Carry on watching through the cuts: cinema on the cheap
Popular culture ... crowds gather at The Scoop in London, which stages free outdoor events such as film screenings. Photograph: Alamy
It's not yet clear what the spending review will mean for homegrown film-making. Unless they reveal today whatever body will replace the axed UK Film Council in its dishing-out-cash duties, we can pretty much rest assured that it's probably not coming up roses for today's aspirant directors.
The bigger impact of the spending cuts will, more likely, be on us, the cinemagoers, rather than the moviemakers. With depleted wallets and ever more depressing living quarters, we'll probably be both wanting to hit the cinema more. Yet, in the new age of inflated prices and 3D bells and whistles (rather than the good old cheapo cinema days of the Great Depression), ever less able to do so.
So, let's club together and share our tips about how to get to see movies, if not for free, then as cheaply as possible. Please keep them as legal as possible. Here's five to kick us off – yes, they're a little London-centric; do post correctives.
The best films you'll see this year are almost certainly the ones on TV. Even on terrestrial and Freeview, you can choose, most weeks, from a huge array of terrific movies. Sure, it's not free: the licence fee will set you back £150 per year, and a decent recordable DVD player another £200 (so you can bank up those films on too late or too early – one thing we learnt from our week of liveblogging films on TV is just how classy can be). Still, it'll work out a bargain if you see enough of them. (ditto covermount DVDs and free downloads). Sign up with ; Paramount and Momentum have mailing lists that'll tip you off to upcoming free previews; probably other distributors, too. Follow companies on Twitter, or individual films on Facebook, for similar results. runs free events, sometimes screenings, in an outdoor sunken amphitheatre just by City Hall on the south bank of the Thames. Music festivals generally have a film tent; you'll have paid already, but still. Mondays are often half price. The chain offers tickets from £3.75. in Notting Hill is cheap on Mondays if you're a student and on Tuesdays if you're not. are widely known and used; other companies run similar deals on different nights or the DVD rental services. Alternatively, up your stamina. Double bills often offer 2 for 1 value; the runs some classy ones, likewise the Rio in Dalston. Joining a film society is a wise investment. In you can see 19 films for £38, in (in the lovely Palace Cinema in Broadstairs) annual membership is £4; you'll pay the same again for each ticket. Londoners are spoilt with the , which has a terrific, lively programme, and cheap seats even if you're not a member (annual: £10, which means you can get tickets from £1.50). More informal film clubs have also been springing up above pubs, too. The at the King's Cross Social Club runs gratis nights. Plenty of terrific operate and are widely known about. Also: don't forget public libraries, which can offer a much wider selection than down your local store, at a much better price. Becoming a blogger, even just for your own personal site, raises your chances of getting into a press screening considerably. If you don't fancy writing but do fancy a free screening, with wine chucked in if you're lucky, date a blogger. For some, of course, that will be just too high a price.
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