Movie Theater Under the Stars -  A how-to guide

While summer is slowly become a distant memory it isn’t too late to partake in a little outdoor entertainment in the cool fall evenings.

With a portable video projector with built-in DVD player, a screen or just white sheet and a few chairs you can transform any space into a movie theater under the stars.

To celebrate (or in my case mourn) the end of summer, this reporter suggested to the co-op board in my building that we should hold a movie night on the building’s large terrace. The idea wasn’t just considered; it was passed with flying colors! This came as a huge surprise, because being new residents in a co-op in New York City’s South Harlem neighborhood we weren’t sure whether the idea would be embraced.

This is because our previous building had a co-op building that rejected the idea not once but twice. That co-op board was filled with vampires lawyers, who feared that any such event would only lead to lawsuits or would otherwise anger residents.

Thus the approval was a pleasant surprise, and this next lead to how to successfully pull off the show for a potentially large audience.

Outdoor Movies – The Set Up
The first thing to consider when holding an outdoor movie theater is the space. Yes, you need the equipment but space is just as much a consideration. Fortunately my building has a large common terrace that is shared by all the residents of the building. This large open space ensured that 50 or more people could easily enjoy the show.

Next of course is the question of the equipment. I had the fortune of having an Epson MovieMate 72 on loan to test. This is an excellent little projector for backyard activities such as this. My wife and I had used the MovieMate 72 in our own private terrace with much luck, but found the biggest weakness with this particular model was that the sound from the built-in speakers is merely adequate for an intimate setting but was completely unsuitable for a larger gathering.

Thus I opted to use an external speaker system. As this was a first, I didn’t want to over do it and went with a Logitech Z-750 surround sound system. In an indoor space this speaker system can really bring the noise – and in my test it more than adequately delivered.

I set up early in the day, the building staff taking the time to place chairs, set up a nice screen and tables. All was ready. In fact several local area vendors as well as the local grocery store donated food, a hotdog cart and even a popcorn machine. What started out as a simple, “let’s throw a white sheet and watch a movie” happily turned into a full production.

Show Time
With everything set up and the sun setting in the west more than a dozen families came out to enjoy the movie. Hot dogs were served, popcorn was popped and everyone was ready for the show.

For the big day the co-op board asked if I could provide an animated film, such as The Lion King. Actually that’s the one genre of film I personally loathe, and thus was unable to accommodate. I’m not particularly enthralled by any animated film, whether it is Cars or Cinderella. So that said I suggested the original Star Wars and I think this ended up as a good choice.

This is because Star Wars is a movie that you can watch without really hearing, especially if you are a youngster. My choice of speakers, which sounded good and loud in a closed space, failed to deliver quite enough punch. Thus I had to turn the internal and external speakers to full volume. Worse, the center channel, which provided the dialog obviously, shorted out and thus only the sound effects came through loud and clear. During the battles and dramatic scenes the courtyard terrace sounded like the action was happening there, but it was all but impossible to hear any dialog from more than a few feet away.

At the end everyone seemed happy, and there is already talk of doing it again next year. I’ll look into better speaker options, and even try to pick up a few animated films.

For the kids of today, especially those who are growing up in the city and don’t even have a yard in which to play, the experience was hopefully a memorable one. It certainly reminded me of my youth when my family would go to the drive-in.

Tips for outdoor movies

*Have a back up plan – if it rains, can you do it in the garage or in the basement? If the group is mostly adults they’ll understand but kids might not be so forgiving.

*Are you using a screen or a white sheet? Either way you need to make sure that a gust of wind doesn’t blow the show down.

*A/C power? For our movie experience it happens that my own private terrace is adjacent to the common terrace and thus two big thick orange extension cords made it to my outlet. Even when the electric bill comes, though, I’ll remember the smiling faces.

*Sound and Vision – you need a projector, obviously, or another option. There are plenty of outdoor TVs but I wouldn’t recommend just bringing the living room flat-panel outside. Not only could a sudden shower be dangerous but a slight mishap could get very expensive.

*Food and entertainment – whether this is a movie night for the building, a suburban block party or just a few friends you best remember to have the equivalent of a concession stand ready to go.

*Movie choice – this is outside so keep the show family friendly or at least PG. No reason to show Showgirls… or worse!

For a few more options on outdoor movie gear, check out Outdoor Living.