The Projector X: What To Expect From This New Independent Cinema Pop-Up Space
An intriguing new film-watching experience that will run for 18 months from May 1.
Since its opening in 2014, beloved independent cinema The Projector has, in our books, become an essential linchpin in the Singapore creative scene. When the pandemic hit last year, things did look admittedly rocky, especially during the lockdown.
The plucky team rallied around and quickly established their tightly curated online streaming platform The Projector Plus as Plan B as theatres and other places of entertainment shuttered island-wide.
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New pop-up cinema Projector X occupies the top floor of Riverside Point.
While things are looking more positive now, founder Karen Tan says they haven't been able to hit pre-Covid19 heights due to ongoing restrictions of seating capacity.
Enter The Projector's latest concept Projector X. If you've not yet heard, the latter is their first pop-up space. Located on the fourth floor of Riverside Point (turn left upon exiting the elevator), Projector X is what the team calls "Singapore’s first (and hopefully last!) purpose-built socially-distanced 48 seater cinema".
It comes equipped with a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) projector as well as wireless BlueTooth headphones for an enhanced audio experience. Due to social distancing restrictions, tickets will only be sold in pairs, with standard pricing at $40 per pair or $55 per pair for a combo of two tickets plus drinks (cocktails or mocktails) and popcorn.
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The screening space – titled the Neon Room – goes for a lo-fi '80s vibe. It also includes a mural by Singapore-based artist Mojoko.
"We just felt that life's a bit short, so we decided to just go for it," explains Tan, when asked why they decided to launch Projector X. "But also, it just felt like a nice change after a year of this Covid negativity to do something that's positive and fresh. We wanted to create something that's energising – not just for our community but the audiences as well."
Ahead of its official opening tomorrow, we speak to Tan and general manager Prashant Somosundram on what audiences can look forward to at this new 10,000 sq ft outfit that will represent The Projector's second home for the next 18 months.
And oh, for fans of the original Golden Mile Tower outfit, don't worry: both spaces will operate concurrently.
Much in line with The Projector's well-known knack for transforming niche and disused places, Projector X is an "adaptive reuse" of an existing space – one that was formerly occupied by nightspot X Music Entertainment Club.
Prior to the nightclub, the same space also (temporarily) hosted the National Museum when the latter was undergoing renovations in the early 2000s, says Somosundram. And to bring it full circle, the original space was actually a cinema when it was first built in the '90s.
The Projector team decided to keep many vestiges of this colourful history. There are three rooms (formerly an office space as well as a dressing room) left intact – complete with leftover shoes, tiaras, sashes and plenty of canned drinks.
Other vestiges include chains hanging from the ceiling in what used to be the club's performance room (now the cinema). Pictured here: a snapshot of the space prior to being cleaned up by The Projector team.
The new ticketing booth – now decorated with film posters – used to be the main DJ deck.
Tan says it's an ongoing process of transforming the space – at press time, aside from the main cinema (Neon Room) and the bar, it's also hosting a fabric installation piece by drag queen Becca D'Bus, several murals by artist Mojoko as well as art installation created in collaboration with poet and photographer Marc Nair. The team is open to more collaborations going forward, so hit them up if you've got an idea.
There are plenty of nooks and crannies in the space to install artworks, including screens along the tunnel into the main space that are perfect for say, video art. "Things do develop organically; we're not fixated on planning everything (perfectly)," says Tan. "We hope we've built something that people like to engage with and get inspired or excited to check out."
Kicking things off at Projector X is Singapore director Glen Goei's 1998 musical comedy, Forever Fever, which will be exclusive to the Riverside Point location. A key point that distinguishes Projector X from the existing space at Golden Mile Tower is its use of headsets.
Akin to silent discos, filmgoers will be watching the films with BlueTooth headsets for a different experience. While it's true that there have been film festivals that offered similar experiences with "silent" film watching, Projector X represents the first fixed location to have such amenities. Another important factor is more expansive leg space (as compared to The Projector's). That's what you call a win-win situation all around.