Just Great Movies

One of those great coincidences that brings joy to my family's life is the close proximity of Traverse City, MI to the Interlochen Arts Camp where my daughter spends her music-filled summers. Before delivering her to camp this weekend, we enjoyed a couple of days in Traverse City, home to a lifestyle retail center housed in the former state asylum (creepy and yet very cool; trust me), renowned National Cherry Festival (sadly, not the season just yet), and (in)famous film festival (happily, well-timed for our return visit at the end of camp). This visit, we were able to take in a movie at the State Theater, which is closely aligned with the film festival. I love their tag line, 'Just Great Movies' -- it captures the paradoxical humble bravado of a small community theater (they 'just' show great movies) that regularly leads the nation's art houses in film receipts -- despite the fact that they compete against much larger demos in places like NY and LA (they JUST show great movies).

This is a perfect example of the 'constructive capitalism' that Umair Haque argues 'creates "thicker" value: value that's meaningful to humans — not just value that pumps up spreadsheets, computer models, and bonuses.' The State Theater exists to provide a unique value to its community (and through the film festival, that community extends to people like me who live far away): great movies yes, but also a great movie experience. Tremendous care is taken to provide with each screening an unparalleled movie experience at affordable ticket prices so that the entire community can participate. The seats are divinely comfortable, and are spaced well apart with plenty of leg room. You are provided an unobstructed view of the screen, even if someone tall is seated in front of you. The theater is cleaned quickly and efficiently between screenings. Professional projectionists ensure the film quality is nothing less than superior -- unblemished, gorgeous color, with great sound. It felt like a different medium entirely from what we have become accustomed to in movie theaters - small, cramped spaces with muddy sound and inconsistent film quality. The State experience was like discovering a new technology, although indeed we were rediscovering what film was meant to be, before my generation and well before my daughter's.

The experience felt so novel because the theater's ownership has opted for the 'thicker' value of bringing something meaningful to its community. The community validates this with their patronage. It matters to customers that their needs are honored, and that care has been taken to enhance their lives with an art form that is entertaining as well as challenging -- and all of this for about what you'd spend on a fast food meal.

The Great Depression witnessed a tremendous surge in movie ticket sales, since customers could pay an affordable price for a few hours of respite from their daily cares and hardship. During our current recession, the venues that are recording surges in patronage are community libraries, which now loan movies on DVD at no cost to members. It's not apparent that people can't spare the price of a movie ticket -- but they don't see the value of renting a DVD when they can get it from the library for free, and they realize even less value in visiting a metroplex to see a movie on the 'big screen' all the while being treated like the great unwashed the proprietors apparently assume to be their customers. That doesn't mean the community doesn't value seeing movies -- they just don't value what's on offer. If you're going out to a movie, it had better be an engaging experience or why bother?

I don't know how businesses can attempt to provide an engaging experience if their single purpose is to create value for themselves. At a time when stress and uncertainty impel many individuals to isolation and insularity, it is a profound experience to witness the opposite, in a business that seeks to bring just great movies to its community.