The Screen Machine mobile cinema is a concept unique in the British Isles.  It consists of an articulated unit, the trailer of which expands and unfolds to provide a 102 seat self-contained cinema.  The Screen Machine provides conventional up-to-date 35mm screenings of recent movies, with full digital surround sound, air conditioning, comfortable raked seating, and full disabled access.  It can also provide video projection and PowerPoint conference facilities.

The Screen Machine was developed by Highlands and Islands Arts Ltd (HI~Arts) to serve the communities of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.  This is an area greater than Belgium, making up more than 50% of the Scottish land mass, but with only 0.6% of the UK’s population: 368,000.  There is only one community in the entire area—Inverness--with a population of more than 15,000. Apart from Inverness, there are full-time cinemas only in Kirkwall (Orkney), Fort William (Highland), and Oban and Dunoon (Argyll).  A new two-screen cinema recently opened in Thurso (Highland). Many island areas: the Western Isles, Shetland, most of the Inner Hebrides, have no access of any kind to 35mm cinema.

The spur for the development of this service was a specially commissioned Highland appendix to Dick Penny’s 1994 report to the BFI on the transferability to the UK of the French Cinemobile system.  A consortium involving Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), and the then Highland Local Authorities, with the then Scottish Film Council, agreed to pursue Scottish Arts Council Lottery Funds, which were just becoming available.  As Local Government reorganisation in Scotland was impending, the LAs requested HI~Arts to take forward funding applications, in its role as the contracted arts ‘wing’ of HIE.

HI~Arts, as a small independent charitable company, encountered many obstacles in the course of developing the mobile cinema. First, it was not possible simply to purchase a French ‘Cinemobile’ as many aspects of the version then available would not have met UK legislation, and its size would have limited its use in Highland conditions. Then, it proved to be a condition of SAC funding that EU tendering procedures would have to apply to developing a new design.  This involved a time- consuming and complex split of the design and build stages.  The company finally selected to build the cinema insisted on departing from the original designs (provided by a firm of architects), but then skimped on many aspects of the construction process.  Not surprisingly, the company concerned has since gone into liquidation.

HI~Arts was therefore faced with a long process of troubleshooting and refurbishment of what was effectively a prototype design, until all the problems related to the poor construction quality had been identified and rectified. This took (in stages) almost 18 months. During that time, initial community enthusiasm for the service waned because of its unreliability. Moreover, the newly formed Highland Council was unable to take on responsibility for managing the service, as originally envisaged, leaving HI~Arts to have to set up its own independent operating structure.  Nonetheless, in its first full year of operation, up to April 2000, the Screen Machine gave 508 screenings to a total audience of 21,500, just short of its first year target of 50% occupancy.  Since then, the Screen Machine has had a remarkable run of success.  In July and August 2000 and 2001 it was hired by the Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC) for a four week tour of British Army bases in Bosnia, as a trial for the Ministry of Defence to fund the construction of a unit for SSVC.  88 screenings were given in the four weeks, almost all to capacity audiences. The SSVC’s own vehicle is now in service. Similarly, Ireland has put two vehicles into commission, based closely on the HI~Arts’ operating model.  But the Screen Machine is primarily a success on its home territory in the Highlands and Islands.  So successful did one visit to Stornoway in the Western Isles prove, that over 400 people attempted to get into one screening. Thanks partly to the ‘Harry Potter’ effect, January/February 2003 proved to be the Screen Machine’s most successful months yet, indicating that audiences have not yet reached a steady plateau.

The Screen Machine operates regular tours throughout the North and West Highlands, the Western Isles, and Argyll, with one-off visits elsewhere as arranged.  It normally takes three different films on each tour, visiting each community for three-four days, to give 8 or more screenings in total.  To date, the programme has consisted almost entirely of high profile new main features, as in most of the areas visited there is a low awareness of film culture, making it difficult to promote less high-profile titles.  Particular successes have included: Moulin Rouge, Die Another Day, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and of course both installments to date of both Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings.

It is intended that, as the Screen Machine becomes a regular feature in the calendar of these communities, more adventurous programming will be possible Both Sweet Sixteen and  Morven Callar, for example, have been recent successes. The Screen Machine is operated by a team of three: a manager based with HI~Arts, and two driver/operators who work alternate 14 day shifts.  Local ushers are hired by the hour at each venue.

The Screen Machine has also proved its adaptability.  It has hosted major conferences, fronted by Government ministers; it has acted as a venue for live music combined with film projection; it has contributed a mix of video and 35mm screenings to both the Celtic International Festival of Film and Television in Portree, and the Millennium Royal National Mod in Dunoon.  It has operated in temperatures of 40°C in Bosnia, giving 4 screenings a day, and under 8 inches of snow in Lochinver, when most other local facilities were closed.

The total cost of the capital phase was £650,000, but that included many one-off development costs.  A second cinema can be built for less, and yet improve on many aspects of the prototype.  The annual turnover is projected at £170,000, with public subsidy of approximately £55,000 , from HIE, Scottish Screen, and Local Authorities.  It must be remembered that the Screen Machine has no facilities for earning ancillary income through catering and retail outlets! (Nor, of course, does it have toilets, which places some limitations on where it can park!).

The motivation behind the service was simple: to provide small and remote communities with access locally to the same level of cinema experience normally available in large towns. A close comparison could be made with other mobile services long established in the Highlands and Islands, such as libraries and banks.  The intended impact was to strengthen community identity and confidence, and also to increase understanding and appreciation of film as a medium.  Since the project began, a Thurso cinema has opened, and also a part-time cinema in Portree (Skye) and new facilities are planned for Stornoway and Shetland.  This is also an intended outcome of the service: that wherever there is a large enough community to make static cinema viable, the Screen Machine should help to make itself redundant! In addition, many new DVD-based film clubs have been established which can complement the Screen Machine’s programme.

There are two key factors to the success of the Screen Machine: access to new mainstream movies, and the quality of the cinema experience.  Most audiences no longer accept the old barn-storming model of touring a projector and screen to village halls.  This is a problem which even new digital cinema initiatives will need to face. The Screen Machine offers no compromises on the quality of environment and projection.  Indeed, many audience members prefer it to the multiplex in Inverness because it provides a more personal and friendly service and a comparable quality of projection. But the service cannot compete directly with static facilities, and will not seek to.  For example, the drivetime catchment area of the Inverness multiplex is an hour, ruling out much of the East Coast.
 

Screening for screening, the Screen Machine now draws audiences as large as those for many static cinemas in the Highlands and Islands.  No customer has ever complained about any aspect of the accommodation or projection facilities (though they are quick to criticise choice of programme, or what they see as poor publicity!).  It would seem possible that the model could be readily adapted to any rural area where there are sufficient separate communities with inadequate access to static cinemas. For example, a smaller number of venues could be served by longer or more frequent visits. The Screen Machine is available to hire for trials anywhere in the UK.  The Screen Machine currently visits 12 venues on a 7 week circuit, staying in each place for a few days showing 3 or 4 films.  This circuit has proven itself to deliver a sustainable audience whilst minimising the stresses placed on the vehicle, resulting in fewer breakdowns and a regular touring schedule.

For more information contact: Robert Livingston (Director), or Graham Campbell (Screen Machine Manager) at HI~Arts, 4th Floor, Ballantyne House, 84 Academy Street, Inverness, IV1 1LU. E-mail screenmachine@hi-arts.co.uk

Revised 4 March 2003

In the best traditions of the Hollywood blockbusters it has brought to communities throughout the Highlands and Islands, the pioneering Screen Machine mobile cinema is to have a sequel.

A grant of £428,000 from the Scottish Arts Council's (SAC) National Lottery Fund, along with £150,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and funding from Scottish Gas, Scottish Rural Challenge Fund and Volvo has enabled owners and operators HI-Arts to order a new vehicle.
 
 
Building on the experience of five years on the road with the prototype, Screen Machine 2 will bring a true cinema experience to more film fans across the Highlands and Islands.

Robert Livingston, director of HI-Arts, the independent charitable company contracted by HIE to promote the arts in the Highlands and Islands, said: "We are delighted to have secured this funding which will enable us to go ahead and introduce a new and improved mobile cinema.
 
"The Screen Machine was a first for the area and has proved a huge success, making a night a the movies a regular event in communities where a trip to the cinema was previously a major undertaking.

"Improvements in design from what we have learned over the past five years on the road will mean the new Screen Machine will offer a better service to its regular customers and go to places which have not been on the regular circuit."
 
The Screen Machine, sponsored by Scottish Gas since 2001 in partnership with Scottish Screen, SAC and HIE, is an articulated lorry, with a trailer that expands and unfolds to provide a 102-seat self-contained cinema. The auditorium has digital surround sound, air conditioning, comfortable raked seating and full disabled access.

It is operated by a team of three - a manager based with HI-Arts and two driver/operators working alternate fortnights, driving to venues, setting up, selling tickets, showing the films and carrying out day-to-day maintenance. A locally recruited usher in each location assists the driver/operator.
 
 
Although based on the "Cinemobile," operating in France, the Screen Machine had to be designed and built from scratch as the French design at that time was unsuitable for use in the UK.

As a prototype, it has a number of limitations. Its three-to-four-hour set-up time means it has to spend a minimum of two-three days at any location. A huge annual mileage and constant use has resulted in signs of wear and tear.

French company Toutenkamion has been working with HI-Arts to produce a new more robust and efficient vehicle for use in Scotland, with a set-up time of under an hour. Confirmation of the SAC grant and other matched funding means HI-Arts can now place a firm order with Toutenkamion.
 
Iain Munro, head of capital for SAC said: "The original Screen Machine has been a great success.  It has allowed communities in the most rural locations of Scotland to experience latest release movies. We are delighted to be able to support Screen Machine - 'the sequel' allowing this fantastic facility to travel even further afield and give people a wonderful cinema experience on their doorstep.

Scottish Screen, with HI-Arts, has been considering how the mobile cinema model might be extended to other rural parts of Scotland.

Apart from Inverness, the only communities in the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network area with full-time cinemas are Thurso, Fort William, Oban, Dunoon, Elgin and Kirkwall.
 
The Screen Machine is now a distinctive sight on the roads and ferries of the Highlands and Islands and its arrival is an eagerly awaited event on the calendars of the communities it visits. Ticket sales in 2003 totalled 20,270 for 548 screenings.

Operating a regular circuit of 12 venues throughout the North and West Highlands, the Western Isles and Argyll, with occasional visits to other locations, it usually takes three different films on each seven-week tour, visiting each community for three or four days.
 
In the summer of 2001, the Screen Machine proved its adaptability with a four-week tour of duty in Bosnia, hired by the Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC) as a trial for the Ministry of Defence. During its service at British Army bases in the then war zone it gave 88 screenings, mostly to capacity audiences. In Bosnia, it operated in temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius - a sharp contrast with to one visit to Lochinver where eight inches of snow did not stop the show going on. Following the success of its military service, the SSVC commissioned its own vehicle. Two mobile cinemas closely based on HI-Arts' operating model are also now in operation in Ireland.

The Screen Machine has also hosted major conferences addressed by Government ministers, acted as a venue for live music combined with film projection and contributed a mix of video and 35mm film screenings to both the Celtic International Festival of Film and Television in Portree and the Millennium Royal National Mod in Dunoon. It has even made a cameo appearance in Monarch of the Glen .