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Topic: Print Delivery Cut-Off Time for a Rental?

Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-13-2004 07:49 PM

quote: Leo Enticknap

...I would send the hirer a technical specifications sheet stating exactly what formats you can cope with...

A CAPITAL idea!

Traditionally, we have been booking our own films and this hasn't been an issue but, if this festival idea grows, said technical specs will become quite important!

Anybody have an example of a tech sheet I can work from?

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-13-2004 08:39 PM

Do you have a regular tech packet for theatre rentals that describes stuff like your fly system, load-in/load-out facilities, electrical facilities, sound system, etc.? If so, I'd just add something like this:

--CUT HERE--
Projection Booth

35mm Simplex projector with platter system, xenon lamp, and Dolby sound processor (can be patched into house system) - must call ahead to arrange for projectionist (billable at $xx.xx/hour, x hours minimum). Available formats include 1.33 (Academy and full-frame silent, with variable speed), 1.66, 1.85, and 2.39 CinemaScope. Available sound formats are Academy mono, Dolby A-type, and Dolby SR optical. We _cannot_ accommodate 16mm prints, sepmag prints, Super-35 prints, prints mounted on reels larger than 2000,' or prints where leaders may not be cut to run on platter. Venue reserves the right to refuse to show prints in poor condition. Prints must be in the hands of projectionist at least xx hours prior to showtime. Pre-screeings are recommended in order to ensure quality presentation; these will cost $xxx/hour, plus hourly charge for operator (as above). Renters may (or may not--it might depend on whether yours is a union house) supply qualified projectionists (at discretion of venue and at own expense) if desired.
--END CUT--

Also be sure to include information on your screen size, masking system, method for lowering, etc. in information on fly line usage. Oh, and be sure to include info on available piano/organ, tuning requirements, etc., if you will be running silents (or renting the venue to those who are.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-13-2004 10:00 PM

Yes, we do have a tech sheet for our theater. Compiled over the years and refined and retyped just last year by none other than Yours Truly. [Smile]

I was thinking about something along the lines of what you say but sometimes it hard to come up with the right words, especially when you are unsure of common practice. (I know how *I* do things but what other people do is anybody's guess.)

No, there won't be anybody else but me or college employees running the system. People around here (including me) are just too sketchy about that. However, if the customer demands to have their own technician/operator present to "assist" in operating the projector I have no problem with that, even if that other person ends up doing most of the work. We will demand that a college employee be on duty at all times (probably me) and that employee will have final say over what is allowed to go on in the projection room.

Oh, BTW. We DO have a set of 16mm projectors (A couple of nice "Slot Loading" Elmos with xenon lamps.) and a changeover control AND the long-throw lens adaptors to hit a 12 foot tall screen from 100 feet away. That was what they used to show movies on before I came along. They've been stored away for several years and have only been used twice (both times by me) since we got 35mm. We WILL be using them again this year for a film that my boss could only book on 16mm. (Unless somebody knows where to get a decent print of "Brazil".)

Anyhoo... Thanks for the advice, Scott and everybody else!

I just "laid down the law" to our renter this afternoon. They promised to have the print delivered to my door by no later than 5:00 on Friday. Let's see if they can keep that promise.

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William Hooper
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1879
From: Mobile, AL USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-14-2004 02:11 AM

I agree with Steve. The "Festival Circuit" is a short description of a wide variety of venues & operators. Some of that stuff comes in looking like it's been run through Mouli Grater.

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 10-14-2004 02:48 AM

quote: Randy Stankey
We WILL be using them again this year for a film that my boss could only book on 16mm. (Unless somebody knows where to get a decent print of "Brazil".)

The National Film & Television Archive in London has an OK-to-reasonable 35mm print, but importing a print wouldn't be cheap; plus they wouldn't let you platter it.

The tech spec sheet posted by Scott is along the lines of the ones I did, but I tended to leave equipment types etc. out, and simply list what I can and can't show. If I were doing one for our university cinema, it would look like this:

quote:
Film Formats
16mm & Super 16 - continuous projection up to 6,000 feet at any speed from 16 to 25fps (slight visible flicker below 20fps); any ratio (letterboxed widescreen prints can be zoomed to fit our screen), including anamorphic; optical, combined magnetic or sepmag (centre or edge). We will need to cut the leaders and tails from feature-length 16mm prints supplied in shorter reels, or there will be a short break in projection between reels. If you are supplying 16mm materials for projection you must leave a note in the containers stating if leaders and tails may not be cut.

35mm - any speed from 16 to 25fps. Ratios: Full gate silent, Academy (1:1.38), 1:1.66, 1:1.85, 1:2.39 (anamorphic). Sound formats: optical mono, Dolby 'A', Dolby SR, Dolby digital. We cannot play DTS, SDDS or magnetic soundtracks (combined or sepmag). We run two projectors on a changeover system and do not use any long-play device which necessitates cutting the leaders and tails from 35mm prints.

Video
VHS, S-VHS, UMatic (lo, hi & SP), Beta SP, Digibeta, Mini DV & DVCAM can all be played, PAL only. Please note that we cannot play SeCAM or NTSC format videotapes. DVD - all regions, both PAL & NTSC, PCM, MPEG or Dolby sound (not DTS).

The chances are that the hirer you're dealing with (in my experience it was usually some pretty-but-thick PR girl) is about as likely to understand any of this as a rabbi is to have a bacon sandwich for breakfast; but if you can extract an agreement that they will only supply materials which comply with what the sheet says you can handle, then your ass is covered with bulletproof armour plating if they should screw up.

As for the festival circuit - OK, maybe that was a bit of a generalisation; but as a general rule, the festival showprints I would get were in a much better physical state than routine distribution prints.

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Robert L. Fischer
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 145
From: Montreal, Quebec
Registered: May 2004

posted 10-14-2004 03:38 AM

Warning: extremely long sentence ahead (I'm tired)

We usually do a private showing for Technicolor employees (we're a mile or two from the Wilmington depot) during the holidays or when they handle a big kids' movie (most recent ones being Shrek 2 and Shark Tale) and of course they provide the extra print (and a standee if we're lucky [Big Grin]

) if necessary, so it doesn't get any more convenient than that.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-15-2004 09:22 PM

Just an update: The print arrived today, just as they promised.
I got it in time to build it up and it's on the platter... A brand new print! It's the first new print I have seen in years!

Guys who work in commercial theaters that get new prints all the time don't know how well-off they are until they work on the other side of the tracks for a while!

Tomorrow, I go in early to get set up and clean the machine before we start. If I can get everything done in time I'll give it a prescreening!

<Sigh of relief!>

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