“I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days…”. One of my favorite lines in a movie. Kevin Costner as Crash David in “Bull Durham”, perfection. And brings us to our blog topic of the day – Great Movie Kisses! Yes dear readers, just in time for V-day we at Open Air Productions bring you the Most Amazing Smooches on Celluloid. Can’t you see the poster for your event? Kissing contests, free tickets for first dates, kissing booths, water balloon toss. Ok, well, water balloon toss really doesn’t have anything to do with it, but they are totally fun! So my valentines, here is my Top Thirteen Most Wonderful Kisses in a Movie List: “Gone With the Wind”, “From Here to Eternity”, “Lady and the Tramp” (right?!), “Sixteen Candles”, “Top Gun”, “Ghost”, “Moonstruck”, “Titanic”, “Spider Man”, “Brokeback Mountain”, “The Princess Bride”, “The Big Easy”, “The Empire Strikes Back”. Happy Valentines Day everyone, and if you want more ideas for a romantic movie event, give us a call!
Posts Tagged ‘outdoor movie events’
S.W.A.K.
Friday, February 4th, 2011California Dreamin’
Monday, April 26th, 2010Do you facebook? I do. (And if you would like to become a fan of Open Air Productions, that would be lovely, thank you!) I have lots of people in my little world who are film makers, film actors, film directors, film writers and film fans. So when I asked my lovely people what their favorite films about California were, the response was fast, funny and very thoughtful. I asked the question in the first place because I had a client who wanted to celebrate our little town with his film picks for his season this year. I thought it was a great idea and after I put down “Chinatown” and “LA Story” on my list, I started thinking of all the amazing movies set in and made about Los Angeles. So dear readers, here is a list of the Top Ten or So California Movies. Please consider these for your next outdoor movie night, hand out some sunglasses and maps to the stars homes and have your own Cali’ Party, no matter where you live! Top Ten or So California Movies: “Blade Runner”, “Shampoo”, “Valley Girl”, “Swingers”, “Star Trek IV”, “Earthquake”, “Stand and Deliver”, “LA Confidential”, “Pretty Woman”, “Sunset Boulevard”, “Vertigo”, “The Birds” and “Up In Smoke”! Enjoy and thanks to all my fb friends for the help!
My Techs
Friday, May 1st, 2009While I would like nothing better than to spend every summer night inflating giant screens and running movie events, I do have to rely on a little help once in a while! My crew of techs is fantastic and they run a fantastic event. All the techs on my team right now are audio gurus; sound engineers for studios or live concert venues. Most of them came to us with video background too, and some even had outdoor event experience. I think nearly all of them learned about the screens while working for us here at Open Air, and I’m proud to say that all of my lead techs are returning this season! The things that each and every technician have in common however are an eye for detail, a talent for trouble-shooting, and an obsession for first class customer service. We are getting ready to train our new group of techs and they all come to us with these qualifications too. How lucky am I?! It’s looking like it’s going to be a great season with a great group of Technicians. Book your event today and enjoy! Top Five Job Movies; “9 to 5″, “Office Space”, “Working Girl”, “Desk Set”, “High Fidelity”
The Art of Picnicing
Friday, April 17th, 2009Last night I was asked a question I’ve never heard before at an event. A very nice lady was pulling a crumpled bag of fast food burgers from her tote and said, “What’s the perfect food for an evening picnic?” Now, I don’t claim to be a food expert. Wait. I totally claim to be a food expert, but I am NOT a food expert! I have, however, had many meals outside, as I’m sure you can imagine. Here are a few things that I have really enjoyed, and I look forward to hearing your suggestions too please! I have two little boys and a husband who are usually willing to get adventurous when it comes to our picnics, so I tend to try and get creative. We have a family favorite chicken and pasta salad that travels well, so I’ll bring a big tupperware of that and 4 forks, unless we are joining friends and then I’ll also bring bowls and serve it up. “One Pot Wonders” are usually perfect picnic food unless they need to be hot, then you have to bring it in a heat saver bag. I like to make wraps too, and anything will work in them as long as there isn’t a lot of mayo. Also, I would like to make a case for cold meatloaf as one of the ultimate picnic foods. If you are buying food to bring, hit the deli counter for Fried Chicken, salads or try some knishes if you like them! I would stay away from drippy things like soup, chili and stews. For sides, you can’t really go wrong with some cut up raw veggies and chips. A little humus or guacamole and you are good to go. As for drinks, we usually travel with our little re-usable water bottles anyway, but if you are having a grown up evening think about a bottle of wine. Whatever you like, I’m a pinot girl but I’m not judgy. Don’t forget your corkscrew. And you must have something sweet. Since most of our evening picnics are in tandem with a movie event, I like to bring little bags of “movie candy” to eat during the show. Sour Patch Kids, M&M’s, nuts, all good. Nothing melty though. Most of the events we have done lately have had popcorn vendors too. Be sure and bring a bag for your trash. My mommy always uses the empty ziplocs and so do I. And that’s about it. Be creative, bring enough to share, baby wipes are perfect for cleaning off sticky fingers, have fun and get outside! Top Five food movies; “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, “Eat Drink Man Woman”, “Chocolat”, “Fried Green Tomatoes”, “Harold and Kumar go to White Castle”. Enjoy!
Hints for Spring
Friday, April 10th, 2009Sitting last night in one of the loveliest venues I’ve seen, surrounded by hundreds of families with picnics and blankets, I was reminded again of how fantastic Spring movie night can be! Here in sunny Southern California, our outdoor season starts a bit earlier than in the colder parts of the country, but it can still get chilly at night, especially when you are on the grass! I saw lots of mommys and daddys with kids who had climbed inside the parents’ coats to stay warm last night! Very sweet. One of my personal favorite benefits of outdoor movies is the “cuddle factor”! However, here are a couple of tips for keeping comfortable on a crisp evening outdoors. Be sure and layer – not just your clothing but your seating arrangement too. A blanket tossed on the ground is perfect in the Summer, but before the ground thaws out I like to set down a tarp or some other barrier first. My favorite trick is to unroll that yoga mat and put my blanket over that. Great for keeping tushies warm and comfy! Also, keep a stash of warm hats and gloves in with your picnicing stuff. It seems silly at noon when the sun is warm and everyone is running around, but at 9:00 pm or so when the cold starts to creep in, you are the genius with warm ears and fingers! Finally, keep an eye out for those little cushion seats with the backrests. I see them at sporting events, camp sites, Target, etc. Lots of venues ask for no chairs so these beach seats are perfect for outdoor movie viewing. I keep a couple in my car and we use them at soccer games, beach trips and especially at the movie events. Hope that helps keep everyone warm and comfy and excited about your own Spring or Fall movie event. Call us today to book yours!
Let’s not forget the classics…
Friday, April 3rd, 2009“Citizen Kane”, “Casablanca”, “The Godfather”, “Gone with the Wind”, “Lawrence of Arabia”. These are the Top Five of the Top 100 Films from AFI, the American Film Institute. Awesome picks! So granted, it might be harder to arrange an outdoor screening of “Godfather” than “Alvin and the Chipmunks”, but trust me, great classic films are always a great choice. We have done lots of screenings of “Casablanca” to groups of all ages, and did a fantastic “GWTW” night for almost 1000 people. Imagine the epic perfection of the opening of “Lawrence” on a 40′ screen outdoors under the stars. I believe there is a perfect “great film” for any taste. “Wizard of Oz” (#6) is always a hit as is “E.T” (#25). Two of my favorite movies of all times, “Jaws” (#48) and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (#60) are awesome outside. If you are looking to scare a large group of people, try “Silence of the Lambs” (#65), “Vertigo” (#61) or “Psycho” (#18). In short, don’t be shy about looking at some classic films for your event. They are awesome, they are powerful, they deserve to be seen on a huge screen and they can make for a perfect evening under the starts. Thanks AFI, you can check out their list for yourself at http://www.afi.com/docs/tvevents/pdf/movies100.pdf.
