Renegade Picture Show

Well, Saturday Oct 6 came and went without an announcement about the show - sorry about that folks. I've been super busy with a new business (ad)venture that I've taken on. And, yes, it is related to the Renegade Picture Show. In fact, it involves the place where the show screens - OKC Rocks. I, along with some partners, are purchasing OKC Rocks Climbing Gym! Very exciting. I've been keeping this a secret for while as things have been in development but now the word is out. Our close date on the business is Nov 4. I plan on continuing the Renegade Picture Show but in the meantime things have been a little hectic and the showings therefore, may be sporadic. I'm going to do my best to have one final 2007 show in October - after that you'll have to wait until next Spring for the next show. We'll be putting together a schedule of movies for next year - so I'll keep you posted.

I realize the schedule has been a little jumpy lately and I apologize to all of you who are eagerly awaiting the next Renegade Picture Show. There's a lot going on - the biggest of which is a major personal career change so that is putting a damper on the amount of time I have had to commit to the RPS. But rest assured - the season is not over yet! Change is afoot. Stay tuned. Our next scheduled show is October 6 and we're showing Young Frakenstein.

(9/19 EDIT: see most recent post - next show will now be 10/6) We are taking a break the next few weekends for some other things - the next Renegade Picture Show is scheduled for Saturday, September 22. In the meantime I am working on gaining access to another show location - this one in Norman. It is another really awesome and unique location so I hope that I am able to pull it off.

All photos from the BL show have been loaded to the FLICKR site. Check them. And if you have some that you would like me to add - send them my way. aaron47[at]mac[dot]com

Photos from the RPS shows can now be found on Flickr . And you will also find us on the Guerilla Drive In Group site along with some other like-minded movie events across the country. Be sure to check them out. There are a few photos from the BL show last Saturday and I expect to have a buttload more later this week. So you can check it out now but don't forget to check it out later when I get the bulk of the photos online. Also, if you have pictures that you want me to throw out there send them my way. The more the better. If you would like to do a show report or if you have a blog that you've written about a Renegade Picture Show that you've been to, let me know and I will link to it. As far as the show for August 25 I have some ideas but not fully ready to commit. Oh, almost forgot, if you want to see the bowling montage music video I put together for last week's show (again) it's on YouTube . Or just watch it here...

The turn out for the BL show on Saturday night was awesome. We had about 40 people show up, maybe more. It was a warm evening, as it's been hovering around 100 degrees for the past week here in central Oklahoma - but the evening cooled off to about 80 degrees and there was a nice breeze. The evening began with some Renegade grilling. Russell showed up with his grill and cooked everyone burgers. Next up was the bowling. The bowling alley was constructed on the previous day by Chris and I (Aaron) using some plywood that the owner of the climbing gym, Freddy, let us borrow. We really lucked out when we discovered that there were two bright red stars stenciled on a couple of sheets of plywood. That really added to the bowling aura. It didn't take much time to lay the plywood down and construct the gutters using 2x4s. At the end of the lane there was a chain-link fence that acted as the backstop. The lane was 48 feet long - not regulation but then again, nothing about this evening w...

Hope everyone is looking forward to the show this Saturday. Should be a good time. I was getting a little nervous about the bowling pins arriving on time from the eBay seller but no need to worry - the bolwing pins have arrived! Now I've been questioning if I should purchase another bowling ball. Someone at work here is selling one for $10 - the same person I bought the last one from - so, I'll probably get it. Now just have to figure out the design of the bowling lane. I've got a few ideas on it. I'm trying to minimize the amount of materials and build time (in 100 degree Oklahoma heat) so it's probably going to be a pretty scrappy lane. Don't wear your best bowling shoes and don't expect to get any ball-spin off the 3/4" plywood surface. Shit, you'll be lucky to keep the ball in the lane. If anyone has taken pictures at previous Renegade shows that they would like me to display in the pre-show slideshow send them to me, Aaron at aaron47{at)mac(dot...

We've got some special things planned for The BL show on August 11. Not only are we showing one of the greatest comedies of all time but we are also hosting the first Renegade Outdoor Bowling night. FREE BOWLING. We've got a used ball, some pins from ebay and we'll be building a lane out of plywood. Of course it's not perfect - but that's what makes it so damn fun! Oh and the other thing is this is going to be a dress-up show. We want everyone to dress up as a character from the movie. Now, I have some requests - if anyone has a rug, preferably one comparable to the oriental rug in the movie, please bring it. We need something that will really tie the area together - a rug would be great. Anything else you can think of that has any relation to the film - maybe some Sioux City Sasaparilla, maybe Little Larry Sellers homework, maybe the Ringer with undies in it...but please, please, please, no guns - you can be Walter but please don't pack heat as Walter would. We...

We had a great show on Saturday night. The weather was nice - warm with no bugs and the show went flawlessly. I was surprised how many people had not seen the movie. Now you have been initiated, go forth and spread the word. Hope everyone enjoyed the little bit of 80s - the Banarama video of Cruel Summer. I thought that would be a nice touch for the pre-show. Thanks to Andy for capturing the moment - the picture here is his work. NOW.... The biggest show to come is scheduled for AUGUST 11. Get ready for the BL movie. This show is going to be very "dude." We are going to have outdoor bowling. Yes, that's right - RENEGADE BOWLING!! Still working out the logistics on this one but I think we got the basics figured out. I'm bidding on some pins on ebay right now - I should know within an hour or two if I've won them. A bowling ball has already been secured. And the construction of the lane has been figured out - though not fully engineered (and I doubt it will be until...

There was a small showing on Saturday for the movie. Maybe everyone was scared of being overtaken by mosquitoes? Well, good news, the bugs were not bad at all. Actually, it was a near-perfect evening weather wise. The movie was great and those that were there really enjoyed it. We skipped showing Coven in order to save it for a later scary-movie theme night - you can expect those to begin in September and continue through October. That said - let's move on to our next show... SATURDAY, JULY 28. For those who don't know, or haven't seen it, this is a quintessential 1980s movie. Made in 1985 it is as quirky, funny, and lovable as ever. Wait, back up, did I just describe a movie as lovable? It has great characters and a slightly off-beat storyline. Not to mention the claymation musically interlude featuring Van Halen about halfway through. How else can high school love, suicide, skiing, car racing, foreign exchange students, and talking hamburgers be combined? It really doesn...

I'm really looking forward to this show. I think it's going to get some mixed reactions - some people will love this film, others.....will not love this film. Part of me says, "who cares, I'm showing it anyway." The other part, that part being my wife, says, "don't show that, people won't get it." It's true. This is a movie that some will simply not get - they either won't understand it - won't think it is funny - or just plain won't like the story. And it does have a story. It's a heart-breakingly hilarious, depressing, yet hopeful story of one man's passion for filmmaking and the friends and family that surround him. Ok, there's probably a better logline than that but that's the best I could come up with on short notice. But take my word for it - this is a good movie - this is an excellent movie. Do yourself a favor and come watch it. Oh - and the other film, Coven, is a short film (40 minutes) made by Mark Borch...

We had a good show last night. The crowd was a bit smaller but still a great group - many first timers - so I hope everyone had a great time and come for the next show. I think the fact that we had to cancel the show a couple of weeks ago threw people off track and they didn't know we were having a show last night. No matter - there will be more. Thanks to the generous people who donated money - we are getting ever closer to our goal of $400. The popularity of the show and the donations means that this is likely to continue through another season - meaning, next year. The best is yet to come - I promise you. Another item to put on your list when coming to the Renegade Picture Show --- BUG SPRAY. It's getting to be that time of year where the heat lingers well into the evening and the bugs flourish. If anyone wants to bring some citronella candles that would be great. *edited* There is a movie that I've been wanting to show since the beginning of the RPS. One of my personal...

Let's try this again... The past couple of weekends have been a complete BUST. The rain has been hammering us for weeks but it looks like things are going to let up just in time for the weekend. That means that we can FINALLY do another Renegade Picture Show. So mark your calendars and keep your eye on the weather forecast. The date is FRIDAY, JULY 6.

Still looking for a date for the next RPS. The forecast through Friday is for heavy rains - flooding even - then on Saturday the chance of rain is 30% for the day and 20% for the evening. The good news is that they are talking about a break in the weather on Friday so Saturday may prove to be our window of opportunity. For the time being, I haven't set the date for Saturday - but that looks like our best chance. I'll keep watching the weather and if it looks like it's going to be dry, it's a go.

Tonight's showing has been cancelled due to rain and a power outage. Sorry for the news - we will reschedule.

In the great tradition of true renegades of cinema, the Renegade Picture Show proudly presents the epic tale of three friends on Saturday, June 23. This movie is a classic "western" comedy. "In a way, each of us has an El Guapo to face. For some, shyness might be their El Guapo. For others, a lack of education might be their El Guapo. For us, El Guapo is a big, dangerous man who wants to kill us. But as sure as my name is Lucky Day, the people of Santa Poco can conquer their own personal El Guapo, who also happens to be *the actual* El Guapo!" ~Lucky Day Keep your fingers crossed for good weather. If the weather looks crappy we will need to reschedule. The last show was pretty much a sell-out crowd - so please be aware of who you tell or invite - I'd like for everyone to know everyone so that we can keep the community feeling. Don't forget to bring a chair and maybe even an extra chair for the people who will inevitbaly forget to bring theirs. It's much...

We had the best turn-out yet for a Renegade Picture Show - I'm estimating over 30 people, and who knows how many cars. I hope everyone enjoyed the movie and the social atmosphere. That's what the drive-in experience is all about. Thanks to everyone who donated their hard-earned money to the show. We raised about $25 bucks so that will, of course, go into the improvement and upgrade fund. The new speakers, which were purchased using money from the previous show, worked wonderfully. The next show is planned for June 23 so mark your calendars. The title of the movie will be announced at a later date. For now, we are off to San Diego for the week. OH, we gave away stickers at the show - if you desperately want one and have to have one, donate a BUCK (or more) through the ChipIn link on the left, include your name and address and I'll gladly mail you one.

A mere one day after my posting about how it would be nice to have more sound. My wonderful wife Lisa gives me a call from a pawn shop in Norman. Not the normal hang for her but apparently she took my desire for wattage to heart. She was psyched to find a great deal on two speaker towers that should pump up the volume (beware: 1980s M|A|R|R|S reference). Weather looks good for tonight - may even be a little chilly - so bring a jacket.

We are in the market for sound. Serious. Loud. Powerful. Sound. Anything we can do to increase the viewer experience at the Renegade Picture Show. Right now I have a portable stereo that I lug out to each drive-in show. It looks puny. It is puny. I'm surprised I haven't blown a speaker yet - it's bound to happen soon. So what I want is a PA system that BUMPS. I want something that I can keep onsite and roll out of storage when we need it. Plug that sucker in to an FM tuner for audio reception and crank it up. I'm in the market for equipment that IS NOT BRAND NEW. But I want something that is worthy of big sound and can take a beating - or already has taken a beating. If it beats what I have now, which isn't much, then I'm willing to take it. If you have or know someone with such a system that would be willing to donate it - maybe in return for advertising during the show or just as a generous gesture that would be ideal. However, if you want to do it the old-fas...

Yo - let's try this again. Friday, June 8 is the next show. Keep your fingers crossed for no rain. I think right now they are saying 30% chance. That doesn't mean anything 5 days out. Hands down, a great movie. Don't miss it. I've seen it many times but still can't wait to see it again - especially on the big screen! Also.... WE'VE GOT STICKERS, FOLKS. Really kick-ass looking stickers. Show up to this week's show and I will give you one for the low low price of FREE.

We've had to cancel tonight's show due to rain. It will be rescheduled for another date.

Our next show is Friday, June 1. Show starts at dark (that means around 9:00 pm). The location is same as before - OKC Rocks, back of the silos. this is a great movie - it's the first feature film for the Wilson brothers and the first feature film for Wes Anderson. It was shot entirely in Texas around Dallas and Houston. The movie should be a lot of fun to watch on the big screen, uhh, I mean silo. Bring food, bring drinks, bring something to sit on. Bring a friend. Let's hope it doesn't rain. If it looks like rain - we'll have to reschedule. Damn, I hope I didn't jinx it by saying that.

It was a great night for drive-in movie. Last night was the best turn-out yet for the Renegade Picture Show. Thanks to everyone for showing up and making it a worthwhile event, I hope you enjoyed it. Special thanks to James for bringing the microwave and popcorn and setting out a donations jar. And thanks to all of you who donated to the Renegade Picture Show. All the money raised goes right back into continuing and improving the show. Next on the horizon for improvements... I'm in the market for some good-sized concert speakers that I can rig up to the stereo/FM tuner and blast the movie sound. If anyone knows of any at a pawn shop somehwere let me know - or better yet - if you have some or know of someone that has someone that they would be willing to donate or sell for cheap, let me know. The next show will be FRIDAY, JUNE 1. More on this in a future post...

Be there for our next show on Saturday, May 18. The feature presentation will be this movie . Show begins at dark - be there about 8:45 pm to get a good spot. Location is at OKC Rocks - back of the silos. Bring a radio and some chairs or just hang out in your car and watch. Don't forget to bring a beverage of your choice and some snacks or candy. You can't watch a drive-in without snacks or candy - it's just not natural.

I'm listing the dates but not the movies. Why? Because I like to decide closer to time what I think will be fun to show. The movie will be announced about a week before the date. Schedule is subject to change due to weather or other unforeseen conflicts. Check the website. Saturday, May 19 Friday, June 1 Saturday, June 23 Saturday, July 7 Saturday, July 21 Saturday, August 11 Saturday, August 25 Saturday, September 8 Saturday, September 22 Saturday, October 13 Saturday, October 27 Other "Special Engagements" are not listed here.

I was recently turned onto a new theatre in Fort Collins, CO. that takes a different approach to movies. It's called the Lyric Cinema Cafe . The cool thing about the theatre is that it's a different kind of movie experience. There is a cafe where you can buy beer or wine, healthy food as well as all the regular movie-fare. There's a theatre in the back that seats about 80. It has theatre seats but also has couches. They are in the process of building a second much smaller theatre. From the Lyric website I found two other similar theatres. One is the Moxie , located in Springfield, MO. and the other is the Ragtag Cinema located in Colombia, MO. I guess Missouri is ahead of the curve on this! Each of the theatres show more independent movies but some branch into more mainstream films. The Lyric is showing Raising Arizona soon. I'm pretty inspired by these places - essentially this is what the Renegade Picture Show is all about. Of course the Renegade is a little more thro...

Saturday, May 5 was the second Renegade Picture Show and we showed Rushmore. Actually, we showed MOST of Rushmore as the last 15 minutes were cut short by thunderstorms. And as you can imagine, rain and electrical equipment do not mix. Thanks to the few hardcore movie-goers who made the journey to the back of the silos - I know many of you looked at the weather and thought, screw that, I'm not going to venture out into that. No problem - there will be others. I am putting together a complete summer schedule and will have it posted soon.

On Saturday we painted a HUGE white screen on the back of the OKC Rocks silos! It was a lot of work and there were some technical delays to overcome (including one near-death experience) but we did it. A word to the wise - never try to lower 150 pounds of paint down a 100 foot silo shaft using a single pulley, your bare hands and a hip belay. You could get a nasty rope burn (or worse). But let's not talk about that... Did I mention that the screen looks freekin' awesome? Thanks to Freddy (of OKC Rocks) for the paint and for permission to paint the screen and use the silos for the show. Don't forget - Saturday, May 5 is the first show with the new screen - can't wait!

Saturday, May 5 the Renegade Picture Show presents a movie about... Love. Expulsion. Revolution. Showtime is at DARK - be there about 8:45 PM. If you show up late, be sure to turn your head lights off before reaching the back of the silos. The location is OKC Rocks Climbing Gym - on the back of the silos. For a detailed map and directions go here . If you haven't been here before you better leave early in case you get lost. The show is FREE. Of course, donations are greatly appreciated. Bring snacks, popcorn, candy, beer, dinner, soda...whatever. If you want to spread the word, print a flyer . If this is your first show here's how it works. The movie is projected on the back of the silos (from a projector sitting on top of my car). A laptop is hooked up to the projector which plays video files and a DVD copy of the movie. The audio is piped through an FM transmitter (sounds geeky doesn't it?) and fed into your car stereo or portable radio. Electricity provided by Freddy, ...

Another great Drive-In is the Guerilla Drive-In in West Chester, PA. Check out the setup for it . And I thought I had to carry a bunch of stuff! John Young, the guy who runs it says... "All in all, it's about 75 pounds of stuff not counting the heavy wooden tripod. That's about 74 pounds and 15 ounces more than a Netflix DVD. "The Guerilla Drive-In: Making Movies Inconvenient Again!"

As the Renegade Picture Show (RPS) begins, the Guerilla Drive-In (GDI) in Santa Cruz completes it's 5-year anniversary show! The RPS was inspired by the GDI - we hope we can be as successful, fun, and sustainable as they have been. Here's an article about it. Ironically, the the article calls the event "renegade!"

The premiere night of the Renegade Picture Show went great. Thanks to everyone for coming out - I hope you enjoyed it! For those that missed it we had a pre-show with several old drive-in movie ads, as well as a quirky "all-purpose" industrial film and a couple of old movie previews. That was followed by our feature presentation Raising Arizona. We are taking suggestions for the next movie for May - if there's one you'd like us to show drop us an email through the contact form. The next movie will be coming up before you know it! Also, big thanks to Freddy for allowing us to host the Renegade Picture Show at OKC Rocks and thanks to James for helping out.

F47 PRODUCTIONS presents... A RENEGADE PICTURE SHOW DRIVE-IN EXPERIENCE DATE: SATURDAY, APRIL 21 TIME: DARK-30 LOCATION: HERE FEATURING: THIS MOVIE ALSO SHOWING: Pre-show, classic drive-in ads, film shorts, and whatever else we come up with. COST: FREE *** WHAT TO BRING: RADIO (FOR MOVIE SOUND), SOMETHING TO SIT IN OR ON (CAR, CHAIR, BLANKET, SOFA, ETC.), SNACKS, DRINKS, WHATEVER ELSE YOU NEED FOR A MOVIE. *TELL YOUR FRIENDS, TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS, TELL YOUR FRIENDS' NEIGHBORS*

The Motion Picture Licensing Corporation in LA has granted the Renegade Picture Show an exclusive license for public movie performances. You're asking yourself, what does that mean and why should I care? It means, we can legally show movies in a designated public setting. You know that FBI warning you skip past and never read on DVDs? Well, if you read that you would see that videos are only licensed for "home use" and any other form of display is illegal. Sure, we may have been able to sneak by without the license - other people do it all the time - more power to them - but I'd rather not worry about it. As for the second question, why should you care? I don't know. Maybe because we're trying to make this a sustainable and meaningful event and this helps put it on the map for Oklahoma. Aside from that the whole license thing should be transparent to the viewer. But now's the time to brag so why not? Frankly, I'm just happy the MPLC took us seriously. ...

The Renegade Picture Show has been in disucssion with the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC) to obtain a license for public performance of movies. The MPLC has determined that they WILL grant the RPS a license - for a fee, of course. The RPS will be completely free and open to registered members (free registration through website) - no admission will be charged. However, we will gladly accept donations in order to defer the cost of the movie license. If you wish to contribute, see the ChipIn fundraising block in the left column. At this point we are looking at holding 7 movie showings this year. The first RPS is coming soon! Stay tuned...

Working on some material for the premier Renegade Picture Show. The premier location has been secured and will be announced in a future post on this website so stay tuned. I am working on the rest of this website - this page is just the news/blog page - there is a lot more to share. The site will be online at http://renegadepictureshow.com. Also, I'm still working on details regarding public performance licensing. So far, no luck....I may have to take another approach.

The Renegade Picture Show is a drive-in movie experience with a Renegade aspect taking place in the Norman and OKC metro. The location can change from night to night and the way the movie is shown is unique. A multimedia LCD (or similar) projector is connnected to a laptop and/or DVD player and the image is projected on the side of a building, wall or structure. The movie audio is broadcast via a FM transmitter to a car stereo or portable radio. That means you can sit in your car or on the ground or a chair...you get the idea...and watch and listen to the movie. That means that virtually anywhere could become a potential theatre! So where did this concept stem from? The motivation: movies. It's as simple as that. Show movies to the masses in a unique way. Combine these two things and you get the RPS! As genius as this seems I was not the first to come up with this idea. Internet research quickly led me to two main places - the Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive In and MobMov (a spinoff of...