How many times have you skipped your dinner to rush to the movie hall, battling your way through, to the ticket counter and finding to your utter dismay — ‘House Full’ sign — staring in your face. But thanks to technology, you can put an end to all such hassles which conveniently convert into mood spoilers. Mini theatres are being designed to ensure that you enjoy a theatre like experience from the comforts of your home.  

Mini theatre is different from a home theatre as it is an actual theatre, a little small in size, but real. Everyone dreams of having a special entertainment zone within his or her surroundings, and what can be a better way of getting entertained than having one’s own mini theatre. “When you watch a movie in your mini theatre you are more immersed in the experience than when you watch one on an ordinary television. When it comes to picture and sound, the movie theatre can offer an amazing experience which we just don’t get at home. That’s usually why people will pay to go to the movies, even though renting a movie is cheaper,” says Dr Himanshu Kumar, who is a proud owner of the firm that specialises in designing mini theatres.

“Everyone dreams of having a special entertainment zone within his or her surroundings, and what can be a better way of getting entertained than having one’s own mini-theatre.” Kumar’s HKMT (H Kumar’s Mini Theatres) is a designer and AV automation consulting firm. Kumar has designed acoustically customised theatres for homes, boardrooms, auditoriums, conference halls, etc.

After putting 17 years of experiment, exposure and experience as an acoustic interior designer and an audiophile, Kumar finally launched his company HKMT. Talking about his first theatre that he set up 16 years ago, he says he converted the basement of a bungalow into a theatre and it took him seven months to do it. “But the result was loved by everybody”. And since then there’s been no looking back for Kumar. 

The right sound

One of the biggest differences between movie theatre and television is the sound experience. In a quality movie theatre, one hears the music, sound effects and dialogue, not just from the screen, but from all around. “It’s because a standard movie theatre has three speakers behind the screen — one to the right, one to the left and one in the centre, and several other speakers spread out in the rest of the theatre,” explains Kumar. “ In this surround system different parts of the soundtrack come from different places. When somebody on the left side of the screen says something, we hear it more from the left speaker. And in a movie like Star Wars, you hear a rumbling ‘swoosh’ travel from the front of the theatre to the rear as a spaceship flies toward the camera and off the screen.”

A mini theatre essentially needs isolation of the ‘listening room’ from external noise and vibration, following which other details like fitting mechanical devices, lighting designing, and seating arrangement have to be taken into consideration. Correct sight lines have to be created to ensure clear vision to all rows of seats. “After choosing the area which has to be converted into a mini theatre, we do the acoustic customisation of the room by treating the walls.

The ceiling and the flooring have to be sound, both acoustically and aesthetically.” He adds, “Other areas that need meticulous attention are the lighting design and dimmer control; seating system can be designed from regular push back cinema chairs to Italian leather clad motorised recliners. Mounting of screen in the correct size is also very important. Creating right sight lines, integration of the audio equipment with respect to acoustic interiors and many more such nuances are involved in making a great mini theatre.”

Designing a mini theatre can be an exhausting job. “It takes around 3 - 8 weeks depending upon the size of the theatre,” says Kumar. “While smaller theatres of around 400 square feet area can be completed in 3 weeks, it can take around 8 weeks or more for theatres larger than 800 sq ft. The completion time also depends upon the time taken by the clients to decide on designs and of course, on the adherence of the payment terms, etc.

“Satisfying a client needs hard work,”says Kumar who has set up mini theatres not only in various Indian cities working with some of the top names in the business, but in neighbouring countries as well. Kumar places great emphasis on the aesthetic aspect of a mini theatre. “A mini theatre should look appealing apart from sounding good,” he says, in a matter-of-fact tone.