THE REELTIME GUIDE
How we research our cinema guides
Our approach to official venue information, cinema history, source dates, uncertainty, photography and practical advice for readers.
Reeltime publishes independent information to help readers understand a cinema, plan a visit or investigate a building's history. The publication takes responsibility for the selection and wording of its guides. Research-assisted drafting is checked against the sources cited; it is not presented as a venue inspection or an individual expert's experience.
Choose the source for the question
For a current programme, access arrangement or closure notice, start with the actual venue operator. For a building's historic significance, use the relevant archive, local authority, statutory heritage record or another source with direct evidence. For a classification or access scheme, use the organisation responsible for that guidance.
An old directory can establish that a venue was once listed at a particular address. It cannot establish that the cinema remains open today. A search result may help locate a source, but its date and excerpt are not a substitute for the underlying information.
Keep the identities separate
The same town can have several unrelated cinemas. A building, an operator and a cinema name can change independently. Our Barry article distinguishes the former Theatre Royal from the Memo Arts Centre; the Sittingbourne history distinguishes New Century from The Light. We do not transfer a building's history to another venue without evidence.
Read status labels with their dates
| Label | What it means | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Official programme advertised | A programme was found on the operator's website when checked | That the venue is open at this moment or a particular ticket is available |
| Temporarily closed | A dated operator notice reports a closure | A reopening date unless the operator states one |
| Former cinema / historical venue | The article concerns a building no longer operating as that cinema | Permission to enter the building or the availability of a tour |
| Demolished historic venue | A reliable source reports that the building has gone | A current cinema or visitable interior at the same location |
| Not verified | The checked sources did not establish the particular fact | That a service is absent, or that a website retrieval failure proves closure |
Venue panels show the last source-check date. The directory retains that date, and an overdue notice explains when a planned review date has passed. That warning is a date comparison, not an automatic recheck of the operator. Current information is reviewed when the publication is updated; no daily monitoring service is claimed.
Separate building, screen and performance
A statement about a whole cinema group may not describe every building. Even within one building, entrances and facilities can vary by screen. Captions, audio description and relaxed conditions can depend on the exact film and showing. Guides preserve these distinctions and encourage confirmation of the chosen performance.
Original writing and responsible images
The guides are newly written from the evidence, rather than copies of operator descriptions or lost website text. Sources are linked so readers can assess the claims and find current details. A cited organisation does not endorse this website simply because we link to it.
Photographs are used under the licences listed on our image credits page. A photograph's date is separate from the date of a current venue check. General cinema imagery is labelled as such and is not used to imply that a particular venue has been photographed or inspected for this publication. Decorative cover artwork is illustrative.
Corrections and significant revisions
When revising a factual statement, check the exact claim against the best available source, amend the affected page and related status record, and update the editorial date when the change is substantial. Routine styling or deployment changes do not justify changing an article's date. If reliable sources disagree, explain the disagreement or use the narrower supported statement.
The Contact page states the publication's current correspondence arrangements; there is no public submissions inbox or promised response time. Questions about an imminent visit belong with the venue itself.
Commercial position
This release contains no paid advertisements, sponsored venue placements, affiliate booking links or ticket sales. Links are selected for their relevance to a reader's task. There is no automatic network of links to unrelated websites. If the site's commercial arrangements change, this policy and the affected content need to identify them accurately.