 Re: Cedar Creek Cinema colors...
What SMPTE has recommended for additional colors in an ideal viewing environment are the "nearly neutrals" from the Munsell Color Order System. These colors are pastels and "nearly whites." You probably won't find this set of Munsell references very easily. I have a book of reference color samples but they're over $500.00 just for the nearly neutrals and nearly whites, with an incomplete set of neutrals in the back.
The nearly neutrals start out as a pale pastel but extend in value (light to dark) all the way into some pretty dark shades. As they darken they don't increase much in chroma (richness of color) but look more like increased amounts of black are added to the mix. Burgundy can be a nearly neutral. This gives them a gray-ish character so that they don't turn vivid color shades. The entire color spectrum is represented.
Munsell developed the original color order system that Pantone and other subsequent systems are based upon. This was over 100 years ago. Therefore, there are many sources for this category of colors.
Bright or vivid colors can be used as accents in a video viewing environment, but the dominant color scheme should be neutral to nearly neutral. Again, this methodology is for rooms where image fidelity and color accuracy in the video picture is top priority.
With front projection theaters, the front wall can have a little color in it as long as it's darker. When the lights go out, and the screen lights up, it will appear to be black. This is acceptable since the light coming off of the screen never shines onto the front wall. An exception would be where the ceiling is white or another boundary near the front wall is light enough to bounce light from the screen onto the front wall.
Don't use what you see in actual theaters as your guide. Use the documented SMPTE standards and practices. There are plenty of mistakes made in public venues or magazine photos. The THX Theater Alignment Program (TAP) recommendations are based upon SMPTE's work. If you don't mind a contaminated screen image, do whatever you want.
Best regards and beautiful pictures,
Alan Brown, President
CinemaQuest, Inc.
ISF, THX, SMPTE, CEDIA
"Advancing the art and science of electronic imaging"
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