How to set up your own Solar Cinema?
After 15 years of extensively working on and inspiring others to start up a solar powered mobile cinema and democratise cinema by bringing it to the most remote parts of the world, we present to you our toolkit: How to set up your own Solar Cinema. On this page we bring together our passionate partners and aspirant partners to exchange knowledge and experiences and present all you need to know in order tot set up your own project!
Network
In our Solar World Cinema network we have gathered multiple like minded people around the world who set up their own Solar Cinemas. Please meet some of them here and see how they work; from Nepal to Brazil to the remote parts of the Sahara.
Technical information
What kind of solar system do you need to serve your purposes? And what audiovisual equipment do you use? There are also many vehicles to choose. You can create a van, trailer, bike and travel around showing films. How to set up your screen; see here the use of different screens. Please find information on how we and our partners work in the following video’s and pdf’s.
Financing & Budget
A solar cinema is custom made and not mass produced. So each solar cinema has its own assets, all depending on the local circumstances. There is no 'general' pricing. This all depends on local availability of equipment and technical support for the solar system. In order to receive funding or sponsoring for your solar cinema you can focus on several pillars: Sustainable energy, Cinema, Educational programs, Distribution. Find an example budget and some ideas on funding and sponsoring here.
Promotion & Communication
Promoting your project and your (film)program depends on the local setting, but a communication strategy can include:
Building social media channels.
A website / blog / agenda with upcoming screenings.
Local promotion as flyers, posters or going around with a megaphone.
Inspirational talks
Find an example of a promotional pdf, a trailer and some inspirational talks.
Education
Besides our film screenings, we and our partners create a lot of educational workshops for children and for adults. Either based on creativity and cinema or sustainability, climate and creating awareness. Please find some examples here in pdf and in video. And you can check our Vimeo and Youtube channel for (film) programme inspiration.
Our toolkit is divided into different categories. Please find information on:
Network - meet our partners and see how they work
Technical information - what solar and audiovisual equipment to use? how to set up?
Finance & Budget - how to finance your project?
Marketing & Promotion - how to promote your project?
Education - Please find here some workshop examples
This toolkit was developed with the financial support of:
Gemeente Tilburg, Een Wereld Te Winnen, Proeftuin Internationalisering, Brabantstad, Kunstloc Brabant, Grensverleggers: supporting cultural projects from Vlaanderen, Provincie Noord-Brabant, Provincie Limburg, Provincie Zeeland, Jopiefonds.
