$10 for a movie at the theater. And you don't even know if you'll like it. Or, possibly, stay at home and watch Mission Impossible once again, alone, on cable. But wait. There's another option; Find a parking lot with a blank wall that isn't used overnight, get a LCD projector, an Electrical Generator, a FM transmitter, and a DVD (with your laptop to play it, of course,) pick a night with very little moonlight and host a Guerilla Drive-In.

And that's exactly what many groups are doing; in West Chester, Pennsylvania Geurrilla Drive-In, at http://www.tikaro.com/gdi/, they are showing, at various locations, Caddyshack, Repo Man, Fast Times, Evil Dead, and Deliverance. In LA, San Francisco, and Dallas, as well as, possibly in the future, NYC, www.theguerilladrivein.com has been showing 12, and Covert Ops, as well as planning a short film Guerrilla Film Festival. In Santa Cruz, check out http://www.thespoon.com/drivein/.

The trend seems irreversible; for about $1200 and a laptop, a person can start a Guerrilla Drive-in setup, or less than half that if one is willing to build the projector. Various methods are used; In some places, the group breaks in without permission, shows films illegally, and simply runs it out of pocket. In others, the space is approved by the owner(s), the films shown are indy films, with the copyright owner's encouragement, or sponsorship. In Tampa, the event is being used to raise money for a political campaign. In Santa Cruz, they ask for donations to cover the cost of the fliers and the investment in the LCD projector.

Hollywood, so far, has been completely unaware of this coming paradigm shift. When asked by The New York Times, Breena Camden, a spokeswoman for Fox Searchlight Pictures, the owner of the copyright to a film shown recently in Santa Cruz, said "This is the first I've heard of Guerrilla Drive-Ins." While clearly in violation of Copyright law, will the Hollywood studios crack down on their fans before this becomes to widespread to stop? This remains to be seen.

Sources:
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2004/July/20/local/stories/02local.htm (First Published Source)
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/29/technology/circuits/29driv.html
http://www.tikaro.com/gdi/
http://www.mail-archive.com/commie@oy.com/msg04159.html
http://www.thespoon.com/drivein/

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