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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Angels and Demons - On the floor (Page 2)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Author Topic: Angels and Demons - On the floor Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 05-26-2009 09:26 AM                        And how much you want to bet, no matter what the condition of the print is when it gets shipped out after this was done to it, that theatre won't get billed for the damage you KNOW the booth monkey is going to cause trying to deal with this mess. I'll even bet you one more, that in all probability the theatre management won't even be notified that damage occurred. As long as it's back on the reels and they get the right number back, that the beginning and end of it. Believe me, if theatres got billed back when prints are damaged in their care, theatres would address the competenecy issue of the booth personnel who handle the prints. If it doesn't hurt them in the pocketbook, stuff like this could happen every day....so what?  |  IP: Logged Tim Asten Film Handler Posts: 98 From: Brighton, United Kingdom Registered: Nov 2006 posted 05-26-2009 02:34 PM                     The platter is a Kinoton.  |  IP: Logged Cameron Glendinning Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 845 From: West Ryde, Sydney, NSW Australia Registered: Dec 2005 posted 05-26-2009 05:12 PM                     I agree its a Kinoton, I think I recognise the booth, I am probably wrong but I suspect the projector is on a lift and is 20ft up in another room, only lowered for threading purposes.  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 05-28-2009 09:44 AM                     quote: Scott Christopher 1 operator for 2 locations. There's 7 screens on one side of the road, and 3 screens on the other side... That sounds similar to my current job. I've got 6 screens located in two buildings seperated by two city blocks. It's sometimes a bit of a challange, but all that running back & forth and up & down all those booth stairs keeps me from getting too outta shape!  |  IP: Logged Fred Tucker Film Handler Posts: 90 From: Sugar Land, TX Registered: Sep 2007 posted 05-30-2009 03:55 PM                     THat picture reminds me of a couple of years back when I got a phone call @ 2:00AM, exact same thing happened for a midnight show of Flying Scottsman (i think). Not a big deal really, just time consuming. Move the mut into place and and start winding slowly, a couple of hours later and a few shows with film guard aand good as new. Not sure it was worth the effort though as the movie only lasted 1 week here and did less than 20 in attendance for the week.  |  IP: Logged Jarrad Salmon Film Handler Posts: 25 From: Baulkham Hills, NSW, Australia Registered: May 2006 posted 05-31-2009 04:29 AM                     yes, I was wrong about the make... but it is easy to narrow down the probable location of the booth.  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Althaus Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: Bedford, TX Registered: Dec 2008 posted 06-17-2009 08:02 PM                     We floor-fed 70 mins of this film today. Must be something with the movie, just wanting to be on the floor. Pics to come shortly......  |  IP: Logged Darren Ward Film Handler Posts: 7 From: Lane Cove, NSW, Australia Registered: Jul 2007 posted 06-22-2009 11:21 PM                     Just to dispel all the speculation... The platter is a Kinoton. The projectionist on when it happened is a 13 year veteran. The top plate which you can't see contained what was left of Angels and Demons. The accident occurred after the film had run completely through the projector; once through, the tension on the platter arm sitting under the plate is totally relieved and as it jolts back into it's final position, it pulls the tail of the film along at an alarmingly high speed. On very rare occasions, disastrously so as in this circumstance, the film wrapped around the platter's spine whilst still in high speed run off. Tension on the arm is re-engaged and the plate starts spinning in the opposite direction at the same high speed, and predictably, a lot film ends up on the floor, and a lot wraps tightly around the platter spine. The mess you saw occurred in around a 15 minute period. I'd love to go into further detail, but am reluctant to. The photo you saw was sent via MMS to two people. One of those people transferred it to an email and then it appears to have exploded from there. Eventually it got back to the managing director, who was less than happy about our dirty laundry being so widely visible. I was actually a little stunned to see it posted here, but then again, I guess we're a very small community even on a worldwide basis. Needless to say, this has caused a lot of angst for several people responsible for letting the cat out of the bag. Incidentally, the problem has been resolved by adding a projector shut-down command to the last pulse, effectively leaving the tail of the film in the gate. A simple solution, but one that often never occurs until necessity brings it about after an incident such as this.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-23-2009 12:33 AM                     Thanks for the information. It certainly does dispel a lot of speculation. What the suits don't realize is that we've all seen this kind of thing before. Most of us have probably seen worse. (I've seen a platter pulled over on its side by the projector when the film wrapped around the payout.) To them it's more of an embarrassment. To us, although embarrassing, it's more of a cautionary tale. We stand up and say, "This is the kind of thing we need to teach people how to avoid." Trouble, as unpleasant as it is, brings the capacity to deal with it. Those who have never seen this kind of trouble won't know how to deal with it if or when it does happen. None of my projectionists know how to fix a brain wrap because none of them have ever seen one in person. It may be a good thing that we've not has a catastrophe in the booth yet. But it is also bad that my operators will be dumbfounded when it finally does happen to them. Your management obviously wouldn't want to trumpet this event to the heavens but they certainly shouldn't try to sweep it under the rug, either. They should be doing two things: 1) They should be spreading the word to other theaters that this can happen and should be telling them what to do to avoid it. 2) They should make the photo available to interested parties in the theater industry and helping to get the word out: "This can happen to you if you don't watch out!" Even though it might be embarrassing at first, posting this picture ultimately HELPS the exhibition industry.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 06-23-2009 12:34 AM                     Makes you wish you had an AW3! Be careful about the MOTOR OFF command though. The first time you interlock, you may not find that such a good idea.  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 06-23-2009 12:35 AM                     Hi Darren Welcome to Film-Tech. I assume it was still spinning out when you got there. Do you have the red holders on the platter take-up arm? Easy fix though. I agree about the interlock thing.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 06-23-2009 12:50 AM                        quote: Darren Ward The mess you saw occurred in around a 15 minute period. That is actually quite impressive in a very destructive way. Did I read your post correctly in that the platter started to spin in the opposite direction? What kind of platter system would allow this? Why would this "feature" ever be needed? Kinotons are reeeeaally weird. Why does Australia love them so much? It's all they seem to use. Last Wednesday night one of our guys threaded the wrong movie on a split house. Wackiness ensued and suffice it to say when I came in Thursday to build a bunch of movies, a print was on the floor. The morning guy didn't know how to handle the situation that was left for him and the night guy didn't bother leaving any notes. All shows that day had been canceled. I fixed it in about 15 minutes. The guy who was the cause of all the grief is gone (he had other issues as well).  |  IP: Logged Darren Ward Film Handler Posts: 7 From: Lane Cove, NSW, Australia Registered: Jul 2007 posted 06-23-2009 02:27 AM                     Thanks for the feedback guys. The projector this platter runs to is on a hoist, and is usually suspended around five metres from the ground. As far as I know, it seems to be a fairly uncommon set-up so those Australians among you who do recognise the location based on that description, could you please keep it to yourselves for the moment, there is still a bit of fallout from this circulating photo! Due to the distance of the platter from the projector, coupled with the fact that film is falling such a great height, this seems to accentuate the speed with which platter spins once tension on the arm is released. I'm not a particularly technical operator so I don't understand why the platter spins in the opposite direction once the arm is tightly re-engaged, but it does. It has happened to me once before, though I was nearby when it did. The Angels and Demons incident happened to my counterpart. Fortunately due to the set-up of this projector, interlocking is not possible. Thanks for the warm welcome John, and yes, platter continues spinning until physically stopped!  |  IP: Logged Damien Taylor Master Film Handler Posts: 493 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2007 posted 06-23-2009 03:56 AM                     quote: Joe Redifer Why does Australia love them so much? It's all they seem to use. AW3s, and thankfully so.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 06-23-2009 10:30 AM                     Interlocking is ALWAYS possible. The next time I am in Australia I'll fix that for you.  |  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.