What a missed opportunity !!!

[Melvin England]

A couple of my friends who are not film collectors have just moved into their new home and myself and Mrs.E. have been invited over to see it and stay over for a few days.
Oh my goodness! The living room! Complete with mezzanine level one end for a permanent projector set up, a 20'+ throw and solid wooden roof beams to hang a decent size screen from at the other. No more problem with people getting in the way of the beam, and a potentially wonderful size cinemascope picture!

What more would celluloid fans like us need ? It is perfect. Sadly, the property is over 300 miles from home so the chance of me popping back for my equipment is zilch !

But one can dream.........

[Steve Klare]

I understand exactly, Melvin!

That's a game my son and I play a lot when we are out somewhere: "Where would you put the screen?". Other people's homes and a great many restaurants have been sized up as potential tiny movie theaters for years now. (They just don't know it.)

In the real world, we are usually projecting through the crowd rather than over their heads. This makes the on-axis view of the screen off-limits for the audience. Depending on the layout of the room, it also traps people that are reluctant to cross the beam. (I try to be merciful: I offer intermissions!)

I often imagine what my own home theater would look like if I could make one without limits, and the idea of some kind of balcony above the seating area is often part of it. I don't think a fully enclosed booth is a way I would go, since often I'm also the whole audience and I wouldn't want to be completely isolated from either the machines or the screen.

Ideally the surface behind the large electrically-operated roll-up screen would be tall windows with views of a mountain-lake in the distance.
(When you dream, dream big!)

[Chip Gelmini]

My backyard drive in is kind of like this. I live in a mobile home which is raised about 2 1/2 feet off the ground

Since I project from a rear window in my bedroom to the screen, the projectors are actually elevated from the rear of the machine rather than the front

It makes it look kind of cool from a perspective of the projectionist and the screen is 25 feet out from the house

Cinema scope is 5 feet tall and 12 feet wide