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Author Topic: Home film theaters... Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 02-23-2005 12:09 PM                     Hopefully these architects have experience in designing theatres or screening rooms. The design considerations for a music studio or concert hall is not the same as a movie theatre, if you want great accustics.  |  IP: Logged Don Cross Film Handler Posts: 97 From: Charleston, WV, USA Registered: Jan 2005 posted 02-23-2005 02:07 PM                     As for the location question (and please pardon the possible spelling errors on the location names)... Fox Chapel off of route 28N onto old 28 near the waterworks. Without naming the exact road- go up Delafield through Aspinwall, back under 28 and up towards the VA hospital. Its somewhere on the right and can be occasionally be spotted from the road- depending on the season. Was interesting to read that you are from the Bethel Park area. Would that be from around the route 51 area or route 8S? Could this also mean that you kicked my @#$ in football; as my high school team regularly got the loss from your school districts team? More about football- do you follow it much? Marino went to school at Pitt I believe and now plays pro ball for Miami- or at least did the last time I checked. I'll be heading that way sometime in a week or two to go get a Pramanti (sp??), Sunseri, or to hit the Original O. As for the publications that the house has made; it wasn't anything from the front shelf such as BH&G, it was more along the lines of trade journals/mags, etc... Didn't even make Pgh magazine as far as I know. Scratch that... There was a picture which included one of the salt water fish tanks that made it into a better magazine, just can't seem to recall which one. As for the architect issue- darn good point. I'm assuming that the house owner will get what they pay for and also what they specified. I don't think the architect would have wanted to tackle this one if they didn't have full confidence that they could do it. It wouldn't be worth the risk of the rep of the firm.  |  IP: Logged Ed Inman Expert Film Handler Posts: 103 From: Jackson, Mississippi USA Registered: Jul 2004 posted 02-23-2005 05:00 PM                        If you can't afford your own indoor screening room you can still be the first on your block with your own backyard drive-in theater. Just build an outdoor screen, pick up an old 35mm Simplex or Century for cheap, and aim it out the back window. Makes for some great outdoor parties and you'll be the envy of all your friends.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 02-23-2005 07:33 PM                     It's been done. link  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 02-24-2005 01:19 AM                     quote: Brad Miller It's been done ....and this is pretty cool. I kinda feel sorry for the owner of this house not to be able to truefully enjoy a complete movie, unless he has someone else doing the booth, being a carbon arc booth, to where he can sit outside and enjoy this hobby. I've got a friend who did the same thing: He lived out in the country, had a good acre of ground, built a small booth with DeVry XD's had a pretty large screen and we watched movies all summer long outside. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Ed Inman Expert Film Handler Posts: 103 From: Jackson, Mississippi USA Registered: Jul 2004 posted 02-24-2005 01:43 PM                        The setup I have uses a xenon head and 6K reels so I only have to change reels about once an hour. So, it's considerably less labor intensive than the more traditional carbon arc/2k reel setup in the picture. Plus I also screen 16mm using an old MARC lamp setup. Still, I rarely go outside to watch the films with friends--most of my movies are splicey old drive-in prints and I get paranoid about what might happen if one breaks. Sooner or later I might try to install some type of automatic douser/shutoff system but right now I don't have that, so I feel safer keeping a pretty close watch on the projector while it's running. (As a matter of fact an old print of "The Hitchhikers" I was watching last night tore in half about half-way through the first reel, so it was a good thing I was there to shut everything down immediately.) The good news is that I can still watch the movies from the kitchen window right next to the projector, so it's still enjoyable to me, and a lot of my friends get a kick out of watching them outside when the weather is nice.  |  IP: Logged Larry Myers Master Film Handler Posts: 371 From: Herndon, VA, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 02-28-2005 10:14 AM                 Hi I have been looking to build a home theater myself. I have looked at several home theaters. One famous one is at Hurst Castle. Although it looked like a typical 30's theater, it didn't have a booth. The projector was mounted on a rather large heavy duty table in the center isle at the back of the theater. Another home theater I looked at outside of the DC area was just for DVD's. It had a $10,000 Infocus brand projector with a 4x8 screen. Lost of money was spent for the surround sound. It also looked like a typical 30's type theater. I would say the total cost for the setup including all the deep red color drapes and fancy seats would be about $60,000. Just pop in a DVD and go. This hole home theater thing using 35mm projectors is much like a big boat. Sure a 100 ft saleboat cost about $1,000,000, but it also cost $100,000 a year to operate. Not to say a 35mm home theater would costs $100,000 a year to operate. I don't think $40,000 a year budget for someone to operate the equipment and film rentals would be really out of line. Larry PS: I am also from Pittsburgh and I know who your talking about.  |  IP: Logged Gordon Bachlund Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 696 From: Monrovia, CA, USA Registered: Aug 1999 posted 02-28-2005 01:05 PM                        Larry, the next time you visit Hearst Castle look a bit more carefully. There is a regular changever booth at the rear of the room, though the entry door is from the outside, so there may have been no second exit. (I didn't ask to see inside.) The installed machines were Super Simplex projector heads, RCA sound heads and Suprex arc lamps. One complete projector has been restored and is on display in the museum there.  |  IP: Logged Larry Myers Master Film Handler Posts: 371 From: Herndon, VA, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 02-28-2005 03:30 PM                 Hi It been 10 years since I have been to the castle. I don't remember a booth although at the time, I would not have though I might be setting up my own home theater. The one just outside of DC I was at just last week. The Infocus projector did a good job with the 2000:1 + contrast. I think the quality was just about as good as some poorer flat 35mm features I have seen in the last 2 months or so. One feature that comes to mind was at a second run house with a very dirty lens. Come to think of it, the whole theater was a dump. But hey, what do you expect for a $1 ticket and a $10 popcorn. And that theater was in Pittsburgh near the county airport. Larry [ 03-01-2005, 08:16 AM: Message edited by: Larry Myers ]  |  IP: Logged Gordon Bachlund Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 696 From: Monrovia, CA, USA Registered: Aug 1999 posted 02-28-2005 05:43 PM                        Larry, don't give up so easily. A home theatre can be what you make it, and with judicious use of "pre-owned" equipment and furnishings it need not cost an arm and a leg. Peruse the PICTURES here in Film-Tech for inspiration. I do from time to time to keep focussed on my own project. Good luck!  |  IP: Logged Josh Jones Redhat Posts: 1207 From: Plano, TX Registered: Apr 2000 posted 02-28-2005 06:07 PM                        It doesnt have to be terribly elaborate either. Mine is quite modest with a 6' screen and SRD. pics soon. JJ  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 03-01-2005 05:21 AM                  Having been there many, many times as I did the 870 theatre at the base of the hill... I have NO idea as to where you get the idea that there is not a 35mm projection booth and theatre in the castle... Ummmm, There IS! As was mentioned, it's only for show now. but it was/is part of the history. edit: Oops! I'm refering to Hearst Castle.. NOT Josh's screening room! (OBTW Danny... I AGREE!)  |  IP: Logged Larry Myers Master Film Handler Posts: 371 From: Herndon, VA, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 03-01-2005 08:11 AM                 Hi I didn't say there wasn't a theater at Hearst Castle. I just don't remember seeing a booth or glass windows in the wall or anything of that nature. It was none the less a complete theater with 30's type seats, deep red drapes, a rather large 1.33 screen. I am also not giving up. I think the original discussion was on a professional type retro theater built in a home. Something that looks like an old Fox Theater of the 30's. Getting that type of home theater will take bucks to build. If your really not into projection and film but just have money and want a true 35mm home theater, it will also be bucks to operate. If it's the people I think it is in Pittsburgh, they have bucks and then some to do what ever they want. About as much as Hearst anyway which brings us back to Hearst Castle. Larry  |  IP: Logged Dean Kollet Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 591 From: Florida State University Registered: Jul 2003 posted 03-01-2005 03:34 PM                     Don...my team was Bethel Park High School. They weren't too good @ football, but my cousins play for Baldwin when they were pretty good. I played Ice Hockey, Bethel Park has won state 4 of the past 5 years. I was by both roads actually, 88 and 51, but closer to Route 88 (pronounces wraught 88 in pittsburghese) Primantis as awesome, so is the O. Try Mineos on Route19 in Mt. Lebanon too, great pizza.  |  IP: Logged

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