About Reel Picnic
Free tools for families and friends planning a movie night, on the sofa or on a blanket under the sky.
What it does
Reel Picnic helps with the parts of a movie night that cause the most debate: choosing the film, setting up the picture and, outdoors, waiting for it to get dark. The movie night picker narrows everyone's suggestions down by time and mood and settles the choice with a spin or a ranked vote. The projector, viewing distance and aspect ratio calculators answer the setup questions, the outdoor planner works out dusk for your date and place, and the printables make tickets, a snack menu and bingo cards.
How it works
Everything runs in your browser. The calculators use published formulas and guidelines, and each page lists its sources: SMPTE and THX for viewing angles and cinema brightness, ITU-R for the resolution distance, NOAA's solar equations for sunset and dusk, and the US Naval Observatory's twilight definitions. Where a guideline is old or withdrawn, the page says so.
Reel Picnic has no film database. You type your own titles, and the examples on the site use made-up films. It doesn't show posters or stills, and it doesn't recommend what to watch.
What it isn't
The numbers are good starting points, not guarantees: real projectors are often dimmer than their spec sheets, rooms and gardens differ, and hills and trees bring dusk sooner. Check your own equipment and, for public screenings, the rules where you are.
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