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Topic: Projectionist worked to the bone

Paul Cunningham
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 146
From: Melbourne, Australia
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 10-11-2000 05:17 PM

The platter is to the left rear of the projector. When we had two projectors it was behind the left one (this is the right one). The film comes out under the lamphouse, up to the roof, across to where the other projector used to be then to the platter. There is too much stuff on the walls for it to travel along them.

Paul

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Dave Bird
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 777
From: Perth, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 10-11-2000 08:24 PM

About to prove I'm not really an "expert" again. What's the thing on top of the projector, right ahead of the changeover coil where the top reel used to be? Thanks you Aussies, I've got a buddy who's nickname is "Dunny", and I'm about to tell everyone what it means!

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Russ Kress
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 202
From: Charleston, WV, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 10-11-2000 09:43 PM

Dave, that is a Dolby Digital reader.

Russ

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Dave Bird
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 777
From: Perth, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 10-12-2000 07:00 AM

....which is there because it has to go somewhere and still has it's sound reader down below in the head OR reads the digital and "stores" the sound electronically until the picture "catches up"???

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Russ Kress
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 202
From: Charleston, WV, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 10-12-2000 11:01 AM

It's there because the analog sound head is still down below reading the analog track in case there would be a problem with digital.

They make digital readers that share the sound head with the analog one, but the penthouse was the first reader available.

As for storing or buffering data, I don't believe that Dolby Digital does much of this as a bad splice can cause the processor to switch to analog for a second or two.

We use all penthouse readers. I'm not sure how easy the inboards are to install, but the penthouses work right out of the box when you install them.

Russ

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Dave Bird
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 777
From: Perth, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 10-12-2000 02:30 PM

Well, it hit me today at work how dumb that last question of mine was. Of course, the Dolby Digital Track is sync'd behind the picture, not ahead like analog. DOH!

Can you delete your own posts? I need to get myself off this expert list - fast

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Tom Kroening
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 214
From: Janesville, WI USA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 10-12-2000 06:19 PM

Id rather have a penthouse reader over a basement one any day. Dave, I think that the dolby digital track is synced the same as the analog (otherwise a basement reader wouldn't work). I've had better results from the penthouse readers... It could be because a basement reader is in a position to collect more dust from shedding.. but im not sure.

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Paul Cunningham
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 146
From: Melbourne, Australia
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 10-12-2000 07:46 PM

Dave
The digital track is printed on the film as per normal, you can adjust the sync in the CP500 by setting the number of perfs between your reader and the normal soundhead. I hope this makes sense as it is hard to explain. In principle though I could put the digital reader a few feet away and just adjust the sync to compensate.
Paul

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Tom Kroening
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 214
From: Janesville, WI USA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 10-12-2000 08:05 PM

"I could put the digital reader a few feet away and just adjust the sync to compensate." <--- have fun counting those perfs! 1...2..3..4.. 35... ohh damn... 1.. 2.. 3.. hehe

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Dave Bird
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 777
From: Perth, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 10-12-2000 08:30 PM

Holy crap then, my dumb idea WAS right! That's kinda what I meant. So all sound is sync'd 21 frames ahead of picture, and you're saying that this CP500 thing, in a sense, DOES compensate by "storing" the info until it's needed.

Does analog "top out" at stereo, or is surround possible?

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Carl King
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 199
From: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 10-12-2000 08:41 PM

Hours of work? The multiplex I work in does not have weekday matinees like some do so my regular shift is 6pm to midnight most week days. On Saturday it is usually noon to midnight. Last year during the Star Wars crap I worked several days in a row from 9a.m. until 2a.m. Great for the pay packet but lousy for the home life. "Ain't showbiz grand?"

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Tom Kroening
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 214
From: Janesville, WI USA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 10-13-2000 02:28 AM

Well, from what i remember by reading this dolby book i found a while back, i think it said that the surround is extrapolated from the stereo sound. If you think about it, an analog stereo house probably has a center, left, right, and surrounds. There's only left and right channels on the analog track. This is where the processor works its magic ; ) Its probably similar to dolby pro logic at home. Even though a show might not be in stereo, it can still do its best at seperating the sounds and sending the to the proper channels.

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Jon Bartow
Master Film Handler

Posts: 287
From: Massachusetts
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-13-2000 04:47 AM

The SR track does have "only" a left and right printed on the film, and you are correct that the process works similar to that in a Dolby Pro Logic system. The processor "decodes" the surround and Center from the two tracks. If a subwoofer is used it gets its signal from a crossover on either the center channel or all three front channels. (A digital [DTS/SRD/SDDS] system has descrete tracks recorded for every channel.
The Analog sound track is 19 1/2 frames ahead of the image (look on a reel leader sometime, many have the "picture start" and "sound start" frames marked) and the Dolby Digital is 26 frames in front (6 1/2 frames in advance of the anaolog)
I don't remember the relative position of the DTS timecode, just that one sets the perf offset from the aperture to the reader.
Having never installed a SDDS unit, I don't know about SDDS.

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 10-13-2000 05:14 AM

It's pretty civilized where we are... 0830hr to 1630hr or 1600hr to 2400hr. Rarely do we have to work a double (only if someone is sick and cannot be replaced.)

As for the picture of Paul's colleague...I think he looks that way beacuse he runs 376 different titles per day on only four screens and has to change out the ads on them every session.

I'm close, aren't I Paul?

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Gracia L. Babbidge
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 709
From: Bowdoin, Maine
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 10-14-2000 02:15 AM

hmmm... In general I am scheduled to work about 43 hours each week for an off-peak season, as we're opening later in the day, when it's busier & we open earlier, I'm scheduled for about 45 hours.
That entails one double shift, three "regular" closing shifts, and the Thursday build & break-down shift.
Though there are times when I've had to pick up extra hours due to extenuating circumstances.

Then too, all it takes is a Wednesday opener to mess up my schedule for the week!
Also, some Thursdays end up being much longer than others...

~The Purple-Tressed Booth B*tch

------------------
In some cultures, what I do is considered normal.

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