Now for the Hard Part: Just kidding! Setting up the equipment is ridiculously easy! In
fact, if you've ever plugged in a new DVD player or TV, this step will probably
seem a little obvious. There's really no magic to hooking up your new equipment
- video out to video in, audio out to audio in, and power out to power in.
The most finicky part is the FM transmitter. Make sure it is positioned
outside your car, and high enough so the top of the antenna is above all the
other car antennas. FM antennas transmit sound in an umbrella shape -- any
antennas positioned above the transmitter will get much less reception. Also,
electronic interference is a common problem - be sure to wrap the ends of your
audio cables in Ferrite (magnetic) filters, which you can get from RadioShack or
somesuch geek playground, and choose thicker cabling when you can.
If
static proves to be abundant, try isolating the cables and equipment from the
metal frame of your car (if the interference is coming from the car's power) or
grounding the transmitter.
The diagram below is taken from my tutorial on
mobmov.org and shows how you'd connect it up:
Running Your Mobile Movie:
I don't profess to have arrived at the "best way" to run a
mobmov. But, after two dozen or so shows, this is how I do it now, and it seems
work well.
Getting the word out
I announce showings
online through the online mailing list software I created. It allows people to
sign up for areas where they want to see movies, and then notifies them when a
showing is in their area. If you're interested in using this software, sign up
to be an official mobmov chapter. It's free of course.
You can of course
try new inventive forms of advertising that I have yet to attempt. Why not post
some appropriately campy posters around town? Believe it or not, some movie
licenses actively prohibit some forms of non-theatrical publicity, so be mindful
of this.
Getting set up
I generally try to arrive a
few minutes ahead of time, mostly because I know if I do, I'll actually arrive
on time! My particular set up is so easy to connect though (most of it stays
connected), that it takes me all of about 3-5 minutes to get going. This is
actually part of what I think makes the mobmov such a success - if it took me 30
minutes to haul out a projector and batteries, I'd do it a lot less
often.
While I'm setting up, I have a mobmov welcome title showing from
my laptop, so people know that they've reached the right spot and not some
"other" guerrilla drive-in. :-) It also tells them what radio station to tune
to. Free title files can be downloaded from our web site as well.
I
usually park in the front-center, and cars generally line up to both sides
first, and then to the back when the front row fills up. My car is rather tall
(I have a mini SUV), so that limits the number of people that can park directly
behind me.
The show
I'll generally wait 5-10 minutes
after the announced showing time. During this time I show an intro title with
information on the movement, and play some good music in the background to let
everyone figure out the radio reception and talk to me if they need help. I
always like to take the time to meet any newcomers and make sure everyone is
good to go.
Then I start up the openers. These usually consist of one or
two old-school B&W commercials and a cartoon or other short film. Sometimes
this is a newsreel. All of these can be found on archive.org in the public
domain. The movie ends up starting about 20 minutes after the announced
showtime, which ensures that any stragglers won't miss the film. The old-school
openers really set up the aire of nostalgia and I've gotten a lot of positive
comments about them.
Intermission
In my opinion, the
intermission is really the most vital component to an enjoyable mobmov
experience. About mid-way through the movie (usually at a cliff-hanger if I can
find one), we break for a 10 minute intermission. A title pops up with some good
music, and people are encouraged on-screen to get up and meet people, say hello
to the driver, buy some snacks, and donate if they can. Fueled by such an
intoxicating atmosphere, I find that people are anxious to do all of this!
