I get invited to screenings at different times of the year. Sometimes it’s for the SAG Awards and they are screening movies for us to vote on. Sometimes it’s just for fun and a new show is premiering and they want to get attention for it. And sometimes I get invited to For Your Consideration screenings for things I’m not voting on but they have extra space for others to join in.
There haven’t been a lot of events this year since public events are hard to do. Nobody wants to sit in a movie theater with a lot of strangers, even when wearing a mask. A lot of screenings have been things to watch at home. I have seen a few invites for those, but I don’t always feel sitting at my computer more than I need to. But then, I got an invite for something different.
This was a series of screenings being done as drive-ins on a giant screen. Normally, FYC means For Your Consideration. But at this screening, FYC meant From Your Car. They were doing them at the Rose Bowl and everyone would be staying in their cars. And the screening with space available was for “The World According to Jeff Goldblum”. I don’t know how I haven’t watched that show yet, but I haven’t. So going to a screening of it seemed like an awesome way to watch some episodes!
I didn’t really want to go alone, but it’s also tough to go with someone when you don’t know how isolated they have been lately. But I knew that my friend Dani was taking things as seriously as I was, so I texted her to see if she had been isolating recently and if she was free to go to the screening. And she said yes to both! So we decided to go together and I was so excited! I hadn’t seen Dani since March and I really wanted to hang out with a friend. Even though I saw Joanna just a few days before (from a distance), seeing a friend made me realize how much I wanted to try to find ways to do it again. I’m just so glad I have friends who are being as cautious as I am.
When we arrived at the Rose Bowl, there was a little line to get in. We were there early, so we opened the windows to the car to let some fresh air in (we figured that plus the masks helped to keep us as safe as possible). And when we were let in, we were given a flyer with some information for the night.
And then we saw a line ahead with a step and repeat set up.
But because we all were staying in our cars, I guess it was more like a drive and repeat. One car at a time went onto the carpet and they took a photo of us. And then they texted it to us right after so we could see our official photo!
Some people were taking off masks for the photo, but we didn’t. First, for safety. But also, this is such a specific moment in time and we wanted to have the masks to be able to remember this one day in the future.
We were directed to a parking spot (which was right in the center and near the front) and we were handed a bag and a menu. I thought the bag had our dinner but when I looked at it, it was a snack pack with candy, popcorn, and water!
Then we were served dinner! I knew we would be getting fed at this screening, but I didn’t expect so much food and for it to be so good!
Dani and I both loved the dinner so much! I was amazed by how much we got (my snack pack wasn’t touched and I ate it another day at home). And then we relaxed and waited for the screening to start.
It was so nice to get to hang out with Dani, even if it did feel a bit weird to be in masks. But seeing a friend right now in masks is so much better than waiting until things are safe again. And we did both feel safe with masks and keeping the car windows open. We were closer than 6 feet from each other, but with all the other precautions I felt ok.
Right before the screening started, we noticed that some of the step and repeat photos were going up on the big screen. And then we saw our photo up there!
Once it was dark, the screening started. First was a recorded Q&A with Jeff Goldblum talking about the show and what inspired it. It was fun to see how excited he was about the show and that it was a real passion project of his.
We then watched 2 episodes. The first was an episode all about tattoos. Then it was an episode all about ice cream. And as the ice cream episode started, we noticed staff going from car to car again. Turns out they had ice cream for us! I didn’t get a photo of that since it was dark and I was focused on the show. But it was the perfect treat since it was such a hot night.
And then, the screening ended. There were a lot of exits from the Rose Bowl, so it didn’t take long before we were headed back. And very little traffic so Dani made it to my house really quickly. I was sad our hangout was done, but so grateful to have had a night out with a friend doing something so fun!
Even though I felt relatively safe doing this, I don’t know how often I would do something like it. I do have some friends, like Dani, who I feel like I can trust to be isolating themselves a lot. But this was a treat for me and not something I plan on doing a lot just yet. But it was the best treat to do and it helped me feel like I wasn’t just alone and waiting out this pandemic.
You Might Also Like
Such An LA Night (or Just Having Some Fun With A Friend)
Magic Castle Fun (or Girls Night Out)
Last Musical Of The Season (or A Classic Pantages Night Out)
A Virtual Musical Night (or Trying To Replicate My Routine)
A Night At A Screening (or Forgetting What Non-Screenings Are Like)
Another Grove Adventure (or Dinner And Not A Screening)
