Pop-up cinemas. What a Good Idea! 
Now this we love. Guerrilla Filmmaking is one very appealing concept. Guerrilla Screenings is something new to us (in a way) and we wanted to share with you an article in The Guardian that woke us up to something rather special. Pop-Up-Cinema.
Sounds Crap. Is Great.
How about a cinema in a canal boat? Or a disused petrol station (Cineroleum - classic). And you just have to check out Cannes in a Van.
Its all the rage in London at the moment, and though this might sound like an urban thing, we are envisioning the potential for these top spring out all over the place.
What we like about it is the grunginess of it all. Multiplexes are blowing wads of cash on bigger and bigger spectacles (Im sure I read about Smellovision making a comeback somewhere) in an attempt to create the 'ultimate' experience for mass audiences. We're not against 3D and the like, especially when its being taken on by Directors we admire strongly (stand up Mr Scorsese), but there is something so involving and loving in what these creative types are aiming for.
As one of these creative types tells us, "Cinema can and does happen anywhere, Ultimately you don't need all the associated paraphernalia, just a projector. A face of a building can be as good as a screen."
The kicker for us happened when we landed on Secret Cinema, but you'll have to check that out yourself to see what got us so buzzed up.
It reminds me of a visit to Budapest a few years back, where the licensing laws are not as archaic as Ireland. Two guys down the road from my brothers had a bicycle shop in an alleyway, with a backyard used for scrap. They started serving beer in the place during the weekend and soon enough it became one of the coolest little watering wholes in the city. It continued to function as a bicycle shop, and during the weekend the back yard hosted a mini market and they screened films after dark. They did it with love, it was an expression of their own creativity, and it showed respect for the customer. And they made a decent living from it.
I think the point we are trying to make is that, yes, if you have the cash you can spend big and create the ultimate spectacle for a mass audience, and that it will be an exhilarating experience for those attending. Hollywood has gone for this over the years as it has those resources and will continue to do so, driven by higher and higher profits. But
But to think this is 'how' to create spectacle is to mis-understand the term. There will always be a detached, factory floor feel to it all. Spectacle is about creating an experience for people, and the experience of sitting in a small screening room, built by the guys sitting in row four, watching a film you've seen plenty of times before but in a different, more community-focused atmosphere, can be just as exhilarating.
So there is the 'big idea', for anyone who wishes to take it up. Pop up cinemas in local towns organised by people on the ground in whatever way they wish. This will make them as unique and involving as possible.
Grungy? Certainly. Imperfect? Absolutely. Slightly Nerdy at Times? Thats forgivable.
Unique? Involving? Exciting? Cosy? Totally.
© 2009 Crewger