Secret Cinema:
Secret Cinema is the shadow-y sibling of
Future Cinema, an events company specializing in theatrical film screenings. The UK-based outfit stages immersive movie happenings in the true ’60s sense of the word, featuring fantastical props, transportive sets, and moving soundscapes. Much of the series’ recent success—its December showing of
The Shawshank Redemption sold out immediately—can be attributed to the cult of mystery in which its brand is shrouded. When an event is announced, neither the title of the film nor the location of the screening is disclosed. Founder Fabien Riggall
plans to introduce Secret Cinema to NYC later this year.
Underground Cinema: The theatrical phenomenon that is
Sleep No More has found startling success in making drama fans out of people who previously thought of theatre as a stuffy, one-dimensional art form.
Underground Cinema (UGC) is similarly
repositioning film as an immersive entertainment medium in the Land Down Under. The in-house arm of bespoke events company
Secret Squirrel Productions, UGC produces clandestine movie events where the films being shown are drawn out of the screen and realized as imaginary worlds. Prior to showtime, costumed characters roam meticulously constructed sets while interacting with guests. Different zones depict a tableau of scenes from the chosen film.
New Cinema: Video game storytelling has steadily bled into the art of film—and
not always with impressive results.
New Cinema is a fledgling media initiative that’s elevating the idea of multimedia mashups by uniting filmmakers, coders, gamers, motion effects artists, and research labs. Earlier this month, the program
shared the results of a recent hackathon, many of which make 3-D technology look downright archaic.
Before the Flood,
one of the most notable projects, falls into the cross-discipline ‘is it a game or a movie?’ category by requiring viewer-players to walk in front of a screen to explore paleolithic cave environments virtually.
