On 1^st July in London’s East End, fans of film in general (And Twilight in particular) are in for something of a treat – The Starlite Urban Drive-In.  Hosted at Brick Lane’s Old Truman Brewery over three nights, Starlite Urban Drive-In (in association with Volvo) will offer its audience the opportunity to forgo the confines of the multiplex walls and escape into the heart of creative London to enjoy their favourite movies in the open air.  Silent Cinema’s Damian Barr and event producer Iram Quarishi’s combined talents promise an unforgettable and exclusive night at London’s most unusual cinema.

Twenty cars will be available each night in order that lucky moviegoers may curl up in comfort, turn on the radio and let the soundtrack unfurl around them.  The technology, developed by Barr as an extension of his Silent Cinema innovation, allows for these screenings to take place in even the most densely populated areas.  It’s eco-friendly too.  And with plans in place to take the Starlite Urban Drive-In nationwide, it won’t be long before Saturday nights up and down the country have been transformed!

Volvo’s participation seemed a natural progression after their starring role beneath Rob Pattinson’s pert (and bloodless) behind in the Twilight films.  Indeed the Friday night film to open the Drive-In weekend will be the original Twilight.  What better way to celebrate your love for the lovely Edward than by observing his dreamy visage from the very car he used to speed Bella from harm?

For those of a less vampy disposition the Saturday night movie will be Drive-In classic, and chick favourite, Grease.  With the final film still to be confirmed there is sure to be something to suit every palate.  And speaking of taste – who doesn’t love the taste of popcorn?  You’ll be happy to hear that, completing the attention to vintage detail, your interval snacks will be sped to you by a team of roller skating waitresses!

Wow.

With tickets not on sale until June 1^st there’s still plenty of time to decide which film to choose.  Volvo have even promised to keep their XC60 convertibles on standby in the event of the English weather granting us a proper summer.  Be warned though, these are designed as boutique events and tickets are likely to sell out fast.  For the chance to live my teenage dream – a date and a movie under the stars – I’ll certainly be first in the queue!

Over the past few weeks, and until the end of the year, Pinewood Studios have set up a ‘drive-in series’ of which our roving reporter Ben went to The Shining a couple of weeks ago (his review here). This weekend, Pinewood Studios decided that just having the biggest screen in Europe wasn’t enough, but that they wanted to break the world record for the largest movie projection EVER! Well, the good news is that this weekend on Saturday, 7th November, they did just that screening Mission: Impossible.

“The film was projected at 41.8 metres wide by 17.8 metres high onto Europe’s largest outdoor screen.”

“This feat forms part of Pinewood’s current Drive-In series for the public, having temporarily converted our vast outdoor water filming facility to accommodate the screenings. The screen ““ measuring 73 metres wide with a total surface area of 1337.73 square metres ““ allows the latest computer technology to key in scenes during the edit behind the live action taking place in the water. Originally built in 1959 for the war film Sink the Bismarck!, the water tank has been used to shoot scenes for Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and The Boat That Rocked plus most recently for upcoming features Robin Hood, Gullivers Travels and Clash of the Titans.”

You can find out more about the record on the Pinewood Studios website here.

You’re not too late to catch Pinewood’s drive-in series, in fact you can view what films are coming up and book tickets here. I’m hoping to get along to Gladiator and Full Metal Jacket, both in my list of top 10 films!

Fortunately for those of us in the UK who aren’t willing to go to such drastic lengths, Pinewood Studios have come to our rescue. Between now and the end of the year the renowned film studio has set aside an area of their lot to screen a series of drive-in movies. HeyUGuys were fortunate enough to be invited along to their screening of The Shining, and we’re pleased to say that it didn’t disappoint.

As we arrived at the studio we joined a queue of traffic backed up along a country lane in Buckinghamshire. As we edged closer to our destination we rounded a corner, and were confronted by the entrance to the studio: a large, sweeping canopy, with a multi-coloured light show illuminating the words “˜Pinewood Studio’.

After we were let in, we re-joined the queue of traffic, heading towards the Paddock Lot, where we would be watching the film. As we drove through the studio we passed monumentally large stages, and old buildings festooned with plaques commemorating filmmakers who have worked at the studio.

Eventually we pulled into the area in which the film would be shown. On our left was Pinewood’s Underwater Stage, on our right, a vast screen, just behind which was the (currently empty) exterior water tank. Driving past the tank we got a clear view of the screen, and realised just how monumental it was. At 240ft wide, and 60ft high this dwarfs the IMAX at Waterloo.

We eventually parked the car about 100 feet from the screen, ordered some snacks, re-tuned the radio and waited.

And waited.

During this wait, we were treated to disco classics on the radio, and had enough time to realise that the car in front was slightly blocking the bottom of the screen. This wasn’t a problem for long, however, as we simply moved our car a couple of feet backwards, and the screen was in perfect view.

As the film began to roll we made ourselves comfortable and began to get into the film. Unfortunately there was a repeated rhythmic hissing sound on the radio; music broadcast on another frequency was interfering with the film’s soundtrack. This was solved easily enough though, by simply re-tuning the radio. A similar quick fix, involving a bag and the car’s parcel shelf was used to block out a light shining through the rear window. These little annoyances out of the way, we finally gave the film our full attention.

It would be entirely fair to say that The Shining loses something when shown as a drive-in movie. Any sense of suspense is shattered by the sound of engines being turned on periodically to clear windscreens and recharge batteries, as well as the sight of people wandering around the car park, trying to find the toilet.

The soundtrack also fails to stand up when played through the tinny little speakers of the Fiat 500 we were in, but these niggles are minor compared to everything we got from the experience.

The privacy of the car made the experience a lot less formal than being in the cinema, and consequently allowed us to literally put our feet up and relax. At the same time, the fact that we weren’t watching a perfect presentation of the film gave us license to discuss the film as we watched, all without fear of disturbing anyone around us.

There was also something much less tangible added to the film by the novelty of where we were. Unlike American studios, with their backlot tours, Pinewood rarely opens it’d gates to the public, so watching a film that was shot there in such an unusual fashion really was a rare and incredible experience.

The studio is running screenings until Saturday 6th December. A full list of films showing is available at the Pinewood Studios website.

Pinewood have transformed its unique outdoor water filming facility into the world’s largest cinema screen, sized 73.1M wide x 18.3M in height. They’ll be showing a series of movies, all of which you can check out here.

Our competition gives one lucky person the chance to win a ticket to the classic movie, The Shining on opening night at 20:00 on 31st October. The ticket will allow entry of one car with a maximum of 4 people.

All you have to do is answer this question:

Who wrote the original novel on which The Shining is based?

Send your answer to Pinewood@heyuguys.co.uk and make sure to include your postal address so that we can get the tickets to you should you be the lucky winner.

The Small Print:

• This competition is only open to UK residents and only one entry per person will be counted
• The competition will close Saturday 24th October at 23.59 GMT
• The  winner will be picked at random from entries received

Good luck everyone!!

Please view our full terms and conditions here.

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