Theater begins fundraising for new projector

Vera Schmitz,
right, speaks
with Bailey,
left, and Cody
Higgins during
the opening
screening of
"Vera's Vault" on
Saturday, July 22, 2017 at Capitol
City Cinema in downtown Jefferson City.
Vera Schmitz, right, speaks with Bailey, left, and Cody Higgins during the opening screening of "Vera's Vault" on Saturday, July 22, 2017 at Capitol City Cinema in downtown Jefferson City.

Exposed in a park, the darkness of night will be looming when the main event begins.

Ellis-Porter Riverside Park Amphitheatre is an ideal setting for Capitol City Cinema's next film screening of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" this Thursday. However, this free community screening of the classic suspense thriller is also a kick-off for a big announcement.

Capitol City Cinema will start a fundraising campaign to go completely digital. Since the nonprofit organization started in 2013, it has been a venue to showcase independent and foreign films and support local and native film industry professionals. It also used Blu-Ray projection technology to screen those films, as well as children's singalongs, classic throwbacks, documentaries and for special events.

The movement to digital projection equipment will open many new possibilities at the local cinema.

"Our campaign for a digital projector will help us be able to get newer films because of a lot of films now are only available in digital; we have used Blu-Ray or DVD," Capitol City Cinema Board President Kyle Loethen said.

"Movies like 'La La Land' would have brought in a huge group, but we couldn't get that because they are only released in digital," board secretary Cara Alexander added.

The cinema's programmer is the one who stressed getting a digital projector would attract more people.

"Now that we have established ourselves and are getting more people in here, it is time. There are movies we have available now that we are excited about, but there are even better movies that if we get digital equipment we'll be able to show," Alexander said.

The board estimates it will take about $10,000 to purchase the digital projection equipment, and board members will explain publicly at Thursday's event how their campaign will raise those funds. The board has set up a GoFundMe site specifically for the digital projector fundraising campaign, with tiered sponsorships available offering rewards such as free concessions and tickets to the cinema.

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"We are also going to get more business sponsors because right now we have pre-roll for the movies. The pre-roll is for 30-second spots for the business, and becoming a corporate sponsor for the cinema allows them advertising for commercials," Alexander said. "When we go digital, it will be a much easier process than using DVDs."

Loethen and Alexander hope to raise the funds and acquire the digital projection equipment by the holiday season, kicking off the new year with the system and slew of new movies.

"I think after we have our big kick-off at the amphitheater, that will help get the word out, and we'll start taking those donations. The sooner we reach our goal, the sooner we can get the equipment," Loethen said.

While the campaign will directly fund the digital projector equipment, funding for the theater's regular programming will come from its memberships, other sponsorships, weekly screenings, private events and special activities, including the recent "Vera's Vault" documentary screenings that took place Saturday.

Outside of showing unique movies that draw in visitors from as far as Kansas City and St. Louis, they also support local actors, directors, producers, writers and subjects of films, such as award-winning Jefferson City native Vera (Neunswander) Schmitz. "Vera's Vault" focuses on her journey to qualify for the 2016 Olympics trials. Schmitz, her husband, and filmmakers Megan Cody and Lauren Vitiello visited with guests during a meet and greet Saturday.

Guests to Thursday's free screening of "The Birds," which is not recommended for small children, will also enjoy activities prior to the screening at about 8:40 p.m. Beginning at 8 p.m., attendees can enjoy food from the Lilly's Cantina food truck, drinks from Major Brands and Fechtel Beverage, live music, and details about the digital projector campaign.

The cinema board is confident Thursday's event will be well attended and the campaign will be a success. They see a loyal following of those wanting to watch movies as an audience at the theater.

"They can laugh at the same jokes and get scared at those same moments," Loethen said. "I think there is something to be said for coming to the theater and having that experience."

For more information, visit CapitolCityCinema.org, email [email protected] or visit the cinema's Facebook page.