Cinema Design – Bespoke Interior Planning & Build
Today, little is known about true 1930’s architectural interior design on matters cinema, as is evidenced by those charged with the commission of the planning, design and execution of a cinema room for clients with the required finances to invest in a given film-screening suite within their homes. One or two designs in the UK have got close; penned by individuals who have a genuine background in such matters, and where the art of film presentation combined with a sense of ‘theatre’ makes for an altogether more visceral experience toward an evening’s screening, but the coordination of subtle detailing is either overdone or simply missing altogether through incorrect design cues or poorly judged lighting schemes being implemented.
Additionally, hardly any audio visual practices understand the cinematographic industry’s intended film presentation modes regarding the screen aspect ratios: showing the large budget films shot in 2.35:1 Panavision/Cinemascope ratio onto a 16:9 Widecreen ratio screen with black shaded out bars at the top and bottom of the screen, thus reducing the picture size from that of the lower budget films instead of projecting a larger, wider image onto a correctly deployed ‘constant height – variable width ratios’ motorised masking screen. This extends to many modern cinema multiplexes that only have 16:9 ratio screens that are far too large and close-up for their compact auditoriums’ viewing distances; rooms that are also too narrow to fit a Panavision/Cinemascope ratio screen into within such confined spaces.
As former member of the UK’s Cinema Theatre Association and the Thirties Society (now Twentieth Century Society), Carl Beckwith – Audio Visual Consultant has spent a lifetime interested in the architectural splendours of cinema designs since childhood from the late 1960’s onward when being taken to some of his local town’s finest cinemas that were still single-screen theatres that retained all their original interior design cues from the 1930’s. Latterly, while living in London, and where a goodly number of restored examples of the breed still exist to this day, the magic that these venues hold for anyone entering such an establishment can be witnessed by overhearing the comments made by anyone who has a passing interest or appreciation of good interior design.
In this portfolio, as afforded by the clients commissioning said design, – professionals already possessed of the requisite knowledge through their working associations within the performing arts’ sector and the various venues in which such performances are held, – the critique of remaining faithful to the concept of cinema/theatre from the given period of architectural design has meant that there would not be any default or ‘off-the-peg’ solutions applied to any detail. This meant that the lighting schemes and fittings’ designs, the fabrics and colours, the paint finishes and shades, the wall coverings’ textures and the furnishings’ materials and architecture, all came under exacting scrutiny. No ‘lazy man’ leather armchairs with cup holders. No unnecessarily bombastic sound systems with the dozen-plus channels of loudspeakers that not only crowd the aesthetic but ultimately overwhelm the sound presentation to the distraction of what’s being presented on the screen, including bass effects that only serve to challenge an audiences’ patience with discomfort, (these were impressive measures to begin with, but the time has come to let go of such models of presentation unless specifically requesting these be included).
Instead, a more intelligently curated approach is given precedence: strictly in-period furniture being selected and made-to-order. Accurate sound that has been expertly calibrated using the fundamentals that hold true to the precepts of longstanding in high-fidelity reproduction without the ubiquitous add-on’s. Lighting schemes that create subtle hues and ambience with the right Kelvin rated colour temperatures. Picture resolution that takes in professional industry-standards for quality image presentation of the most natural order. Factors that have each been carefully designated. This is the mainstay of the cinema’s detailed brief, all within a ‘period correct’ tomb of exquisite aesthetic proportions that will feel an occasion every time one steps inside.
This approach is the antithesis of the worst excesses of home cinema and multiplex models that have each been allowed to persist in what has been seen by many as being the manifestation of common denominator marketing practices in force: aligning toward a youthful patronage that covets loudness, bass and all-round sonic overload. As a direct consequence of this, the more discerning film-goer is now turning their attention toward the idea of having their own ’boutique’ in-house cinema realised; additionally being time-constrained and unable to visit more select independent cinema operations that may not be within easy access, or the film choices/times/dates not completely in alignment with one’s full-on diary.
Enquiries & Contact
If you have a genuine interest in wishing to have a room that is well suited to being converted into a mini auditorium, equipped with up-to-date apparatus that doesn’t go overboard with the unneccessary peripherals and are able to realise the financial prospect of the collective costs that come with such a bespoke design, for this practice only uses the best operations of professional contractors that religiously work to my brief, but whom are responsible to the client directly regarding liason of responsibility with their associated costs for a given project, then I will be happy to enter into discussions with you, – noting that this practice intends limiting such an operation of design and build to just one project within a given year.
This means we are only aligning to clients who appreciate what goes into such an operation without there being any room for working relations breaking down over untoward assertiveness or negative, contradictory personalities, with much unwarranted stresses to bear. Thankfully, we seldom run into such people; possibly one every seven years or so! This has to be remarked upon as a prerequisite to the small minority who are impatient by nature and calling the shots, for which no-one on this team either expects nor would wish to contend with. Fair mindedness from commitment and professionalism extending between both parties, as is expected in these more informed times of courteous conduct without malice, which is where we wish to operate. Where working on such a project is all about creativity combined with an enthusiasm toward the end result with a client having lasting enjoyment from their investment.
Photography – Richard Kalina London
Interior build & decoration – Marshels Farnborough
The Moderne Art Deco Cinema
From the earliest era of cinematographic film presentation, the notion of escapism within visual ‘motion pictures’ story telling has been the mainstay of the public’s fascination and imagination from a medium that can deliver a limitless range of emotions; quite often influencing the viewer long after the screening event has passed. Cinema is a life changing phenomena, for to quote from the founder of the BBC, Lord Reith, it educates, informs and instructs, – although today’s inclusive mantra has replaced the supposed patrician educational angle with entertain.
When synchronised sound was added to film presentation in the late 1920’s, the whole idea of film screenings up to that point being a mere novelty by the cynical nay-sayers of the day, quickly came of age and grew into a burgeoning industry with all-powerful film studios that rapidly became the driving force with every aspect of film making, distribution and presentation being under their remit of control.
Odeon cinema/theatre Swiss Cottage 1937
For the following decade up until the outbreak of the second world war, cinema was the most thriving industry the public had ever seen, with every town and city bearing witness to the rapid expansion of new theatres being constructed. Some towns boasting up to a half-dozen of such buildings, and this, in addition to older, converted-to-sound picture palaces of smaller proportions that were either purpose built or variety theatres that had been converted into cinemas as early as 1912 when film presentation began as a commercial entity at large.
During this period of growth in promoting cinema, much like anything else when new, the idea of bigger and better in order to usurp the competition by attracting new patrons was very much in evidence. Add to this the movement of the new age of architecture with designs of the most bold and vivid creations embracing the widely accepted and aspirational Art Deco movement, and the idea of escapism when entering through the doors of a well appointed cinema, long before the film had even begun, had never been more prevalent.
Odeon cinema Muswell Hill 1936
The most visually arresting examples of these cinemas were penned by architects and interior design houses with names including, Theodore Komisarjevsky, George Coles, Harry Weedon, and Andrew Mather, to name but a few of the most notable designers. Such auditoria often seated between 1800 – 4000 patrons at a time. The auditoriums were fully air-conditioned and the largest buildings possessed full stage facilities for live acts as well as presenting film, with the screen hoisted-up to make way for stage performances. The theatre organ by this time becoming the modern alternative to an orchestra, rising on a hydraulic lift from the front-of-stage pit and acting as a unit orchestra with the cinema’s in-house theatre organist. Musicians who back then, knew how to skilfully orchestrate with a musically arresting score, but as an interlude instead of being an accompanist to silent films, which were by this time few and far between.
The modern cinema of the 1930’s would also benefit from a well appointed cafe or restaurant above the entrance that looked down onto the high street, and a circle lounge where one could retire for a smoke and drink while waiting for the previous screening to come to an end. Everything was catered toward the patron who had never before witnessed these levels of extravagance and luxury on such a grand scale.
Ritz cinema/theatre Southend-on-Sea 1935
These grandiose ‘coming-of-age’ picture palaces were referred to as Super Cinemas. Nothing of their kind has since been in evidence, bar a few examples left within a few towns and cities that have been awarded preservation order status with Grade II and II* listing. The luckiest survivors receiving backing from investors with the foresight of realising their supreme community as well as design merits in an age of somewhat less inspiring creativity. Buildings that have been brought back from the brink of demolition notices through the combined efforts of community support and business case studies followed by planned restoration programmes that have led toward not only film screenings but also with local and national live performing acts and staged theatre productions being put on. A recent business model that was never realised in time on so many fine buildings that gave way to supermarkets and car parks over the past fifty or so years. A travesty, if ever there was, given the importance of some of the cinemas that were cutting-edge and at the forefront of the Art Deco movement in architectural design, yet now lost forever; subjected to the wrecker’s ball.
– Carl Beckwith summer 2025