Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Finally - I'm a projectionist

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

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Film Handlers' Forum » Finally - I'm a projectionist (Page 2)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3

Author

Topic: Finally - I'm a projectionist

Ken Lackner
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1907
From: Atlanta, GA, USA
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 04-22-2002 09:43 PM

OK, guys, here's an update.

I stopped by the theater today to help out in the booth. I found the guy who's overseeing the instillation and picked his brain! Here's the equipment package:

Big Sky consol, automation, dimmer, failsafe/cue detector, platter
Kinoton PK60D projector with SRD basement reader
Dolby CP650 with EX in 6 audotoriums
Kelmar rewind bench and 3 media cleaners

The instillation guy said that we're gonna be starting the shows about 10 minutes earlier than scheduled time because there's that much rolling stock! Geeze! I've heard of 2 or 3 minutes, but 10? Could he be mistaken? Has anyone ever seen 10 minutes of ads, *plus* previews?

| IP: Logged

Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 04-22-2002 09:50 PM

Yes I've seen it, and had to assemble those ad packs...at UA. Welcome to the world of extreme rolling stock!

BTW, I definitely agree that guy has the right idea. I prefer to try and time things out as close as possible so that the first real *movie* preview hits the screen at the advertised showtime, or maybe 1 minute earlier. If the show is scheduled to start at 8:00, I don't think people should be sitting there after 8:00 hits watching paid ads. (Not that I condone them either, it's just worse when they run at the scheduled start time.)

| IP: Logged

Richard Fowler
Film God

Posts: 2392
From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA
Registered: Jun 2001

posted 04-22-2002 10:55 PM

Only 10 minutes......most of my clients average 40 minutes of ads / trailers / local newsreel prior to the movie....which they update weekly....they post the feature time and the "ad time" in their advertisements....so they are usually rethreading and on the screen within five minutes.....but then again they are usually not working the floor

Richard Fowler
TVP-Theatre & Video Products Inc. www.tvpmiami.com

| IP: Logged

Darryl Spicer
Film God

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

posted 04-22-2002 11:02 PM

hmmmmmmmm sounds like the early years of film projection before T.V.

| IP: Logged

Sam Hunter
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 779
From: West Monroe, LA, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 04-22-2002 11:13 PM

Congratulations!!!!!
I don really know you but I believe you deserve it!!
Rock on!!

| IP: Logged

Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-23-2002 05:34 AM

10 minutes of ads? Yuck. You'll have "fun" changing these out every week.

(Even GCC/AMC has "only" five minutes' worth of ads; Landmark has none!)

| IP: Logged

Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 04-23-2002 11:23 AM

Indeed it is "fun"! Actually, Ken will quickly find himself becoming the master of center drops because of it. I've always considered it good practice to monitor any center drop until it's played through and make sure to teach that way, but in all honesty I've only done a hundred thousand center drops lately because of rolling stock ads and as such I don't even bother to "stand by" any more. Pull the film, splice, wind, splice, drop, thread, set timer, walk away. I can do an entire complex's trailer changes (16 screens or less) in one round now and I haven't had a drop have problems in over 10 years. Yes indeedy Ken, Regal will quickly make you a master at this too!

So can the Big Sky platter handle "outward" bulges in a drop, or must they be "inward" like most platters? The Christie is the only platter I'm aware of that can handle outward bulges from a drop without possibility of film damage.

| IP: Logged

Steven Gorsky
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 146
From: Frederick, MD, USA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 04-23-2002 11:47 AM

The first theatre I worked at had Xetron platters, and we never had any problems with "outward" bulges. Looking at the picture of the Big Sky platter it looks like it would be possible.

Steven Gorsky

| IP: Logged

David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 04-23-2002 11:48 AM

Not that I like or condone ads before movies (ACK!). But let me play devil's advocate (not referring to the fictional pinball machine on the Simpsons). If the ads roll well before the scheduled start time, that means not as many customers will see them. Presumably the advertisers are paying to play their ads in front of as many people as possible. Getting the ads out of the way early seems to be circumventing that intent.

Personally, I like the idea of running the ads early, but if I were a paying advertiser, I don't think I would be happy about that practice.

| IP: Logged

Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 04-23-2002 11:51 AM

The last company policy I saw said the "feature" was to start at the scheduled show time. That being the case, the advertisers should be bouncing off of the walls that their ads are being shown 10 minutes later than policy dictates.

| IP: Logged

Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-23-2002 12:06 PM

Brad -- trailers? ads? both? (!) Either way, I'm impressed.

The most I can do in between one set of shows is 6 screens' worth of trailer changes (usually remove one/add one). This is with a single booth but no start timers. At least I've gotten to the point where I can do trailer changes faster on platters than reels.

| IP: Logged

Ken Lackner
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1907
From: Atlanta, GA, USA
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 04-23-2002 09:04 PM

Yes, brad, Regal has made me master the center drop! I can even do it without any kind of marking now! (I used to use cores, which I know you don't recommend.) The only anoying part (and it really can be very anoying) is trying to get the first few trailers back onto the center ring!

What do you mean by inward and outward bulges? I think I know what you mean by inward, but how can you even have an outward bulge? Is that where you sorta lay the trailer pack at an angle over the print? If that's the case, that's what I did at my last theater with Teco platters. Don't know about the Big Sky platters. We don't have disks yet, only trees!

Nice pic, Dave.

| IP: Logged

James R. Hammonds, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 931
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 04-24-2002 12:23 AM

Are the Big Sky rings or any of the other ones you used collapsible?
The Strong rings are so its easy to get it back inside the trailers.

| IP: Logged

Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 04-24-2002 02:21 AM

Scott, trailers AND ads actually, plus the removal of THX logos where applicable. Ever seen a quadrouple center drop?

Come by one trailer changing/print building night for the 7:00 round and I'll show you (just stay out of my way...I'll be on a tight schedule!) If you care to stay for the entire night, you can watch me change out all of the cleaners and build all of the prints, break down what must go out and run the booth, *most* of the time being done by 12:30-1:00 AM. Of course for the entertainment, you must make the dinner run.

Ken, one of these days I plan on making a detailed picture page on the right and wrong way to do trailer changes. There is simply no reason whatsoever for any show to run without every ad and trailer being presented, and I've amassed quite a number of tips to speed the process up. However, there are so many ways and some procedures are better for certain situations (like if it is the first, second, third, last trailer and so forth) that the page will indeed be difficult to write and get appropriate pictures. I just haven't had the time.

BTW I was thinking about the design of the Big Sky platter at ShoWest. I think it can *probably* handle the outward bulges, but due to the design if it didn't hold the film securely on the first set of fingers, severe print damage could occur. I'd have to play with one to find out.

| IP: Logged

David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 04-24-2002 11:23 AM

"Nice pic, Dave"

He wears a tie, so he must know what he's talking about.

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3

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.