airscreen, the cinema that embraces the sky
- Elisa Nori
- Mar 15, 2023
- 11 min read
Updated: Apr 25, 2023
Cinema has the ability to involve and unite people, a perceptible link for an unforgettable sensory experience. If this happens with the addition of fabulous locations, everything becomes a film within a film; as we watch we live it.
In a closed cinema this can be simulated, but the direct experience will always remain the greatest emotion; we are no longer just spectators who dream of being in a certain context or situation, but we experience it as protagonists.
It is true that the latest visual and sound technologies have evolved to the point of creating spectacular atmospheres, but there are times when we need to remember that a starry sky in the city or in the countryside, a beach after sunset, a romantic park in the evening, a concert or a sporting event with friends, a pool or garden party, cannot be simulated if we want them to stay with us forever.
The inflatable screen was invented and built in 1994 by Günter Ganzevoort.
In 2003 the AIRSCREEN Company was born, exactly 20 years ago, which is based in Germany: the main office is in Münster, while an additional exhibition hall is present in Berlin and operates in more than 130 countries worldwide, to promote and sell the product .
The major Hollywood studios have used Airscreen, in fact these screens have been used for world premieres of Disney, DreamWorks and in various international festivals including the Dubai International Film Festival; to date it is the largest inflatable screen in the world.
Thanks to Airscreen which is wrinkle-resistant, fireproof, solid and does not fear variations in temperature or wind, any location can be transformed into an open-air cinema, possessing two primary characteristics: easy to transport and quick to set up.
The company provides all the necessary technical equipment: projectors, sound systems, cases, repair and anchoring kits with different price ranges and for every need; not to forget the guarantee and assistance always provided.
A frame in resistant PVC fabric, a system of straps and pegs, guarantee stability together with a special permanent inflator, which has the task of constantly measuring the internal air pressure.
In addition to the standard projection surface (with dark back), there are also available: white projection surfaces on both sides, rear projection surfaces, winter surfaces (suitable for temperatures below 0°C) and perforated or micro-perforated surfaces.
Manufactured through a high frequency welding process, it lasts for years without damage, because the material is not weakened by the mechanical stitching holes.
When assembly time is limited, when there are short notices, emergencies caused by sudden changes in weather conditions or simply want to limit labor costs, the surface can be left assembled in case the frame needs to be inflated often or deflated; moreover it does not alter the locations of historical/artistic value.
In addition to being expensive and inconvenient to transport, heavier structures also require appropriate safety measures as well as always having to consider their difficult dismantling.
There are 3 different AIRSCREEN models:
AIRSCREEN classic: large screen that combines perfect resistance with excellent quality, for outdoor events of all kinds and in difficult environments; recommended for 200 up to 5,000+ viewers.
AIRSCREEN airtight: versatile screen, formed by an airtight structure that keeps it inflated during projection without the need for permanent inflator for indoor and outdoor events, for example when the audience is close to the screen; recommended for 100-400 spectators.
AIRSCREEN nano: small screen, quick and easy to assemble, excellent for garden cinema or very special parties; recommended for up to 50 spectators.
The nano and airtight models can also be used inside buildings, as they are perfectly silent.
There is also the possibility of creating a silent cinema with just one transmitter and an unlimited number of headphones.
For DRIVE-IN cinema there is the new Airscreen Drive, with the possibility of projection on the front and rear; through an FM transmitter, quality sound is guaranteed so that viewers just connect to the right radio station and stay
comfortably inside your car, the cinema begins!
The company has consolidated its reality in many countries, more than 130: what are the events of which you have the most vivid and unforgettable memory?
In general, we have inspired people in many parts of the world to show big movies on giant screens. Inflate an AIRSCREEN, install a sound, a projector and become the director of your own cinema. Seeing those hundreds or even thousands of guests coming to your outdoor event makes me deeply happy. Unforgettable was the Riviera Maya Film Festival with Airscreen on the beach. Palms to right, ocean to left, sand at feet and stars above. Pure perfection.
Airscreen is certainly synonymous with practicality and adaptability, this brings its installation even in the most difficult places ... just think of Pulpit Rock in Norway for the Premiere of "Mission Impossible: Fallout".
To experience the ultimate movie night on Norway's mighty fjords, scores of adventurous fans walked 4 hours to watch the film at the location named one of the world's most spectacular viewpoints by CNN Go and Lonely Planet, Tom Cruise's stunt show.
What were other locations with extreme and impervious conditions?
Well, we have installed AIRSCREEN on rooftops, mountain tops, floating on water and in the middle of the desert. One location that I cannot forget was Venice; in those days we installed the largest Airscreen in the world in Piazza San Marco, for a film premiere during the Film Festival. Then Angelina Jolie came in with her baby Maddox on her arm and he fought against the airscreen.
I imagine and hope he felt the force of the inflatable frame!
Offer to those who need it, also sound system and projector.
Which brands and models do you rely on to best optimize vision?
As you can imagine, there are so many brands on the market and it's hard for our customers to find the best match. This is why we have pre-configured complete packages (AIRSCREEN, laser projector and audio equipment), so that you have a one-stop solution. We particularly recommend OPTOMA and EPSON for the projectors and BOSE or the German manufacturer HK Audio, for the sound systems.
CineEurope, which takes place at the Centro de Convenciones Internacional de Barcelona, Spain (CCIB) annually brings together and attracts international industry professionals in the discovery of cinematic innovations and new technologies, seminars and educational programs, global production and distribution trends . You'll be there again this year: any advances on the matter?
For many years, we have been presenting our products at trade fairs around the world.
CineEurope is one of my favourites, not only because it takes place in beautiful Barcelona but above all it's like a "family reunion" of the film industry and it's always nice to meet our partners and clients. This year we will be introducing a new AIRSCREEN model and a totally innovative range of our complete bespoke systems.
To raise awareness around the world, The Elephant Queen team has chosen the art of cinema.
A mobile cinema and a film resulting from 4 years of shooting, which aims to unify millions of people towards greater sensitivity and which celebrates Kenya's extraordinary fauna and biodiversity. Airscreen brought the film "The Elephant Queen" to several countries, thus facilitating the crew to involve and empower local populations on the danger facing elephants. It must be really exciting to contribute your work to such a noble initiative.
Is it possible to know more?
It's really exciting! Our AIRSCREEN is the only way to bring the cinematic experience especially to the kids all over rural Kenya, who may only have this chance to watch a film; we have not only entertainment, but also education. The Outreach Team is also putting on a stage show, where the audience has to decide whether the accused elephant is guilty of murder or innocent. It's a perfect blend for edutainment; seeing our product help such a noble cause is very valuable to us. We all share the vision of bringing people together, creating unforgettable memories, matching movies to the places where they belong. And the best we can get out of it is the excitement in their eyes when the screen inflates and the movie plays. Supporting such a passionate crew means a lot to us.
Airscreen was born in 1994, with almost thirty years of experience...Cinema and everything related to the world of images is a mission for you, even though you are aware of how the technology associated with it is evolving rapidly, both whether it is public or private cinema.
Has this led you to evaluate further developments and innovations related to the company?
We learn something new every day! As you can imagine, projectors especially have come a long way. Much stronger sharp (laser) image with outstanding resolution and all this is getting smaller and smaller. Thus, the effective space of a complete "cinema in a box" shrinks every year. This makes mobile cinema more professional and faster. We are also experimenting with battery-powered outdoor cinemas where a power line is not needed. See "Blair Whitch Project" or "Motel" in the middle of a forest or a dilapidated factory. No cables connected!
Speaking of Italy, your screens have been in Venice for the ONA Short Film Festival and at the Venice Film Festival in Piazza San Marco... What is your relationship with Italy?
We love Italy! And yes, the ONA Short Film Festival that took place in Venice is a great example of that. Movies about outdoor sports should be shown under the sky. And once again the great premiere in Piazza San Marco remains unforgettable.
Many more fond memories we preserve and cherish with installations in Italy, as this country is ideal for outdoor films; full of beautiful “squares” in the villages.
Of course, the Mediterranean climate also helps.
There is a reason why “Cinema Paradiso” is an Italian classic.
People in front of your screens can enjoy themselves as well as relax, feeling emotions both for what they are following on the screen but also for the place where they are.
An interesting combination, that of keeping the emotion alive by linking the imagination with reality. It is a message that serves as a reminder that human interactions are still very important and more than ever after the pandemic people need to find each other again, confirming that not everything can be replaced by "isolation technology".
Is Airscreen therefore sharing?
It really is! AIRSCREEN brings people together. Instead of watching TV at home alone, hang out with your friends and have a glass of wine with good food under the stars on a warm summer night. I think, especially after the pandemic, our bodies really need this kind of social interaction to get back on track.
Some unforgettable feedback or experiences, from your company's customers and partners you work with.
Thank God, there are so many! Steven Spielberg's partner Jeffrey Katzenberg said at the Venice Cinema premiere: "This is the most beautiful cinema in the world."
I think it speaks for itself, when our customers write lovingly referring to our products; many times we get emails where people start with: "We love our new AIRSCREEN!". We are honored and so happy to hear this. This is our biggest motivation.
What is your relationship with eco-sustainability and with all the choices to protect the planet, including the productive ones, which educate and reduce the environmental impact?
We are working in many fields to reduce our impact on the environment. It starts with the production, where we choose only materials made in Europe where the manufacturers specify exactly that no dangerous chemicals are used. European legislation is increasingly demanding in this regard – a good thing! We reduce packaging where possible and choose carbon neutral shipping options where possible. Even our AIRSCREEN nano and hermetic products do not need a constantly running blower, as these frames are completely sealed. Over the years this saves the customer a lot of money and our carbon footprint is reduced. Eventually we all sit in the same boat.
The cinema that has entered the Guinness World Records for being the "oldest operating outdoor cinema" is the Sun Pictures Garden Cinema in Broome, Australia.
Opens 9 December 1916 with the first British silent sports film, Kissing Cup directed by Jack Hulcup.
WH Milner and Leonard R. Knight bought Sun Pictures in 1924 and their wives took care of managing the box office and public relations.
With the advent of sound, cinema was adapted and in 1933 the first sound film chosen to be screened was Monte Carlo.
When Milner, one of the two owners, dies and his partner decides to return to Perth, Milner's wife remains in charge of managing the cinema independently until the evacuation of Broome in 1942, attacked by Japanese fighter planes during the Second World War.
To repair the projection equipment are the army officers who decide to use the cinema by themselves but with great difficulty in changing the reels, busy up to 40 minutes to complete the procedure.
Strong tidal floods hit the cinema which becomes not easy and practical;
up until 1967, the year in which anti-discrimination laws were introduced, another problem was the marginalization that saw the most deserving sitting in the center of the cinema with their children in front of them, while black people forced to sit on uncomfortable wooden benches wood to the side, entering through a separate door.
In 1974 the cinema was preserved from flooding making it usable and pleasant and in 1989 it was included in the National Heritage Register so it can only be restored, but not demolished or changed in appearance.
The movie theater is then later added to the State Register of Heritage Places for its cultural and historical significance; restored in the late 1990s, an indoor cinema was opened in 2002.
In 2009 he hosts the premiere of the musical film Bran Nue Dae made in Western Australia.
As you can see, cinema has always been a necessity, even when circumstances saw people disunited and historical periods weren't the best.
Richard Hollingshead Jr. in 1933 by mounting a canvas between 2 trees and placing a Kodak 128 projector on the hood of his car, creates the drive-in cinema accompanied by a winning slogan: “The whole family is welcome, no matter how loud the your children".
The first screening of him is Wives Beware, with Adolph Menjou; a 12-metre wide and 5-metre high screen offers Hollingshead Jr. the possibility of accommodating as many as 400 cars.
Soon the project was so successful that it spread throughout America and beyond.
Prices are low, the chosen place is often flanked by a playground, there are stands for snacks and the intimacy of a couple or family is preserved; even in the car people feel at home.
In Italy, in the Eternal City, the Casal Palocco Metro Drive-In remains unforgettable, opened in 1957 as the largest in Europe; "La nonna Sabella" by Dino Risi is the first film to be screened.
From the Capital and from the coast, on the occasion of the screenings, boys and girls flock to watch the films, through an innovative and revolutionary way of approaching culture.
Open-air cinema still animates Italy, but not only... Just think of "Sotto le stelle del Cinema" in Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, the "Cinema around Vesuvius", the historic open-air cinema review curated by the 'association Arci Movie, "Imaginaria" the International Festival of Author Animated Cinema in Conversano, the "Salento International Film Festival", Precollinear Park Bridge the first open-air cinema on the Turin bridge in silent cinema mode, the cinema open air of Fondazione Prada in Milan whose movable walls slide and the room becomes open air, the traveling cinema of "Anteo nella città", "Cinemoving" the cinema on four wheels and in the field that arrives at the house for an evening at sign of good films between Mestre, Venice and the Islands, the "Floating Theater Summer Fest" the only eco-compatible floating arena immersed in an urban context and "l'Isola del Cinema" International Festival of Cinema and Culture also in Rome, "Cinema under the stars" in Pavia...an atmosphere magical in the frame of the Visconteo Castle.
There are many wonderful realities that come to life in the most beautiful and significant locations of our peninsula and this pleasure is invaluable.
The Airscreen keyword returns: sharing.
People experience harmony, they feel they are part of a group, of a society...the bond of belonging is strong for human beings.
Airscreen not only embraces the sky but also the world, bringing opportunities where there is none or is almost absent, see the film "The Elephant Queen" which among many awards won the Peace Cinema Award, the World Wildlife Day Biodiversity Award of United Nations and Best Cinematography at DOC NYC; children, teenagers and adults who can smile and learn thanks to the help of means and resources for education, so much taken for granted in the wealthiest countries.
Airscreen carries on traditions: it is the largest inflatable screen in the world with an equally large heart.
CONTACTS:
Official site: https://www.airscreen.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/airscreen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airscreen
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AIRSCREEN
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