backyard movie screen
You’ve hosted cookouts and played games with the family outside, but an outdoor activity you may not have tried yet is watching one of your favorite movies in your backyard. Those who live near a drive-in theater can always catch a showing there, but for anyone who doesn’t, crafting a DIY outdoor movie screen is the next best thing. On top of being a budget-friendly experience, creating your own outdoor setup is also an intimate and memorable activity for the whole family.
To get started with your DIY theater project, you’ll first want to determine how much time and energy you want to devote. For a one-time movie night, you may want to opt for a simple structure that uses materials you likely already have. If you plan to host multiple movie nights over the summer, it may be worth trying out something more elaborate that requires more planning and elbow grease to execute. Whichever route you choose, you’ll be building something that’s sure to be a highlight of the season. The last step is of course to decide what movie to watch, but luckily it's hard to go wrong with a summer blockbuster, Hollywood classic, or anything in between.
Homeowners Victoria and Marcus Ford set up an outdoor movie theater behind their garage. A retractable Sunbrella awning provides protection from the elements.
The 10 Best Outdoor Movie Screens Of 2022
For the easiest movie screen assembly, a white sheet is your best bet. The Stuffed Suitcase shares several tips to perfecting this method and getting good picture quality, such as using a black sheet behind the white one to avoid letting extra light through.
Using PVC pipes and a white shade, you can build a screen stand that can be saved and reassembled for future use. Charlotte Smith of At Charlotte's House provides instructions on how to cut and piece together the PVC pipes, which can also be a fun activity for kids to participate in before the film festivities begin.
Those who want a serious backyard upgrade can spring for a permanent DIY fixture like this one from The Horticult. It's built with several wooden posts that will hold your screen in place, while adding a polished aesthetic to any garden.
How To Build An Outdoor Theater At Home
A sleek and affordable option is to build a screen stand using half inch galvanized pipe. Effortless Style offers instructions on the necessary materials that you can pick up at your local hardware store, as well as how to put them together.
If you're limited on time and want to get movie night rolling as soon as possible, this idea from Toolbox Divas can be set up in under an hour. It involves mounting a shower curtain with tape to a tall surface such as a fence or side of a house.
This DIY movie screen doubles as an art project, because it involves painting a canvas drop cloth white in order to reflect a high quality picture. The Aspiring Home provides a tutorial and a list of supplies needed, such as a sewing machine and paint brushes.This post contains affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission from purchases on the products we recommend below. Thanks for helping us grow!
This Cheap Backyard Movie Theater Is Summer's Ultimate Diy
Movie night under the stars — in our own garden — is one of our favorite luxuries. The tips of our rosemary hedge or an aloe on the succulent table might poke shadows along the bottom of the screen…but that only adds to the cozy theater feel.
The modern frame that supports and encloses our pull-down screen was designed and built by Ryan back in 2011, a little while before we started blogging. (Our reasoning: an outdoor living room wouldn’t really be a living room without a TV.) He built it under our tangerine and orange trees, and since then, we’ve watched concerts, feature films, documentaries and old episodes of Beat-Club featuring Chuck Berry in our yard after dark.
We also used the outdoor theater while hosting a Super Bowl party, which became controversial in the comments section of Apartment Therapy; we’re also sensitive to the noise issue and we swear we haven’t had any complaints from neighbors, thanks to generous-enough margins around our properties. Keeping the volume at a reasonable level and inviting our neighbors to the parties in question has also helped. Also, wireless headphones are essential! We use them whenever we watch movies.
Best Outdoor Movie Night Ideas
To broadcast sound outside we connect RCA cables from our receiver‘s Zone 2 output to another amplifier that we mounted under an eave. From the amplifier we connected quality weatherproof outdoor speakers. We own four wireless headphones but only need to connect one of their bases to the receiver’s headphone jack. RF headphones work great because there is no visual/audio delay in the sound broadcast and there is no limit to how many people can listen in.
If you do not want to hard-wire your sound, you can use a low-latency Bluetooth transmitter to broadcast sound from your laptop to your low-latency Bluetooth headphones or outdoor speaker system (using a low-latency receiver). This will work great if you are projecting from an HDMI output on your laptop. Make sure to check that your Bluetooth transmitter can accept multiple connections if you want to enjoy movie night with friends without disturbing the neighbors.
As far as logistics go, we bring our programs to the big screen using an HD projector that we switch between indoors and outdoors. To simplify moving the projector outside, we hard-wired a long 75FT HDMI cable from our indoor receiver’s second HDMI output to the projector’s location for outdoor projecting. We also have a second power cable pre-wired in that location, too, so setting up the projector outdoors takes less than five minutes.
Diy Outdoor Movie Screen Ideas For A Magical Backyard
If you don’t want to hard-wire your outdoor connections, these new portable projectors seem to be a great solution for quickly setting up your outdoor theater from a laptop near the projector.
We love Optoma’s line of projectors for their brightness and overall value. We recently upgraded to the Optoma HD27HDR for an even brighter picture than the Optoma HD180 shown here.
, also bow-tie vine) needed more space to spread. Today, the curtain of leaves and flowers and the citrus trees arching overhead create a certain effect — that you’re watching a great story unfold somewhere just as wild. A garden theater.
Outdoor Cinema Equipment Aufblasbarer Projektor Movie Screen Faltbarer Outdoor Movie Screen Aufblasbar
Want to make your own? Here’s the DIY, complete with sketches we made on the amazing 3-D program SketchUp. Since we first built our theater five years ago without the trellis top, these instructions are slightly different from—and better than—how we built our own.
If you decide to take on this project, let us know if you have any questions in the comments! And hey, maybe invite us over for a screening…
The view from behind the screen. We hide our garden’s irrigation system behind the lower frame. See photos at the end of this post.
Projector Screen With Stand, 100 Inch Outdoor Movie Screen With Tripods, 16:9 4k Hd For Backyard Home Theater Outside Movie Night Camping W Carry Bag (100 Inch)
We used all pressure treated lumber and painted the entire assembly afterward to assure longevity. Redwood and cedar are also good choices because they are naturally rot resistant.
It’s best to purchase your screen before getting started as you’ll need to know the spacing for the hooks. We recommend this screen.Have you ever dreamed of movie nights under the stars?To create your own DIY outdoor movie screen, you will need either a sheet or a screen, something to mount it on (wood posts or tripod stand), portable projector (Amazon/eBay for roughly $70-$120), outdoor speakers, and a USB with the movie on it or connect your laptop.
For comfort, select outdoor rugs, blankets, toss pillow, cushions, poufs, and outdoor chairs. Don’t forget the snacks, such as popcorn, candy, and refreshments. You can place them on a tray or create a refreshment stand for your evening soiree.For ambiance, string lights, lanterns, or LED candles.
How To Build An Outdoor Movie Screen For Your Backyard Hangout
If you are setting up your backyard movie screen on a deck, a firepit will provide both warmth and ambiance. TIP: A projector that has been highly rated and is very affordable is the VANKYO Leisure 3 Mini Projector, 3600L Portable Movie Projector. Transform your backyard with our fabulous outdoor movie screen ideas below for the ultimate movie night. Don’t forget to let us know which one of these ideas most inspired you and why in the Comments!
1. This dreamy boho-inspired decor scheme has everything needed for backyard movie night. Use comfortable throws and rugs for seating areas, along with poufs and cushions. This would also be perfect for an outdoor birthday party celebration with the balloons surrounding the movie screen. Don’t forget the popcorn and candy! (via @levelevents)
2. This is what deck dreams are made of! This amazing deck was transformed into an outdoor movie night experience. String lights add to the overall evening time ambiance. (via @sarahknuth)
Diy Backyard Movie Theater
3. An outdoor movie is a fabulous experience for the whole family to enjoy. This cozy backyard features a layering of outdoor rugs, pillow, poufs, and even a teepee. Twinkle lights sourced from Target are added for ambiance. The 72-inch portable projector screen and adjustable tripod stand were found on Amazon. (via @lifebyleanna)
4. Enjoying an outdoor cinema in the garden is a great way to spend an evening! Rugs and throw pillows provide
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