The Tribeca Film Festival teamed up with Hudson Yards to create an unforgettable outdoor movie experience for 2020, Backyard Big Screen.
This pop-up event offered socially distant ‘pods’ with cabana-style seating, for up to 2 or 4 guests in front of a large LED screen (20 x 20 foot) with the iconic Vessel at Hudson Yards in the background.
Movies featured a short film curated by the Tribeca Film Festival followed by classics like Ghostbusters, Sleepless in Seattle, Wonder Woman, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and many more. Backyard Big Screen also included showtimes for sporting events where in-person attendance was not permitted. The innovative theater space hosted the US Open, NY Giants, Formula 1, and the NY Yankees. Preferred seating was reserved for essential workers and the ticket price included a local charity donation.
Engineering a reusable and adaptable LED screen supported by a box truss, chain hoists and steel wire ropes with rigging hardware – gave the client the ability to assemble the structure in a short amount of time with in-house or easily rented materials. A shipping container was placed behind the screen to provide ballast for stability as well as a shelter for the tech crew.
McLaren often works with experienced rigging companies, like this one, who construct a seemingly unlimited number of exhibits. Knowing the types of assemblies need and the materials often used, allows McLaren to easily engineer these structures with varying effects, sizes, and purposes to meet the demands of clients within the entertainment industry.