Jacob Abbott, president of Visual Concepts in Nashville, TN, was the custom integrator to bring this particular fan’s dreams to life with the installation of one truly unique home theater.
This customer wasn’t just looking for great sound, he was looking for the most resolved, clear and powerful sound system available; sound that would completely blow him and his guests away when fire-breathing dragons roared overhead, or thousands of horse-mounted warriors clashed on the battlefield.
Abbott and the rest of the team at Visual Concepts were more than up for the Game of Thrones theater challenge. “Listening and truly getting to know your customer is incredibly important when designing custom home theaters,” Abbott said. “In my nearly 20 years of doing this, never before have I worked with a more avid movie buff/audiophile that had such cool memorabilia that he wanted to incorporate into the space. We knew we needed to think outside the box – inventive and over-the-top – from the equipment specified, to the automation, and to every last detail in the interior design in order to nail this project.”
Visual Concepts worked with Donny Hackett Design to design and retrofit the room. After taking measurements, they began the design process using CAD to model the theater. By special customer request, the theater was to be a detailed replication of a scene from Spartacus or Game of Thrones.
Abbott’s customer came to him with a vision for his Game of Thrones and Spartacus-themed home theater that was nothing short of spectacular.
Jacob Abbott, president of Visual Concepts in Nashville, TN, knows one of these Game of Thrones superfans quite well.
They are the superfans who want to be transported directly into the world of Westeros; to be completely surrounded by the excitement, consumed by the atmosphere—every sound, every visual, and every emotion.
There are a lot of Game of Thrones fans that watch the show religiously. But for some, simply watching the show is not enough.
Jacob was the custom integrator to bring this particular fan’s dreams to life with the installation of one truly unique home theater.
“We knew we needed to think outside the box – inventive and over-the-top – from the equipment specified, to the automation, and to every last detail in the interior design in order to nail this project.”
“Knowing nothing we suggested would be seen as too much, we considered every detail of the room from complete reconstruction of the stairwell, ceilings and walls, to rich fabrics, plush furniture, specialized lighting”
The entire project design, construction, installation and automation took over six months with dozens of hands on deck. From the very first step of the stairwell.
“Being a fan of Game of Thrones myself, I was blown away by the creativity and attention to detail that Abbott and his team put into this project”
By special customer request, the theater was to be a detailed replication of a scene from Spartacus or Game of Thrones.
This customer wasn’t just looking for great sound, he was looking for the most resolved, clear and powerful sound system available; sound that would completely blow him and his guests away when fire-breathing dragons roared.
Visual Concepts worked with Donny Hackett Design to design and retrofit the room.
Together, with Donny Hackett Design, they also completely rebuilt the stairwell and motorized lift-gate entrance.
“In my nearly 20 years of doing this, never before have I worked with a more avid movie buff/audiophile that had such cool memorabilia that he wanted to incorporate into the space.”
“Hackett’s team let their imaginations run wild,” Abbott said. “Knowing nothing suggested would be seen as too much, his team considered every detail of the room from complete reconstruction of the stairwell, ceilings and walls, to rich fabrics, plush furniture, specialized lighting, and even theme-specific automation features that incorporated the customer’s medieval memorabilia.”
Visual Concepts specified a 7.2 Pro Audio Technology system because they felt that no other audio manufacturer had product specifications that met the customer’s high expectations. After reviewing the efficiency, power, and output capability of the proposed system, the customer was 100-percent sold on the PRO system. And, as an added bonus, the system came in under budget.
“Being a fan of Game of Thrones myself, I was blown away by the creativity and attention to detail that Hackett, Abbott and his team put into this project,” said L. Paul Hales, owner and product designer of Pro Audio Technology. “We are gratified that the PRO system was able to exceed the high expectations of the client.”
For video, Visual Concepts was able to get their hands on one of the first 4K Wolf DLD-280FD laser DLP projectors in the industry with ProScaler MK III, along with a Seymour AV screen and Helix media server. The entire AV rack, including four Pro Audio Technology PMA amplifiers and Marantz pre-amp, is hidden behind a seven-foot tall motorized door that can only be unlocked by lifting the end of a customized skeleton key installed on a nearby shelf.
The theater is situated above a garage and needed a significant amount of soundproofing, so Visual Concepts used Dynamat to get the job done. Together, with Hackett’s team, they also completely rebuilt the stairwell and motorized lift-gate entrance. After a significant amount of concrete work, the staircase was transformed into a spiral staircase resembling that of a castle.
At the top of the winding stairs, visitors are greeted by a wooden arched double-door entrance. To the left of the entrance is a custom-made bar atop whiskey barrels, antiqued to give it an authentic look. The dramatic vaulted starlit ceilings and side panels of the theater also feature backlit DMX RGB lighting that, much like all of the automation, can be controlled via iPad through the Control4 system. Taking the automation experience to the next level, Visual Concepts worked with designers to incorporate the customer’s sword collection into six individual motorized columns throughout the room, each lit from within and timed so that when switched on, one-by-one the columns rotate and light up to reveal the sword within.
The theater also includes a coffee table with a CNC-machined, back-lit map of the Game of Thrones world. Knocking three times on the coffee table unlocks and opens it to reveal the customer’s hidden gaming consoles. The designers also built wings for the customer-supplied dragon head, which are mounted on the wall directly above the projector screen with eyes lit by pin lights mounted on the projector for visual effects, and a full suit of armor cleverly named “Sir Duncan the Tall”, stands on guard at the rear of the theater.
The entire project design, construction, installation and automation took over twelve months with dozens of hands on deck. From the very first step of the stairwell, the Spartacus and Game of Thrones theme is apparent. Visitors are immediately transported through time, as they walk below the lift gate and up the candle-lit cement castle stairs, complete with backlit varnished rope hand rail, to the otherworldly theater above.
“Our client was extremely specific right down to the most minute details, but as the popular Game of Thrones saying goes, ‘The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword’, and that we did,” Abbott said. “Each challenge the client presented gave us the opportunity to build something bigger and better than anything we’d done before. Not only is The Game of Thrones theater by far the best-looking and best-sounding room we’ve ever built, the real satisfaction comes from seeing the look of pure joy on our client’s face. Even as a Game of Thrones superfan, he was completely and totally blown away by the final product. It was an amazing experience and I am forever grateful for the opportunity.”
