Revenues, diversity and development, is the triad that promotes throughout Cuba, especially in Havana, one of the most popular and attractive forms of self-employment appeared in recent months: the 3D rooms.
They are small spaces, mainly located in different rooms within houses, where films are “screened” (strictly reproduced) in three dimensions: height, width and depth, visual simulation almost identical to what the human eye is capable of perceiving.
The offer of the owners of about 20 of such businesses that exist in the nation’s capital includes polarized glasses, air conditioning, comfortable seating, booking opportunity, gastronomic offerings and choice of selecting the program, all within the technological adventure of peeking at the window of the three- dimension.
This new way of business proliferate, as once did it the now quasi -extinct state neighborhood cinemas, even in central avenues or in almost-collapsing buildings. Those rooms often have capacity for about twelve people; exceptionally exceed the 30 – and the ticket price ranges between one and five convertible pesos ( CUC).
But, how were they included into the consumption options of nonstate sector even without being part of the private business authorized in 2010 by the Cuban government? How do they operate? Are they profitable for their owners?
Between license and 3D
These 3D rooms increased spontaneously and so rapidly that the local administrative councils had to use their powers to adjust this new modality to the interests and legality of their territories …, Manuel Fernandez, administrator of the Threebar, room operating as a special offer of a cafe-restaurant in the Havana municipality of Plaza de la Revolucion, told.
“In other places, people owning these rooms have requested a license to organize recreational activities for children, but here in Plaza, unlike Guanabacoa, San Miguel del Padrón, or Regla …, we have opted for the one linked to cafes”. Manuel, whose 3D room is located on No. 308, Street 29th, at El Vedado neighborhood, says that both permissions have limitations: In the case of the one related to recreational activities has the restriction of “access only to the children, due to the kind of movies they consume, and a gastronomic offer which tends to be, if any, very poor. And with this license, which allows 3D rooms being part of restaurants or cafeterias, you have to pay a higher tax: 3 600 CUP (Cuban pesos) plus 10 percent of sales”, he says.
The Threebar opened in April this year. The computer specialists Dayron, David and Michel, all young, invested around 4000 CUC in this project-the administrator told-based on two criteria: the novelty of this issue in Cuba and the success of other private rooms.
Yolexis Ramos has a small 3D room in Old Havana , on an ancestral building. In the midst of a property visibly deteriorated, a sign in pink announces it is exclusive for children.
“It takes a big investment, sacrifice. That is why I went to the Labour Office and explained I wanted to install a 3D room. They said I had no problem”, the young self-employed man tells and remembers he moved to the home of a relative, then he remodeled his former home, invested in technology, air conditioning, seats … and finally he went to apply for the license.
Then they said to me that kind of license has not been approved yet, and I replied that was not what they previously told me. How could this happen now? Finally, someone who advises me with legal issues and I studied the possibilities and requested for the license to work as operator of child recreation equipment. I wanted a legal business.”
And he got it, because eventually the provisions adopted for the expansion of self-employment in Cuba are updated in line with changes imposed by society and the development of the activity itself, always bold and innovative… This happened with video game rooms, which appeared in the 1990’s and were legalized in 2010 .
Now, Yolexis´ small 3D room operates and the ticket price is relatively cheap: one CUC per person. Some Sunday morning he offers a free film to the neighborhood kids or rent his premise to families wishing to celebrate birthday’s parties of their children.
The crux of this business
“How does a 3D room operate?” I asked, near the Malecon in an area surrounded by hotels, to Nestor Miguel Lotti, manager of a business that , in addition to cinematographic room, is a tapas bar and cafe. This place in El Vedado is known as ” Robertico´s Cinema”, famous comedian who is one of the owners.
The young man replied that they only show children’s films from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm and added that “the bar has a different schedule of the cinema, because when showing films we can not sell alcoholic beverages. We have three different licenses, one for each activity, but we had only one space, so we develop the three activities here”, he says.
With capacity for 35 children , “Robertico´s Cinema” opens only on weekends during the school year, while in July and August provides service seven days. The entrance fee is 3 CUC and includes a canned soda and popcorn. It is said that this was one of the first 3D cinemas in El Vedado. It has been operating for some ten months: “We started with four TVs and that was the first time I saw that kind of films, Nestor noted, but now we use projectors, a fabric with 120 inches of amplitude, comfortable seating, air conditioning … This is a real cinema.
“We chose the films according to customers demand. We are always looking for the newest, nice, interesting or educational films. We decide what we are going to screen, that is why we have a prior review process that prevents errors”.
“Customers can not make reservations here. We propose some films for them to decide” he reveals despite knowing in other places the customer is who chooses and screening times are from 10:00 am to 9: 00 pm, and they are even extended if there is still someone interested.
With the emergence of these small private rooms, Cuban film culture threatens to completely change. Now, not only state institutions decide what or when a certain product group must be consumed by people; now, the education of the population (adult or child) is no only a governmental matter, including the risks this involves, and the contents showed in large or small screens sometimes stop privileging “educational or classical topics” to screen “the newest or most wanted films”.
Everything in this business is relative: ethics is up to the self-employed person and depends on how faithful he is, for example, to the principle of not mixing films, videos or other obscene or pornographic materials, with his regular programming. Although, in these cases, the Cuban Penal Code in its Article 311, sanctions with imprisonment for two to five years who offers, sells, supplies or provide to an under-16 any of the content mentioned above.
Talking about technology
“Where do you get the movies?” I inquire again and again wherever I go. Some say they get them in ¨Revolico,¨ an Internet site; others say they are brought from outside the country or downloaded from Internet. Most tell that there are people that bring them film packages for them to choose and, of course, buy.
In one way or another, almost all 3D rooms offer over 30 titles, and the most requested are those of action, drama, horror and cartoons.
Those who are in the business, mostly use LCD, LED or plasma TVs with HD resolution, or projectors with 3D technology, all models with a great depth of image, high resolution and vivid colors.
They also have a Blu-ray disc player that includes a high-speed HDMI cable connecting the 3D TV to this unit. This equipment is considered the successor of the DVD, because it allows recording more information in a storage disk of the same size of a CD, it has a high-definition viewing (1920x1080p) and reproduces 3D content. Those who do not have this technology also use an HD cable or HD decoder connected to the TV.
The 3D rooms also include 3D glasses, acquired outside Cuba along with the TV and the player, as the special glasses of a particular brand are not compatible with TVs of the rival brand. What most of these sites did not have before starting operating was a 3D compatible TV.
Clear accounts…
Do you have any profits ? … “Not much” or “still insufficient” answer these self employed people despite the average entrance prices and gastronomic consumption are not exactly low.
Of course, we must take into account the investment of about 1500 CUC (equivalent to 37 500 CUP) only on TV and polarized glasses, to which is added expenses in other technological accessories, furniture, ventilation products for the café and / or restaurant, daily or weekly payment to hired workers, plus taxes.
We can conclude that, maybe incomes are insufficient, but this is a profitable business. For example: in a room where the entry costs 3 CUC per person, and with capacity for thirteen persons, with four daily showings, you get at about 156 CUC. That is, in theory, with the gain of one day you may pay the tax of a room like Threebar.
On the other hand, this new sort of business has advantage over similar offerings by any government institution, that would certainly have lower costs for the public and would be a fierce competition assuming they would have some quality in their services.
EFE news agency and several digital sites, including ¨Adelante¨ newspaper, reported a few months ago on the screening in Cuba for the first time of 3D movies in state rooms.
It was in the city of Camagüey, during the 19th Film Critics Workshop, last March, when it was exhibited the film ¨Clash of the Titans¨ in the ¨Nuevo Mundo¨ video room. The capacity was limited: just 20 spectators per showing and it was used a 55-inch TV. The place was packed most of the week.
Later, during the 12th edition of ICAIC (Cuban Film Institute) Young Sample another public showing was scheduled in Havana, in a small room in the headquarters of the aforementioned institution, with capacity for 45 people.
“We are studying the possibility of reaching joint agreements with any institution or entity that facilitates the expansion of these rooms,” Roberto Romay, an ICAIC official, told Reuters at the time. He explained that was an “experimental” exhibition and added that another test would take place in the Charles Chaplin cinema. Indeed, the institution already has a space with the required features in the second floor of its headquarters.
3D films have also been screened in state premises outside Havana. Such is the case of the Juan López Rizo Cultural Center, in Songo La Maya, Santiago de Cuba, where there is a video room operating for all ages.
The intention is clear: to expand 3D. The ICAIC Creating Office, for example, where the Young Sample takes place, is already screening 3D films once a week to raise funds to help self-finance of this project. The cost is 1 CUC and can accommodate about 40 people.
But while initiatives like this take shape, 3D private rooms continue being more accessible to Cubans eager to enjoy a technology that has already more than half a century. They do not compete nor in impact or glamour with the big screen or the intimate darkness of cinemas, but they are, of course, a cultural phenomenon that draws small crowds eager to novelty.
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