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Topic: Your Favourite Projector and Booth

Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1565
From: Dunfermline, Scotland
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 08-13-2002 10:41 AM

Wow there are 3 known Fedi's in use in the UK! Are these the 35/70 XT Peter?

The Alhambra Penrith has a mech or three for spares, and there's also stacks of Fedi stuff backstage in Perth. They were taken out a couple of years back but nobody could be bothered shifting the spares collection. The pedestals alone need about 4 bodies to move.

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Peter Hall
Master Film Handler

Posts: 314
From: London, UK
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 08-13-2002 01:08 PM

Pete N -

HI - the Mr Young machines were 35mm only, and whilst I remember the Cantebury machines with disused Penthouses I can't remember if there were any 70mm bits on them. Too busy mopping up the oil and trying to figure out the 10000 motor wires ! Picture is steady and they run quietly. Was quite an install - virtually untouched since installation from new in the 1960s. Billy Bell converted them from three to two terminal lamps about 10 years ago, and we put in a "state of the art" CP50 three years ago - prior to that everything was original, down to the cool RCA motorised faders and sound system.

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Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1565
From: Dunfermline, Scotland
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 08-13-2002 02:21 PM

The ones at Perth were quite something. Full 35/70mm RCA Photophone mag set-up. Every little thing was still there, even the engineers log books going back as far as 1948. Both at Perth had Xenon Magnarcs on, the original Fedi lamps and the later fitted Strong Jetarcs are recumbant in what was once a film store room. The Perth Fedi's and the Penrith one are anything but quiet! They tend to leak oil if you don't get the back sealed up right (I Find blue hylomar is excellent), and yes the wiring is a little on the interesting side! It's beatifully loomed in the machines but not the simplest of systems.

Until it's refurbishment the Playhouse, Perth was still using the RAC speakers and crossovers. I a moment of genius/foolishness we ran the amp outputs from the Dolby rack into the crossovers in the RCA racks. Didn't sound too bad really.

When the refurb was complete, the chief was kind enough to give me the RCA stage microhpone, which is a huge ribbon affair. Never wired it up to see if it works, it sits doing sterling service propping up some manuals.

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System Notices
Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi

Posts: 215

Registered: Apr 2004

posted 09-21-2005 11:42 AM

It has been 1134 days since the last post.

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Robert Throop
Master Film Handler

Posts: 412
From: Vernon, NY USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-21-2005 11:42 AM

quote:
Stephen, that would indeed be a BUSY shift! I wonder, does anyone know if back in the early days of sound (Jazz Singer) if there was 2 operators on duty?

.
When the Jazz Singer played at the Avon theatre in Utica, NY they had a 3 man booth.
Bob

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Stephen Furley
Film God

Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002

posted 09-21-2005 12:09 PM

That's interesting Robert; those three men must have been kept pretty busy.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 09-21-2005 01:23 PM

probably was so due to the firecode requirements in running nitrate. And some of those booths had more than two machines.

I saw an old picture of a theatre's booth (silent era) in NY that had 5 machines, film cabinets in another room (once again due to nitrate and fire safety), sand buckets by each machine, lounge chairs and looking like a living room.

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Andrew McCrea
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 645
From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 09-21-2005 02:43 PM

Here are my favourites (out of what I've worked with):

Century (CC) projectors and Xebex (Hi-Beam and Supersol) lamphouses.

I don't like any of the platters I've worked with.

My second choice for projector would be the Cinemeccanica V8.

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Bill Gabel
Film God

Posts: 3873
From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 09-21-2005 02:45 PM

In Los Angeles during that time. As per the contracts between the theatre chain and the union. You had to have two operators per shift if the theatre seated 1000 and over people. Over the years under performing theatres that the seating was very close to the 1000 seat cap, would remove so many seats to bring them under 1000. The first run & Roadshow theatres during the 30's thru the early 60's always were two man booths.

My favorite booths were the Warner Beverly Hills Theatre. It had alot of room and was equipped with 2 DP-70s and 2 XL's. The Hollywood Pacific Theatre (former Warner Hollywood). It was converted to a tri-plex. Main house 2 Century JJ and a AW-3, the twin upstairs had a Century JJ and the other a XL both with AW-3s. Other great and fun booths were the Cinerama Dome and the main Chinese booth and the Egyptian Theatre with the D-150 screen, before the new convertion.

[ 09-22-2005, 12:48 PM: Message edited by: Bill Gabel ]

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 09-22-2005 12:38 AM

Have to agree - CINE V8's were the best machines that I've ever played with (and most tekkies hated that machine with a passion..).

Most impressie booth that I've ever seen was the Centre Theatre in SLC. Booth was spacious - about 35 ft long and a good 15 ft wide. One half was the ususal setup - Bauer U2's with STRONG Futura 2's, burning 13.6mm positives. Sound was the Dolby CP-65 setup for the 6ch mag when running 70mm. Film came upstairs via the floorstaff personnel.

Later on, they added a third machine to the left of the Bauers to run film from platter since the carbon arc rod prices were getting sky high, the demand for 70mm really dropped, and the union was kicked out for "booth clown" operations towards the end of the life of this theatre.

The other side of the booth was an actual living room. Big picture window with fancy curtains and woodgrain valance across the top. Overstuffed sofas with end tables and side chairs. Coffee table in the middle the room. Stove, double sink and fridge to the oppositie side of the room, and the restroom to the side (even with SHOWER!!), and a console TV set off in the corner. Padded carpet covered this part of the room, with linoleum on the floor where kitchen part of this room was.

The projectionists definitely lived up there (union booth) since they had to stay up there for the entire day.

-Monte

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 09-22-2005 01:49 AM

Oh don't tease us Andrew. What platters HAVE you worked with that you hated? That can be more educational than knowing the ones you liked! [Smile]

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Andrew McCrea
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 645
From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 09-22-2005 12:22 PM

Brad, I've only worked with the CFS and Strong Alpha platters that have the selector switch.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 09-22-2005 12:55 PM

Andrew, you have the A-3 Alpha platters then. They're not that bad if you let them work for you and take care of them. Granted, I love the AW3R's and miss them dearly, but confined with all of these STRONG A-3's and AP-3 platters now and have to make the best of it.

In fact, I haven't had a problem for quite a long time with any of these STRONG platters.

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Matt Fields
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 545
From: Ohio, United States
Registered: Jun 2005

posted 09-22-2005 01:51 PM

I have the same Strong platters. I change out the brain switches before they start to go (Once a year for the number of shows we run) and put rubber bands around the outside posts on the brain so the film can't jump a post and cause a wrap. Remember to change out the rubber bands regularly before they break.

Once I started doing both of those things, I haven't had any problems with the Strong Platters.

Platters I've worked with in order of preference:

Christie AW3 with removable brains
Strong ALPHA platter
Christie AW3 without removable brains
SPECO LP 270

these all sucked:
ORC
Super Platter
Nuemade

[ 09-22-2005, 10:57 PM: Message edited by: Matt Fields ]

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Don Furr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 509
From: Sun City, Ca USA
Registered: Nov 2002

posted 09-22-2005 02:57 PM

Monte....I'm with you on the CINE V8's/V16's. When we were putting together twins and triplexes, I found a boat-load of V8's. I NEVER had a problem with those projectors. I've worked with every platter built up through the straight AW-3's (my favorite) but I've got to say most of our stuff were Balco's. Several of my 3 deckers had mods installed by Bill Ship of Eastern Federal that worked perfectly as a brain wrap fail safe. It was simply rollers that slid on a rail with a micro switch at the bottom. Any extra pressure, down with the roller, down with the switch and the automation would shut the whole damn thing down. Saved a lot of brain wraps!!

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