1. Film Research for 20s/ 30s Group Charlotte Haines Lyon

2. Aims Within the context of cinema going audiences in their 20s and 30s we wanted to find out: –what patterns of film-watching, if any, emerge within the age group in question during the time- period examined –what evidence exists in viewers’ own perceptions of films directly influencing or informing daily living –what evidence exists in viewers’ own perceptions of films shaping or influencing held worldviews.

3. Methodology Visited 5 Ster cinemas (Edinburgh, Leeds, Norwich, Romford, Dublin) and asked people to take part. Also recruited participants from Waltham Forest Hockey Club, students from the Film and Theology Course in Nottingham and a central London church. In total 125 people agreed to take part.

4. Participants

5. Questionnaires Each participant was asked to return: –Questionnaire 1 containing personal and demographic details along with details of film watching habits. –Between four and eight completed versions of Questionnaire 2, one was to be completed after each visit to the cinema. This asked why they went to the film, who they went with and questions about their response to the film itself. –Questionnaire 3 which asked the participant to reflect on the process of engaging with the film research. Five pounds sterling was paid for each complete form returned.

6. Returns 47 participants returned forms Questionnaire 1 = 46 completed forms Questionnaire 2 = 280 completed forms Questionnaire 3 = 26 completed forms

7. Demographics - Age

8. Gender The final breakdown for those who responded was 27 (57%) females and 20 (43%) males.

9. Ethnicity

10. Relationships

11. Employment and Income

12. Film Watching Habits

17. Films watched during research 52 films were watched by the respondents during the research period. The most popular films were: –Harry Potter 60% –Shrek 2 51% –Day After Tomorrow49% –Troy49% –Kill Bill 47%

20. Examples of types of connection reported with film. Literal – My company provided packing cases. Empathy – I am an outcast in the same way Educational – I didn’t know that Native Americans were treated like that. Inspirational – I want to go to the gym more “Moral” – it made me revisit my values Practice – it made me think what would I do if... 'Fuller exposition and analysis of the findings of the research on this topic will be published in due course

21. Interaction versus escapism Only 10% of viewings said the film was simply entertainment, escapism or fantasy.

22. Emotions and feelings 221 out of 280 (78%) of viewings elicited some form of emotion of feeling during or immediately after the film. Out of these, 15 (5%) were more feelings outside of the film. i.e. boredom, disappointment with the quality of the film or frustration at how bad or long the film was. Other emotions reported however including joy and elation and the outcome of a film, as well as sorrow and anger.

23. Other interactions with film 'On the basis of the actual viewings of films, 96% of responses reported discussing the film and/or the issues it raised immediately after watching.

24. Working Conclusions People may often say in abstract terms that they consider cinema as 'escapism' or 'entertainment‘. However the research suggests this is not borne out by the evidence of actual film-watching: film is not 'pure entertainment' in practice. Film has an important social function in some people’s lives. Many people reported changing their habits of film watching, thinking more about the films they watched as a result of the research.