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Author Topic: Changovers: Tips and Tricks Jim Spohn Film Handler Posts: 95 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Jan 2003 posted 07-13-2004 01:54 PM                     In a change-over booth there is a better chance, not always, but usually that there is a compident person in the booth. From what I have seen in the past couple of years, the projection was better in the "old days"! By better I'm not talking about the amount of dirt on the film or how clearer the sound is now or how proper splices jump less. Most movie patrons don't even notice things like that. I'm talking about things that really affect a show. For example, a show I recently attended (platter house) featured the star of the movie on stage in person telling about the movie that audiance was about to see. This person was talking about the problems of production and lots of anticdotes about the cast and crew, when it was time for the movie to start, start it did!! We found ourselves watching the end credits running upside-down and the sound running backward. This went on for about four minutes then the film ground to a halt and we all watched the frame burn. The screen went black for about ten minutes while the audiance was sitting in the dark, the screen suddenly came to life with the title of the film backward and the sound track showing on the right with a 24 click per-second buzz from the sound system as the frame marks went thru the opticl pick-up. When the film was finally right the whole thing was shown with an aperture plate that cropped a third of the picture. Although I was only a person attending the showing, I was embarrassed for the operator and the star. This is the kind of stuff that just didn't happen when the old-timers were running the show. This is only one piss poor show I've seen lately, there have been many others, not quite as bad, but not a good presentation either. And think of it ALL the advancments in the industry and poorly trained people can still screw up a show, go figure. ... Jim  |  IP: Logged Jim Bedford Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 597 From: Telluride, CO, USA (733 mi. WNW of Rockwall, TX but it seems much, much longer) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-13-2004 01:55 PM                        Having said how much I like to handle film and do changeovers, I have to agree with Brad on the long term benefits of showing film built up on a well tuned machine. It may take the "fun" out of showing films reel-to-reel, but it does eliminate the uncertainty and handling of multiple reels for the certainty of a single continuous reel. With well tuned platter systems used by properly trained operators only the first screening could have a soundtrack reversed, the projectionist doesn't have to properly thread film five or 12 times per show, doesn't have to remember to throw the reel locks, and multiple film heads can't hit the floor. On the other hand, trying to make anything foolproof simply proves that they are always making better fools out there. Nothing beats proper training and paying constant attention. And of course, this leads me to the soapbox of reminding folks what it was like before we had this website. Remember when projectionists often communicated with each other by rumor or at a bar with impaired faculties or not at all. If it weren't for Brad, film presentation wouldn't be as good as it is today. Thanks , Dude!  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 07-13-2004 02:29 PM                  quote: Brad Miller Running a changeover is nothing more than knowing what frame of the leader to cue up to and pressing a few buttons upon seeing marks on the film. Basically, a human robot. Other than a CA-21, here is an example of the "Human Robot" our Grand-Poo-BAH would like to see in a change-over booth. I think George Eastman's slogan: "You press the button, we do the rest" ought to be Brad's ID too. >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-13-2004 03:47 PM                        Performing a decent changeover is a skill, not a talent. There is no "art" in running changeovers.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 07-13-2004 06:30 PM                    I cue up to 9' (6 seconds) in the dummy aperture which is 4 frames up from the real one.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-13-2004 06:32 PM                     I put "10" plus 7 frames in the framing window on the #1 JJ, "10" plus 5 frames in the framing window on the #2 JJ. Once I get the 3 phase motors and inverters on there, I hope to slow that ramp up down to 6-7 seconds to full speed and match their ramp up perfectly.  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 07-13-2004 06:36 PM                  I cue all my video stuff at 59h:59m:52s:00f. >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-13-2004 07:34 PM                     Since we have so many projectionists around, I went all out and made a chart several years ago: It compensates for the speed of the outgoing projector between the motor cue and the tail, as well as the ramp up time and speed of the incoming projector on the leader, with some different choices for different humans. If I had to do it again, I'd have given times for multiple fractions between 7+1 and 6+0, rather than going all the way down to the never-seen 2+1. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-13-2004 07:36 PM                     That's not accurate at all jhawk. Even same model projectors ramp up at different rates, especially if you are going to take into account the first changeover of the day vs. subsequent changeovers. Your chart also doesn't take into account potential missing frames between the countdown and first frame of picture. Don't forget, there is a FULL SECOND of action after the second changeover cue (assuming no frames missing). He who punches the changeover upon seeing that second cue is doing it wrong. There must be a pause just under 1 full second.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-13-2004 07:43 PM                     I'm sorry, Brad, I guess I wasn't clear. It compensates for the ramp up rates of those particular projectors, as measured empirically. That's why it says Right at the top. The chart for the left projector has different numbers. The first changeover is a different story altogether, and is not reflected in the chart. Missing frames between the countdown and the first frame of picture? Those should be noted during inspection, and if not fixed, then they'd be on the cue sheet, and the projectionist would compensate for them. Sure, the chart doesn't address that. It's a tool for most situations, not absolutely every one. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-13-2004 07:47 PM                        Human fudge? Fudge packer alert!  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-13-2004 07:48 PM                     I find it MUCH easier to simply run each leader (assuming a cut print with potential missing frames) through a frame counter and note the proper thread up frame per reel than jack around with a chart. You should know exactly how many feet and frames it takes from the first frame of picture to the start frame on a frame counter on each machine. That's all you need. Charts are a waste of time. Of course if you don't have automation to run the changeovers, you also have to play jack-around with how many frames are missing between the first cue mark and the last frame of image on the preceding reel, plus human slop. What a pain! Manual changeovers are stupid. You're right though, I didn't notice that was for the "right" projector. How do you deal with the first reel of the day? How many frames do you miss at each changeover based upon your chart and in reality? Surely you have worked this out. You don't have to be overly exact, just tell me rounded to the nearest 1/10th of a frame.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-13-2004 08:01 PM                     The point of the chart is so that if someone is unfamiliar with the booth, they can determine where to thread. It also lets us work in variables, like the projectionist's reaction time to cue dots, or a shorter tail. Writing a fixed length on the cue sheet wouldn't let you include those variables, and you might have to wonder whether the person who wrote up the cue sheet wrote the offset that they would thread up to, or that an average person would thread up to, etc. In any case, it's a system that works for us. If you don't like it and you're in our booth, you can just ignore it and do it your way . Two-gang sync block is ready and waiting. The first reel is always the trailer reel around here, we generally thread to wherever's convenient and count off. There's some black before the "Previews of Coming Attractions, so it's plenty forgiving anyhow. Even if you go straight into a feature, you can just watch it go. The first reel is easy (and pretty much all features have black after the 2 and 2-pop anyhow). --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-13-2004 08:09 PM                     I don't think I would ever want to run that booth, jhawk, but thank you anyway. Re: projectionist reaction time, they should each know how many frames they are sluggish from the "spec" for that room. Re: first reel of the day, I was referring to the first reel that is changed over TO of the day.  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 07-13-2004 10:22 PM                  *YAWN* (And I'm really surprised Brad didn't comment on the take-up direction on that "SLICK" diagram.) >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged

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