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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Silver Screen and 3D (Page 2)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Author Topic: Silver Screen and 3D Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-25-2005 02:21 PM                     There used to be a screen called Protolite that had a lensed style lenticular finish I don't know if it is still around  |  IP: Logged Kenneth Wuepper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1026 From: Saginaw, MI, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 08-25-2005 02:52 PM                     Here at the Temple Theatre, the 23 x 46 1/2 foot "CinemaScope" screen was silver lenticular and it was on a wooden frame which flew. That screen was also curved, 26 inches farther from the apron in the center than it was at the ends. The screen was also tied back to match the 23 degree angle from the booth. The frame was attached with stage pegs on the ends and was curved around another stage peg in the center. In later years the silver tarnished and was painted over with matte white. After 49 years of service that screen was replaced. The current screen is a Hurley "Super Glo" matte white and is stretched on a custom made 2 inch diameter Aluminum pipe frame. This screen also flies. The curve of about 12 inches works as there is no hot spot with this material. We do still draw the top back for reasons of focus and keystone elimination. KEN  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 08-25-2005 03:26 PM                     I had a protolite screen for video projector rentals. It had a very high gain which was great for those weak CRT type of projectors. The screen construction was a clear mylar cover, a silver foil sheet and the embossed fabric back bonded together...expensive but after a few years of use the laminated surfaces became unglued. We are boarded up as hurricane Katrina is planning to visit us very soon  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 08-26-2005 01:33 AM                    What is meant by a screen "flying"?  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 08-26-2005 02:01 AM                     Hoisting the screen frame up into the fly tower above the stage to leave the stage clear for non-film use. If you've got a venue that's used for both film and live shows then you've got to be able to either fly the screen, or if you haven't got the height to do that, you have to use a roller screen. I've seen roller screens up to about 45 feet, they work ok, but the bottom masking can be a problem, it's often just the bottom of the screen painted black, and, of course, they can't be curved. If you've got a fully-equipped stage then the screen is simply suspended from one set of counterbalanced lines, and at the end of a film you can just close the curtains and fly the screen frame in a few seconds, ready for stage use.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 08-26-2005 04:26 AM                        A fly screen COULD be curved, IF you have the luxury of useing as many pipes on the fly system that it would take. Having to get an arc with the center bowed back 26 inches would take up at least 4 pipes on 6in centers. Add the mask track and curtain track (both of which we have), and that would be maybe another 8 inches. Yah, like the lighting guy is ever gonna give up two electrics pipes so I can have a curved screen. He screams because I got there first and had the screen frame hung on the first pipe; I am sure the minute I retire or die, whichever comes first, he will move the screen six pipes back so he can have his 1st electrics as far down stage as he can get it. But I will haunt him from the grave. And yah, I was able to get both a masking track and a curtain track hung on the screen frame (and believe me, it wasn't easy --it's all gerry-rigged with spit and bubblegum.) To preserve space, I used the smallest size alumnium track that ADM makes -- they call it "Specifine." It requires you to use a very light curatin material (I've was able to scrounge up just enough to get double thickness from a dusty old textile storefront on Canal street). This guy who looked like he lived amoung the piles of bolts of fabric, pulled out exactly what I needed, and amazingly, when he unravelled it, it was almost the exactly length we needed. I was afraid to ask how much it cost. It was a beautiful bolt of a very nice cream white satin. Even more amazing, when I did ask how much, he asked how much do I have. I said $250....he thought for a moment and the cinema gods much have smacked him upside the head because he anwered, "Yah, that's about right."!! So I bought it for $250 and I paid a guy in the costume shop another $200 to hem and pleat it correctly (talk about needing math!). And there is was, a spectacular curtain specifically for my screen. The lightwaight material allows it to be able to ride on a single, small track instead of a double track like you would normally use for velour to overlap in the center. The overlap with the single track is accomplished by clever master carriers that both extend a 6in arm ahead of the carrier and thus overlap the two panels when they meet at the center. I even surprised myself when it actually worked. Getting the old, mask and curtain motors that I picked up used to work properly was a bitch...slippage on the cables were the biggest problem; I finally had to go to cloth covered aircraft cable. It doesn't stretch so it doesn't throw off the limit switches. All I can say is, it certainly is worth the effort. Problem is, when clients see how gorgeous that shimmering satin looks when light hits it, they are always clammoring to have the screen flown in to use the curtain as a backdrop, especially when they play on the raised orchestra pit/thrust stage. However, the stage crew knows full well that, sure, they COULD bring in the movie screen to use the curtain as a backdrop for say The Steel Drum/Hip-Hop Scratch Wars, or River Dance, or whatever; but they also know full well that they should they make that fatal mistake, they would each be working the entire show with red hot pokers up their butts for the duration. Wise projectionist say: He who does not respect movie screen curtian wind up flying to grid by balls. [ 08-29-2005, 07:43 AM: Message edited by: Frank Angel ]  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 08-26-2005 05:22 AM                     quote: Frank Angel A fly screen COULD be curved Yes, but a *roller* screen can't be. Such screens are quite common in multi-purpose venues where the're isn't the height available to fly a screen frame. This tends to be places like arts centres, concert halls etc., rather than theatres. Wyllyotts Centre in Potters Bar and the Concert Hall at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon for example both use large roller screens. Film screenings are relatively rare events at both venues. A roller screen is also used at the Pictureville, Bradford; it comes down in front of the curved Cinerama screen, which is fixed. Thinking about it this may be the widest roller screen I've seen, but I'm not sure of the width; Dick Vaughan, are you there? It's also the only example I can think of where a roller screen is used every day, except for small ones in pubs for video projection of sports events, etc.  |  IP: Logged Dick Vaughan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1032 From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: Jul 2000 posted 08-26-2005 05:51 AM                        yes I'm here. Pictureville roller screen is 10.2 metres wide. We do have a similar Denham roller screen at the IMAX theatre in the Science Museum in London. That one is actually wider, can't remember exact dimensions. In that case the box containing the screen rests on the screen pit floor out of the IMAX sightlines. When it is used the box is picked up by 3 chain hoists which come down the ceilng. The box is lifted to just above the mid point of the IMAX screen and the screen then rolls down out of it.  |  IP: Logged Robert Throop Master Film Handler Posts: 412 From: Vernon, NY USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-26-2005 08:11 AM                     Does Pictureville have a second set of speakers for the flat screen? Bob  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 08-26-2005 08:18 AM                     Thanks Dick. In that case I have seen a wider one, but only slightly. I think it was 45 feet that Harkness said they could do, some years ago, but I'm not sure I'd want to go that big with one. What's the Science Museum screen used for? I've thought of another every day venue that used to have roller screens, though I think there's something more conventional there now. What was the MOMI cinema, now NFT3, had four different roller screens, so they could use whatever surface they wanted for a particular show, or use the space behind the screens for rear projection, or a live presentation; I have seen both done there. Two of the screens were silver and rear, I think the others were matt white and pearlux.  |  IP: Logged Dick Vaughan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1032 From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: Jul 2000 posted 08-26-2005 08:52 AM                        quote: Robert Throop Does Pictureville have a second set of speakers for the flat screen? Bob Yes we have 5 screen speakers behind the roller screen which fly out when the Cinerama screen is in use. The sub bass speakers are built in to the sound wall behind the cinerama screen an used for both set ups. You can see it here  |  IP: Logged Robert Throop Master Film Handler Posts: 412 From: Vernon, NY USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-27-2005 08:51 AM                     Do you have two sets of equalizers for your Dolby processor? Bob  |  IP: Logged Tony Ratcliff Expert Film Handler Posts: 216 From: Madison, IN, USA Registered: Mar 2002 posted 09-07-2005 02:13 PM                     I've got a silver screen here. It was installed in the 70's I think. It does well. But I DO have a slight hot spot. And it is dirty with no real way to clean it. We run House of Wax 3-D most every Halloween - huge crowd pleaser. Tony  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 09-07-2005 09:27 PM                        You'd be really surprised how clean you can get a silver screen with Swiffer wipes (before they came out I used to use similar industrial static wipe cloths). The last (~26') silver screen I cleaned was extremely dirty. It took about 50 of the Swiffer cloths (attached to the Swiffer floor cleaning pole) to clean it, but it's really clean now.  |  IP: Logged Adam Martin I'm not even gonna point out the irony. Posts: 3686 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 09-07-2005 10:34 PM                     I assume you used Swiffer Dry and not Swiffer Wet?  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

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.