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Author Topic: US booths like Fort Knox Peter Kerchinsky Master Film Handler Posts: 326 From: Seattle, WA, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 09-29-2003 05:01 AM                     If you ever make it to Seattle, WA. we'll show you any booth you want to see. I really don't understand these replys at all! I guess we're a bit more friendly here to people in the trade that some others.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 09-29-2003 05:11 AM                     Hey Peter, got a camera? hint, hint  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-29-2003 06:52 AM                        Generally, I haven't had a problem getting into booths for a quick tour. The key seems to be a) only ask during slow periods...never on a weekend evening and b) avoid serious-looking managers and go for the boxoffice or concession attendant instead. Some managers will just refuse instead of asking the projectionist directly. If the request actually gets to the projectionist, though, there's usually no problem, and most are quite friendly and happy to give a quick tour. This is one of the few useful purposes of projectionist licensing, as I can show my license as a way to prove that I at least know enough not to do anything stupid while visiting the booth (though, by Mass. state law, visitors aren't officially permitted while shows are in progress). Obviously, don't ask for a tour if there's been a major presentation problem with your show (no need to embarass the projectionist further), and be extra-polite to everyone at the theatre. Don't just walk into the booth without asking beforehand unless you personally know the operator. And don't ask when the projectionist is obviously busy (Thursday nights, 70mm shows, interlock shows, etc.; film festivals are sometimes OK, though, unless you are the director of the film currently being screened, in which case the booth is off limits for the duration of the screening!). Sadly, this country is lawsuit-happy, and I can see why employees at large chains would be nervous about letting random people take pictures of their booth, even for an innocuous purpose like this site. It would be easy for someone to claim that pics are for "personal use" and then use them as "evidence" in a lawsuit about health and safety violations, etc.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Brown Film Handler Posts: 91 From: Newcastle, NSW, Australia Registered: Jan 2000 posted 09-29-2003 07:03 AM                     Well the only time I've wanted to go up in a booth in the US, I got an invite to go straight in. I visited the El Capitan in Los Angeles and was talking to the shift manager, I asked if I could take some photos of the foyer/entrance, and he said no, not without Disneys permission, but he would let me into the booth if I wanted to. Got straight in.... Saw the El Capitan Pre-Show happen. They were running a double feature of Alladdin in Dolby Digital and Beauty and the Beast in 6 track mag 70MM. Very good afternoon, well spent Steve Brown  |  IP: Logged Jeff Taylor Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 601 From: Chatham, NJ/East Hampton, NY Registered: Apr 2000 posted 09-29-2003 09:34 AM                     In our 16 we always give booth tours as long as there's sufficient manpower to supervise the guest. We also give pre-arranged school tours and even hand out scraps of trailers as souvenirs to the kids. New York, well that IS a different story!  |  IP: Logged Steve Anderson Expert Film Handler Posts: 168 From: Nashville, TN Registered: Feb 2000 posted 09-29-2003 09:57 AM                        I always welcome people who would like to view the booth. If they bring a toddler with them we put them on the top platter and in the make-up mode we give the little tikes a nice spin on the platter.  |  IP: Logged Jim Spohn Film Handler Posts: 95 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Jan 2003 posted 09-29-2003 10:49 AM                     While visiting my booth, a guy who claimed to be a union spotlight operator, noticed the little mirror on the side of the lamphouse that shows the arc image on a target to adjust trim. I watched with horror when he recahed out and tweaked it. It all happened in slow motion, with no time to stop him!! Another time, a visiting projectionist noticed the port shutter release cord next to the door, and you guessed it, gave it a slight tug. Down came the fire shutters on all the ports and shut down power to the booth. Although I still take people into the booth, I'm very selective and allow no visitors while a show is running. ...Jim  |  IP: Logged Gerard S. Cohen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 975 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 09-29-2003 11:17 AM                     I think the advice given above, to write, call or email in advance asking permission, and showing up with your license, union card or similar credentials in hand, will most often gain you admission. In New York, I used to ask an usher to show my card to the projectionist on duty and ask if I might visit the booth or speak to him on the intercom. If you show up unannounced, wearing suits and ties, your visit might look like an official surprise inspection, or worse! Once I welcomed a former student, who came up with a girlfriend who slung her heavy satchel handbag on the floor, tripping the changeover pedal, which stopped the show. After that, I usually limited visitors to one at a time, as I couldn't watch more plus the show simultaneously.  |  IP: Logged Alan Plester Expert Film Handler Posts: 209 From: great yarmouth england Registered: Apr 2001 posted 09-29-2003 12:19 PM                     The manager would always knock before entering our box in Banbury and ask if it was o k to enter. Regarding anybody who wanted to view, it was always the Manager who would bring the person up and ask on their behalf, never turned anyone away as far as I remember.  |  IP: Logged Ken McFall Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 615 From: Haringey, London. Registered: Apr 2001 posted 09-29-2003 12:24 PM                     Yes Leo City Screen still do that stupid policy... along with many others. It's fine until something happens and then the shit hits the fan! NO ONE was allowed up to my projection room unless the duty manager phoned first and asked if it was a suitable time. The duty projectionist had the last word and I would always stand by them. I would go nuts if people suddenly appeard without clearing it first. Why so coy about saying City Screen  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 09-29-2003 12:47 PM                     quote: If they bring a toddler with them we put them on the top platter and in the make-up mode we give the little tikes a nice spin on the platter. I am sure you know how to properly set up the platter MUT, but as soon as you said this I had visions of the MUT being left with the speed up and the makeup switch off. What came to my mind was putting the toddler on the top platter, then flipping the switch to makeup so that the deck could be turned on, but instead launching the kid across the room. I don't think that is a good idea at all. If for whatever reason something went wrong, even if it was a MUT cable that had a short in it causing the platter to pop into motion, you would be messing with that kid's life. I don't think many infants would survive the trip. Different, but very bad as well, I can see a kid playing around with a MUT. Imagine a Christie mut for example where the kid had the speed turned up and the kid had his fingers in between the reel shaft and drive shaft, then fiddling with the switches producing an "instant on" to high speed. It would take entire fingers off. If children must come into the booth for a scout trip tour or something, I will only do it in groups of 2 or 3. No more. The parents don't know what kind of danger exists up there, so only you know what to be watching the kids for.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 09-29-2003 12:55 PM                     Brad, it's much worse than that, you might damage the projector. I have visions of a platter suddenly speeding up to several hundred rpm, and a minute child desparately trying to hang on!  |  IP: Logged Pete Naples Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1565 From: Dunfermline, Scotland Registered: Feb 2001 posted 09-29-2003 12:59 PM                     Robins used to have that daft Saturday morning matninee thing going on too. Toddlers and G21's is not a good mixture.......  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-29-2003 03:01 PM                        That platter/tykes/spin/MUT thing sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 09-29-2003 03:03 PM                        ok, i'm pretty sure that baby-on-a-platter was just a joke. i did show some "film"-makers who were location scouting around our booth and recommended other booths in the area where they might find changeover projection if that's what they were looking for. i wasn't reprimanded exactly, but was told that wasn't such a good idea, although it seemed pretty harmless. probably just paranoia. i do think it's funny that some theaters don't lock their booths at all (but do lock the janitor's closet!). it makes it easier to find a projectionist when there's a problem though. carl  |  IP: Logged

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