Urbane Guerrillas Seek Technical Aid in Occupying Oaklands Memeosphere W/ Motion-Murals
November 29, 2011 12:10 PM Subscribe
I want to organize free guerrilla movie nights to show Occupy Wall Street themed movies like Inside Job, Manufacturing Consent, Money As Debt and Super Rich: The Greed Game. Help me and my fellow Little Rascals Occupiers put on a show occupy some walls as well as engage some minds
Occupy Oakland is moving into its next stage in the War On Tents. With the camp at Oscar Grant Plaza swept by Team Vader, today began a 24hr vigil there. New tactics in the public relations war.
A bunch of us want to move out into the city and get more of the community involved. Free movie nights on an abandoned wall is a great way to get people together. Have people bring chairs, snacks to share. We can hand out literature, announce upcoming events, and keep #OO active in getting more people involved and interested. When we're all done, clean up, pack up, and gone. Leave no trace.
We've got enthusiasm and access to smart, resourceful people in the Bay Area. All we need is... the everything else part.
What do we need? Equipment? Logistics? Power? Have you got experience doing something like this? What do we need to know/acquire to make this happen?
I'm curious about the idea of broadcasting the soundtrack on some unused sliver of bandwidth and having people bring radios. That way we can keep the volume down & still have people hear.
Portability is a big priority.
Thanks in advace. Hella Occupy EVERYWHERE!
Occupy Oakland is moving into its next stage in the War On Tents. With the camp at Oscar Grant Plaza swept by Team Vader, today began a 24hr vigil there. New tactics in the public relations war.
A bunch of us want to move out into the city and get more of the community involved. Free movie nights on an abandoned wall is a great way to get people together. Have people bring chairs, snacks to share. We can hand out literature, announce upcoming events, and keep #OO active in getting more people involved and interested. When we're all done, clean up, pack up, and gone. Leave no trace.
We've got enthusiasm and access to smart, resourceful people in the Bay Area. All we need is... the everything else part.
What do we need? Equipment? Logistics? Power? Have you got experience doing something like this? What do we need to know/acquire to make this happen?
I'm curious about the idea of broadcasting the soundtrack on some unused sliver of bandwidth and having people bring radios. That way we can keep the volume down & still have people hear.
Portability is a big priority.
Thanks in advace. Hella Occupy EVERYWHERE!
I don't know about the logistics, but It Happened On Fifth Avenue would be a fun choice. It's the perfect Christmas movie for occupy folks. It's a holiday movie set in the 40s about a homeless man who crashes in a millionaire's house every winter. There's also a great scene where retired servicemen throw tomatoes at this magnate because of their anger due to a lack of affordable housing.
posted by mmmbacon at 12:25 PM on November 29, 2011
posted by mmmbacon at 12:25 PM on November 29, 2011
* a wall to display the film. (sidenote: you may also need permits for this... you can try to be sneaky, though)
* you'll need to power the projector (and optional radio transmitter) with a generator, unless you have access to a nearby power source.
* a projector for video. depending on the size of the wall, you may need something really bright, but i've used an old optoma projector to project upon a wall the size of a handball wall.
* a radio transmitter for audio. your listeners will need radios and headphones. you can probably get a really good wholesale rate on radios from chinatown!
* a laptop or portable dvd player to play the film of your choice.
* trash bins to make sure that there isn't any litter during/after the screening.
posted by raihan_ at 12:29 PM on November 29, 2011
* you'll need to power the projector (and optional radio transmitter) with a generator, unless you have access to a nearby power source.
* a projector for video. depending on the size of the wall, you may need something really bright, but i've used an old optoma projector to project upon a wall the size of a handball wall.
* a radio transmitter for audio. your listeners will need radios and headphones. you can probably get a really good wholesale rate on radios from chinatown!
* a laptop or portable dvd player to play the film of your choice.
* trash bins to make sure that there isn't any litter during/after the screening.
posted by raihan_ at 12:29 PM on November 29, 2011
on top of Raihan I'd recommend some sheets or something white to use as a screen on top of the wall (including some way to attach it) otherwise you get a nice effect but a hard to watch movie.
posted by bitdamaged at 1:04 PM on November 29, 2011
posted by bitdamaged at 1:04 PM on November 29, 2011
As a short-range radio transmitter, Talking House boxes are frequently available on eBay for $20-$30. Most have an audio/mic input, but do your research to make sure the one you get actually does.
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:16 PM on November 29, 2011
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:16 PM on November 29, 2011
Hey! I've put on large-scale outdoor movie events as part of my job. raihan_ pretty much nails down what you'll need.
I'd suggest something more like this for a radio transmitter, if you feel like you can swing it. That should get you a much better range and sound quality. If you don't want to do a transmitter, you can work with speakers and speaker wire, but it will be more complicated and more labor-intensive (and probably more expensive).
Projector is probably going to be the most expensive part and the most difficult to get. Err on the side of more lumens vs. higher definition. When you're projecting onto something like a sheet, brightness is going to wreck your image before lack of HD will.
You're going to need a generator. Generators are loud. You can rent generators for equipment rental agencies (like the people who drop off power and lighting for construction sites), but it can get pricey. $200ish a day, in my part of the country, plus fuel costs. Or you can borrow one. If you can get a whisperquiet, do that. It'll pay off. Figure out the power draw you'll need for your projector and transmitter and get something big enough for that, obviously. Your projector will draw more than you think.
Your location will probably require permits for all sorts of things. Radio frequency (or amplified sound, if you go that way), projection, public assembly. Maybe even a license for showing the movie, although that's probably less of an issue with the movies you're showing. Whether you want to actually go about trying to get those permits is a separate question. Who you have to ask for them is different everywhere (e.g. in my neck of the woods it's the city Special Events office, which is administered by the Parks & Recreation department; very well might be different for you).
Feel free to Memail me if you'd like to go over exactly what you have available with me and get some more specific information. And solidarity from the Sunshine State.
posted by penduluum at 1:29 PM on November 29, 2011
I'd suggest something more like this for a radio transmitter, if you feel like you can swing it. That should get you a much better range and sound quality. If you don't want to do a transmitter, you can work with speakers and speaker wire, but it will be more complicated and more labor-intensive (and probably more expensive).
Projector is probably going to be the most expensive part and the most difficult to get. Err on the side of more lumens vs. higher definition. When you're projecting onto something like a sheet, brightness is going to wreck your image before lack of HD will.
You're going to need a generator. Generators are loud. You can rent generators for equipment rental agencies (like the people who drop off power and lighting for construction sites), but it can get pricey. $200ish a day, in my part of the country, plus fuel costs. Or you can borrow one. If you can get a whisperquiet, do that. It'll pay off. Figure out the power draw you'll need for your projector and transmitter and get something big enough for that, obviously. Your projector will draw more than you think.
Your location will probably require permits for all sorts of things. Radio frequency (or amplified sound, if you go that way), projection, public assembly. Maybe even a license for showing the movie, although that's probably less of an issue with the movies you're showing. Whether you want to actually go about trying to get those permits is a separate question. Who you have to ask for them is different everywhere (e.g. in my neck of the woods it's the city Special Events office, which is administered by the Parks & Recreation department; very well might be different for you).
Feel free to Memail me if you'd like to go over exactly what you have available with me and get some more specific information. And solidarity from the Sunshine State.
posted by penduluum at 1:29 PM on November 29, 2011
Where are your local microcinemas while all this is going on? Enlist the local film community!
posted by Lesser Shrew at 2:11 PM on November 29, 2011
posted by Lesser Shrew at 2:11 PM on November 29, 2011
Yeah, I'm with Lesser Shrew (and a bit skeptical of the poster besides): do you not know of the existing guerilla cinema culture in Oakland and the East Bay? They've been around for years.
posted by rhizome at 2:41 PM on November 29, 2011
posted by rhizome at 2:41 PM on November 29, 2011
Maybe contact the Great Wall people to ask about their set-up.
posted by oneirodynia at 3:41 PM on November 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by oneirodynia at 3:41 PM on November 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
They were doing this at Occupy Chicago a few weeks ago (they screened King Vidor's The Crowd which had the advantage of being silent, so they weren't at risk for being harassed about noise levels nor did they have to worry too much about amplification logistics). If you MeMail me I can put you in touch with someone who was involved in their screenings.
posted by bubukaba at 4:57 PM on November 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by bubukaba at 4:57 PM on November 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'd tell you my suggestion for an anti-corporate, anti-consumerism movie, but the first rule is that I can't talk about it, and the second rule is that I can't talk about it...
posted by 4ster at 5:23 PM on November 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by 4ster at 5:23 PM on November 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
There was also a follow up, the One Percent
posted by Blasdelb at 12:18 PM on November 29, 2011 [1 favorite]