate 3000 people will have come to the Star and Shadow Cinema by the end of 2007/08.
Star and Shadow Cinema’s Priority Target Audiences are: • People interested in independent culture (music/film/theatre/literature/art)
• Students studying music/film/theatre/literature/art
• People interested in social and political issues
• Political & social campaigners (peace & environmental activists / trade union members)
• Artists, art students and art tutors (Fine Art/Film Studies/ Art History & Theory)
• LGBT people in the region
• People on low incomes, particularly asylum seekers and refugees, who want to take part in cultural activities in the city – we have excellent links with refugee services in Newcastle through our Cinema of the World programme.
Crucial to our approach is to view the audience as more than passive viewers but as partners whom we want to work with.
How will they benefit:
• Community and artist film and video makers will benefit from taking part in open submissions, screening their work, viewing other work and meeting other filmmakers.
• Audiences will benefit from seeing a wide range of different cultural, political and creative approaches to making moving images and presenting ideas.
• Audiences will benefit from being informed about international, national and local political and social issues.
• Audiences will benefit from seeing their, sometimes minority, cultures presented by and for their community in film and video.
• Artists will benefit from having a space in which to develop new work.
• Membership and Ticket prices will be kept low to enable people on low incomes to come to the cinema and no one is turned away due to lack of funds.
• The Ouseburn Valley will benefit from the inclusion of more culturally diverse activities
• Newcastle will benefit from the only cinema venue dedicated to screening artists’ experimental new and avant-garde work.
• Members can also benefit from support for childcare for them to attend the cinema.
C) How will you reach them - marketing?
Star and Shadow Cinema has developed a strong marketing team (through the public forum and volunteer email list) working on an evolving marketing strategy. All screenings will be included in bi-monthly brochures, and on the website (www.starandshadow.org.uk). Press releases for specific screenings will be sent to all local and national papers, local radio and television and relevant magazines. We are confident with our large volunteer pool that we can access specific interest groups with our brochures and posters, and excellent word of mouth. Brochures will be posted to all members who request it. We will do email updates to our email list, which is currently 1500 strong.
D) Evidence of demand
The number of people offering their time to help Star and Shadow exist gives us great confidence that there is a real demand for this project, and the high audience figures for our artist film and video events in 2006-07 add strength to that confidence, not to mention that we have had 2500 members in our first 6 months. The venue gets regular requests from artists and arts organisations to host either exhibitions or screenings, proof of the way people view the Star and Shadow as a venue for artist film and video.
5. MEETING ACE AMBITIONS:
1. This project supports the artist -
Through offering opportunities to gain first hand experience of programming and artist film distribution, and presenting moving image work on various formats; It supports local and emmerging artists through providing a platform for screening opportunities and giving a context for their work (through screening internationally significant artists work and a historical programme); networking with other artists in the region; increasing their skills base and encouraging use of the resources at the Star and Shadow Cinema (printing, publishing, video editing, design, filmmaking resources).
2. Enabling organisations to thrive not just survive -
Through helping towards core costs, this grant would help sustain the cinema through its early stages, especially meeting our high running costs while maintaining a programme that can often be expensive to organise.
6. EVALUATION.
1. Participants –
We hold an annual Forum to encourage our partners and volunteers (programmers particularly) to discuss each others activities and provide creative criticism. We aim to encourage the participation of our audiences, through programming, open submission screenings and emailing of information. The informal feedback from this contact is extremely valuable to us, and useful for evaluation purposes. We will dcoument events (photographs) and are considering developing a Blog for evaluation purposes.
2. Networks –
We will question local universities about the accessibility for students to come to screenings, and/or ways of building in a working relationship with universities, particularly if artists are coming up to Newcastle to talk.
3. Audiences –
We will keep records of all attendances. We will have a suggestions box in the cinema for programming suggestions/ general comments. We will encourage audiences to stay in the bar after screenings and talk to them about their opinions of the films/ programming. We will have evaluation forms for people to fill in if they would like to. We will photograph as many events as possible.