Turn off, tune in, drop out:
The American drive-in meets the 21st century
By Robert Newton
Ever since Richard Hollingshead opened the first drive-in movie theatre in Camden, New Jersey in 1933, the concept has resonated with car nuts and movie fans alike. Like any industry, the drive-in business has seen its ups and downs, and while only a fraction of the thousands of outdoor screens once in operation in the drive-in’s 1950s heyday are open today, their numbers remain steady. Now, the biggest enemy of the drive-in is not a trend toward anti-social alternatives, but the real estate developer, who typically eyes such large tracts of land as the perfect location for a wholesale outlet or home supply store (because surely, we don’t have quite enough of either of those).
Just as Hollingshead propped up a movie projector on the hood of his car, so go the innovators of the 21st century, but cheaper and more portable. The worldwide “guerilla drive-in” movement is keeping vital the proud, communal concept of open-air cinema, an army comprised of movie fans and amateur techies who take inexpensive video and audio gear and go mobile with it. Their venues are public parks, parking lots with large adjoining buildings and anywhere else they can gather until the police show up.
Not that this kind of thing is illegal. Bylaws regulating public gathering vary, as do sound ordinances. However, just like most drive-ins use an unused FM frequency to simulcast the movie, so does the GDI set with low-cost, low-power radio transmitters. This is a good way to make moot the “there have been complaints about the noise” excuse for the local constable tossing a well-meaning group of community builders from an otherwise unused public space.
They publicize their events via the Internet, on the fly, and usually to just their membership base to avoid public licensing fees (which some outfits pay anyway to stay friendly with the studios who could make a stink if they wanted to). Some GDI clubs even embrace the film festival format, showing shorts and PSA’s in addition to a feature or two. It is a true DIY (do it yourself) effort, and its rewards — at least the ones that cannot be measured in dollars and cents — can be great. While Worcester area folk have to rely on the real thing (we have three of the four remaining drive-ins in the state), there are several GDI groups in and around Boston.
Anyone who wants to start their own GDI club can, and groups like GuerillaDriveIn.org and MobMov.org offer detailed primers as to how to get started, from the technical specs on projectors to tricking out your car to provide the proper juice to choosing (and licensing) programming. Anyone who has ever attended one of these portable pictures shows will tell you what a blast it is, not to mention all the like-minded friends you will make in the process.•••
For a listing of Greater Worcester’s drive-ins, check our MOVIE SHOWTIMES PAGE.
