And the Oscar goes to...

Well, we're still a week and change away from giving out any little Oscar(TM) statues, but we do have some winners from our new concession items survey, some additions to the website, and Oscar Shorts at a/perture to get everyone in the mood for the big party on March 7th. Should I pull a Kanye and interrupt Christoph Waltz as he accepts his Best Supporting Actor Oscar and decry the gross injustice it was that my very acceptable man-crush Zachary Knight Galifianakis wasn't even nominated??

When you are deciding what time to come watch The Last Station or the Oscar Shorts (both Live Action and Animated!) or A Single Man, feel free to look up the showtimes on the new and improved front page of the website. And now you can even start making plans on a Wednesday night, when the times for the next week will be up. Our awesome email list members will still be the first to be privy to the information, but we heard your cries for more lead time and easier access. After you find the showtime of your choice, feel free to enjoy our two newest entrants to the concession realm - trail mix and wasabi peanuts. Hooray healthy! If these are well received, we'll see about expanding.

In other exciting news, RiverRun is less than 50 days away. The new site is up, and they're blogging as well. So stoked to be a part of this, and to see what awesomeness they have up their sleeves this year.

So wait, I just remembered that Zach has already pulled a Kanye. Probably not safe for work, because of lyrics, and the fact that anyone who walks by your cube and sees this on your screen could very well call HR on you. Doesn't make it any less awesome.

Can't Tell Me Nothin' from Zach Galifianakis

The rest of his videos on there are comic gold, too, if you're bored. Hope to see you this weekend.

Why are your showtimes not in the newspaper?

This has been the number one question so far. We had been planning to write our answer in an upcoming blog, but seeing as it has just been asked on facebook, we thought we would try to go ahead and answer it tonight. We can take tomorrow night off.

So the short answer to this question is ECONOMICS. Now the long answer....

As a small indy theater, we have a really really tight budget. We desperately want to be able to stay in business for years and years to come. In order to do so one of the areas that we have to keep in check is our marketing/advertising/pr budget. One of the ways we can do that is by relying on the wonderful world of the wide wide web. Other than the cost of our website and our weekly email, everything we do online from facebook to twitter to this blog is FREE.

So...we met with a representative from the WS Journal last week to find out all the scoop on ad rates, in hopes that we were just completely misunderstanding the published rate sheet. Turns out our estimates were a little high, BUT if we were to advertise in the WS Journal, only 3 times a week for a year, we would be spending over half of our entire marketing budget. Just to put this in perspective, we would most likely have an ad the same size as Marketplace. The Marketplace has 6 screens whereas we have only 2. That means we would basically be paying 3 times more per screen for an ad than Marketplace. This is more than we spent on one of our 35mm film projectors!

Don't get us wrong. It's not that we don't want to have our showtimes in print. It would be really convenient for many to be able to open up the paper and find our showtimes next to the other local multiplexes. And we don't discount that. We also appreciate the chicken or the egg conundrum we're in - if our showtimes aren't in the newspaper, how are people going to be able to know when to show up to keep us in business? We hope that over time though as we are around longer, more and more people get used to our system and finding our films and showtimes becomes easier and easier. We are still working out the kinks on our website and trying to make it as user-friendly as it can be. We send out a weekly email to over 1400 individuals with our entire schedule for the upcoming week. If you aren't getting these emails, please go to our website and sign-up right on the front page. For those who don't use computers, we have a voice-recorded message with our showtimes and we are working on getting that extended so that we can leave showtimes for upcoming days as well. We recently put up a calendar in our lobby that displays our upcoming films. There are also a ton of other sites on line to find our showtimes. Here are just a few, some of which I just discovered: google.com/movies, moviefone.com, when.com, flixster.com, movietickets.com, movies.yahoo.com, boxofficemojo.com, rottentomatoes.com, bing.com.

When we do spend marketing money, this is what we want to spend it on: special events (from film screenings to fundraising to local filmmaker events), hosting guest artists, publications and/or events that bring more people downtown in general, co-promotions with our downtown neighbors and Jigar thought it would be funny if I wrote sky-writer (so I'm humoring him). These are all things that we hope make us different than the other theaters in town.

We haven't ruled advertising in the WS Journal out by any means, we just wanted you to know where things stand now.

7 of 7

We did it. A perfect score.

We have a party to attend this evening so this blog is going to be short on words. Hope everyone was able to partake of the beautiful weather today. It's about time. Enjoy the photos below.

FYI blog fans, we're taking tomorrow off.

Our new t-shirts. (The toddler one is by request only)

Our first group showing. UNCSA dance students attending La danse.

A plug for RiverRun International Film Festival. April 15-25. It will be here before we know it.

Nuttin' Honey...

Ah, the weekend. The weather is finally nice, so hopefully that means you all will get a chance to enjoy the sun during the day, and then hide from the evening cold at a movie at a/perture. Tonight we started showing Wesley, and had an enthusiastic crowd, who were pleasantly surprised by the director John Jackman providing a couple of Q&A sessions. We're fortunate to have him coming back on Monday. Come see the movie this weekend, then come back again to catch everything you missed the first time and discuss this fine film with the man behind the camera!

What else have we learned today?

1. Winston-Salem is nuts about nuts (tee hee - it was the most popular option suggested for new concessions on our blog and facebook page).
2. Our new t-shirts are pretty awesome. Aside from our popular unisex option, we now have gender specific shirts, which I hope to have modeled soon (Nigel the dog is out in Milan doing another photo shoot, should be back in the States by Monday).
3. We're going to be showing The Young Victoria starting March 5th.

And Abe Lincoln loves movies and a/perture.

After I realized the last picture posted in this blog was Jay freakin' Thomas, I really needed to work in something else. And who better than Honest Abe. Uh, I have to hit post now or I'm not making the day's deadline.

Let's all go to the lobby...reprise

We're hitting the home stretch of blog posts being shoved in your face. I think I've realized why I work with numbers, since there are really only ten to choose from as opposed to the pantheon of words and subjects available for writing. Yet here I am without a good topic for the night. Our curator has been going non-stop today. Aside from getting ready for normal operations this evening, a/perture was host to a meeting by the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership as well as the previously mentioned short Becoming Abe. See? We got more than just movies up in this piece. Tiger was going to hold his "press conference" at our place, but after seeing our "No one has ever, ever paid admission to see an excuse" posters he had second thoughts. If I can ever figure out how to set up the Wii to work, I'm going to have some rad Rock Band parties. Who's with me?

Alright, I know I've asked about this before, but now that you've been in and had a chance to experience the intimate lobby, and see we don't really have a ton of room to work with behind the counter, we want more of your thoughts on concessions. The cakeballs have become a hit in downtown Winston-Salem, thanks to the gals at Yummy Goodness. People are coming in just to buy those. We're hearing your pleas for something healthier. I still don't know how food gets any better for you than peanut butter covered in a chocolate candy shell, but my doctor says different. I survived for one week only eating Fudge Stripe cookies by those magical Keebler elves. My mom thought I'd get sick of them after awhile and ask for something else. Score another one for Jigar.

So here are some of our criteria for suggestions. Our refrigerator is already pretty packed, so nothing that requires much cold storage. A little bit of a shelf life would be nice, too, cause we don't like to waste. The staff have their own little Christmas on Tuesdays when we have unsold cakeballs and cupcake parfaits. Last requirement - I have to be able to spell it. If I can't spell it, I won't eat it, and we won't sell it. That's why I tell my wife I spell it sushee, so we can't order it on take out night. Alright, we haven't been disappointed yet, from your prior suggestions for concessions to the facebook movie suggestions (we are listening, for you people on the "discussions" tab). Don't let me down like I'm going to with our first Friday post in our blogging history.

contest...contest....contest!!!!

So blog #4 is going to be short and sweet! We have to catch up on our backlogged recordings of The Office. We do have something exciting to announce though...a CONTEST!!! Starting Friday, February 26 we will be screening the 2010 Oscar Nominated Shorts for one week only. There are two different feature presentations which will run at various times throughout the week.

Feature #1 - Live-Action Shorts

1.) The Door

2.) Instead of Abracadabra

3.) Kavi

4.) Miracle Fish

5.) The New Tenants

Feature #2 - Animated Shorts

1.) French Roast

2.) Granny O'Grimms Sleeping Beauty

3.) The Lady and the Reaper

4.) Logorama

5.) A Matter of Loaf and Death

These are separate presentations so you can attend one or both (and if you like them you can come back to see them over and over). The 2010 Academy Awards will air on March 7, so this is a great opportunity to see them before the Oscars are handed out. Okay, so here is the deal with the contest. In honor of the Oscars, after each feature we will be handing out our own ballots for you to vote (one time only please) on your favorite short. We will collect separate ballots for both Features. If the live-action or animated short you voted for wins an Oscar you will receive $1.50 off your next bag of popcorn and be placed in a drawing for a Becket level membership in our a/v society.

Check out the official website for more information and the trailer!

The really tall elephant in the room?

So the Deacs have crushed my soul once again. I promise not to go all Edgar Allan Poe macabre on you, but while the wound is open, I'll talk about a subject that's been a bit of a sore spot for some people - the screen height. If I were a chiropractor looking for some new clients, I could understand some cries of shenanigans. However, when you're not building a megaplex out in the suburbs and working with an existing building, you've got to do the best with what you've got. I'd say we accomplished our goal of cozy and intimate. You wouldn't know it used to be a conference room and offices and a clothing store before that if I hadn't just told you, right? In fact, in the basement in our storage room, you can see tons of phone numbers written all over the wall. That means it used to be the order room for the store, or a sketchy gas station restroom that I once happened to be occupying at 7pm when I noticed a note that said "Be here at 7 pm on .... for a good time" on some date that I've successfully blocked out of my mind. It's the only time I've considered driving off without paying for my gas.

That history is part of the charm of the theater for us, but it also presented some challenges. The aforementioned basement left us without many options for sloping the floor as we've become accustomed to with newer theaters and stadium seating, since a new foundation couldn't be built to support tons of extra concrete. After consulting with our architects and theater design experts, the best move was putting the screen up a little higher to make sure someone's Marge Simpson hair didn't sully the view of the person sitting behind Marge. It's reminiscent of the old North Point Theaters non-traditional floor, so just more charm! We tried to make sure the seats were extra padded to help the viewer snuggle in, and forget all their other worries, including the slightly set up screen. It seems to have worked for the most part, but some have still wondered why, so I hope that explanation suffices.

One of our other goals in opening a/perture was to be able to showcase some of the amazing talent we have in our own backyard. We're fortunate to be accomplishing that in two ways this coming week. Local creative advertising type-guru Mike Foley will be world premiering his short film Becoming Abe on Thursday, with a screening of the 10 minute feature beginning at 4pm. Here's Mike's own description of the film from his website:

"the mike foley art true story of Peter Holland, a Hollywood outcast who escaped the boulevard of broken dreams only to reconstitute his life as Abraham Lincoln in the Blue Ridge Mountains--Lover's Leap, Virginia.

Not pretty enough to be a leading man, is Peter ugly enough to be someone special? Written, directed and produced by Mike Foley Art in association with Once upon a Blue Ridge. Edited by Michael Murphy. Music by Peter Holland, Redroom Studio, DF&O Sound Lounge. Produced by NOBODY with a FURNACE, heat your SINGLE-WIDE with the oven door DOWN STUDIOS."

Also, we're lucky to have another great film with tons of local ties beginning its one week run at a/perture this Friday, February 19th - Wesley!

"The feature film Wesley is based closely on the actual events of Wesley's life, a story that already reads much like a Hollywood screenplay. Wesley is a compelling and controversial main character that women found intensely attractive; there is adventure on the high seas, a terrible storm and near-shipwreck. In the newly settled Savannah, Georgia, there is an incredibly romantic but star-crossed love affair that ends tragically. Wesley is crushed, and on his return to England we experience his spiritual struggle and finally renewal. We are then swept away with his preaching in the fields and his efforts to help the lowest classes of society. His ministry is controversial, there is mob violence, confrontation, and tension followed by his victorious preaching to thousands in his home town.

In short, this true story has everything that Hollywood loves to put into movies! The movie has the seafaring adventure of Master & Commander, the bittersweet romance of Sense and Sensibility, but at the same time tells a compelling story of conversion, faith, dynamic social reform and ministry."

It sold out just down the road at the Stevens Center a few months ago, so make sure you catch it here. Trailer included for your viewing pleasure, and the official site is here for further information.



42.8571% of the way there. See you again tomorrow!

CHALLENGE??!?!?!?

So Day 2 of this crazy 7 day posting bonanza is upon us. If only every day was Monday, and Jake the bachelor (only the second Jake to make me question my son's handle - I'm talking to you, Delhomme) was trying to decide which "lady" (and I use the term loosely) will stick around long enough to make his 15 minutes about 27. This challenge would be a breeze if that was the case. But American Idol is going to put me to the real test. But if Ryan Seacrest can host Idol, have a radio show, and produce a reality show with the Kardashians, I can make this happen.

So we've been open for a little over a month now, and we're still definitely in the learning process. The staff has been amazing, allowing us to leave for a week, and handling both the front and the back of the house as well as we could have hoped. We've been compiling all the feedback and doing everything we can to make sure a/perture is the best experience it can be. One of the things that would be noticeable is the addition of a second register for the weekends, to help usher people into the movies more quickly. Now you people have to keep showing up to test our mettle, and justify our first major unbudgeted expense since being operational. Nigel, no more doggy day spa trips for you.

We've gotten a lot more questions and suggestions, including but not limited to screen heights, website layout, concessions, and movie times in the newspaper. Hmmm.... four topics, five more days of posting?? Does it count as a post if it would have fit into a tweet? I fear I'm really going to test this quality vs. quantity thing...until tomorrow.

7 blog posts in 7 days

We're back! I know it has been awhile and hopefully we've been missed. We are challenging ourselves to write 7 blog posts in 7 days. In order to start us off on the right foot, the curator has once again usurped the blog. Since it is President's Day tomorrow and Jigar has the day off hopefully he can author at least a few of these posts. We certainly have enough to write about. But first and foremost while things are still fresh in my mind (trust me they don't stay that way for very long these days), I wanted to share how we spent our last week. We left all our babies (human, canine, aquatic and small business venture) for a trip out west to the warm sun and the 25th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Known for its celebrity tributes, sbiff is considered a prelude to the Oscars, but we surprisingly didn't run into anybody very exciting. I guess we could have waited in line to see Julianne Moore walk the red carpet, but honestly we were really more excited about having some good sushi (well actually just me, Jigar thinks it's gross). We did enjoy some great films and some not so great ones. It was nice to see 14 films all with my husband - it was like date night three times a day.

For consistency purposes, I will use the same evaluation criteria as I did with the toronto fest. It seemed to work well last time:

Longest time spent in line: 20 minutes...so totally different than toronto. one of the best aspects of the festival.

Buckets of popcorn consumed: 1 large popcorn and we were very excited to see that the venue also uses our same eco-friendly popcorn bags.

Coolest Q&A: with Neil Finn formerly of Crowded House and SplitEnz. He was screening the documentary The Sun Came Out about making the album 7 Worlds Collide. Jigar was in heaven watching behind the scenes footage of Wilco and Radiohead band members. If you like either of these bands you should definitely pick up the album on iTunes, proceeds go to the Oxfam International charity.

Biggest Surprise Hit: Exam, by British director Stuart Hazeldine. It had a unique premise, a great young cast and it left me guessing until the very end...eight talented candidates have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. Entering a windowless room, where an armed guard keeps watch, they are given 80 minutes to answer one simple question. Check out the trailer: With any luck it will find a distributor. Also, just found out that this won The Panavision Spirit Award of Independent Cinema, given to a unique independent feature that has been made outside mainstream Hollywood.

Celebrity Sightings: Jay Thomas of Murphy Brown fame...here is a photo to help you refresh your memory...yep that's it...we missed Colin Firth by a day...

Best photo op: The only three photos we took the entire trip were of Jigar and a pigeon in the background (I was trying to make it look like the pigeon was on his shoulder). I will refrain from posting since I am really not a great photographer.

New favorite song: Nothing to do with sbiff or any film seen there...but have to say it is Tik Tok by Ke$ha. oooooouuuwoahawoahwoah

Number of visits to Starbucks for coffee: 6 to 8....it was right across the street. But we did also find two great local coffee houses that we highly recommend if you are ever in the SB area. The French Press and Our Daily Bread (thanks to cousin Emmy for the recs).

Number of visits to Starbucks for free wifi: zero...it was only free IF you have an account with AT&T...boo

World Premieres: at least a handful of the films were world premieres. Most of these were from other countries and subtitled. We saw films from Iran, Bulgaria, China, Chile, Australia, Germany, Austria, Great Britain and Canada. We saw a total of 3 American films.

Films that I hope to bring to a/perture: It will definitely be more difficult to get a lot of the films to a/perture. But if the planets aligned and we thought there was an audience I would definitely consider Exam, Bran Nue Dae, and The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner.

Films that I will never in a million years bring to a/perture: I actually can't say anything bad about any of the films. Even if some may have been hard to get through Jigar and I stayed until the credits for each and every film (okay, I may have taken a quick power nap or two, but it was dark and nobody could tell).

Films with the most buzz that I wish I could have seen: Reverse and The Secret of Kells

If you would like to learn more about any of the films I've mentioned above check out the official sbiff website

One down six to go....