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Author Topic: Projectionist's List of things to remember. Marc Jensen Film Handler Posts: 20 From: Auckland, New Zealand Registered: Jan 2006 posted 01-14-2008 01:11 AM                     A few fundamental things missing from those lists earlier in the thread... 1.) Make sure you've got the right movie before you thread it up. 2.) Check, check and check again... and don't panic. 3.) The show must go on!  |  IP: Logged System Notices Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi Posts: 215 Registered: Apr 2004 posted 03-23-2009 09:28 PM                 It has been 434 days since the last post.  |  IP: Logged Ronda Fitzsimmons Film Handler Posts: 75 From: Pottstown, PA, USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 03-23-2009 09:28 PM                        OK, so I'm late to the party, but I didn't see the one thing I pound into my manager's head - wait and watch after you start the show to be sure it's paying out and taking up properly. That 30 seconds has saved countless shows!  |  IP: Logged Tyler Potts Expert Film Handler Posts: 159 From: Anderson, SC, USA Registered: Sep 2008 posted 03-23-2009 10:07 PM                       I'll vouch for that, the 2 new guys I'm training are leaning this the hard way. Wait... watch, next show. No problem. New proj. had his first Friday shift with 4 brainwraps because of this. Always check film path & speed before walking away!  |  IP: Logged Pete Naples Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1565 From: Dunfermline, Scotland Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-24-2009 10:08 AM                     To add to the list of things for operators to remember. Coffee, tea and biscuits for visiting engineers.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-24-2009 10:42 AM                        Here's one for the managers of my theater: Remember to change the lens and the masking! We have manual lenses and masking at our complex. I went in last night for some tech work and found a flat movie running with the lens and masking both set for scope. And yes, there was a paying audience in there. Completely embarrassing!  |  IP: Logged Sean Weitzel Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 619 From: Vacaville, CA (1790 miles west of Rockwall) Registered: Dec 1999 posted 03-24-2009 10:47 AM                     With the proliferation of 16:9 televisions all set to "stretch" mode, I wouldn't doubt that the audience either didn't care, or didn't notice.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 03-24-2009 11:26 AM                     This hasn't been covered--learn to do something that pays well enough to bother to do, quit the theatre business for good.  |  IP: Logged Eric Robinson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 538 From: Santa Rosa, CA Registered: Jan 2005 posted 03-24-2009 12:15 PM                     quote: Ronda Fitzsimmons wait and watch after you start the show to be sure it's paying out and taking up properly A couple of times...I won't say how many. I have started a show with a film path error, such as, the film jumped out of the brain plate feed out arm. Taking 30 seconds or so to check the entire film path will avoid the problem I hear so often. "We had a brain wrap last night. It just happened for no reason." So far, I have had 0 (zero) brain wraps.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-24-2009 03:16 PM                        I don't buy that film magically "jumps" anywhere. It is a misthread, plain and simple.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 03-24-2009 03:43 PM                     I've seen it happen without a misthread, although it is generally due to the system not being setup right from the get-go. For example, I've seen film come out of rollers partway through the movie because a roller was not angled properly and the film was hanging onto it for dear life. Then when a sticky splice in the film hit, it caused the film to snap tight for an instant which popped the film out of the roller and initiated the damage (or wrap).  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-24-2009 07:09 PM                        Usually when people tell me that film "jumped" is when they suddenly find the Strong brain misthreaded, like a loop of film gets around one of the thousands of rollers that surround it and it starts to wrap, or the film is on the wrong side of the "big" roller coming out of the arm in the brain. They are like "Oh! It must have jumped!" I have seen film fall onto the wrong side of the thousand rollers that surround it if there is an outer bulge from an added trailer or whatever, but it is extremely rare. If there is an inner bulge (which you should never ever allow) then the Strong brain goes crazy and usually can't keep up. Another time people tell me when film must have "jumped" is when the lower feed roller directly after the failsafe is missed and the film is rubbing against the pole that holds that roller, causing fantastic moving scratches. This I can see happening because the Strong variac has sooooo much torque that the rewind does not stop trying to spin no matter what when threading and it bends the roller out of place. But any dipshit would see that and put the roller back into place.  |  IP: Logged Eric Robinson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 538 From: Santa Rosa, CA Registered: Jan 2005 posted 03-24-2009 09:32 PM                     Here's a funny story. A projectionist came to me looking a little panic stricken. He tried to explain the problem which made no sense. We went to the projector and saw that midway through the film, at one of the splices, the film separated perfectly down the middle. The inboard half of the film was piling up on the floor and the outboard half of the film was winding up on the platter. The fail safe apparently was too dumb to figure it out, and the platter was happy since it was getting ... some ... film. To this day I still don't know how it happened. I think we lost two reels on that one.  |  IP: Logged System Notices Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi Posts: 215 Registered: Apr 2004 posted 01-03-2011 04:49 PM                 It has been 649 days since the last post.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 01-03-2011 04:49 PM                     Just noticed the post on the first page pertaining to bumping the motors using the switch, I've been doing this for my 24 years here, my predecessor did likewise for 12 years, according to the log, these motors haven't been off the mounts since new in '52, I'm guessing that if the motor start winding and switches have not failed in 58 years they'll likely last till digital sends them to scrap metal in another couple years.  |  IP: Logged

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