Star Wars evening - zany ideas. (1997/11/09) - Royal Holloway Science Fiction & Fantasy Society (IFIS)

Star Wars evening - zany ideas.

Posted by Richard M. on 1997/11/09 16:25

Hi,

I gather from Luke that there is to be a Special Edition Star Wars trilogy
evening on the 21st November. I haven't seen any chat on it yet but I guess
it's imminent. I've come up with a few ideas for how to make it more
appealing so that maybe we can get a good collection of people along.

Firstly we can do some work on presentation. Lec A has a nice big rear
screen projection TV so it would make sense to use this. I'd also be
willing to organise a reasonable surround sound setup. I've got all the kit
and it should be pretty easy to get a good effect in Lec A. I might even be
able to blag a sub-woofer to bring those explosions to life.

Next we have refreshments. Apart from being, well necessary to live they're
a great source of income. So can we borrow, beg or... erm borrow a
microwave for the evening. If so then we could get in a stock of hot dog
sausages and baps and microwave popcorn and sell 'em off (along with cans
of course) which might well bring in a tidy sum as well as giving us
something to munch on. It might also be worth nominating someone to
organise a pizza run. Again this isn't very difficult if it's arranged
ahead of time (with a fill in form maybe) and is more likely to make people
want to come and stay and more importantly, enjoy the experience.

Finally how about a quiz of sorts. Sounds a bit sad I know but hear me out.
Everyone knows a few Star Wars boo-boos - the clumsy Storm Trooper etc.
Well how about if someone finds out as many of these as they can and puts
together a "Can you spot?" sheet for each film which you fill in as you go.
You could maybe have a prize at the end although that's probably not
necessary - just hand them out and if people have seen the films so many
times that they start to get bored, they can try completing it.

Sorry if some of these ideas sound a bit bizzarre, I'm just trying to come
up with anything that's relatively easy to implement (with a bit of time)
that will turn this into a memorable event instead of a few students
crowded round a 14" TV with a bag of crisps.

Finally in my mad rush of enthusiasm I've even put together a poster. It's
not a work of art but it gives all the details and it's ready *now*. Given
that it's less than 2 weeks till the event I think that posters really need
to go up ASAP. As I don't want to post binaries to the group, I'll mail it
to Luke to peruse. If he likes it, we can blow it up to A3 and get it
slapped up.

Anyway, if anyone has any comments or suggestions of their own or thinks
that mine are crap then please let's get some discussion going. Let's just
do it quickly as this could be fun if we don't rush it at the last minute.

Richard

"A Smith & Wesson beats four aces"
---
Email: richard@
Home phone: +44 1784 431998
Mobile: +44 976 756033

Star Wars evening - zany ideas.

Posted by Dominic T. on 1997/11/10 09:25

Lec A has a nice big rear screen projection TV

Yeah?
How big?
The Arts lecture blocks used to have a massive thing for satelite lectures (but
that was an awful long time ago).

organise a reasonable surround sound setup.

Good. And worth it for THREE films.

we could get in a stock of hot dog
sausages and baps and microwave popcorn

Bloody Hell.
That sounds like a good idea.
You could even add some smarties, or other non-rustly sweets.

It might also be worth nominating someone to
organise a pizza run. Again this isn't very difficult if it's arranged
ahead of time (with a fill in form maybe)

Or you could try and time them to get delivered during one of the intervals.
Take orders and money before the first film starts, and then 45 mins before it
ends, someone pops outside with a mobile phone.

Everyone knows a few Star Wars boo-boos - the clumsy Storm Trooper etc.
Well how about if someone finds out as many of these as they can and puts
together a "Can you spot?"

Sounds a bit easy to cheat on, for those who know it's comming.
I guess you could intersperse the boo-boos with more pedestrian "What's on the
table in front of Darth Vader" questions.
I wouldn't bother, but don't let that stop you.

turn this into a memorable event instead of a few students
crowded round a 14" TV with a bag of crisps.

And to think I accused IFIS video evenings of lacking atmosphere....

Finally in my mad rush of enthusiasm I've even put together a poster.

I'll reserve judgement until I've seen it, but it's got to be better than
nothing.

do it quickly as this could be fun if we don't rush it at the last minute.

It actually sounds tempting.
I'm impressed.

How big's that screen again?
(What you really need is a portable projection thingy like big companies use on
courses, for projecting monitor pictures like an OHP.)

Dominic.

Life is complex: it has a real part and an imaginary part.
[Andrew Koenig]

Star Wars evening - zany ideas.

Posted by Luke Dalli on 1997/11/10 10:55

OK I think the idea of using a sound system is great. If someone can
bring one in let me know. Last time we tried it, the Lec A TV didn't
work. We can always try it again on the night, providing it's not in
use. As for refreshments, Drinks and crisps sound alright, but cooking
things is a bit dodgy. Where do I order/buy this stuff?

Luke

----------
From: Richard Mines[SMTP:richard@]
Sent: 09 November 1997 16:25
To: IFIS Mailing List (Chat)
Subject: Star Wars evening - zany ideas.

Hi,

I gather from Luke that there is to be a Special Edition Star Wars
trilogy
evening on the 21st November. I haven't seen any chat on it yet but I
guess
it's imminent. I've come up with a few ideas for how to make it more
appealing so that maybe we can get a good collection of people along.

Firstly we can do some work on presentation. Lec A has a nice big rear
screen projection TV so it would make sense to use this. I'd also be
willing to organise a reasonable surround sound setup. I've got all
the kit
and it should be pretty easy to get a good effect in Lec A. I might
even be
able to blag a sub-woofer to bring those explosions to life.

Next we have refreshments. Apart from being, well necessary to live
they're
a great source of income. So can we borrow, beg or... erm borrow a
microwave for the evening. If so then we could get in a stock of hot
dog
sausages and baps and microwave popcorn and sell 'em off (along with
cans
of course) which might well bring in a tidy sum as well as giving us
something to munch on. It might also be worth nominating someone to
organise a pizza run. Again this isn't very difficult if it's arranged
ahead of time (with a fill in form maybe) and is more likely to make
people
want to come and stay and more importantly, enjoy the experience.

Finally how about a quiz of sorts. Sounds a bit sad I know but hear me
out.
Everyone knows a few Star Wars boo-boos - the clumsy Storm Trooper
etc.
Well how about if someone finds out as many of these as they can and
puts
together a "Can you spot?" sheet for each film which you fill in as
you go.
You could maybe have a prize at the end although that's probably not
necessary - just hand them out and if people have seen the films so
many
times that they start to get bored, they can try completing it.

Sorry if some of these ideas sound a bit bizzarre, I'm just trying to
come
up with anything that's relatively easy to implement (with a bit of
time)
that will turn this into a memorable event instead of a few students
crowded round a 14" TV with a bag of crisps.

Finally in my mad rush of enthusiasm I've even put together a poster.
It's
not a work of art but it gives all the details and it's ready *now*.
Given
that it's less than 2 weeks till the event I think that posters really
need
to go up ASAP. As I don't want to post binaries to the group, I'll
mail it
to Luke to peruse. If he likes it, we can blow it up to A3 and get it
slapped up.

Anyway, if anyone has any comments or suggestions of their own or
thinks
that mine are crap then please let's get some discussion going. Let's
just
do it quickly as this could be fun if we don't rush it at the last
minute.

Richard

"A Smith & Wesson beats four aces"
---
Email: richard@
Home phone: +44 1784 431998
Mobile: +44 976 756033

Star Wars evening - zany ideas.

Posted by Chris Turner on 1997/11/10 11:43

Previously, Dalli L wrote....

OK I think the idea of using a sound system is great. If someone can
bring one in let me know. Last time we tried it, the Lec A TV didn't
work. We can always try it again on the night, providing it's not in
use. As for refreshments, Drinks and crisps sound alright, but cooking
things is a bit dodgy. Where do I order/buy this stuff?

We can have a look at the TV/video tonight at Gamesoc to see if it works
etc...As for the food/drink er pass. Somerfield? We've got a couple of
weeks to investigate.

Chris

chris@ #include <stddisclaimer.h> http://www.instituteofcorrection.org.uk/

"So this is really me? A no-style gimbo with teeth druids could use as a
place of worship" - Duaine Dibley (Red Dwarf - "Back to Reality")

Star Wars evening - zany ideas.

Posted by Simon Richardson on 1997/11/10 12:45

In article <7163823F2EDACF1188610000C0F06ACF4E948D@>, Dalli L <L.Dalli@> wrote:

OK I think the idea of using a sound system is great. If someone can
bring one in let me know.

We can. We will need to bring in a video recorder (for stereo), an
amplifier, and five speakers (six if Richard can blag a subwoofer.)

Last time we tried it, the Lec A TV didn't
work.

*Last time* was for "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and it worked fine,
thanks.

We can always try it again on the night, providing it's not in
use. As for refreshments, Drinks and crisps sound alright, but cooking
things is a bit dodgy. Where do I order/buy this stuff?

Sainsburys will sell you Coke cans in boxes, and baps and sausages. I would
be happy to bring them along, as Richard lives on Coke anyway and I
certainly can live on hot-dogs. Microwave popcorn is a fun addition to
roleplaying campaigns. I would prefer to leave the microwave to someone
else, though - our microwave is a beast, huge, and older than some of you.
It probably leaks. Hell, it probably shorts the National Grid.

The other point that Richard makes is vital: you *must* advertise it.
Posters up now - and again when the time is nearer. Write something on all
the blackboards. Put something in the Orbital. But *tell* people.

Simon

---
"This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind" -Ecclesiastes 4:16

simon@ | Not affiliated to any religion
simon@ | Not affiliated to any politics
H (+44/0)1784 431998 | Not affiliated to any ideology
W (+44/0)1784 434568 (GMT/BST) | What does that make me?

"I have been asked to point out, as if you couldn't guess, that my rantings
are not the opinions of One Chip Solutions. So now you know, don't you..?"

Star Wars evening - zany ideas.

Posted by Richard M. on 1997/11/10 23:16

Well I was actually offering to bring a sound system along, not merely
suggesting it as a good idea. As for the TV, I suspect (being cynical) that
in fact that it does work and that the people who looked at just didn't
have a clue as to how to work it. This is further backed up by the fact
that I had a look at it tonight and managed to get Terminator 2 running on
it with no problems. My guess is that given its size it isn't going to get
moved about much so we should pretty much be able to rely on it being
there. We could always contact the AV people to book it just in case. Being
a projection TV it's not very bright but that just means you need the
lights out - all adds to the cinema feel...

As for cooking things, what's the problem. We just need a small microwave.
Apart from that a catering pack of frankfurters, baps, some packs of
microwave popcorn and we're away. If you think that weird you obviously
haven't been in a roleplaying marathon. At the last one we did in Lec A we
had about 4 tables worth of food plus a microwave, toaster, sandwich
toaster and a kettle. And yes, security did come in (in the middle of the
night) and didn't bat an eyelid. The thing is that 3 films is a lot and
people are bound to get hungry. Charge 60p for a hot-dog and people will be
lapping them up. given that we can't charge for entry this would seem like
a great way to please hungry wartchers and make a bit of money.

Richard

----------

From: Dalli L <L.Dalli@>
To: IFIS Mailing List (Chat) <ifis-chat@>; 'Richard Mines'

<richard@>

Subject: RE: Star Wars evening - zany ideas.
Date: 10 November 1997 10:55

OK I think the idea of using a sound system is great. If someone can
bring one in let me know. Last time we tried it, the Lec A TV didn't
work. We can always try it again on the night, providing it's not in
use. As for refreshments, Drinks and crisps sound alright, but cooking
things is a bit dodgy. Where do I order/buy this stuff?

Luke

----------
From: Richard Mines[SMTP:richard@]
Sent: 09 November 1997 16:25
To: IFIS Mailing List (Chat)
Subject: Star Wars evening - zany ideas.

Hi,

I gather from Luke that there is to be a Special Edition Star Wars
trilogy
evening on the 21st November. I haven't seen any chat on it yet but I
guess
it's imminent. I've come up with a few ideas for how to make it more
appealing so that maybe we can get a good collection of people along.

Firstly we can do some work on presentation. Lec A has a nice big rear
screen projection TV so it would make sense to use this. I'd also be
willing to organise a reasonable surround sound setup. I've got all
the kit
and it should be pretty easy to get a good effect in Lec A. I might
even be
able to blag a sub-woofer to bring those explosions to life.

Next we have refreshments. Apart from being, well necessary to live
they're
a great source of income. So can we borrow, beg or... erm borrow a
microwave for the evening. If so then we could get in a stock of hot
dog
sausages and baps and microwave popcorn and sell 'em off (along with
cans
of course) which might well bring in a tidy sum as well as giving us
something to munch on. It might also be worth nominating someone to
organise a pizza run. Again this isn't very difficult if it's arranged
ahead of time (with a fill in form maybe) and is more likely to make
people
want to come and stay and more importantly, enjoy the experience.

Finally how about a quiz of sorts. Sounds a bit sad I know but hear me
out.
Everyone knows a few Star Wars boo-boos - the clumsy Storm Trooper
etc.
Well how about if someone finds out as many of these as they can and
puts
together a "Can you spot?" sheet for each film which you fill in as
you go.
You could maybe have a prize at the end although that's probably not
necessary - just hand them out and if people have seen the films so
many
times that they start to get bored, they can try completing it.

Sorry if some of these ideas sound a bit bizzarre, I'm just trying to
come
up with anything that's relatively easy to implement (with a bit of
time)
that will turn this into a memorable event instead of a few students
crowded round a 14" TV with a bag of crisps.

Finally in my mad rush of enthusiasm I've even put together a poster.
It's
not a work of art but it gives all the details and it's ready *now*.
Given
that it's less than 2 weeks till the event I think that posters really
need
to go up ASAP. As I don't want to post binaries to the group, I'll
mail it
to Luke to peruse. If he likes it, we can blow it up to A3 and get it
slapped up.

Anyway, if anyone has any comments or suggestions of their own or
thinks
that mine are crap then please let's get some discussion going. Let's
just
do it quickly as this could be fun if we don't rush it at the last
minute.

Richard

"A Smith & Wesson beats four aces"
---
Email: richard@
Home phone: +44 1784 431998
Mobile: +44 976 756033