REGARDLESS of what happens next year, the December offering at Pics & Flicks will be the last film shown at the Gerringong Town Hall, ending a tradition that dates back to the 1950s.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
According to projectionist Gary Waghorn, the advance of digital technology and gradual phasing out of film is all-but complete.
Mr Waghorn, now 51, remembers standing on a box to show his first film at the age of 10. He has been part of the Pics & Flicks team for its entire 13 years.
Mr Waghorn has film in his DNA. His grandfather, Harry Waghorn, installed sound systems for silent movies. Gary's dad, also Harry, was a projectionist in Gerringong and at the Gala Cinema (formerly the Odeon) in Warrawong. The family had the cinema until three years ago.
In 1954, the Waghorns began showing movies and newsreels up to twice a week at the Town Hall. Until 1985, movies screened every Saturday night.
Up until about six years ago, Mr Waghorn would show children's movies during the summer school holidays.
But then Mr Waghorn said it started getting harder and harder to access movies.
"Twenty or 30 years ago you had about 12 months between when something was on at the movies and when it was released on video, but as the window between cinema release and video shop shelves got narrower [now six weeks], it got harder," he said.
Mr Waghorn said the gradual digitisation of the process started with the ground-breaking release of Avatar. He said all major cinemas now use the new technology, as do most independent cinemas.
He thought most small country cinemas would be in a similar situation to Gerringong.
While the industry had changed a great deal, even in his time working in it, he couldn't fault the improvement in the artform's screening technology.
"I am all for technological advancement," he said.
"I think the technology is wonderful. Now the first presentation [of a film] is just as good as the last - eight weeks later. The sound and everything is a lot better now.
"But I guess I am just sentimental about showing films at the Town Hall in Gerringong. That's coming to an end really."
Pics & Flicks president Charles McCammon said the committee would endeavour to continue to show films but the approximate $50,000-$60,000 price tag for digital equipment was prohibitive.
He said the group would explore government grant options to obtain some kind of projector for showing DVDs.
While that solution might be limiting in terms of new releases, it would enable Pics & Flicks to continue to provide quality non-blockbuster cinema.
"We would like to continue, but it's a case of can we get the gear and what is the availability of movies going to be," he said.
Mr McCammon said Pics & Flicks was started when a group of like-minded people banded together to show locally the kinds of pictures screened at independent cinemas.
"It was also a great way to get the community together, and it still is," Mr McCammon said
The first Pic & Flicks movie screening was Finnish movie Drifting Clouds in June, 2000. It attracted a crowd of about 150, some in tuxedos.
Mr McCammon said the biggest crowds have been for Monsoon Wedding, with average audiences of 140.
The picture which has the honour of being the last film shown at Gerringong Town Hall is Kawasakiho Ruze (Kawasaki's Rose), on December 6, at 7.30pm for 8pm start.
