Mike Falzon is what we’d call a bargain shopper. While many could easily sink a hundred grand into a basement theater, this DIYer spent a lot of time with mind on his money and his money on his mind. The end result put his pennies—a lot of them—to the test. 

One way Mike saved a few bucks: He designed and created his own custom theater introduction. He has a side business [www.falzonvideo.com], doing video editing and creation. This experience translated into an intro that includes trivia slides and announcements such as, “Please turn off your cell phone!” 

He also used the computer to design his own snack bar sign and marquee at the entrance of the theater. “The movie marquees are printed on transparencies using my own printer, so I can easily keep it up to date,” he says. 

Other than that, Mike also made the lightboxes and the movie mylars (for “Fantastic Four” and “Spider-Man 3”). OK, it’s not exactly building his own speakers—although he did a bit of DIY on the screen. 

“The custom built screen was a no-brainer, and I am not a handy guy,” Mike says. “My room is a dedicated theater, so I wanted a fixed screen.” Instead of spending the $1,000-plus for a 110-inch fixed screen, Mike surfed the web until he found an eBay seller than sold screen material for less than $100, which included shipping costs. 

Mike then recruited a friend (“who is handy with wood”) to help design the frame. The screen stretched over the frame and was affixed with a staple gun. Then, they added standard wood molding and painted the unit a flat black. When the piece was completed, it had cost less than $200 total.

Sure his screen took time, but the other pieces in his theater were just as carefully thought out. It helped that he avoided impulse buys. “When I’m ready to buy a new piece of equipment, I’ll spend months reading magazines waiting for a great review to come in on a moderately priced piece of equipment,” Mike says. “Once I decide what I want, then I go to work on finding the best deal.” He says that although he searches for the best deals on the Internet, he tries to steer clear of web purchases, citing return hassles and warranty worries.

“Once I’m knowledgeable about pricing, I’ll go to a local electronics store and start negotiating,” he says. Mike adds that a lot of his luck can be attributed to timing. “You can get a great deal on current models as the new models are being introduced.”

Another way Mike cut costs: he purchased his Irwin Ambassador theater seats second hand from a seller on Videogon, a home theater forum on the web. Since the seller was located only an hour away, he saved on the massive shipping expenses by just jumping in the car and picking them up himself. 

While he found plenty of ways to cut costs, one thing he did not skimp on was style. His wife Nancy went out and bought him “Great Escapes: New Designs for Home Theaters,” by Theo Kalomirakis [www.tktheaters.com]. “It has some fantastic home theaters from some very affluent people and provided a lot of great inspiration,” Mike says. Someday he hopes to redecorate the interior walls with rich colors and columns. “Nancy would really love that—we call her ‘Fancy Nancy’.”

All of the equipment lives in an unfinished room right next to the theater, behind the “Spider-Man” poster. “It’s very functional but doesn’t make a very good picture,” he says, adding that he actually posted an “Employees Only” sign on the door. “Going back there is like peeking behind the curtain at Oz; it takes some of the mystery out of the place.”

He has also taken some of the mystery out for his three children—but certainly not the excitement. He recently shared “The Fellowship of the Ring” with his 10-year-old son Brandon. However, it wasn’t just movie night with Dad; it was arrows whizzing, the cave troll’s hammer rattling, and a creepy expedition down into the mine. “The expression on Brandon’s face was priceless and really made me appreciate that he was able to experience the film in a theater, rather than just watching it on TV,” Mike says of being able to enjoy the movie theater experience at home. “The fact that the ‘snack bar’ serves beer is a big plus for me too!”

Quick Hits:
Year Completed: 2005
Room Size: 14 x 23 feet (approximate)
Length of Project: 6 months (on and off)
Total Cost: Under $10,000

Rachel Cericola - Contributing Writer

Over the past 15 years, Rachel Cericola has covered entertainment, web and technology trends. Check her out at www.rachelcericola.com.