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Author Topic: Tips for Booth Operations Alex Grueneberg Expert Film Handler Posts: 125 From: Chicago, IL Registered: Aug 2004 posted 05-14-2007 01:12 AM                        In my experience what I've run into most is upper management not respecting the operators words on if the trainer should stay in the booth, or better yet hired back a former employee sticking to old habits.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 05-14-2007 02:42 AM                     quote: Brad Miller BAH! Last year I trained a 16 year old FOOTBALL JOCK who thought... I agree with Brad with this one totally - it's all in the training - no cutting corners at all. People I train DO remember what I showed them and never forget it,and the way Brad trains is basically mine also: we mean business and take the profession seriously. That is how you can take a football jock and turn them into one of the best operators around...and age doesn't mean anything at all. My biggest gall is that when I begin to train someone then someone from mgnt (who was trained from other sources) comes up, when I on my off days, and continues the training "the way THEY think they knows it best! (which includes the sloppy methods of lacing in frame)" Then, I have to "untrain" that poor soul since now that person is all confused on how to do the procedures and HOPEFULLY get that person in the right direction the way I want things done. (rant..rant....lol) - Monte  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-14-2007 08:18 AM                     quote: Monte L Fullmer People I train DO remember what I showed them and never forget it Yea, And they are over at McDonalds three weeks later thinking about it while assembling burgers for more pay. Mark  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 05-14-2007 08:53 AM                        I'm with Brad on this one. Back "in the day" I had a SEVEN year old who was a passable operator (E7/Sword). He was, however, not your average 7 year old. When he was 9, he was loaned out to show the 16 year olds how to operate in frame. Louis  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-14-2007 09:29 AM                        I just can't understand why "threading in frame" is such a big problem for anyone, even the worst booth monkey. IT'S SO EASY! It takes one second longer, at most. Anytime I've trained anyone how to thread, I just show them how to do it and say, it must be in frame, otherwise YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG. In my experience, most people don't want to do something wrong. Maybe some projectors are harder to thread properly? I've only ever threaded ours (Simplex, and previously a Brenkert) so maybe I'm missing something.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-14-2007 01:17 PM                     A Christie projector usually messes with a newbie for a few minutes because the aperture plates are on top of each other (rather than side by side or a single plate). Still though, after closing the gate the next part of the training is "now look in there, can you see ONE frameline or TWO framelines? If you can only see ONE, then it is wrong.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 05-14-2007 01:53 PM                     LOL ... I all understand with all of you on this framing topic (and with the Christies, I taught people how to frame like you would do with a Super or an E/7 - through the actual aperture opening itself..not with what Brad mentioned since that gate swings out far enough...), BUT, I'll tell you making these booth monkeys how to understand HOW to frame is like pulling teeth at times. Where I come from all of this is that the other locations in our small circuit that are packed with booth monkeys FLAT OUT don't care on learning stuff like that - I re-train them how to do it with the classic "spin the flywheel and watch the sprocket turn and stop, and when it stops, you're ready to lace the machine" procedure, and I even shown them a procedure in counting - like each roller and gate that is to be opened, you assign that each a number (like 1 for upper pad roller, 2 trap and gate 3, lower pad roller and so forth...) and the last number assigned is the spin the flywheel. I even tell them that the framebox is a small box and the leader frame is a big box and to but the big box over the small box.... I tell them if they would do this, I promise them that the shows will begin correctly and the FRAME knob doesn't have to be touched. ...AND you think they care about all of this?? The sad thing is the mgr is the one who doesn't care since the mgr has someone else do the training ... (I just my eyes and wonder how and why this company remains in business the way their presentations look like....) Yes MARK, I don't expect these monkeys to remember the theatre atmosphere from working with mgr monkeys when they head to McD's to flip burgers for 2 bucks more an hour, yet the ones that do head on to better things, still remember what I burnt in their heads on projection, for I gave them an incentive to be a part of my team and that is to really work together as a whole. Mike, the one projector that had a goofy framing procedure was the CINE-V8: you didn't have a framebox, but a slit that was lit up from behind and you align the frameline to this, but still, it was no big deal to train on these machines..Otherwise, practically all machines have a set framebox to get it in frame.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-14-2007 02:02 PM                     quote: Monte L Fullmer I taught people how to frame like you would do with a Super or an E/7 - through the actual aperture opening itself..not with what Brad mentioned since that gate swings out far enough...) No Monte, I train to thread on the aperture, but then I also train them to look into the gate after it is closed to make damned sure they were framing on the CORRECT aperture. The V8 is ideally suited to use that generic "breathe on it and it scratches" black mylar with frame line leader. If you can see the light, it is in frame.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-14-2007 02:08 PM                        One situation where I could see newbies having difficulty framing is on a hard-matte 1.85 print where the countdown leader is also hard matted to 1.85. The tendency would be to try to line up one of the framelines with the edge of the framing window/aperture, but that would result in the picture being framed one perf too high or too low. This is obviously not an issue once one understands what a "hard matted" print is and how to frame and splice such prints. Also, Super Simplexes are painfully difficult to thread in frame when they are missing their framing lamps. I always liked the framing window in the Simplex PR-1014 trap and thought that it was the easiest to use (until the framing lamp burns out).  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-14-2007 02:16 PM                     Kinotons with steel runners are the BEST! Just put the frameline even with the top of the runners and it's dead on. No need to even lean over and look at the aperture. Line it up, position it over a couple of pull-downs and voila. Unfortunately you have to have the steel runners, not the plastic ones for this to be super easy. (Steel runners never wear out either. )  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 05-14-2007 02:41 PM                     quote: Scott Norwood This is obviously not an issue once one understands what a "hard matted" print is and how to frame and splice such prints. ...now teach that one to booth monkeys and see if they'll bite on it ...  |  IP: Logged Larry Bowen Film Handler Posts: 3 From: Tooele, UT, USA Registered: Jan 2006 posted 05-14-2007 02:46 PM                     I have to agree with Monte. If the booth candidate has the proper desire and is taught by ONE person who knows the booth and not several (whether all the trainers know the booth operation or not (of course it's worse when they don't)), the candidate will make an excellent operator. I've done some booth training and everyone I've trained have always been able to put a good presentation on the screen and have been able to handle the framing and all operation just fine.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 05-14-2007 03:12 PM                     I must be lucky that no one I've ever worked with does the "thread it then frame later" method. And I've been here long enough that only 1 person is left that was there when I started in the booth.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 05-15-2007 01:31 AM                     ..and I've seen where as soon as the START is pushed, the booth monkeys would roll the FRAME knob to get the film in frame before the dowswer opens...since they had the light from the lamphouse to really light up the framebox... ...I just *sigh* seeing this.....then they look at me afterwards as if something was wrong...and I tell them....and they give me a "okey, whatever" look and go on ....  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 05-15-2007 02:07 AM                        I have been fortunate with operators since I have been in this place , one was already trained and in place , another i recruited came from "the old school" and is a terrific operator. However I am now in the process of training a new spare operator from scratch. I have read up on many tips from the forums and training methods but I seem to be struggling to get him competent. After four weeks now he is still not able to successfully thread a Vic 5 , just how long should it take a novice to become solo in the booth ? Either my training methods suck or i am dealing with a person who is not able to grasp the job.  |  IP: Logged

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