Do you want to host a movie night in your backyard? If yes, there are some essential things you need to put in place to ensure a successful movie night, including the power source, audio, and visuals.
You can check this website for the best gear to suit these needs. Hosting a backyard movie night can be tricky, especially if you haven’t planned one before. You must keep an eye out for a few things if you want to enjoy the experience and make your outdoor movie night memorable for your guests.
After planning several successful movie nights, we’ve learned a lot. Here are the six things you should avoid when hosting a backyard movie night.
1. Avoid open wires and cables
Safety comes first, even at backyard movie nights! Creating a backyard movie experience means having many wires and cables lying around.
You will need a long extension box to connect the different gadgets you need to show the movie, and as a result, you will have many wires lying around. Avoid having open wires and cables lying carelessly at the venue. Try as much as possible to hide the wires to reduce clutter around the viewing area and prevent anyone from tripping, especially kids.
The event is happening at night, and it may be difficult for people to see the cables and wires.
Open electrical wires can be hazardous. You don’t want any of your guests leaving your house in an ambulance. You can hire someone to cover the naked wires expertly.
2. Avoid using a bedsheet as an outdoor movie screen
Using a white sheet to project your movie will ruin all the hard work you’ve done in creating a movie theater in your backyard. Do you want to know why?
Bedsheets are very thin, and the light coming from the projector will pass through it easily, resulting in bad picture quality. Also, the wind outside will move the bedsheet, making it wrinkled, and the viewing experience will be bad for your guests.
Furthermore, when you use a bedsheet, it makes your setup look cheap. There is no reason why you should invest so much into a movie night then end up using a bedsheet to watch the movie. It ruins the whole cinema experience.
There are other affordable options that you can use to show your movie if you cannot afford to build your own outdoor movie screen. They are known as portable outdoor movie screens, and they come in two different styles.
- Standing or Hanging Screens
- Inflatable Screens
You can check out my review of the two portable outdoor movie screens to pick the best option for your movie night.
3. Avoid using bad speakers
Sound is significant when it comes to your outdoor movie theater.
Surprisingly, many people don’t pay much attention to it, focusing instead on the big screen and comfortable seating. These things are important for the backyard movie experience, but so is sound quality.
Most outdoor projectors come with inbuilt speakers, but they are not enough to provide the proper sound quality that you need. Remember that you are showing the movie in your backyard. A bad speaker will ruin the experience.
Imagine your guests not hearing the dialogue correctly, or the sound is echoing. Try to get a good sound system that can effectively provide the sound you need. A Bluetooth speaker is preferable because you can move it around, reducing the number of cables at the venue.
If you are unsure what speaker to use, you can check out my post on the best speakers for an outdoor projector.
Quick Tip: You can invite your neighbors to the movie to avoid noise complaints.
4. Avoid picking a bad movie
The movie. This is why you have guests in your backyard.
The movie you decide to show can determine if it will be a great night or not. Don’t select a movie shot primarily in the dark since it will fade into the night. It would be best to avoid movies with mild speech since they may suffer from background noise. Aim for a space with little or no background noise.
A comedy or action movie is your best bet for a great movie night. You don’t want people sleeping while watching the movie. Finally, if there will be kids around, you should consider them while picking the movie.
5. Avoid pests and rodents around the venue
When your guests arrive for the movie night, you want to make them as comfortable as possible while watching the movie. Avoid having pests or rodents in your backyard.
Clear out the area and trim your lawns to eliminate any element that can attract pests or rodents. Stagnant water, for example, can breed insects that can bite and disturb people at your movie night.
You can go ahead to fumigate the area before your guests arrive to eliminate any pests. If you are doing it yourself or hiring someone, make sure they use safe chemicals.
Try using a citronella candle to keep away those flying pests that are so prevalent on a summer night.
6. Avoid Technical issues
Imagine everyone is gathered in your backyard, ready to start the movie night, but suddenly the movie projector is not working. This is the fastest way to ruin and possibly end a movie night earlier than it should.
Try to do everything you can to avoid technical difficulties, including getting backups for the gadgets you plan to use.
Also, you may prepare ahead and set up hours before the movie so that you can detect any technical issues before the event.
Final Thoughts
Hosting a backyard movie night is a great way to sit down and watch an excellent movie with the people you love, so you should do it right when you do.
Investing in the best movie screens, projector, and sound systems, as well as some comfortable seating and snacks, will go a long way in creating a memorable night for you and your guests.
