Page 33 - CinemaRecord #85

And there’s the rub - replacing the projector is
an expensive exercise. “The professional units
that the big cinemas use cost about 80 grand,”
says Schache. “We wouldn’t need something
at that level, but you’re still talking tens of
thousands of dollars. We’re looking into get-
ting a loan, but we’re a volunteer organisation
so I’ve got no idea how we’re going to fund
it.”

To continue showing new movies before
they’re released on DVD or for legal down-
loading, Lobethal Cinema needs a profession-
al projector, rather than a significantly
cheaper domestic unit. This is because the
digital system used in cinemas is designed to
be incompatible with home theatre technolo-
gy: movies come on an encrypted hard drive
that gets downloaded into the projector and
will only work for as long as the cinema has
paid for a licence.
The dress circle Image © Erica Ashton 2014
“We like to show movies while they’re cur-
rent,” says Schache. “The ‘real’ cinemas like The 12-week gap between a film’s cinematic Huxtable says survival depends on more than
Hoyts and Wallis get them first. We get them release and its availability on DVD (or as a the occasional blockbuster. "As a company
about a month after release, before they come download) works to keep audiences going to we aspire to create a point of difference,” he
out on DVD.” the movies, and the longer a film runs in says. “We do this by creating add-ons, events
within our general programming. He points to
a summer season of outdoor screenings, chil-
dren’s movies, discos, and a girls' night out
with champagne and Fruchocs, as well as
nostalgia nights. “Our nostalgia quiz with
Anne Wills regularly brings 80 to 100 seniors.
They like seeing Judy Garland back on the big
screen.”
Judy Garland would have been a hit at Lo-
bethal when the cinema was new, but even her
1939 classic The Wizard of Oz now comes in
digital form, so the old projector has become
a museum piece. “We were hoping to get
some old film to do nostalgic screenings, but
the film is all gone,” says Daniel Schache.
Lobethal’s projector may be redundant, but
the cinema is much more than the hardware it
employs. The building speaks of a prosperous
period in the town’s history and survives as a
reminder of a time when going to the movies
was a way for people to keep in touch with the
outside world as well as their local communi-
The proscenium viewed from the dress circle. The curtain at the half way point hides a roll-down screen, ty. Schache retains some hope that it can
which is used for film presentations with the audience occupying the dress circle only. continue to do that job. “We’re temporarily –
Image © Erica Ashton 2014 I hope it’s temporarily – out of business,” he
says. “We might be able to get a government
It’s this brief window of opportunity that has theatres, the more profit the cinema makes.
kept the little cinema viable. Continual im- When a film is first released, the distributor grant or maybe some sponsorship. The writ-
provement in home audio-visual systems takes a 55 percent cut of the box office, a rate ing is on the wall, but all is not lost yet.”
means demand dries up once a movie is avail- that reduces with each passing week, giving a The odds are stacked against it but perhaps, in
able for watching at home. bigger slice to the cinema. the best Hollywood tradition, this isn’t the
end, just a cliffhanger to be resolved in the
One of Huxtable's more sequel. «
Art deco style leadlight windows and entrance doors
memorable perform-
ers was Australian Article reproduced with permission -
feature Red Dog. “It
ran for 11 weeks. Af- Adelaide Hills Magazine Autumn 2014 edition
ter six weeks, the dis- www.adelaidehillsmagazine.com.au
tributor’s cut was
Editorial comment:
down to 30 percent. It was recently reported that a group of concerned
It’s a good incentive Lobethal locals have joined forces with the Lobe-
for us - if we can do
thal Centennial Hall Committee and interested
some good local-area students from Birdwood High School in an effort
marketing it helps us to “Save the Lobethal Cinema” and help fund raise
in the long run.” to reach the goal. We wish them success.

CINEMARECORD # 85 33