Express & Star

Garden shed cinema is movie buff's dream

It's a movie buff's dream – a cinema at the bottom of the garden.

Published

And that's just what Paul Slim has created, by kitting out his shed with a huge screen and surround sound.

The 36-year-old originally kitted out the living room of his Amblecote home with the high-tech equipment but had to find a new home for it when his girlfriend, Nic, moved in.

And the Carphone Warehouse worker quickly hit on the idea of designing his own shed to become the perfect venue for him and friends to enjoy films on the big screen.

The project took around three months and £15,000 to complete with Mr Slim, who used to run the Movie Junction store in Stourbridge, doing a lot of the wiring himself.

It is fitted with four sofas so people can watch films in comfort along with a 119-inch screen, a 3D projector, 11.2 surround sound.

The includes extra speakers to produce height and width in the sound and the addition of two sub-woofers to increase the bass.

The shed also has a lobby area where Mr Slim stores his huge collection of 3,000 DVDs and Blu-Rays.

Visitors can also put on slippers or get hold of a hot or cold drink from the foyer just as they would in a real cinema.

It is also kitted out with a selection of movie memorabilia which Mr Slim has collected over the years.

In one corner are large cut-outs of Boba Fett and C-3PO from the Star Wars franchise while shelves are packed with models from Pirates of the Caribbean, including Captain Jack Sparrow, Kill Bill and The Simpsons.

The collection also features figures from Shaun of the Dead and V for Vendetta.

Visitors can also cuddle up to a toy Bambi or Ted from the recent movie of the same name.

Mr Slim said he had been collecting film memorabilia since he was a child - starting with the figures from his beloved Star Wars films.

"At first it started with the figures and as I've grown up I've moved to the bigger collectables such as the cut-outs," he said.

The prize of his collection is a life-sized model of the Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford in the film series, frozen in Carbonite from Stars Wars' The Empire Strikes Back.

And Mr Slim's design for his shed has proved such a hit it is now in the running for a top prize in a nationwide competition to find Britain's best sheds.

The winner will be judged by Channel 4's Sarah Beeny and Kevin McCloud along with a host of enthusiasts.

Mr Slim said he had been a movie fan for years and had built up a collection of over 3,000 titles.

"I designed the shed which was then built by an outside company who did all the woodwork and installed it," he said.

"I did everything else including all the installations, wiring and calibrating the sound and vision."

He also decorates the shed for Christmas and Halloween. It can hold around 20 people comfortably.

Mr Slim said he held movie night marathons for friends.

"Generally my friends come around on a Sunday night. We order food and watch a film," he said.

"I think we would all love to spend more time in the shed during the week but unfortunately there is not the time."

Mr Slim used to work for Best Buy, designing home cinema systems for customers, and used all that knowledge in the making of his own home cinema.

"When I worked for Best Buy we would hold staff meetings in the shed.

It has certainly proved a major talking point over the years and I am very proud of it," he said.

Vote for Mr Slim's shed by logging on to website www.readersheds.co.uk

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.