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Josh Balster |
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7/21/06 |
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Final Paper |
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Bringing the Drive-In Theater back from the Dead. |
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����������� Williamsburg has a bunch of really nice tour attractions already, like Busch Gardens, Water Country, The Great Wolf Lodge, and Colonial Williamsburg. After spending all day at one of these places, wouldn't you like to go somewhere to sit back, relax, and give your feet a rest? Well, one option would be to go to a movie. The down side of the movies is that when you go it is usually crowded and you don't really get to spend time with your family or friends.� Instead of all that, wouldn't a Drive-In theater be better? �You get to stay in your car with your family and watch a great film. I believe Williamsburg would benefit from a Drive-In because it would be a great place to go after spending all day at one of the parks. |
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Drive-In theaters where big in the 1950s and 1960s, but people started losing interest in them, which resulted in them shutting down, one by one. �My theory is if one were to open in a big tourist spot like Williamsburg, people would take it as something unique and different. The older crowd remembers Drive-Ins and therefore would like their children to experience it. |
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I am twenty-two years old, and I faintly remember going to a drive-in. What I do remember was that it was a whole different experience than going to the regular movie theaters. Most people my age know what the Drive-In is but, they have never been to one, so this would be a whole new experience for them. I have a great friend named Ian Rilliet, and he loves movies almost as much as I do. �I sat down with him and asked him what he thought of the whole idea. He said that he's always been upset because he missed out on Drive-In theaters, and that is the one thing he would love to see built in Williamsburg. He knows that he would be a regular at the theater if one opened. He said that it would not only be a great place for families to go, but a great place for college students his age and high school kids to go hang out and just get away. There are no good places to go with friends where you can just forget about school for an hour or two so; Ian gave me two thumbs up on the idea. |
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There three main reasons the Drive-In Theaters went out of business. One reason why, is that the Drive-Ins take up so much land.� They take land away from other businesses who want it to build malls that would gross more money. Second, the regular movie theaters that have about ten shows or more can seat more people there, which can allow them to make more money. Finally, Drive-Ins can only show movies at night because of the projection system, which limits the time to show movies.� However, I have a solution to these problems. On http://home.rochester.rr.com, Travis H. Beaver said that, because big indoor complex are pulling people away from Drive-Ins, the owners of the Drive-Ins are adding screens. Some ways of doing this, is to add a screen on the flip side of the existing screen, so one can show more then one movie at a time. He also said that some Drive-Ins are even adding tree or four screens. The down side to this is that one would need a lot of land. I think a great place for these is right out side of Williamsburg is the city Toano, there is plenty of new construction and lots of land that would be perfect for the Theater. |
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� One idea is that because the land is so open, one could make it so festivals and Colonial reenactment groups can rent it out during the day. Now you might think, Well that is a good idea, but what about the speakers that are for the cars?� Won't they get in the way? Well, this is where the twenty-first century meets the past.� The Drive-In would make a broadcast on a certain radio station, so when you are in your car you would just turn to that station and there you have it, problem solved. |
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����������� I think the main cost for constructing the theater would be the cost of the land, but it would pay for itself after a short while. There is no reason that the Drive-In wouldn't do great in Williamsburg. I thought of a good idea that would draw more people into the theater. Twice a week, the theaters should show classic movies, like the great Academy Award winners. Then on Thursday nights they would have Horror Night, where they would show the classic Universal horror movies like Frankenstein, Dracula, or the Wolf Man. With just a little thought this theater would be booming with tourists and locals. Overall I think the Drive-In Theater would bring Williamsburg another great piece of the past, but also great family fun. So, lets bring life back into Williamsburg's night-life, by bringing the Drive-In Theater back from the dead. |
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Works Cited |
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Beaver, Travis. "Home Page." Trav Beav's Drive-In Theater Site. 21 May 2006. 18 July 2006. <http://home.rochester.rr.com/travbeav/drive-ins/> |
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