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Author Topic: The first movie you ran on your own was...? David Buckley Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 525 From: Oxford, N. Canterbury, New Zealand Registered: Aug 2004 posted 09-30-2004 03:50 AM                        At school, a 16mm education movie produced by BP when I was about 8. 35mm all on my own - that'll be 13 going on 30, just a couple of weeks ago.....  |  IP: Logged Joshua Waaland Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 800 From: Cleveland, Ohio Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-30-2004 06:48 AM                     I can't remember what film was my very first exactly but I do remember what was playing at the time in some of the theaters. Jurassic Park was late in it's run and Gladiator with James Marshall was playing. Gladiator still remains one of my favorite movies today. When I went to see it my mom was dating a guy who's son was the projectionist there. I was the only one in the theater and he told me to come up after the movie. That was my first booth experience. From that time on I fell in love with projection. I came in the next saturday and worked for free that night to prove that I could learn the ropes and was capable of running them. I got the job!  |  IP: Logged Tommie Evans Expert Film Handler Posts: 116 From: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK Registered: Sep 2004 posted 09-30-2004 07:29 AM                     I remember working for Showcase Cinemas back in 1997 - I was a 'Booth assistant' and could only thread the platter system but not the head. I think this was to stop lazy projectionists sitting down all shift while the assistant ran the show. I longed so much to thread up the projector and became hot at threading platters . I think this approach was also good as I wasn't thrown straight in and let loose on all those expensive prints. I'd like to give a big thank you to my 'Booth supervisor' Paul, for actually showing me to thread the projector before I became a trainee projectioist. I remember the first solo at the 12 plex was a Wednesday evening and I think we had Enemy of the State playing.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 09-30-2004 07:45 AM                     Adverts and trailers reel, on my first visit to a cinema, I'm pretty sure it was an Odeon, because the machines were pre-war BTH's, which were the standard for Odeon; ABC used Ross. Very similar to the set-up that our friend from Faversham was running until a couple of years ago, except that these had the original BTH arcs, but his had been converted to Kalee Presidents. This was in 1963, aged six, after being taken to see Disney's 'The Sword in the Stone'; I'm pretty sure that's what the film was. They had to give me a box to stand on to reach the projector. Didn't run any more 35mm for several years. Edit. Sorry, that wasn't on my own, of course. I'm not sure what my first show on my own was; I ran a couple of shows at what is now the Ritzy, Brixton, in the early '70s, I think that may have been my first time on my own with 35mm, but I'm not sure. I do remember that one of the films was in Chinese, but not to worry, it had subtitles; in Spanish! I think there were about three people in the audience for that one.  |  IP: Logged Hugh McCullough Expert Film Handler Posts: 147 From: Old Coulsdon, Surrey, UK Registered: Jan 2003 posted 09-30-2004 07:50 AM                        First started showing educational 16mm films to an audience when at school in 1956 on a Bell & Howell. I can not remember the model. This was after they discovered that I had a GB L516 projector at home. I still have this machine. Started in the cinema industry in 1958, when I was 17 years old, as an apprentice projectionist, and spent the first six months just cleaning everything in site, including the box floor, rewinding 2000 ft spools of film, learning how to make proper cement splices, and film handling in general. In those days in the UK a projectionist was thought to be a valued member of the cinema industry. Wish the same could be said nowadays. Every Tuesday went to college on a projection course run by the cinema owners, and the union. Here I learnt how projector, and sound systems worked, and general electrical practise. Ran my first film on my own to a paying audience after this six months. It was a Sunday only show of 'Rocket Ship XM' on Kalee 12s, BTH sound with film gate instead of scanning drum, and Kalee Vulcan carbon arcs.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 09-30-2004 07:52 AM                     quote: Hugh McCullough Every Tuesday went to college on a projection course run by the cinema owners, and the union. Hugh, where did you do this course? Peter Bayley MBE, the chief at the Phoenix, East Finchley, has been there since 1960, and has been chief for most of that time. web page  |  IP: Logged Hugh McCullough Expert Film Handler Posts: 147 From: Old Coulsdon, Surrey, UK Registered: Jan 2003 posted 09-30-2004 08:00 AM                        quote: quote: Hugh McCullough was the last to post You are quite correct Stephen.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 09-30-2004 08:50 AM                     I don't know what happened there Hugh, I pressed the 'quote button, but then accidently sent, instead of pasting the quote. When I went back and edited my post, rather than just putting in an empty quote, it had inserted the line about you being the last to post; I don't know where that came from. You must have read my previous post in the few seconds before I saw what had happened, and edited it.  |  IP: Logged Hugh McCullough Expert Film Handler Posts: 147 From: Old Coulsdon, Surrey, UK Registered: Jan 2003 posted 09-30-2004 08:56 AM                        Yes Stephen, that is exactly what happened. Being south of the Thames, a far better place than north of the Thames, I went to Wandsworth Tech, and later to Norwood Tech. About six years later the apprentice course was shut down due to lack of funding. Your link is very interesting. Wasn't there a TV programme about Peter Bayley MBE?  |  IP: Logged Daniel Alt Expert Film Handler Posts: 111 From: Lakewood, OH, USA Registered: Mar 2004 posted 09-30-2004 09:34 AM                     "Once Upon a Time in the West" All we could get was a 16mm print, unfortunately, and the 16 projector developed a bad wobble in the sound. I got a senior projectionist on the phone, but we weren't able to diagnose the problem until several days later. The audience (all 10 of them) were not happy. (Turns out there was a tension adjustment that neither of us were aware of) Aforementioned senior projectionist told me it wasn't as bad as HIS first solo run, on "The Right Stuff" where one of the solar cells fell out of the projector! Ah, the joys of elderly equipment.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 09-30-2004 09:52 AM                     Hugh, I was at Wandsworth Tech, later South Thames College from 1974-78. I know that they had previously run projection courses there, but it had all stopped by my time. All they taught then was 16mm portable machines for classroom use. The main hall of the old building had it's 35mm equipment removed before I went there, and the hall was chosed for re-furbishment during my first year. When it re-opened it was equipped with a single Elf-Lite EX-3000 floor-standing 16mm xenon machine, that students weren't allowed anywhere near. I managed to get special permission to go and have a look at it; the first xenon machine I had seen, and also the first large-screen 16mm installation. Do you remember what 35mm equipment they used to have? The two lecturers who taught projection in my time were Ted Church and Harry Court, Ted was quite old, and Harry had been qiute seriously ill, so I suspect that both have been dead for years by now, but they had been there for many years. Did you know either of them? I believe that one pair of the Kalee Vistavision 8-perf machines, possibly the pair from the Odeon Leicester Square was there at one time, but I think only stored in a dismantled state, not in use. Also, parts of the system that filmed a video display, processed the film and then projected it within a few minutes were said to have been taken there after it was used for the coronation, but all of this equipment was also long gone by my time.  |  IP: Logged Hugh McCullough Expert Film Handler Posts: 147 From: Old Coulsdon, Surrey, UK Registered: Jan 2003 posted 09-30-2004 12:38 PM                        Stephen. The projection course stopped around 1969. A great pity. We had no 16mm machines, and the 35mm projectors were a mixture sourced from unwanted equipment from ABC, and Rank. Two different projectors, one with a RCA sound head, and the other with a Westrex sound head. Long time ago so I am not sure, but I think the Westrex was fitted to a Kalee, and the RCA to a Ross. This sounds about right. One machine was fitted with a Peerless carbon arc, but can not remember what the other arc was. I am sure that it was of a different make. The name Ted Church sounds familiar, but I can't put a face to him. Do not remember seeing any VistaVision machines. I remember hearing about a system where a film camera was mounted on top of a large van. The film, after exposure, was fed through the roof of the van where it was processed, and copies made to be distributed to a few West End cinemas. I believe that this was tried by British Movietone News to film the Lord Mayor's Show, and that some of the cinemas were showing the start of the procession before the Lord Mayor arrived at the Mansion House.  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 09-30-2004 04:21 PM                  Firsts 4 me: 8mm = Some porno I "accidentally" bought at a garage sale when I was 13. Still have it. 16mm = "The Music Box" Old L&H film projected at home when I bought it from Blackhawk Films when I was 15. ...still have it. 16mm telecine: "The Happening" My production on national TV... still have it. 35mm : "The Odd Couple" at the Ft. Monmouth Army base. 35mm telecine: "Deep Throat". Evidence for a trial that never took place... still have it. 570: Special venue show using the Pepper Ghost effect synchronized with live action robots. The 1/2 silvered mirror was 40 ft wide. I designed the technical of the venue. 870: "Flower Planet" in 1990 at the world's fair on an 80 ft wide screen. I designed the technical of the venue. 1570: "Ring of Fire" on an 80 ft dome. I designed the technical of the venue. Unlike Josh, I never had the pleasure of a private "Booth Tour" with an empty theatre. But, when I was 19, I was literally chased around the desk of a VP/GM "BIG SHOT" at an ABC O&O that had the "hots" for me. I threatened to call the guard and he unlocked his office door and let me go. I was sooo stupit back then... **IF** I only knew what I know now, I would be rich and have a job for life! Joe has it right.... Blackmail and violence is cool! >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-30-2004 04:38 PM                     Ah, the first issue of "The Clansmen"...I remember it well.... Excluding the 8mm, super-8 (home stuff in the 1960s) and the 16mm school equipment (in the early '70s and onward)... My first solo movie theatre projection in front of a paying and unsuspecting crowd....was at the K-B MacArthur in 1980 running Ordinary People. The equipment was a pair of Norelco Universal Todd-AOs (aka DP70, AA2...etc.) with Strong Futura II lamphouses. That was my favorite theatre, to this day. Steve  |  IP: Logged John Anastasio Master Film Handler Posts: 325 From: Trenton, NJ, USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 09-30-2004 05:25 PM                        My first solo experience was "PEPE" back in the 1960s. I think we had about 20 people in the audience.  |  IP: Logged

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