After beating out more than 300 entries, UBC graduate Emily Davidson is one of 10 finalists to be a Cineplex pre-show host —one of only two Vancouverites in the running. Supporters may vote once per day for their favourite candidate during the online voting period. The winner will tape short segments that will be shown before each film, lead a portion of Cineplex’s social media events and win free movies for a year.
The winner receives 52,000 “SCENE”points in Cineplex’s reward system —equivalent to 52 free movies —over the course of one year. The winner will also appear in the short clip that runs before each film on the 1,639 screens across 161 locations in Canada, their tasks ranging from promotional videos to conducting celebrity interviews.
Each contestant had to film a short video, less than two minutes in duration, which included a movie quote and explanation why they’d make a great pre-show host.
Davidson, born and raised in Saint John, NB, began her schooling in theatre and says movies are a way she keeps close to her father back home.
“It’s just kind of how we communicate to each other just to say, ‘I’m thinking of you,’”said Davidson, explaining they have a long-standing routine of texting movie quotes back and forth, an anecdote she mentioned in her audition tape saying, “I have to text my dad not to be such a guppy,” a line from The Little Mermaid.
Davidson currently sits in fourth place, less than a 100 votes behind third. Second and third place runner-ups will each receive 26,000 “SCENE”points or 26 free movies.
“I think Tanner’s been out in front since the beginning,”said Davidson of the leading contestant. “He just kind of started out the gates. I’m cool with him in first, I just want to end up second or third. But the videos are strong, it’s kind of anybody's race at this point.”
After the voting period, three finalists will be announced and face a panel of judges who will decide the eventual winner.
Davidson hopes her level of comfort in front of the camera will help propel her up the ranks. “I think I’ve really just been trying to be authentic. That has been my big selling feature…I’ve been really trying to be calm in presenting the information clearly in a way that people can engage with without being overwhelmed.”
If she succeeds in making the top three, the first thing she would do is call her parents, which is fitting as she focused the whole basis of her audition tape on the importance of keeping family close, in her case through movies. Not that there would be much to say. “It would be inaudible noises, I think. It would be a lot of inaudible noises.”
Viewers can watch Davidson’s video, among other contestants’ auditions, and vote on the Cineplex casting call website, which can be found through cineplex.com. The voting period closes on Monday, July 20.
