UBC Film Society
Membership Volunteering The Clubroom

Membership #

In order to really experience all that FilmSoc has to offer, you have to become a member of the club. This offers not only great discounts on ticket sales, membership also gives you access to all sorts of great events. Read more to find out the benefits of joining our club.

Fees #

FilmSoc membership is open to everyone, whether you be a UBC student or not.

With a $10 membership, you only need to see five movies throughout the year for the membership to be worth it. Since you can get a friend in on the same price, you just have to watch three movies and bring a friend along twice. It is a deal that shouldn’t be passed up by any movie lover at UBC or around Vancouver.

Benefits #

FilmSoc is full of great benefits for members. The most popular benefit is the $2 ticket price at regular screenings. Just come to the box office before a screening and as a member you are entitled to two discounted tickets per screening, perfect for you and a guest. Also members get special admission prices to many of our special events (see individual event pages for details).

Punch Card

The FilmSoc prepaid punch card is a great deal. For only $10 you get a card with six available punches. Each of these punches and be used for either a single theatre admission or a large popcorn. That means the whole card is a $12–$18 value for only $10!

To use the card simply ring it as well as your membership card to the doorperson (for admission) or concession person (for popcorn) at the theatre. No need to visit the box office, just walk right into the movie. With each prepaid card only two people may be admitted per screening. Cards can be purchased at the theatre before a screening or in the clubroom when an executive is present.

Affiliate Discounts

FilmSoc members get a 10% discount on all rentals* at Limelight Video at Broadway and Alma! Simply present your membership card to receive the discount.

* – Cannot be combined with another offer.

Events and Screenings

FilmSoc has tons of Special Events and Social Events throughout the year. These include beverage gardens—such as our annual Big Lebowski beverage garden—, member dinners, the Oscar Party, poster auctions, Rocky Horror, ski trips, and much more. We’re even open to suggestions, so let us know if you have a great idea of your own. FilmSoc events are great places to socialize and meet people. They’re the place to be!

Every year FilmSoc is asked to host several advanced screenings for upcoming films. Anyone can attend these events, but being a FilmSoc member means access to the VIP list for guaranteed admission and early entrance! Most of these screenings have lineups that start hours in advance and the theatre fills up quickly, so this is a major benefit.

FilmSoc also hosts a semi-formal banquet each spring. Attendees get a free gourmet meal for themselves and their guests, and we party it up all night. This banquet is a volunteer benefit to honour all of our fantastic volunteers.

How To Join #

Joining The Film Society is easy. Currently you can join in any of these three ways:

FilmSoc memberships can only be paid for in cash, so be sure to bring some. Also, UBC students must bring their student ID card in order to get the lower price.

Volunteering #

Volunteering for FilmSoc earns you credits and gives you additional benefits within the club. You are not truely getting everything out of your FilmSoc membership until you volunteer for the club. Plus it is great fun!

All volunteer positions must be signed up for in advance. The signup sheet is posted outside of the clubroom at the beginning of the week (for theatre positions) or near the end of the month (for flyer distribution). Simply put your name and membership number down under the job you want and show up on the day.

Credits #

Everytime you volunteer you earn one credit (except where otherwise noted). When you reach a certain number of credits you get stamps on your membership card which entitles you to all sorts of club benefits.

5 Credits

When you earn five credits you are entitled to a free member-sized popcorn and half-priced drinks (limit four per movie) at all of our screenings. Visit the clubroom to receive your five-credit stamp.

10 Credits

Ten credits gives you free admission for you and guest to any regular screening for the rest of the year! Just present your card to the doorperson and they will let you in—no waiting in lines! You also get invited to our end of year banquet. Once more go to the clubroom to get your ten-credit stamp.

15 Credits

Once you get fifteen credits, we give you back your membership fee. Seriously! You get to be a full fledged FilmSoc member for free! Plus everybody will love you*.

* – Universal love is not guaranteed by The Film Society or its executive.

Note: If you sign up for a volunteer shift and do not show up, then you will lose a credit. If you cannot show up for a shift please remove your name from the signup sheet at least one day before your designated shift so we can find a replacement.

Theatre Positions #

No experience is necessary to volunteer at the theatre. Just sign up and show up. The Floor Manager or Projectionist will take of all the training your require. Please show up 15 minutes early to your shift if it is your first time volunteering for the position.

Unless otherwise noted, shifts start 40 minutes prior to showtime and last through the beginning of both screenings (but you are not needed during the movies).

Doorperson
This volunteer collects tickets at the door, punches prepaid cards, and keeps track of how many people are admitted into the theatre.
Cashier
Stand in the box office and sell tickets to all attendees.
Concession
Sell candy, pop, and popcorn.
Popcorn
Make popcorn and scoop it into bags.
Floater
Help out on busy nights selling tickets, replenishing candy and pop supplies, and doing whatever else the Floor Manager needs assistance with. Usually only available on Friday–Sunday screenings.
Assistant Projectionist (AKA proj2)
Help the projectionist get ready for and run the show. Duties vary depending on experience and include threading the projector, controlling the theatre lights, assisting with changovers, and much more. Once you have enouch experience you can even get paid to do film checks and breakdowns and eventually train to become a certified projectionist. Proj2s must stay through both films in their entirety, and have to stay in the proj booth the whole time (but you can watch from there). Show up 1 hour before showtime.

Certified Positions #

Some of the positions at the theatre (aka being The Boss) require more experience and training than those above. In order to volunteer for these positions you must complete a training process and be certified by the Personnel Manager. The benefit of these positions—other than the unlimited power they provide—is that they get you sweet cashy money.

Floor Manager
Once you have managed all of the floor positions, you can train as Floor Manager. This person is in charge of all the public areas of the theatre.
Projectionist
The Projectionist runs the theatre. It takes a lot of training to acheive this coveted position, but it's well worth it! Projectionist gets paid well, and has absolute power over the theatre and those in it (well, almost). For more information about becoming a Projectionist just sign up to Proj2 and ask the Projectionist on duty.

Miscellaneous Positions #

Flyer Distribution
Right at the end of each month, we need volunteers to distribute the next month’s flyers all around campus. Look for the sign-up sheet outside the clubroom, and be sure to get there fast! These volunteer opportunities are snatched up very quickly! Flyer distribution is split up into sections, each of which earns you ½ credit. Generally takes only a couple of minutes per section. An easy and fast way to earn lots of credits.
Special Events
Many special events we put on require different staff positions than those listed above (think beverage gardens). These positions will be posted outside of the clubroom usually one week prior to the event in question. A great way to get free admission to beverage gardens and guarenteed admission to our popular preview screenings.

The Clubroom #

Members have the benefit of access to the FilmSoc clubroom. This awesome space in room 130 of the SUB features a huge 42–inch HDTV, comfy couches, a massive DVD collection, and much more. We even sell pop for a dollar (50¢ for 5-credit members)!

There is almost always someone in the clubroom, so drop by and watch movies, discuss films, or just hang out and eat lunch.

DVD Borrowing #

All FilmSoc members can take movies out of our DVD collection and watch them in the clubroom. At the moment, only executive and junior executives are allowed to borrow movies to watch at home, but we are planning on introduce a DVD borrowing system in the near future. In the mean time, feel free to enjoy these great films in our clubroom.