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Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 10-14-1999, 11:32 AM:
OK, I started this to see if you had the same things happen.Was there a scene when it looked like the film was getting off track and showing sprocket holes. Brad stayed clear but everything else was out of focus and could see sprocket holes. I think it was just the movie. What did anyone else see.
It was kinda weird and gross in places. Don't think it will last too long. Keep those mops handy and install an airsickness bag on the back of the theatre chairs.
Paul Konen
Usher-B
Cinemark Theatres
Legacy 24.
Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 10-14-1999, 01:37 PM:
Were the sprocket holes clear or black? If they were clear, it sounds like the print was mispositioned in the gate of the projector, and then jumped back into place. If the sprocket holes are black, it sounds like the print film jumped off the sprocket in the printer, and then got back on. Did the film jump out of frame?Look at the print itself on a rewind. If the image shows what you saw on the screen, it is likely the print film jumped off the printer sprocket and back on again. Note that the lab prints the soundtracks and the picture as two separate originals on two separate sprockets, so only one is likely to be affected in this way. Jumping the printer sprocket would be a one-of-a-kind incident, and you can ask the lab for a new reel.
------------------
John Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Professional Motion Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-14-1999, 03:30 PM:
It was an effect. The same shot was also in the trailer. Nothing wrong with the equipment or print. I did find it nice that for once, the correct "4 perfs" was displayed. Seems every time there is an effect, it is technically wrong. Even that last Kodak ad had 6 perf film in it.
Did anyone panic when Gremins 2 burned? On video it is a HORRIBLY fake video glitch, but in the theater that scene was the film jamming and burning in the gate.
Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 10-14-1999, 04:34 PM:
This scene that I described made me panic. Nothing like jumping up and saying expletives as you try to run up to the booth and see if something is wrong.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-14-1999, 06:00 PM:
Regarding "scenes that make projectionists panic," I'll add a couple more: the opening scene, complete with terrible-sounding music, in "Clockwork Orange" (the scene that was almost exactly copied in "Reservoir Dogs")...I checked the sound drum tension several times during that one...also, there are a couple of Looney Toons cartoon shorts that have a fake "hair in the gate" which is "plucked" out by one of the characters (I remember one with Daffy Duck...there may be others).
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-14-1999, 06:38 PM:
The "Gremlins 2" film burn got me! I was in the downstairs office (from which I can see the screen) when it happened and raced up the stairs, had my hand on the booth door handle when the gremlins started giggling...I still remember it to this day, hearing myself saying "little bastards!"
Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 10-14-1999, 07:33 PM:
And there's the fake film break in 'George Of The Jungle' that got my undivided attention... 
Aaron
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 10-14-1999, 08:21 PM:
The film break at the end of reel one of The Projectionist got me once
Posted by Rick Long (Member # 213) on 10-14-1999, 10:44 PM:
The break in the original "Muppets" movie made me run to the booth until the muppet "Chef" reported that "the flim go flip,flip,flip".
Shortly after, he reported that "The flim is okie-dokie".
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-15-1999, 03:46 AM:
By the way, I can't believe the people who made "Fight Club" released the secret of the cue marks!!! There will be thousands of people who will now know what those are and will unfortunately never be able to watch a film again without seeing that distraction! No one ever notices the marks until they are pointed out. What a terrible thing to do.
Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 10-15-1999, 09:34 AM:
Gordon,The Projectionist, is that the one with Roddney Dangerfield as the really bad theatre manager? God that movie made me depressed. I always knew that all our old union projectionists were nuts but when I saw that film I knew that I had to get out of the booth for a while.
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 10-15-1999, 09:56 AM:
Yes that is Rodeny's movie
Changeover cue marks secret were unveiled in two Columbo mysteries where the alibi for the murderer was they were in the booth doing a changeover. The penny trick was also flaunted around in it (which doesn't work) and Columbo actually made a changeover
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 10-15-1999, 03:01 PM:
The guy's a projectionist and his mind is having a brain wrap.... Get it?I think the part where he splices-in the 'porno frames' was funny. I've never heard cue marks called 'cigarette burns' before.
Posted by Rick Long (Member # 213) on 10-15-1999, 03:05 PM:
Brad is so right when he points out the unkind act of showing people all about cue marks. Not long ago while visiting family in Peterborough, I bumped into an usher I knew back at the Drive-In, years before.
"You bastard" he yelled, "since you showed me those circles on the film, I always see'em, can't ignore them."
We settled old differences over a couple of beers while I explained the difference between flat and scope (and how he should demand a lower admission price for a flat movie).
I imagine next time, he'll be carrying a baseball bat.
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-15-1999, 06:46 PM:
That's EXACTLY why I don't explain how I know when the reels are changing! It's just rude to people who will never need to know that information and will be haunted by the 20 minute intervals distraction.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-15-1999, 07:12 PM:
Brad - just send them to an AMC theatre and tell them to look for "lots of dust and scratches and a big 'pop' in the soundtrack"; that's a kinder way to show people how reel changes work. Tell them that they shouldn't notice reel changes in a good theatre, and it'll keep them out of the AMC gigaplexes as well.
And, yes, my friends all hate me for showing them the cue marks and my Clint Phare cue mark maker...
Posted by Kenn Fong (Member # 118) on 10-15-1999, 11:07 PM:
Back to "Fight Club": Did anyone notice what appear to be dust spots on the negative? They show up as a lot of random white spots on the print. We got a new print so they must have been intentional.(This reminds me of when I saw "Schindler's List" deep into its run, I commented on how clever Spielberg was to put in all the spots and scratches to give an old newsreel feeling. I was told the prints came from the labs clean and the scratches and spots were there because it was an AMC house.)
Thanks to you, Paul, for bringing it up, and to you Brad for confirming it was part of the film. I was able to print out the discussion and bring it to work today so I could give a heads-up to our projectionists.
------------------
Kenn Fong
http://qwertyuiop.net
Screenwriter's Home Page
Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 10-15-1999, 11:19 PM:
When they "shake the frame" in, "Fight Club" I'm pretty sure I saw a DTS sound track on the left.
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-16-1999, 03:57 AM:
At the very end just before the credits, there is fake shutter ghosting. Working in a booth with Christie projectors, I started to freak out for a second or two because as everybody knows, the Christie projector uses a shutter belt with an operating life of about 3 days.
Posted by Tom Ferreira (Member # 70) on 10-16-1999, 08:23 AM:
Luckily I didn't watch Fight Club, and have no intentions on doing so-ever. It's sort of a pact I have with Brad Pitt. He makes horrible, unwatchable films that tank at the box office, and I avoid them at all costs. Last night(Friday), Fight Club was easily my lowest grossing picture with about 14 people all night, most of which were backwards hatted fifteen year old boys who had mommy come in to buy their tickets. Getting back to the point, if I had watched this thing, I probably would have panicked at all these 'cute' tricks, too. At least with Gremlins 2, the producers had the good sense to send out a letter explaining about the film burn, which was very realistic.
Two other problems with Fight Club(besides the demographic):
The reel change between five and six. No frame lines, no any indication of any. I assume it's a fade out/fade in, but I hate it when they do this. Just makes our job tougher.
The other thing is the cheezy promo kit that Fox sent out. The bars of cheap hotel soap stunk my office up, and, even though Fox doesn't use Technicolor, I'm keeping the bandaids as a useful commodity for the next time I cut my hand open on a broken Technicolor reel. ------------------
Posted by Kenn Fong (Member # 118) on 10-17-1999, 12:26 AM:
Tom, If you don't want that soap, send them to me. I'll send you my snail address and give you five bucks for your trouble.------------------
Kenn Fong
http://qwertyuiop.net
Screenwriter's Home Page
Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 10-17-1999, 12:42 AM:
"Fight Club" is doing terrible business at our theater too. However, many of the folks I work with hold the film in high regard. Not any reverence for Brad Pitt, they just like to see a projectionist who beats the s**t out of people. Everybody keeps saying, "Aaron, you got to see it!". I will see it, but right now time is not in big supply.
Posted by Tom Ferreira (Member # 70) on 10-17-1999, 07:59 AM:
This is turning out to be one of those strange cases where our theatre is bucking the national trend. Usually if a film is #1 in the country, it's our highest grosser. In the case of Fight Club, it was easily our lowest for the weekend. On Saturday, Superstar did eight times the business that FC did. All I can say is that FC must be doing phenominal business in urban areas. By the way, I'm getting tired of these movies that are running almost two and a half hours. John Waters said it best when he said that no film should be over ninety minutes. I'll never argue with that sentiment.
Posted by Stephen Jones 1 (Member # 114) on 10-18-1999, 06:12 AM:
Actually, before you make asumptions on a film that you haven't seen, maybe you should go see it. Edward Norton is proabably his generation's best actor. This film is very well put together. It's actually sad beause it targets the younger teenage crowd, but the undertones of this film are deeper than what any teenager could ever grasp. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It is the most unforgettable movie you will watch this year. I'm not saying that you'll love it or hate it, but it is unforgetable. Okay... sorry about the little film review. Despite what I normally think of Pitt, he acutally was decent in this movie.
Posted by Erika Hellgren (Member # 22) on 10-19-1999, 03:12 AM:
Fight Club did very well at my theatre. Sold quite a few tickets to the 10:45pm show during the weekend.I finally saw the whole movie (not all at once, but I pieced it together in my head), and I didn't think it was all that bad. I liked the editing style ... very surreal. I did not care for the gore, like that blond guys' face after Edward beat the crud out of him, or when Ed shoots himself. Ug. But truly, I don't know what all the hype and attention is about. It IS just a movie after all
Posted by Rick Long (Member # 213) on 10-19-1999, 09:40 PM:
Reading Erika's post made me stop and think about how many movies I, too have seen this way -occassional glimpses out the port-hole while checking the presentation. I calculate about 98%.She is absolutely right. We mentally piece these segments together, and use logic to fill in the missing parts.
That's why projectionists would make very good (or very bad -I'm not sure which) film critics.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-19-1999, 10:55 PM:
We ran "Shakespeare in Love" for three weeks on 26" reels with R1-R4 on the first large reel and R5-R7 on the second large reel. I never did see that film straight through from beginning to end, but I could probably still do the R4->R5 changeover in my sleep.
Posted by Ed Johnson (Member # 94) on 10-20-1999, 12:59 AM:
In response to Stephen Jones 1's comments on fight club:"the undertones of this film are deeper than what any teenager could ever grasp"
Watch out for those generalizations! Some of us teenagers are not the complete morons you are implying we are. Some of us are even competent projectionists. Don't slam every person between the ages of 13 and 19 because of a personal stereotype!
Do people magically grow smarter and gain respect when they turn 20? Maybe I should look forward to that!
Sorry. Personal pet-peeve.
--------------
Ed Johnson
Lawrence University
Appleton, WI
Posted by Stephen Jones 1 (Member # 114) on 10-20-1999, 03:58 AM:
Sorry, didn't mean to sound so condenscending. I said this because, at the theatre where I work at, most of the staff didn't like Fight Club because it was too boring. I don't think all teenagers are stupid. I myself am only 19. It just seemed like Fox was trying to hit that teenage crowd with a movie that they probably wouldn't like because they would be expecting to see car chases, explosions, and sex, not boring narrative dialogue. You do have to admit that the trailer was a bit mis-leading.
Posted by Tom Ferreira (Member # 70) on 10-20-1999, 11:24 AM:
I also understand that there are intelligent teenagers who can grasp the nuances of a complex and challenging film, but they're not the ones that Fox is marketing this film to. I've been in the field for a long time-I've seen the patterns.
R-Rated film comes out and the fifteen years olds with Austin 3:16 and Korn t-shirts drag daddy down to the theater to buy their tickets for them. Nobody bothers to notice that the film is two and a half hours long, and the director's intent is purely allegorical. After fifteen minutes, the Korn Boys are out to buy more nachos(good for the theater's per cap). After forty five minutes, an usher has to speak to them after complaints from other patrons that they are talking too loudly amongst themselves. Shortly thereafter, they head for the rest room for fifteen minutes, then ask if it's ok to leave the building and come back(no). All the while disturbing people who are intelligent enough to enjoy the film. Again, I reiterate that there are teenagers who have the brains to understand a deep film, but they're overshadowed by the morons who have nothing better to do on a Friday night, and have no respect for the people who work in this business, and the people who pay good money to be entertained, only to be disturbed by their distractions.
Posted by Erika Hellgren (Member # 22) on 10-20-1999, 01:29 PM:
Yes, Ed, you do get more respect when you turn 20. Sad, but true. But I know how you feel. Back when I worked for UA, I was told by an executive at the company that I looked like a little girl, and why was I running projectors. I told him I was nineteen, but that didn't seem to help. Stereotypes suck! I still have to prove myself over and over in this industry because of the stereotype that "little girls can't run big machines". My advice is to continue to rise above it, and accept it as a challenge to be the best you can.
Posted by Carl Welles (Member # 59) on 10-20-1999, 09:36 PM:
I'm ashamed at all of you.First rule: DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB!
Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 10-21-1999, 09:59 AM:
Thanks Carl. LOL!!