Hi-tech makes for nostalgic times: A Drive-intheatre...RIGHT in your own back yard
Summer Howatt-Nab, Athens NEWS Special Projects Contributor
August 15, 2005
Drive-ins are about more than just literally driving in. Going to the drive-in is about relaxed, liberating entertainment under the stars. Like hanging out at the county fair, watching a movie outside (or two if it's a double feature) once was the ultimate summer experience.
True, it has been many years since Athens Countians had a commercial drive-in theater to enjoy. For many years, we had two to choose from, one just southeast of Nelsonville, and one near the Days Inn off of Columbus Road in Athens. In addition, passersby on U.S. Rt. 33 can still see the old, dilapidated screen of the defunct Logan drive-in theater.
The good news is that the fun of the summertime drive-in doesn't have to exist purely in nostalgic memories and stories. You can get it by creating your own indoor or outdoor movies - Do It Yourself big-screen cinema. You may have to bypass classic aspects like car-window speakers, but you'll save on gas money the DIY way, and probably won't have to survive mosquito infestations, a disadvantage of the old Athens drive-in theater, or unpredictable fog banks, a common occurrence at both former local drive-ins.
Setting up a projector in your dorm, apartment, house or backyard is fairly easy and can be inexpensive. With advances in technology, you can capture celluloid on any number of multi-media projectors that typically combine a DVD player, projector and a sound system. The projector throws an image onto any handy wall, hanging sheet, or garage door under the stars.
Not just for the corporate professional or the student giving a Power Point presentation, projectors are being used for home theaters more and more. Some multimedia projectors connect to nearly any home-electronics device, including DVD players, satellite receivers, high-definition broadcast receivers, TVs, computers and video game consoles.
"Game enthusiasts love using a projector because it projects super-sized characters that make the experience come to life in a way not possible with a television or other smaller display devices," according to Home Theater Forum.
The trend is catching on in Athens. Hocking College student Jimi Shestina and his housemates, who live on West State Street, enjoy a home theater system, complete with a projector and two rows of couches - one of them raised on a platform for a movie theater feel. The student renters don't even need a television set or computer monitor, since the video game console, computer, TV, VHS and DVD player all hook up to the projector. The result is high-resolution TV, movies, homework and video games.
"Increasingly, colleges are checking out projectors to students for special televised events such as the Super Bowl, Academy Awards, or final episodes of favorite television shows," according to Home Theater Forum.
Ohio University's Instructional Media and Technology Services (IMTS) department has 10 projectors available for check out. "Super Bowl parties are a popular extra-curricular use of our projectors," said Kiffany Francis, an administrative assistant for IMTS Equipment Services in Alden Library. IMTS loans audiovisual equipment, including projectors and tripod projector screens, for both curricular and extra-curricular use. However, a charge will be assessed for any use other than for direct academic credit classroom uses.
"Anyone can check out the projectors," said Mike Cordingley, a student assistant at Equipment Services. "A fee is charged to everybody, unless it's for use in the classroom." Students, staff or faculty may check out the projectors free of charge if the reason is directly related to coursework, Cordingley explained.
He said the most frequent extra-curricular projector check-outs he has noticed are for watching movies. "The only thing is, while it's checked out under a person's name, that person is liable for the projector," he said. "By signing it out, that person is taking responsibility for any damage."
The fee for extra-curricular projector usage is $15 per day and $50 per day for the high-end resolution projectors that support computer images, Francis said. She pointed out that a weekend counts as one day.
"Even the extra-curricular fee is not too bad, considering the cheapest projectors cost about $1,000," Cordingley said.
IMTS has several types of video projectors with various capabilities and resolution quality, which can be connected to properly equipped personal laptops. IMTS suggests bringing your laptop in for a test connection with their video projectors to verify a laptop's capabilities.
Boxlight.com puts it best: "As we plunge into the 21st century, a computer projector can help to seamlessly integrate cutting-edge technology with improved techniques and a variety of entertainment activities." The site notes that digital projectors provide more flexibility than a traditional film projector or connecting a DVD player or VCR to a television.
Like with those clunky overhead projectors in classrooms, boxy TVs are on their way out. Flat-screen TVs are becoming a little more affordable for everyone. The next logical step is a paper-thin screen and a consolidated entertainment system, right?
Contact IMTS Equipment Services at Alden Library (593-2665) to check out projectors and for other equipment requests. Equipment may be reserved for classroom use and other functions on a first reserved/ first served basis.
More local options for movie watching under the stars:
Strouds Run State Park has an outdoor theater area at the entrance of the campground. The permanent outdoor theater includes rows of benches and a white wooden "screen" with a tree-lined backdrop. No projector available on site; bring your own or check one out. Natural resources specialist Desiree Fultz said it has rarely been used lately. Call Strouds Run State Park (592-2302) or contact Chris Hardman (767-3570) regarding the use of the outdoor theater.
Ohio University's Summer Sessions Special Events are winding down, with only two more outdoor movies showing on the College Green, at the West Portico of Memorial Auditorium. This Tuesday is "Kindergarten Cop." And the "last picture show" of the summer is Tuesday, Aug. 23, with "The Goonies." Both shows begin at 10 p.m.
Drive-in Ohio:
Because of their nostalgic appeal, drive-ins offer a unique alternative to cineplexes. A number of drive-ins are re-opening for business, and new ones are being built from scratch, according to Drive-ins.com. "Ohio got off to an early start, hosting one of the first 10 drive-in theaters in America - the Starlight Auto Theatre, which opened June of 1937 at Akron." After peaking in the late 1960s, with approximately 190 drive-in movie theaters in operation, Ohio has seen a decline of 80 percent in the number of drive-ins. Yet Ohio still remains among the top five drive-in states in America, according to Drive-ins.com. The Skyview Cruise-in of Lancaster, "with lovely, semi-rural surroundings, is a real Americana experience and it still packs in the crowds," according to one
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