How large a screen do I need?
We have extensive experience setting up blow up movie screens for groups, and have found our rule of thumb pretty accurate: the 9' screen for audience up to 50, the 12' screen for audiences up to 250, and the 16' screen for 250+. If you have a unique venue or aren't sure what size will work best, call us! We have setup at many venues around the San Francisco Bay Area, so can probably tell you from experience what worked best.

Can I visit one of your offices to see the gear or ask questions?
Certainly! We are always happy to show customers our outdoor movie packages, as well as other party-related audio visual rental gear such as karaoke machines and iPod-based sound systems. Drop on by and say hello – we do ask that you call ahead, just to make sure we have a technician available in the office to meet with you (sometimes they can all be out setting up an event).

How early can I start the movie?
Between May and September, you should plan to start your movie no earlier than 8:30pm. Any earlier and your projected image may get washed out by too much ambient light. If your location is heavily treed or in a valley, it could be a little earlier, and if fully exposed to the sky, it might be closer to 9pm before you can start. Give us a call, and we can help you pinpoint a good start time.

Who provides the movie?
You do! With one of our outdoor movie packages, though, we supply everything else.

Do I need to obtain rights to watch the movie?
If you are watching with a small group of family and friends, much as you would watch in your living room, then you don't need to obtain rights. However, if it's for a bigger crowd you need what is called “public performance rights”. This applies regardless of whether or not you are charging admission. If a movie is available on DVD, you most likely can obtain a limited public performance right to show the movie for your event. The exception is for Disney movies: Disney only allows a certain selection of its movies to be publicly shown at any given time, and may futher limit use depending on the size of your audience. Lastly, Disney does not allow you to use its movies to fundraise, only to sell tickets to help defray the cost of the public performance right.

Otherwise, getting a public performance right to show your movie is a pretty easy process, and the cost is generally not prohibitive. For more information, you can call the two main rights management companies,

• Swank Motion Pictures and

• Criterion Pictures

• For K-12 schools and public libraries, contact Movie Licensing USA.
  
  

What is your rental period?
Avista makes it easy and flexible to pickup and return your outdoor rental. If your movie night is Friday, Saturday or Sunday night, you can pick up your package Friday afternoon, and return it Monday morning, and it counts as a one-day rental. Exact return times will be reviewed with you when you place your order. Please note that we are closed Saturday and Sunday for pickups, but special arrangements can often be made.

If your movie night is a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night, then you can pick up your package after 1pm the day of your movie, and return it by noon the following day, and this counts as a one-day rental.

Do I have to have access to electricity where I want to show my movie?
Electricity is nice, but not necessary! If your movie night is in an electrically challenged venue, then Avista rents portable, quiet generators for $99.95/day or weekend.

What if it rains?
Although quite rare, all of us in the Bay Area know that rain can occur during the summer. If your movie night does get rained out, we will work with you to reschedule your movie night, and in many cases can do so at no additional charge.

How easy is it to setup?
The blow up movie screens themselves are very easy! The concept is much like a tent with straps secured to sandbags or tent stakes from both the bottom of the blowup screen and the top to stand the screen upright. You will need to run extension cords from the nearest power outlets to the blowup screen, projector and speakers. Getting the projector to project a square image on the screen takes a little trial and error to make it look perfect. Generally the entire process takes about 30 minutes once you decide on the right spot and run extension cords.

Can I setup the screen on any surface?
The blow up movie screens can be placed on a hard surface like a road, driveway or patio or a soft surface like a backyard lawn, park or field. We provide either stakes or sandbags depending on your surface requirements. Avista also provides a tarp to protect the screen from the underlying surface to keep the white surface clean and prevent damage.

How early should I book my outdoor movie package rental?
During the peak summer months between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we recommend confirming your rental at least 2-3 weeks before your movie night, to ensure availability.

How do I reserve & pay for my outdoor movie package?
When you are ready to book your outdoor screen or package, call us at 888-462- 8478. We will take all your information and a 50% deposit to hold the reservation. We will then take payment for the remaining 50% on the day of your pickup, or the day of your delivery if you've selected the full service option.

What forms of payment do you take?
We take Visa, Mastercard and American Express credit cards.

What is your cancellation policy?
Orders cancelled before 12pm one business day prior to Job Start Date (for reasons other than weather or acts of God) may be subject to a cancellation charge up to $25. Cancellation after 12pm the day prior to Job Start Date, is subject up to 100% charge of the first day rental.

What are your office hours?
Please refer to our Locations page.

How much room do I need in my car to pickup all the gear?
For our small outdoor movie package, all the components can easily fit in the backseat of a 4-door sedan, with room to spare. For our medium outdoor movie package, everything can fit in the backseat, plus part of your trunk space (the speakers are larger for this package). Don't worry, we'll even help you load your car up.

What exactly is included in your full service delivery setup option?
An Avista technician will deliver your package approximately 1 hour before show time, then setup everything (for the small and medium package – for the large outdoor rental package, setup is typically 2.5 hours before show time). At the designated time, the technician will start the movie, and stay either onsite or nearby. After the movie, the technician will break everything down and remove it. It's that easy! If you select the popcorn machine rental option, your Avista technician will also pop popcorn for your guest once the setup of gear is complete.

Please note that if you require setup earlier than the above times, an additional delivery charge will be incurred. This is because the technician will have to make a separate visit to your venue to do the setup, then return for the show time.

Also, please note that the full service option price assumes a 4 hour window for setup, movie and breakdown, and changes to this timing will incur an additional charge. Typically, this is because the movie is over two hours long, or a long intermission is taken.

Where are your office locations?
3 conveniently located offices in San Francisco, Walnut Creek and San Jose. See our Locations page for more information.

What is your delivery area?
Please see our Delivery page for more information. Our delivery prices cover an approximately 30 minute drive radius from our 3 offices, and delivery to areas outside that radius require an additional charge. Call us for specific pricing to your venue if your not sure.

Can I pickup from one location and return to another?
Yes you can, just let us know in advance.

How easy is it to setup myself?
Incredibly easy! It will take less than 30 minutes to setup the small outdoor movie package, and a little more time for the medium outdoor movie package. First of all, everything is very intuitive and simple, but this is how we make it even easier:
1) When you pickup your package, we will walk through everything you need to know, and won't let you leave until your comfortable with the setup.
2) Each package includes a step-by-step setup guide with pictures, in case you need a refresher during setup. 3) Our cables and gear are clearly labeled to further guide you.
4) A video is available to show you how to setup the screen.
5) Avista technical support is available by phone 24/7, and we can walk you through any questions you have during setup.

What if I have problems during setup?
Call us! We answer our tech support phone number 24/7.

How do I know everything is going to work?
All of your gear is subjected to our Avista two-point quality control process. First, when gear comes back from an outdoor movie night, it is immediately tested and given the OK for re-rental. Then, the day of your pickup or delivery, the same gear is pulled out and tested again. We understand how important your movie night is, so we do everything to ensure it runs smoothly!