Think the drive-in is dead? Not in Hollywood! Though it may not be a permanent fixture, Hollywood MobMov in conjunction with the Steve Allen Theater created an impromptu drive-in movie theater earlier this summer. Each Friday night the parking lot of the theater would be devoted to the outdoor cinema, with films projected onto the theater wall. Films screened were not your typical family-friendly fare, as one of their most popular nights was the Masters of Horror Series. It was a double feature night with Suspiria, a well-loved 1977 Italian film by Dario Argento, considered a classic in the horror genre, and Brian De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise, a delightful 1974 “horror-thriller-comedy musical” starring Paul Williams. Actress Jessica Harper starred in both films and made a live appearance for a Q&A during the intermission.

And unlike many guerrilla drive-in theaters today, this was an actual drive-in: cars lined up and tuned their radio to a specific station to hear the audio. On that night of horror classics, the weather wasn’t perfect, but with everyone warm and snuggled up in their cars it didn’t matter. There should definitely be some more outdoor movies coming up in the near future, so sign up on the mailing list for Hollywood MobMov for notifications. This is guerrilla cinema unlike any other, and these days you don’t get many chances to see cult classics in the outdoors. Don’t miss your opportunity to see these awesome outdoor movies!

Photo Credit: CBS

Once the drive-in was entertainment of choice for most Americans. Now most drive-in movie theaters have disappeared but outdoor movies are making a comeback in the way of guerrilla cinema. Across the nation outdoor films are popping up in abandoned parking lots and on the sides of buildings. Regarding this phenomenon, John Young, a guerrilla cinema promoter comments that DVDs and home theaters are great but “you… want the experience of going out, with people, people that you’re talking to and seeing a movie” (CBS News).

John organizes a guerrilla drive-in in New York City that screens outdoor cinema on the sides of buildings in secret locations. Spread by word of mouth, clues are dropped which lead you to a hidden FM radio transmitter. Once found, you must decode the message to get in to the movie. Movie-goers seem drawn to this particular outdoor cinema because it’s kind of underground, and not many people know about it. But the outdoor movie events have grown in popularity, and over 200 people attended a recent screening of Back to the Future.

New York isn’t the only place where outdoor films are cropping up. Parks and recreation departments have caught on the the trend, with not-so-guerrilla screenings of family-friendly films in the parks. Film festivals are also adopting outdoor movie screenings to their roster. And guerrilla cinema has caught like wildfire with portable movie screens and massive underground organizations like MobMov (Mobile Movies). These days, finding an outdoor film near you might not be quite as easy as going to the drive-in, but it certainly is as fun!

After we posted the previous article about Sub Rosa’s attempts to obtain licensing for their guerrilla cinema, we did some more research to find out if there had been any developments on the matter. We are pleased to report that Sub Rosa Guerrilla Drive-In is now officially licensed and completely legal. They will continue to screen outdoor movies in various locations around the Seacoast region of New Hampshire, reclaiming public space and enjoying great cinema. The following report is drawn from Sub Rosa’s official website, which should be referred to for more information about the much-loved al fresco cinema. Click here to read the previous blog post about Sub Rosa’s film licensing issue.

You may have an idea of what’s been going on lately but in the interest of full disclosure here’s the deal in a nutshell:

Foster’s Daily Democrat ran a front page article about us back on Monday, which was awesome. It made so many of you aware of us and your excitement and support was so unexpected and thrilling. However, Dan Jacobitz of Somersworth business, Video Under The Stars, took great exception to what we’re doing and wrote to the paper calling us a bunch of names. He also called Swank Motion Pictures to rat us out.

Swank, whom I’ve had a relationship with in the past, emailed me to ask what I thought I was doing. Suddenly, flying under the radar was no longer an option, Larry and I were way out in the open. Our backs to the wall, we had no choice but to work out a deal with Swank to license our movies.

Last week’s showing of Pump Up The Volume is now officially licensed. We paid the fee for that. We also paid the fee for tomorrow’s Red Dawn show and The Warriors in two weeks. License fees for us are $100 a piece. Many of you came to our aid to help us out with donations and we cannot possibly thank you enough. For that we’re going to bring you the best possible guerilla drive-in that we can. We’re still accepting donations for future shows so please give what you can, whatever you think that we’re worth and we’ll keep this rolling for as long as the money lasts or as long as the city of Dover will tolerate us. Whichever comes first.

But know this! We are officially licensed. We have paid the fees. We have permission to screen these movies and we can prove it.

The men who introduced the Sub Rosa Guerrilla Drive-in concept to the Garrison City last Friday night have decided to seek out licenses to show outdoor movies and are asking those interested to donate to their cause.

“I received an e-mail today from a company that manages the nontheatrical exhibition licenses (i.e. what we’re doing) and they strongly suggest that we play by the rules. Nobody made any threats, no one is shutting this down before it starts rolling, but with our suddenly elevated status and readily accessible details about the shows, we’re operating out in the open,” a posting on the group’s website said Tuesday.

Bryan White and Larry Clow, two local Web developers with a passion for cinema, got the outdoor film program running as part of a nationwide movement to bring the drive-in theater back to prominence. They showed the 1990 film, “Pump up the Volume,” Friday night, projecting it from the back of an SUV onto the wall of a shopping plaza. A strong turnout had them excited about continuing the project in the months ahead.

After Foster’s published a story on the screening on Monday, however, a Somersworth business owner expressed concern about their activity. Dan Jacobitz, who runs Video Under the Stars, said the story upset him because it was “publicizing guys who are doing this illegally”.

“These guys are renegades. The whole thing is illegal. Companies like mine are out here struggling in the rain. On top of that, to have to fight these guys… it’s unfair,” Jacobitz said.

Video Under the Stars is a company that rents equipment for outdoor film screenings. Jacobitz said he has to pay for licensing to show films and has to charge his customers because “I do it legitimately.” It costs him an average of $650 to put on shows, which includes the cost of movie licensing and setting up equipment. That number changes depending on the number of people he screens for and the popularity of the film being shown. He said the average cost for a license is $1-$2 per attendee. Showing a movie to 500 people could cost between $500 and $1,000 for licensing alone, he said.

Jacobitz is in the business of screening films outside, but otherwise what he does bears small resemblance to the Sub Rosa Drive-in. Jacobitz offers a 16-foot-by-9-foot inflatable screen, digital projection system, graphics generator, on-site technicians and a 750-watt sound system to his customers. White and Clow used a projector, car battery and small-range FM tuner to project the film onto a white wall and send the audio to car radios tuned to the correct station. They also do not charge.

“I don’t like it (licensing fees) any more than anyone else. But my suggestion if they want to run a business is to do what I did — go about it legally,” Jacobitz said.

Swank Motion Pictures is the company that distributes motion pictures for nontheatrical public performances for companies like Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros. and Universal. According to one of their pamphlets, “any exhibition of a movie outside the privacy of a home setting is considered a public performance,” which requires a license even for informal, no-charge gatherings.

Robin Ames, the company’s New Hampshire representative, said she had been in touch with White as long as a year ago. Plans to provide him licensing fell through then, but she said she has talked to him this year as recently as this week. She said they are now in the process of finalizing the licensing process.

“They were on my radar and vice-versa,” Ames said. She said she knew of their plans and informed them they needed to start booking the films legally. She has heard “rumblings” about the guerrilla drive-in concept and while she said “policing these people isn’t really my thing,” she added it is something the industry keeps tabs on.

“It’s like a copyright infringement,” Ames said. “It’s a form of piracy” investigated by the Motion Picture Association of America, which can lead to lawsuits and fines.

“I can see how Dan would feel slighted. It does happen all the time… and it’s not 100 percent kosher,” she said.

Unlike Jacobitz, Mike Spinelli of Spinelli Cinemas was unconcerned with the guerrilla screenings. He declined to comment extensively because he did not know much about it, but said he does not believe it takes away his business. Spinelli Cinemas can be found in Dover, Rochester, Barrington and Plymouth.

“The Sub Rosa Drive-In was never about money. … Our goal was to create an impromptu community around a shared love of cult movies. In these dire economic times, it was important to us that we create an opportunity for escapism at no cost to anyone … The show of support and excitement in the community stemming from Monday’s article in the paper was unexpected and very encouraging. However, because of the objections from a couple people, there is now a huge price tag attached to our series and the future of The Sub Rosa Drive-In is uncertain. It’s unfortunate that anyone would take exception to a group that’s trying to provide a good time to the Seacoast for free,” Clow and White wrote in a statement.

Their website indicates they plan to continue screening films, but are going to acquire the licenses for them. Ames anticipated hearing from them by the end of the week to finalize the details.

The duo previously said they could not afford licensing. Now, they are asking for donations from supporters to keep the movement alive locally.

“This has the potential to shut us down before we even get started… Please help us continue by donating what you can. We had a great time and we hope you have a great time. Make sure that we can continue providing the good times to the Seacoast,” it says on their website.

An update posted on Wednesday said they received $250 in donations within a 12-hour period. They are still $800 short of their goal, which would allow them to complete their entire screening schedule for the year. Those seeking more information on how to donate should visit subrosadrivein.com.

Source: “Dover men seek licensing — and contributions — to show movies legally” by Joey Cresta -Foster’s Daily Democrat. Read full article at: http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090702/GJNEWS_01/707029831/-1/FOSBUSINESS.

Guerrilla Cinema

Harking back to the classic American drive-in, kids in the States are now projecting their own films in car parks.

‘Guerrilla drive in’ groups post screening times on the internet, but most attendees are just people driving by. Sound is transmitted by the cars tuning their radios to the correct FM frequency.

Lawrence Bridges, screens his comedy 12 in parking lots, and calls it a ‘gift and tribute’ to Los Angeles. Kate McCabe of rad.art projects movies onto the back of movie houses to ‘offer an alternative to surrounding corporate control of media’. Pilot, a collective in Chicago, lights up a warehouse wall with videos of friends debating politics to ‘trespass the corporate control of media’, and possibly bore the pants off everyone watching.

Wes Modes of the Santa Cruz, California, Guerrilla Drive-in has a more simplistic take: “We said, ‘Why aren’t there free movies? There’s all these walls!’”

Posted by Anne-Fay
Source: http://www.bigshinything.com/guerrilla-cinema

Public Outdoor Screening at the Walker

Congrats to all of the workshop participants! Yesterday’s screening was well attended – over 70 people packed into the Walker’s Lecture Room to view all of the class projects. To be honest, I was really surprised to see that many people turnout for a student presetation. Being mentioned on woostercollective.com probably helped – thanks for the post wooster!

Anyway, now that the class is over we would like to present the projects to those of you that couldn’t be at the presentation. For more info on each project, scroll down and read the previous posts. Click on the images for the video. Enjoy.

Lauren Patridge & Alex Nelson
Cheapo Records, Lake St. and Dupont

Source: http://filmandthestreet.blogspot.com/

‘MobMovs’ Bring the Drive-in Experience to a Whole new Generation

Think the only way to see a big-screen movie is while slurping a 64-oz. soft drink, eating a $5 candy bar and shushing the wannabe film critic behind you?

That’s not the case anymore, thanks to people like John Young, creator of the West Chester Guerilla Drive-In and part of a loosely knit network of celluloid renegades resurrecting the drive-in for a new age.

“Nowadays, you push a button and a movie appears,” he said. “There’s fun in the inconvenience of having to get off the couch and go somewhere you might not be familiar with, maybe getting rained on, maybe being cold. It makes it an adventure.”

For the past four years or so, the 38-year-old Web developer has been showing films – real, honest-to-goodness 16mm film – from a 1970s school projector mounted on the sidecar of his 1977 BMW motorcycle.

He has presented more than a dozen movies at locations suited for the theme: “Meatballs” at a canoe rental center, “Caddyshack” on a golf course and most recently, “Ghostbusters” at Fort Mifflin, a favorite haunt of paranormal investigators.

It’s not exactly an evening at the local multiplex – and that’s the point.

“What a great idea. What a great way to see a movie,” said Jim Haighey, of West Chester, one of more than 60 people watching “Ghostbusters” projected in front of the fort’s 211-year-old Citadel. All had to first find a hidden AM receiver in West Chester transmitting a secret code before being e-mailed the location of the movie.

It was a soggy night at the Revolutionary War fort on the Delaware River, and the 1984 comedy was interrupted every few minutes by planes zooming just overhead on their way to the runways at nearby Philadelphia International Airport, but that only seemed to add to the moviegoers’ enjoyment.

Guerrilla drive-ins or “MobMovs” – shorthand for mobile movies – are popping up around the country in a variety of configurations.

Unlike Young’s old-school use of real film, guerrilla drive-ins typically eschew the analog in favor of DVDs and LCD projectors.

And while West Chester’s guerrillas bring lawn chairs to watch their movies under the stars (weather permitting), other groups maintain the drive-in tradition of watching from inside their cars. Audio is heard through each car’s radio by way of an FM transmitter.

Whatever the arrangement, guerrilla drive-ins give new meaning to the phrase “community theater.” People can get up, walk around and socialize during the show if they wish, with some MobMovs taking on the feel of tailgate parties.

Eric Kurland, 41, a native of Bucks County, Pa., and now an independent filmmaker living in Los Angeles, runs a popular 4-year-old weekly showing, HollyMobMov.

“I miss the old drive-ins,” said Kurland, who remembers the thrill of seeing “Star Wars” in 1977 at a long-defunct Pennsylvania drive-in near his home. “It’s like nothing else, and people are really hungry for that kind of experience.”

And though they’re decidedly DIY-style, all aspiring MobMovers are urged to keep it legal and secure required approvals from property owners and film distributors, who charge roughly $150 to $300 for a showing. Guerrilla drive-ins are typically free, with attendees’ donations used to offset the organizer’s expenses.

Since 2005, 28-year-old San Francisco Web developer Bryan Kennedy has shown classics, as well as independent films looking for distributors, and runs MobMov.org, a site that lists 240-plus movie mobs around the world.

“A lot of independent filmmakers are enabled by modern technology (to make their own movies), but the area where they’re not enabled is distribution,” he said. “There’s no channel for them to get out there, no audience interaction or feedback. We can help support that.”

by Joann Loviglio
Source: http://www.cedartownstd.com/pages/full_story?page_label=home_top_stories_latest&id=2762015–MobMovs-+bring+the+drive-in+experience+to+a+whole+new+generation&article–MobMovs-%20bring%20the%20drive-in%20experience%20to%20a%20whole%20new%20generation%20=&widget=push&instance=home_latest_1st_left&open=&

Outdoor movies and drive-ins, both traditional and guerrilla, are on the rise. The first drive-in movie theater was opened on June 6, 1933, by salesman Richard M. Hollingshead in Camden, N.J. On the bill was a twilight showing of the British comedy Wife Beware. Hollingshead had worked out the technology with a 1928 Kodak projector that he mounted on the hood of his car and aimed at a sheet. The film was a little-known second-run feature, and the neighbors complained about the noise.

From those decidedly humble beginnings, a U.S. institution was born, one that exploded in the post–World War II automobile culture. The drive-in era peaked in 1958, with nearly 5,000 theaters across the U.S. But in 1966, daylight saving time led to summer showings at 9 p.m., making the
screenings less appealing to families. Air-conditioned theaters trumped steamy summer nights, and by the 1980s, the VCR and cable TV dealt another blow to the ailing industry. By 1995, fewer than 500 drive-ins were left.

But just when it seemed as if the iconic U.S. entertainment form was headed for extinction, a mini-revival began. Fueled by a blast of nostalgia as well as families tired of spending upwards of $50 to take the kids to the multiplex, new drive-ins have opened in Texas, Montana, Alabama,
Georgia, Pennsylvania and New York, while all over the country, vintage theaters have been renovated. Websites like drive-in.net and driveintheater.com keep aficionados updated about openings and showtimes.

A new generation of movie fans is taking its cue from Hollingshead, fusing modern technology with his old-school concept of a drive-in, creating do-it-yourself outdoor movie experiences. DVD players, digital projectors and iPods have put the technology of drive-in movies into the hands of anyone with a technological bent. In California, the Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In collective has combined a love of movies with a mission to reclaim public space by staging word-of-mouth screenings of films ranging from politically subversive shorts to Dirty Dancing, and it has inspired other guerrilla-flick efforts in Portland, Me., and West Chester, Pa. In Berkeley, Calif., Web developer Bryan Kennedy turned his car into a mobile movie unit, a sort of drive-in that actually drives in, with a DVD player, a projector and an FM transmitter that beams a movie’s soundtrack to other cars.
His technology has given rise to the MobMov movement, with chapters worldwide, creating free film venues in any open space. Kennedy offers
directions forgetting started at mobmov.org

Sometimes impromptu screenings become institutions themselves. In 1997, New York City filmmaker Mark Elijah Rosenberg set up a 16-mm projector and a white sheet on the roof of his East Village apartment building and began screening short films. A decade later, RoofTop Films has
evolved into a full-scale, summer-long festival, with submissions from around the world. This year the event will screen 48 independent films at various locations–all of them under the stars.

Source: “Movies That Star the Stars” By Lisa McLaughlin -Time Magazine, Monday, Aug. 07, 2006. Read full article at: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1223368,00.html.

Santa Cruz Guerrilla Drive-In is an outdoor movie theater under the stars that springs up unexpectedly in the fields and industrial wastelands. Beyond showing great free outdoor films year-round and bringing a broad community together, part of our mission is reclaiming public space and transforming our urban environment into a joyful playground.

SUBVERSIVE SHORTS FESTIVAL Fri Aug 1st 8pm

Two important things you need to know about this GDI showing: 1) Note this week’s location downtown, NOT at the RR tracks, and 2) Bring an FM radio. On Friday we’re screening the Guerilla Drive-In Subversive Shorts Festival right downtown.

A program of rollicking and poignant Guerilla Drive-In Subversive Shorts. As you know, for years we’ve shown shorts before our feature film. By popular demand, we offer you an entire program of our subversive shorts. Great old shorts and many new ones. In addition, we offer you a convenient and central location that challenges the downtown police state. And as always, it’s free!

NOTE: We will be right on Pacific at a fabulous downtown location this week, NOT at our usual RR tracks location. Repeat: We are NOT showing at the RR tracks this Friday. And for this showing, bring an FM radio. To skirt the stupid Santa Cruz laws regarding amplified sound, we’ll be broadcasting the sound straight to your little radio.

PLUS an intermission, challenging ideas of public space, an enchanting downtown location, and great company.

BRING an FM radio, lawn chairs, blankets, pillows, friends, food & drink to share for intermission. Donations are greatly appreciated and directly support the project.

A RANT ABOUT PERMITS: We couldn’t give a rat’s ass about city permits. The idea that city administrators attempt to control every bit of public space in this town sorely lacking in public space is patently offensive to some of us. The sidewalks are ridgedly controlled, the parks and open spaces are closed at night, the beach (the beach! for God’s sake) is locked down after 10pm, and the city fought it’s own citizens long and hard to resist creating a town square. The folks in the Guerilla Drive-In collective have long thought that we are the public in public space and that we would not ask permission to freely use the streets and sidewalks of our town.

URBAN WASTELAND LOCATION: Go up Pacific until you get to Cooper. Stop there. Pull up a piece of curb. Enjoy the movie.

THE PRISONER MARATHON at Santa Cruz GDI Fri Aug 29th 8pm

Join us for our second showing as part of Surveillance Awareness Month. This brilliant British television series is more topical than ever. And we’ll feature live surveillance of locations and petty authoritarians around town.

“The Prisoner,” one of the most remarkable and challenging science fiction series of all time, follows “No. 6,” a former government operative sent into a seemingly idyllic but twisted prison known as “The Village,” where he struggles to retain his identity in the face of sophisticated and relentless attempts by the powers-that-be (known as “No. 2″) to extract his secrets. A dizzyingly surreal experience filled with disempowerment and panoptic surveillance. With live surveillance of locations around town. Always free!

PLUS live surveillance, an intermission, challenging ideas of public space, an enchanting urban wasteland location, great company, and a guaranteed good time!

BRING blankets, pillows, anything you need to be comfortable in the great outdoors, friends, food and drink to share. Donations to support the project are more than welcome. (We are currently paying for new equipment.)

URBAN WASTELAND LOCATION: S on Hwy 17 to Hwy 1, Hwy 1 north to Mission St, L on Swift Street, the site is on a wall near the rail road tracks right behind Kelly’s Bakery and Bay Federal Credit Union, also accessible from Fair ave.

Source: Santa Cruz Guerrilla Drive-In official website -http://www.guerilladrivein.org/

Interesting story on something I saw in its early stages in North Carolina some years back — the “guerrilla drive-in.” In NC, it was classic car clubs that were reviving the practice, showing outdoor movies on a temp screen (or convenient wall) for assembled 1950s and 60s car nuts.

This other trend seems to be even more underground — sneaking around, showing movies in odd or “fitting” locations. Guerrilla cinemas show movies in parking lots, parks, downtown -usually anywhere with a blank wall. Usually these outdoor film screenings are impromptu and secret, with audiences following via text message, radio signal, or the internet.

I see from the authoritative Drive-ins.com site that Florida still has the Lake Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Ruskin and Dade City driveins, and of course the great Silver Moon in Lakeland, one of the finest surviving drive-ins anywhere.

But almost half the ones I wrote about after visiting them all a few years ago are gone–Ocala, Naples, Jacksonville, Fort Myers all joined the dearly departed. Yet the guerrilla cinemas infiltrating our parks and parking lots seem to be more popular than ever.

Of course, in Florida, sweltering in 80 degree heat after dark with bugs all around you isn’t most people’s idea of summer fun.

Source: “Guerilla drive-ins show up where real drive-ins have gone extinct” -posted on the OtownRog, Orlando Sentinel. Read full article at: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_movies_blog/2009/06/guerilla-driveins-show-up-where-real-driveins-have-gone-extinct.html.

This is the modern drive-in: With hundreds of chapters across the globe, the Mobile Movie is bringing back the forgotten joy of the great American drive-in. Powered by cars and video projectors, “mobmovs” are easy and affordable to set up for outdoor movies almost anywhere. Abandoned warehouse walls spring to life with the sights and sounds of an open air cinema.

MobMov.org has been in operation since 2005, and is the earliest “revival drivein” of it’s kind. In fact, the term “MobMov”, short for Mobile Movie, was originally coined by Bryan Kennedy, the founder of mobmov.org, to describe the unique “drive-in that drives-in” method he developed.

Today, MobMov.org is powered by do-it-yourself’ers like you across the globe, all joined together in the goal to bring outdoor cinema back, in a new, sustainable way. It’s free to join and lots of fun.

What is the Mobile Movie?
We are the global guerrilla drive-in movement bringing back the forgotten joy of the great American drive-in and outdoor films. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, what used to be a dark and decrepit warehouse wall springs to life with the sublime sights and sounds of a big-screen movie. Best of all, the MobMov is free.

Why should I join the MobMov?
Because you like watching and supporting great independant films. Because you want to meet others in your community interested in bringing back the drive-in. Because you’re tired of the long lines, long commercials, and high ticket prices at the local cineplex. Because outdoor cinema is fun!

How do I participate in a MobMov?
Simple. Sign up to our mailing list. Showings are held approximately every two weeks usually on the weekend. The day before the Mob, we’ll e-mail everyone with the location and the movie. If you want to join in, all you have to do is fill your car with your friends and find the spot.

What does a typical MobMov look like?
The exciting bit about the MobMov is that its almost never held in the same place twice. At the start of the show, you’ll tune your radios into the station specified at the beginning of the film, and then sit back and relax.

Is MobMov a “Guerilla Drive-in” or not?
Of course we are! But definitions are tricky. You may have heard of the Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-in. Without attempting to belittle this great movement, it isn’t a Guerilla “Drive-in” but a Guerilla “Walk-in”. Santa Cruz literally created the GWI, but we’ve gone beyond that original concept and created a true drive-in experience. In a traditional format like Santa Cruz, a bunch of guys would haul out a projector, some marine batteries, a screen, and some speakers to a park. Everyone in the know would in turn bring blankets and sit down. This is a very cool thing to do, but it isn’t a “drive-in” in most senses of the term.

Our goal in creating the MobMov was to create a true “drive-in” experience by enclosing the projector and an FM transmitter inside a car. Participants drive in to a parking lot, tune their radios, and watch their favorite flick from the comfort of their car. As far as we know, we’re the first ones to attempt this on a public scale. We didn’t create the term “Guerilla Drive-in”, but we’re the first to use it correctly.

This new approach is better for a variety of reasons. Drive-ins were popular originally because it was like having your own private cineplex – if you wanted privacy, you’d just roll up your windows. If you wanted to be part of a community, you’d roll them down, open your doors, maybe even walk around. Secondly, while a traditional GDI only operates in the summer, you can stay in your car with the heater running while participating in a mobmov. That’s rain or shine folks and folketts.

How do I start my own MobMov?
Interest has been growing in the mobmov at a rapid pace. We’ve heard from people all over the world who want to see it brought to their shores and towns. Well, we say, the more the merrier! If you’re interested in starting your own mobmov, we’re happy to lend a hand in getting started. To that effect, we have video animations, equipment lists, and tutorials on how to set all of this up yourself. We’d love to list you as a “mobmov chapter” on this site, and host a mailing list for showings in your area. So click on the e-mail us link at right and we’ll get you going.

Why do you call it MobMov?
Our name contains far more significance than simply being short for “Mobile Movie”. Mob: much like Flashmob and similar movements, the MobMov is organized over the internet, appears for a short time in a random location, and disappears just as quickly as it came. Try that with your parents’ drive-in! Movment: we like to think of ourselves as movie mercenaries of sorts – we bring free outdoor movies to the community, providing a new, wholesome night-time use for the forgotten areas of town.

MobMov Official Website

Guerrilla Drive-in Movie Theater

As soon as all the components come together there will be some fun stuff afoot on the Seacoast for cult movie lovers. Bryan White, editor of Cinema Suicide, along with Larry Clow, plan on launching a nomadic, guerrilla drive-in theater by mid June.

White says he and Clow separately spotted an article on Boing Boing (www.boingboing.net) about a similar project in Pennsylvania. “We thought it was about the coolest thing we’d ever heard of,” says White. The two began plotting immediately.

The way it works: film is projected on a surface that is suitable as a movie screen and faces a parking lot “big enough for a bunch of cars.” The accompanying audio is low power FM transmitted, for pick up on a car radio; “Just like going to the drive-in.”

Trying to make this work was a no-brainer for White who had attempted to interest a number of small theaters in a second-run, camp film series, with movies like “Pump Up The Volume,” and “Heathers.” “Owners would say, ‘why would people come to movie theaters if they can get it on DVD?’ But it’s not about watching the movie. Yes you could do it at home. But you can’t meet new people there. It’s a communal experience,” says White. “We’re not anticipating a mob of people…; just those that come together around this idea, which is bigger than the sum of its parts.”

The gear is ready and the partners are looking for locations. Soon they’ll conduct a few test runs. The final where, when and whats will be posted on the project’s Web site, www.subrosadrivein.com, (still in the making), a day or two pre screening. “It’s going to be totally fun, I know there’s an audience for this. I know people will come.”

By Jeanné McCartin
Source: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090604-ENTERTAIN-906040320