Sawston Film Club

Coming Soon to Sawston Cinema

2009-03-11T17:21:00.010Z

Tuesday, 31 March 2009, 6.30pm Persepolis (Cert 12A)

Tuesday, 28 April 2009, 6.30pm The Duchess (Cert 12A)

Tuesday, 19 May 2009, 6.30pm Wall-E (Cert U)

Tuesday, 9 June 2009, 6.30pm Man on Wire (Cert 12)
(To be confirmed)

Tuesday, 7 July 2009, 6.30pm

The audience’s choice – let us know what film you would like to see and we’ll do our best to screen the most popular choice.

Our first screening

2008-11-14T20:04:00.001Z

Taster Screening
Originally uploaded by sawstonfilm

On November 9th we held a 'taster screening' of a wide range of films in all sorts of formats, including 35mm, for an audience of Sawston residents.

We're finally a real cinema!

Planning a work of art!

2008-05-08T18:27:00.002+01:00

This week at our club we talked about making a work of art to go into the new media suite when it's finished. We thought we might try to make some pictures promoting film and cinema in Sawston. One idea we had was to take the HOLLYWOOD image and change it to say SAWSTON. We had some other good ideas but you'll have to watch this space to see if they turn out.

The BEFORE picture of our media suite

2008-05-08T18:16:00.005+01:00

Here's the room we're going to change before the work starts.

Planning for a Media Suite!

2008-04-21T16:05:00.003+01:00

On the Thursday we spent our meeting looking at one of the rooms behind the newly extended projector room. We want to turn this room into a media suite. The idea is that we could then be making our own films and screening them in our very own cinema - very cool! We worked in twos and threes to look at the space and come up with ideas. We drew plans and then presented them to the others in the group. Most of us had the same idea - to put work tops around two sides of the room - for computers for editing work. Some of us also wanted to have a blue screen - or green screen - space. We couldn't decide if this should be portable or not. One thing we did all agree on was to move the big whiteboard and put it on a different wall. We also had different ideas about colour. Some thought the room should be dark blue and some thought it should be two different shades of blue. One person thought we should paint it black and white. We'll discuss it further next week!

2008-03-20T14:42:00.002Z

This picture shows the inside of the original cinema building. We have permission to use this picture as long as we acknowledge that the picture is copyright of the Cambridgeshire Collection. We have very recently put in a funding application to the Young Roots Heritage Lottery fund to secure funds for a project to find out more about the original cinema and also to make a film of people's memories of working there or going to film screenings. We'll work with Sawston Village History Society to find out more and we'll also work the Sawston group of the Cambridgeshire County Archive Network. At the moment we're still waiting to hear if our application is successful or not. Fingers crossed!

2008-03-20T14:39:00.001Z

Here are some more of us working hard on an activity during one of our weekly meetings!

2008-03-20T14:33:00.001Z

This activity is about where we think we are in life at the moment. It was quite difficult to decide where to put yourself. Once we'd finished the task, some of us talked about where we'd put ourselves and why.

2008-03-20T14:30:00.002Z

We're working on an activity here about how we should behave when we're dealing with members of the public. This is important as, when the cinema is open, we'll have to look after the people who come to watch the films we screen.

2008-03-20T14:27:00.002Z

Steve is one of our youth workers. He's also a technical expert. Here he is sorting out cables before he puts them into the cupboard in the new projector room.

2008-03-20T14:24:00.002Z

This is Geoff. He did a lot of work on the new projector room. Here he is making a cupboard.

2008-03-20T14:12:00.001Z

We have extended the lighting control room so that it is big enough for a projector. In this picture, the work is nearly done!

Marketing

2008-02-29T20:51:00.007Z

Members of the film club at work during our marketing exercise on Thursday 28th Feb.

2008-02-21T16:36:00.004Z

Hi! I'm Brogan. I'm at Cinema Club because I like it. It's fun and you work as a team and you learn how to work with people. I'm sure you will enjoy it so come along!!!!!

Sawston Cinema Update...

2008-02-21T16:29:00.006Z

Hi! I've been a member of the Sawston Cinema Club for a few months now, as part of my Duke of Edinburgh Award. My role in the group is to deal with lighting and projection of the films which is quite exciting. I am still receiving training, so I will know what to do in a real screening when it comes to it; but I am confident at the moment after two successful screenings; one of Happy Feet and one for Vital Communities with a mobile cinema kit. Although we have spent many sessions planning for the future of the cinema things are now getting more exciting because with the recent extension of the lighting box the cinema is drawing ever closer to opening!

Sawston Film Club

2008-02-21T16:17:00.002Z

Hi, I have been coming to the Sawston Film Club for over 4 months now. I enjoy the club as it allows me to learn how to use the cinema equipment and learn how to manage a cinema. I am currently doing the Duke of Edingburgh bronze award and so for my service I decided to sign up to the Sawston Film Club. By joining the Sawston Film Club, I was entered into the Arts Award.

Sawston Film Club

2008-02-21T16:07:00.003Z

Hi my name is Adam, and I have been coming to the Cinema Group right from the beginning. I was interested in this group, mainly because I enjoy making stop-motion movies, and would like to learn more about how the cinema is run, and I am really enjoying it at the moment. Furthermore, I am working towards my Bronze Arts Award.
Personally, I really hope that the cinema gets up and running soon, as it costs too much to go to the cinema in Cambridge regularly, and having a local cinema would cost me a lot less. In the last month, I have been to the cinema twice, in order to see Aliens Vs Predator:Requiem and Cloverfield, and I am hoping to go again soon to see Jumper. Although I have only been to the cinema twice in the last month, I have seen many more films in that time including; Predator, Terminator 2:Judgement Day, The Hunt for Red October, and Groundhog Day! That is quite a few films! I prefer to watch action films, although I do not mind watching science-fiction and thrillers. I also like a good comedy.

Sawston Film Club

2008-02-21T15:57:00.005Z

My name is Holly and iIhave been coming to the Sawston Film Club for about 5 months now. I enjoy doing jobs in the cinema like front of house and organsing events and advertising.... I really enjoy coming to this club as it's really fun and great for the community!!
So far we have organised a few events; firstly we organised a screening of Happy Feet the film and it went really well!! Next we organised another community get together and short film showing which was a big hit with the community! I hope that another event is soon organised as it's really great having a bit of responsibility once in a while :)

We have also started some building work on the projection room which is progessing slowly but surely. I recently went up to see it in progress and it was such a change. I cant wait to start working in our very own homemade cinema!! :D

Holly xx

Hard at work

2008-02-17T21:25:00.004Z

Building the new projection booth and lighting room at the Youth Centre. There are lots more photos of the work on our Flickr photo page.

Work is starting!

2008-02-11T09:08:00.001Z

Today – 11 February - building work started on the Youth Centre. Two things need to be done so the building can screen films again. One thing is that the lighting bar across the middle of the space needs to go as close as possible to the ceiling. This is because, where it is now, it would get in the way of the projector. You would see its shadow on the screen. The other thing that needs to be done is that the lighting control box needs to be made bigger. At the moment you wouldn’t be able to fit a 35mm projector inside it.

We got plans made so for these changes quite a few weeks ago now so it’s exciting to see them now being put into action.

Building works can go ahead!

2008-02-10T10:00:00.000Z

Success!

We have heard that we have been given a £17,500 capital grant from South Cambridgeshire District Council and so we’re really pleased. This money will be spent on building works and cinema equipment.

This means in the February half-term work can start in the building. The lighting bar will be raised and the lighting control box will be made bigger so that a 35mm projector can fit in.

Look out for photographs documenting this work!

Our First Screening...

2008-02-09T12:30:00.001Z

Our very first screening – and a premiere!

At the end of last year our group hosted a Vital Communities event in the cinema building. The Vital Communities project in Sawston had focused on film and cinema, and children from the primary schools in Sawston had worked with the film-maker Hedley Griffin to make a silent movie. Our school was also involved in the film as students from Sawston Village College made the backgrounds for the film and Tom Curran wrote the music to go with it. It was our very first screening and also the premiere of the film!

Susan Potter from Vital Communities came and met with us before the event to talk about the different tasks that we would have to do. Then people volunteered for different jobs. We were all busy getting the space ready – putting out the chairs and putting up decorations. Some people were serving popcorn and some people were taking people to their seats. We also had to operate the mobile cinema equipment.

There were lots of people from the primary schools there and I think everyone enjoyed it. You can see the film that was made on YouTube

Alex Reader’s grandfather was at the screening. He used to be a projectionist in the cinema when it was open. At one point he stood up and told us what the building used to look like inside. He thought it would be really good if there could be Saturday morning films for children again. They used to be quite popular. He also described how the floor was sloping and how there was a flat at the back of the cinema.

After our screening, Susan Potter sent us feedback telling us what she thought was good and what we could improve for the future.

Where to find us

2008-02-09T09:11:00.001Z

This is where we are:

View Larger Map

Happy Feet: Report

2008-02-09T09:05:00.002Z

Not long after our group had started, two of our members went to a Parish Council meeting and told people there about our plans for the cinema. Everyone was generally very positive. People really want to see the cinema reopen in Sawston.

The Parish Council gave us money to stage a film screening using mobile cinema equipment. We did all our planning for the screening in our meetings. As we were going to screen the film quite near Christmas, we decided to show ‘Happy Feet’ and to try to get as many primary school age children as possible to come to the screening.

We got our film from Filmbank. Filmbank is a film distributor. We made posters and tickets and went to the local primary schools to go into assembly and promote our film. We also made flyers and put a penguin to colour in on the back so we could have a competition for children. And, of course, we also got popcorn and drinks to sell. We screened our film on 13 December 2007.

It was a successful night. We operated the equipment well although sometimes it can be quite difficult to get the projected film to fill the screen perfectly. But everyone seemed quite happy. We made evaluation forms for people to fill in, and the feedback was positive although some people said it got a little cold in the building. Maybe we need to find out about the heating and make sure it stays on all the time.

Film Club Meetings

2008-02-09T08:56:00.001Z

Our group meets in the youth centre every Thursday after school from 3.15pm until about 5.00pm. In our meetings we usually have some kind of team-building activity to begin with. I suppose if we’re going to run a cinema we need to be sure we can work together and rely on each other. One time we played ‘glue’ – everyone had to stick to one another – holding on as tightly as possible - and others had to try to pull someone free. Good fun. More recently we were given marshmallows and dry spaghetti and had to work in teams to see which team could build the highest tower using these materials. My team won – but only just and just at the last minute.

Cake!
Originally uploaded by sawstonfilm
We always have a break at some stage in our meeting when we can get our hands on something to eat. Sometimes it’s cake – always something to look forward to.

Launch of Sawston Film Club

2008-02-07T06:53:00.001Z

The Sawston Film Club had its official launch on 7 November 2007. Before that, there had been lots of posters and flyers around the school telling us about it. They said anyone interested in cinema and films and film-making should go to the Youth Centre – the old cinema building - to hear about an exciting project to have cinema in Sawston again.

The posters said we could get involved in running the cinema so I decided to go to the meeting to find out more. At the meeting, Bill Thompson - from the Cambridge Film Trust – and Max’s dad – told us all about what we would have to do and learn to get cinema going again.

It sounded really exciting – and there were free sandwiches – so I decided to join the club and have been going to the meetings on a Thursday after school since then.

There are some more photos on our Flickr Page

Sawston Youth and Community Centre

2008-02-03T11:48:00.002Z

Sawston Youth and Community Centre
Originally uploaded by sawstonfilm

This is the entrance to the Youth Centre, the building that used to be a cinema and which we plan to turn back into a working cinema - as well as keeping all the other great activities that take place there now!

Aerial view of the Youth Centre

2008-01-31T13:34:00.003Z

centre
Originally uploaded by sawstonfilm

This is where we meet. It's next to Sawston Village College.

Welcome to Sawston Film Club

2008-01-30T22:01:00.000Z

This blog is for the group at Sawston Village College working to re-open the cinema and start showing films again.