The Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) and Public Hygiene Council (PHC) will be releasing three new cinema etiquette videos (CEV) to raise awareness and inculcate the social norm of being more considerate to fellow citizens, especially in public spaces.
The light-hearted videos will advise movie-goers to silence their mobile devices, refrain from speaking in the cinema, and to bin their trash before exiting the cinema.
The videos will be screened for two years, from September 2019 to August 2021, at major cinema operators that include Cathay Cineplexes, FilmGarde Cineplexes, Golden Village Multiplex, and Shaw Theatres.
“Our cinema experience is not just about the movie, but how we conduct ourselves during and after the movie. Through the videos, we are reminding each other to be considerate in keeping to good cinema etiquette. By being considerate we make the movie experience more enjoyable for others and for ourselves. This is another step to being a greater society,” said Dr. William Wan, General Secretary of the SKM.
The new videos will succeed the previous CEV created by SKM and PHC that featured SKM’s notable duo, Ben & Bang. The previous video was screened from July 2017 to June 2019, and was watched more than 30 million times.
“Cleaning up after ourselves by binning our trash is not a revolutionary or complicated task. A simple act like this goes a long way in keeping our public spaces clean. Binning our trash once the movie is over is another gracious step we can take to keep the cinema clean for others and reduce reliance on cleaners,” commented Mr. Tony S Tan, Executive Director of the PHC.
“We have noticed a drop in the amount of litter collected after movie screenings in the past two years since the screening of the Ben & Bang CEV. Our cleaners now spend less time clearing the halls after movies. In addition, our cleaners have commented that movie-goers have made their jobs easier by throwing their trash directly into the bins stationed near the exits,” remarked Ms. Delphina Chua, Operations Manager of Golden Village Multiplex.
“Cathay Cineplexes has been using static visuals on screen before the start of a movie as a reminder for patrons to be respectful of cinema etiquette such as cleaning up after themselves, putting their phones on silent and refraining from talking during the movie. We hope that the new series of CEVs which addresses the various behaviours in a light-hearted way will continue to serve as a reminder and encourage our patrons to do their part to ensure an enjoyable movie-going experience for all,” noted a Cathay Cineplexes spokesperson.
Each video will be 15 seconds long, detailing the protagonists engaging in behaviour such as constant messaging on their phone, non-stop talking, and tossing items haphazardly. However, when it comes to watching a movie in the cinema, the protagonists stop misbehaving so that those around them can have an enjoyable experience.
Watch the new video here:
