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I dunno about you but I can set up a multiplex running 6K reels with as few operators as you want, none even except on show change days (not that I advocate that sort of thing). If you will allow one full time operator on duty at all times than I can set up as big a plex with changeover as you can with platters. And if it is you against me in the booth...I'll take an extra screen on reels. :-)

Now to a recent story...

We recently set up a reopened single art/rep house...they wisely chose to dump the existing platter and reinstall the 2nd projector (and that was before I came into the picture!). In fact, due to the show change frequency, they are on 20 min reels. The manager they hired came from an AMC house and never seen any booth without a platter. During the week, theatre runs manager/operator too. One of the projectors could handle 6K reels while the one that was butchered for the platter could only handle 2K reels which wasn't an issue since they intended to run on 2K reels. A month after opening, they were running one machine on the 6K reels and the other on 2K (not surprising given that this was an old theatre where the booth is at the top of the balcony). I was just back to the theatre for a 6 month pm call and brought with me the equipment to allow both projectors to handle 6K reels...when the manager arrived, I told him about my plans to which I got... "don't bother we only run on 2K reels now and I took those noisy reel end alarms off too!" My jaw dropped. Here >I< was convincing an ex-AMC manager to have the capability to run 6K reels. He did look a bit slimmer, now that I think about it.

Steve

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You REALLY need to do your math.

Steve

I cant remember if its automated though.

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Watching these "kids" pay no attention to their splices and threading, being more concerned with how fast they do their job rather than how accurate is extremely annoying and makes for redundancies on my shift, like fixing out-of-frame splices and the like (doing this in a 12-plex with no timers can be challenging in between shows).

I am an 18 year old "kid" from Tampa, FL who is the supervisor of the projection booth of the biggest theater in the area (not like that makes any difference though.) I can be quick and not sacrifice any quality at the same time. I have only had 1 bad splice in the 7 months that I have been working in projection (that was because I was very new to building up movies.) However I have witnessed what you are talking about first hand. There are some young people out there who take pride in their work (although that seems few and far between.) I wish I could fire people because if I had my way, 95% of my staff in projection would be gone.

I have seen people change trailers off of the floor (which has since stopped,) wind up trailers the wrong way (totally destroying the SDDS track,) and general carelessness when threading up movies (this has occured from a 30 year old man mind you.) I think of it this way... it doesn't matter how old you are, it is how much pride you take in your job working in projection that makes the ultimate difference in presentation. I can safely say that everybody who visits film-tech.com and participates in the forums take pride in their work. Most of the people that work for me just look it as a job that makes more money that people who work downstairs. That is what I am trying to rid the projection booth of because that is what degrades quality.

I may just be ranting here (I apologize if I am,) but just keep in mind that there are some kids out there that take their job in projection very seriously.

But I am not mad at you Kyle, I am just trying to distance myself from the rest of the group of kids.

Thank you for reading my rant (if you have gotten this far!!

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Chris Rhode

chrisrhode@hotmail.com

I agree with you, it's not how old you are, but how much you care about learning how to do a good job, and then doing it!

I worked my way through college as a projectionist. Sure I made mistakes, but I learned from them. I read all I could find about projection. I learned from others whenever I could, visiting other theatres to see how they did things and to "talk shop" with other operators. My part-time job as a projectionist has become a rewarding career at Kodak, thanks to my mentor Ken Kavanaugh, who was the BA for the Buffalo IATSE Local at the time, and suggested Kodak as a great place to work.

Projectionists are a vital link in the movie industry. For a bit of inspiration, visit the Kodak site and play the trailer "One Million Hours" which says "It takes one million hours to make a movie, and only two hours to show it":
http://www.kodak.com/go/screencheck

We all work in "Show Business" and as we all know "There's no business like Show Business".

next lets look at moving prints. this too will occur more often in a 30-plex including screenings. changeovers. theater percentages, etc. I just put on a couple of clamps pick up the print and go on my happy little way. it seems to me that it would be more of a hassle to move two seperate 6k reels to another proj.(more trips involved here) god forbid yo are moving them from one wing to completely the other side of the theater.

like i said earlier i know the types of people that are tolerated to be in the booth. like bradd said earlier, once it is on the platter it is there. and will run through the right order each time. most people are smart enough to start the wrong proj. especially on a day that you are just plain thinking bacwards. or i have also seen enough times of people deciding to thread soundline backwards how easy is it to change once it is going?

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Kyle, just hang in there. Sooner or later you will run into someone who actually gives a crap about the job. I have one person in mind at my theater but we can't put him up in projection because we can't afford it.

Thank you for letting me whine.

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Chris Rhode

chrisrhode@hotmail.com