Tag Archives: backyard drive in

Pasadena, California: Outdoor Movie Events Still Popular in Pasadena, California

by Open Air Cinema on 06. Aug, 2009 in Outdoor Movie Events

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Old Pasadenas Outdoor Film Festival

Old Pasadena's Outdoor Film Festival

Mitch, Ellen, and Ben, local Pasadena residents, love screening backyard movies when the weather is warm (which it always is in LA!). With few drive-in theaters left in the LA area, residents are compelled to create their own outdoor cinema experience. With your favorite movie, popcorn, and a blanket spread out on the grass, the drive-in comes to you.

And it’s not just backyard cinemas that are catching on- cities have begun to screen films in their downtown areas and parks as well. The city of Pasadena is now host to an outdoor film festival, and many nearby cities have invested in inflatable movie screens and outdoor cinema equipment for community events.

One outdoor film enthusiast recalls, “When my family and I were on vacation in Monument Valley, Arizona, a few weeks ago, we watched the 1939 John Ford-John Wayne classic “Stagecoach” as it was projected onto the outside wall of our hotel. The Navajo run hotel is on the rim of Monument Valley, enabling hotel guests from around the world to watch the movie as we looked out over the starllit buttes and mittens of the Valley. Here we were having this communal experience on a warm summer night, observing how the Valley itself hadn’t changed in 70 years. Watching inside just wouldn’t have been the same” (KPCC).

You may not find a drive-in close by, but outdoor movies are still alive and kicking -you just won’t be watching from inside your car.

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Atlanta, Georgia: Atlanta Families Enjoying Backyard Home Theaters With Open Air Cinema

by Open Air Cinema on 24. Jul, 2009 in Outdoor Movie Events

Backyard Home Theaters in Atlanta, GeorgiaThe following is an article by Paul Falor, Atlanta Gadgets Examiner (Examiner.com). You can read the original article here.

As a technology junkie, I am frequently haunted by the phrase “We have no room in the house for that!” This really puts a damper on my creative abilities, so I am always looking for ways to bring my gadgets to my domain – the one place that I am in total control of – the back yard.

One of my dreams has always been to have my own movie theater but space constraints have prevented the installation of a projector or screen. Then I started thinking – the only thing cooler than watching movies in a theater, is watching them in an outdoor theater. Atlanta has a few drive-ins, but the movie times and selections are very limited. If only there was something to let me bring MY movies onto the big screen outdoors…

Enter Open Air Cinema, a self-inflating outdoor movie screen. Packages are available with screen only, screen and projector, or entire outdoor movie theater packages. Imagine hanging out in your pool while watching the latest blockbuster on the big screen. Screens start at around $500 and full home theater packages hover in the $1,500 range. Your kids will love you, your male neighbors will envy you, and your female neighbors will adore you. Quite frankly, you can’t afford not to have one.

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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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