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Thanks for the suggestion! Also, since I have all Strong equipment, the only illustrations in the manuals are grainy black-and-white photos. From a distance, they just look like grey blobs. Not a hint of interest to be found on this tour!!

One good way I have found to demonstrate platter operation Chris is to just grab the edge and let it wrap a couple times as the projector pulls. Of course, you'll want to do this with old trailers or something similar so as not to scratch a good print.

I called them up the day before and got a whole lot of run around. When I got there I got a big load of crap about it being a 'dust-free environment'. When the show started, there was this big tree branch doing flip-flops across the screen.

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I love giving booth tours. Especially to children. In fact it is part of our birthday package for childrens parties we host.

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"And the monkey flips the switch."
- Major Don West, "Lost In Space"

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More than 20 years later, here I am running those machines at that very same Warner Theatre AND two other 'new' cinemas as well! When you get right down to it, I guess that's why I almost always give booth tours.

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Showing ppl. how a proj works is all well and good. but MOST people are bored by it all. I simply say that the film goes in here, the light shines out here and goes through the film and out the lens.

If they are interested, they'll ask questions. Believe me, they'll ask!

My tricks are:

1) get this book, Eyewitness Book of Film -- it's a kids book with lots of pictures. It's good for adults too. You ought to be able to get it at any 1/2 decent bookstore with a kids dept. If you can, arrange it with your mgr. to get some passes and SWAP with the bookstore. Promise the bookstore mgr. you will tell people to come to his (her) store to get the book. The book retails for $12.95 (US) or something like that. Two passes ought to cover it. The little 'plug' ought to seal the deal, if the mgr. isn't stupid. -- I did that exact thing. I just tell all the kiddies to go to Barnes and Noble

2) Get a ZOETROPE and use that to demonstrate how movies 'work'. You can do the pass-swap thing if you want OR you can make your own out of a coffee can. I got one for Christmas one year so I dug it out of the closet. Now, I keep it and the book 'locked up' in the booth.

I should point out that it's in Sydney, Australia but as everyone (yes, everyone) from around the world will be in Sydney for the Olympics this year (If you can believe the Olympic press dudes) then you can tour while you're here.

I always say yes to booth tours wherever I'm working. If someone has the curiosity, I've got the time.

PS. Sydney HAD to get the 2000 Olympics...Sydney 2000 is our Zip Code.

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Hmmm... I really should take some I suppose.
When I do I'll send them te ye.

ARRRRGGG!

Along about 1982, with the onslaught of VCRs, the public's wonder about projection booths diminished. Some even expressed contempt for theatres in general (I'm sure many of you will remember this transistion period).

During this period, I was working the top union job in my town, where I was strictly prohibited from receiving visitors. However, on one mid-show trip to the concession for a drink, a man with a small boy literally BEGGED me to show them the booth. After relating that, as much as I would like to, I (a) was forbidden to do so and, (b) if anything happened and the boy did something to shut the show down, it would take at least 5 minutes (because of a particular lamp I had) to get it started again. He assured me he would watch his son like a hawk, and keep the child's hands at bay.

Well, you guessed it. No sooner had his feet touched the linoleum, did the boy stick his hand out, grab the takeup reel and kill the show! I sank. If this got back to the local, I could be in deep trouble; there were plenty of other guys in line who wanted that job!

To top it off, instead of being apologetic, the guy actually got cocky with me!!! I announced the tour was over and ordered him to leave immediately. He seemed to be proud his son had stopped a show being viewed by several hundred people. The guy was pathetically giggling walking back downstairs!

I did not even entertain the idea of giving booth tours, for many years after that incident.