hello- trying to recincarnate Black Belt theater

[BBTinSac]

hello this is my first post

i have been wanting to revive the black belt theater many of us grew up with. originally, i had thought to rent out an independant moview theater (which is quite expensive for two hours), but my new idea now is either to strike a deal with a buffet restaurant and show the movies there (i am adamant that i want attendees to have free access) or to try and get something going on access cable (this is what i am currently working on).

my question is, has anyone here done this before? i'm surprised in my city in california, we don't have one. especially considering that the martial arts community is huge here, with over 100 schools listed in the phone book.

any tips or ideas? thank you!

[Wolcott]

Where do you live in California? I live in Los Angeles, and with the number of independent theaters out here, I'd think with some work something could be arranged. Sounds like a great idea, I'd be first in line!

[lillippa328]

see whats possible and let me know so i can arrange somting out on the east coast...then we can gradually sweep the nation

[BBTinSac]

I am in Sacramento, and I travel to the East Coast (Washington DC) once a month for business.

Well, I moved pretty quickly on it, and here are a few of my ideas, and what happened to them:

• Acquire a restaurant with TVs mounted throughout and show the movies there (no biters. it was to be a free event and restaurant owners wanted to charge. i even approached buffets where you have to pay to get in, but none of them were interested)
• Rent a small theater and show the movies free because of copyright laws (not economical. most theaters were around $600 - $800... not only do I not have that kind of money for a one-day event, but I wouldn't make enough off concessions to recoup the money invested)
• Rent a banquet hall and bring a projection TV (they couldn't guarantee me availability every Saturday, and that is a big money day for them)
  

My best friend suggested Public Access Television (I know, but it's better than nothing) and guess what? They're interested! So I have to take some classes to get certified, then the hard part will be to get permission from whoever holds the rights to show the movie. Reserving a monthly two-hour slot will run me around $700 a year, and that's doable. Like I said, I am not interested in making money, I just want to my kids to have this experience, and this sounds like my best option.

Is anyone here from Washington DC? Do you remember a guy named "Captain 20?" I'd like to create a Captain 20-like character for my show, who will introduce the films, give a little background on each film/actor/characters, etc. Time to get to work!

[lillippa328]

^Thats awsome!!


Question...what is public access Television? like what channels or watever?

[teako170]

Originally Posted by BBTinSac

My best friend suggested Public Access Television (I know, but it's better than nothing) and guess what? They're interested!

Nice to read this news. Everything has to start somewhere and if it grows in viewership, perhaps a local commercial station will take notice.

Originally Posted by BBTinSac

then the hard part will be to get permission from whoever holds the rights to show the movie.

That and also finding out who they are. Please keep us posted on your progress.

Originally Posted by lillippa328

Question...what is public access Television? like what channels or watever?

A local station that provides alternative programming to the larger commercial stations or the network affiliates (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX). There's also gov't access and educational access stations as well. These PEG stations are not to be confused with PBS which has corporate sponsorship.

[BBTinSac]

Thanks for the wishes!

The more I look into it, the easier I see that it is. I'm surprised more folks haven't done it. I will be taking the class to get the ball rolling in 2 weeks.

I am learning that many of these movies do not have copyright restrictions. Good for me, but bad for the actors! What this means is that anyone can bootleg the movies, sell them, and the actors will never see a dime. Good for me, because I won't need to report to the makers at all. There is a website (forgot the name, but it's "public domain dot org" or something) that lists many of the hong kong made movies and I see some good stuff on there.

I have family oversees that will see if they can find some non-chinese films, like malaysian/filipino/thai movies. mostly corny stuff but there have been some good ones. I'm hoping to get some good Samurai films, Japanese and Korean films as well.

We'd also like to give little background on the films as well. I know that many of the movies are biographical/historical films--although embellished.

[lillippa328]

this is a great idea!! HOw can i bring this to where I live?How do i get in touch with who i need 2 talk 2?

[lillippa328]

another question...would u have 2 edit the movies?

[AlbertV]

This is awesome!!! I'm glad that you are getting in gear for this...we definitely need to do something like this.

As a child growing up in New York, near NYC, I always enjoyed Drive-In Movie on WNEW 5 and Fist of Fury Theater on WPIX 11 (now just PIX 11) not to mention Bruce Lee Week on WNEW 5 (which is now NY's Fox Station).

Now, I live in Florida, have a grand collection of classic kung fu films on VHS and DVD. I have two kids, ages 3 and 2, and one due in January. I started out on kung fu films at the age of 4 and I would love for my kids to eventually get into them as well. While it is great to show my collection occasionally, I definitely like the idea of the Public Access Television screenings.

Keep up the awesome work!!!