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This topic comprises 8 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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Author
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Topic: Worst booth disaster?
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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man
Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 03-26-2002 11:54 PM
Suction cups? They only suck for the first 30 minutes or so. I can picture some projectionist "Hauling up a big green loogie" and deposit it on the suction cup. Just by that idea alone, there is no way I would lick a suction cup. Ewwwww.....!! In most electrical supply houses, there is a stuffing tube compound that is very cohesive, but it still has enough adhesive qualities with the weight involved to stay on the platter without too much problem. It seems to work quite well, even on the platters that have a severe "hunting" chacteristic. Personally, I do not believe in tail tucks, and I never use that method. The AW3 platters, being smooth in nature, rarely toss the tail.
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Steve Kraus
Film God
Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000
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posted 03-27-2002 07:27 AM
The Weenie Man wagged:
>They only suck for the first 30 minutes or so.In my experience when moistened they'd stick for days. >Just by that idea alone, there is no way I would lick a suction cup.
>Ewwwww.....!! Nor I. You can moisten them with a spritzer bottle or even spit *on* them but lick? No way, excepting perhaps new out of the box and then only if you want to get intimate with some anonymous denizen of Fisher, IL.
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Aaron Sisemore
Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day!
Posts: 3061
From: Rockwall TX USA
Registered: Sep 1999
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posted 03-28-2002 01:20 AM
>>Has anyone else use the Christie Print Stoppers.<<They're nicknamed 'Bevan-Poos'® click on 'Reviews' for more info, and 'Manuals' for the manual for one  -Aaron
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Stefan Scholz
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 223
From: Schoenberg, Germany
Registered: Sep 1999
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posted 03-30-2002 03:33 AM
Worst desaster?
Actually Iremember 2.
One was on my birthday three years ago. We had scheduled to run "Around the world in 80 days" on the 66foot Todd AO screen. On platter, so I can take care of my guests. We were about to wind the last reel onto the platter (everything fit on one cake, 70mm large diameter platter), and I asked the friend supporting me to stop the winding. He instead cranked up to max speed, the core broke, and the cake went through the room ending on the opposite wall. It was 3/4 hrs to the time the guests were scheduled to arrive.
Quite some work to get 12000+ ft of ancient 35mm IB tech from the floor, back into at least half of a print before intermission, so I was able to restore the rest during the first part.
Guests were arriving, and was nastily urged to take care of them. It was a nightmare, but I managed. Beside my rare appearance at the birthday show, noone noticed our accident.Second desaster was running a 1944 dance musical from Nazi-Germany for a friend. A beloved piece of dance and music featuring the UFA film orchestra with its 6 grand pianos, 3 harp, 40+ violins, in a rare film clip. The friend and I checked, just the smell of rotten cardbox. No campfer. So, beeing lazy I deceided not to use the Bauer U2, but the modern U4 (safety film only) projector. You could imagine the rest of the story, the film broke, (and I would have loved to have filmed my face during that incident) and I saw the gate flame. F---- it's NOT safety.
The reel caught fire, and at that time the professional engineer came through. 6-8 kWh of heat dissipated in 20+ seconds, 20" concrete ceiling above and 2ft walls, designed for nitrate zoperation. About 2500 cbft booth, and an opebn door should mean clean burnup. Use of carbon dioxide extinguisher might save some frames, but definitvely enters the lamphouse and endangours my bulb and mirror.
I was right, the firm clearly burnt with hot flame, leaving a brown spot on the ceiling, which after wiping off now is a white spot on an otherwise grey ceiling. And 3 hours of vacuuming and cleaning the projector. All demage were 2 plastic rollers on the SDDS 2k reader, and the camera cover now lookes melted.
With spoll box the demage would have been bigger, as the oxigen supply is definitively worse. I would have lost the gloss painted, untampered U 2 spoolbox, and probably more.
Conclusion: No more nitrate, and if really required to screen unknown film, use a projector built for that purpose.
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Steve Kraus
Film God
Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000
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posted 03-31-2002 11:07 AM
I have always questioned the wisdom of enclosed magazines whose doors latch closed. I'd be worried that if a whole reel of nitrate caught fire the pressure might explosively rupture its containment sending sharp metal and glass flying. On the other hand, they did have half a century experience running this film with reasonable safety so one must presume that the designers knew what they were doing. Perhaps a tightly wound reel doesn't burn faster than gases can escape the container and dangerous pressure doesn't build up. (I don't think it would be self-extinguishing since the oxygen supply is built-in.) Otherwise I'd say remove the reinforced glass windows and replace them with some sort of substantial grillwork that would contain the fire but let it vent.It would make a great addition to the nitrate fire video library if someone would set up in the middle of an open field, a complete machine with everything by the book: Enclosed magazines, all doors covers, latches, and magazine windows in place, and nitrate era fire-trap rollers. Thread a up a junk reel of nitrate with part of the roll in the take-up. Then, from a safe distance using a remote starter, ignite the film and record the results.
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Craig Hanham
Film Handler
Posts: 79
From: Wellington, New Zealand
Registered: Oct 2001
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posted 08-25-2002 03:51 AM
Just had my worst screening in history and by *&*^$%^% am I not a happy camper.
Ever feel like throwing your projectors through the booth window?
There I am reel 4, time the C/O perfectly only to hear this noise like all the sprockets shedding teeth and the sound track turns to  . Got to stop the program. Yep some how the lower constant speed sprocket jumped a couple of holes and the sound head tension was all out.
So the 11 audience for the Bollywood pic get a short interval 35mins early.
I put that screw up to operator stupidity.There I am 2/3 way through reel 8 (of 9)and look down to see film piling up around the soun constant feed sprocket. Open door and film for miles. The take-up reel clutch has thrown a wobbly. Stop program AGAIN. Tidy mess, have to take pad roller of to get wrap out of bottom end. Give clutch a tighten, re-thread back a bit from where I stopped. Yes, yes I know not the best for the print, by know am sweating buckets, the air has turned blue and demons are appearing everytime I open my mouth.
Restart, with hand on take up reel to act as spare drive, all seems good, but I leave take reel door open in case.
Check to see how carbons are burning look down to see take up has spat the dummy, but the print seems to be quite happy piling up neat on the floor. With only a few minutes reel left, fuck-it I say let it go I'll deal to it at next reel.
Do change over , movie ends no problems. If you have read so far I might have some idear of therr mood I was in when I started this post. Feeling better now.
Final Thought.
Film client brought associate who is partner in Cinema in Aukland to my booth. Had a look at my old Westars (English Westrex)and Peerless Magnarc lamp houses. We talked about the history of the machines (yay Film-tech I can now talk accurate BS). Finished conversation sying how machines were reliable and reasonably well maintained.
Moral of story. DO NOT BE PROUD OF YOUR GEAR WHEN SHOWING IT TO SOMEONE, JUST PRIOR TO USING IT. IT IS SURE TO GO ALL HORRIBLY, DISASTARALLY, SINCERELY, OBVIOUSLY BLOODY WRONG. rant off.
Away to enjoy the rest of my evening and Day off, will return to kick....oops peaceful thoughts, peaceful thoughts
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