Projection booth for home theatre

[James collins]

Hello,

 

I am interested in setting up a small home theatre. I am going to have a carpenter, with some experience in theatres building it.

 

The room will be in a basement, I think I will have a couch and some chairs on each side. Max about 6 or 7 people.

 

I wanted to know if anyone had any tips or info. So I can talk to my carpenter? Like is there a special kind of glass I should order to project through? I was told I want a double pane slightly slanted. But I wondered is there a special sort of glass?

 

One of my main reasons for building the projection booth is to isolate the sound of the projector from the film. Should the booth be sound proof? I was thinking of my booth almost the size of a closet maybe a little bigger with room for two projectors.

 

I also thought it would be nice to have a power outlet, ventilation system and good lighting.

 

One thing I am concerned about is the distance from the booth and projector to the screen. When I normally project, onto a wall I like to get pretty close, I think I like the image to be small.

 

But I realize with the booth when I make it. At least the projector will be more stationary. I have a screen but don't have a tripod for it. I was thinking temporarily to hang the screen from the ceiling. Or buy one of eBay with a tri-pod and then place it were I want.

 

Also can I just run a chord out of my booth for sound? How can I run a cable for sound and keep the booth relatively sound proof.

 

It is going to be a small home theatre for showing 16mm and super 8 films. I thought if I wanted to get fancy, I could have an electric push button screen and electrically dimmable lights, so at a push of the button I could lower the screen and slowly dim the lights.

 

But I am after advice and any info or pitfalls that I can discuss with my carpenter.

 

P.s. I wouldn't mind buying a popcorn maker, do they sell theatre style popcorn makers? And maybe I could get a cooler for drinks.

 

P.s. do you lose anything by projecting through a glass like brightness resolution etc?

[James Steven Beverly]

Check these guys out:

 

http://www.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi

 

EVERYTHING you wanted to know about film projection and more! ALSO check out these guys:

 

http://www.35mmforum.com/forums/index.php?

 

35mm motion picture prints for sale along with a LOT of information on home projection. GREAT stuff. Eventually, I'm gonna have a screening room with a projection booth as well. (one of my goals! I have a 35mm Super Simplex dallies projector in superb condition!!) B)