CHGPA Movie Night Contest/Party at Cinema Draft House

[sailin]

Good evening CHGPA member,

Below is an email I sent out to the CHGPA Bod Plus a couple of weeks ago...I would love your input. Do we have enough interest in the club to make this happen?


I have a proposal I would like to make...please tell me what you think about it.

I would like to have the First Annual CHGPA Video Contest/ Movie Night this year at the Arlington Cinema Draft House in....well Arlington Virginia. What I am envisioning is a large club get together one evening in late November or early December where we have a club video contest (flying videos submitted by our club members and then shown and voted on that evening) and also a possible free flight movie showing if we can't get enough video entries. I think this would be a great get toether. It would be fun see our brother and sisters in the air, and someone could walk away with a chunk of change for winning the video contest as well.

Here is some logistical info about the venue I have gathered:

Arlington Cinema and Draft House typically rents their space out on Wednesday evenings from 615pm -915pm. It costs $675 to rent the place which would need to be paid up front, and then there is a $1500 food/beverage minimum that would have to be met before the event ends (we would be responsible for the difference of whatever participants didn't purchase). They like DVD format for the videos/movies. It is 21 years or older (they serve alcohol) but a minor can be accompanied by an adult.

Here are some thoughts I have about how it would all go down..obviously open to your suggestions and input:

We schedule the event toward the end of the year..say late November or early Decemeber. There is an admission fee per person, of $15-$20 to cover rental/event costs and make prize money. Videos are a maximum of 4 minutes in length and there is a 20 video maximum entry (one video per person). The videos are numbered and introduced with their number, and then at the end of the night we vote....a winner is selected that evening.

What do you all think???I think this would be a great thing for our club. Fun, sociable, and celebrating free fight in our area!!! Bring your family, bring your friends, and show them what we love about free flight. There is a possibility that the club would have to absorb some of the costs but I think as long as that number is not too astronomical then this is a good thing to spend some money on!

Jon

[jyoder111]

I like the idea. The drafthouse is a block from my apartment However, it seems a little optimistic, and expensive. We'd need at least 50 people or so to get the cost per person below $50 if I do my math right. For the club to do that kind of event I think you'd want people to purchase tickets well in advance to make sure you have costs covered, or be prepared to dig into the treasury.

I also wonder how 720p footage looks on the BIG BIG screen.

I really like the idea of a movie night, but maybe renting a smaller venue would be more realistic. Remember the movie night during the KHK Spectacular? They rented out a small-ish bar and played the movies on a 10-12 foot screen and I'm sure they had more than 50 people there that night.

Jesse

[markc]

I love the idea of a flight video event!

To increase the interest level, I think it might be a good idea to require that all submissions be "world premieres", not yet available via YouTube, Vimeo, etc. This could encourage people (such as myself!) who have been collecting scads of hours of flying video to actually *DO* something with it.

Total costs (rental and food/bev minimums) would be $2175. If we suppose that the club's funds cover (say) 25% of that amount, then that leaves about $1600 to be covered by the participants. If we got 50 people, then that's $32/person. Which might be a bit optimistic?

But on the other hand.... I can easily imagine spending $20+ on food and drink, plus a $15 "ticket" for the opportunity to watch the movies in that setting. It _would_ be pretty darn cool!

I guess it would all get down to how many people will commit (perhaps selling tickets in advance?), and how many are willing to spend some bucks on dinner and a couple of drinks. I would definitely do so!

If 50 people seems unrealistic, or if we don't feel that club funds should subsidize a chunk of the costs.... Then maybe a less expensive venue makes sense?

MarkC

[mingram]

I happened to be at a small art-house theater last night in DC called West End Cinema on M street. They have a full bar, but only popcorn and snacks.

http://www.westendcinema.com/theater_rental.html
Theater 3 (seats 50): $550 for 3 hours

Catering for events may be arranged at additional cost.
Rental fees include the costs of projectionist and concessions staff, as well as use of 35mm, Blu-Ray, DVD and some digital format playback equipment. Additional fees may apply or the rental of video playback equipment for other formats. A microphone and directors chairs will be supplied as needed at no additional cost.

[Lostgriz]

I think this is a great idea. If there is a location where the numbers work, I would definitely be in. What about making this a fund raiser for the club? If everyone could sell a few tickets, maybe we could actually make a few bucks...

Matt