my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » The first movie you ran on your own was...? (Page 12)

This topic comprises 16 pages: 1  2  3  ...  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16

Author Topic: The first movie you ran on your own was...? Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 01-21-2010 11:11 PM                        The first movie I built up on my own was Last Man Standing which opened Sept. 20, 1996. I don't remember which movie was the first I threaded/ran, but I'm guessing something like A Time To Kill or Chain Reaction. Because I worked in a 6-plex, I'm sure it was more than just one movie.  |  IP: Logged Edward Havens Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 614 From: Los Angeles, CA Registered: Mar 2008 posted 01-22-2010 06:09 PM                     The first film I ran on my own was Aliens, in July 1986. The first film I built up on my own was Star Trek IV, in November 1986. I remember Brake Water didn't deliver the Trek print until 7AM opening day and our first show was at 11AM. I went very slow and prayed to a God I don't believe in to let everything go swell. It did go swell. We played that print for months and it looked as good at the end of its run as it did at the start. Even though I was a punk-a** non-union teenaged assistant manager, I made sure my presentations were always top notch. I still don't believe in God.  |  IP: Logged John T. Hendrickson, Jr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 889 From: Freehold, NJ, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-22-2010 08:09 PM                     Phil Hill- Small world. I saw several shows at the post theatre at Fort Monmouth back in 1967. We had friends in the military who were stationed there and invited us to go as their guests. Never saw a bad show- special services always did it right. Always wanted to get my hands on one of those army training manuals. I once saw one for the Simplex XL back in 1970. Wonder if there are any kicking around out there?  |  IP: Logged Damien Taylor Master Film Handler Posts: 493 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2007 posted 01-22-2010 08:57 PM                     The first films I showed were: Jumper, The Spiderwick Chronicles and Step Up 2 the Streets. Wow, I'm a newb.  |  IP: Logged Michael Hossen Expert Film Handler Posts: 136 From: Perth, Australia Registered: Apr 2007 posted 01-22-2010 09:58 PM                        The first film I showed by myself was Happy Feet, or it might have been Ghost Rider or Wild Hogs.  |  IP: Logged Steve Greeno Film Handler Posts: 15 From: Frankfort, In. USA Registered: May 2008 posted 01-22-2010 10:26 PM                     My first movie was very interesting. I was always wanting to get into the theater business or at least work in one. Our local theater (which was demolished in 2008) was managed by a friend of mine. One night I went out there to see "Beverly Hills Cop 2" and while I was there I asked this friend of mine if I could go up into the projection booth to check it out. He said no problem so I went up into the booth to watch the last 10 minutes of the movie. He never said for me to not touch anything. While I was up there my friend, the manager, was busy out in the lobby getting the place ready for the next showing. This was on a Friday night and they were very busy. So, while I was in the booth I started checking out how it was put together. They were using a Simplex projector and a Speco platter system (which I now own). As I sat there I took notice of how the film traveled from the platter, to the projector. I opened the side door of the projector and memorized how the film was threaded through the mechanism. I also took notice of which side of the film the soundtrack was on. After the movie ran out and everything shut down, I popped the center ring out of the take up platter and started threading the film for the next show. I was taking a big chance at doing this since I could have really messed things up for the next show. After I got done threading everything up I walked out of the booth to go find my friend. I went up to him and told him what I had done and his eyes got real big and almost had a panic attack. He ran up into the booth and started checking out what I had done. With much relief, I did everything perfect except for my bottom loop was a little too tight. After he made the adjustment, everything was ready to go. He was really impressed and told me he had tried to teach some of the other employees to run the booth but they just wouldn't learn it. He right away asked me if I wanted a job. I took the job and later took over the cinema as manager when the owners booted him out.  |  IP: Logged Richard B. Perrine Film Handler Posts: 89 From: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Registered: Apr 2000 posted 01-22-2010 11:09 PM                     First one I got paid for ....Chitty chitty Bang Bang July 1969. first one I ran in my Basement when I was 16....part of an "I Love Lucy" (on a Motiograph F and ERPI base)...that I got from Movie Wonderland In 1965, I ran 16mm at the Student union (I was 14)...while visiting my brother where he went to college....I ran Alphaville, Long Days Journy into Night, Jules and Jim and others...(the college guys didn't know how to run a 16mm). I made them get me 2 machines and figured out how to do a change-over (which was perfect except for being 5ft to the right of the screen).  |  IP: Logged Matt Skilton Film Handler Posts: 43 From: Bromley, Kent, UK Registered: May 2009 posted 01-23-2010 06:14 AM                        Wow, this thread makes me feel so young (which makes a nice change) I pretty much ran films on my own on my very first day as my Manager kept getting called out of the booth. But the first film I was taught on on how to lace-up was Atonement. First film I rehearsed was Ratatouille. First film I made-up on my own was Evan Almighty, so no great loss if I mucked it up, except for spoiling the lovely Lorelai Gilmore  |  IP: Logged Robert Throop Master Film Handler Posts: 412 From: Vernon, NY USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-23-2010 07:27 AM                     Phil, Were those the "new style" Magnarcs with the indicator lights on the back to tell you when to change carbon? Bob  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 01-23-2010 10:07 AM                     Star Wars 1977. I've told this before. My friend was working nights at a drive-in, and had shown me how to do changeovers several times over the course of a month or so of my being there watching him work. I was there one night, and he asked me to start the movie while he ran outside to do something... I seem to remember him saying that a speaker was not working in the field... Anyway, he stayed away for the entire feature... 6 reels! Later, I found out that he was sitting out in his car with his wife enjoying the show! I had a ball, and have never looked back!  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 01-23-2010 06:25 PM                     That's the best one...Bruce wins.  |  IP: Logged Scott Hicks Film Handler Posts: 24 From: Portland, Oregon, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 01-23-2010 10:16 PM                        My first solo: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Christmas 1974. Motiograph AAA's, Strong Utilities with 7mm trim, Motiograph sound with Western Electric stage speaker. Everything that could go wrong - did. Butch starts with a 1.33 flicker running in the middle of the frame. Two lens changes later, it goes full screen...then the take-up reel stops...then the arc goes out (the feed motors didn't work)....then I miss the change-over...then the aperture vibrates half-way out......and on and on. The longest 5-reel shift I every ran! I get home and my dad asks "How'd it go tonight?". I say: "It was the worst experience of my life, and I'll NEVER do that again!" So, here I am 35 years later and NEVER worked anywhere but the biz.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-24-2010 12:26 AM                     quote: John Wilson That's the best one...Bruce wins. I agree! I'm still waitin for Phil to decide which movie was the first movie he ran>..... He's listed two different movies in this thread as being his first one... Mark  |  IP: Logged Ian Parfrey Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1049 From: Imbil Australia 26 deg 27' 42.66" S 152 deg 42' 23.40" E Registered: Feb 2009 posted 01-24-2010 02:01 AM                     The very first movie I ran solo was "The Dirty Dozen" run on 2 Elmo ST1200's and was a rented Super 8 library print with optical sound. These were the days when you could hire a hall and show movies for some pocket money, and was well before the introduction of home video. If I remember right, the audio wasn't too bad considering Super 8 optical wasn't all that startling to begin with. Professionally, it was at a hard top in Melbourne and was "Buckaroo Banzai" on Cinemeccanica Vic 8's on changeover and 6K spools. Lamps were vertical Cinemeccanica X400 xenons. Audio was Eprad Super Starscope L,C,R Surround.  |  IP: Logged Cameron Glendinning Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 845 From: West Ryde, Sydney, NSW Australia Registered: Dec 2005 posted 01-24-2010 05:44 AM                     I am pretty sure it was a French film called "Le grand chemin" (U.S. as Grand Highway) at The Walker Street cinema in North Sydney. Projection equipment was Simplex E7, R2 sound head, peerless magnarcs with 2000ft change overs and mono sound.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 16 pages: 1  2  3  ...  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.