Cinema - the social medium

Nowadays, films can be watched anywhere and at any time. Many parents would like their children to do this less often. Yet the cinema screen offers perhaps the ultimate shared media experience. Cinema films can stimulate conversations and strengthen media skills.

When a child enters a cinema for the first time, they have usually already seen several films: on TV, on DVD, on their smartphone or on the internet. Watching films is one of children's favourite pastimes from an early age. «No problem!» says Adeline Stern, who is jointly responsible for the educational concept of Zauberlaterne, the Swiss film club for children. Because discovering a film in the cinema is still a unique experience today. This is partly due to the big screen and the good sound system, which make every film seem more intense and immersive than on the screen at home.
But for Stern, the most important argument for going to the cinema is that you have to give yourself completely to the film. «At home or on the train, you can escape the strong emotions of a film. You go to the toilet, look to the side, pause the film or change the programme. In the cinema, on the other hand, you are trapped for a while and concentrate solely on what is happening on the screen without interruption. This immersion in a film is important so that watching a film can become a moving experience.»

How can something be so small in the hand and so big on the screen?

Let's talk about it

Films often trigger strong emotions in young audiences and can serve as a door opener to complex topics. Of course, this applies even more to cinema films than to the blockbusters that are always available via streaming services or on DVD. While people often watch films alone in a quiet room, children don't usually go to the cinema alone, but have their parents, school class or friends with them.
«Watching films together and talking about them is important for young people,» says Moritz Schneider, Festival Director of the Swiss Youth Film Festival. Audiovisual media have become a popular means of communication, especially for young people. «It is precisely because of its easy access that film is a good medium for becoming independent and finding one's own expression.» This applies not only when talking about a film, but also when young people make films themselves. «Presenting your own film on the big screen is a very special experience. Anyone can put their film on the internet, but only the best make it to the big screen.»

"I can't see a thing!" You also learn consideration in the cinema.

But what is the best way to talk to children about films? The French film critic Alain Bergala has been teaching the subject of film for many years and conveys it first and foremost as a passion. If parents or teachers want to talk to their children about a film, they should share their own feelings and thoughts and not just try to understand what the child thinks about the film. This creates a dialogue that leaves room for different interpretations. If a film deals with difficult topics, children should be prepared, says Adeline Stern. And before you watch the film. Afterwards, the feelings are often too strong to talk about them straight away.

Understanding the value of films

While films are now available at any time, cinemas are no longer everywhere. That's why, in autumn, Roadmovie minibuses packed with current Swiss films travel to communities where there are no longer any cinemas.
Some films are even shown on old film prints at Roadmovie, reports Claudia Schmid, Roadmovie manager for German-speaking Switzerland. «Then the rattling film projector is in the middle of the auditorium. Children can touch the film material and the sounds bring back nostalgic memories for the older villagers.»

It rattles: Roadmovie shows children a projector ...

... and then the children get to work on the film themselves.

In additional workshops, the young viewers can make animated films themselves or just listen to a film excerpt. «This allows the children to step out of their daily consumption of audiovisual media and reflect on how much work goes into a film,» says Schmid. This is an important aspect in an increasingly digitalised world in which it is becoming increasingly difficult to touch and understand intellectual property.

Growing together with films

«Children love hearing stories over and over again. Each time they listen to a film, they understand a new level and feel that they have grown a little,» says Adeline Stern from the Magic Lantern. In the film clubs, children can discover a film every month: from silent films to the latest computer animation. «Above all, cinema is a social event. Watching a film together on the big screen is an adventure for children. They applaud, laugh out loud and ask questions,» says Stern. And later, the parents ask where they can see the films their child keeps talking about.

Cinema offers for children and young people

zauberlaterne.org There are 74 film clubs for children aged 6 to 12 in Switzerland. Nine times a year, they show a film from the history of cinema. The members receive an illustrated magazine beforehand and are introduced to the film in a playful way in the cinema. The screenings take place without parents. With the cinema quiz, parents can playfully prepare their children for their first visit to the cinema.

roadmovie.ch Roadmovie tours the whole of Switzerland every autumn with current Swiss films. Municipalities and schools can register for a cinema day on the website.

jugendfilmtage.ch The Swiss Youth Film Festival offers young people up to the age of 25 the opportunity to present their film on the big screen and make their own film in themed workshops. Other film festivals also offer programmes for children and young people: For example, the Winterthur Short Film Festival, Fantoche, the Zurich Film Festival and the Fribourg Film Festival.

achaos.ch « Cinema culture at school» offers school classes cinema visits at reduced admission prices. Teachers receive teaching materials to discuss the film with the class.