Movies at the Raglan Old School Arts Centre are destined to be a cinematic experience to match the offerings at the larger complexes.
Raglan Community Arts Council (RCAC) chair Rodger Gallagher says a move upstairs to the Creative Space building will draw the curtains on a screen almost double the size of the current one and funding is being sought for a laser projector.
“The projector technology has all changed now, so we’d want to get a laser projector and that’ll cost about $10,000. We have a long way to go, but we are kickstarting it off with a murder mystery fundraiser on April 12.”
Tiered seating – already in use for music events – provides better visibility and comfort for movie-goers, and an amplifier and speakers have already been donated to the project.
The RCAC is looking to various funding providers, as well as running fundraisers like the murder mystery event.
“We’ve already got some money from WEL Energy Trust; we’ll do more fundraisers and apply for grants,” he says.
A cost-effective solution has been found for the larger screen, which will be painted onto the wall by volunteers. The specially formulated projector paint provides a high-quality projection surface at a fraction of the cost of a traditional projector screen.
Movies in Raglan started life in the building now occupied by the Raglan Gym in January 2006 with the Stairway to Heaven Film Festival organised by Katy Armstrong.
Regular monthly screenings of new releases at the Old School began in 2010 and its popularity saw the movies expand to Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon sessions.
When he first started running the movies, the films were supplied on special CDs, and were limited to art house and foreign language movies.
In 2015, digital cinema equipment was purchased, which gave Rodger access to a wider range, including the latest blockbusters and Oscar-winning movies.
Rodger has been the mainstay behind the movies and is in regular contact with the various film distributors. He has a pretty good feel for what works in Raglan and he regularly gets in movies recommended by locals.
“Special interest movies often do well in Raglan. We screened The Road to Patagonia, which was so popular we had to put on extra screenings. We’ve got one coming up in April called Woman in the Wind, and I think that’s going to be very popular,” he says.
Screenings are run by a small team of volunteers, who act as projectionists, cashiers, café and bar staff, and bakers of the yummy cakes and slices, and Rodger says he would welcome more support. “Before COVID, we seemed to have enough people. But now, if I put movies on, then sometimes I’ve actually got to be prepared to run every movie that weekend.”
To find out more about going to or volunteering at the movies visit raglanartscentre.co.nz
Janine Jackson
Ronald Frump – The Musical Murder Mystery fundraiser
Saturday 12 April, 6-7.30pm | Raglan Old School Arts Centre
Whare o Tuaiwa Rickard – Eva’s Room
Presales $20 | Door sales $25 | Limited spaces so get in quick
Price includes finger food and the bar will be open.
Pay online or visit the office 10-2pm Mon-Fri.
Join us for a fun musical murder mystery evening as we investigate who killed Ronald Frump, and help fundraise for the Old School cinema project. The billionaire Ronald Frump is hosting an all-star party in his own personal jet.
All of entertainment’s biggest stars will be there. What could go wrong? The story that unfolds is peppered with music and the combination of the script, music and other information help reveal who killed Ronald Frump. No need to dress up or to act out the script (unless you want to) – but bring your reading glasses just in case. If you’d rather watch than participate, that’s ok too – pay attention and if you work out whodunnit, you might win a prize.
