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Author Topic: Two Towers and INTERMISSION! Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 12-10-2002 02:14 PM                        Darren - yes, a microverter would have prevented a lot of grey hairs but this was a no-budget student film society - 'nuff said! Stephen - yes, changing over from the tower rather than to it would have been easiest. However, this set up consisted of a DP-70, which had the tower behind it, and a GK-37. The aperture plates on a DP-70 cannot be removed while the mech is running, hence the lens change would have necessitated a stop if the bullshit followed by the first few reels of the film were on the tower. So that ran on the GK, then we switched to the DP. Another reason was that the DP gave a far steadier picture and its lamphouse mirror was in a much better state, so we preferred to show 2 1/2 hours on that and one hour on the GK rather than vice-versa.  |  IP: Logged Ian Price Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1714 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-11-2002 01:33 PM                     If anybody has the balls to do an intermission for a long film, they stand to double their concession per caps. I know because the last three films I ran with an intermission doubled our per caps. The reason I was running an intermission was that Gone With The Wind, Lawrence of Arabia and Gettysburge were all 70mm and too big to fit on one platter. Up untill the '80s the city of Great Falls Montana required all films to have an intermission. Even 80 minute Disney cartoons! Carmike finaly convinced the city to drop that regulation. Were about to run Lagaan which is 4 hours long. But we are going to do it without an intermission because it is one of our morning movies and the schedule is tight. And we don't need to double our per cap with the 15 people who will come to the film. If Payal's mom is any guide to go by, all the Indian (Dot not Feathers) will bring their own snacks anyway.  |  IP: Logged Michael Gonzalez Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 790 From: Grand Island , NE USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 12-12-2002 03:54 PM                     Those theaters that have free pop and popcorn refills will probably not be able to double their concession per cap by having an intermission. It could even possibly cause less money to come in as customers geting refills will cause the concession lines to extend and prompt some customers to not buy anything at all.  |  IP: Logged Per Hauberg Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 883 From: Malling, Denmark Registered: Jul 2000 posted 12-12-2002 06:51 PM                        Two Towers was screend wednesday for the danish cinema owners with the official information, that we will have prints delivered with intermission after reel 4 = 1 hour, 20 mins. Possibly a europeean thing, but after 2 hours or 2 hrs 15, people are running out and in so much that intermission is absolutely the better way. -Let them pee, buy popcorn, run screaming away or whatever - just they do it at the same time instead of disturbing constanly the last hour of any long picture. By the way: Any other than me to feel tricked: My orderform from the distributor holds the word "worldpremiere" - with start at midnight between 17th and 18th december. ImdB allready now brings rewiews from "just-started film" ????? p.  |  IP: Logged Ken McFall Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 615 From: Haringey, London. Registered: Apr 2001 posted 12-18-2002 04:11 PM                     Hi all... The Odeon Marble Arch London, as was, used to run change overs on two Cinemecanicca Towers, especially on 70mm. Floating flange take up spools are a great help with any tower if you don't use an inverter. Westrex used to install their towers on Westars with a drop down transformer and sometimes fitting a flywheel to give a slower start. The Westrex 7000 was a real bodge.... but it worked. The projector had a delay built into its start to allow the takeup absorber arm to stabalise, so when you pressed start it took a couple of seconds before anything happend. Then it went like shit down a drain pipe. So what they did was to give the tower a boost for a few seconds. The Westrex Tower is still the best tower ever made. No clutches or washing machine motors, no brushes. All you need to change are the bearings every few years and if you are VERY unlucky maybe the odd belt and they run forever. Exactly what good design is all about. Decide what you want it to do and build it to do just that... no more, no less. Put it in a rack with four motor plates a control box and sit the whole thing on a turntable.... beuatiful Regards.  |  IP: Logged Pete Naples Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1565 From: Dunfermline, Scotland Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-18-2002 05:43 PM                     The Westrex 5035 manual describes soft start arrangements for various projectors common at the time. Westrex 2001 with 2002/2003 rep set. Done more or less as Ken desribed using a multi tapped auto transformer and bloody big resistor. If you spend a bit of time setting the tap and resistance right you can achieve a reliable run about of about 6 seconds or so, which will quite happily start with the tower even on small non-floating hub spools. There is a similar arrangement described in the book for using the tower with Cinemecannica and Kalee machines. That time delay thing on the Westrex 7000 was really meant to work with it's on board take up motor, you press START, the take up runs and the loop damper tensions up, about 7 seconds after you press START the projector motor comes in, and yup it does start up pretty fast. However there is yet another multi tapped transformer in there (seems a common Westrex theme this!), which if adjusted just right you could achieve a safe run up for use with the tower. Ken you are so right about the venerable old 5035. Those things just go and go and go. Even when very ill it is almost unheard of to loase a show, there's always the other side, running film on the rewind tension, rewinding on the run tension etc, etc.  |  IP: Logged Ken McFall Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 615 From: Haringey, London. Registered: Apr 2001 posted 12-18-2002 06:02 PM                     As a peice of engineering they take some beating for simplicity.... I don't think I've ever heard of a motor failing. I've rebuilt a few of them over the years and with very little effort they can look as good as new with as new performance. Darren... I also got the email abot LOTR but told the manager that it was a mistake immediatly. One, its not company policy and two, the distributors would not insist on such a thing anyway. We could not do it anyway as we are running it on interlock and it adds another level of complexity, very minor admittedly, that I could not tollerate. It requires setting a switch on the last projector to stop at interval..... also adding a VERY long leader as a feature change, some 150' in our case. Get the switches wrong and the first projector stops whilst the second is still on screen. Yes I know training etc etc etc.... but people make mistakes and I'd rather eliminate it as a possible source of trouble. We have run a lot of interlock and apart from one instance, which was operator f**k up, we have not had a single technical problem..... and NO print damage at all! So once a show starts we DO NOT STOP!! unless its an emergency. We now use Film Guard and that helps to look after the extra stress the print experiences. I've taken some pics today if anoyone is interested in my mods for interlock... its a unique setup, all my own work Regards  |  IP: Logged David Favel Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 764 From: Ashburton, New Zealand Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-18-2002 07:40 PM                     I'm interested. Please share  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-19-2002 04:38 AM                     Always interested in interlocks! Test drive out that upload feature for us.  |  IP: Logged Michael Brown Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1522 From: Bradford, England Registered: May 2001 posted 12-19-2002 08:32 AM                     So if I run this film with my tower system can I advertise it as 'The Lord Of The Rings: The Three Towers'?  |  IP: Logged David Favel Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 764 From: Ashburton, New Zealand Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-19-2002 02:02 PM                     The amount of people asking for tickets to see the Twin Towers is getting on my nerves  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 12-19-2002 02:07 PM                    Can't people just say lord of the rings?  |  IP: Logged David Favel Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 764 From: Ashburton, New Zealand Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-19-2002 06:40 PM                     You would think so  |  IP: Logged Ken McFall Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 615 From: Haringey, London. Registered: Apr 2001 posted 12-19-2002 06:54 PM                     OK Here's some pics of my interlock setup. All Vic 8's with TA10 automation. All mounting brackets for Film Wrap sensors and DTS heads have been made in house. Full install done by yours truly. System is very simple and totally reliable..... too late I've said it now Here's the first prijector in the interlock, Screen 1 our THX screen. The film follows the normal film path to the projector but is sent down the line by the red roller mounted on the side of the column. The film cleaner is hung onto the column and is applying Film Guard... The film is LORT Two Towers runing from bottom plate, not shown. Front view of platter one showing film feed into projector and supply to second projector. The film runs at high level on a cable tray..... Loop absorber between projectors 1 & 2... home made! It has about 8 feet of absorbtion which is not really needed. It never moves more that a couple of inches either way, which is just the slack in the system between the two projectors. Projectors are of course running on inverters. The TA10 takes care of communication between each projector. Film arriving at second projector from high level. It enters the platter and follows normal lacing path thru wrap sensor, projector and onto take-up plate. Long shot of box from projector 1 towards 2, 3 & 4.... showing make-up station between projectors 1 & 2. Note we have a spare non-rewind for making up and breaking down prints.... very useful! Long shot from projector 2 showing film storage units... made to my spec for easy movement. Films stand on the carriers at an angle one on each side. You can also see, top left, the red high level rollers used for interlocking screen 2 & 3. The wiring tray was a very usful part of the existing installation. Another view of first projector in interlock showing feed and supply to second projector and film cleaner. The cleaner simply hangs onto the column so can be easily moved around. The film wrap sensors will 'ALWAYS' stop the projector without any damage to the print. The film wrap sensors are made by Nigel Shaw with my mods and the control box is my design. The TA10 makes the whole system very easy to use. You need to tie back the take-up arm on the supply projector, as you can see above, or that projector will not run. Apart from that it's simply a long lacing leader and a start cue. A push of the start button and everything runs as normal. We have 1 1/2 minutes between each show so no problems with running about. See first show on and then walk slowly down to the next. We can currently run three screens in interlock, adding the fourth screen would be a simple matter. I have to admit I enjoy the freedom I have that allows me to design, manufacture and install system such as this. The fact that I actually show films myself means they are installed with ease of use very much in mind. Some engineers unfortunatly install equipment technically correct but with no idea or thought given to ease of use. Hope this is of interest to you all. Happy to get any comments.... Regards.  |  IP: Logged Kelsey Black Film Handler Posts: 58 From: Pima, Arizona, USA Registered: Aug 1999 posted 12-19-2002 11:14 PM                     Back on the subject of intermissions on towers, I've had my print since Tuesday morning and ever since I've built it up I've thought of coming on here and seeing the general consensus on where to place an intermission. I think I decided on the best place for an intermission quite by chance, and it's not between reels 4 & 5. try between 6 & 7. that way people have a bit over 2 hours to empty their drinks and popcorns, fill their bladders and get uncomfortable in their seats, then go to the concession stand and load up again for the best hour in the film. And, I have reels 7,8,9 on a 6000' reel, which makes the intermission a breeze to run on my double-sided tower that only has one functional side. And on a side note, I run my intermissions with as much lead out soundtrack as I can before the beep, then place an intermission snipe, and then one trailer in which the side lights come up during, then the auditorium lights come up. I start the second part by dimming the auditorium lights over 10 seconds, 10 seconds before the green band of another trailer (long as possible) for people in the lobby to hear, get back to their seats, get their eyes readjusted to the darkness, then the side wall lights go down when the credits on the trailer start... insert 10 seconds of black silence for people to digest the trailer, remember where they were in the movie, and dialate their pupils further, then sound lead-in and picture on screen. If I had enough 36" reels in good enough shape to run I'd try the intermission between reels 4 & 5, but then I had to bring in my own 6k reel from home to even do this. gotta go, our 7:00 show just got out. Kelsey Black www.WillcoxMovies.com  |  IP: Logged

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