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.BASICS
So you want to know where to start? We can't actually tell you how to do everything as every event is unique, but we can give you a checklist of what you'll need to consider.
Ambient Lighting
This is a very important factor when planning your event. Be on the lookout for any lighting within a 1-2 block radius. Street lights and/or business lights need the ability to be turned off. If you have competing lights, you can usually work with the city power company or the business to install "safe on/off switches."
Bathrooms
If you don't have restroom facilities in nearby buildings, portable restrooms work fine. These can be rented from companies specializing in outdoor events. Make sure you have enough for your audience size and a light inside is always nice.
Capacity Planning
Find a place where you can grow. You'll need space for hundreds, if not thousands of people; concessions and vending areas; space for live entertainment; and any sponsors that may set up. This can be simple or complex depending on how much you're willing to build around the movie.
Concessions
Just like any other movie theater, this is your bread and butter. Don't expect your paid admissions to cover all the expenses and leave you with a fist full of dollars. You should be looking at several revenue streams to support your venture. Concessions, merchandising and sponsorships are just a few.
Equipment
Visit our gear section for all your equipment questions.
Insurance
There are several insurance companies that specialize in live events; however, many haven't even heard of the outdoor cinemas. As a result, you must be very specific as to what your event is and what your needs are. Prices will vary considerably so shop around.
Legal
Make sure you have all your legal angles covered. This includes, but is not limited to, establishing a D.B.A., liability waivers for your staff, and drawing up miscellaneous contracts.
Parking
Make sure you have plenty of parking close to your venue. Advertise this on your program schedules. In some downtown locations, this is very important information.
Permits
Depending on the city, you may not need a special event permit. Some cities, on the other hand, require that you fulfill many permit requirements. Check with your city to comply with its regulations.
Programming
From your basic Hollywood movie to film festivals and custom content, there are many ways to entertain your audience. Visit our programming section for details on how to obtain content for your outdoor cinema.
Pick a Venue
Outdoor cinemas are being hosted everywhere imaginable. If you have an inflatable airscreen, the possibilities are endless. Find a venue where you can build some roots in the community. Form alliances with other local businesses.
Power Supplies
It's best to find multiple 120 amp circuits. If you're running a popcorn machine, make sure this is on a separate circuit as the rest of your equipment. If necessary, generators work very well. Keep in mind the distance of these to the audience as they can be loud. Silent generators are also available.
Security
An outdoor cinema venue usually won't need official security. Unless you feel your audience will get out of hand watching a movie or your city requires it, the added expense probably isn't worth it. Your onsite staff can serve as the eyes and ears to keep everybody safe. Train your staff well.
Staff
Your staff will depend upon your business structure. You could use volunteers and paid positions for management. Make sure all your staff members are trustworthy as most venues deal in cash exclusively. A wise step is to collect social security and driver's license numbers just like any business would.
Ticketing
Tracking ticket distribution provides a source of attendance size at the end of each event. This may be required by studios and distributors if they are basing your film rental on the attendance size. A clever idea handed down by the Outdoor Cinema in Seattle is the name tag sticker. Each person who pays receives a name tag with fun movie and/or whacky names. These are an easy way to identify who has paid and who has not. In addition, you can count the total number in attendance.
Weather
Ah, the weather. The outdoor event planner's biggest variable. There's not much you can do to change the weather, but there are ways to plan for it. For example, we link to the Doppler and weather forecast on our web-enabled cell phones. That gives us the ability to plan for the evening. Sometimes having a raindate works, but it can complicate the schedule. We've always reserved the last two weekends of the summer to make up any canceled shows from the season. It works pretty well and is easy to manage.
Well, that's about it. Like we said, it's difficult to go into fine detail as every situation will be different. Hope this helps get you started. You can find more information and talk with other outdoor cinema operators on the Outdoor Cinema Network Forums. Look into our products and services throughout this website to provide many of your other needs. Great luck to all of you and we look forward to seeing you represented on the network soon. Be sure to add your site or have us build one for you.
Tips
What time should the movie begin? Usually 45 minutes after sunset is perfect timing - but it's up you. Sunset times for your city are available at www.weather.com. Enter your zip code and look for "Averages & Records". Next, click on the month and look for the Sunset column. Remember, June has the longest daytimes.
If timing is the issue and you don't mind that the first 20 minutes of the film aren't perfectly visible, we'll begin early. If you want to wait till image is at its best, plan on waiting another 20 minutes. If you're showing a bright film such as Toy Story (animated films are typically brighter), you can start earlier than if you show Ghostbusters, which is darker.
How far must the projector be from the screen? Projection is front projection, which means from the viewer's side. For our screen, the projector will end up between 40-60 ft. away. If your selected film is not in widescreen format (fullscreen), the projector will need to be 15-20 ft. closer.
The projector is usually in the middle of the audience, about 4 ft off the ground. This typically has not been a problem at any previous venues. If you need the projector to be elevated more, or projected from a greater or lesser distance, this can be arranged, but it will cost extra.
How heavy are your screens, will they damage the grass? The screen is 230 lbs. And the screen equally distributes the weight over its' large surface areas. It will not damage or leave ruts in your grass. If you choose to have the AirScreen standing for a few days, the prolonged exposure to the pressure and the heat from the sun may dry out/brown the grass.
Do you need to drive on our lawn to deliver the equipment? No, we can place the equipment without vehicles, but driving on the lawn greatly speeds up setup.
More Tips:
- Headlights from nearby vehicles shining across the screen can be annoying; try to avoid parking situations that will distract from the show.
Typical Event Time Line
- 3-4 hrs. before: arrive and setup
- 2-3 hrs. before: all systems are checked and screen up
- 1 hr. before: music, your sponsors ads, games, etc.
- 10 min. before: announcements & host greeting
- Movie begins
- 1 hr. after movie ends: Equipment is removed
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