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Author Topic: Anyone ever seen a XeTron Loop-Matic? Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-27-2000 11:06 AM                       Jeepers! ------------------ Better Projection Pays! Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 10-14-2003 11:26 AM                    I'm bumping up this old chestnut in hopes that one of the many new visitors might be able to track down a bifilar loop machine and maybe we can get a video of one in action. To recap, this is a long play continuous loop system that uses reels instead of a platter-style mechanism. The film is formed into a loop and starting at the halfway point is wound onto a reel in the same way as you would roll up a rubber band. As the reel turns two layers of film come off, one goes through the projector, one by-passes on rollers and the take up reel winds up both. When the reel reaches the end through some amazing action of levers and rollers the reels reverse and now the other layer of film plays through with no interruption. Anyone know where one can be found? [ 10-15-2003, 11:47 PM: Message edited by: Steve Kraus ]  |  IP: Logged Vernon Cramer Film Handler Posts: 16 From: Virginia Beach, VA, USA Registered: Mar 2002 posted 10-14-2003 07:46 PM                     Steve, Fred Schoenfeld, a good friend of mine has one in his theater (Commodore Theater in Portsmouth, VA) in perfect working order. From what I'm gathering, it is possibly the only one still working in the U.S.. Fred normally runs film off of a tower but will use the Xetron when he has a really long feature that won't fit on a reel. Last show that he ran on it was LOTR: The Two Towers. It is something that you really have to see in operation to be able to understand exactly what it is doing. Fred explained how it works to me but, to be perfectly honest, it doesn't necessarily make sense without seeing it in action. Part of the time the film is playing off of one hub while taking up on the other hub (or reel, if you will). Then, when the last bit of film leaves one hub, a sensor trips and an arm swings around, gently grabs a loop of film, brings it back up to the now empty hub and the machine starts taking up film on the empty hub while the full hub has started to play out. (If you're like me before you see it in action, this explanation will probably only add to the mystery.) But it works and never damages the film. Titanic ran for 22 weeks on this machine and left in the same condition as it arrived. At this point, the next time it will get used will be in December, assuming LOTR: Return of the King is booked at the theater as anticipated. I will see what I can do to get some footage of this beast in action, as well as some footage of what it takes to build a show on the critter (have yet to see this myself).  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-14-2003 08:14 PM                     "I believe I was shown one on these once during a tour of The Commodore Dinner Theatre" _________________________________________________________________ Probably a good place to have it so everyone can enjoy their dinner while the button pushers attempt to figure it out...... I think there's one of these at the Cedar Twin in Cedar City. Its in the back hallway by the equipment junk pile in caseanyone else is interested..... Mark @ CLACO  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 10-15-2003 11:51 PM                    I am, Mark. Not that I have a need of one; I just think it's hilarious. Also, it's the only loop (besides the roller cabinets) that doesn't have film sliding over itself, something that horrifies me unless someone can put raised edges like a thick mag track on the film so the surfaces don't actually touch.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-16-2003 04:15 AM                        Very interesting indeed. We need to get a video of this thing in action. Though I can't imagine that the film wouldn't at least get a mild crease in it at the point where the loop slides into the hub. I also like the early name for the plater. The "cakestand." Much more colorful; that's what I'm going to call them from now on. Frank  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 10-16-2003 07:19 AM                    Speculation: I believe the ends of the loops go around small rollers that are held in the reel hubs so there is no crease. Something like that probably.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 08-05-2004 11:46 PM                    Bumping this up in the hope that someone can come up with some photos or better yet a video of the Loop-Matic beast in operation and changing ends.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 08-06-2004 12:40 AM                     Someone emailed me a few months back about having a video of this thing in operation, but I never heard back again from them.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 08-06-2004 01:25 PM                    Hey if you had one running at one of your gatherings you might even get me to attend!  |  IP: Logged Mike Fitzgerald Expert Film Handler Posts: 224 From: Castle Hayne, NC, USA Registered: Jun 2002 posted 08-06-2004 01:44 PM                     I have emailed the Commodore Theater to see if he could send us pictures of it  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 08-06-2004 05:39 PM                     Sorry Steve, we only run 35mm changeover and 70mm via platter at those gatherings. There is a new Cinemark being built in Rockwall though. Maybe we can interlock a movie between there and the screening room at a future gathering.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 08-07-2004 12:41 AM                    I wasn't suggesting screening from it; I just want to see it run. Load it up with 10K ft of Phil's old pornos.  |  IP: Logged Vernon Cramer Film Handler Posts: 16 From: Virginia Beach, VA, USA Registered: Mar 2002 posted 08-07-2004 09:24 AM                     I'll fess up on this one. After this topic came back up a few months ago I took a Canon XL-I to the Commodore in Portsmouth, VA and shot quite a bit of footage of the unit in action while LOTR: Return of the King was playing (also shot some footage of the print being loaded onto the beast). I wanted to make sure that I got decent footage of the key moments when the film runs off the top hub, is caught by the arm and rethreded back into the top hub (also needed footage for the action with the bottom hub as there are some difference). It took a couple of visits to the booth to get decent shots at these moments. Since then my challenge has been finding time when I was free and the editing system was available to edit this down to a reasonable length before sending it to Brad. (We took some hits in staffing at work and I've had to put a number of things on the back burner until I could get some positions refilled.) Right now the footage sits on my desk as a daily reminder that I still need to knock this project out (along with several others). Bear with me on this and I'll do my best to get it to Brad as soon as I can.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 08-07-2004 10:39 AM                    How much would he want to sell it?  |  IP: Logged

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