Mareel - Cinema & Music Venue

[Heimdal]

The old wans ir da best wans

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/vaila2/picturehouse.jpg[/img]

[Para Handy]

What shall we call the cinema?

 

How about a chain around the councils neck

[Njugle]

Anybody noticed the poll recently:

 

50%-50% @ 50-50

 

What are the chances?

 

 

 

 

Not 50/50 by any chance...?

[north]

Heimdal, that is a pretty interesting poster, as the only name I ever heard the North Star called when I was a kid, was the "Pictur hoose", and that was from a generation who would well recall what was showing in 1933!

 

In the interests of all things Norske, how about;

 

Avbildningen Huset

 

Nord Stjernen

 

Sløseri av pengene

 

or perhaps best of all;

 

Shetland flytter bilde kino og underholdningen knutepunktet

[Wheesht]

Remember that it's a music venue/ recording studio/ multimedia production suite too!

 

Wrong. It's a white elephant.

[peeriebryan]

^ nae sayer! Give the place a chance. There seems to be a lot of folk on this forum who are almost wishing the place to become a white elephant

 

I've seen the provisional plans and went to the public meetings with the architects. I reckon the place has great potential. The only aspect of the building which I think may be under utilised is the cinema, which unfortunately seems to be what everyone is focusing on. There's far more to the building than that

[Seaflech]

Come on folk, it's not the first cinema ever to be built in the world, its a tried an tested concept and if there is a cinema somewhere folk will go to it. No it won't be full every night, but then what facility anywhere in Shetland is full every night?

A bit if a tangent, but take swimming pools for an example. Shetland has 9 of them, for the same population that will apparently in some folks eyes be unable to fill a picter hoose. If you do a google search for swimming pools in London it comes up with (excluding hotels etc) 5. 5 swimming pools for a population of 7.5 million. Thats a tight squeeze, especially if lots of folk are wearing water wings.

 

Why are some folk so keen to completly dismiss something before it even gets off the drawing board? Is it the satisfaction of 'I told you so-itis' when things don't work out? More than likely it is only hearing one side of an argument, or only believing the bits they want to make it sound far worse than it is.

 

As said above Shetland is a bleak place this time of year, is a bit of escapism by watching a film or listening to music really that bad an idea?

 

If they could fill the North Star in 1933 surely we can do it, with a bigger populous, better transport and more money, in 2007?

[Njugle]

[....]As said above Shetland is a bleak place this time of year, is a bit of escapism by watching a film or listening to music really that bad an idea?

 

If they could fill the North Star in 1933 surely we can do it, with a bigger populous, better transport and more money, in 2007?

 

I think the reason that people are expressing a negative attitude to it, Seaflech, stems the actual economics of it, which were discussed way way back in this thread. The viablility of it could indeed be construed as 'escapism'.

 

They could fill the North Star in 1933 because it was a novelty and an event and they didn't have DVDs, Sky, Digital, Internet, regular holidays and all the other fripperies of entertainment that occupies so much of peoples time nowadays. If it's not a white elephant it can certainly be portrayed as a 'luxury' in the economics as they stand at present.

[JAStewart]

Wrong. It's a white elephant.

 

Wrong. Its a fantastic opportunity.

 

How can you diss what will essentially be a progressive step for Shetland? Music is one of Shetland's most important features, I think we can agree. Its famous around the world, especially because of the folk festival. And now this Cinema & Music venue is just what we need to get it that step further.

 

Do you want Shetland to progress or just remain archaic with 'youths' drinking every weekend because there are (now that the Star is closing) NO gigs on in town?

 

Can you explain to me why you think this is a bad thing for Shetland?

 

As far as the Garrison not reaching its potential (IE: not filling out), did you go see the latest set of films? The place was FULL (I went to see Happy Feet and Casino Royal was seen by my folks). I happened to get the 3rd last ticket for happy feet. Food for thought, my 'friend'.

[Seaflech]

I agree it would be a luxury, like so many aspects of modern day life are.

 

The difference between something like this venue and previous cash drains is that we, the general public, the Shetland people, can make it work if we want to.

When the council plough millions into something that later reaps no benefits and without public consultation then thats it gone for good. But if we get a £X million pound venue, catering for all different areas of entertainment, then it is up to us to make it work. If we stand back and look at it saying 'oh, you won't catch me in there, its just a big waste of money' then it will fail. If we think 'right, I've never heard of this band before, they might not be my cup of tea but I'm not busy tonight, I'll give it a shot' then it will pay its way.

Also, the little ned who last weekend was pissed and smashing windows because he was bored might not be doing that next weekend because he has a job selling tickets or popcorn, or watching a film, or going to a music workshop.

 

You have to speculate to accumulate, and if it is up to the public to make something work then the public can make it work if they want.

[madcow]

Wrong. It's a white elephant.

 

 

 

As far as the Garrison not reaching its potential (IE: not filling out), did you go see the latest set of films? The place was FULL (I went to see Happy Feet and Casino Royal was seen by my folks). I happened to get the 3rd last ticket for happy feet. Food for thought, my 'friend'.

 

Well said Wheesht.

 

Actually, JA, these were not the latest films. These were here in January. There has been a February film weekend which I attended and the place was only about 1/3 full. According to the staff there it had been the same or worse all weekend, apart from the bairns' animation "Flushed Away" which was busier.

 

I think the reason it was busy in January was because it was the new Bond film and the hit animation with loads of merchandising which the bairns would all have pestered their parents into buying.

 

Not so last weekend. Just some really good films without the hype of Bond and Happy Feet, and some very poor attendances. And only a forthnight after the last lot of films so maybe a bit of apathy thrown in for good measure?

[Njugle]

Wrong. It's a white elephant.

 

Wrong. Its a fantastic opportunity.

 

 

Similarly, JAS, owning one of THESE is a 'fantastic opportunity', but it does not follow that it makes economic sense, unless you are 'minted'. Or you could argue that to follow through on the opportunity, all your friends and relatives are 'obliged' to pay you for trips in it, since it's there.

[Ghostrider]

Wrong. It's a white elephant.

 

Wrong. Its a fantastic opportunity. [ ----- ]

 

Can you explain to me why you think this is a bad thing for Shetland? <--snip-->

 

It's a bad thing for Shetland simply due to the people who are planning it, who will run it, and ultimately do, and will probably forever call all the shots. And just so as we're very clear on exactly who I'm referring to, I am talking about the elected members of the SIC and their most senior levels of hired help.

 

I'm all for such a facility, but in anyone else's hands than the SIC. Over a very long time these people, IMHO, have earned a reputation of causing facilities they provide to be under utilised by the rules and working prctices they impose upon them, to have excessive provision and running costs due to grandiose "for show" features incorporated, and to be black holes in to which money vanishes due to absolutely zero heed being paid by those at the top to prudent and responsible business practices in their day to day running.

 

The people calling the shots on this project, have, IMHO, minimal knowledge of competent business practices or of the "real world" other than collecting their expenses or salary cheques. It will be yet one more millstone that will drink public funds mostly due to poor decisions coming down from the top, and whatever level of success it may achieve will be despite those at the top providing it and running it, not because of them.

 

In the right hands a facility such as this could, I think, have the potential to be be a bouyant and popular place, albeit one that would probably always need to be subsidised to some small degree from the public purse. That much I could live with, but with the plans "as is" I can only see a place that will only excell in mediocrity and be such a finiancial liability that it could only hope to aspire to even greater depths of mediocrity as it's activities are continually curtailed due to the sheer, but un-necessary costs doing anything "the cooncil way" always is.

[engineer21]

Yes i aggree with ghostrider there if its gonna be council run then esp by ppl who have no business sense then how is it ever going too work!! of course a cinema and music venue will always be popular but how much of the time?

of course i would love a cinema it would be fine something else too do other than sport or drinking (also sport haha), but i does have too be well run showing lastest realeses and also at varied times and of course at a price too suit similar too prices sooth cant mind the excat glasgow prices but between £3.50 - £5.00 is fair enough

 

As for the music venue who is going too run that? someone like or possibly davie gardner? as its not a business in a sense u need someone with a real interest in all kinds of music whos also got good organising skills! are they planning too have stuff in the venue every night? every weekend? Also i have too say im not sure how many fiddle and accordian evenings they can have and still keep ppl interested, and then again how many big bands can they intice here from the mainland apart from the regular north star users? iam by no means an expert here but surely before they decide too build something like this they should find out all this information and if they have why havent they told the public mabye it would show folk that the ppl behind this are thinking ahead (of course mabye they have and i havent seen someone please correct me if im wrong!)

 

 

i can see how its location which just dawned on me is in a great place for people who use buses as its just across from the bus station but some stuff will have too coencide with bus times if they want too maximise usage, of course the whole world cannot revole around buses and ferrys but just too some degree would make sense.

 

I do on the whole think it will be a sucess too a degree

[NewMagnie]

 

Why are some folk so keen to completly dismiss something before it even gets off the drawing board? Is it the satisfaction of 'I told you so-itis' when things don't work out? More than likely it is only hearing one side of an argument, or only believing the bits they want to make it sound far worse than it is.

 

As said above Shetland is a bleak place this time of year, is a bit of escapism by watching a film or listening to music really that bad an idea?

 

If they could fill the North Star in 1933 surely we can do it, with a bigger populous, better transport and more money, in 2007?

 

Regarding the first question, many of the negative comments coming out subsequent to the decision to build the CMV are coming from those, myself included, who disputed the logic, form and expense of the thing prior to that decision. A complete volte face is still a bit much to ask.

 

I've previously stated that I think this is a good thing - or would be if it were to be dropped out of the sky by munificent fairies and not built on the public nickel.

 

The incompetence of Ron Inglis' feasibility study and the ludicrous dependence on the Shetland population's willingness to both travel and spend to make the project viable were, and remain, fantasy.

 

As I recall, the bulk of the objections were not in relation to the project itself but in relation to the planning, consultation, projected costs and likely uptake. An evening in a well appointed entertainment venue on an average Shetland winter evening is enormously appealling. For much of the population however, 2 or 3 hours in a car combined with 1 or 2 (or even 3 if you're from Fetlar) hours travel each way is likely to be less appealling. That's not to say that people won't put up with that if its a gig/film/event they really want to attend but its only likely to be once or twice a year, not two or three times weekly.

 

The argument that we already subsidise a range of facilities which are underutilised but add to the richness of life is not a strong one. At some point this has to be balanced against resources (without science fiction income figures) There is, as I've mentioned before, such a thng as compounding the error.

 

Nevertheless, I'm aware that I'm merely indulging in pointless harrumphing here and at this stage it would behoove me to wish the project well and hope for the best.

 

Its worth pointing out though that since the North Star's heyday - insamuch as it ever had one - Shetland is actually less and not more populous.