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What’s a Mobile Drive-In?: A ‘mobile drive-in’ like the one we show is basically one or more folks inviting others to come watch a movie, often projected onto the side of a building or other structure at night, at a predetermined location.
What’s the admission cost?: Nothing. There is never an admission fee for our audience. This is a FREE event.
So this is free to attend, but you ask for donations?: Yep. The hardware involved to make the Drive-In happen, gas and other costs aren’t insignificant. Donations help us keep it all going! We also sell snacks and drinks to help recoup expenses. We prefer concessions and donations to charging admission. Part of your donations will also go to help fund the next Boomtown Film & Music Festival that happens every year in February.
What do I have to bring?: Nothing except yourself, although a car and/or an FM radio does help. We suggest lawn chairs if you’d like to sit out under the stars. If you don’t intend to watch the film from your car, please park off site! We provide concessions, but you’re welcome to bring your own refreshments or snacks – please clean up after yourself! Since this is Southeast Texas, it might be a good idea to bring some mosquito repellent. Kinda hard to enjoy the movie while your being bit!
Will my car battery die?: It’s not likely unless you have a weak battery or run other things. If you’ve had trouble with this, start your car (Intermission is a good time) and let it run for 5-10 minutes. Please be sure your lights don’t come on! In the event anyone has a dead battery, there’s jumper cables on hand to help out.
How do we hear the movie?: The audio from the film is transmitted to on your FM radio. We use a powerful Ramsey FM transmitter so range is no problem. You’re welcome to bring your own portable or personal radio!
Where do I park / view from?: We have folks line their cars up in two rows facing the screen, fairly close together. If we run out of space for cars, you can park off site and bring chairs or blankets in – the best seats in the ‘house’ are in front of the cars! Please be courteous of the viewing area and of those behind you. If you don’t intend to watch the film from your car, please park off site to make room for everyone! Late arrivals after the show starts are kindly asked to park off site so as not to disturb other viewers.
What about Restrooms?: Unfortunately our Drive-In, being the informal gathering it is, does not have restrooms on site. The best bet is to go before you arrive, or if you really need to, drive to one of the restaurants near Crockett Street .
Are kids or pets OK at the Mobile Drive-In?: YES! But we do ask that kids be kept under adult supervision AT ALL TIMES. This is so crucial, as we have cars and people moving about in darkness. Also, please be aware that most of our Drive-In films are rated PG-13 or R and may contain material unsuitable for children. Please be courteous of other viewers by keeping noise levels to a minimum. You’re welcome to bring a dog but do please keep them leashed/tethered at all times and if they tend to get agitated around people, please keep them at home or in your car.
Do you ever get rained out?: Part of the excitement of something like this is that it’s not a ‘given’ that everything goes as planned. Sometimes we have to cancel shows at the last minute, because video projectors don’t run too well when wet. It happens with real drive-ins, too!
What if I have to leave during the film?: Sometimes it’s unavoidable, headlights happen. If you need to use them to safely navigate your exit please do. It’s all part of the authentic Drive-In Experience and other viewers will understand.
What do you use to project the video and the audio?: The projector is a Sharp XR-10S. Our audio transmitter is a Ramsey FM25B PLL Digital FM model with 25mW on about 16v. Everything runs off a high end power inverter connected to car battery or an idling vehicle.
When does the movie actually start? Are there previews?: The movie usually starts about 25 minutes after our posted start time. This gives us time to adjust the setup during the pre-show video, which does often feature preview trailers, and a nostalgia drive-in slideshow.
Is there an intermission?: Yes, we usually have an intermission, it runs about 10-15 minutes.
