Start a Guerrilla Drive-in (aka MobMov)

Start a Guerrilla Drive-in (aka MobMov)
Have you ever wanted to run an outdoor theatre ala MobMov.org or the Santa Cruz Guerrilla Drive-in? This instructable will tell you what equipment you'll need and how to set it up.

Cyberpunk urban theater, here we come!
 
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Step 1What this guide is for

What this guide is for
Guerrilla drive-ins come in two flavors: a true drive-in, or a walk-in. Walk-ins were the first guerrilla movie method, and involve a big grassy area, some blankets, and a movie projected on a screen. The projectionist powers the projector using a generator, and big speakers are used to project the sound. The Santa Cruz Guerrilla Drive-In and Dolores Park Movie Night are walk-ins.

A true guerrilla "drive-in" is just that - a bunch of cars and a movie. The projectionist usually powers the projector with his or her car or a small generator and an FM transmitter transmits the soundtrack to the other cars. The Mobile Movie was the first true guerrilla drive-in.

I'm rather partial to drive-ins over walk-ins because of their nostalgic feel, and the fact that your car can become your own private theater! It sure beats the pants of that cineplex with its screaming preteens (no offense you lovable troublemakers!).

This guide will tell you how to set up your own Guerrilla drive-in using your car. If you'd prefer to set up a walk-in, portions of this guide may be helpful, but much of it will be inapplicable. There are guides online more suited for this purpose however, see: Start Your Own Walk-in

Parts of this tutorial were taken from my original tutorial, which I wrote for my MobMov members.

Hey kids, let's go make a drive-in!
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104 comments
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Dec 16, 2010. 6:18 PMoaky8 says:
what projector do you use?
from research i have done it seems like you have much more than a 1200 lumen projector. I am planing on starting my own guerrilla drive in scene here in my city. I just want to make sure to get a projector that will be bright enough.
Aug 2, 2010. 1:13 AMvjfronk says:
i think its a great idea. i have herd of people being thretened with arest by projecting on a building next to an interstate becaus the moveing images would be a distraction to drivers.then a year later there was a huge arene built acrossed from the building the guy was projecting on and they were able to put up a huge video screen right next to the interstate. SO SCREW THE LAW i do not valadate the law when it only provides opertunity for who ever has the most money. this is america saposidly the land of the fee and i will challange that any day. i just need a generator.
May 8, 2010. 11:55 AMunidyne says:
If you are concerned about copyrights, consider an "oldies night" where you show older films that have lapsed into the public domain. Such horror classics as "Night of the Living Dead", "Carnival of Souls" and "The House on Haunted Hill" have audience appeal. There's lots of dramas, westerns, comedies and cartoons that are in PD. Alpha Video (oldies.com) sells excellent quality DVD transfers of public domain features (I have no financial ties to them).
Feb 13, 2010. 8:40 AMvolleybiggs says:
Would it n ot be cheaper to buy a generator? I have seen at for example Harbor Freight generators with the output of 1000 W's for $112 and you can use it for multiple things besides the outdoor moview idea. Marine Batteries and an inverter would run that much wouldnt they? Although I dont know how loud the generator would but but I am guessing as much as a car running if you went that route and I think I see where the Marine Battery route woudl require two?
Thanks for this idea!

Jan 11, 2010. 9:48 PMJack A Lopez says:
This is so beautiful!  Thank you for sharing this.
Nov 20, 2009. 9:12 AMnetbuddy says:
In the UK you are required to have a cinematographers license to legally comply with the law. This incidentally applies to any public place where a TV is on public view or a screen suitably equipped to provide public play back of a program or movie.

Cinemas rent films to show and these are very expensive, last time I worked anywhere near the film industry, cinemas rent an average film at about £1,500 a week and a block busted could cost them upwards of £5,000 a week, which is why your local cinema can never compete with the big players.

So, your taking business away from the smaller cinema and that will have no impact on the industry other than the small cinema owner.

IMHO what your doing in this movement is helping independent cinema out of business... Way to go.
Jan 9, 2010. 9:14 PMdanlab says:
Part of this problem is that it appears you are looking at licensing new movies, by using independent films, films produced by smaller (non-Hollywood) companies, or films that are out on dvd (which it appears they are) already you will probably have more luck getting cheap licenses. Plus, by using films that aren't being played in cinemas, you aren't actually competing with independent cinemas.
Nov 23, 2009. 9:20 AMnetbuddy says:
But your doing it for free.

It may cost you but the fact still remains that your doing this for free.

I am not arguing about it, that the facts as they stand. It will always be hurting some business in the local area where you perform. Only thing I can say that will possible help you further your cause is to take this to remote areas where getting to a cinema is not easy or the nearest cinema is a couple of hours drive. 

Maybe then your idea will prove popular and have kick started a new era of cinema, mobile cinema...

Keep up the good work and always look out for the little guy please. ;)
Jul 9, 2007. 1:51 AMirookie says:
This idea is great. The archives.org link is awesome. I addded several video clips to my media room pc. Buying a projector seems to be the one thing that makes or breaks this. You can buy a projector dirt cheap. Go to govliquidation.com . This is goverment surplus or DRMO. Its like ebay, but everything starts at 50 bucks. I bought two projectors for 75 bucks each. Are they latest and the greatest, no. However, the government does not buy cheap stuff. One projector was 5k and the other was 10k new. Also, you can buy other computer equipment like laptops, pc's, printers, etc.. One thing to remember is that most of the stuff is in bulk. I bought a 1000 pounds of misc. computer parts for $95. You can also buy military trucks, military clothing, tools, office furniture, commercial applicances, etc.. There are special items that you can buy like aviation or medical equipment, but you need to prove you are supposed to have it. Its kind of tough to explain why you need a jet engine and a x-ray machine in your apartment without the proper documentation. If you are going to bid on a projector, check it against projectorcentral.com first to see if it will work for you.
Sep 7, 2009. 12:10 PMandrewl232003 says:
Thanks dude this site is awesome great deals
Jul 27, 2009. 6:42 PMbulsatar says:
I have no idea what kinda job you have, but if you can afford to drop that kinda money just to show a movie on a saturday night.....more power to you man, more power to you.
Jul 9, 2009. 5:15 PMPunkguyta says:
Now since when the hell is idling your car for too long not good for the engine. You people make me laugh.
Jul 13, 2009. 11:37 AMPunkguyta says:
While that does sound logical, have you ever worked under the hood of a running car/truck?? At least as far as I can say, there is PLENTY of airflow when my truck is idling and it's never really heated up on me. I wouldn't be worried about idling a car for an hour or two other than it being a waste of gas.
May 18, 2009. 2:05 PMdavidglinski says:
would a FM25b work??? and what would the difference be?? thank you
May 8, 2009. 7:42 AMrandomguy96 says:
You could connect your laptop to a projector if it has enough battery life. Hulu.com has a lot of great movies, altough I'm not sure what their copyright laws are.
Apr 24, 2009. 9:10 PMkamathln says:
Why not build your own projector which is much more power efficient?
http://www.instructables.com/id/How_to_make_a_small_Diy_LED_Projector/

If the media's copyright allows, make a copy of the movie on the hard disk to present. The CDROM drives usually pull a lot of power.
Apr 24, 2009. 12:23 PMkamathln says:
Why not make something interactive ? Like the Computer Chaos Club once allowed to play pong on blinkenlights over phone. The number tones controlled the paddle. It need not be Pong. You could use some good Free and Open Source first person shooter or racing game and rig the computer to two cellphones(/mobile phones/handys). Though I am usually a FOSS zealot who recommends it whether there is any other practical purpose or not, here I suggest it with something in mind. Free and Open Source (especially GNU GPL) means, you need not worry about public usage of the software. Though I would suggest giving due credits on the screen. The second reason is, FOSS means you can learn and modify the game to listen to the controls from the phones instead of a keyboard / joystick. Another idea is to have the "deluxe" version of this. I.E., have a Wifi setup and play network games. With WiFi, (please correct me if I am wrong) you can have a big range.if you have WiFi, you can pump audio through WiFi, which means "tata" to all the worry about FCC rules. The above two advantages can also benefit movie watching. Another advantage of Wifi is, a lot more people can play the game at once, not just two. People who dont have a wifi enabled laptop or are just not playing the game can enjoy the game on the big screen. There. You have your own little gaming paradise/competition, away from the din of everyday life.
Apr 24, 2009. 11:54 AMkamathln says:
Why not have a "volunteer" or a friend's car have the projection screen? It could be folded and carried on top, and when it's show time, unfold it on the side. If you can do this, you can completely avoid areas that have buildings, thus can be a lot less "problematic". The screen could easily be a couple of white bedspreads/ plain tablecloths or the like. If it is a weekend and you know some acquaintance does not need their big truck, you could probably borrow it (just send an invite to the guy in charge too). What say?
Apr 18, 2009. 9:54 PMabadfart says:
you could take an old cargo toper and pot your projector in it with speakers and mount it on any car with a headache rack.
Apr 17, 2009. 11:31 PMwalkandsee says:
i wonder what the legality of streaming a movie from hulu would be... anyone know?
Apr 13, 2009. 8:28 PMbushwhacker! says:
Incredible Instructable. I'm, truly inspired.
Apr 10, 2009. 8:16 PMtheforester says:
With regards to the FM transmitter, I have a little experience with both Ramsey's FM10 and FM30 transmitters. The FM10 would work for very low budget drive ins (the kit is only around $45), it works fairly well and can be powered off of a 9v battery. It does tend to be a bit fickle with achieving proper tuning and also with frequency drift though. Audio quality is also not perfect, more static than I'd like, but still good enough for basic "backyard" stuff. It is a 10mW transmitter but I haven't had an issue with range. On the second floor of my house with a regular whip antenna attached I can still hear it over 50ft away from my house! The FM30 however is fantastic! I would highly recommend it, but it is a MUCH more serious project to build and costs significantly more (around $200 unassembled). You gain a lot for that money though, you can change the output frequency, balance, and the output power very easily with buttons on the front. The ability to change output power would be fantastic for this type of application since you could keep the signal from expanding any farther than you need. It is adjustable in steps from ~0mW up to around 25mW. With it on the second floor of my house I was able to receive a good signal (at 25mW) from a little over 1000ft! The audio quality is also better than the FM10, and it doesn't have a problem with frequency drift. I have noticed a slight buzz in mine, but that's probably a grounding issue. Hope this helps someone! Oh and thanks for the fantastic instructable, it really sparked my interest in this idea!!
Jan 12, 2009. 11:30 AMsnipefast17 says:
yah can score alot of chicks with that XD
Jun 22, 2007. 3:05 PMfrollard says:
Love the instructable!

Great details, fun pictures, and a sense of humour...

One topic you might have encountered is when people have their car *newer than something like 1997* in the on switch to have the radio, the automatic daytime running lights come on. An instruction in disabling this feature (removing the fuse), or some sticky shields for headlights would be cool. I know all our newer cars even when you put the switch to the 'off' position on the headlight knob, it lights at the very least the drl low-beams.
Jun 25, 2007. 1:52 AMfomoco man says:
A trick to keep your headlights/daytime running lights off that works on most newer cars is to engage your emergency brake. For driving at SLOW speeds while enjoying a display in a park or christmas light display without blinding the person in front of you with the reflection of your headlights in their mirror, you can engage the brake TO THE FIRST CLICK. DO NOT...I REPEAT...DO NOT drive fast or for long distances like this because it will ruin your brakes. Consider yourself warned. Happy motoring!
Jan 4, 2009. 9:11 PMYerboogieman says:
mine you dont even need to do the first click just put it up a little, but i dont have to worry about running lights or regular lights, my car is too old.
Jul 24, 2007. 11:52 AMRazortape says:
I've also heard of shorting the signal wire from the emergency brake to ground works. I'm in the process of disabling the lights on my Sienna right now and think I've found a better way to do it. When I get a good "clean" way to knock 'em out, I'll post it.
Mar 23, 2008. 2:34 AMPCvsMac says:
Hello again! Is it possible to obtain AM transmitters (Apart from cheap walkie-talkies) legally?
Mar 29, 2008. 8:42 PMfour_eyes954 says:
i didnt really read the entire thing so im not sure if you mentioned this but wouldnt it have better picture if you had the projector projecting through the sun roof rather then through the wind sheild
Oct 23, 2008. 2:03 PMirish death1 says:
Is that picture on the second step from Monty Python: search for the holy grail? I love that movie!
Oct 16, 2008. 6:12 PMmg0930mg says:
"It sure beats the pants of that cineplex with its screaming preteens." I find this offenisve. I don't scream I yell :D
Oct 16, 2008. 8:21 PMFreshPineSent says:
Damn whipper snapper preteens! (I'm 13)
Oct 18, 2008. 7:36 AMmg0930mg says:
Well I am 13.
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