Live To Your Local Cinema

The digital broadcasting of performances to cinemas, or 'livecasting', burst onto the world scene in 2006. This book explores the reasons for its rise, examines the aesthetics of filming theatre and opera performances, and explores who the audiences are and what they want.

'A welcome addition to what the author correctly argues is a small body of existing work. This one has the distinct advantage of offering the reader both an excellent empirical perspective and a keen sense of the critical issues underpinning development.' - Stuart Hanson, De Montfort University, UK

'Barker's analysis deftly explores the difference between a staged presentation and the manner in which this is translated into a live video feed, as well as the cultural influences that such "livecasting" has on audiences. The book is short but insightful, part of the new Palgrave Pivot series of brief books that tackle key topics with brevity and style, published in hardcover at a reasonable price and also available as a digital download. Live to Your Local Cinema demonstrates how live video broadcasting has democratized culture for the masses, making hitherto elite, often unaffordable spectacles available to all.' - W. W. Dixon, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Choice (August 2013)

'Live to Your Local Cinema provides an excellent overview of the history of live broadcast and is also a valuable resource for cinema exhibitors wishing to develop their relationship and engagement with this quite different audience for the growing number and range of Alternative Content on offer. Since reading Live to Your Local Cinema we've put in place a number of changes that I know that those who chose, for whatever reason, to experience their 'high culture' on screen in thecinema will appreciate. It seems that the livecast is here to stay and as the first book to make Alternative Content its main focus, we look forward to Martin's questions in the final chapter being answered and the debate around 'liveness' continuing.' - Jaki McDougall, CEO, Glasgow Film: GFT and Glasgow Film Festival

Martin Barker publishes extensively on topics as widely-ranging as censorship controversies, The Lord of the Rings , comic books and their readers, racism in contemporary Britain, and film audiences. After periods at the University of the West of England, Sussex and Aberystwyth, he is now Professor of Film & Television at the University of East Anglia, UK. Alongside his more academic work, he has conducted research for the British Board of Film Classification and worked with Picturehouse Cinemas.