Spotlight on: Spotlight!

As we embark on our fourth Spotlight project, an intervention designed to boost the film scene in a specific Midlands city or county, we're taking a few minutes to reflect on highlights, learnings and how Spotlight came to be in the first place.

What is Spotlight and how did it come about?
The earliest iteration of Spotlight in 2016 was the culmination of Flatpack director Ian Francis’ tireless campaigning for better film provision and infrastructure in the Midlands. The British Film Institute agreed to fund a project led by Film Hub Midlands (which Flatpack co-leads with Broadway in Nottingham) to explore what could be done about the issue, starting with the West Midlands.

The first step was gathering intel. Alongside commissioning a report from the Audience Agency, Ian and I spent some time touring the Wild West in his Ford Focus, speaking to people at as many cinemas, festivals and arts organisations as we could. We wanted to know where the gaps were, and what was most needed in order to give the film exhibition sector a much needed boost. Overwhelmingly, people wanted easier access to training and knowledge, alongside (of course) money.

We identified areas where provision was particularly low, and worked to establish partnerships with those working on the ground, with one shared aim in mind: building a more visible, ambitious film scene that was sustainable and connected. Or, in short ‘More people, more places, more films!’

The response was positive, with most people we got in touch with eager to hear how we might help. We were zeroing in - shining a ‘spotlight’ if you will - on key areas, and working closely with people delivering or wanting to deliver film activity to help them do just that. That might mean upskilling, programming advice, technical or funding support - all with a view to creating sustainable activity that can continue beyond the life of the intervention.

Over the last eight years we’ve worked with a wide range of partners across the region, including Film Hub Midlands members, local councils, universities, schools and colleges, arts and cultural organisations, libraries, community groups, festivals, filmmakers and many more. We’ve screened over 500 different films to over 100,000 people, from big screen blockbusters & Bollywood classics to archive oddities and shorts from around the world.

The ‘Spotlight’ approach
The most important thing about this project is a flexible approach. Each area, each organisation is different, and time must be built in to talk to people, find out what they need most and work together to develop a support system that works. We also have access to an incredible hive mind at Film Hub Midlands, with bags of experience under our belt and access to a UK-wide network of exhibitors. We’ve yet to come across a query that we couldn’t solve!

Key takeaways and highlights
We have now delivered Spotlight activity in four regions to date: Telford; Lincolnshire; Coventry and Staffordshire. The biggest lesson for me is that to really support organisations within a specific location, you need to spend time there. I now know Telford and Coventry like the back of my hand, but because of the distance from Birmingham (as well as the global pandemic) I didn’t spend nearly as much time in Lincoln as I would have liked. This definitely impacted our success.

As for highlights, the biggest one for me was one of our first ever Spotlight events at Dudley Castle. Ian had identified the Castle as a great spot for outdoor film and we’d cold called the team and pitched a screening of Dudley-born James Whales’ 1935 horror classic Bride of Frankenstein within the castle grounds. They’d never heard of Flatpack, and I think they thought we were a bit daft to begin with, but they believed in us and our passion for film and after a bit of persuasion decided to take a chance. A few months later we welcomed over 700 people to Zoo & Castle for al fresco cinema, food, drink, atmospheric lighting and special effects. The following year we did it all over again with American Werewolf in London (still one of Flatpack’s best selling screening to date) and we continue to work with them every summer - though they’ve got it down themselves these days, and don’t need much from us. Which is the hope for all Spotlight events.

And of course, the fact that BFI have now rolled out Spotlight across the whole country is a pretty great success story.

Fancy putting on your own film event?
Give me a call! If you’re not based in the Midlands then you can contact your local Film Hub and speak to the team. They will be very happy to give you advice and guidance on what support is available in your area. Alternatively the good folks at Cinema For All are experts in community cinema so if you’re looking to start a film club or society they can help!