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A couple of flaws with your argument there Brad. There is no question that starting out with 2-projectors vs projector/platter is more expensive but amortorized over how long? It really doesn't make a flip of a difference. Furthermore, the specifications of this theatre did NOT place any financial considerations into its initial to design.

It should be a given that in this day and age, any theatre opening should be either starting with digital sound or planning on its inclusion very soon.

The equipment I described above will NEVER have a static problem (without having to continiously purchase your VERY fine product), with automation can run with less $$ on the payroll for the entire life of the theatre, and that WILL add up. Also, short of a power failure, will NEVER loose a show. In the long run, the 2-projector booth is cheaper and more flexible. The platter only wins on initial purchase.

Steve

First off, as you agree a platter setup is cheaper "initially"??? Yes it is and will continue to be cheaper via payroll. Also, money ALWAYS matters, even though it was not specifically mentioned. If you know of a theater where money is no object, I'd love to go visit it. However, something tells me this theater venture will fall into more of a "normal" situation where money will matter.

Brad and Steve need a platter vs changeover thread that they can revive whenever they are feeling ornory. I have run both and I just don't care.

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It is rather simple math...in a 2-projector automated booth you simply need either the same or fewer people (using the equipment listed above you need 0 people after initial threading). The lack of show cancellations with the 2-projector booth increase both revenue and customer good will, the lesser potential of misthread and consequently damaging film also go towards customer value and good will. For the creative multi-plexer the option of using just one print in up to three houses with staggered showtimes will yield higher per-capita (less people to service with the concession stand on three individual shows than one BIG show) than the same solution on a platter interlocked. Again the creative multi-plexer can run a long film and short film alternating screens such that they get the effective mean running time of both films so that the long film gets more "Start times" and thus more revenue while having the theatre open later and close sooner (less payroll).

Lets say you are mom and pop single screen and really running on a shoe-string budget (ie owner operator)...with the two-projector booth, the next show is threaded up at least an hour ahead of time which allows the available floor staff to stay downstairs when they are needed most, after shows and prior to shows rather than rethreading (and hopefully cleaning)....they then have an hour to get the next machine ready for a changeover.

Print build up and tear down times (not to mention trailer servicing) are reduced since they can be torn down before the show is even over. Heck you can be on shipping reels as the last show comes off the screen (like I just did tonight).

With the new Kinoton FP-30E-R projectors, the film rewinds through the machine at up to 100fps (shuttle mode). No need to rethread. You could run any size multi-plex with these machines with no operators except on show change days. Talk about labor savings.

What is the big advantage about platters? Oh yeah they cost less. Is this a factor, you bet. And sometimes finances dictate what one can spend at the onset. If they can afford it, I sell them the 2-projector booth and have never had a complaint about it.

Steve

PS I agree that Brad and I will go on, if left unchecked, with this Platter vs Changeover bickering forever and as such I will not make anymore replys to this thread on the virtues of one over the other. Suffice to say, I would champion the changeover side, Brad will champion the platter side (neither will admit the other has won his case). We even set limits on ourselves when we get into private bickering. ;-)

Now Steve, put that Kinoton projector aside, as that is a very rare find. NOW tell me that it takes less people to run a changeover booth! How many people will really buy those projectors along with a full blown automation to handle rewinding and such? Also, all of your points after that indicate shuffling reels around the complex...something that defeats the purpose of the Kinoton, so I feel that is a poor example. Also, who in the hell wants to "rewind through the projector"??? I've ran Showscan systems before that used this method and, wow what a joke! No print survived for more than a week unless the reels were manually taken off and rewound on the bench and then completely reloaded and reset.

Second, how often has everyone here seen a manager just cancel other movies to interlock one without getting fired? It doesn't happen. Also, when is the last time a movie has been booked with the intent of interlocking? Geez, quite some time! Again, I feel that "benefit" is not valid as the studios will just send out 2 or 3 prints in this day and age.

Next on the agenda is a Mom and Pop single screen theater "on a shoestring budget". Yeah, like they've got the bucks to blow on an entire second projector/lamphouse, etc if they're on a shoestring budget. How long does it really take to thread a film on a platter? I'd say if it takes more than 2 mintues, that's going pretty slow. And if Mom and Pop are doing that much business that they cannot lose one employee for 2 minutes at the concession stand, then they can afford to hire another concessionist!

So far, the only valid argument is print tear down. Print build up doesn't take but a few minutes longer on a platter vs. building to large reels. It's simple. Build up the first half of the movie just like you would for a changeover house and start it loading while you build the second half. Now, the only extra time that is wasted is the loading time of the second half onto the platter, which does not have to be supervised! That person can then be cleaning the candy counters, since you seem so pro-concessionist/projectionist in your post. Tear down, yes a whopping 15 extra minutes is wasted once "per feature" that plays at the theater regardless of how long it runs. Oh WAH! Let's all cry about that incredible amount of wasted time now, shall we? I think it's worth it to ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEE that every performance will run in order and not upside down (easily achieved when running reels).

Finally in those non-Kinoton booths, you have failed to mention the wasted time it takes to rewind those reels! Let's say we've got a 3 screen here. Odds are they will have one rewind table. You do the math.

Oh wait Steve, you completely forgot to mention the unnecessary handling, stress and wear on the film during rewinding when running reel to reel! Oh well, I'll save that one for the next post.

Platters save money AND operating costs. They are also more gentle on the film. It's as simple as that. The industry has changed, check one out someday Steve, cause platters are here to stay.

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Scott, there are plenty of people here who can tell you 15 minutes is plenty of time to breakdown an average print. I will agree with you it would be extremely convenient to pull the last reel of a feature off of the platter for it's last show and break down the first 5 of 6 reels of a print during the last one (I did this a lot in college as we had that setup), but it is a minor savings of time considering the vast cost difference.

I only favor changeovers if the print is to be run 3 times or less. Any more than that and that is unnecessary print wear with the rewinding and handling. I've said that a thousand times and I still stand by it. "Minimal wear" is simply not acceptable to me regardless of the lengeth of the run. Tiny little "cinch marks" and dirt at the changeovers are also completely unacceptable and unless the changeover theater in question adds a lot of leader and is extremely careful with the rewinding process...it WILL happen over time.

The response from that paragraph above is always "that won't happen with a competent operator". Well, why is it that I can take a 16 year old popcorn jockey and show him how to string up the platter/projector and the presentation continues to remain perfect? You simply cannot do that with a changeover system as there is far too much film handling going on. (Not that I'm advocating untrained operators...just making a point.)

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