| FRAME and SCREEN | PRE SHOW | PROJECTOR | MOVIES | WAITING FOR SUNDOWN |
| Cutting Time Off Your BOC Screen Set Up | Pre Show Focusing | Projectors in the Heat | Selecting Movies for the Under 12s | Yard Games |
| Screen and Moisture | Timing the Pre Show Music | X | Introducing Kids to Classic Movies | Pre Show Check List |
| Preventing Frame Rust | Start Times | X | X | xox |
| Cleaning a BOC Screen | Photo Booth Phun | |||
| * | Backyard Theaters Are "In" |
Preventing Rust on Metal Frames
Underdog66 offers a tip in the post
Camp Chef Costco Frame.
"With regards to the potential rusting of the painted pipes, try using car wax on them. I was told to do this with painted metal lawn furniture and 'chrome' metal shower caddys by an older wiser gentleman. He was right! No rust on anything I waxed! Water beads up and rolls off."
Pre Show Focusing
In the post Does PJ height make a difference?, 11visions suggests attaching a file like the one on the right to help line up the projector image without playing the video (necessary sometimes when people are already present and you don't want to look tacky). Just make sure that the entire black outline is visible on the screen and the rest will take care of itself.
BYT member Tronn4 offers additional convergence and calibration patterns here.
. . . .
Cutting a Few Minutes Off the BOC Screen Setup
The most time consuming part of my BYT setup is the Screen Setup.
And the most time consuming part of the Screen Setup is feeding the bungee cords through the grommets and attaching them to the frame.
In the past, before I was able to finish attaching the bungee balls to the lower bar, one or two of the top bungee balls would come out of their loops and fall out through the grommets, down into the bushes, never to be seen again. That prompted me to figure out a way to keep the darn things in the grommet holes until I got the screen up and all the bungee balls completely installed.
Initially, I was only going to use this modification on the top row of bungees, but I discovered that it made screen attachment go a lot quicker, and "pre-installed" the bungees around the entire screen. Here's what I devised.
A bungee ball was threaded through a grommet hole.
A small piece of black duct tape was looped around the cord, STICKY SIDE OUT.
so there is no point at which the cord's stretch is inhibited
and the loop can slide freely along the cord.
A longer piece of black duct tape was wrapped
around and around the sticky loop.
from coming out of the grommet and falling to the ground.
Every grommet received a bungee ball with a stopper.
The screen is folded and stored on the AV cart
with the bungees inserted in the holes.
Surprisingly, all those bungees don't seem to swell
the size of the folded screen (7 X 12) as much as
you might expect.
It occurred to me that perhaps one could use zip ties instead of duct tape. Certainly, that would be a faster application.
BOC screen and moisture
I take my screen down after every show.
However, a few BYT members have reported that they leave their screens up all season and have had no problems.
Ronbo66 leaves his out all summer, putting a tarp over it between shows. The tarp is attached with zip ties that are cut and the tarp whipped off when preparing for the next event.
Timing the Pre Show Music
1. Calculate the amount of time that stretches between the arrival of your first guest and your opening video.
For example: I begin my countdown clock right at sunset, which, let's say, is 8:05 pm. Guests arrive for a barbecue at 6:30. I'll need 1 hour and 35 minutes (or 1.6 hrs.) of music. [Remember, 6 minutes = 1/10 of an hour.]
2. Create an iTunes Playlist called TIMER.
3. Drop selected songs into the TIMER folder until you reach or slightly exceed the number of calculated minutes.
4. Move all those songs into your evening's playlist where you are keeping your main feature. Add additional videos, if you wish (countdown clock, drive-in movie ads, cartoons, etc.).
Projectors in the Heat
This warning was given by Buzz in
When is it too hot to show a movie?
"An Epson EX71 shouldn't be used when it's over 95 degrees, according to the manual. I looked this up when the projector displayed an overheat warning after only 5 minutes running. This was at 2:00 in the afternoon. I was setting up the rack and testing my transition from the laptop to the blu ray, etc. . . It was 103 in the shady back yard! At least I was able to set sound levels after turning off the projector." So check your manuals!
Start Times
Several good internet links, providing the local time of civil twilight's end, can be found in Litchmo's post, Do you know what time is sunset for next year? I keep a link bookmarked on my computer and the Sunrise, Sunset application on my iPhone.
Check out bdwalker1's "twilight enhancer" in his post
Spectacular Summer Drive Way Theater. You may want to consider using his idea if you have just the right spot.
MOVIE SELECTION for the under 12 crowd When a group of preteens is requesting that I use a DVD one of its members has brought to the party, I check the site Plugged In. The site gives a thoughtful and solid synopsis of the movies it reviews. It leans toward the straight and narrow, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. If you're selecting the movie yourself, you might want to tuck away a copy of Jeffrey Lyons' 101 Great Movies for Kids. And if you'd like to turn them into classic movie lovers, see below. |  The Girls U-11 soccer team and their younger siblings watch Kicking and Screaming. |
Introducing Kids to Classic Movies - Start Early!
The book The Best Old Movies for Families: A Guide to Watching Together by Ty Burr lists suggestions for classic family movies that everyone can enjoy (along with reasons for the suggestions, plot lines, principle actors, and a bit of trivia). There are suggestions for 3-year olds and up. All are classics.
Sometimes a little tutorial on the main characters (see the clip below) helps prepare the youngest members of the audience. You can pause the clip where appropriate and explain as much or as little as you think necessary.
From directions on how to add arrows to your videos, go to this page.
Cleaning Your BOC Screen
Ronbo66 offers a tip in the BYT post Cleaning a Carl's Screen.
"What I do is use a solution of 25% bleach and 75% water. Put the screen in the frame and use a scrub brush on a long pole. Comes out very white."
And later in the same post: "Not sure about spot cleaning. I only use the beach once or twice a season. So far my screen is three years old an looks good. Do not scrub to hard, and use as little as possible."
Giant Ker Plunk!
So what do you do when your entire extended family is set to arrive at 1 p.m. and the movie doesn't start until 8:30?
You might want to consider filling up some of the daylight hours with a couple of giant yard games.
 | Find games that monitor themselves. Let me say that one more time. Find games that monitor themselves. If possible, look for ones that can be played by young and old alike. Make a place for any of the game parts. You'll find that people are less likely to leave equipment lying around if there is a designated place to put it. 
|
Instructions for making a giant Ker Plunk! can be found in the Fun and Games section of the Home Depot website and at This Old House Team Saturday online.
Both sets of instructions are worth reading if you're interested in making a giant Ker Plunk.
The wire cylinder that sits on the wooden base is stable enough for adults, but not so much for rambunctious children.  To lessen the possibility of tipping, holes were drilled on either side of the fencing wire that runs around the circumference of the smaller wooden circle. The ends of a short length of wire were pushed through the drilled holes to the underside. After the wire was drawn taut against the cylinder's wire, the ends were twisted together underneath the base. It will be easy to cut and remove these should I want to store the wooden part and the wire cylinder separately. |
|  You can play by the Least-Balls-Collected-is-the-Winner Rules (best for very young children). If you use the scoring method provided by the Saturday Team at This Old House, you might consider making a chalkboard scoreboard, as it eliminates the need for a scoring tablet and pencils. |
Knock Your Block Off
Originally, this game was used for birthday parties.
The stick men were painted to resemble clowns' bodies.
Instead of hats, each had a 1" cube (painted to look like a clown head) balanced atop his stick body - hence the name Knock Your Block Off.
A few years ago, the game was repainted for a Fourth of July party. The cube heads were replaced with three-cornered hats. Now we call the game Tory Tumble.
This game consists of:
9 10-inch lengths of 1"X 1" trim (7 for the little men and 2 for the game's legs),
8 pieces of PVC pipe, 2-1/4 inches in length,
one dowel,
seven i" cubes (or tory hats),
two scrap pieces of 2" X 4" (for the feet), and
ten used golf balls (painted black).
Pool Noodle barriers are optional.
Posted rules read,
1. You may practice playing this game as many times as you wish, so long as no one is waiting to play.
2. No balls should be rolled or thrown outside the playing area.
3. Each player takes 5 cannonballs from the can.
4. Take turns ROLLING each cannonball toward a soldier's boots so that he'll swing and his hat will fall off.
5. Keep track of your score.
5. When you're finished playing, make sure all the hats are on the soldiers and the 5 cannonballs are in the bucket.
xox
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Check List Prior to Guests Arriving
Some of these tasks are only necessary prior to Opening Night and some are only for Special Party nights.
 | 1. Give a fresh coat of paint to the screen frame and the Snack Bar PVC pipes. 2. Check the condition of the popcorn machine and make sure you are fully stocked with popcorn, flavoring, and boxes. | |
 | 3. Fill the Blanket Bucket. 4. Confirm that the Mr. Heaters are in working condition and extra canisters are at the ready.  | |
 |  | 5. Create a theme menu and display if appropriate.(Special Movie Party Nights) 6. Make lots of ice for the snow cone fans. |
PVC projection screen, how to make a portable projection screen, DIY portable movie screen, How to Make a Projector Screen Frame From PVC
Backyard Theaters are IN!
celebrating the opening of the first drive-in movie theater on June 6th, 1933.
Pottery Barn
staged a number of their outdoor items using an DYI theater theme.
Sunset's May 2013 Magazine
featured a San Francisco garden with a motorized screen.
of it's yearly events in NYC.This one sits on a rooftop.
Notice the Brown Derby celeb chalkboard wall.
. . . .
Home Depot has also gotten into the act.
CONTACT
| foxyform.com |
