Wuhan Insun International Cineplex 2017

Designers: Ajax Law and Virginia Lung, One Plus Partnership Limited, Hong Kong, SAR
Client: Hubei Xiangsheng & Insun Entertainment Co., Ltd., Hubei, P.R. China

Back then when filming has not been digitalized, filmmakers used roll films to capture different scenes in a movie, they then use lightboxes to view and edit the videos. Roll films together with lightboxes have created numerous classics that we all enjoyed. With the advancement in technology, the method of film production has evolved, and movies are no longer produced by roll films and light boxes. The designers used traditional film editing as the theme of Wuhan Insun International Cineplex, as a tribute to filmmakers who have contributed all these years.

In the lobby, a lot of lightboxes are hung from the ceiling. On the back of these lightboxes, light tubes are installed in a random fashion, creating a casual and leisure atmosphere. These lightboxes are made of metal mesh, as the light penetrates holes of 4 different sizes and shapes, the interplay between the light and shadow enriches the lighting effect in the lobby. The variety of metal mesh patterns represents the storyboards filmmakers draw in the process of brainstorming, signifying an important stage of film production.

Although the designers did not attach movie stills on the lightboxes, the holes on the lightboxes are themselves elaborate decorations. Some lightboxes are painted with single Chinese character, such as “Hua” (畫, i.e. movie), “Chi” (吃,i.e. eat), to abstractly indicate different areas of the cinema, and at the same time imitate images on roll films. One of the lightboxes is in fact an LED screen, while enabling the cinema to display trailers and movie information, the screen has created another lighting effect. Apart from the lightboxes in the ceiling feature, the designers have especially adopted black granite tiles in square shape to echo with the theme of the cinema.

The designers have adopted a nostalgic lighting style in this contemporarily designed cinema. In the olden days, normal households used tungsten filament bulbs, which gave out a yellowish, even orange, lighting, and the light was not as strong as modern bulbs. In order to resemble this atmosphere, the designers have chosen dimmer and warmer lighting in the cinema. The theme color of the cinema is orange, aside from matching with the lighting, it also imitates the color of rust on the metal mesh light boxes, representing the passage of time.

The theme of traditional film editing is illustrated in the auditoriums with the use of different materials and decorations. The walls are decorated by rectangular shaped sound absorbing panels in different colors, they are arranged in different groupings, just like a wall full of lightboxes. The patchwork carpets in red, orange, and yellow echo with the lightbox decorations on the wall. The designers have also brought the theme into the washroom. Apart from using the same black granite tiles as the lobby, the “floating” washing basin and mirrors also echo with the lightbox decorations in the lobby, which are hung from the ceiling. 

Although filmmakers seldom, or even never, use roll film in filming anymore, a lot of classics that we love are produced using this method. As the visitors enter the cinema, the designers hope to lead them into the olden days, to immerse themselves in the process of filmmaking in the past, and enjoy a unique film viewing experience.