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Topic: Hey you, you suck! (AKA: Outing bad film handlers)
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Charles Greenlee
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 801
From: Savannah, Ga, U.S.
Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 07-11-2006 06:33 PM
I worked at the local Wynnsong, and Carmike. Yeah, it seems company policy to do everything wrong. At the Carmike, we had not film lube, no way to clean the traps and gates, no film cleaner, ptr or otherwise. The pain brushes we had to brush out the traps were also being used at erasers for the marker boards. The pojectors leaked oil like a seive. There's no PM, the techs never do anything when they come, they "patch" only half of the problems, never really repair any. No gloves for film handling, the booth never stayed clean, unless I cleaned it. It's common practice to let the film contact the floor as much as possible, the brains are never cleaned, the lenses are never cleaned, the soundheads were never cleaned. I could go on for hours, or days, or maybe even weeks, on the booth alone. The wynnsong was much better, but still would fail on almost all points. We did have C-lube there, not that it was getting used, except by me. We also had PTRs, which everyone knows that the compund becomes dirty(saturated) after about 5-10min of film. Both this and the lube, I was like "What's this? What does it do?" No one there knew. In fact I was told that film lube, was only for the gate, and not the film (why call it FILM lube then?), and they didn't know what the thing with the 2 rubber wheels(PTR) was. Oddly enough, I found the answers here, maybe not on the forums, but the site in general. Since then I've been correcting many of my bad habits that I was taught as "policy", and I've been trying to convert others as I go.
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Jason Black
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1723
From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 07-11-2006 10:50 PM
Charles:
It's a shame to hear that the Wynnsong has gone downhill since opening. I was on the opening team when the theare originally opened back in 99 or so. I forget the actual year...
Is the theatre beside you still a discount house?
Seems like there was a manager at one of the locations by the name of Todd... Householder I believe it was...
He was at the C-10, which was, for a LONG time, a dump. Sadly, due to multiple contractors being rin off teh job during construction, this location was prone with issues from day one.
I won't mention anything about the service techs there, but I know where you're coming from. I always had another tech service in my areas, and I was educated enough to stay on top of them AND the booth on a routine basis. Lucky for me, my techs were ALWAYS glad to TEACH me whatever I wanted to know..
I saved MANY a show by knowing the basics... shutter belt replacement/timing, swaping out diode stacks, etc... And when you dealt with Christie M35GP's (I think that's right), you always had to be on top of 'em. (I can see Phil getting excited now.. LOL)
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Charles Greenlee
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 801
From: Savannah, Ga, U.S.
Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 07-12-2006 12:55 AM
Well, Wynnsong has been up and down. It was down when I got there. It went up for Star Wars, yeah, I cleaned and lubed everyfrazzinthing. Yeah, I kinda like Christies in a way. If you threade them right, and stayued up on their PM, they ran great. The only real problem was the belts (esp. the shutter belt), and the clamp springs. The dowser had issues being down if front of a hot lamp, and would warp, so christie sent us new steel retofits with a kelmar solinoid. I love the Kelmars. I like that Christies start NOW, whereas the Strongs at the 10 have to build up speed. But otherwise I still favor the strongs.
There's no discount house next to the Wynnsong. I worked at the Carmike 10 when Todd was GM there. Actually was there when he got transferred to the Wynnsong. Lee, his 1st assistant was probably the best Sr. Assistant we ever had, but when he got promoted to GM of the Car 10, things changed in him. He stepped over to the dark side. Though he was still a cool guy personally.
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Charles Greenlee
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 801
From: Savannah, Ga, U.S.
Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 07-12-2006 09:18 PM
Nope, goes up and down, like the originals. These however are thicker, and made of steel and not potmetal. The kit cam with the plate, rod, and fittings. I doubt the kelmars were part of the kit, but were a suitable replacement for the old solenoid setup. I think the old ones were inside the projector housing because I don't remember an external one, also the tech had to drill holes for the rod to go down into the projector from the top. Overall, I was pleased with the new setup, except for having to reshape the holes slightly due to the rod hanging when the projector gets warm, but that's a "to fit" tweak. Oddly enough, when the old cable driven simplex "Electronic Changeover" units started burning out at the 10, they went ahead and did a full conversion over to the kelmar solenoids. This was several months before the Wynnsong converted their Christies.
BTW, this is an open topic if anyone else want to bring up a horror story. Don't let this small convo deter you. ![[thumbsup]](graemlins/thumbsup.gif)
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Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 07-13-2006 01:20 AM
Charles,
I used to be a tech. in that neck of the woods. Closer to Atlanta but most of the Southern USA, where I worked, had similar problems to the ones at your theater.
I quit the job, in disgust! There are some people down there who just made me want to SCREAM!
Judging by the way you talk, I can guess that you are a pretty conscientous worker but you probably know what kind of people I'm thinking about.
I would go into a theater and spend two or three DAYS fixing it up as best I knew how, only to have some idiot come along and tear everything up fifteen minutes after I walked out the door.
I spent nearly a WEEK fixing up a 20-plex outside of Atlanta. I cleaned and repaired and timed all the platters. When I left, EVERY ONE OF THEM worked PERFECTLY. The SAME DAY I left, I got calls about the platters not working.
I went back, fixed them all up again and, this time, I put paper stickers over the access panels on the sides of the upright/trees: "Do not break this seal or you will be FIRED!"
Those platters worked perfectly for nearly three months after that!
I got a call to go down there for an unrelated problem and looked at the seals I put on the platters. As long as those seals stayed intact, the platter worked perfectly. The ones that were torn were on platters that didn't work right. I timed them up again and resealed them. Magically, they worked again!
Every time I'd ask, "Who's breaking the seals?" I'd get the same answer. "I dunno'..."
Well, If I get my hands around the neck of this "IDunno" guy, I'll strangle him!
I've seen my share of dumb, lazy technicians but you know it's not all their fault. Movie theaters -- especially the ones in your area -- hire unqualified idiots to take care of the machines.
I don't know if it's because of low wages or if it's because of something in the water but there are some people down there who would probably forget to breathe if Mother Nature didn't take care of that for them!
I suggest you keep up the good work as best you know how and let all the idiots run the popcorn stand and sweep floors.
And, don't let anybody try to turn YOU into one of those idiots! ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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Charles Greenlee
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 801
From: Savannah, Ga, U.S.
Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 07-13-2006 09:18 PM
I'm trying. I'd still be defined as "unqualified" on alot of stuff, but I take care when I do stuff. For example, as I mentioned in another thread that I had to change the gain on a Sub amp, which is something a projectionist, esp. one making min wage, should ever do, or ever have to do. That for techs only, but extinuating circumstances dictated that I take matters in my own hands. So I marked where it was at, and gradually adjusted, little by little, and constantly checking from in the auditoruim, till it was acceptable. When the movie's run was done, I set it back to my mark, and double checked it from in the auditoruin again. It was fine. I got the "you are a very bad boy" speech then on the side, the tech said I had done it right and he didn't have to readjust anything. I am imperfect, I still have habits listed as bad here, but I am trying to improve those, and the ones I don't is because I'm forced to do otherwise. I have learned alot, both here, and by working on the projectors, if fact it's what I want to do(when I grow up ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif) ). I'm to be trained Level 1 next month, and hopefully level 2 at the same time. I can, and do, already do the things that are level 1 and 2 and many level 3 stuff, and have done some 4(the highest in regal, nitty gritty) stuff.
But yeah, evn though I do stuff that is technically beyond my training, I do it wwith due caution, and with the intent to make it fully (not rigged) functional, or better. And even when I forced to rig something, it's often better than most people's repairs, becasue I still try to make every effort to do it as best as possible. Speking of which, maybe I need to bump my analog question thread. I do have what I belive to be a valid idea, but I need someone to ping -pong the idea back and forth with to make it a practical idea.
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