Film programming gets social with Gathr
Ever see previews for a film that was playing in Philadelphia or New York (or one of the other surrounding major metropolitan cities that appeal to film distributors) and think - “I wish that would play here!”?
Now, social media is being harnessed for audiences to become film programmers at theaters around the country.
Recently, the Movies at Midway announced on its Facebook page that the film “Roaming Wild,” a documentary about wild horses, would possibly be screened at the request of a patron.
The caveat is, the person requesting has to get about 50 of his or her friends to also attend the screening.
Don’t think this gives everyone the license to walk up to an employee and start rattling off titles they want like it’s their own on-demand service. Just like a film programmer, you need to also market the film and persuade people to come and see it. For if the required number of people fail to sign up, then the film does not get booked.
Such was the case for “Roaming Wild,” which only mustered two of its needed 50 tickets for it to screen.
The film was just one title from Gathr, one of the latest ways companies are trying to use various social outlets (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) to give smaller films a debut on the big screen.
Described by Scott Glosserman of The Huffington Post as “the lovechild of Netflix and Kickstarter,” Gathr is a web-based system that attempts to get its catalog of films to local theaters. They have coined a new term for it, Theatrical On Demand.
According to the latest data from the MPAA Theatrical Market Statistics report, there were more than 39,700 screens in the United States on which 659 films received some sort of theatrical release, however limited or small. But chances are good that you most likely missed the latest releases from such stars as Penelope Cruz (“Twice Born”), Naomi Watts and Matt Dillon (“Sunshine Jr.), James Franco (“Sal”), and Daniel Radcliffe (“Kill Your Darlings”), unless you lived in or near a major city.
Gathr hosts a number of select, limited-release films from which to choose, and interested moviegoers scroll over the title and select “Gathr a New Screening.” From there, they are prompted to select the location of the theater, and the film will be given a page that will serve as a hub for that particular screening. This will include the number of seats needed to fill in order for the film to be screened (usually based on the theater rental), a sort-of countdown clock that tallies the number of “reservations” it has, and a countdown clock which is the deadline the film has in order to be booked by the theater. The person requesting the film must then promote the film (typically through social media or email) in order to get the requisite number before the deadline.
If the film hits its mark, it gets greenlit and those who reserved tickets will be charged for their ticket. If the film fails to make the cutoff, the screening is cancelled and no one is charged, including the theater.
“Girl Rising,” a documentary film released last year by CNN Films, relied solely on Gathr for its theatrical run. The tiny film ultimately took in almost $850,000 in its run. But Gathr is not limited to indies and documentaries; it also features repertory films such as “Blazing Saddles” and “Alien.”
Gathr isn’t the only model for such film-going, as Tugg is another site with about 1,500 films available to select from, one that allows the originator to share in the wealth and make 5 percent of ticket sales (though Movies at Midway is not currently on that site’s list).
Both are still in their fledgling stages, but they do provide an interesting peek into the various ways the act of film-going is evolving. So perhaps you have an interest in viewing “Decoding Annie Parker,” the award-winning comedy starring Helen Hunt, Aaron Paul and Samantha Morton, or perhaps you’d like to see the Grand Jury Prize documentary winner of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, “Return to Homs,” or maybe you’re in the mood for some cerebral sci-fi, like the acclaimed “Coherence.” All you need to do is select one of the films featured on Gathr’s site, convince a number of friends to join you, and get your cinema party started.
