Have you ever noticed the audience at movie theatres? I know I always do… I do a quick “scan” of the people in the theatre just to get a feel for the vibe. Of course, it will also depend on the kind of film you’re watching and where.

I attend several screenings at Cinematheque Ontario throughout the year. I also go to some of the University of Toronto’s Free Friday Night Films. Then, there are preview screenings for upcoming releases and other specialty screenings like those during a particular film festival. The audiences change from screening to screening. Let me elaborate on some of these…

Film Festivals: For a large festival like the Toronto International Film Festival, the audience is composed of true cinephiles among many who just want to be “seen” at a premiere & the red carpet. Then there are those who see films from a specific country because that may be the only time they see a film from that part of the world on the big led screens. In festivals like Hot Docs are also a little different. Hot Docs has grown as a festival and we, as an audience, are able to see award-winning and avant–garde documentaries. The audience at Hot Docs is composed of well-educated, sometimes activist-types; all of whom are in search of some kind of truthful depiction of reality in all parts of the world, in all contexts.

In smaller film festivals, like the Estonian film festival, the Serbian film festival, ReelWorld film festival, Human Rights Watch and yet many others, the audience is limited. The smaller festivals attract people of that culture (if from a specific country), those who are interested in the issues at hand or those who like to keep informed of various arts events in the city. These small festivals give us a chance to be with like-minded individuals but also, they give us a chance to experience and learn from other cultures. This can be style differences from mainstream films or by showing us life differences from places outside of our communities.

Specialty Screenings: These can include preview screenings for an upcoming release or membership-based. The preview screenings for upcoming, major releases draw in all types of people…so the audience is varied and feels more “authentic,” for lack of a better word. They will be contest winners, friends of those involved in promoting the film, those promoting the film and people like me, who by some fluke or through an acquaintance, got a pass and got to see the film (good or not). In membership-based screenings, the audience is less diverse; the fact that one has to pay to be part of this “club” deters some average folk from attending. At this screenings, I have found that most individuals attend for the sad reason they want to gloat… Yes, people want to gloat about having seen a certain film prior to its release or they gloat for being the only ones to have seen a film that may never be released in this part of the world. To me, they are not true film fans… these are the people who attend red carpet premieres not for autographs or because their favourite actor/director is part of the film… they just want to be seen. These individuals also ask the least intelligent questions during a Question & Answer period… it’s like they do not even pay attention to the film. Now, I have to admit, not all subscribers are like this. There are some people who join because they want to see films for pleasure.

Another type of specialty screening would be those at Cinematheque Ontario. I find myself surprised by the amount of people who are “regulars.” I must confess I do not always like the films at Cinematheque and I’d like to consider my taste in films rather diverse. But not everyone will love German Expressionist films, or films by the likes of Godard or Bergman for that matter. I am glad to see some young and new faces at Cinematheque here and there; especially, for the classic matinee screenings. I must put a plug in for the silent films with live piano accompaniment… the experience is truly enhanced by the live music.

So the point of all this is that no matter where, audiences do change. Keep that in mind when you go to your next screening. I just figured we go see films for a myriad of reasons… and that is why the movie experience varies depending on the people we watch movies with.

Scene from Brief Encounter