FAQs

How much to hire you?

Have a look at our ready reckoner on the price page. It’s all there for you and you can even factor in extra expenses / income to show the total cost / profit.

Does it have to be dark?

Yes. Yes. and Yes again! Cinema projection doesn’t work in daylight at all. You must plan you event so the main feature starts at least 30 minutes after sunset. We will start your pre-show so the feature starts at the right time.

Click here to find out about our daytime LED screens

  • Things that won’t make an earlier start possible:
    • Nagging
    • Pleading
    • Putting us in the shade
    • an overcast day
    • More pleading
  • Things that will make an earlier start possible
    • Being in a darkened room

Let us know the date of your event and we will be delighted to calculate when the earliest possible start time will be for your film.

We won’t start before then because you won’t thank us for it, your audience will be disappointed and we value our reputation.
If your event is to be held indoors and the room can be made dark then the screening can take place at any time.

What happens if it rains?

Everyone gets their waterproof coats on! Seriously, we carry on in rain and it’s amazing how most audience members aren’t put off by it either.

And the wind?

The wind is our nemesis. The screen effectively becomes a large sail in windy conditions, so we then have to flatten it for safety. Apart from “Force Majeure” wind is the only thing that would cancel or curtail a screening.

How big is your screen?

We have a range of screens to select from. We will generally bring the largest one we can fit in your area, that is appropriate for the audience size.

SizeSmallestLargest
Width (m)29
Height (m)16
Diagonal (m)2.210.82
Width (cm)200900
Height (cm)100600
Diagonal (cm)229.51,082
Width (feet)6′ 6″29′ 6″
Height (feet)3′ 8″19′ 8″
Diagonal (Feet)7′ 6″35′ 6″
Area (Sq m)254
Area (Sq cm)20,000540,000
Area (Sq Ft)24581
Area (Sq Yds)2.764.6
Area (sq In)3,48883,700
Screen size comparisons.

How big an area do we need?

That depends on which cinema you are booking.

For our smallest event cinema you could squeeze into an area 4m x 8m, but that would be quite tight.

Our most popular size, 500 – 1000 guests, fits best in an area a third to a half of the size of a football pitch. A level area is best. The screens all sit on the floor so they have to be level from side to side. A gentle slope from the back of the audience to the screen is OK as it helps give great sight lines

For our largest package we need an area 10m x 10m for our equipment, then you need space for the audience, parking and any concessions. That can be as large as you like.

We’ll assess your event and help you choose the right cinema for your needs.

We also need access to get our equipment on site. This isn’t usually a problem as the cinema arrives in a sprinter/ transit size van which is the same as many ambulances. As long as an ambulance can access the site, so can we.

Can we show [Name of film]?

You have access to over 12,000 films. There are films that are never available and some that are only available at certain times. Let us know which film you want and we’ll find out it’s availability

Can we show adverts on the screen?

There are rules about how your adverts and the film are associated. Get in touch and we’ll explain how you should go about it in the right way. Please let us have any videos and artwork as soon as possible so we can ensure they will work with our equipment and can flag up any spelling mistakes before its too late to correct.

Can we play our band, choir, iPad etc. though your sound system?

Our equipment is selected and set up for the film.  We can make available ONE 3.5mm jack which will plug into most playback equipment such as phones (except iPhones with lightning connector only, unless you have an adaptor), tablets, PCs & Mp3 players. (This is usually sufficient for most event organisers). A PRS/PPL licence may be required.

Additionally we can accept ONE xlr plug or ONE balanced/unbalanced 1/4″ jack input giving us your final mix. If you have lots of inputs you will need your own mixing desk. We may limit, filter, compress and EQ your signal to protect our equipment.

Bear in mind that we don’t have any spare powerpoints for you to use and we may be 50m from the nearest powerpoint. If we are running from a generator there will be no powerpoints available.

Does it have to be outside?

Not at all. If you have a hall large enough to accommodate your audience and our equipment we can turn that into a cinema. Your premises may already be licensed for exhibiting films.

How loud is the cinema?

Unlike music concerts, cinema sound is NOT the louder the better. To ensure the intelligibility of dialogue and the “loudness” of loud sounds and music, film soundtracks tend to be compressed and limited. Film durations are invariably limited to 90 – 180 minutes. (There are of course exceptions; Godfather part II or Seven Samurai spring to mind.)

Therefore in the normal course of events it is extremely unlikely that source sound from the film will cause the sound system to need to be operated anywhere near the HSE recommended levels of LAeq 107dB or 140 dB(C).  If the sound system were to be operated at this level the film would simply sound, to put it bluntly, awful.

The front row of an audience at a typical outdoor cinema event tends to position themselves at least 4m from the loudspeakers to be able to view the screen properly.  At 3m from the loudspeakers the sound levels will be below LAeq 90 dB   and 110dB(C). (Due to compression, significantly below 110 dB(C)). Therefore none of the audience need advising of any risk to their hearing in advance, as there is none.

With the drive-in and silent cinema solutions the sound is contained in the audience’s cars or headphones. How loud it is is then their responsiblity. There is negligable noise polution across the site, in fact it’s quite eerie to be there and not hear anything of the soundtrack.

What packages do you do?

We don’t really do packages as such.  Each event is unique so our service is always a bespoke solution.

However, we do find that bookings fall into three main categories.

  1.  Small Event:  We generally specify one of our smaller screens and projectors. Coupled with a sound system that will give you the big screen experience without rattling the putty out of the neighbours windows.
  2. Large Event:  For the largest of events we would specify our largest pneumatic screen and cinema standard projection. We would couple that with an approriate sound system so the whole audience will get the full benefit.
  3. Somewhere in between – everything else:  We can cater for the whole spectrum of events between those two extremes. In here lies the more intimate, but still large, event. Village hall or function room screenings. Presentations and big screen gaming.

We work closely with you to understand the event and will specify the equipment we know best fits your needs. As an American Professor once said “Nobody wants a 1/4″ drill, they want a 1/4″ hole”. You want a big screen cinema event, right?  So there’s no need to concern yourself with Watts, lumens or decibels, that’s what we are here for. We will specify exactly what to send to make your event a roaring success.

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