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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Topic: Century's Vistavision and Cinerama
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Stephen Furley
Film God
Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
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posted 07-06-2014 05:22 AM
Steve,
Those are Vic 8s, not 10s (Xs).
The Odeon started out with normal 1930s BTH machines, as were normally installed by Odeon. These were replaced by the Mk. 1 SUPAs, then the Vic Xs, one of which is preserved by the PPT, then by the Vic 8s shown in your picture, then at the last major refurbishment by new Cinemeccanica machines which can take the large spools on the base of the machine, rather than using the tower. In all cases three machines were installed, except for the brief period when the VistaVision machines were also installed. At least one of these seems to be using a follow spot port. I've seen, or seen pictures of spots in three different positions, but I don't know if all three were ever installed at the same time.
A photograph exists of a fourth temporary machine installed for Napoleon, and at one time a monochrome Eidophor was also installed. A Ross Scenoscope, similar to Brenograph, survived long enough to be converted to Xenon, but had gone when I last visited the box some years ago.
As far as I know at least one film machine remains, and at least two digitals.
Three projectors was quite common, either to provide a spare, or to show 35 mm material with a 70 mm feature. A few cinemas, I know of two, installed a fourth machine in the 50s for showing 3-D with changeovers. I've never seen more than four 'normal' projectors. Mark, were all of the RCMH machines 'normal' projectors, and if so, do you know why the additional ones were installed?
The Pictuteville has seven projectors installed, three Cinerama, one Vic 8 for normal 35 and 70 mm films, one DP-70 mainly used with a special lens for showing 70 mm film on the Cinerama screen, one Christie digital, originally 2k, but now replaced by 4k model, and a small subtitling projector. The vast majority of normal shows are digital now, but six of the projectors are normally used during the Wide screen Weekend. It used to have a 16 mm machine, but this was removed to make room for the DP-70.
The last time I was in the box at the Loews Jersey there were three 35 mm machines, one 16 mm, two spots, but only one of them set up at a port, and two non-functioning Brenographs, but this was in 2002, and I believe things have changed there now. Mitchell, what is there now?
Even the tiny place where I still project from time to time has four projection positions, two 35 mm and one digital permanently installed, and slides, 16 mm, video etc. can be installed in the fourth position, but this is seldom done now.
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Geoff Newitt
Film Handler
Posts: 49
From: FARINGDON, OXFORDSHIRE, UK
Registered: Dec 2011
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posted 07-07-2014 06:31 PM
Twenty odd years ago, one of the two film societies at Southampton University was still running BTH SUPA Mk II projectors with Peerless lanterns converted to xenon. I don't remember seeing a film on them, but they still ran a show every week. IIRC the cause of the focus problems was that the aperture plate was in front of the film path rather than behind, so the film tended to overheat and flutter in the gate - much worse for B&W, as the silver dye absorbed heat so readily.
I've not visited the projection room at OLS for a couple of years; last time, the middle Vic 8 was still there, but had an NEC installed so close to it that it was unusable. IIRC, there were two NC3240s and I think there was a Sony something or other that had been brought in temporarily. It's certainly the case that in the 'digital era', projectors move in and out of there at an astonishing rate.
Interestingly, the Vic 8s that replaced the Vic Xs were not new machines - I believe the left hand one was from the old training centre in Camden, for instance. Certainly by 1998 they seemed very tired. At the refit in 1998, three brand new Vic 8s were installed (craned in through the roof light) - but with the X6500H lamphouses from the early 80s reused. The mag penthouses were retained as well, I think (never used for a public screening post-98, anyway). And although the bases would take 4000m spools, a Christie platter was retained as well.
Anyhow - back on topic - my late friend Hugh McCullough once told me that when he worked there in the 70s and 80s (during the Eidophor and Napoleon period) that the only trace of the VV equipment was a couple of mysterious bolts left in the floor.
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