The ‘Science and Media Museum’ in Bradford is conducting an audience survey. You likely have missed this. It does not seem to have been much publicised and I searched in vain on the Museum Webpages for it. I finally sent in an email request and received a link to the following:
This has a fairly conventional series of questions; about attendance at Picturehouse and other cinemas: the frequency of screenings: preferences in terms of 2D/3D: preference for types of screenings: and, intriguing but also conventional questions aiming to help:
The Museum is keen to understand its visitors and what motivates them . . .
These are mostly tick boxes as well. It is rather boring and also includes questions about one’s age and the usual dubious list of what are called ‘ethnic categories’.
But there are three occasions where there are boxes for composed comments, which, with a little imagination, can be used to suggest matters about programming, titles and formats that one would appreciate. This may, perhaps, bring a little influence to the future programming.
The context for this is [as reported here] Picturehouse are ending their contract with the Museum at the end of October this year. We know three things about the Museum plans. They intend to take back the running of the three auditoriums; Pictureville, Cubby Broccoli and Imax. They have promised to bring in a filmgoers membership scheme akin to that run by Picturehouse; [ the point of the survey]. And they apparently intend to sub-contract the programming to an agency, but who or what is unknown.
At present the Museum’s two film auditoriums make the Museum one of only three venues in Leeds / Bradford that are capable of screening ‘reel’ films. And, despite the limitations of the Picturehouse programme, the venue has been one of only two that offer frequent screenings of art films, foreign language films [excepting Hindi-language cinema] and true independent productions. The other is the Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds. But the latter closes for up to twelve months in January 2020 as part of the major redevelopment. If you want to see any of the Cannes Festival titles that Roy has rightly praised it is likely to depend on the programming at the Museum. Otherwise it is trains or cars to Hebden Bridge, Sheffield or Manchester.
So take the ten minutes, [it is about that], to complete the questionnaire and take every opportunity to write in favour of a varied quality programme of films.
Postscript: The link is now displaying ‘the survey is closed’.
If you have missed being able to complete the Survey you can complain to:
The Case for Global Film 
Well done, Keith! I’m a member but hadn’t heard about the survey. I’ve filled it in and sent it on to like-minded friends. Let’s hope it has some effect.
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I filled this in some months ago. I had received a Museum mailing on 12th April. I remember thinking that whoever analyses these returns will probably put mine on the side as far from the mainstream. I’m wondering if we might not be better off writing a letter to the Museum management and getting as many people as possible to read it. Or possibly an open letter to the T&A?
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I note Roy’s comments. It sounds as if the Museum ‘circulation’ was hit and miss.
He has a point about comments ‘being put aside’ but this is less likely if a lot of people comment in favour of the non-mainstream.
As for alternatives; as Mao Zedong wrote, ‘walk on two legs’ I think a collective letter and something to the ‘Telegraph & Argus’ [?} are both good ideas.
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