There is also the factor of economics. Spending more money on quality equipment and automations when the theater is built FAR MORE THAN makes up for itself in having to pay for qualified operators on every screen as each month goes by. Let's just pick a random number out of the air and say that you make $12/hour running a single screen. So what happens when we clone you and put you in a 4 plex? That's right, suddenly it becomes a $48/hour payroll. But what about a 20 plex (which seems to be about *average* today)? That's $240/hour on projection staff Bob! That's roughly $3600 a day spent just on projectionists! An automation like the CA21 would be paid for and the theater would be saving money without losing one ounce of showmanship within a week's time!!! Instead put in good equipment and a full blown automation and hire 2 operators at $18/hour (totaling $36) and forget about it. The operators make more, thus they are happier. One guy can run the booth, the other guy can be on standby in the event of a breakdown just wandering around ensuring that everything is nothing short of perfect. That's more than enough staffing for a 20 plex, and quite honestly...overkill.

Bottom line here, what is it that you can do that an automation cannot do? The answer is NOTHING except framing and focus (which is just not a problem with good equipment that has been properly set up and even just a halfway decent projectionist). The automation can start the show. The automation can turn off the annoying slides (even when it reaches a specific one), do a curtain call timed however you like, fade out the non-sync at whatever speed you desire, play a cd intro welcoming everyone to the theater cued up and played at whatever volume and sound format you want, start the projector at a predetermined second, open the douser on the exact frame specified, vary the volume on each trailer, take the lights (as many zones as you want) to whatever lighting levels you have programmed, and so forth and so on and so on. I know it sounds terrible, but with today's automation systems like the CA-21 and possibly the CNA-200, the automation can do a BETTER job than any human...even Steve Guttag!

Getting back to the subject of this thread though, can the TA-10 do all of this? Nope! So in this case, a human is the only alternative to obtain that kind of showmanship.

(and, no, I can't do frame-accurate changeovers, though I can come pretty close if I'm familiar with the film and equipment)

 |  IP: Logged

I love the TA10, simple very reliable with no programming of the automation itself required. Move a print, lace it up and its done.

However...... there's always an however, it requires consistency and a little effort from the projection team when making up the print. But I'd rather have an automated show than the differing standards of each individual.

Cues that cover the soundtrack are used when the show is 'Off Screen' and non sysc sound is on so avoiding the thump as the cues passes the sound reader. the mid frame cue is the interval cue, most important cue of all. It's mid frame so it never suffers wear no matter how long we run the print for.

Cue 1 Masking to 1.85 (Taped over as it's a permanent feature of all leaders.)

Cue 2 Interval start / end / Interlock show start.

Cue 3 House lights 'Off' (Taped over as its a permanent feature of our Feature leaders)

Cue 4 House lights to 'Low'

Cue 5 Masking to 'Scope' (Combined with cue 1. it is not taped over so can be applied / pealed easily as required)

Cue 6 Spare.

Cue 7 All stop. Wired via a switch on the front panel so we can stop on the feature change if required.

We use three types of leader, one is the basic lacing leader which contaims the 1.85 masking cue as standard. If we are running a feature only show a house light off cue is added at the join onto the feature. Next is the interval leader which contains an interval cue to start the interval event and an additional interval cue to restore alarm functions. We have a one minute break between our adverts and the feature. This leader never changes. Then there is the feature leader itself which has an interval cue to 'end' the interval, plus a making cue, followed by a 'house lights off' cue. These leaders never change from week to week so the only cues we ever have to apply when making up a print are the 'house to low' at the start of the end credits and the final 'interval' cue to end the show.

Very simple in day to day use and reliable in operation.

Hope this gives you another angle on cue policy.

 |  IP: Logged

Any cue setup will work.... but nothing beats practical hands on experience with a system to find out what is best. If you can avoid using cues that cover the sound track when 'on screen' then you should do so, it improves the presentation by removing the loud thumps as the cue is read etc.

So don't stick with a poor setup just because the engineer 'likes it that way', it's your show after all. Work with him if you can to get the results you are happy with.

As for cinemation.... I still miss the clunk clunk clunk as the stepper moved down a line and that little lamp told you what had just happened..... but that's pretty much history now. We have apparently moved on and have to move with the times.... Ludites and all :0)

The thing with a debate such as this is that everyone's point of view is valid. There you are I got out of that nice and easy!

It may be all well and good to say this makes it better but a given operator will not be there for ever and that leaves a can of worms for the next one

Also in many instances standarization allows for alot of trouble shooting to occur over the phone with out billing the theatre for a service call. In the case of some of the ones I service it would entail a 4 hour flight and then a 8 hour drive.
Also most engineers now are responsible for the service of far more screens than one can barely handle and in many cases with in a complex there will be different brands of equipment to interface to and to allow for that a standardized interface is required

Another point is some cicuits bicycle prints between locations or make up in one location for several complexes so foil standardization is important