If you’re a huge cinephile and enjoy not only movies, but the whole viewing experience, then this is the guide for you. Sure, going to the cinema is great, but sometimes you just want to relax at home with a great film and avoid all the fuss of going to the cinema and having to spend endless hours looking for a parking spot and standing in line for tickets. If you want to turn your home into a small movie theatre, here’s what you should know.
Position your furniture
Think about your favourite seat at the movie theatre and try to recreate it a home. The best spots are usually somewhere in the middle, so you might want to move your TV or furniture around to achieve that same line of sight.
Comfort is key
You can always get comfortable when watching a movie by yourself, but if you have friends or family over, it can get a bit tricky. You can’t possibly have enough pillows and blankets for everyone, so make it a “bring your own blanket” event. This way everyone will be super cozy.
Lights out
This step might seem simple, but in reality it’s trickier than you think. It’s easy to turn off the lights in the room, but if your friends like to check their phones constantly during the movie night, it can ruin the experience. So, try to make a game out of it. The first person who touches their phone has to serve drinks and snacks for the night.
Get snacks and drinks
If you want to achieve a complete cinema experience, you must get refreshments. You can equip your home with a snack bar, or if you want an extra authentic atmosphere, get seats with cup holders. Some cinema suppliers even offer home-sized popcorn machines, vending machines and coolers.
Consider the size and the resolution of the screen
Before you invest in a high-definition TV or a home theatre, you might want to think about the perfect resolution for your space. To achieve the optimal viewing experience, you need to sit far enough from the screen so that you don’t see the pixels or need to move your head, but also close enough to see all the details and subtitles. For this, you need a TV that has a good resolution and colors. However, resolution is not everything.
You should also consider getting the right size screen. If you want to create a real media room, you should get a contemporary home theatre with a projection screen, but if you want to watch movies in your living room, you might want to scale everything down a bit. You should also consider the size of the cabinet or surface that will support your TV.
Enjoy the good sound
Sometimes, the resolution and size of your screen are not everything. Good sound can contribute to your watching experience just as much as the image. You can get a full surround sound setup (which can be a bit costly) or get a good sound bar with a subwoofer. This will immensely improve the sound quality without making a hole in your wallet. Also, feel free to experiment with different positions of your speakers, because every room has unique acoustic properties.
Pick the right film
If you want to avoid any uncomfortable situations when watching with your family or friends, make sure to pick the appropriate film. Take time to check out the synopsis, reviews and ratings. If there are too many sex scenes or obscenities, it can make everyone uncomfortable and ruin the night.
It doesn’t matter if you’re planning on installing a real home theatre or a simple flat screen, these tips will be the key to a memorable viewing experience. Now, invite your friends and press play!
