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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » ROTK Screening Screw-Up (Page 3)

This topic comprises 6 pages: 1  2  3  4  5  6

Author Topic: ROTK Screening Screw-Up Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 12-04-2003 01:12 PM                     The only time we ever did a pre-screening of a regular release in Hollywood or Westwood. Was at first run theatres and the theatre also would get a Dolby Call too. The projectionist got a studio call rate of pay for the screening. I run reel to reel every day here. At major screenings in Hollywood and Westwood, CA, They have to run the screening using a platter even if they have a second projector available. The last theatre in Westwood to run reel to reel screenings was the GCC Avco. When they got their AW3 platters, they still ran the screenings off of the two projectors. Which worked out great for everyone. But during three major screenings for Disney the operator missed the change-overs during the main show. From that time on all screenings were to be run off of the platters. The following theatres have two projectors or more in their booths. In Westwood: Village National Bruin Crest Avco In Hollywood: Chinese Egyptian Cinerama Dome Pantages El Capitan (use to before DLP)  |  IP: Logged Paul Konen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 981 From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-04-2003 01:55 PM                     Tom, here is how a day like that would go for me. (24 screens) 2 booth members running the day shift. Each builds 1 print 2 booth members running the night shift. Only running the side. (They might break down a print if it is done early) 2 booth members dedicated to building prints. 1-2 more booth members come in at 10:00 pm to help screen in addition to the 4 already on duty, plus myself, plus my GM. After screenings all screeners, except GM, move prints, break down, etc and still won't leave until 2:30 am generally. Along with what Jason said, I think you may have just been lucky. Also, are you referring to that you had 4 prints building directly to platter at the same time? Paul  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-04-2003 02:07 PM                        It's always a good idea to evaluate the print by projection after it is made-up, and before you have a paying audience. The primary purpose of the pre-screening is NOT to entertain the staff and their friends, but to find any defects missed during bench-inspection and make-up. All sound formats for that theatre should be checked, and rechecked if the print is moved to a theatre using a different digital sound format.  |  IP: Logged Tom Ruhling Film Handler Posts: 4 From: Germantown, MD, USA Registered: Nov 2001 posted 12-04-2003 06:27 PM                     Hey Paul. I want to work at your theatre! It is poor to expect that work be done in such a short period of time. I have been running at this pace for three years at this location. I build on the rewind tables then spin one up while building the next. I alternate between the two rewind tables for each print. My point was that they are pretty cheap in my district. (The same as the Georgetown) I am not happy about the pace. As for luck, seems to have held out for 20 years. (My craft is only capable of warp 4.9)  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 12-04-2003 06:53 PM                        After a quick look through here, it seems one explanation might be missed... if I didn't see it... sorry! Adam's observation that this kind of thing is easily blamed on nonexistent makeup times might have been right on in this case. I've never understood why the studios, ETS or Technicolor insist on shipping a feature out with reels that aren't consistently heads or tails out, but that's been happening a lot over the past few years. Not that it's any excuse, but I wouldn't be surprised if the operator just lopped all the "leaders" off, lined up the reels in order & spliced them together on the quick. He got screwed because he didn't notice that a couple of the reels were tails out.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-04-2003 08:17 PM                    As this was a new print (not one where some idiot flip flopped the leaders) there is no excuse to make up a reel backwards. How stupid must someone be to not know the difference between a head leader and a tail? And this business about some reels one way or some the other seem ridiculous. As a changeover operator who inspects heads and tails of everything I naturally prefer the old standard of receiving a film tails out and I send it on that way too. If I was a platter user whose "inspection" consisted of watching the film wind onto the platter I would naturally prefer all the reels to be heads up. But if some are going to be wound one way and some the other way I think I would be glad for those that would be on heads, not wishing that they were all tails out just for sake of consistency. Just like right now I am glad if a few are tails out, not wishing all were heads up just so they are all the same. Are people really so mindless that they would prefer all the way opposite of what they want just so it's consistent? Why does that report only talk about an upside down image and no mention of it running backwards?  |  IP: Logged Nate Lehrke Master Film Handler Posts: 396 From: Denver, CO Registered: Oct 2002 posted 12-05-2003 02:43 AM                     Steve - Ask your manager what the problem with the sound was. I didn't get a single complaint about the sound during or after the screening, but if he has a suggestion or observation, I'd love to hear it Haven't determined what caused the tail be come 'un-tucked'. The security personal assigned to the print was suppose to be watching the print and NOT the feature but, of course, who wouldn't want to see a new LOTR's ? Learned my lesson about trusting someone to watch over the booth. Next time, Ill be sitting next to the platters for the whole show, regardless.  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-05-2003 03:25 AM                        quote: I had no idea the Dolby Digital Track could play in reverse .I imagine the analogue track could but for some reason I thought the digital would not, it proved me wrong! i'm pretty darn sure that it can't, at the very least not intelligibly. it would have to be painstakingly designed to do so. since it was on the other side of the film from normal it would not have been read anyways, and what you heard was the optical track in reverse. as for heads/tails consistency, it all depends on how they're grouped. HHTHTT is easier than all heads. THHTTH is not. carl  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-05-2003 04:40 AM                        Wow. This film must be cursed or something. Word on the street is that Thursday's press screening in Boston had sound problems (digital dropouts and weirdness throughout), though nothing as serious as others have posted in this thread.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-05-2003 07:50 AM                        Orientation of a brand new reel will depend on whether the lab uses loop-type printers or bi-directional panel printers. Normal orientation during printing is heads-to-tails, so after processing, the reels are oriented heads first. On a bi-directional printer, the film is printed both heads-to-tails, and tails-to-heads. A percentage of reels are inspected by high speed projection or inspection machines after processing, which would reverse the orientation. My personal preference would be for prints to be shipped tails out, so the required rewinding would at least encourage some hands-on inspection in the theatres during make-up.  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 12-05-2003 09:58 AM                     We have had no problems with the prints on any of the screenings here in New York City.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-05-2003 11:27 AM                    No problem with mine last Saturday here in Chicago either. 1 hour arrival time for a changeover screening. All reels were inspected heads and tails prior to projection and for added fun I was simultaneously setting up for an unexpected unmarried film subsequent to LOTR which would have to run without any sort of on-screen test run due to lack of time and guests already seating.  |  IP: Logged Adrian Steiner Film Handler Posts: 18 From: Baar, Switzerland Registered: Dec 2002 posted 12-05-2003 01:35 PM                     About playing SRD backwards: We screened last week the trailer of "Avalon" backwards so that the sound still played. I was down in the auditorium, watching tanks running bottom up and bombs falling up, but friends told me, SRD always reverted to SR. The funny part was, Polish sounded like Russian. Before that, we showed "Irréversible". It's opening credits get shifted ~30 degrees to the right, like someone plays with the anamorphotic lens during the opening credits. It's trailer is nice, too: Starts with a woman lying on the grass - but the picture is upside down. Made me nearly banging my head on the wall because I thought it was "film done wrong". Adi P.S.: Offtopic: Don't watch Irréversible if you -are epilleptic -have a weak stomach  |  IP: Logged Paul Konen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 981 From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-05-2003 01:37 PM                     Mine went well too. Tuesday Dec 2 Tom, I'd take you, but I don't think I can get you what you get now.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 12-05-2003 01:55 PM                        ..from Steve: quote: ...there is no excuse to make up a reel backwards. How stupid must someone be to not know the difference between a head leader and a tail? Well, it happened, so the intelligence of the operator isn't a matter of question. And for someone like you, the way a print is shipped is irrelevant, too. My point was that, for the dunces out there, the tendency for some prints to arrive out of order, and with some reels reversed from the rest only ups the odds that something like this will happen... especially when things get rushed and the operator's not paying attention.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 6 pages: 1  2  3  4  5  6

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

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.