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Topic: Message to Projectionists, etc re Moulin Rouge

John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 05-27-2001 09:52 PM

A drive-in that maintains the SMPTE aim of 16 footlamberts will have a picture that looks just as good as a properly lit indoor theatre.

Unfortunately, most drive-ins are woefully underlit, because of the huge screens and low gain screen surface (usually weathered white paint).

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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Kyle Connolly
Film Handler

Posts: 13
From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 05-28-2001 12:18 PM

I take great offense to the comment made by John Wilson earlier in this thread. I am 17 years old (I guess I am a dreaded MEGAPLAX KID), and I had been learning from our head projectionist for about a year and a half BEFORE even being allowed to work in the booth. I care very much about onscreen presentation, and I work very hard to maintain it. I have switched to threading bottom - top even when our head projectionist refuses to, and I religiously follow all of the tips that are posted on this site.

Furthermore, for all of the other MEGAPLEX KIDS who may be on this site, stop stereotyping us. Some of us like our jobs and are very good at what we do. Stereotypes are not needed.

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-@-

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 05-28-2001 12:36 PM

John's comment: "I mean the 15 and 16 year olds who don't give a rats arse about what they are doing. They are out there and it is commonly known that they are, with a very few exceptions, not capable of seeing the job as anything more than that...a job. Hence, they do not care about what they are doing and are not attentive to the basics of the booth."

Kyle, he DID clarify this with "a very few exceptions". Clearly you are such an exception. The next time you visit another theater, look around and see what the other projectionists your age are doing. I think all he was trying to say is that "most" 15 and 16 year olds just want a paycheck. Anyone with your enthusiasm and desire to put on an excellent presentation is a very nice welcome to the profession.

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Bill Langfield
Master Film Handler

Posts: 280
From: Prospect, NSW, Australia
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 05-28-2001 02:34 PM

Kyle,
When I read John's comment, I almost
responded with 'what a load of crap. 'However, I must agree with him. When we put out the word that we need to train new projectionist's, we figure out who in the complex has shown interest in projection then ask if they are are interested in moving into it. It does not take long to sort out those who just want to do it for money and those who really want to do it. In my case I have been training Tiana for six months and she is one of the three trainees that truly is one of the few, like yourself has shown a true passion for it.
That said, projectionist's are backup managers, and therefore are supervisors for everyone else in the complex, I think she likes that(part too)!

Bill.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 05-28-2001 04:47 PM

People with a "PASSION FOR PROJECTION" are the ones needed for "FILM DONE RIGHT"!!!

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John Wilson
Film God

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

posted 05-28-2001 07:10 PM

Kyle wrote:
>>I take great offense to the comment made by John Wilson earlier in this thread.<<

Kyle, if you had read everything I wrote, you would have then realized that you are one of the few. If you realize that (which you obviously do by your comment) you would then fall into the 'do care about it' rather than the 'don't give a rat's arse about it' catagory and thus have nothing to complain about.

I may not be subtle...but I am accurate.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-28-2001 09:23 PM

I tend to agree with John you are in the minority.
I somewhere have a tshirt that says film is my life
To many wannabbes and others seem to forget that many people this is a career choice and get very frustrated by tghe fact that many unproffesionals that statistically work out ot being the youngest are slowly destroying this industry because they don't give a rats ass
If the shoe fits wear it if it doesn't then ignore it and just remember it when you see a screw up elsewhere

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Anthony Gilardi
Film Handler

Posts: 6
From: Gloucester, MA, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 06-01-2001 12:16 AM

I got my print of Moulin Rouge today and did not touch the attached preview, as stated in the "letters" to the projectionists. When I prescreened the film the lab splice between the preview and the movie was not in frame.
So I sat there watching the movie out of frame for a while wondering if it was one the intentional effects because they sent their assuring letter stating everything would be ok between the trailer and the film.
Needless to say, I was a bit annoyed. If they are going to be so persistent at telling you not to modify their film, they should make sure their splices are correct.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 06-01-2001 08:11 AM

Anthony said: "When I prescreened the film the lab splice between the preview and the movie was not in frame."

That "lab splice" was likely done AFTER the film was processed. The previews may have been added in "positive assembly" or at the film exchange. A raw stock splice made on the film before printing and processing might not be on the frameline, but it will not throw the picture out of frame.

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Joe Grace
Film Handler

Posts: 44
From: Maine
Registered: Feb 2000

posted 06-01-2001 02:50 PM

I am 18, I supose I could be called the head projectionist at my theater (I do mostly all maintenence, make maintenence schedules, ect). Unfortunatly I have 1 projectionist (2 including one from management) that run projection at my theater that is out of school. I find it hard to get other kids to do anything other then thread and start, which makes geting things done EXTREMELY Hard for me during the weekends while I am there.

There are a lot of kids that dont care, there a few that do, if you do care, push the ones that dont, and try to make it easier for you. If it doesent help atleast you know you tried to do something to help.

Dont be offended by what John Wilson said, because most of what he said is corect, I am not offended because I do care a great deal, and I know I do. If you care about your presentation (and you must if you are here)then you should not be offended either, just acept what he said as a fact because most kids dont give a damn, its the truth.

Joe

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John Wilson
Film God

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

posted 06-01-2001 04:55 PM

Good on you, Joe.

It's always good to hear from the projectionists in your age group and hear positive stories. You should be proud.

On my earlier post regarding the 16 $5000-a-piece 'show prints' Baz had printed for the premiere and how they were going to the majors due to internal politics and not the independents like us...you may remember I mentioned they would be scratched within a week...

...on one of them it only took four days.

Nice big green emulsion scratches from top to tail. Now...it is un-runnable.

Like I said, I may not be subtle, but I am (sadly in this case) accurate.

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Jesse Skeen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1517
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 06-01-2001 06:43 PM

That's funny, the print I got had the preview tape-spliced but out of frame too! I undid the splice to put the policy trailer on, but didn't bother checking to see if it was in frame- of course it wasn't, because when I don't check that's when it isn't!
There are also some prints of "Mummy Returns" that have a tape splice after the attacted preview, but the splice is actually a few frames into the start of the movie- you can tell by looking at the analog soundtrack. I made one of these up without checking that and has the first second of music play over the policy trailer, so I had to cut and move those few frames after the trailer. (This is common at some theaters that show policy trailers and the people making them up don't know how to find the right place to cut.)

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 06-02-2001 05:23 AM

The Moulin prints I saw did not have the attached trailer hand spliced on. However, they did suffer from the "Fox attachment disease", where the audio for the feature (in this case the low level crowd murmors) starts in the end of the attached preview!!! Why, oh why must Deluxe do this? Most theaters have a very strict policy that the attached trailer WILL be cut off so a policy or sound logo can be inserted immediately before the feature presentation and printing attached trailers in this manner only aggravates what Baz was trying to do.

Saving every single possible frame, the audience noise cut in, instead of fading up. Sad, so very sad.

Hey Deluxe I have news for you, this tactic does NOT work. People will continue to make a cut after the attached trailer. Give everyone a break and give us a good 5-10 feet of black before the feature starts please. (The Technicolor lab can and does do this.)

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 06-02-2001 06:35 AM

Brad: I'm not sure that this decision is made by the lab. The lab normally receives the cut negative and soundtrack and only adds the leader required for printing.

Here is what the Association of Cinema and Video Laboratories (ACVL) Handbook says:
http://www.acvl.org/3a.htm

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-02-2001 11:36 AM

The lab prints what they are told to by the client and to there specs
If trailors are attached they are often printed onto the neg for that complete reel.
If the sound continued under the end of the credit it was also on the sound neg as well that means it was a desicion made by the producers early on when the masters were being struck

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