{"id":59031,"date":"2021-12-06T12:52:13","date_gmt":"2021-12-06T12:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=59031"},"modified":"2021-12-06T13:20:29","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T13:20:29","slug":"covid-19-pandemic-showed-me-the-fragility-of-my-dream-indie-cinema-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2021\/12\/06\/covid-19-pandemic-showed-me-the-fragility-of-my-dream-indie-cinema-job\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Covid-19 pandemic showed me the fragility of my dream job running an indie cinema\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Part-time indie cinema manager Ben Rive almost quit his day job to be a full-time film fan, but the pandemic has left him glad he didn\u2019t<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-1024x512.jpg\" alt=\"44-year-old indie cinema manager Ben Rive, a man with a brown stubbly beard, stands smiling, facing the camera, in front of Penarth Pier Pavilion.\" class=\"wp-image-59032\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-770x385.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-1366x683.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-585x293.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-1170x585.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-293x147.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-1400x700.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-1024x512.jpg\" alt=\"44-year-old indie cinema manager Ben Rive, a man with a brown stubbly beard, stands smiling, facing the camera, in front of Penarth Pier Pavilion.\" class=\"wp-image-59032\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-770x385.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-1366x683.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-585x293.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-1170x585.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-293x147.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1-1400x700.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile1.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption> Ben Rive, founder and manager of Penarth\u2019s Snowcat cinema, says he feels \u201cvery, very lucky\u201d not to have been more badly affected by the pandemic. Photo: Hannah Watkin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Listen to this story:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1155556633&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1155556633&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><div style=\"font-size: 10px;color: #cccccc;overflow: hidden;font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/cardiffjomec\" title=\"CardiffJomec\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc;text-decoration: none\" rel=\"noopener\">CardiffJomec<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/cardiffjomec\/pandemic-showed-me-fragility-of-my-dream-cinema-job\" title=\"Pandemic showed me fragility of my dream cinema job\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc;text-decoration: none\" rel=\"noopener\">Pandemic showed me fragility of my dream cinema job<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When film fan Benjamin Rive started a pop-up cinema at the back of a friend\u2019s Cardiff pub in 2016, he never imagined it would grow much beyond him sharing his passion with a small monthly audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, by February 2020, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowcatcinema.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Snowcat Cinema<\/a> was showing daily sold-out screenings at its now permanent residence in Penarth Pier Pavilion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Ben, 44, who works full-time as a project manager for Cardiff council, what started as a hobby on top of his day job had quickly developed into something more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was doing four nights a week at the cinema as manager, plus all the programming, all the promotion, all the poster design, and all the prepping for the films,\u201d says the Penarth-based man with a grin. \u201cIt was a full-time job on top of a full-time job \u2013 but when 20 hours of that is being at the cinema watching films, it doesn&#8217;t feel like work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>I watched over 400 films for the first time <br>during the pandemic<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Encouraged by his wife Nicola and overflowing with an enthusiasm for cinema, Ben began to consider quitting his job at the council to focus solely on running Snowcat.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then the pandemic hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I had to close the doors, I felt absolutely devastated,\u201d he says, smile fading as he thinks back to cancelling events which were set to be Snowcat\u2019s most successful yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was very glad I hadn&#8217;t given up my day job,\u201d he reveals honestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Taking advantage of lockdown<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>But having recovered from the initial disappointment of the pandemic, Ben, who\u2019s lived in South Wales for most of his adult life, quickly found ways to continue sharing his love for films by holding film watchalongs and quizzes on YouTube to keep in touch with his audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-1024x512.jpg\" alt=\"Indie cinema manager Ben Rive sits at a cafe table, laughing. He is wearing a beanie hat and brown jumper.\" class=\"wp-image-59033\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-770x385.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-1366x683.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-585x293.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-1170x585.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-293x147.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-1400x700.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-1024x512.jpg\" alt=\"Indie cinema manager Ben Rive sits at a cafe table, laughing. He is wearing a beanie hat and brown jumper.\" class=\"wp-image-59033\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-770x385.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-1366x683.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-585x293.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-1170x585.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-293x147.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2-1400x700.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/11\/Culture_HannahWatkin_BenRiveProfile2.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Film fan Ben Rive remains positive in spite of all the worries and challenges the pandemic has thrown at his dream job. Photo: Hannah Watkin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Thinking back to this time he says, \u201cI felt like I should really take advantage of lockdown to try something different\u2026 and people\u2019s support really gave me an initial boost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sympathetic to others\u2019 difficult experiences, Ben says he was lucky to have found positives during lockdown. With increased spare time, Ben enjoyed relaxing and going for more walks with Nicola and their two westies, Artie and Penny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, without the cinema to run, Ben could dedicate more time to exploring his passion for film independently. \u201cI watched over 400 films for the first time in 2020,\u201d he says, scrolling through the list he has on his phone to prove it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Back to the future<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the pandemic still brought some low moments. When <a href=\"https:\/\/gov.wales\/coronavirus-restrictions-relaxed-further-wales\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cinemas reopened<\/a> in July 2020, Ben realised the Pavilion was still unfit for business \u2013 social distancing meant Snowcat could seat only six people. \u201cIt felt like my dream was over,\u201d he admits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully, it wasn\u2019t, and Snowcat \u2013 named after the machines which appear in two of Ben&#8217;s favourite films, <em>The Thing <\/em>and <em>The Shining<\/em> \u2013 reopened successfully in August this year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But although running the indie cinema still gives Ben much joy, his future plans have changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m much more aware of the fragility of it,\u201d he says, \u201cAnd I&#8217;ve come to terms with the fact it\u2019s never going to be my day job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator aligncenter\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Ben\u2019s favourite films<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Favourite film:<\/span><\/strong> If I was allowed only one film, forever, it would be <em>Jaws<\/em>. I&#8217;ve seen it so many times! It\u2019s not the best film ever, but it&#8217;s my favourite film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\"><strong>Favourite childhood film:<\/strong> <\/span>I&#8217;m a child of the 80s, so my childhood was spent watching the original <em>Star Wars<\/em> films, <em>Indiana Jones<\/em>, and <em>ET<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Film that made the biggest impression during the pandemic: <\/span><\/strong>What jumped out at me were the films that I felt should have had big cinema releases, but didn&#8217;t. Films like <em>Saint Maud<\/em>, which stars Morfydd Clarke from Penarth, and<em> Sound of Metal<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-purple-color\">Most anticipated future film:<\/span><\/strong> The new Paul Thomas Anderson film, <em>Licorice Pizza<\/em>, looks right up my street. And there&#8217;s another film coming out soon with somebody from Penarth in it, a Welsh language film called <em>The Feast<\/em>. I saw it recently and it\u2019s amazing, so I can&#8217;t wait to show it at the Pavilion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Part-time indie cinema manager Ben Rive almost quit his day job to become a full-time cinephile, but the pandemic has left him glad he didn\u2019t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":771,"featured_media":59032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,19],"tags":[7423,730,7201,7424,7422,608,4270,4737],"coauthors":[7357],"class_list":["post-59031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-culture-home","tag-ben-rive","tag-cinema","tag-covid-19","tag-dream-job","tag-indie-cinema","tag-penarth","tag-penarth-pier-pavilion","tag-pop-up-cinema"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - 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