Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

Introduction - The CinemaThe pre-show period for theatre attendees has been widely recognized in the film industry as a rich opportunityfor advertising. A benefit of pre-show advertising is that theatregoers are a captive audience, often arrivingearly and facing few distractions once present. However, a significant cost of pre-feature advertising is thattheatregoers are aware of their captive status. As patrons are very aware of the great diversity of entertainmentoptions available, they may choose other forms of entertainment, such as watching movies on home theatresinstead of at the cinema. Movie theatres face the challenge of providing additional value that leverages thesocial properties of cinema attendance. The pre-show period, which is ripe for the introduction of interactiveand social technologies, is instead driving theatregoers away.The Significance Of the Pre-Movie ExperienceIndustry research points out the significance of providing pre-show content to theatre visitors in a timelyfashion. One recent study showed that moviegoers arrive at the theatre on average 24 minutes before previewsbegin. Previews are a long-standing, culturally significant part of going out to the movies.Proposed Research - Innovations in Content: Social Interactive ExperiencesDr. Sykes and the Sheridan team, in collaboration with the industry partner, will design and develop interactivecontent for the pre-movie period for typical mobile devices. The proposed applied research will use theindustry partner's framework to construct cinema-based quizzes and games.