Movie projectors for outside cinema

This week we started an outdoor cinema. Not on a professional bases, but simply at home in the garden. We organized an outside film night last year too and it was a great success. Therefore we decided to start another "summer cine".

Before we set of watching the movie there is of course a great evening meal, everybody is bringing some foot and drinks with them and we chat along all in suspense of what the movie of the night will be.

One of the guests has the honor to choose two movies. And by a democratic process we will choose one of them to be our movie of the week. Before the main movie there are some short films as well. Often chosen by the same person who chooses the two films.

Last week we had the honor to have the director of two short animation films with us. A German artist who makes animation movies out of rubbish, which she transforms with the computer to beautiful movies. Pieces of garbage become microscopic dancing little creatures.

For her, and for us...it was great to see the animation on the big screen. There is such a huge difference of seeing a movie on your laptop or tv screen then projected on the wall. Small details suddenly come to life and through a good sound system you hear sounds you missed before.

The idea of the film night came when I bought a projector. A cheap projector from around $400. I needed a projector for my art works and to be honest I hadn't thought about it that you could use it for showing movies as well....

I simply needed a projector to beam images on the wall, nothing fancy and bought the cheapest projector I could find. This is already some years ago, projectors where still expensive and heavy.
Today, you can easily buy a cheap projector for around $300 with a great capacity.

I show all the movies with the the forerunner of the Optoma HD66, 2500 ANSI Lumens, Home Theater Projector.It's a simple projector but with everything I need.

Televisions become bigger and bigger, after the huge televisions with tubes and loads of wires evolved into the plasma tv and the lcd tv. As well the televisions screens became thinner and thinner. But do we still need a screen ?

Isn't it far more practical to project you favorite television series on the wall ?

Off course it all depends on your home situation. I once lived in a flat with only a bit of space to spare. The television I had was specially bought with the size in mind. It had to fit in a bookcase.

It was probably the smallest non portable television around, a lovely turquoise Samsung television. And I still use it now and then. But when I bought my Optima Projector things changed. Watching a movie like in the theatre was an option I never thought off, but now during the hot summer nights it's a great thing to do.

Muybridge was a pioneer in the film and phograp business. He uses photography as a scientist, to discover the movement of horses and men. Before Muybridge we lived in a static universe. Pictures and photo's (the new thing) where taken of people and things.

But Muybridge discovered that when you put the photos in a sequence you can create something new. A moving picture, a movie.