With all the great films coming out this summer we wanted to investigate how the Tribes are consuming films, are they watching them on their laptops online or do they still go to the Cinema and buy DVDs?

 

The Tribes are a tech savvy bunch who spend their lives connected to the internet, it’s no surprise then that when asked about how they watch films many are doing so online, they rent, they buy, and they subscribe through different services.The most popular services are subscription services like Netflix and Lovefilm, these were seen to be better value then renting options like iTunes. Free services were also used such as Project Free TV, Letmewatchthis, channel, Solarmovie, Alluc and Sidereel. There’s a sense that as these sites are so readily available, it doesn’t feel wrong to be using them. The main reason for choosing a service to watch a film on is that they have what they want to watch, having the right content is key to being the Trbes top streaming service. Those services which also have American cult TV shows are popualr with the Alternative Tribes.

I usually use a free viewing website to watch films online. It’s just easier for me as I can’t always get to the cinema before the film I want to see stops showing and I don’t want to wait for the DVD  SquaresandBooks, F, 16, Urban

The Tribes do still go to the cinema and choose streaming services to catch-up with films they wanted to see there but missed, either through lack of time or more frequently lack of money. Streaming is also used for testing films out, they may watch illegally before deciding to spend money on watching content in the cinema or see if it is worth buying on DVD. They are  young and for the most part do not have spare cash – they don’t mind spending it on things they enjoy but hate to have an experience they have paid for and not enjoyed, they do everything they can to avoid this.

I do have to confess to watching quite a lot of films online, but it is films that I would not normally watch – and I give them a chance online. If I like them I might buy the DVD – if I don’t then I won’t. Tom Price, 19, Hardcore

Despite 16-24s often appearing to intrinsically know how every new bit of technology works, there are still technical issues that come with watching movies online they cannot resolve. Some feel technical issues ruin the experience so much that it just is not worth the effort to watch films online; one bad experience on a first try can mean a service is never used again. There is a sense that watching films online is a bit of a hassle, even the tech savvy Tribes struggled to use some of the interfaces, or found that there may be a lot of choice but there is still nothing they want to watch. The main gripe though is buffering and quality – not everyone had a great broadband connection and even a small wait for something to load seems like a lifetime to the Tribes, they are the instant generation and if they have to wait they will go elsewhere.

I don’t watch films online as I hate how long they take to load Jamie, M, 17, Aspirant

Although streaming was popular with the Tribes it has not completely replaced purchasing a DVD or going to the cinema. Both these activities are seen to be a more expensive way of watching films, especially DVDs, so there are special reasons for purchasing them. A DVD is seen to be worth purchasing if they are going to watch it more than once; the Tribes describe going back to old favourites on DVD, this tends to be more for TV programmes rather than films though. The Cinema is all about the experience, some films lend themselves to the big screen, and the Tribes prefer to watch these films in the cinema than on the small laptop screen.

I can’t say I watch films often enough to pay for it. I have all my old favourites on DVD which I watch the most Elenor, F,16, Leading Edge