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Author Topic: Setting Traps Kyle Watkins Expert Film Handler Posts: 185 From: Stuart, FL, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 12-17-2003 09:45 PM                     On flat movies put 2 scope lenses in the turret.  |  IP: Logged Chris Byrne Expert Film Handler Posts: 102 From: Kirwan, Australia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 12-18-2003 04:26 AM                     Thanks for the ideas! Evil has no boundaries.  |  IP: Logged Evans A Criswell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1579 From: Huntsville, AL, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 12-18-2003 09:56 AM                        Evil knows no boundaries: 1. Take all the aperture plates out of all the projectors and randomly permute them when putting them back. There are n factorial ways to do this. If you have 18 screens, that's only 6402373705728000 permutations to try. 2. Obtain two damaged, cracked or broken lenses and put them in the turret in place of the normal ones, which you hide well. 3. Put a dark piece of construction paper over the port glass on the auditorium side. Do a neat job to make it as unnoticeable as possible. 4. Put a speaker and small amp and MP3 player device somewhere inside the equipment that makes loud "equipment tearing up" sound effects at various times. 5. Sneak up behing him with an air horn while he's threading. 6. Swap all the auditorium number labels on all the projectors. 7. Fix the scope lens so it stretches the wrong way (orthogonal to the way it should, or something).  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-18-2003 11:17 AM                    Not a trap but a great practical joke: During the Cinemiracle* presentation of Windjammer at Chicago's Civic Opera House they told a new guy to poke his head out of the port to check sound and just as a wave crashed over the ship in the film an accomplice in the balcony splashed a cup of water into the fellow's face. * Cinemiracle was a knock-off of Cinerama, also using 3 x 35mm 6-perf films, curved screen, and 35mm full coat mag for sound.  |  IP: Logged Gracia L. Babbidge Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 709 From: Bowdoin, Maine Registered: Aug 2000 posted 12-18-2003 11:33 AM                        A few more things to check attentiveness: -run the previous show so that the film winds up 'upside-down' on the platter -hide the dts discs -unplug the platter system -close the manual douser  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 12-18-2003 12:15 PM                     Some more for the EVIL side: -Mistime the shutter 90 degrees -Switch around all the inputs for the amplifiers (if they are connected by XLR or 1/4" connectors) -Reverse the open and close windings on the electric dowser -AS  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 12-18-2003 12:34 PM                        Here`s another good one: rotate the scope lens so that the picture becomes a parallelogram. If they find out what the problem is, it means they paid attention to how the format works.  |  IP: Logged Gordon Bachlund Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 696 From: Monrovia, CA, USA Registered: Aug 1999 posted 12-18-2003 02:09 PM                        It’s been great fun following these suggested “traps.” For a taste of reality, the Los Angeles City projectionist license test in the 1950s was in two parts, written and practical. If the examinee survived the written test, which included calculating lens focal lengths for various throws and screen sizes and electrical exercises based on Ohm’s Law, he was ushered into a real booth in City Hall and asked to thread up and run a short film while the examiner set as few “traps” of his own that began with feeding the carbon arc lamphouse with AC. If the examinee identified the problem, the examiner could then feed the lamphouse with dc with reversed polarity. If the examinee identified that problem, he was then expected to thread the ancient projector and equally elderly soundhead and then deal with no take-up reel belt (one was provided if asked for), the wrong focal length lens (the correct one was provided if asked for), and deal with other surprises including blown renewable-link fuses. It was rare for an examinee to pass on the first try, but the license was “earned” in every respect. The Los Angeles County projectionist license test did not employ a booth, but examinees were required to make cement splices that could endure a pull-apart test and an examination for workmanship. “Workmanship?” Does that term even apply any more?  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-18-2003 02:14 PM                     Might I suggest that with all the evil ideas being put forth that we classify them as "Beginner", "Intermediate" or "Advanced"? A new "guy" in the booth should know how to check for the basic problems like bad splices/reframing, focus or lack of sound but I'd never expect him to open up a SCOPE lens pair and check for foriegn objects. (Simulated lens damage?) A guy who has been around for a while should know how to change fuses or activate the emergency bypass mode on a power supply but I wouldn't expect that person to know how to check/adjust Dolby tone levels or realign an A-Chain. Which gives me an idea for an "Intermediate" level trick: Put a piece of clear Scotch tape over the slit lens or otherwise "schmutz" it. An inexperienced person should know that there is a problem with the sound but wouldn't necessarily know how to fix it. Somebody with experience should know to check the sound slit lens for cleanliness/foriegn objects.  |  IP: Logged Peter Hall Master Film Handler Posts: 314 From: London, UK Registered: Dec 2000 posted 12-18-2003 02:32 PM                        Evil alright - WD40 in the frigging xenon - wish we sold your site lamps ! I look after a site where a new operator felt he should be promoted, however the company took on an older guy with really solid experience. The young guy was pissed off to say the least, and slagged the older guy off no end. Then "things" started happening on the older guy's shifts - strangely on the first show of the day ALL screens would have a film break, only on the first show... The older guy would lace up and run all shows himself fine, but whenever the younger guy was on the night before shit would happen. Usually a film break in the middle of a reel in the middle of a featyure, and once timed so that all three screens broke at once. I rememver once the current on a rectifier was turned way up (110A for a 1k6) and the lamp and mirror blew - other times there would be "mysterious" sound faults, and the older guy would ring the younger guy to ask if he had any problems.. The younger guy would offer to come in and help, and within seconds of "fiddling" in the back of the rack the younger guy would have "saved the day" and became everyones hero. Finally the older guy had too much and resigned. The younger guy took over as "chief" and his first rule was not to clean the platter discs - apparently the film slides off ! (Thankfully the younger guy then decided he was an engineer and left the company, proclaiming that he could set up a CPxx by ear better than anyone with calibrated test gear could).. Maybe he's rignt - an fed up with humping a scope, analyser, laptop and set of loops and cards acvourn  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 12-18-2003 05:43 PM                       quote: Q. At what speed does 35mm film run through a projector? that answer is of course C. 24FPS And then, the best follow-up question to this one is: What do you do if it isn't?  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-18-2003 07:01 PM                     I just hope none of these are attempted if a paying audience is present  |  IP: Logged Matt Zeiner Expert Film Handler Posts: 146 From: Windsor, CT USA Registered: Sep 2003 posted 12-18-2003 07:46 PM                     plug the platter into the slide projector outlet.  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 12-18-2003 09:38 PM                     quote: plug the platter into the slide projector outlet. I once had a new install where the #&!%$#&^ electrician wired one of the outlets (the one for #1's platter) to the DIMMER!!! It was a troubleshooting nightmare! -Aaron  |  IP: Logged Joe Schmidt Expert Film Handler Posts: 172 From: Billings, Montana, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 12-19-2003 02:21 PM                     Murderers? No, Joe, you've got that wrong. Lawyers are worse than murderers.  |  IP: Logged

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