New promo highlights the charms of Worthing’s historic Dome cinema

Jonathan, director of United Magic Studios, teamed up with Dome manager Ross McLaughlin to make a short film which will make a direct emotional connection with the viewer. Watch it on YouTube and you will agree that it does - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8DO2yVj-5YJonathan’s aim was to find a way shine a spotlight on the Dome cinema which had continued to operate – before the national lockdown – despite endless struggles, not least a lack of films to screen.

“I knew Ross (the manager) personally having had him involved in some of our earlier short films and decided to get in touch with him with a unique project – an advert for the Dome Cinema at no cost to them.

“I felt it was a perfect opportunity to work together, being the local production company and cinema. I have had several of my own films screened at the Dome and enjoyed going there for over 20 years. I approached the project slightly differently than I would a typical commercial project as we would be self-funding this for the Dome. I wanted it to be a stand-out piece. It’s a story-driven ad which focuses on the sights, smells and memories of visiting the cinema, hopefully something that connects with the audience. We used a local actress and actor as well as staff to fill in as our extras. It was filmed with safety measures in place.

“Like many other people, I have been going to the Dome since childhood, and that makes it a very special place on its own. But I have also had several independent films of mine screened there over the years, and that makes it even more special to me.

“When you go into the Dome, it is completely different to anywhere else around. You just feel that you are in a piece of history in itself. They have done a really good job in terms of keeping it modern with all the film projectors, but the cinema itself is still in essence the same as it ever was. You sit down and you know there is a hundred-plus years of history there. You go there for a couple of hours of escape, and you know that millions of other people have done the same over the years. But the film industry and the cinema industry right now are going through very challenging times especially in the light of productions not going ahead and films not being released. I just wanted to do something to shine a light on the Dome cinema and to show what a quality experience it is, that it is safe and to encourage people to go there.”

Jonathan’s short film, lasting just over a minute and a half, will come into its own once the Dome, along with other cinemas, is allowed to reopen. Until then, it will serve as a happy reminder of happy times there: “I knew Ross from the Dome quite well. He had worked on some of my previous films as a camera operator, and Ross was just fantastic. I wanted to make a high-quality film and keep Ross in touch throughout.”

Also important was to create that emotional connection. As Jonathan says, the adverts we tend to remember are the ones that somehow connect with us: “Cinema is an easy memory for people to reminisce about, but this was about capturing the atmosphere of the place and the looking forward to it, that it is not just about the film that you are watching, that it is about the whole feel of the place, the whole experience of going to the cinema.

“The story fitted in quite well with the pandemic, but the story is also quite appropriate for when we are past all this. It will still work.”

The film features local actors Jason Heppenstall and 11-year-old Ellie Bowley: “The cast and crew are all from Worthing. I wanted to make it as local as possible.”

As for the future, despite the dark times we are going through, Jonathan remains optimistic for cinema generally: “A lot of studios are saying that once cinemas open again, they will give people the option of seeing films in the cinema or streaming at home. But a lot of films are produced for the big screen, and you won’t get that if you are streaming at home. It is not just about seeing the latest picture. It is about going out and escaping… and you just don’t get that at home. It is an opportunity. The cinema itself is a big part of the attraction.”

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