The movie watching experience is an American pastime that has long surpassed baseball, along with pretty much everything else that may be considered a pastime. It is like going into a pocket dimension, entirely separate from the toils of everyday life. The darkened theatre eliminates your understanding of time and the sound-proofing cuts you off from the persistent honks of the caffeine-deprived motorists, unhinged by the subpar service at the local coffee joint. The soda is overpriced, but you need to cut down on that high fructose garbage anyway. It is all part of the enjoyment, the fact that you spend three or four times as much for a bucket of 20% corn and 260% air covered in that oily goodness that we all know and love. But the movie watching affair can’t continue with all this romanticized, buttery dribble. There is the outrageous (and ever rising) cost for the movie, the unending lines of disrespectful viewers, the sticky, soda drenched seats, and the tall guy that ALWAYS sits in front of you. This is certainly enough motivation to consider building your own theatre set up, and I am here to help! The home theatre is a relatively new luxury, in concept, for us within the middle class. As a result, the details of building the whole thing isn’t exactly common knowledge; I mean, you need a TV… and a sound system… and a dark place… That’s pretty much it, right? That’ll do if you want to binge watch Luke Cage in your PJs, but for entertainment, and I mean ENTERTAINMENT, you should fine tune the experience.
Picking the room. Simple enough, you may be thinking. Just get a bunk bed for the juniors and commandeer the newly vacant bedroom! You may already have an idea in mind for the space, but there are certainly some minor things to consider before you start. If the viewing experience will be enjoyed mostly by your family, or if you anticipate frequent social gatherings, you may want to upgrade the living space. This will not create the most optimal theatre, but it’s a good balance between a setting for general fellowship and one geared toward movie watching. The spare bedroom is a good idea if you plan to host a smaller group of individuals or if you wish to make things a bit more solitary. The advantage here is that you are separated from the main, functional parts of the house and, with a little sound proofing, you can have an interesting, and isolating, experience. Basements are not as common in the south, but they can be an ideal place for the theatre. The location is dark and isolated, so it is ideal for larger groups. The downside is that you must put a little more time and money into renovating the space.
Picking the tech. If you are like me, the thought of buying new electronics sends you into such a frenzy that you excitedly purchase the thing that looks the best on the storeroom floor. I have wised up a bit with internet reviews, but I can feel the impulse resting like a hibernating grizzly bear, dreaming about the day it can escape the dark cave of my mind to make poor financial decisions and tear through some cardboard packaging. There is certainly some manipulation going on at the electronics stores with the lighting and the acoustics, but we won’t get into the ethics of that. The important thing to remember is things will not look and sound like they do at the store. You may be attracted to the brightest television on the wall, but that will make you miss the plasma screens that are a bit dimmer. The size of the TV should fit both your budget and the size of your room. This is American, darn it, and bigger means better, but this isn’t always the case, especially when considering a new television. 720p and 1080p don’t look much different if you are sitting 10 feet away.
Picking the right renovations. These are the finishing touches that will change the area from a place where you casually watch TV to the Movie watching drama hall filled with laughter and sadness, punctuated by crisp sound effects and a pattern of lights unseen before by human eyes. The colors of the room should complement the television, of course. Going with darker colors for the furniture will be easier on the eyes and may reduce strain. As far as acoustics are concerned, wood, concrete, or tile floors are a big problem. Consider installing some plush carpeting or incorporating the carpet from another room after the hardwood floor project. Drywall and plaster is bad news for acoustics. You can purchase some acoustic tiles from the hardware store and install them relatively easily. Indoor/outdoor carpeting can go over the tiles to give the room a movie theatre appearance. The same material can go on the ceiling as well. This might seem like a large task for a small benefit, but it really makes all the difference regarding immersion.
Whatever the project, the Mobile Attic is here to store your things while you transform that drab, old spare room into the movie watching experience of your life!
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