Donations
I usually tell people on-screen during the
intermission that there is a donation mug on the lead car, and ask them to
contribute a few bucks to help support costs like gas and projector bulb
replacement. People have been quite generous in the past. Be wary of charging
mandatory admission -- not only will this water-down the "guerrilla" atmosphere
of the whole thing, but may get you in trouble depending on your licensing
agreements for the movie you're
showing.
Snacks
Selling snacks is a good way to
recoup some costs without directly asking for money. I usually head down to
Costco the night before and grab a big bag of pretzels or assorted chips, along
with some candy bars and other movietime snacks. Recently I've started giving
out the chips for free (they cost me hardly anything) and sell the candy bars
and soda for a buck apiece. This gets people down to the "snack bar" to buy the
other stuff, and I think it makes them more generous with the donations. Plus,
it's just a good thing to do.
Now, on to the important stuff. Like where
to show and what to project!
Legal Issues Running a mobmov does entail its share of legal issues, and I'm
not going to interpret the law for you. However, I will relate to you my
personal understanding of the issues at hand. Of course, don't take my word for
it, and always check with the appropriate authorities before actually running a
mobmov of your own.
Copyrights
If you're running a
mobmov, it's very important that you respect copyrights. A mobmov can attract a
lot of attention, and as the movement grows, the powers that be may take a
glaring notice of not just you, but mobmovs in general. If we do this thing
right though, the movie studios will have more reason to cooperate with us and
might even appreciate what we're trying to do.
The bottom line is that
you must respect the copyrights of the movies you show -- just because you
aren't charging admission doesn't mean that you can show the movie without
paying for its use. I personally have had the best luck contacting the studios
directly. They are usually so excited by the idea, that they approve it for a
limited audience without charging any fees. Your mileage my vary; mine has. As
the novelty of the mobmov wears off, it may also become more difficult to get
free showing rights. A lot of movie studios will just direct you to an
independent licensing house, which is usually a dead end. Most movie licensing
houses do not permit outdoor showings of films, even if you offer them lots of
money. Without attempting to preach, it's a very silly and outdated
system.
Swank Pictures is the *only* movie distributor that I know of
that will license non-theatrical outdoor showings (non-theatrical means that you
don't charge admission). They have a bazillion rules, including a stipulation
that you must show in a predetermined location. Licensing fees, though, are
quite affordable: ranging from $100-$300 depending on the movie. Read the rules
that govern outdoor movies. You should contact them to set up an account if you
wish to take this route.
I have secured a limited number of independent
movie licenses for mobmov use, which you can project for free to cheap if you're
a mobmov driver. That said, there are numerous sources of freely available
creative commons movies and media available online. Check out archive.org for
listings of such movies.
FCC Rules
It is my layman's
understanding that the FCC permits unlicensed broadcasts as long as they are
under a certain power and do not interfere with existing radio
stations.
