How To Create The Perfect Home Cinema Set-Up

There is nothing quite like seeing a great film on the big screen. Incredible movies can transport us into entirely different worlds, give us a fresh perspective, and allow us to feel the pure emotions of the characters involved.

Of course, the way we watch films can play a big part in how all of that comes across. Watching on the big screen in a packed cinema can be a thrilling experience and arguably brings the action to life in a much more effective way than a small TV, phone or tablet. However, if you’re a real movie buff, is it time you brought the cinema experience home with you?

Right Location

Creating a quality home cinema environment can be a huge amount of fun and there are plenty of products out there to help you bring your dream to life. Doing it properly involves much more than simply buying the right kit though, as you will also need the right location for the set-up within your home.
You could potentially make some tweaks to your living room to move forward, but another option may be to create a dedicated space. A spare bedroom might come in handy, while you could even convert a loft. What about an extension too? These projects can be expensive, but there are options you can consider such as remortgaging for home improvements.
For example, the UK-based mortgage adviser Trussle gives guidance on both buying a home and the remortgage process. In terms of the latter, it references how you could remortgage for home improvements, with the money coming from the equity in your home. It adds that the step can be a good idea in some situations, as an extension may prove cheaper than buying a bigger property.

Talking Tech

Once you have the perfect setting for your home cinema, it is time to talk technology. A great projector will be vital and there are plenty of options out there right now. For instance, What HiFI? has compiled a list of top projectors and it references the likes of the Epson EH-TW7100. The 4K projector is described as both “well-judged and affordable”.

Another essential item is quality furniture, as you will want to be comfortable as you settle in to watch your favourite films. A company like Coleccion Alexandra UK could help in this regard. The site details how its Cosmopol range can feature many fabrics, while there is also the option to create chains of seats.

Finally, no cinema room would be complete without that classic snack – popcorn. Again, there are plenty of popcorn makers available these days and Good Housekeeping has pulled together a full guide. It suggests that the best system for a home theatre is the Great Northern Popcorn Foundation Tabletop Popcorn Machine.

The Big Screen at Home

Many movie fans would love to create a home cinema and there are plenty of options they can consider these days.

Hopefully, the ideas mentioned above will set you on your way to creating the perfect big-screen experience in your own property.

Create Your Perfect Soundtrack With Royalty-Free Music

There was a time, not so long ago, that the idea of making your own movie (be that a short for a college project or a full-length movie) would have been almost unthinkable. The costs and time to conduct such an undertaking would have made the concept of dead in the water before you’d even begun.

However over the past few years the associated costs with making a top quality production have dropped significantly. Firstly the equipment needed to make a project that looked big budget, even though the camera technology being used is still relatively cheap, became universally available.

This meant that an aspiring filmmaker could shoot their films with low cost cameras, or even their phones, and the results would still be acceptable and that meant that the success of your vision was not bound by technical restraints, only by your own imagination.

The Moving Image

As the cost of quality filming equipment, and online editing tools, have reduced so have the misconceptions around films and shows made by individuals outside of the traditional studio systems.

The increase in demand for UGC (User Generated Content) has led to an explosion of shows, usually broadcast via social media channels, available for the public to enjoy. No longer are viewers left with only terrestrial national or regional channels to view material.

This is a refreshing change in the mode of production that means that if you have great ideas, and the patience and determination to make them a reality, then it’s just possible that you could garner a strong following to watch the films and shows you produce.

The Perfect Soundtrack

A great film, or TV show, is not complete without a strong soundtrack. That soundtrack could come from individual tracks recorded, or purchased, to back your film or in the form of SFX (Special Effects).

These are crucial, not just from a technical perspective, for instance you may have not been able to record the sound you required on the day of your shoot, but also to make your production feel like the real deal.

Some look to use mainstream music to back the visuals in their movies, perhaps electing to use a well-known song in their soundtrack. However there are two major issues with going down this route.

Firstly the costs of securing the license for a mainstream track are very high indeed, they could end up as expensive as the entire budget of making your movie. And as well as the resultant cost, it’s incredibly difficult to find the relevant publishing house that owns the rights to a given track.

Another option that far too many filmmakers adopt is to use the music without permission or clearance. This is not a path you should follow. Failure to secure permission for a track will most likely result in a very large financial penalty, or worse. Also, if your movie or short film is posted on a social media channel you could soon find yourself the subject of a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright notice) notice and then the fun really begins.

If you receive such a notice your social media channels are most likely to suspend, and delete, your post and if you commit such an offence on multiple occasions, you could be banned entirely from the likes of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Professional Results on an Amateur Budget

However there is an alternative at hand. Due to the massive demand, and output, created by UGC content there have been a number of sites who have opened that offer competitively priced royalty-free music services that will resolve these issues.

Royalty-free music traditionally means music, and SFX, that is available for your use for a flat fee. This means that you can get your hands on a near limitless amount of high-quality music and SFX for a fraction of the cost of paying for the license for an existing chart topping hit.

These providers offer mammoth liberties that offer music and special effects which will be ideal for any situation or scene in your films. The range available is truly vast and in many ways that will make your film far more original than just using a song that frankly we’ve heard far too many times over the top of your quality visuals.

The tracks provided are of the highest quality, usually by aspiring artists who are looking for the exposure they can secure from being used on soundtracks, advertising, social media posts etc.. and these are all helpfully placed in databases that are easy to search and inexpensive.

The Perfect Marriage of Sound and Vision

When you decide to make a film or show you do so because you want to bring your singular vision to an audience, be that large or small. Therefore you are looking to make your vision stand out from the rest, and the marketplace is huge.

So in that way royalty-free music and SFX services give you the security of finding and using bespoke solutions to your soundtrack needs. Using what is available on these sites will help you create a perfect soundtrack to the visuals you produce and the possibilities are frankly endless.

So what are you waiting for?!

BODY COUNT ANNOUNCES FAN CONTEST TO CREATE NEXT MUSIC VIDEO FOR “THE HATE IS REAL”

Body Count just launched a video contest for their song “The Hate Is Real” from their latest album, Carnivore. Fans can create and submit their own videos for the track and the band’s favorite submission will be released as the next official Body Count music video. More details about the contest can be found HERE. BODY COUNT released their new and highly acclaimed full-length album Carnivore on March 6th, 2020. The album was produced by Will Putney (Thy Art Is Murder, Knocked Loose and features standout tracks such as: “Another Level (feat. Jamey Jasta)”,When I’m Gone (feat. Amy Lee)“, “Point The Finger (feat. Riley Gale)”, and Grammy nominated track”Bum-Rush.Carnivore is available to purchase and stream HERE.

The following physical formats are still available for Carnivore:

  • Deluxe 2CD Box Set (incl. bonus tracks, beanie, metallic logo pin, poster & instrumental CD)
  • Ltd. Gatefold LP+CD & LP-Booklet & Poster (incl. bonus track)
  • CD Digipak

Carnivore Tracklist:

  1. Carnivore
  2. Point The Finger (feat. Riley Gale)
  3. Bum – Rush
  4. Ace Of Spades
  5. Another Level (feat. Jamey Jasta)
  6. Colors – 2020
  7. No Remorse
  8. When I’m Gone (feat. Amy Lee)
  9. Thee Critical Beatdown
  10. The Hate Is Real
  11. 6 In Tha Morning – 2020 – Unreleased Demo*
  12. No Lives Matter – Live in Australia 2017**
  13. Black Hoodie – Live in Australia 2017**

(*) Bonus Track (available on Ltd. LP and Ltd. 2CD Box Set)
(**) Bonus Track (only available on 2CD Box Set)

 BODY COUNT is Ice T (vocals), Ernie C. (guitar/backing vocals), Juan Garcia (guitar/backing vocals), Vincent Price (bass/backing vocals), IllWill (drums) and Sean E. Sean (samples/backing vocals).

Purchase/Stream Carnivore:HERE

Follow BODY COUNT:

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Book Review “Create with Maisy: A Maisy First Arts-and-Crafts​ Book”

Author/Illustrator: Lucy Cousins
Reading level: Ages 2 and up
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Candlewick
Release Date: July 10, 2012

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

If you are the fan of the Maisy series or have never heard of it. This is a wonderful first for the Maisy series in this new cute Arts-and-Crafts book. Included here are easy, safe, and fun craft projects that will entertain your young children for hours. They were even put together and photographed by Lucy Cousins herself. If you are looking to entertain and also learn, then I would give this book a look for sure. I can already pick out which ones my daughter is going to love! Can’t wait!

“Why does Maisy keep a Big Box of Everything, filled with glitter, sequins, foil, stickers, paint, brushes, paper, and tons more stuff? Because she loves to make things! Children as young as two will be thrilled to follow her lead, thanks to a brand-new Maisy format featuring both familiar illustrations and photographs by Lucy Cousins. Here are crystal-clear steps for creating seventeen simple crafts, highlighted by photos of the end result. Enjoy making things from painted pebbles to paper lanterns, food collages to feathered masks, and wax-relief paintings to wonderful vegetable animals. As spectacular looking as it is hands-on, here is an activity book sure to please parents as much as it does Maisy’s little fans.”

Blu-ray Review “The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)”

Directed by: Roger Corman
Starring: Dick Miller, Jack Nicholson, Jonathan Haze, Mel Welles
Distributed by: Legend Films
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Running Time: 70 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

Legend Films is known for colorizing classic films and they did a very notable job with 1960’s “The Little Shop of Horrors”. The color is very subtle and feels like it was beautiful hand panted on each scene. I have seen this film many times and I am big fan of Roger Corman and this film still works well for me. This is the first time that this film has been released on Blu-ray and Legend films really did a great job restoring it in both color and black-and-white.

Everyone knows the classic story of “The Little Shop of Horrors”. This 1960 film was also one of Jack Nicholson’s first roles. Seymour grows an exotic plant that has an insatiable appetite for blood and people. As the plant grows larger and larger and hungrier and hungrier, things start to get out of the control for the local flower shop and their bloodthirsty plant.

The video resolutions looks really sharp in its 1080p transfer. The only main concern is that the aspect ratio on the Blu-ray is 1.33:1 compared to the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Nothing major missed though. The audio is nothing special but includes a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track.

The special features only included a commentary track by MST3K’s Mike Nelson, which definitely delivers some great laughs. Lastly if you prefer the classic black and white version of the film, as with all Legend releases they included the original black and white version as well, so everyone is happy.

Relativity Media & Future Games of London Create Game “Hungry Shark Night”

Bikinis?  Check.  Jet skis?  Check.  Beautiful lake house in the middle of nowhere?  Check. Blood-thirsty sharks in the lake? Double Check!  From the developers of the popular “Hungry Shark” games and  the makers of the mega-hit film Limitless and the upcoming Immortals, Future Games of London and Relativity Media bring you something extra special: Hungry Shark Night!

The game is an adaptation of this Fall’s sexy and terrifying release of Shark Night 3D.  A sexy summer weekend turns into a blood-soaked nightmare for a group of college students trapped on an island surrounded by voracious underwater predators in Shark Night 3D, a terrifying thrill ride featuring a red-hot young cast including Sara Paxton (Superhero Movie, Last House on the Left), Dustin Milligan (“90210,”Slither), Chris Carmack (“The O.C.”), Joel David Moore (Avatar) and Katharine McPhee (The House Bunny).  Shark Night 3D is directed by David R. Ellis (The Final Destination) and written by Will Hayes and Jesse Studenberg.

In this new exhilarating game, player can choose to be one of three sharks:  Tiger Shark, Hammerhead Shark and of course, always the crowd’s favorite: The Great White

Swim through the darkness, navigate your way tomunch on packs of fish, unsuspecting swimmers and discover hidden treasures in the mist of crimson bath.

Game Features:

+ In-App purchases for extra blood, health boost and many more

+ Hidden Treasures
+ Hi-Score Leaderboard
+ HD Graphics
Get the app now at:
http://itunes.apple.com/app/id454429226?mt=8

So grab your suits, hold your breath and watch out for what’s in the water!

ABOUT SHARK NIGHT 3D
DIRECTOR: David Ellis (The Final Destination)
WRITERS: Will Hayes and Jesse Studenberg
CAST: Sara Paxton- SARA (Sleepover, Superhero Movie)
Dustin Milligan- NICK (Final Destination 3)
Chris Carmack- DENNIS (The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations)
Joel David Moore- GORDON (Avatar)
Katharine McPhee- BETH (The House Bunny)
Sinqua Walls- MALIK (From the Head)
Donal F. Logue- SABIN (Max Payne)
Joshua Leonard- RED (The Blair Witch Project)
Alyssa Diaz- MAYA (Red Dawn)
Chris Zylka- BLAKE (The Amazing Spider-Man).
PRODUCERS: Mike Fleiss, Lynette Howell and Chris Briggs
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Douglas Curtis

A sexy summer weekend turns into a blood-soaked nightmare for a group of college students trapped on an island surrounded by voracious underwater predators in Shark Night 3D, a terrifying thrill ride from director David Ellis (The Final Destination, Snakes On a Plane), featuring a red-hot young cast including Sara Paxton (Superhero Movie, Last House on the Left), Dustin Milligan (“90210,” Slither), Chris Carmack (“The O.C.”), Joel David Moore (Avatar), Chris Zylka (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Katharine McPhee (The House Bunny).

Arriving by boat at her family’s Louisiana lake island cabin, Sara (Sara Paxton) and her friends quickly strip down to their swimsuits for a weekend of fun in the sun. But when star football player Malik (Sinqua Walls) stumbles from the salt-water lake with his arm torn off, the party mood quickly evaporates. Assuming the injury was caused by a freak wake-boarding accident, the group realizes they have to get Malik to a hospital on the other side of the lake, and fast.
But as they set out in a tiny speedboat, the college friends discover the lake has been stocked with hundreds of massive, flesh-eating sharks! As they face one grisly death after another, Sara and the others struggle desperately to fend off the sharks, get help and stay alive long enough to reach the safety of dry land.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/sharknight3d
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SharkNight3D
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/sharknight3d
Official Site: http://www.iamrogue.com/sharknight3d