London's Outdoor Cinematic Experience

Film4 Summer Screen is one of the biggest events of the outdoor film season in London. At Somerset House, for ten nights only, this renowned event is known for its diverse mix of films and features from special previews to cult classics.

This year’s Film4 Summer Screen programme, runs from July 30th to August 7th. The list of films available is broad enough for most tastes and will satisfy every film fanatic’s desire.

The ‘Behind the Screens’ series is also a highlight of the event, described by the organisers as ‘your chance to hear actors, directors and other industry insiders discussing the features playing, offering a view of the art of film-making from the other side of the camera. The Behind the Screen tickets are sold separately to the tickets for the feature film of the day,

The doors to the venue open at 6.30pm, with DJ’s playing music from 7.30pm and films starting at 9.15pm. A bit of key advice for people is to bring a blanket or cushion as it may get a little chilly and the Somerset House Courtyard has uneven stone paving that will test even the hardest of bottoms.

 Rugs are available for purchase at the venue, but beware as chairs and furniture are strictly prohibited at the event. Visitors are also invited to picnic in the courtyard before and during the films.


Tickets go on sale from 9.00am on Thursday, 9th June, so make sure you get yours!

How would you like to spend an evening under the stars watching one of your favourite films?

Well you can, at Deckchair Cinema, Australia, an award winning outdoor cinema and tourist attraction. It is located on the Darwin Waterfront and is open seven nights a week, this year it’s open from 27 April to 20 November, 2011. This is ideal if you have a planned a trip to the other side of the equator. 

If you get there before 7.30pm you can enjoy the Darwin sunset over the harbour too.

With 250 deckchairs, as well as around 100 straight-backed seats, this experience is certainly laid back, relaxed and one to remember.

The Star of Cannes

It's the biggest event of the year, probably the most famous film festival in the industry, and is probably one of France's most important cultural and business events. The city of Cannes, transforms from a quiet seaside resort into the entire focus of the international film industry. For 12 days, over 200,000 people – film-makers, fans, celebrities and the paparazzi gather to celebrate the Festival de Cannes. During the two weeks, stars from all over the world gather to bask in the limelight.

Since the early 1950s, the mere motion of Cannes conjures up images of the red carpet, palm trees, celebrity parties and the blinding flashes of a million paparazzi cameras.

The festival was first held in 1946 for the recognition of artistic achievement. It came to provide a rendezvous for those interested in the art and influence of the movies. Like other film festivals, it became an international marketplace where distributors and producers could exchange ideas, talk about films and sign contracts.

At first, the Festival was mainly a tourist and social event for the couple of hundred participants attending the parties organised in the palace hotels of the Croisette and the luxurious villas of Cannes. Owing to the great increase of participants, the festival gradually became the annual gathering of the film industry. The striking balance between the artistic quality of the films and their commercial impact has provided the festival with fame and has become a major crossroads for the international film scene.

The presentation of a film in Cannes guarantees international publicity thanks to a high concentration of media, but the festival also reveals as well as reflects the evolution and trends in world cinema.

3D Craze

3D film has become a popular way of viewing the newest blockbusters. It is a fairly new concept, consisting of futuristic glasses and three-dimensional screening. You can't go and see a 3D film without them, so be prepared to endure an hour and thirty minutes of looking a little silly.



One of the early fears of the new 3D craze was whether the big film studios were interested in investing money and time into an unproven market.

From the success of James Cameron’s Avatar it seemed that everyone went crazy for 3D. The film made $2 billion world-wide, not only for its 3D technology, but for the extensive imaginary world Cameron created.

It doesn't go so far as film though. 3D technology is becoming ever more available. Sony, Samsung, LG, and Panasonic have brought out 3D TV’s which are fairly expensive, but more people are investing to the market prices will begin to fall with the new competition. Sky have also brought out their new 3D home package, giving viewers the chance to watch football and rugby in three dimensional.

From TV to the games industry, Nintendo have released their 3DS, the hand-held upgrade of the DS, which doesn't require 3D glasses to use. The company has been under recent scrutiny as buyers were complaining of headaches and migraines from the console.

So what’s all the fuss about?

It can be exhilarating watching a film with this new technology, taking films into a new dimension with the next level of digital entertainment. It gives off a feeling that you are in the film itself, making you move when pieces of metal fly in in your direction, potentially taking audiences into the reality on the screen. Some will find this entertaining and others will see this as a distraction.Whether it’s Saw 3D, Step Up, RIO, or My Bloody Valentine, audiences should undertake the experience and decide for themselves whether it is better to watch a film in 3D. Will this new way of viewing make audiences gasp with shock and excitement or define style over substance?

Would we watch these films at home?

Average sized TVs will surely hinder the effects of 3D, providing little to no dimension on the small screen. The 3D genre is a niche market. The majority of 2009’s 3D releases fell into the category of animation, alongside a few horror movies like “The Final Destination 4 (2009) " or "My Bloody Valentine (2009)".

We will find out in the near future whether this new technology has impacted our audiences or if the third dimension’s time is up.

Leave your love and hate comments about 3D viewing below:

Are you put off seeing films on the big screen by the high price of cinema tickets in London?

Then the Prince Charles Cinema is definitely for you. Defining a cult status, it is an independent cinema and is located in the busiest part of London, Leicester Square.

 Ticket prices can be as low as £1.50, and their most expensive go up to £9.50, which is a huge decrease in price compared to the Odeon or Vue. To get the best prices you have a student card or be a member, which costs £10 for a year or £50 for a life- long membership.

The great thing about the Prince Charles is the wide selection of new and classic films which range from a broad range of genres. It offers UK independent productions, foreign films, art house classics and Hollywood films. Though it only has two screens the complex manages to show six or more different films a week. Unlike most cinemas around the country, the drinks and snacks are affordable.

Dave Lovelock, a music student from Canterbury Christ Church University, visited the Prince Charles to see the whole collection of Alien vs. Predator. He said: “It was definitely an amazing experience; it was very different to any normal cinema I would usually go to.”

The Prince Charles is one of a kind as it is independent and also has upstairs and downstairs screens.

Dave added: “The funny thing was, I didn’t realise it had an underground cinema, it definitely had a traditional feel to it, and the atmosphere was brilliant. I would love to go back again.”

Check out the website for information of what’s on and screening times. This is one place you should visit whilst touring in London, or even just to check out the beauty of its history.

What do you prefer?

There has been a debate over the last ten years as to whether going to the cinema has become a past time.

Do people prefer home viewing?

Some prefer watching a film at home, at the comfort of their own sofa and at reach of the remote.

Technology has advanced increasingly. We can now have our own mini cinema right in front of us. Surround sound is a term most are familiar with, as are huge flat screens, giving the viewer an ultimate cinematic experience.

But is this true?

Do people prefer to watch movies in their home or is a cinema outing still an experience that can’t be overtaken?

Lisa Boulter, 18, from Essex said: “I very much enjoy both. I like socialising and going to the cinema as I like to find out what my friends thought of the film, so we can compare ideas and complexes we have. Although some cinemas are quite expensive I like the fact the visual experience is amazing because the screen is so big. On nights when I haven’t got the money to go to the cinema, I like getting cosy in bed and curling up to a comedy or a romantic DVD.”

Piracy has had a huge influence on the way we view film. As illegal copies circulated around the world, film makers and corporations realised that changes needed to be made.

 “Pirate copies are never as good as viewing at the cinema or watching in high definition” said Hayley Nash, a graduate from Nottingham University.

Over the last ten years viewing technology has advanced. The effects of the digital age have changed people’s attitudes, making watching movies an experience to enjoy at the comfort of their own homes. Now we can watch DVD’s in high definition ensuring the best quality of picture and sound, giving people an option if they don’t want to make a trip into town or paying to watch on a bigger screen.

The cinema is still an event that a large population will enjoy. For others, the living room is perfectly fine. 

What do you prefer doing? 

Why do people enjoy disturbing films?

Most people enjoy going to the cinema. Even if you don’t know what you want to watch, there is usually something for everyone.

The horror film is one of the most popular genres today, and a lot of people will watch this type of film, regardless if they are scared and really don’t like what they are about to see.

Is it the adrenaline of nerves? The excitement of the gore or the visceral shock that makes you scream?

So why do people like disturbingly scary films?

The fascination is the emotive feeling. We are drawn to things we shouldn't be, putting ourselves in a unimaginable situation immediately affects us. The feeling of being close to the edge, witnessing something that you feel you are a part of, something that we do not want happening to us. It is a reactionary feeling and being emotionally affected makes us discuss the films, sparking a thrill to see more.

Nick Logie, a student from Canterbury Christ Church University said: “I definitely think seeing a scary movie at the cinema makes the experience a lot more intense, as you can hear every sound and movement. It puts you on the edge when you go to see a new film when you’re waiting for something or someone to jump out on the screen.”

But not everyone likes to see skin ripped apart and ghosts flying around the room. It could be an emotionally horrific film like "Ghost".

Banning of films has dated back since the 1930’s but in today’s society; most films are accepted by the film boards and the public. This is due to the fact that audiences views and tolerances have changed over the years, plus each person will consider a ‘taboo’ subject as somewhat different to what others would class ‘immoral’ or repulsive.

“Freaks” (1932) directed by Tod Browning was an out of the ordinary horror/drama. The production starred real-life circus performers with a twist. Not easily forgotten as the characters were ‘human oddities’, resilient and compassionate. A trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of the side show performers, a midget named Hans. The story goes on to reveal that she is only marrying him for his inheritance, and his deformed friends set out to avenge pursuit of the woman and her wicked ways.

The film was banned for nearly 31-years until the early 1960’s. The shocking climax is probably the most shocking part of the film, apart from the fact you can’t believe these people were actively happy showing their deformities and differences so many years ago, when most people were not used to seeing such graphic abnormalities.

It was found to be exploitative and “loathsome”, although it also portrayed the ‘abnormal and the unwanted’ as resilient and adaptable human beings with compassion and understanding. In the early days of cinema, as it were, it made audiences feel uncomfortable, endangering fright and uneasiness.

This is just one of the early films to be censored, click below to read a full synopsis and reviews of Freaks.

Leave your comments, telling us what makes you shiver and what gruesome films you love to watch...

Review of Paul (2011)

It is one of the must-sees of 2011. Simon Pegg and his side kick Nick Frost return with a sci-fi spoof, complete with lots of comedy and gags. For lots of fans, the on screen bro-mance duo are back.
Directed by Greg Mottola, of Superbad and from the stars of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the dead, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost return for the comedy adventure of the year.

The pair star as sci-fi nerds who stumble across a friendly computer alien, voiced by Seth Rogan.
For the past 60 years, the alien named Paul has been hanging out at a top-military base. He decides to escape the compound and jump on the first vehicle out of town on a rented RV containing earthlings Greame Willy (Pegg) and Clive Collings (Frost).
They are chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a woman they accidentally kidnap. Greame and Clive think up an escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship and as two nerds struggle to help, a little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.

Student, Vicky Chessum saw the film when it came out: "I thought the film was hilarious, the narrative was  original and I didn't lose interest whilst watching the film."