There’s nothing quite like an outdoor movie night beneath twinkling stars. It’s a fun and engaging experience that brings everyone closer together, and it’s an escape from the cares of the world!
It can also be cost-effective and simple to organise if you do it right. However, unlike watching TV at home, or visiting an indoor cinema (where little can go wrong) you’ll want to take account of significant variables when organising the perfect evening.
We’ll give you a head start, by showing you how to avoid pratfalls, annoying snags, and grumpy neighbours. We hope you enjoy our 10 simple rules to rock your very own Sundance Festival!
- Consider the weather
Make sure to look at the long-range forecast. If you identify a high chance of rain, be prepared to consider alternate dates or indoor options. Nothing puts a dampener on the mood like a downpour in the dark. Having said this, if the risk is slight, then you can mitigate by creating a refuge for guests in the unlikely event the skies open – either with a couple of gazebos or perhaps a garden dome or two, or plan a bolt-hole in the house where you can throw cushions on the floor and project onto a wall.
- Choose the right time of year
Outdoor cinema events work better in autumn, winter, and spring than high summer. Early winter is ideal because there is less chance of snow, and it is not yet too cold. Dusk also comes earlier, so the movie can start at a reasonable hour.
It’s a good idea to ask attendees to attire themselves in appropriate clothing. Wrapping up warm and wearing layers is always helpful. You can provide, or they can bring, blankets to cover themselves should the night turn chilly. We always recommend inflatable seating and footrests for maximum comfort, as these provide a cushion of body-warmed air between guests and the ground, rather than using hardbacked or canvas chairs, which can be quite chilly.
- Choose a movie that suits outdoors.
Try to go for films that have lots of colour and light. Dark movies (dark as in colour tones, not dark as in mood category) tend to blend with the darkness of the night and can be a tough watch. Comedies, action movies and thrillers generally work well, as do in drama classics or romantic favourites – so long as the pace is not too slow. For the family and kids, cartoons, holiday favourites and musicals are a sure-fire winner.
- Respect your neighbours
It’s a common courtesy to make your closest neighbours aware of your upcoming event. You might not be planning a rave, but outdoor movies do create a lot of bright light and loud sound. Our recommendation is to invite them if it suits your mix of the rest of your guests, but at a minimum tell them the approximate time that your party is going to start and when it’s likely to finish.
It can also be useful to know a little about your neighbours’ lifestyles. Do they work nights, are they going away on vacation, will they be out themselves. Using this information in your planning will make life so much better.
- Use a quality projector.
You will need a good projector, so plan to buy or rent a model with 4K resolution, a zoom lens, and with a light output power of at least 4,000 ‘ANSI Lumens’. It must be powerful enough to project a relatively long distance to your screen and you’ll need to be able to adjust the picture size, keystone alignment and focus. Be careful when making your choice. Sellers on Amazon will claim that their £150 projector with 8,000 lumens illumination power is the one for you. All those lumens make it sound powerful –- but it’s not true. These are ‘fake’ lumens and they’re using the term in what amounts to a smoke and mirrors trick. To explain, there are around 7,000 lumens to every 1,000 ANSI lumens. So, a more expensive 4,000 ANSI lumens projector suitable for your event is actually packing around 28,000 of their lumens. Choose wisely! Caveat emptor…
- Sound is important too.
Outdoor spaces will always need more powerful audio than a room in your house and can sometimes be impacted by ambient noise. So you’ll need a good speaker unit and amplifier linked to the projector. Your sound system doesn’t need to be crazy loud but the inbuilt speakers on your projector are unlikely to be up to the job.
- Don’t overlook the player and the screen.
Then you must consider the player. Most people will use their mobile phone linked by USB cable to the projector, playing from Netflix or other providers, or will use a similarly linked laptop, USB drive, or DVD drive. Depending on your configuration and cabling, it is also possible to link to the box of your cable TV provider. Modern projectors function much like a TV screen and will accept HDMI, USB, USB-C cables, and sometimes Bluetooth, although cabling is the better option.
Think carefully about your screen. The best screens for garden use tend to be inflatable and up to 240 inches diagonal size. They’re quick to erect with an air blower and look impressive. Just make sure to check the area where they will be placed. You don’t want jagged glass on the ground or nails sticking out from a fence. Also check you can anchor them securely. Ropes are usually supplied in the kit, so tie the screen securely.
It’s possible to use smaller non-inflatable Screens, but since 100 inches or above is the optimum size, fixed screens larger than this can be unwieldy.
- Check everything before guests arrive.
As with any presentation, you should make sure the whole shebang is set up correctly, and has been thoroughly tested, long before guests arrive. You don’t want to be faffing around with wires, cables, audio, or lens focus just as everyone is sitting down!
Check the power source, the cables, the sound, and the movie itself, and make sure wires are covered so no-one will trip. If you are using your phone or a laptop as the source, make sure that the batteries are topped up or that the unit is plugged in.
If your party is not private, you might also need to consider whether you must pay royalties.
- Begin with welcome drinks and snacks.
Nothing dents the enjoyment of the start of a movie more than latecomers, so give everyone a chance to socialise before the film and you’ll be onto a winner. Suggest everyone arrives an hour or half hour early, while it is still light, so they can chat over drinks, hot beverages or nibbles and enjoy the chance to catch up with friends. Similarly, why not end the movie with an opportunity to tuck into hot food and drinks? A simple menu of BBQ of hamburgers, hotdogs and chicken wings, or vegan substitutes, works well. You can add hot Glühwein and Rum Toddies, while non-drinkers and children can enjoy a hot, zero alcohol, mandarin fruit punch! If it’s really cold, then renting a heated Gazebo or a Garden Dome is a sure-fire way to defeat the chill for the pre and post movie activities!
- Embellish your event with cinematic extras!
It’s easy to create a cinema-like atmosphere with a few good props. Think red velvet VIP ropes, professional bar units, popcorn carts and candyfloss makers. You can even obtain ex-Cinema posters (sold cheaply for charity by your local cinema) and display these around the area. Invites in the form of tickets can add to the fun too. If the event is to celebrate a birthday, then reach out to us for further advice on how to create backdrops, balloon garlands, themed table settings, and much more!
Are you looking for an event specialist to create an awesome outdoor movie night for you?
