Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: platter systems

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Film Handlers' Forum » platter systems (Page 3)

This topic comprises 5 pages: 1 2 3 4 5

Author

Topic: platter systems

Joe Ritter
Film Handler

Posts: 27
From: Cape May Court House, NJ, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 08-22-2001 08:58 AM

WOW,
Aron---you said that you overfilled a mut reel about 4". I ran "Titanic" on my 38" reels on the mut and it went over about an inch, Boy was I nervous until the film got within the reel flanges. It worked however and I am glad to hear that someone could get away with four inches. now I wont be so nervous the next time.-----Thanks----Joe Ritter---

| IP: Logged

Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 08-22-2001 09:52 AM

Lemme think now.....

I've run 'Pulp Fiction' with 10 minutes of ad's on a Westrex tower, using a small hub Rigby spool, adds up to about 163 minutes. It is within about 1/4" of the edge. I used to use the 'tri-pair beer mat theory' to extend the spool capacity for one off screenings. Basically you gaffer tape pairs of beer mats (unused!) around the cheeks of the spool so support any over the edge film. Not something I'd dream of doing regularly, but for something like '2001 A Space Odyssey' starting at midnight, it gets you home a smidging earlier. 2001 was of course, tri-acetate and that went slightly over those same small hub spools. (36" O.D.)

| IP: Logged

Andy Muirhead
Master Film Handler

Posts: 323
From: Galashiels, Scotland
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 08-22-2001 07:05 PM

Nice one Pete, used to use that method myself, though not beermats!

Danny, We also used to get excited about the fact you could put two features together on one reel on the platter, before we realised what a bloody hassle it was at the end of the week when one was going to one screen and the other, well to another! I think it lasted one week. Why make more work for yourself in order to shave a couple of mins hassle?

| IP: Logged

Arthur Allen
Film Handler

Posts: 99
From: Renton, WA, USA
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 08-22-2001 10:27 PM

The Rodeo Drive-in of Port Orchard, Washington regularly places both features on a single platter, as seen in the bottom photo of this page:
http://www.rodeodrivein.com/history/index.htm

| IP: Logged

Danny Hart
Film Handler

Posts: 50
From: St Andrews, Scotland
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-25-2001 11:27 PM

Pete, I've just realised which box you're pictured in there...

Tell Eric I've recently been on the receiving end of a Simplex pedestal, painted blue... If he'd like it back for the boiler house, where it came from!! I'm sure he could make MAXimum use of it, as it's travelled all over Scotland.

I encountered Georgia recently - what a misfortune!!! I would never revisit anything resembling Georgia ever again.

| IP: Logged

Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 08-16-2002 11:38 AM

Sorry I musta missed this at the time!

I know very well the pedestal you refer to, and I was glad to see the back of the thing. At last I could align Eric's lamphouse correctly. Oddly enough some philistine has painted the Westrex one I replaced it with a truely awful shade of blue. Some things never change. I thought MAXimum use had already been made of it. Might make a good ships anchor!

I've not encountered Georgia for some time now, that's me and my low profile for you!

| IP: Logged

Tony Ratcliff
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 216
From: Madison, IN, USA
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 08-16-2002 02:17 PM

My theatre has had Eprad Swords in both houses since the 70s.

I have VERY little problem with them.

While rewinding is a pain, the flexibility is affords is priceless.
For instance, I had an exiter bulb go out on me one night. I always have an extra ready to go, so that was no problem, but what my customers absolutely LOVED was when I annouced that I was rewinding the film a few minutes to make sure they didn't miss any of the movie.
Never before have I gotten so many positive comments about a show interuption. The "other theatre in town" could never do this with their platter systems.

I have 48" reels. Switching movies between houses is a breeze (although you have to be able to lift about 80 pounds ). The only thing you have to watch is that you don't bend the reels when you are moving them.

I think the largest movie I've run was "Lawrence Of Arabia". For that one I made sure to grease the bearings well before hand, since there was so much tension on them.

Tony

| IP: Logged

Stephen Furley
Film God

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

posted 08-16-2002 04:36 PM

I have seen a couple of towers which were designed to be able to take 70mm. Neither place could run 70mm, one had only a FP20, the other a pair of DP70s, but not fully equipped. I have never seen a 70mm tower spool, but I doubt that I could lift a full one.

| IP: Logged

Darren Briggs
Master Film Handler

Posts: 371
From: York, UK
Registered: Dec 2001

posted 08-16-2002 04:51 PM

Well i use 3 Cinemeccanica CNR35's, the older ones with the take-up biffer assy, they work fine, had no failures so far, touch wood!
They are easy to fix, as each plate has a seperate control card, which can be removed in a instant. Having a spare card helps, just in case. The whole system when timed correctly works well giveing a smooth pay-out and a tight enough take0up so you can move the prints around from screen to screen.
Im in the middle of converting one for 70mm so ill post next week to tell you how they run with 70, but the Picturville at Bradford use a 5 deck CNR35/70 and they don't seem to have a problem with running 70mm, and another one of our sites have a CNR35/70 which runs like a treat.

Cya
Darren

| IP: Logged

Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 08-16-2002 05:02 PM

I had a very good friend who was the Vice President of Theatre Operations with Pacific Theatre's Hawaiian division, Consolidated Theatres and she told me about the time when Warner Brothers had made available a 70mm print of "THE RIGHT STUFF" at one of the Waikiki Twin theatres and insisted that the almost three hour movie play without an intermission. Because the print had a mag track. it was impossble to fit it all on a single platter at the Twins and the company passed and played it in 35mm. Bummers! I understand now with a DTS track, the 70mm print of "TITANIC" could fit on a single platter. I think that is cool. It's too bad the industry feels that digital is the way to go for the best picture and sound but I have to disagree. In my book, 70mm is the way to go and the cost of the hardware is far less than today's digital projection system.

-Claude

| IP: Logged

Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 08-16-2002 05:25 PM

Pete: You did still present 2001 with an intermission at the proper place didn't you?

| IP: Logged

Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 08-16-2002 05:33 PM

Claude, 3 hours of magnetic acetate 70mm film will fit on a normal sized platter. Perhaps the Waikiki theaters have mini platters???

| IP: Logged

Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 08-16-2002 06:01 PM

The Right Stuff was 3hrs and 13mins long. Would that still have fit on the platters without a problem?

| IP: Logged

Gordon McLeod
Film God

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

posted 08-16-2002 06:02 PM

Some projectors had major problems with gate tension increasing beyond control due to oxide build up over long runs with out cleaning

As for tower from hell try servicing a "Tall Texan Tower" for fun

| IP: Logged

Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 08-16-2002 06:31 PM

Hi Brad,

I think the Waikiki Twins has always used the regular full size platters and if Chris Siu who worked at the Twins would be kind enough to confirm this, that will be great. All I remember my friend telling me that a 70mm print was offered but the company had to decline because of the inability to play the entire movie without pausing for an intermission. What is at the twins are the same size at another friends booth when he had to fit the entire "TITANIC" print with four trailers on to a single platter and how nervous he was everytime he had to run the film at his theatre. It is very amazing how a movie like "TITANIC" that takes a full platter can fit on to a single sided DVD. Wow!

-Claude

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 5 pages: 1 2 3 4 5

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.