6 Minute English – Cinema etiquette

Rob: This is 6 Minute English from the BBC. I’m Rob…
Neil: And I’m Neil.
Rob: Today we’re talking about something we must all have an opinion on – it’s cinema etiquette. In other words, what is the right way to behave when you go to see a film at the cinema?
Neil: Yes, the cinema, the movies or the multiplex. How we behave there is different from how we behave when we’re watching a film at home – but some people seem to forget that, don’t they Rob?
Rob: Yes, some people treat the cinema like their own homes. They forget other people are sitting around them. But I’ll save my moaning for later when I’ll also be explaining some behaviour and cinema-related vocabulary.
Neil: How about a question first Rob?
Rob: A good idea. This question is for you Neil. Most of like to take a box of popcorn into the cinema, but according to the Guinness World Records, which country was the biggest ever box of popcorn served in? Was it in:
a) Finland
b) Croatia
c) The USA
Neil: I don’t know but I’m going to guess that it’s the USA because they like things to be big in America!
Rob: They do don’t they. I’ll reveal the answer at the end of programme. Now back to our discussion about cinema etiquette. When I go to see a film, all I want is a comfortable seat and to be able to see and hear the film. I don’t want distractions!
Neil: You mean people who disturb your enjoyment of the film – by talking or moving about? People eating really annoys me – I hate the rustle of sweet wrappers and the crackle of a crisp packet. It’s messy too.
Rob: And what’s worse is people who turn the auditorium – the place where we all sit – into their own personal dining room!
Neil: Of course your munching popcorn is fine, isn’t it Rob?! But to really appreciate the surround-sound and clear digital projection you need a well-behaved audience. Not like the audience that one radio presenter complained about on his show.
Rob: This was the BBC radio presenter Simon Mayo. Here he is telling film critic, Mark Kermode, about an annoying moment at a film screening he went to. Can you hear what happened?
BBC presenters, Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode:
Simon: A new low was reached, as the women in front of me gets the phone out, standard thing, so sending messages that kind of stuff, and then has an app on her phone which turns her phone into a mirror, OK. And then with her colleague or member of family’s torch app on their phone, proceeds to do her makeup during the movie!
Mark: That, my friend, is extraordinary.
Neil: Unbelievable! So Simon said that he sat behind a woman who, during the film, got her mobile phone out.
Rob: Well that’s quite common – lots of people now use their phones while watching a film – we call it ‘dual screening’ – looking at two screens at the same time.
Neil: But the phone wasn’t for texting or checking messages – but to use an app to turn the phone into a mirror. Then, using the torch on her friend’s phone, she used the mirror to do her makeup!
Rob: A ‘new low’ in cinema etiquette! It’s bad manners and I wonder why she even bothered going to the cinema. I don’t think mobile phones at the cinema are a good idea.
Neil: The radio presenters would agree. They have already drawn up a code of conduct for moviegoers – a list of rules on how people should behave at the cinema.
Rob: Well, according to this code, there’s one disgusting thing that really shouldn’t be done. See if you can hear what it is…
BBC presenter, Simon Mayo:
No shoe removal. You are not in your own front room. A cinema is a public space, keep your bodily odours to yourself!
Rob: Well said! Simon says don’t take off your shoes – keep your odours – that’s your smells – to yourself. He says you are not at home! Amongst their other big bugbears – or annoying things – are slurping drinks – that’s drinking noisily – arriving late, and talking during the film.
Neil: Yes, that’s a big no-no for me – I really don’t like that. It really breaks my concentration. And then there are parents who bring their noisy kids.
Rob: Well that’s OK if it’s a special child-friendly screening but not if the film is unsuitable for children – the parents are just using the cinema as a babysitter!
Neil: There is one chain of cinemas in the UK that is offering child-free cinema-going, and another is trying out a ban on popcorn. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Rob: Yes, especially if the box of popcorn is as big as the one I asked you about earlier. According to the Guinness World Records, which country was the biggest box of popcorn ever served in? Was it:
a) Finland
b) Croatia
c) The USA
Neil: And I said the USA.
Rob: You are wrong actually. The largest box of popcorn was made in Croatia with a volume of 52.59m³ (cubic metres). It was filled in 1 hour and 57 minutes at an event to mark the opening of a new multiplex cinema. OK Neil, before this Oscar-winning programme ends, there’s just time to remind us of some of the vocabulary that we’ve heard today:
Neil: Yes, we heard:
etiquette: acceptable and expected behaviour in a particular situation
multiplex: a large building that contains many separate cinema screens
distractions: things that stop you concentrating on something else
auditorium: the place in a cinema or theatre where the audience sits
surround-sound: a system of three of more loudspeakers that allows the listeners to hear realistic sound all around them
film critic: a person who writes about or broadcasts their thoughts about films
dual screening: watching two different screens at the same time
bad manners: unacceptable behaviour which doesn’t show respect for other people
code of conduct: set of rules about how to behave in a certain situation
bugbears: things that annoy or irritate you
slurping: making a loud sucking noise when you drink something
a big no-no: something most people don’t like
Rob: Thanks Neil, wonderful. Well, we hope you’ve enjoyed today’s programme. Please join us soon again for 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. Now, do you fancy some popcorn?
Neil: Yeah I do actually. And this drink’s great! (slurping his drink)
Both: Bye.