Secret Cinema: how to get the most out of it
- Lucy and the lens
- Jan 26, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 15, 2020
If you live in London, or even if you're just visiting, chances are there will be a Secret Cinema event happening at a mystery location near you! When these events began in 2007, they really were secret: you wouldn't even know which movie you'd be watching until you turned up on the day. These days, Secret Cinema runs several events a year, each one lasting for a few weeks to a few months at time, and while they're not exactly secret anymore, its rise in popularity means their budget has also increased, offering you an immersive cinema experience like nothing else.
We attended our first Secret Cinema experience - the premier of Wes Anderson's 'Grand Budapest Hotel' - back in 2014, and since then we've been to see 'Moulin Rouge' and, most recently, 'Stranger Things' in collaboration with Netflix.
In case you missed the buzz, Secret Cinema aims to create an immersive world for you to explore, culminating in the screening of a movie. So, for instance, our screening of 'Grand Budapest Hotel' took place inside the "hotel" itself, only after we'd had plenty of time to explore its many rooms and corners and interact with actors in role as characters from the movie.
It's really difficult to explain what to expect from a Secret Cinema event without giving away too much - the first rule of Secret Cinema is that you don't talk about Secret Cinema....So here are some general and not-at-all-specific tips for making the most of one of their events!
1. Pay attention to the dress code, and embrace it fully!
Secret Cinema is an immersive experience where you take on a character for the night, and your costume is a big part of the act! A few years ago, the dress code was more general - for instance, when we attended the 'Grand Budapest Hotel' event, we were simply asked to dress for the 1930s. These days, your dress code depends on the type of ticket you purchase and the choices you make after purchase. At 'Stranger Things', for example, we had to choose an 80's fashion 'clique' to join, so I attended as a rocker while Patrick joined the hip-hoppers. Your costume is about more than looking pretty - it influences your specific role in the live action that plays out around you! Don't leave your costume planning until the last minute: the more you put in, the more you get out of it! Recently, Secret Cinema has been offering an online store to help those stuck for costumes get some key pieces. That's where I got the head scarf in the picture below. Amazon is also a safe bet - that's where Patrick's delightful bucket hat and chains came from!
2. Do your research
Prior to the event, you receive a series of emails from Secret Cinema, giving you cryptic information about the events to come and inviting you to interact with this material. It might involve generating a yearbook page for yourself ('Stranger Things') or interacting with other characters on a message board ('Moulin Rouge') - it all seems a little silly but it's fun guessing what on earth is going on and a lot of what you read crops up during the evening itself. In the photo below, from 'Grand Budapest Hotel', we had to pre-print and fill in our 'identity documents', which were checked by the 'police' as we waited for entry. More recently, they've been using Facebook and Instagram to drop hints and interact with guests before the event, too.
3. Go for the earliest arrival slot, and be on time!
Due to the size of the event, there are staggered arrival times. We always go for the earliest slot, because there's just so much to see and do that we don't want to lose even a minute! Even then, we still feel like we don't cover everything! Once you arrive at the designated spot (usually an Underground station), there will be clear signs directing you towards the venue. And, if in doubt, just follow all the others dressed like punks/aristocrats/prisoners/French prostitutes or whatever the dress code happens to be that night!
4. It's a No-Phone-Zone!
Our favourite thing about these events is the fact that you have to check your phone at the door! It used to be that you left them in a locker, but these days you're given a baggie, locked using the kind of magnetised device they use on security tags in clothing stores, that can only be opened once you leave. This is key to the immersive experience - since most Secret Cinema events are set in the past, mobile phones would just ruin the effect. It's also so refreshing being able to focus on the here-and-now: you don't even know what hour it is most of the time!
5. That being said, take advance of the 'Pro-Phone-Zone'!
There will be an opportunity to take photographs, and you absolutely should. At 'Stranger Things', there was the opportunity to snap some shots in front of 80s cars and 'Starcourt Mall' before entering the event, while at 'Grand Budapest Hotel', after the official end of the event phones were released from the lockers in time for one last tour of the venue.
6. The venue is vast and every inch should be explored!
The events tend to take place in abandoned warehouses or even - in the summer - outdoor spaces, so there's a LOT to explore! It will be divided into different rooms or areas, each with its own theme or setting. Don't just stop at the first area you see! Scope out the entire space, and keep checking them out throughout the night, as each area has its own mini-events going on. For example, one of our regrets at 'Grand Budapest Hotel' was that we snuck off to grab some food in the courtyard and returned to find an epic circle-dance in full swing. And at 'Stranger Things', the opposite happened: we revisited the 'mall' to grab an ice cream and found ourselves in the right place for an 80s power ballad singalong! The only problem with the scale of the event is that sometimes you do get a little scared of missing out on something amazing!
7. Say 'yes' to everything!
There's a good chance there will be many opportunities for audience participation as you explore the venue. We've been singled out and dragged up on stage for everything from a hoedown to a spelling bee (which we won, I might add!), and while we'd usually shy away from the attention, when you're in role as a character from a movie you can just roll with it and have a great time!
8. Dance, dance, dance!
Dancing will be a key part of the event, with both flashmob-esque dance-alongs and the dance party that takes over once the movie has been aired to look forward to. We were the last pair standing on the retro 80s bar dance floor at 'Stranger Things' - that's an accolade we've never been awarded before, and probably never will again!
9. If you only go to 'Secret Cinema' once in your life, consider a VIP ticket
For maybe 25 pounds extra you get an entirely different experience with the VIP ticket. This gives you access to exclusive mini-adventures in areas that normal guests don't get to see. We took this option for 'Moulin Rouge', partly because the VIP seating offered the best view during the movie. Us VIPs were asked to come dressed as aristocrats while standard ticket holders had to come as bohemians and prostitutes; during the movie, when Satine enters from the ceiling, we were given paper money to toss from our balcony! We also had a small-group performance in a separate area, welcome champagne, a special bar and drinks menu reserved just for us, coupons for free food, and personalised souvenir swag bag.
10. Eat while you're there - the food's delicious!
At events like this, where you have no option but to eat the food at the venue, it's easy to assume that the offerings will be underwhelming and overpriced, since beggars can't be choosers. This is not the case! There will be local companies selling all sorts of food - often themed around the event itself. For example, at 'Stranger Things' it was all about American carnival food and, of course, ice creams from Scoops Ahoy; while at 'Grand Budapest Hotel' we got ourselves a box of cakes from Mendl's, the patisserie in the movie, complete with souvenir box that I still have to this day!
11. Don't drink too much!
There will be several well-stocked bars, but a big mistake we see people making is peaking too soon! This is the kind of event you want to remember, so why risk it???
12. Grab a souvenir
Somewhere in the venue there will be a store selling souvenirs - anything from prints to pin badges themed around the event. At 'Stranger Things', I couldn't resist the Hawkins High School pin in the photo below! There will also usually be a place to take souvenir photos for a fee. We didn't want to pay for one at 'Stranger Things', but by participating in - and winning! - the spelling bee, we ended up being given a souvenir polaroid photo of ourselves for free anyway!
13. Keep it secret!
Although Secret Cinema encourages you to share your photos from the 'Pro-Phone-Zone', they specifically ask you to keep any specifics of what happens inside the venue to yourself for as long as the event is running. It makes sense - speculating about what you're going to find inside is half the fun. Just like with any movie spoiler - don't be that person!
So there we are! If you follow these tips, you'll honestly have an experience like no other. And if you're going to do it, you might as well go all in!
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