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Author Topic: U S film industry unions or associations. Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-25-2003 08:05 PM                        Agreed with the comments on the Massachusetts licensing exam. It's useless in its current form. Personally, I'd like to see the state (err...Commonwealth) either get rid of the licensing requirement completely or make it actually mean something (i.e. include questions about practical safety issues and maybe include a practical exercise in running a film.) The current test includes lots of legal stuff (amount of flammable liquid that may be kept in a booth, signage and inspection requirements, etc.) with a few questions about electrical equipment (that are pretty obvious to anyone who knows what a rheostat, transformer, and rectifier do) and even a few film questions (number of frames per second/feet per minute) mixed in. It's a 50-question true/false test and the passing score is only 70%. I'd be surprised if more than a handful of applicants didn't pass it. One question that I've never understood pertains to lamphouse ventilation requirements--according to the exam, xenon lamps require more ventilation than the equivalent carbon-arc lamps. I find this hard to believe. Any comments?  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 01-25-2003 11:54 PM                    Well, it seems like it might make sense, given that the xenon needs large volumes of air for cooling. How much air does a carbon arc lamp need for cooling? If it's only a need to pull the smoke out then the requirements would presumably be lower.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 01-26-2003 05:16 AM                       A carbon arc doesn't need cooling, the exhaust is to create a draft. It doesn't have to be much - just enough to remove the gases, stabilize the arc, and prevent downdrafts.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 01-26-2003 10:41 AM                    That's what I thought. However, didn't the big Ashcraft lamps (Corelight, Super Corelight, Cinex, Super Cinex) have fans in that large upper housing?  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 01-26-2003 02:50 PM                       Yes, that was primarily to circulate air around the front and back of the reflector. It was a push-pull blower affair, with two squirrel cages. It wasn't as large as the housing would lead you to believe. The arc only had a relatively small percentage of that air on its face, to create the proper updraft. Also, when I said it didn't have to be much, that's also a relative term. Smaller trims = less draft.  |  IP: Logged Gerard S. Cohen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 975 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 01-26-2003 07:30 PM                     In a certain 42nd St. NYC theatre with a "temporary" booth built in 1934 of asbestos wallboard, (where I worked for 5 years), the lamphouse exhaust switches were outside the booth, on the booth roof above the door. Once, in the 1970's, a projectionist was called in on emergency, and flipped the breakers but forgot to turn on the exhausts! Both Peerless Magnarc reflectors cracked with the sound like gunshots, he told me... [ 01-27-2003, 10:51 AM: Message edited by: Gerard S. Cohen ]  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 01-26-2003 11:29 PM                       Gerard, did that booth happen to have a steep projection angle?  |  IP: Logged Gerard S. Cohen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 975 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 01-27-2003 09:45 AM                     Yes, Tim, VERY steep! The booth was built above the second balcony. And the relief operator called in on emergency was one of the most experienced, but in the rush to do a good deed, forgot about the eccentric switch layout of this booth (now long demolished, as the theatre has been landmarked and restored to stage performance use.) Had he not been so eager and rushed, he'd have noticed the silence of the exhaust motors... Gerard  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 01-27-2003 10:07 AM                        Gerard, Thanks for the memories. That Projectionist is a good friend. Bob  |  IP: Logged John Spooner Expert Film Handler Posts: 186 From: South Australia, Australia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 01-27-2003 11:03 AM                     Dear colleagues. Thank you for your replies and info re the licences. As I stated, things really declined since they stopped being required over here. We now have the business of the "16 y.o.kids" operating in the complexes and the skilled projectionists have left or been paid out. We often hear stories from our patrons who have been to complexes and have endured out of focus picture,pictures jumping, deafening sound and even the wrong lens (c/s being shown w/s) amongst other things. On one occasion the picture was jumping badly so the patron located an usher and asked if the operator could adjust the picture(obviously not enough gate tension). They were advised "it has been doing that all week". Incredible!!!!!! Another event was a preview of Mel Gibson`s latest film in a major complex, with Mel and industry people present. A short while into the movie the picture began jumping badly. Not being impressed, Mel personally went out and requested the problem be fixed.The operator was eventually found in the candy bar making chocolate ice-creams. Form your own opinions on this! These types of events reflect on all projectionists, including ourselves who strive to on the best possible show every time. We all have the occasional bit of bad luck but the events described are just not on, for example how could a print run for a week and the operator not see it and adjust the tension. I spoke to a leading manager here in Adelaide who shares our views on poor projection. He stated that as long as cinemas are run with "McDonald`s mentality" by bean-counters we will continue to hear of such things. I get so angry when I hear of such events, hopefully others also share my concern. Best wishes to my fellow film-tech colleagues. John Spooner. South Australia.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 01-27-2003 02:51 PM                        Three simple words should guide movie presentation: "Film Done Right".  |  IP: Logged John Spooner Expert Film Handler Posts: 186 From: South Australia, Australia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 01-29-2003 10:50 AM                     Dear John. Thank you for your reply to my post regards declining standards, your 3 words are apt and sum it all up so well! Secondly I recently purchased a Kodak DX4900 camera which is really good. The software which came with it was the "Easyshare" disc P/N 6B5923 version 1, and Picture Software P/N 6B5912 version 1.4 disc. Is this the latest software, or is an update available? John Spooner. South Australia. "skunk@bigbutton.com.au"  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 01-29-2003 11:14 AM                        Kodak software updates and downloads are available on the Kodak website: http://www.kodak.com/global/en/digital/easyShare/dx4900/dx4900.jhtml  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 01-29-2003 12:30 PM                       Gerard, I suspected so. It needed the exhaust draft to hold the tail flame off the reflector. For the benefit of the uninitiated, many suprex arcs would run fine with just a duct to the outside, unless there was an excessive angle. --crack!-- Love those ol' booths, how I miss 'em!  |  IP: Logged

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