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Salt Lake City, Utah: Open Air Cinema hosts Outdoor Movie at NRPA Convention

by Open Air Cinema on 18. Oct, 2009 in Drive-in Movie Theaters, Open Air Cinema, Outdoor Film Festivals, Outdoor Movie Events, Outdoor Movie Producers, Outdoor Movie Products, Outdoor Movie Screens

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This past Wednesday, Open Air Cinema and Swank Motion Pictures hosted a free screening of Transformers 2 at the National Parks and Recreation Association (NRPA) national congress in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The screening was a blast, and everyone really enjoyed watching the movie on the huge 30′ screen. It was really great because everyone was able to see the screening on a brand-new system.  The sound was amazing, and the projection was stunning.  National Parks and Recreation administrators from all over the place came to see the screening: Alabama, Texas, Utah, California, New York, Colorado, Arizona, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and many other places.  Here is an excerpt of a review from io9:

“Critical consensus on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is overwhelmingly negative. But the critics are wrong. Micheal Bay used a squillion dollars and a hundred supercomputers’ worth of CG for a brilliant art movie about the illusory nature of plot.

Oh, and I would warn you that there’ll be spoilers in this review — except that, really, since I still have no idea what actually happened in this movie, I’m not sure how much I can spoil it.

Since the days of Un Chien Andalou and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari filmmakers have reached beyond meaning. But with this summer’s biggest, loudest movie, Michael Bay takes us all the way inside Caligari’s cabinet. And once you enter, you can never emerge again. I saw this movie two days ago, and I’m still living inside it. Things are exploding wherever I look, household appliances are trying to kill me, and bizarre racial stereotypes are shouting at me.

Transformers: ROTF has mostly gotten pretty hideous reviews, but that’s because people don’t understand that this isn’t a movie, in the conventional sense. It’s an assault on the senses, a barrage of crazy imagery. Imagine that you went back in time to the late 1960s and found Terry Gilliam, fresh from doing his weird low-fi collage/animations for Monty Python. You proceeded to inject Gilliam with so many steroids his penis shrank to the size of a hair follicle, and you smushed a dozen tabs of LSD under his tongue. And then you gave him the GDP of a few sub-Saharan countries. Gilliam might have made a movie not unlike this one.”

Read more at http://io9.com/5301898/michael-bay-finally-made-an-art-movie

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Lindon, Utah: Utah Business Magazine Features Open Air Cinema’s Backyard Theaters

by Open Air Cinema on 15. Jul, 2009 in Open Air Cinema, Outdoor Movie Products

Open Air Cinema's Backyard Home TheatersThink about summer, what images come to mind? Warm weather, kids running around the yard. Barbecues, of course, and swimming in the pool. Summer is the time for outdoor activities, and the best time to beef up your backyard. Utah Business Magazine just wrote an article about some ways to pimp your outdoor recreation space, from outdoor kitchens to private golf courses to backyard home theaters courtesy of Open Air Cinema.

Lots of people have home theaters, so why not take it outdoors? Enjoy outdoor movies at 4th of July parties, neighborhood get-togethers, or romantic drive-in movies, just like the old days. Open Air Cinema provides theatrical-grade outdoor cinema systems so Dad doesn’t have to give up quality with his toys.

Stuart Farmer, founder of Open Air Cinema, told Utah Business Magazine, “People are staying home and looking for ways to make their family and neighborhood activities more fun—and what better way to do it than with an outdoor movie night? We rip the roof off the home theater and take it outside. Our system is easier to set up than a pup tent and when deflated, the 123-inch movie screen weighs about eight pounds and fits inside a duffle bag.”

All-in-all, the article offered some great ideas about ways to create the hottest backyard in the neighborhood. You can read the full article here: Investing in Backyard Activities Means Big Returns

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DIY Outdoor Movies: Create Your Own Backyard Digital Playground

by Open Air Cinema on 18. Jun, 2009 in Cinebox, Outdoor Movie Products, Outdoor Movie Screens, Outdoor Projectors, Outdoor Speakers

DIY Outdoor Movies in Your BackyardThe following is an excerpt from an article originally published in Popular Mechanics magazine (July 2009 issue) about some Do It Yourself ways to make your backyard as high-tech as your home. It offers a great start to creating your own backyard home theater or video game set-up. Suggestions on outdoor projectors, speakers, and video game consoles are spot on, but we think they missed the boat on their recommendations for an outdoor movie screen: “any white tarp will do”. Anyone with a flat screen, high-def TV will tell you: the screen counts. Sure, a white sheet hanging from some trees will work, technically, but if you’re looking for a high-quality outdoor cinema experience, or a projection surface for your video games that rivals your indoor home theater, an inflatable screen is the way to go. Nonetheless, we loved this article for its DIY presentation and high-tech backyard solutions. This is a great read for dads needing more toys for their poolside BBQs, or anyone with a soft spot for high quality outdoor cinema.

Ah, summertime. The weather is warm, the grass green. It’s time to turn off the surround sound, put down the video-game controller and head outside, right? Well, let’s hold on just a second. I’m a big fan of fresh air, but must we leave all our music, movies and video games inside? I say, absolutely not! The back lawn is as conducive to high-tech fun as the living room.

The same home theater projector that can turn a living room into an at-home cineplex can also turn your backyard into a drive-in. And screening outdoor movies is made simple with all-in-one projectors such as the Epson Movie-Mate series and the Optoma DV11. These projectors have built-in DVD players and speakers, so the only connection needed to set up an instant backyard cinema is an electrical extension cord.

Backyard Home TheaterIf you like your outdoor video entertainment a bit more active, any projector with composite video and RCA audio inputs can easily be hooked up to the Nintendo Wii gaming system, throwing human-size characters on any available projection surface. For the standard-def Wii an ordinary white tarp will do. To ensure a 6-foot-tall image, you’ll want a tarp measuring at least 11×6 feet (for a 16:9 aspect ratio) or 8×6 feet (for 4:3 aspect). Tie the ends to trees or use spring clamps to attach your tarp to a fence. Keep in mind that the Wii needs an infrared-light-sensor bar placed at the bottom or top of the screen to work properly, and the wire for the Wii’s IR bar is 11 feet long, which can restrict the placement of the Wii and, consequently the projector. In my experience, you want to get your projector back a good 10 to 15 feet to ensure a large enough image. That’s doable with the existing wire, but you can avoid a lot of potential trips and tangles with a wireless IR bar accessory from Nyko ($20). Also, you’ll want to offset the projector to get it out of your way and avoid playing against your shadow. Most projectors have dials that allow you to correct the keystone effect you get when projecting from an angle. Once you’re all set up, you and your friends can swing your Wiimots to your hearts’ content while racking up strikes in your virtual open air bowling alley.

Source: “Backyard Digital Playground” by Glenn Derene -Popular Mechanics, July 2009.

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Lindon, Utah: Home Toys Features Open Air Cinema’s Outdoor Movie Systems

by Open Air Cinema on 02. Jun, 2009 in Open Air Cinema, Outdoor Movie Events, Outdoor Movie Products

Outdoor Movies by Open Air CinemaOpen Air Cinema, is the world’s largest outdoor cinema equipment supplier and event producer focusing on inflatable movie screens and complete outdoor movie systems engineered for private, commercial, and government use.

Clientele include the Disney Orlando resorts, the Tribeca Film Festival, and FilmAid. However, thousands of homeowners around the world have added a Cinebox system and inflatable screen to their home theater. Open Air Cinema’s outdoor cinema systems are unrivaled in affordability, ease of use, and high quality for backyard theaters.

Why are more people wanting to watch movies outside these days?

People love movies and they love the outdoors. Drive-in movie theaters used to be the entertainment venue of choice, and now outdoor movies –whether in a park, film festival, or backyard- are making a comeback. Outdoor cinemas work especially well for the home: lots of people have home theaters; this just takes that concept to the next level.

How simple is the set up for an Open Air Cinema screen?

It’s incredibly easy –if you’ve operated a DVD player or television, you can operate the Cinebox system. The DVD player and projector are hooked up into a compact, one-stop console, and the screen inflates in a matter of seconds.

Are these systems weatherproof or do I need to have an indoor storage area?

The systems are weatherproof to an extent: the electronic components should be sheltered from the rain, and the screen may wave a bit in strong winds. Basically, the system will hold up in ugly weather as long as your audience will. As for storage, the screen deflates and is folded up into a compact bag; the Cinebox console is kept in its own box, and all the components can easily fit into small storage spaces or garages.

Outdoor Movies by Open Air CinemaWhat is a basic list of components required for a basic setup to show outdoor movies?

The basic components are the projection surface or screen, a projector, a DVD player (or video game console), and speakers. Each of these components can be purchased separately through Open Air Cinema, or a complete Cinebox system can be purchased with everything included.

Backyards are ideal, but can these be used elsewhere?

Absolutely. The Home system is light and portable. At under 15 pounds, you can take it pretty much anywhere: to the beach, a barbeque, a park. Even the larger systems designed for film festivals, city events, or large-scale resorts are easily transported anywhere. Our systems have screened films from the most rural villages of Africa to the tops of New York skyscrapers to secluded beaches of Hawaii.

How important is quality in an outdoor movie experience?

Traditionally, what people look for in outdoor cinema is the community experience and the awe-inspiring vision of their favorite films against the backdrop of a beautiful night sky. As you may recall, the drive-ins a few decades back were characterized by scratchy audio and a blurry screen, yet people came back night after night. Fortunately, technology has caught up to the outdoor cinema experience. Open Air Cinema has developed high-quality, cutting-edge projection, surfaces, and audio systems for a crystal clear outdoor movie that rivals the quality of major multi-plex movie theaters.

Do you recommend a professional installation or is this a DIY experience?

For those running large-scale events catering to thousands of guests, Open Air Cinema provides high-powered audio and visual equipment and an enormous screen. For that, some experienced technicians may be necessary, which OAC is only too happy to provide. However, the smaller systems and home screens are simple for an individual to set up in just a few minutes. These systems have been specially crafted with the everyday person in mind, making it simple and quick for any backyard home theater use.

Who is buying and enjoying Open Air Cinema?

Some of our clientele include the Disney Orlando resorts, the Tribeca Film Festival, and FilmAid. However, thousands of homeowners around the world have added a Cinebox system and inflatable screen to their home theater. Open Air Cinema’s outdoor cinema systems are unrivaled in affordability, ease of use, and high quality for backyard theaters.

Open Air Cinema started out with two simple loves: movies and the outdoors. OAC wanted to create an experience that draws on the beauty of nature and community of the outdoors, but also provides a high-quality cinema experience. They began doing outdoor cinema event production around the United States, and quickly became one of the largest event producers of this type in the country. OAC then branched out into manufacturing the inflatable screens and systems themselves, developing technology to improve the quality and simplicity of the outdoor movie systems. They developed screens of all sizes and product lines designed for 3 distinct levels: the homeowner, for backyard home theaters; cities, businesses, military bases and other large-audience events; and large-scale event producers such as film festivals and resorts. Open Air Cinema’s inflatable screens and Cinebox systems are now unparalleled in cutting-edge technology, ease of use and affordability. You can find Open Air Cinema’s outdoor cinema systems over the world, from non-profit organizations in sub-Saharan Africa to military bases in Japan, to thousands of individual homes and backyards.

Source: Home Toys eMagazine. Read full article at: http://www.hometoys.com/ezine/09.05/purdie/index.htm.

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