Everyone remembers the first film they saw at the cinema – whether it was a classic Disney cartoon such as Aladdin, the action adventure of Jurassic Park, or the off-the-wall (and rarely remembered) Return To Oz.

Brighton’s Picturehouse cinemas are helping to create a whole new generation of cinemagoers with their weekly Kids’ Clubs, which combine family-friendly movies competitions and crafts before the film.

Tom Veryzer has been organising the Kids’ Club at both of Brighton’s Picturehouse cinemas since December – carrying on a link to young moviegoers which began at the Duke Of York’s in the 1920s with the ever-popular Saturday matinees.

“I try to make it a really special family event,” he says. “We have many people who have been coming for years.

Movie magic “Introducing children to the magic of cinema is important.

“I think about it as creating a legacy – these are future customers, we want to nuture them and give them a positive experience. It’s also a chance for a family to do something together at the weekend at an accessible price.”

The team behind Kids’ Club try to get the best new family movies, as well as a few classics, to create an interesting mix for their target audience – generally children aged four to 11. Their spring season ranged from animated favourite Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, to the latest live-action family blockbuster Oz The Great And Powerful, to the wildlife documentary Chimpanzee.

“We try to cater for everyone,” says Veryzer. “Film technology is getting more sophisticated now with 3D animation. The makers are spending hours on a second of footage and the magic is there to see. For companies such as Pixar the number one priority is the story – even if something has an amazing animation, it has to have a good story so it can hold the suspension of disbelief. That’s when animation comes to life.”

The screenings are accompanied by themed activities before the show – such as chalk pavement drawing for Mary Poppins and decorating helium balloons for Oz The Great And Powerful. “I get excited about the activities we come up with at the weekend,” says Veryzer. “You can spark off the children’s imaginations.

“When we showed Wallace And Gromit the children made their own inventions. One was a plate with a spring on the back that ‘springs’ food into your mouth – no need for cutlery! “For Eleanor’s Secret the children wrote their own short stories from the starting line: ‘One morning, little Freddie woke up to find something very unexpected indeed.’ “When I put one story from Sophia (aged 6) on our Facebook page, it went viral. It read, ‘He found that he was a mouse and his mum and dad were cats! But they were vegetarian so it was ok!’”

A typical event begins at 10.30am with half an hour of guided craft activities based around the film, before youngsters take their seats with a raffle ticket and a free bag of sweets.

Veryzer acts as MC on stage before the projector starts rolling, asking questions about the film and building up the energy with chants and interactive entertainment.

“I want to make them feel like it’s personal, and make the audience come together as a group,” says Veryzer, who used to be in improv comedy group Off The Cuff.

“When we were showing Allstars – about a teen dance competition – we had a dance-off onstage with me and a little boy break dancing. He won a Kids’ Club badge, which is our equivalent of the coveted Blue Peter badge.”

After the film, Veryzer draws the raffle and gives out prizes for the best artwork from the earlier session.

The Kids’ Club, whose logo was re-designed by club regulars earlier this year, also puts on special seasonal events. For the Christmas event last year, fake snow was showered from the Duke Of York’s balcony on to young film fans.

And Veryzer also organises children’s parties at both cinemas.

The silver ticket, costing £7 per child (£1 per adult), includes a fruit drink, popcorn, party bag and reserved VIP seating to watch a family film, while the gold ticket, at £17 per child (£1 per adult), includes an hour-long fully catered party in the bar and extra activities for between six to 12 children. For more information, email tomveryzer01@gmail.com For now, the aim with Kids’ Club is to keep building and evolving.

“We get to know some of the kids by name as they keep coming back,” says Veryzer.

“Kids’ Club can be more than just a cinematic experience – it’s a lifeline for low-income families, as we provide something that’s really fantastic for such a small price.”

Picturehouses Kids' Club:

Duke Of York’s Picturehouse, Preston Circus, Brighton, Saturdays
 

Duke’s @ Komedia, Gardner Street, Brighton, Sundays

  • Activities from 10.30am, film 11am, tickets £3/£1 for Kids’ Club members, annual Kids’ Club membership £4. Call 0871 9025728 or visit picturehouses.co.uk/kids_club or facebook.com/kidsclubatdukeofyorks

Coming up:

  • Sat, July 13/Sun, July 14: Short films from the London International Animation Festival
     
  • Sat, July 20/Sun, July 21: The Croods (2D)
     
  • Sat, July 27/Sun, July 28: My Neighbor Totoro
     
  • Sat, Aug 3/Sun, Aug 4: Epic (2D)
     
  • Sat, Aug 10/Sun, Aug 11: Ernest & Celestine
     
  • Sat, Aug 17/Sun, Aug 18: Robosapien
     
  • Sat, Aug 24/Sun, Aug 25: Alvin And The Chipmunks – Chipwrecked
     
  • Sat, Aug 31/Sun, Sept 1: Ice Age 4
     
  • Sat, Sept 7/Sun, Sept 8: TBC
     
  • Sat, Sept 14/Sun, Sept 15: Shaun The Sheep
     
  • Sat, Sept 21/Sun, Sept 22: Despicable Me 2 (2D)
     
  • Sat, Sept 28/Sun, Sept 29: More short films from the London International Animation Festival
     
  • Sat, Oct 5/Sun, Oct 6: Monsters University
     

To see what the Kids’ Club staff got up to while Monsters Inc was on last week visit http://on.fb.me/12fjAqP