La, la, la, layout
Written by Dan
Every good theater has walls, and every good wall has studs, and every good stud wishes he were me, which brings us to the topic of today's post: floorplans, and the space between. Before I begin, I want you to forget everything you know about theaters - forget the enormous ceilings, forget the gargantuan screens, forget the ornate masking drapes, forget the sloped floors, forget the plush carpeting, forget the stadium seating, forget the wide aisles, and, most importantly, forget the stud comment I made at the beginning of the post.
Our theater, if you haven't figured it out yet, is going to be different. Unique. Cozy. Cramped. We're not restricting ourselves to the corporate multiplex schema. We're breaking all the rules - theatrical design included. As it turns out, the building where the theater will be housed poses an interesting set of design challenges, like low ceilings, flat, wooden floors, and load bearing beams that trisect the building into three long, skinny sections. I'm sure a lot of people could look at the building and never imagine a theater in it, but not us.
Are there design challenges? Sure, but nothing we can't handle... and when I say "we", I'm not just referring to Nicole and I, I'm also referring to Andrew and Doug, the building's owners. Had they not recognized the potential of this building in the first place, none of this would even be happening. There would be no building, no theater, no blog, no nothing. I'd be chained to my desk, pretending to work at my life-draining, soul-sucking, spirit-crushing job, and you, dear reader, would still be waiting for Kevin's new post on Life at TJ's Place. Thankfully, that's not the case.
Admittedly, our theater will have some quirky obstacles that you don't get at other theaters. If someone in the first few rows stands up, his or her head will most likely cast a funny looking shadow onto the screen, to which someone will undoubtedly shout, "hey, down in front!" Our rows will only be 5 or 6 seats deep, depending on how far back you sit, and the seats will be squeezed together fairly tight. Not so much that you won't be able to breathe, but tight enough that you have to ask yourself in passing, "crotch or ass?" But you know what? That's just part of the charm.
Whether good or bad, these little peccadillos give our theater a personality, and as long as we can provide first rate presentation along with a fun and enjoyable atmosphere, lots of great concessionary goods, and a continually refreshing selection of quality film, then I don't think anyone will say, "The Moxie? Isn't that the place where they introduce films in person and have a camera that shows the audience up on the screen and sell beer and wine and retro candy and have all the art on the walls and all the cool people hang out there? No, I won't go there. The ceilings are too low." If I haven't said it enough already, "We're not your mother's theater! Although your mom is always welcome, of course."
Now, with that being said, let me introduce you to our floorplan designs. We had originally planned on using design one for the floorplan, but having the exit door on the front wall (screen wall) of the auditorium severely restricted the width of the screen, so the architect altered the layout and arrived at design two, which is what we're going with now. We've made a few little changes to the current floorplan, but for the most part it looks just like the layout in design two.
As you can see, the auditoriums are longer than they are wide, but not so much that the people on the last row will feel like they're watching the film from the next state. Presentation is very important to me, so I wanted to be sure that the screen was as large as it could be for t
he space available. As it stands, the screen will be just the right size - it won't look distorted to the people in the front row, nor will it be too small for the folks in the back. I'm currently working with the architect and our equipment dealer to iron out all the electrical and construction details for the final draft. Once that's done, the floorplans and electrical schematics will be filed with the city to obtain the appropriate building permits before renovation begins.
We're picking up speed again, and it feels great! I have to blow the dust off the ole business plan, refigure some of the numbers, and get it ready for bank consumption while Nicole busies herself with the wholesale grocery representatives and interior decorators. Woo Hoo!
LOGO UPDATES:
As you can see from the submissions I've posted, the response to the logo design challenge has been overwhelming. The designs look great and I hope to see a lot more before the end of July. A couple people have written me and asked for specifics, but I've been hesitant to give any out. I was intentionally vague in Tuesday's post because I wanted to see how other people envisioned our theater. Some designs are trendy, some are retro, some are made in PhotoShop, some are hand-drawn... however you'd like to make a logo, we'd love to see it, so get off your lazy butt and send one (or five) in! Geez!
