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Question: What’s the perfect gift for someone who’s not only a movie fan, but also loves cinema so much that he wants to have a career in it? Answer: A world-class home theater from Audio Video City of Santa Maria, Calif.
That was the scenario that played itself out when a homeowner approached the home theater integrator with a dream of the ultimate gift for his son, one that would most definitely keep on giving.
“The homeowners’ oldest son is an avid film buff, he is now a film major in college and has the talent to work in the industry,” says Audio Video City Manager Dustin Bumgardner. “To help their son follow his dream, the homeowner built a custom room in the backyard, where they set up a dedicated theater for their son, as well as a fun place for the rest of the family to hang out.”
For the team at Audio Video City, this request ran deeper than just business—it was personal. According to Bumgardner, “One of the partners of Audio Video City, James Schillinger who was extremely loved by the community but unfortunately passed away in June of 2007, was a friend of the homeowner. They had known each other for years, and when the homeowner told James about his idea for a theater room, the idea quickly became a project.”
When it came time to plan and design this exciting project, the Audio Video City team had to look no further than their own location. “The theater room was loosely based on the same design our theater in our Santa Maria showroom,” Bumgardner recalls. “We used most of the same types of products as our Demo showroom, Sony SXRD projector, Stewart motorized filmscreen, Lutron lighting, B&W speakers and Universal Remote control system.”
This project wasn’t just a rote recreation of the showroom setup, however. Audio Video City added its own unique twists. “The biggest change was the extra row added to the theater, which increased the seating from seven chairs to 13,” Bumgardner says.
The client’s design theme choice for the project was no surprise. “The homeowner has a ton of Hollywood memorabilia,” Bumgardner says.
This collection became the source of the now-finished movie-themed area. “When you walk into the entry room or the theater, it’s amazing to see all of the cool collectables and photos. The structure of the room is simple, but the colors of the flooring along with all the décor really make a strong impression as a fun room,” Bumgardner states.
Naturally, with all of that great memorabilia, and the client’s desire for a classic Hollywood movie theater look, the last thing he wanted to see was a lot of equipment. Audio Video City used its ingenuity and expertise to ensure it was out of sight. According to Bumgardner, “The large tower speaker subwoofers and center channel are all hidden behind custom speaker panels, the 46-inch Sharp LCD is sunken into the wall, and the screen rolls up and is completely invisible when not in use. The projector is also hidden behind a custom panel in the ceiling. The entire rack of equipment is hidden in a closet just outside the entrance to the theater. Everything was thought out and well hidden.”
After just under eight months of intensive planning and work by Audio Video City, this amazing theater project was completed.
As you’d expect, the entire family was delighted with the end result. “What was exciting to see is, when we went back a year and a half later, the kids couldn’t wait for us to finish up taking photos so they could get in there and use the theater room,” Bumgardner says. “The homeowner has four sons ranging from 8 years old all the way up to a son in college.
The three kids still living at home claim they still use the theater room on a daily basis. Sometimes the room is used to play Rock Band, sometimes it’s to watch movies or TV and it has even been used as a school field trip. The real test of any major toy—whether it be a boat, sports car or home theater—is, does the family use it and enjoy it many years down the road? A year and a half later, this theater room was looking to be not just a good investment in fun, but also a good investment in bringing a family together.” EG
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