Last Reel at the Royalty

The Royalty cinema, Gosforth,
Newcastle upon Tyne

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DVD - preview version now available for £10

I hope to have a finished DVD ready in 2011 for the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Royalty cinema. This will include the film and lots of extras. All in a standard DVD case with a colour cover.

Several people have been in touch, eager to get a copy of the film. Some are happy to wait but others would like it right now. So I'm making just the film itself available as a 'preview' release.

The price of this preview version is £10 including UK postage (overseas postage is extra).

The disc is for UK (PAL) DVD players. But it will work on any PC that has a suitable software DVD player installed (such as the free VideoLAN player).

HOW TO ORDER

By PayPal: send £10 to

By (UK) cheque: email me for details at

If you prefer you can use the contact form.

Outside the UK: ask for details.

WHAT YOU GET

You get a 'no frills' version: just the film itself on a DVD disc in a CD-style case. There is no printed label on the disc and no inlay in the case. However, anyone who buys this preview will qualify for a small discount if they buy the final version in future.

THE FILM

The film is the same version that you can watch for free here on the website and is 27 minutes long. If you haven't done so already, you might like to take a look at the online version before you buy. In particular please be aware that the film was shot on early VHS video equipment. So you shouldn't expect 'broadcast' picture quality from this DVD.

Having said that, much time and effort has been spent trying to get the best possible quality from the original tapes. Thanks to digital video capture, image processing and editing the film has never looked better.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The website version of the film is in four sections and has the website address in the top right corner. Is the DVD like that?

No, on the DVD the film is continuous and doesn't have the site address.

Will the film itself be different when it appears on the finished disc in 2011?

Work is pretty much completed on the film. The final colour correction and sound mixing have been done. So I don't expect there to be much difference. There are a couple of edits between shots that I may adjust slightly. Also I have a better quality transfer of the Super 8 film shots (of the demolition) -- seen at the end of the film -- which I may substitute shot-for-shot. Although I reckon most people won't notice the difference.

What extras will be on the final DVD in 2011?

Some possibilities include: previously unseen video footage, stills galleries, out-takes, extra commentary, alternative soundtrack.

The original VHS tapes are nearly 30 years old. Have they deteriorated?

They have been stored under good conditions and so far I can't see any change in them over that period. A lack of VHS equipment to play them on in the future is more of a threat in my opinion. But all of the footage now exists in a digital video format too.

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