Screen comes to our green with Flicks on Fifth

The Student Center Programs Council (SCPC) is heading outside this summer. In a unique twist, this semester's SCPC offering of films will be projected on a large outdoor screen in the middle of Technology Square instead of inside of the Student Center Theater.

Titling the event Flicks on Fifth, the SCPC hopes to begin a summertime trend that mirrors Piedmont Park's Screen on the Green.

Flicks on Fifth will feature a series of pop culture films broadcast every week through July 27. The program began with a viewing of Hitch this past Wednesday and will continue with Robots next week. The movies will be projected on a screen in the Centergy courtyard, and free popcorn will be provided.

"We have students here over the summer, so we want to provide things for them to do after classes and at night.just fun things for students to take part in," said Kasey Helton, Associate Program Director of the SCPC.

The SCPC worked to choose films with broad appeal instead of aiming for the niche market that Piedmont Park does with its Turner Classic Movies. The selection includes horror, comedy and action, as well as some fan favorites such as Office Space.

The SCPC also chose Technology Square as the ideal spot for an outdoor theater, which they hope will draw in not only Tech students but members of the nearby Midtown community as well. In addition, Helton pointed out, the surrounding retail provides sources of food and other conveniences for the moviegoers.

In fact, the construction of Technology Square is what enabled the SCPC to initiate their outdoor film program in the first place. According to Helton, it was difficult to find a suitable location elsewhere on campus.

"About three years ago, we started doing outdoor movies, but we really didn't have a great location for it," she said. "We showed [them in] the free speech area.and we ran up the screen from the flagpoles, and it wasn't ideal."

But Technology Square provided the right combination of location and resources, and the event promised to generate more exposure of the Square and more business for the restaurants and retail stores.

"The mixture of the need over there to create some business and to create some traffic at night, and also our need to continue to provide high quality programming really kind of met," Helton said.

But the venture was far too expensive for the SCPC to afford out of pocket, so Helton and Rich Steele, Student Center Director, had to get the funding from higher-level administrators.

"Somewhere up the line, someone decided this is worthwhile, and it's going to be to the betterment of campus and.Technology Square and the community, so they decided this is something we can get behind," Helton said.

The effort also required the support of Auxiliary Services and the Technology Square retailers, most of whom applauded the idea in the hopes of generating more nighttime business.

The Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center worked to make sure its guests would not be disturbed by the event. Some businesses are even providing additional resources, such as power for the projector and a backup movie room in the Technology Square Research Building in case of rain.

Helton hopes to draw a large enough audience each week that the event could be a recurring theme in future years.

"We want this to be the kind of thing that every summer, they're like, 'Are you going to do it again?'" Helton said. "So we want to create a buzz and be a thing that students can be excited about."

In fact, students began expressing that excitement earlier this week as the premiere date for Hitch neared.

"Flicks on Fifth has been a dream of mine ever since I knew there was a Fifth Street," said Stephen Chin, a fourth-year Biomedical Engineering major. "I am planning on going because it combines my two favorite things in the world...movies and Fifth Street."

"I think it is a wonderful idea because they are playing great movies like Hitch and it is free, which definitely fits into a typical college student's budget," said Andrea Para, a third-year Biomedical Engineering major who attended Wednesday night's show with several friends.

In addition to the cost and the films, Helton also pointed out the community atmosphere that would be promoted by the event.

"I don't think we celebrate summer enough on campus, and I think this will be a great time for us as a Georgia Tech population to all get together," Helton said. "It's summer, it's fun, it's light.It's more about an atmosphere than actually what you're watching, but luckily, we're going to have [both] an atmosphere and great movies."

Some students agreed.

"It's nice to be outside on summer evenings, and it's free," said Ashley Durham, a fifth-year Computer Science major.

"I think Flicks on Fifth is a great idea for bringing students out [to] enjoy the summer weather and also seeing a great film for free," said Matthew Crowley, a fourth-year Electrical Engineering major.

"I think that it's going to be a lot of fun. Come out. Hang out. Get there early. Bring a picnic or go into one of the restaurants and order something and sit down on the lawn and watch the movie. You don't have to drive to it. Its right there. You don't have to fight for a place to park. So I think it'll be just a great time," Helton said.