401-640-4703
How much work is involved in planning an outdoor movie event?
Most of your work is planning and promoting the event. We take care of almost everything on the event day, so you are free to relax and enjoy the movie with your guests.
How big is the screen?

We offer four different screen sizes ranging from 10-46ft diagonally depending on your needs.

For more details and pricing, please see our Screen Rental page

What movies can I show?

We are capable of projecting movies in the form of Blu-Rays and DVDs. We do, however, also support showing media in a plethora of other formats including but not limited to video games, slide shows, Skype or Discord conferences, sporting events, and anything else that outputs a usable AV signal to a compatible format. (Unfortunately, Apple devices such as iPads  are incompatible with our projection system. MacBooks, iMacs, and other computers, however, are compatible.)

If you are planning an outdoor public viewing, you need to properly license the movie from one of the following companies;

Swank Motion Pictures  www.swank.com  1-800-876-5577

Criterion Pictures USA  www.criterionpicusa.com  1-800-890-9494

Movie Licensing USA  www.movlic.com  (k-12) 1-877-321-1300 /(libraries) 1-888-267-2658

MPLC ( Motion Picture Licensing Corporation) for indoor showings only.  www.mplc.org

What equipment is included?
Equipment provided varies depending on the package you think is best for your event.

Our full list of packages can be found on our Screen Rental Packages page.

Additionally, a generator can be provided for remote locations without electricity within 200′ at an additional cost.

What types of clients book with Entertainment Under The Stars?
Most of our clientele consists of municipalities, community associations, as well as colleges and businesses. We’ve worked with many clients from larger corporations to small businesses wanting to host staff/client appreciation nights. We’ve also worked with hotels, resorts, malls, ski areas, car dealerships, and churches to host promotional events. In addition, advertising agencies have used our screens for live billboard advertising. Private individuals have hired us for special birthday parties, weddings, or bar mitzvahs. Others rent a screen just to have the kids over to play video games or watch the big game. We will work with your organization and you to design and perfect any type of event you can dream up.
What types of venues can Entertainment Under The Stars set up in?
Our inflatable and framed movie screens are extremely durable and versatile. We can set up almost anywhere including streets, beaches, parking ramps, or even barges on lakes. The most common venues are parks, football fields, and golf courses. The selected location needs only to have suitable space for the screen, projection station, and seating/parking area. We recommend you plan to stay clear of trees, lamp posts or anything else that may obstruct the movie projection or audience sight lines, as these could adversely affect our ability to project and your audience’s viewing experience. Since no two venues are exactly alike, please allow us to help you in deciding where to place the screen. Narrowing your choices down to sites that have ample space and free of ambient lighting is reccommended. If the venue happens to have underground obstacles (irrigation, gas, or electric lines), we will ask you to call locaters to come and mark them with spray paint or flags. This should be done no more than 72 hours before the event so that the paint is still visible when our attendants arrive.

Grass venues usually allow us to drive 2-foot stakes into the ground for purpose of securing the screen. If we are setting up in a location that does not allow us to drive stakes into the ground, we will need to coordinate with you for an alternative anchoring system. The most common types of anchors for our screens are street lights, concrete blocks, railings, and weighted water barrels. We will need four anchor points to ensure the safety of our operators and your guests.

Other factors that should be taken into consideration are the proximity to residential areas, as some have ordinances about noise level. Please ensure city officials are notified of the event if you are in public park, as sometimes a permit is needed to occupy public venues after a certain time. It is also important to choose a venue that has ample parking and restroom facilities to make certain the comfort of your guests.

Do I need to provide power or cabling?
We normally supply our own power cords for events in most locations. We will use standard outlets at your request if they are available within 200 feet.

Please Note: 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits may be needed to power an outdoor movie event. A standard outlet provides the necessary voltage.

A gas generator is available at an additional cost for remote locations or venues without electricity available.

 

What time can the movies begin?

Due to LCD projection technology, images fail to show up with clarity until ~10 minutes after sunset. On the longest day of the year (The Summer Solstice, June 21st) movies typically start around 9:00 PM. During the spring and fall movies can start as early as 7:00 PM. For sunset times in your area, you may wish to use this utility.

What happens before and after my event?
Two hours before dusk – Operators arrive and begin setup
One hour before dusk – Screen is inflated/erected and audio system is tested. Music may be played at this time.
30 minutes before dusk – Optional pre-show entertainment begins
10 minutes before dusk – Optional announcements and host greeting
Dusk – Event sponsor commercials and start of feature film.
10 minutes after completion of movie – Screen is deflated or dismantled
One hour after completion of movie – Equipment is packed for departure, and operators leave the property.
What about pre-show entertainment?
Some of our clients like to provide MCs that interact with the crowd before the movie starts. You are welcome to tap into our sound system to play trivia games or conduct audience interviews as well as make announcements and greet your guests. Clients with larger budgets may hire live bands, comedians, or magicians to keep the crowd engaged. Most of our clients simply ask us to play family-friendly music while the audience gets settled in. If you would like us to play music, please contact us to provide a playlist, or we can use one of our pre-generated playlists for a variety of genres and artists.
Do the inflatable screens kill the grass?
No, the screens will not kill the grass. They are designed to equally distribute the weight over a large surface area. Additionally, the movie screens are only in contact with the grass for five or six hours, which is not long enough to cause any lasting issues.
How powerful is the sound system? Are any there noise concerns?
The sound system’s strength depends on how many viewers are expected to attend the movie event. Our sound system can easily ensure audible sound for guests over 1,000 feet away from the screen. The larger the audience, the more powerful the system required. An associate will speak with you to check on the specifics of the venue to see what system the event necessitates. If there are potential noise issues such as a city noise ordinance, we can decrease the sound level without compromising the quality of the show.

For most events, we use dual stereo speakers placed on each side of the screen facing the audience. We will help you determine the ideal location for the screen and speakers to minimize the audio level that would impact nearby people and local neighbourhoods.

Do we have to sign a contract?
Yes, we do require that a contract is signed by all parties.

This is to ensure that everybody involved is protected and everyone has a clear understanding of the expectations. Our contracts are custom designed to meet the needs of our clients.

Does Entertainment Under The Stars have insurance?
Entertainment Under The Stars Outdoor Cinema Services of New England maintains a policy of insurance not less than two million dollars. This policy covers the operation of our equipment, our independent contractors plus general and product liability for the period of the event.

Your organization can request to be added as additional insured on our policy for a specific event date and location. Please give us 30 days notice if you wish to be listed on a Certificate of Insurance, as the required paperwork may take time to process.

What format will the movies be in?
We recommend that you use a widescreen format DVD or Blu-Ray from the film licensing company of your choice. The size of the projected image (if not already 16:9), will be stretched to fit as all of our screens are in the widescreen aspect ratio.

We utilize state-of-the-art upscaling DVD players and HD projection equipment to ensure high-quality presentation at all times.