The local artisan: Are there values and qualities in other fields of ethical consumption that can be established as qualities in cinema?

Abstract

At the beginning of cinema, audiences would go to see the spectacle of their local environment captured by a small team and later projected upon a screen. The ‘spectacle’ of cinema remains, but the small crew and sense of local connection to what is projected is no longer there. Can wider societal movements to ‘shop local’ and support independent businesses be applicable to cinema? It is possible to appraise Mark Jenkin’s films Bait and Enys Men as examples of the local artisan being applied to cinema. They were produced using small crews, using eco-friendly methods and contained sustainability narratives at their core. Whilst both contained a regional appeal and performed well at regional screenings, they also succeeded nationally and internationally too. Is there potential for the local artisan production approach to help drive communities and audiences back to cinemas? Can frameworks like the B-Corps model be used with production companies to guide ethical consumers towards content that is made in line with their ideals? Crucially, is there any hope that this could ultimately provide a profitable and sustainable replacement to mainstream cinema as opposed to a niche alternative, which only adds to the existing output?