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Closure of cinemas due to Covid-19 see operators shifting manpower, upgrading venues, seeking other revenue sources

SINGAPORE — As entertainment venues here are closed until April 30 by a Government directive to stop the spread of Covid-19, some cinema operators here said they are using the downtime to train employees and improve their operations, with a view to “come back stronger” when they reopen.

Mr Prashant Somosundram (left), general manager of independent cinema The Projector, and Ms Karen Tan, its co-founder. She said that it is tough times ahead, but the firm will explore new revenue ideas.

Mr Prashant Somosundram (left), general manager of independent cinema The Projector, and Ms Karen Tan, its co-founder. She said that it is tough times ahead, but the firm will explore new revenue ideas.

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SINGAPORE — As entertainment venues here are closed until April 30 by a Government directive to stop the spread of Covid-19, some cinema operators here said they are using the downtime to train employees and improve their operations, with a view to “come back stronger” when they reopen.

Others said that they have no work to provide part-time staff members, while independent arthouse cinema The Projector said it was seeking alternative forms of income to stem a loss in revenue.

Shaw Theatres, which owns nine cineplexes here, told TODAY that it has close to 100 full-timers and 200 part-time staff members who have been affected by measures to counter Covid-19.

It has encouraged its full-timers to clear their annual leave in groups, and temporarily reassigned selected employees to roles that would help them to “broaden their understanding” of cinema operations, such as maintaining projectors and audio-visual equipment.

Those not on duty or on annual leave will also receive in-house training in small groups, Shaw Theatres said.

“The aim is to improve productivity and build a stronger Shaw Theatres team in preparation for our reopening. 

“For example, our customer service officers will be trained in handling food and beverage (F&B) and ticketing, and our projectionists will be trained to assist with some of the work done by technicians,” it said.

“We will also arrange for staff to attend courses to obtain Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) certification,” it added, referring to the national credential system that trains, develops, assesses and certifies skills and competencies for the workforce.

It also said that “loyal, long-term part-timers” would be deployed to roles on Shaw Theatres’ properties to help with crowd control and temperature checks.

In the meantime, it would clean its premises, as well as check them for repairs and make minor renovations.

Similarly, Golden Village, Singapore’s largest cinema chain operating 14 cineplexes, told TODAY that it would temporarily transfer employees to take up roles such as helping malls that house its cinemas with managing human traffic.

It also said it had signed up several staff members from various departments for training programmes in areas including first aid, crisis management, customer service and digital marketing.

GV said it would also take advantage of government support initiatives for businesses, and continue maintenance and repairs on its furniture, fittings and equipment such as seats and projection systems.

“We will use the time our cinemas are closed as productively as possible to ensure that when we reopen, we will come back stronger,” it added.

The Asian Film Archive (AFA), which runs the Oldham Theatre at Fort Canning Rise where the National Archives of Singapore is housed, has deployed its two-man operations team and theatre technician to other departments within AFA. 

All three employees are “fully renumerated monthly”, it said.

“This gives them the opportunity to pick up new skills such as cataloguing, handling films, digital preservation, and managing websites,” a spokesperson for Oldham Theatre said.

“We view this downtime as an opportunity to train and we look forward to bringing a better experience to everyone when we reopen.”

Cathay Cineplexes, which has eight branches in Singapore, said that it has no shift work to offer its part-timers, and has allowed for telecommuting and split-team arrangements for its staff members at its headquarters.

It said that it would use the closure period to refine its operations, as well as improve its premises to be certified SG Clean when it reopens.

The Government launched the national SG Clean campaign recently to raise public hygiene standards to fight Covid-19, with certification given by the National Environment Agency to those who meet the standards.

“We remain optimistic that the measures taken should soon allow us to welcome our patrons back in a safe and conducive movie-going experience,” Cathay Cineplexes said.

The Projector, meanwhile, has turned to merchandising as an additional revenue stream.

Mr Prashant Somosundram, its general manager, said that the independent cinema located in Golden Mile Tower along Beach Road opened an online gift shop on March 25 that sells tote bags, ticket vouchers and pre-paid venue hire slots, among other items.

He added that the cinema has also started a “pay-it-forward” scheme that allows customers to buy vouchers or gifts for those in need. 

Ms Karen Tan, co-founder of The Projector, said that its labour and rental expenses are its greatest financial hurdles.

The management is reluctant to lay off any of its 14 full-timers, she said, because each of them performs various roles that are essential to the cinema’s operations. However, all of them have taken no-pay leave for some days in April.

Ms Tan said: “The Projector is eligible to receive 25 per cent wage support allotted for entertainment businesses, and we greatly appreciate this help.

“But given that we run a diversified business and are under mandatory shutdown, a higher wage support like the 75 per cent given to meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions (Mice) venue operators and tourism would go a long way in helping us,” she added.

The Projector runs a cinema, an F&B bar and a Mice venue at its Golden Mile Tower premises.

"These are tough times for us, but we have a plan going forward which includes exploring new revenue ideas, which will help to weather this storm and get back to our business of bringing diverse arts and cultural content to Singapore," Ms Tan said.

TODAY has also reached out to cinema operators Filmgarde Cineplexes and EagleWings Cinematics for comment.

Related topics

Covid-19 coronavirus entertainment cinema The Projector

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