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Author Topic: Booth Nightmares John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 03-02-2004 01:25 PM                        quote: For a few days I walked around with half a head of hair and got so tired of explaining what had happened and then having to listen to the snickers, that I shaved it all off. It all grew back fine, only to fall out later in life. I don't have that excuse for the shine on top of my head!  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-02-2004 09:35 PM                        In the late 70s when I was running changeovers, we were running late on an early show and decided to changeover early into reel 1 of the movie, leaving off the last two trailers. I thought it would be cool to drop the fire door on the first machine and focus the image on the fire door. I slid the lens out to focus, and enjoyed watching the last two trailers with a 4" wide picture. Then of course, I forgot to slip the lens back in when I rethreaded..... Not exactly a booth nightmare on the next changeover, but it was embarassing.  |  IP: Logged Gary Crawford Expert Film Handler Posts: 200 From: Neptune NJ USA Registered: Nov 2003 posted 03-03-2004 02:56 PM                     OUCH! @ Frank I learned back in the 70s that my long hair had to be tied back while working around all those moving parts. My hair is still long (my excuse, I'm 49 and I still can grow it, plus when I do cut it this will be donation #4 to Locks Of Love) and I have Supers with those whirling front shutter shafts and other assorted hazards. This didn't happen to me but one of our guys had a projector port metal shutter come down when a link broke, and took out the Scope lens like a guillotine, which stuck out into the opening. One old place I worked had "temporary" rectifiers installed after the generator in the cellar flooded out. These put out 90 amps and we ran 105 amps to the lamps. It took about a week or so but the six rectifiers bulbs would hum and glow brightly, and then all six would burn out. We all got pretty good at changing out bulbs in less than a minute. We tried turning the lamps back a bit but then the image was brown. Frustrating.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Brown Film Handler Posts: 91 From: Newcastle, NSW, Australia Registered: Jan 2000 posted 03-04-2004 05:23 AM                     Two different Booths, both with 20 Min reel changeover and Carbons.... -Started the trailer reel after intermission and hit the curtain open button, and the curtains parted about 3 ft then stopped. Closed them and hit open again, same result. Played the one trailer then stopped the projector. Since I was the only one on I had to run from the box down to the screen to the curtain motor. Found that the end stop on the Belt had moved past the trip switch, and was catching when trying to open. Had to hand wind the curtains open about 5 ft to get it past the stop, then run upstaris again and restart the show....Who says being a Projectionist doesnt make you fit.... -Arrived at the theatre to find that one of the projectors had dropped an intermitant. By the time we arrived at this conclusion the house was full of screaming Kids for the Matinee. Ended up doing the show on one projector. Really sharpens up the threading and carbon changing skills doing it this way. Luckily we got the other Projector repaired for the Night sessions..... Steve Brown  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 03-04-2004 06:41 AM                     In a similar curtain related story.... Last Saturday...went to start the first show at the Uptown in DC....the Curtains parted for about 2/3rds of the picture then stopped. Now this is a sickning feeling if you know the theatre. The curtains, since they follow the curve of the screen are about 80 feet long and are over 30 feet tall and are made of a heavy material. You HAVE to use the motor to open them...they weigh so much that one can't pull them more than about 1/2 way open without exceeding ones weight capacity (I'm a little over 200 lbs) and at that point could merely climb the chain without budging the curtains. And this is a pretty good chain...motorcycle type with a 3-phase motor to drive it (by Tru-Roll). So, it was decided not to stop the show and I had to work on the system, in the dark while keeping up with the changeovers. Fortunately, the system tries to protect itself...the circuit breaker at the motor controller had tripped...I reset that and got the curtain to move a little further (enough no one in the audience minded so much) before I saw the problem that caused it. Made a changeover and then proceeded to unrig the chain, clear the jam and re-rig and have the curtain open the rest of the way. Between shows, I reset the stops. Steve  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 03-04-2004 07:50 AM                    "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 03-05-2004 03:57 AM                        Talking of reels coming off spindles, I remember in my drive in we lost a 2000' reel off the rewind bench , It hit the floor spinning , then drove it's self out the open door , off the stairs and out in to the grounds. The speed limit in the cinema was 6mph , let me say that the reel was exceeding the speed limit!  |  IP: Logged

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