The original of this leaflet can be downloaded from the British Federation of Film Societies website:

• British Federation of Film Societies

BFFS Advice leaflet 003

Modes of film society operation

There are a number of considerations to be made in deciding how your film society is to operate. For example, do you wish to:

• operate a membership subscription scheme which pays for entry to all titles in a year or a season?
• operate a membership subscription scheme which gives members hefty discounts on entry to individual titles?
• screen to members only?
• allow members to bring paying guests?
• have a membership scheme but also sell tickets to the public either before or on the night?
• operate no membership subscription scheme as such and simply sell tickets to the public in advance or on the night?
• advertise to the public?
• programme ahead for an annual season, for 2 or 3 seasons per year, or only 2 months ahead etc?
• issue season tickets?

The income from an annual or seasonal membership subscription fee will give you the financial security of receiving most of your income at the start of the year or season, with a built-in audience for whichever titles you choose to screen.

Audience members may be more likely to join your film society if they can see your programme ahead. If you wish to advertise screenings widely to attract as many new members as possible you may find you are unable to take advantage of some of the cheaper film hire fees (see below).

If you only screen to members and guests all your audience (the members) must be over the age of 16; if you allow the public to buy tickets you must adhere to the BBFC certificate given to the film.

Film societies that simply charge on the door may be easier to get going – you don’t have to assemble a group of members in the first place – but you are at the mercy of the potential audience and if they don’t like your programme or there’s a better option on TV you may well have a low turnout (and income!); plus more work will be involved in publicising your programme to the public.

To screen any film to an audience outside the home you must obtain – and pay for – permission to do so. This permission is given in the form of what is called a 'screening licence' and is simply obtained by hiring a film from the distributor who handles that film. The conditions attached to the types of screening licence may also influence your operational mode.

For example, a film society that operates a membership subscription scheme, screens only to members and guests, and does not sell tickets on the door may be able to take advantage of a distributor's flat rate hire fee. Conditions attached to this cheap rate could, however, limit your ability to advertise outside of your immediate membership, so attracting new members could be tricky.

Another model might be a film society whose membership subscription scheme allows members to buy tickets for each screening at half price, while charging full price to the public. While a perfectly acceptable way for a film society to operate, this is likely to be viewed by film distributors as screening on a commercial basis and would be subject to the payment scheme used for cinemas – one where you pay a minimum amount (the ‘minimum guarantee’) or a percentage of take on the door (‘percentage of Box Office’). This would, however, allow you to advertise your screenings freely.

Even if you set up as a 'members + guests only' society it is possible to allow members of the public to attend some screenings: simply specify to the distributor when booking the specific film that you wish to do so on a commercial basis, ie sell tickets either before or on the night.

All the above are forms of operation that film societies in the UK follow. We can put you in touch with other similar film societies and give you advice on what suits you best.

British Federation of Film Societies, Unit 315, The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2BX tel 0114 221 0314

• British Federation of Film Societies

• BFFS: Starter leaflet

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