Permanent setup for projectors and screen - Your Screening Room Pictures

[Lee Mannering]

Hi John. Yes its been loved and was able to buy it as a boy with proceeds from a few weeks stage work with Tommy Trinder a memorable time for me. My goodness he used to fracture me although the shows never finished until 11pm and I was up stage school at 6am the following morning to get across London.

Yes the F1.2 lens came later. Funny thing with Eumig lenses I've never had one in any of my machines suffer from fungus and they have stood the test of time.

[Steve Klare]

The Saga Continues!

Roughly 2005, we mainly used the living room and dining room for company. Literally weeks went by without anybody spending more than 15 minutes there. The family room of that epoch was the den.

I sensed my opportunity! I measured up the front window and grabbed the biggest pull-down screen I could stuff behind the curtains and I had my theater! I put a projector on the far end of the dining room table.......and then another...and then 30 feet of cable and an amplifier and four speakers...and a mixer and a VP and a video player...and often special guest appearances by slide projectors and lately 16mm too. ("Keep it SIMPLE", I always say!)

Problem was, along the way we renovated the first floor: did a new kitchen and replaced the back porch with a new sitting area with a gas fireplace. My theater was now located on desirable Real Estate and all I had was squatter's rights! (C'mon!: It's the longest throw in the house!)

My wife has been trying to get me off the dining room table about 10 years now.
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-I mean: Who couldn't see the beauty in THIS!

It's got wires and plugs and an abundance of knobs and LEDs! There are custom made cables in there that exist nowhere else on Earth! (She married an Engineer: this comes with the territory! You get the vacuum cleaner de-clogged within 15 minutes you have to pay for it somehow!)

Maybe a year ago, she started making the case that if we got some kind of cart, we could work some...mutual benefit. ( I HATE it when she makes sense!😉)

1. Following the semi-annual table cloth swap (or random visit of some annoying relative.), I wouldn't have to spend 15 minutes re-plugging and testing.
2. She could have dining room table that didn't look like NASA's basement!

Welllll...the package showed up from Amazon on Monday, and following about 30 minutes of "insert tab "A" into slot "B", here it is!
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Welll! La-Dee-DAHHHH!!!!

[Paul Adsett]

Well done Steve, I bet this is a lot more convenient for you. I like the fact that the projectors are out on display for family and guests. These wonderful machines need to be seen . and appreciated, even when they are not in operation.

[Steve Klare]

Hi Paul,

It is more convenient! (Still fun to gripe about it!)

There is a shelf below the custom pull-out mixer platform: that's where the disk player is now. Under that is a large drawer. This will become the home of assorted film-frippery: lenses, brackets, cables, spare lamps (-etc.).

-right now if you look up in the corner cabinet, there are lamps and lenses hiding behind the assorted ceramic figurines and commemorative dishes! (The model cars on the top shelf stay right where they are!)

There are cable handling issues to deal with: everything was always cut generously and this is more compact than before. some clips and ty-raps will get it under control.

[Paul Adsett]

Steve, I recommend the molded plastic conduit, with adhesive backing, to run speaker cables from the projector area up to the screen. These can be easily mounted to the bottom of the side walls of the room with no screws into the walls. Available from Home Depot and Lowe's.

[Steve Klare]

We are renovating the den this year. While we have an Electrician here, I'm considering putting a floor outlet under the dining room table: having everything beyond this cart run down in the basement.

[Lee Mannering]

I've tried to eliminate as many wires as possible and save as much lifting as I can. This rack system we made from timber to size also with a paint job keeps everything in order.

My usual setup is as follows but I left space on the top to place a second projector if needed.
Elmo GS1200 with 2 blade shutter.
Splicers mounted on a board, gate brush & air duster.
White gloves and technicians jacket 40's style projection.
Hippodrome cinema tickets given at each show.
Denon amplification.
4K video projector.
2 X 4K players one of which is all regions for BR. A/B etc
Bottom shelf is a studio mixer/ HD-CD recorder. I store digital sound tracks on this for super 8 films and can play with the Elmo.
I left space at the very bottom for the 16mm equipment.



Oh and one Hammond organ I play for 10 minutes before a show, at the interval and sometimes for silent classics. Its capable of creating theatre organ sounds.

[Paul Adsett]

Hi Lee, I really like the idea of organ music before the show, and 'live' organ music with the projectionist playing is even better!
I do not have your musical talents, but I do have some video's of Phil Kelsall playing the Blackpool Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer organ and I will often play 10 mins or so of these before a home show as it really adds to the 'old cinema' showmanship and gets you in the mood for some great classic movies.

[Ali Hipperson]

[Ali Hipperson]

[Lee Mannering]

This is a great thread and moreover demonstrates how interesting and popular film is.
excellent work all and fascinating images.

[Douglas Meltzer]

Ali,

Nice setup. Now I want a film alcove!

Doug

[Ali Hipperson]

Hi Doug and glad you like my set-up. When I was relocating and looking for a flat up here I wanted one of the traditional old tennament type flats that have big spacious rooms in them. The one I bought is just that and built in the early 1900's of proper stone construction.

My main criteria for purchasing such a property was that it had a big living-room that would give me a decent size throw when projecting my beloved films and at least one large bedroom that would cater for my other great hobby/passion - model railways 😊 Well the big bedroom is 15'x13' so plenty big enough for a decent size layout!

The alcove was just a bonus. It gives me about an 18' throw across to the bay window opposite, allows for a two-projector set-up, and doubles up as an area that can also house my Editing-Table and Film-Cleaning Table too!

I'm very lucky 😊

Ali

[Chip Gelmini]

Hello Al

you are off to a great start never give up!

[Ross Gibbs]

Awesome setups people!