“There’s a parallel universe in which my film *did* come out in cinemas and that would have been amazing. But then a lot of kind of amazing things for my film did happen because we were in a pandemic.”
Something new today - I did my first ever ‘Substack Live’ to mark the fifth anniversary of the virtual theatrical premiere of ‘The Atom: A Love Affair’ back in May 2020, about six weeks in to the first lockdown and just a couple of months after my pandemic baby was born.
This was me just talking off the cuff about my recollections of what was definitely a pretty extraordinary time, so hopefully it’s not too rambling!
Do have a watch. But if you’re short on time, I asked Chat GPT to summarise what I covered and this is what it said:
🎬 Main Themes & Points:
Premiere Timing:
The film premiered during the UK's first COVID-19 lockdown, which led to significant changes in the original release plan.Original Plan Disrupted:
The film was meant to have a physical cinema premiere at the Depot Cinema in Lewes, with narrator Lily Cole attending in person.
Lesley had planned a UK tour of screenings during her maternity leave after her second child was born.
Shift to Digital:
With cinemas closed, the team partnered with Curzon Home Cinema, which already had a digital platform.
They introduced a "Living Room Q&A" format to replicate post-film discussions virtually.
Personal Context:
Lesley was juggling a newborn, an older child, and a partner working for the NHS as a medical physicist during a stressful and uncertain time.
Unexpected Press Success:
Despite setbacks, the film received strong national media coverage (e.g., The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Times, and even Mark Kermode on BBC).
This was partially due to fewer films being released during lockdown.
Mixed Reviews:
Some critics praised the film's content and insight.
Others criticized stylistic choices like the love affair metaphor and Lily Cole’s narration.
Reflections:
Lesley reflected on what was lost by not having an in-person premiere, but also what was gained (greater press visibility, unique experiences).
She reminisced about other cultural moments during lockdown, like streaming theatre and binge-watching series like Last Tango in Halifax.
So there we have it. It did feel a wee bit strange just talking into my phone to start with, but it was lovely to see some friendly names I recognised popping up (thanks
and everyone else who joined me live) and once I relaxed into it I had a good time taking this little trip down memory lane, looking back through my 2020 diary and rifling through the press cuttings from premiere day - even the less than complimentary one in the Times 🤣Do let me know what you thought of this format. And if there are any memories of virtual culture from those early months of the pandemic you’d like to share (for me it was definitely watching some theatre on the National Theatre at Home platform), I’d love to hear them!
PS. If you’d like to join me for my next live video, do make sure to download the app and I’ll look forward to seeing you there.
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