Playing a movie for the que and entrance area

[nzanesmith]

So i have a friend that owns a bounce house company and we have been toying with the idea of using one of his products "movie under the stars" basically a 24 foot inflatable movie screen and the accompanying projection and sound equipment to play a movie or movies and or video games in an area near our que line. The issue i noticed is in the "Public Performance Permit" which is handled through a company that movie studios use to license there films for public viewing. I have yet to call that company to discus the idea but with a quick look around there site its sounds very expensive. Regardless of if you charge for the film or not you have to pay them and if you charge they get a large percentage of your ticketing. As for video games i have not been able to find any such permit yet but it wouldn't surprise me if its out there. Basically what im wondering is if anyone has done this or has experience with this and any advice you may have. We could always just not worry about the permit and do it anyways but i think they do deserve some money just not all of it, and we have a local haunt that would be quick to bring us to the companies attention so i have a feeling we will either do it all on the up and up or not do it at all.

Thanks
Nick

[Raycliff Manor]

Nick, I've considered this too. I've actually posted in the past and asked for feedback on the use of movie screens. If I remember correctly, this was several years ago, the most popular use was in showing footage of patrons being scared in the attraction on the video screen. I'm glad you brought this up. I'll be interested in seeing what more recent experience has been and what current opinions are regarding this.

One thing I also recall. It was an excellent opportunity for sponsor exposure!

Kel

[nzanesmith]

those are some of the very same things i was thinking. We have a local video game store that we are friendly with that was a "silent" sponsor last year and they have a weekly segment on one of the morning radio shows here in town and this was an idea that i had last year to get people to come out before we open and play some games after hearing about it on the radio. Then run some footage and some logo's for the first hour or 2 we're open then a movie later in the evening. In my mind if this worked out well we could have people 'hanging out" at our event for a few hours rather then an hourish and actually have something to do not just stand in the que. It would also generate a buzz around town and its hard to miss a huge movie playing from the road. This would also increase or concession and merch sales since people will be around longer and need some food or drink as well as a sweater or 2. I also had an idea of having the screen viewable from anywhere in the general que area for free but offer a seating area for a few dollar charge.

Nick

[MovieRelics]

Hey Nick,

When it comes to the films, your absolutely right about obtaining permission for viewing them to the public, also the same for playing music. You have to get a public performance grant by the copyright holders.

As for the video games, that's a great question. I work in the game industry and I've never thought about that. I've already tossed an email to several of my associates at different game studios to see what they think. But I've got a feeling that while the technical answer will be you may have to get permission because it is a copyrighted work, I think the reality will be, they don't care. But I'll find out first to make sure your not going to be getting into any trouble.

[beardedbil]

Actually, I do this very thing for our county's park and recreation dept. We bought our screens at http://www.outdoor-movies.com/inflatable_screens.html

You can see our line up of movies here: http://parks.westchestergov.com/inde...63&Itemid=4793

I will say this, to obtain rights to the movie can be very expensive, they will want to know how many people will be at the event, if your charging, and what nights you will be showing it. We use the company http://www.swank.com/

Don't even think of showing any Disney movies as they are subject to date and audience size restrictions (and they are very strict!).

I hope this helps you along your way, and as always if you need a full package of video projectors, sound system, and airscreen put together, dont hesitate to contact me.
Best,
Bill Rod.

[nzanesmith]

movierelics thanks for the help with the games, i was thinking the same thing.

Beardedbil swank was the same company i was looking at. I was thinking some older horror or monster movies and we'd have to keep it pg or pg13 since anyone could actually see it. Do you mind me asking around how much you pay per night for your permits?

Nick

[beardedbil]

I think it is roughly around $750 depending on the movie and dates. I will double check this figure tomorrow. This is for ONE night! Check out this list: http://listverse.com/2007/10/31/top-...horror-movies/
These are all in the public domain and you won't have to pay to play... Just an idea
Hope this helps.
Bill Rod.

[Badger]

Aren't a lot of the "Golden Age of Hollywood Monsters" movies considered public domain? If so, there shouldn't be an issue. Plus you can expose a new generation to Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Mummy, the Phantom of the Opera, and more...

You may want to check on that though...

[MovieRelics]

Hey Badger, I'm afraid not. The majority of the golden age monster characters and movies are owned by Universal. So I wouldn't show them.

[nzanesmith]

i recall seeing somewhere that the public domain didn't cover copyright characters or movies or something like that, and i believe it was in swanks faq section. Because i was thinking of going the public domain route as well until i read that. But i agree if we could find some public domain movies by a smaller studio that would be the way to go. At nearly a grand a night it would have to pay for itself each night, that would be to big of a hit to take just for a good idea... But im sure the price is connected to the movie so if it were a B movie im sure the price would be less or at least id hope so...

thanks again bill and your lighting work looks great on your site.

Nick

[MovieRelics]

Ok, well, this one has started a bit of a debate. This is what everyone I've talked to about this is agreeing to right now. While the game industry doesn't have any rules and conditions for public display of works like the film or music industry, it does violate the terms and agreements of your EULA and Terms of Use Agreement of the video game itself. There are various rules for public use of the game for lan centers, internet cafes, etc for the playing of the game. But there is also a stipulation for the public display of the game itself also.

This was pulled from one of the terms of use agreements for a video game:
"You may not download, copy or use any of the Materials except as expressly authorized by this Agreement or any applicable License Agreement and, in any event, you may not distribute, modify, transmit or publicly display the Materials without the written consent of GAME STUDIO or, if so indicated in writing by GAME STUDIO, its licensors or suppliers."

So, if you show the video game being played on the wall, your violating the terms of use which makes you open for litigation by the game publisher and/or studio. Most of the people I've talked to agree that this would be a incredibly stupid thing to sue someone over in your situation, but not to say it couldn't happen.

[nzanesmith]

So am i understanding you correctly that it would be ok to play a game in the form of a lan party or cafe were only passers by would view the game say on a tv or computer monitor BUT it would violate the terms of use to have 2 or 4 people playing that same game but projected on a screen so that many people can see it?

the way im reading your post is basically its ok if people happen to see the game being played privately as apposed to the game being used as entertainment for an audience correct?

Nick

[HauntedOzarks]

We're going to be having a projection screen in our line as well. We're shooting a faux documentary about the haunt that will show every so often. We'll also be showing sponsor ads in between.

Another idea we're tossing around is opening our screen up to independent filmmakers and showing horror shorts made by them. Believe me, indie guys love to have their work shown anywhere possible. You could even host a horror short film contest and have them screened at your show.

If you want feature length material, just start trolling independent message boards and you will have indie filmmakers falling all over themselves to get their movies screened at your haunt. And no fees to pay!

[MovieRelics]

Now you know why we've been going around and around. Depending on the game's EULA and TOS (as a colleague of mine pointed out, assuming that the game even has a TOS), it would depend on the terms defined.

The game when you buy is being assumed by the publisher that it's being bought by a private individual. Therefore, the EULA and TOS are typically designed to specify private use by a individual. So any public display would be prohibited (assuming that the publisher put that rule in the EULA). But if you were a LAN center or something similar, you would get a different EULA for such use by a company of that nature. For instance, Blizzard requires LAN centers to agree to a LAN Center EULA for their World of Warcraft and other games.

So, in the previous example, if you were at a LAN center and they were using the EULA/TOS mentioned before, if they are showing the game on a projected screen with 20 people watching the screens of the people playing, then yes, they are in violation of the TOS. Doesn't matter if it's on TV, monitor, projected on a wall, if they can see it, they are violating it just standing over the players shoulder watching him play.

This is why we said it would be really stupid for a game company to sue over, because they are basically punishing for free publicity, but that's not to say that it couldn't happen. The only thing that you can do is read the EULA and TOS and see if there is anything in it that prohibits the use of the game being displayed in any form of public setting.

[nzanesmith]

Haunted that is an awesome idea that i had never though of., i will have to look into that.

Nick