CHICAGO – While some members of the entertainment lighting industry have busied themselves with drive-in shows during the COVID-19 lockdown, Jordan Chance has opted to take a slightly different course. The owner of Luxe Productions, a popular live event company, Chance is following what can best be described as a “drive-to” approach to reaching new customers.
With his company’s box trucks idle because of the prohibition on the indoor events that were once the mainstay of his business, Chance converted three of these vehicles into movie screens on wheels. The trucks are rented out to clients who want hold safe, socially-distant compliant events that involve film showings.
The idea for these “Movie Truck Nights,” started when Chance’s partner brought a truck home to use as a screen for a community movie showing for his family and some neighbors to enjoy as they sheltered in place.
“There was such a positive response from the neighbors that we thought we might have something here,” recalled Chance. “So, we started to post about it on social media -- and the rest is history.”
To add ambience to their Movie Truck Nights and make them more memorable, Chance and his team, pack a case on nine CHAUVET DJ Freedom Par Hex 4 fixtures every time they head out to do a show. The bright RGBAW+UV units are used to uplight trees, buildings and scenic elements around the temporary movie venues.
“We’ve made the Freedom Pars part of our Movie Truck Night package, because they’re fast and easy to setup, but pack the punch we need to make an impact,” said Chance. “Creating a festive mood on the movie truck grounds is an essential part of the experience we’re offering. When we do things like match the color from the Freedom Par with the colors associated with the movie’s theme, it makes the night feel very festive.”
The movies shown at the mobile events are selected and supplied by the client; most are family-oriented films like Trolls 2 (the most popular), Jurassic World, Dark Night, and Pets 2. Luxe Productions charges clients a flat fee for the rental of the truck and equipment. Many of the clients are neighborhood associations that divide the payment of the fee among members.
As for the box trucks themselves, being white and measuring 16 by 9 feet, they make “perfect outdoor movie screens,” according to Chance. “The process is pretty smooth,” he said. “We just shoot one of our projectors against the side and set up speakers for audio. At a time when our industry has been struggling, it’s been nice to be able to stay busy and make people happy. Seeing people smile and hearing them say they haven’t had this much fun in a while reminds us why we got into this business in the first place.”
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