Lights. Camera. Sunset?
As the long L.A. summer continues and warm nights lure potential
moviegoers out of the theaters, various groups and film festivals
are making sure the public is still seeing its share of celluloid.
They’re screening movies outdoors.
The outdoor film screening, a longtime popular event among
parents looking to entertain their kids, seems to have an expanding
role in Los Angeles’ film scene. In other words, the
screenings aren’t just for kids anymore.
Cinespia, a film society devoted to holding outdoor screenings
in unusual locations, hosts many such screenings. Cinespia
frequently screens films on the lot of the Hollywood Forever
Cemetery, the resting place of such Hollywood giants as Cecil B.
DeMille and Rudolph Valentino. In such a setting, the society
isn’t interested in screening ordinary films. Instead, the
film noir classic “Force of Evil” will screen at its
next event Aug. 30.
According to the mission statement on Cinespia’s Web site,
the society is “convinced that (Los Angeles residents) are
still enthusiastic about cinema’s great films, including
those outside the normal repertory.”
The organization’s goal may be appreciated.
“I wouldn’t go outside to see a movie like
“˜Crossroads,’ but if it was some weird old movie I
hadn’t heard of, I’d probably go,” said Jessica
Christe, a second-year history student.
Christe said she would even be willing to pay more than the
price of a regular movie ticket for a screening in an outdoor
venue.
This year, the L.A. Film Festival capitalized on such
sentiments. Held from June 11-21, the festival included various
outdoor screenings at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater in
Hollywood. Tickets for screenings of classic films, such as
“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” ran for $15 each. The
festival also held outdoor preview screenings of current films such
as “28 Days Later” and “Step Into Liquid,”
selling tickets for $10, a price competitive to indoor
theaters.
However, not everyone is interested in paying equal prices or
more to see a movie outside.
“I would pay less because I assume the movie’s
older, and there would also be more disturbances outdoors,
especially if the movie has a lot of special effects,” said
Jon Lemmens, a recent communication studies graduate.
To satisfy the wants of people like Lemmens, as well as families
not interested in spending money for everyone to see a movie, the
Santa Monica Film Festival began screening movies this year at the
Santa Monica Pier for free every Tuesday in August.
“We were looking for films that were well-known and had a
broad appeal,” said Tom Huckabee, an event producer for the
series.
After screening “Raiders of the Lost Ark,”
“Jaws” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate
Factory,” the series will conclude Tuesday night with a
screening of “Grease.” According to Huckabee, after
initially drawing about 1,200 people to see “Raiders,”
crowds for “Jaws” and “Wonka” both topped
3,000, indicating the large appeal of the screenings.
“(The pier) is one of the great tourist attractions of
Southern California,” Huckabee said. “With so many
events around the area, it’s got a real carnival
atmosphere.”
The energetic, family-friendly atmosphere may help free outdoor
screenings draw a crowd. And like a carnival, some outdoor
screenings are even traveling on the road. The Movies in Motion
tour, sponsored by Loews Cineplex Entertainment and Lever 2000,
travels across the country holding free outdoor screenings, stopped
in Venice Beach last weekend before heading on to Seattle and later
Boston to close out the summer.
For more info on outdoor film screenings near you, check out
www.cinespia.org, www.smff.com or
www.MoviesinMotionTour.com.