Home Is Where The Theater Is...

As a movie junkie and theater nut, cinema is my life. If I weren't so religious, the movie theater would be my church and movie actors, my idols.

Human beings are inherently drawn to shared experiences such as family gatherings, sporting events, stage performances and movie theaters. But the pain of the movie experience has quickly outweighed the gain of watching a movie with hundreds of strangers.

Going to the movies used to be a wonderful experience. Something special. For your nickel you got cartoons, new reels, movie serials and perhaps a double feature. Now, for your ten bucks you get 30 minutes of television commercials, 20 minutes of movie trailers, vastly overpriced concession products, cellphones ringing, inconsiderate movie goers, and the first look of a film that will be available on DVD within six months.

Going to the movies used to be an event, now it's an expensive extension of my living room... which made me wonder why I don't just put the theater in my house.

So, in a fit of temporary insanity, I decided to turn my home office into a home theater. I immediately rode the wave of excitement and completely destroyed my office in no time... removing the carpet, tile, everything. Nothing but barren walls and a concrete floor. Then a thought occured to me... putting a movie theater in here is going to cost money! Probably more than I anticipate! Plus, I have no carpentry skills what-so-ever! And I can't do electrical work either!

Huh. This could be a problem.

So, the room sat in its naked state for months as I designed the eventual transformation and bartered some carpentry skills from a good friend. The constuction would consist of five basic areas...
1) an entertainment center to hold the electronics and movie screen
2) a built in desk for my computer and video editing hardware
3) a mini-concessions/candy rack with a mini-fridge, above which would store DVDs
4) a riser in the back half of the room for two-level seating.
5) a mosaic tile of the Local Talent Productions logo.

Eight months have passed and we're finally making headway.

I've finally completed the mini-concession/candy rack area. The mosaic tile is done. We're about 50% done on the desk, 50% done on the entertainment center and 30% done on the risers.

I hope to have it all completed by the start of football season. It may not be completely done, but if it's close enough for me to plop down the projector and watch the Bucs vs. Vikes the first week, I'll be a happy camper. I'll have more on the project as things progress.

In the end, I'll have a small movie theater in my house where my love for movies can be enjoyed, without the interruptions, the commercials and the overly expensive snacks.