I had the best childhood and it is something that I will always appreciate. Very early in my childhood, I was introduced to arts and culture. Every year, my mum would take me and my siblings to eat at Pizza Express, then watch a show on the West End. We had children’s passes to watch films at the Odeon and every Friday evening was family movie night. We went to art galleries, museum exhibitions, open air theatre shows and more. That was the beauty of living in the UK. We had all these experiences at our fingertips.
All of those experiences made my life richer. It’s no secret that a majority of my outings like Art Basel, The Montreux Jazz Festival and symphony concerts have been based on the arts. There is this sense of nostalgia that it brings. However, living in Switzerland, has pushed me to actually seek new experiences whether they are immersive or adventurous.
Experiencing Cinematic Moments
imagine sitting in the very selected seat in the cinema. You are surrounded by the lights and the sound as the storytelling dances through the air. You are not alone. The people in the room are holding their breath when Captain America hears ‘On your left’ from Sam or gasping during suspenseful moments. It creates a cinematic experience that is hard to replicate at home. That is because watching films in the cinema makes it into an event. What makes the experience sensational is watching it with other people that love the movie like you do.
Some movies have legendary soundtracks that you need to hear live to experience it fully. The way that the music moves through your body, evokes certain emotions as the music ties beautifully with the scene. Yes, you can stream the soundtracks and bring up the scenes in your mind. In the theatre hall, it’s just magical. That cinematic experience comes alive. That is why I chose to watch The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (LOTR) and Gladiator in concert.
Solo Dates In Jar
In 2023, I created a solo dates jar filled with every single activity under the sun. The aim of this jar was to keep my dating activities creative and new. Don’t get me wrong, I love doing movie nights at my place. But I wanted to force myself out of my comfort zone by doing something new. This meant travelling to new towns and cities to do an activity and explore more of Switzerland.
Usually every two weeks, I plan a solo date activity that I picked out of the jar. Sometimes, I might pick out an activity that looks great but it’s the wrong season to do it. Then, it goes back into the jar and I pick out something else. If the activity requires more time to plan, then I push it back by another two to four weeks.
At the time, this particular activity was not in the jar because I didn’t know this concept existed. I still went ahead and planned it. What made both of these solo dates sensational was that these were timeless films that I already loved. They both have original scores and soundtracks that I have listened to over and over again for decades. Seeing them in a new setting felt like I was watching the movies for the first time.
What Are Films In Concert
Films in concert or ciné concerts are an increasingly popular experience where cinema meets live music. A blockbuster movie is projected on a large screen in a concert or theatre hall while an orchestra performs the film’s score in synchronisation. You get to watch the movie and hear the film’s score played by a full sized orchestra, that sometimes includes a full choir depending on the movie. It’s such a unique experience that attracts both music and film enthusiasts together.
What Makes Films In This Setting Immersive
It has been a growing trend in the cinema industry in the last few years. Stories have this magical ability to transport us into a new world. We experience this every time we read a book, turn on the TV or enter a cinema room. We tune out our surroundings and step into an immersive world for a couple of hours. Once we finish some stories, we still want to experience more of it.
With the rise of movie goers’ demand for the extension of the cinematic experience, the immersive film tourism filled the supply. While film tourism isn’t a new concept, the filming locations of certain films such as The Sound of Music and TV shows such as Game of Thrones have inspired travellers, music and film enthusiasts to put themselves into these stories. In addition, these immersive environments and film tours have given a new meaning to stories. That growing demand of immersion has now been transported into concert halls. Fans can be in a room with other people and enjoy this elevated and triple immersive experience through sound, film and the audience participation. In sum, I don’t think this demand for more immersion will stop here.
Why Did I Choose To See These Films
I am constantly searching for new activities and experiences to enrich my life. I’ve always told myself that life is not about its length but its width. For me, it’s about filling it with different immersive experiences. I can learn more about myself and cherish the memories along the way. This lets me enjoy the journey that I am creating each day.
Something that you may not know about me is that I have listened to film scores for decades. Whenever I am studying, blogging or doing something that requires 100% of my attention, I listen to the film scores. I can’t listen to music with lyrics or I end up singing along and it distracts me from my task. Movie soundtracks are so rich and inspiring that I often don’t know how long I have spent on a specific task and I am able to power through it. As I’m writing this blog post, I’m listening to the beautiful epics of Hans Zimmer’s ‘A Watchful Guardian’ from The Dark Knight.
People may have made fun of me over the years for listening to them, but it has never bothered me. It’s my thing. I get so much enjoyment listening to music from films and TV shows — some that I discover through their scores — without it distracting me from a task.
The Lord of the Rings In Concert: Review
In December 2024, I flew to Rotterdam in the Netherlands for an immersive showing of LOTR: The Two Towers at the Rotterdam Ahoy. It coincided with my birthday weekend so naturally I made it into a solo birthday gift from me to me.
It was a packed venue with around 6,000 viewers and only half of the arena in use. The opening halls were decorated with signposts from the movie. Some of the fans were dressed up as the elves from Rivendell or the hobbits from The Shire. They had a couple of back drops where you could take pictures. Some of the snacks and drinks available at the kiosks were named after those found in the movie such as Lembas bread. The immersive experience started from the moment I stepped into the venue.
Audience Participation
Unfortunately, I made the mistake of choosing the floor seats instead of the balcony seats. I didn’t have the best view of the entire orchestra and the choir. Then, I had to recline further than I wanted to see the screen. Other than that, I was fully transported into Middle Earth once the music began. What made it an even more enriching experience was the audience participation. The parts that I found funny and shocking, other people reacted to those parts too. I really felt that I had found my people dem when it came to fantasy.
Gladiator In Concert: Review
In March 2025, I headed to Geneva for the inaugural film in concert showing of Gladiator at Arena Geneva. This was my first solo date of 2025. I made sure to book balcony seats for the showing and let me tell you, it enhanced the overall experience! The view was sensational as I could see the whole orchestra, the choir, the soloist and the minute details that can easily be missed from the floor. My interest in ancient histories, stories and mythology is one of the reasons that I love this film.
The venue was full with around 9,000 seats viewers and there were barely any seats left. The soloist, Lisa Gerrard, who also features in the original soundtrack and score made an appearance that night. She has a phenomenal voice and it sounded like she was right next to me. At the end of the movie, they shared behind the scenes clips from when they were filming the movie. I got to see how they constructed the various movie sets. Overall, I had a great time.
The Lack of Immersion At The Venue
Unfortunately, the immersive experience only started in the actual concert hall. I was slightly disappointed that there was little to no effort to enrich the experience outside of the arena. They could have renamed sections of the venue to match the various locations in the film or make it seem that the audience was walking into the Colosseum. Surprisingly, I didn’t have high expectations as this is the Suisse Romande (French-speaking part of Switzerland). From my experience, the film and theatre culture is not as prominent as other areas in the country. On the other hand, the environment is changing here as the population becomes more international. Maybe more thought in making experiences more immersive will change in the next few years.
How To Find Films In Concert Near You
I’d love to go to one or two films in concerts every year. As this is a new experience for me and I’m sure that some of you would love to experience this wherever you are based. Below I’m sharing some sites and methods that have helped me find these experiences. If you do end up going to one, let me know because I’d love to hear all about it.
- Rotterdam listings: https://cinemainconcert.nl
- LOTR, hand picked by the composer, Howard Shore: https://www.lordoftheringsinconcert.com
- Global listings, searched by country: https://moviesinconcert.nl/index.php?page=concertlist
Lastly, you can do a good old fashion Google Search of ‘Films In concert’ + country, state (if applicable), or city. If you are based in a French-speaking country, searching for ‘Le ciné-concert événement’ + country or city also works for me.
Would you go to an immersive films in concert experience? Alone or with some friends? I hope that this review on a triple sensory concept has given you the confidence to try something new and out of your comfort zone. Make sure to hit that subscribe button to join the community and never miss out on a post. Find me on Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok for more powerlifting and wellness content.
Until next time,
Folakemi
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