This is topic inflatable screen's? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Brad Haven (Member # 954) on 02-24-2002, 10:26 AM:
here in sunny perth we have ANOTHER new outdoor cinema operating, but this one has an INFLATABLE SCREEN!. i have not personally seen this thing yet, but my other projectionist went to a screening there tonight (tropfest) and came back to tell me that it was hilarious.
while it was anchored down, the screen was apparently still blowing around, (bouncy castle comes to mind) causing obvious focus problem's!. the screen is quite small.
who ever came up with this idea need's help!
fremantle is notorious for the 'fremantle doctor'(sea breeze) and should have been given consideration before buying it.
well, seeing as they are competion, onya!! 
has anyone else seen one of these before?
Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-24-2002, 10:31 AM:
Several companies manufacture inflatable screens. Harkness Hall is among them. On outdoor screenings that I've assisted with in the past we always used a perf screen. Its a big enough sail just sitting there waiting for a nice breeze at any rate. The largest one I was involved with was a 70 footer. There are pics here on Film-Tech of that setup(Cinema Borealis).
A customer of ours bought some used screens we had last summer and setup in a local park in Provo to show Ghostbusters outdoors. It was a picturesque setting with the screen setup and 12,000 foot mountains in the background. The show went on fine till the Park sprinkler system came on. Apparently the park maintainance people forgot to turn it off!
Mark @ Home
Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 02-24-2002, 11:37 AM:
Inflatable screens? No no no...this is not good. Work life would be crossing over into social life. har har har <kidding>
Posted by Arthur Allen (Member # 969) on 02-24-2002, 11:43 AM:
I remember in the 1970's a whole inflatable theater the size of a bouncy room that travels with Funtastic to various state fairs, the Western Washington State Fair in Puyallup in particular. I tried to get my parents to let me go into it, but they somehow knew that it must have been more chintzy than it appeared from outside. They pumped dramatic music out of the theater, but inside it might as well be dimly projected 16mm. It was named something similar to Cinema 360, but I can't remember the exact name now. For all I know it is still around, perhaps even using video projection.
Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 02-24-2002, 11:44 AM:
Inflatable screens? What a great place to show "Blow Up!" 
Can we say "Sta-Puft?"
Fill one of those puppies with helium and have the audience lie on their backs. Actually, that would be kind of fun. The ultimate in stadium seating and reclining chairs combined. The screen would act like a rain shield as well.
Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 02-24-2002, 03:45 PM:
In 1975 and 1976 I worked for a company called "Thrillsphere" that used an inflatable projection dome. We did the 1975 US state fair season with one unit, a dome of approx 40' diameter staked to the ground (with car axles!) and attached to one end of a converted 40' reefer semi-trailer. Projection was 570 with a fisheye lens; we used two tracks of the available six for plain stereo. The film was about 10 minutes long and was designed to make people as motion-sick as possible. Which was fun because there were no seats in the dome--everyone watched while standing! No wimpy handrails either! With three prints on board we could do four to five shows an hour depending on the crowd. The dome could hold about 200 people. Oh yeah, with a strong enough wind that dome could really flop around!In 1976 we added unit #2 which played the US circuit again, while unit #1 went up to Canada. Unit #1 used a Westrex with a Kowa lens and ORC 4K lamp. Unit #2 used a smaller and lighter trailer, and had a AAII, also with a Kowa lens and ORC 4K lamp. I spent almost my entire time with that company on unit #1; only played Billings, MT on unit #2.
The thing was a real money maker--we consistently had the longest lines of anything on each midway we hit, sometimes exceeding three hours waiting time. Unfortunately the company went under after just two years, probably due to money mismanagement--our paychecks were always late or bouncing. The two guys who owned it were a couple of ex-NJ carnival jam auction hucksters who probably couldn't resist stealing from each other. But they were fun to work for and with, and that job gave me my first look at the rest of the US and Canada. Ah the life of a 21-year old carnie!
Paul
SMPTE Hollywood Section
Unemployed 
mercenary film/video projectionist/engineer
"Otaku wa tsurai yo" <-- Yeah I know, bad pun. Sue me.
It's tough being a fan!
-24
Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 04-08-2004, 01:18 PM:
It has been 773 days since the last post.
Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 04-08-2004, 01:18 PM:
Anyone know about how much these inflatable screens run? Nowhere online seems to have a price list, they just want you to call and I don't feel like talking to anybody.
I was looking for something in the range of 20mX10m (65'7" x 32'10'')
Oh, and including the screen surface, not just the frame ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
=TMP=
Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 04-08-2004, 06:19 PM:
Prices start at about 15 Grand plus the screen surface which is a seperate piece.
Mark @ CLACO
Posted by Floyd Justin Newton (Member # 1316) on 04-08-2004, 09:26 PM:
re: Three posts above. What the heck is that all about?!
Just curious!
I've seen him SOMEWHERE before.
fjn
Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 04-08-2004, 09:40 PM:
http://www.moviescreens.de/index.php?airscreen&L=1
http://www.harknesshall.com/airscreen.htm
http://www.biggair.com
Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 04-08-2004, 10:39 PM:
Re: Two posts above this one.
Thats Uncle Jack! He shows up at the Showerst convention yearly to receive some sort of dopey awerd that they conceive just for him. Then he goes back to his office till next Showerst while some other dopey awerd is concocted that he'll have to come get. Other than receiving dopey awerds there is really very little that Uncle Jack does.
He has received the Showerst Person Of The Second Awerd, the Showerster Of The Minuite Awerd, The Showerst Person of the Yeer Awerd, The Showerst Copyright Infringement Awerd, The Showerst Person That Has Received The Most Awerds Awerd, The Showerst Award For Giving The Attendees Gas During Dinner Awerd, The Showerst Awerd For Being The Most Boreing Person Receiving Awerds At Showerst, Etc., Etc., Etc. It would jam the server this site is on if I listed them all.
Latest rumors has Uncle Jack opening the Uncle Jack Awerds display Museum in Beverly Hills.
The proof that he shouldn't be getting these awerds are that films are still being bootlegged and copyrights violated at alarming rates(probably by Joe).
Posted by Peter Hall (Member # 695) on 04-09-2004, 05:52 AM:
Harkness do not make these themselves - as far as I know there are only two manufacturers. Would be curious to know anyone else's experience with high winds and these things..
Posted by Ken McFall (Member # 845) on 04-11-2004, 03:09 PM:
My own personal experience of working with inflatable screens is that they require PROPER setting up and planning or they will just bend and billow in the wind.
The last time I had a hand in one was in Trafalgar Square London. The site had not been looked at correctly by the company and the ballast weights were far too close to the screen.
Trafalgar square has a lot of roads converging on it and the wind was very strong. So strong in fact the screen was almost bending over and touching the stage in front. The whole thing was a shambles and dangerous. The german guys who designed the system were there and were helping us to try and stabalise the whole thing..... The screen should never have been put up with the ballasts so close due to space limitations. Correctly done the screen worked very well.... in this case it was an accident waiting to happen.
Posted by Peter Hall (Member # 695) on 04-13-2004, 04:56 AM:
Ken -
Same screen different nightmare me thinks !
Posted by Ken McFall (Member # 845) on 04-13-2004, 09:35 AM:
Hi Peter,
yes same screen I'm sure and the same people putting it up?
I have some pictures somewhere of the Trafalgar Square job with the front guy ropes almost vertical....
I'd done a few jobs as you know and when it went well the whole thing looked great. Its all down to using the right people who will follow the instructions for safe use! or is that me just being silly?
Looking back it was all being done on the cheap and they got away with it.... one day it will all go horribly wrong and someone will get hurt. Then it'll be pass the buck time, but nothing new there then.
[ 04-14-2004, 06:36 PM: Message edited by: Ken McFall ]
Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 04-13-2004, 07:17 PM:
Here's one we ran in North Sydney over Christmas...
The screen was bought from Germany. The image area is about 16m x 8 m.
The four blocks on each corner each weigh 1 tonne
Posted by Mike Fitzgerald (Member # 1304) on 04-13-2004, 10:59 PM:
So I guess my question would be how big a container would you need if you wanted to use water as a ballast on the screen. The containers could be filled with 1 ton of water. A fire dept water pummper could be used to fill them each time.
Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 04-14-2004, 03:47 PM:
Water weighs approximately 8.3 pounds per gallon.
Anchors and guy wires:
http://www.aesc.net/Safety/index.cfm?action=view&pdfid=27
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 04-14-2004, 04:03 PM:
John is that 8.3lbs per gallon fresh spring water or the water that can't be used from redeveoloping soundtracks ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posted by Ray Kaufman (Member # 2351) on 04-14-2004, 04:05 PM:
In furtherence to John's response, that would calculate out to 5, 55 gal. drums per corner for a bit over 2200 lbs. per line. Hardly a fire truck needed. Just a decent hose line under good pressure.
Actually, during Showest, I had the pleasant opportunity of speaking at length with Christian from the German manufacturer of Airscreen, which is distrib'd by Harkness Hall. From what I've seen, they're an excellent solution to temporary screens in an outdoor setting. They beat the heck out of scaffold systems. To be sure, if what's needed is a semi-permanent installation, to stay in place for any real length of time, then a scaffold system, with a solidly backed screen, (to avoid cupping the sheet in any kind of breeze,)is likely necessary. But if it's for a single show or even a three or five day show, the airscreen is worth looking into. For multiple days, at the end of the evening's show, simply deflate and start over again the following day by simply inflating the frame.
Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 04-14-2004, 04:09 PM:
![[thumbsup]](graemlins/thumbsup.gif)
