This is an Olympic year, why not have the first annual Film-Tech Olympics? Film Techers the world over can compete in various film-tech related events and have a great time as well as prove (or disprove) their projection or technical prowess! All in fun, of course, as some of these things I am proposing are obviously not exactly the most 'kosher' things to do under a real booth condition, but I think it would be a great way to blow off a little steam and have a great time doing so

Event ideas I have thought of include:

-Timed platter threading from ring-in print to a picture on screen. Seconds deducted for misthreading, out-of-frame, bad loops, missed platter components, etc.

-Timed projector fieldstripping, or timed projector reassembly(from a pile of parts(?)) or both: Points deducted for sloppiness or missing parts, or non functionality, etc

-Timed xenon bulb changes (using a 'dummy' bulb for obvious safety reasons)

-Timed Diode changes

-DTS 'discus' throw

-Timed print inspection/make-up/breakdown, in two divisions: Platters and 6000' reels: points deducted for sloppiness and other mistakes

-(Team Event) Complete booth installation from boxed gear to operating booth picture and sound... points off for obviousl discrepancies...

Any other ideas for events??

We could have the Olympics sometime in the summer, or maybe better yet suring ShoWest, where we could get the manufacturers and dealers to sponsor events with equipment or funds

Just thought I'd toss this one in the air and see where it landed....

Aaron

I think we should have it in the winter during the Salt Lake Olympics. This way the games could all be handled with the usual amount of corruption.
We can have a contest to see which tech could leave downtown Salt Lake City and arrive at the Carmike Cinema in Park City first. Most would be stiffled by the altitude up there(except Ian, he's used to it now), then there will be 150,000 plus people in a town that normally has 10,000. Since you will not be able to drive your car you will have to use one of the 1000 shuttle busses that will be available, and you will have to carry all your test gear through this all. You will of course be allowed to do this on x-country skis if you prefer. This repair would require a parts order for overnight delivery and you would have to check in at a hotel and stay there till the parts arrived. Etc, Etc.
Mark
 

OK, now having said that I will promptly contradict myself by suggesting another timed event: Changeover projection using an old print that has been chopped into progressively shorter and shorter rolls (each leadered up and cued): 20 min, 10min, 5 min, 3min, 2min, 1min, 30 seconds etc. You're threading the next roll while the prior is running and changing over to it on time. Miss the change and you're out.

I should also mention that I think I may have set a record this morning for setting up an unmarried 2-track LT/RT mag track. Poor client went to all this trouble to prep some film for a VIP screening (including cross country flights) only to find that they gave him a silent answer print...so I had to run interlocked mag on no notice with the client's audience due any moment. Change heads, set Dolby level, set up scope for X/Y, azimuth heads, set up analyzer, set EQ. All in about 4 minutes. Maybe that could be a PROJECTOLYMPICS event.
 

The "Changeover Limbo"....I like it! ;-)

Steve

PS, I haven't forgotten the other thread...the Baysox have been on a homestand and I haven't had the time to get back to it.

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"
 

All competitors will have gone without sleep for 20 hours prior to the competition.

This is a platter event. The participant can choose the platter and projector that they compete with.

They will thread and play a two minute length of film as quickly as they can, repeatedly for 30 minutes.

A scratch means you lose, period.

Mistakes in loops will be tolerated so long as they do not cause presentation problems (jumping, etc).

NO FILM GUARD!!! You must preserve the quality of your film with no outside help.

Finally, as each contestant takes his turn, the others will be in the auditorium beating on the port glass! Obscenities will be allowed so long as they are "politically correct".

The operator may not break down and return the obscenities. He/she must maintain thier composure and be a "pillar of the community" at all costs.

Everyone jump in! Can this event BE any harder!!?

Russ

 

-Timed alignment of a Christie basement Dolby Digital reader with a 6 month old LED and two year old belts so it read's 0's, 1's and 2's. Maximum time alloted: 5 minutes

-EQ auditoriums by ear (accuracy will be checked with a THX R2 analyzer.)

-Timed rewinding of media pads.

-Competition to see who can change a xenon bulb mid-show and lose the least amount of light (all while the projector is running).

-Threading of projectors while they are running.

-Competition to see who can change out a bad Christie platter LED while the show is running and not cause a brainwrap or platter drop (must be done on a real movie with a real audience).

-FilmGuard swallowing contest (who can drink the most bottles in 2 minutes?)

-Sleeping contest. Who can enter the deepest sleep and ignore all manager and customer complaints, while all of the projectors running (but not correctly, of course)?

The EQing by ear would be interesting.

There is a union man (retired now I belive) up north somewhere who could actually thread a machine while it was running. Wish I knew his name or the local's number. Anyone know this guy?

Steve and Steve...I'll race ya. It's been 10 years since I've done any changeovers on a regular basis (outside of special screenings), but there's nothing like running previews alternating between 2 machines because the theater won't spring for a splicer! (You'll probably both still slaughter me on this one, but it would be fun.)

Aaron Sisemore...there are no dummy xenons in use today, so I feel we should be using REAL 7000 watt xenons nice and hot fresh from being ran only minutes earlier for the olympics. Otherwise what's the fun?

We used to do a smaller version of our own booth olympics back at Cinemark Vista Ridge in the late 80s. My favorite events were:

*One handed threading. Yes, you have one hand tied behind your back and you must thread the entire platter AND projector IN FRAME. Whoever can do it the fastest with perfect loops and no mistakes wins. (I always won.)

*Blind threading. Just like the above, but you get both hands, but no sight. Any out of frame startups is an automatic disqualification! (I only lost once.)

*One handed and blind threading. Even more fun. Combine the two previous. No misframes! (Definitely difficult, but I can do it given enough time.)

Other fun events that come to mind:

*The interlock competition. Whoever can interlock all 30 screens at the local AMC with one print and NOT damage it in any way whatsoever with the quickest thread and setup time wins.

*The minimal interlock competition. Who can set up an interlock system from scratch at the local AMC 30 plex with the LEAST amount of rollers wins. (Rollers mounted on the platter trees do not count towards your overall roller count, so use them creatively.)

*The manual changeover competition. Whoever can run the most auditoriums without missing a single changeover or making a single mistake of any sort wins. Note: this will be ran on original 2000 foot shipping reels with absolutely NO automation of any sort, including failsafes. Only splicing together of the trailer presentations will be allowed. (Of course, I think we all know who will win this.)

*The ADA competition. Who can run the most screens with platters while being restricted to a wheelchair.

*The creative dubbing competition. Each person gets a print of "Dinosaur" and is to make a tape/cd of dialogue to be played through the center channel, while the other channels are played simultaneously off of the digital tracks. Most points are given to the most creative and perverted storyline. (We all know projectionists are perverted. )

*The PTR competition. Who can clean the booth floor best, armed only with two Kodak PTRs!
 

The another contest would be a dailies run of the 1st rough cut of "Uncle Buck" This is 29 reels long with reels of largely varing sizes. Anywhere form 2 min to 10 min. All this threaded up on my old magnasync dubbers with selsyn interlock, Century C projectors with old yellow Lume-x lamphouses that had sticky dowsers. Good luck! It can be done though.
Mark
 

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
 

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Better Projection Pays!

"How about the Imax/Costner/Cameron Print weight Lifting compertition?"

OK,to make this one MUCH more interesting:

You will have a print of Branaugh's 'Hamlet' with one side abnormally stretched, guaranteeing a spongy, loooooose wind. You and your partner (just TWO people) have to move this print from one end of the booth to the other in the fastest time WITHOUT CLAMPS, SCOOPS, OR TAPE (taped-down tails are allowed to a platter wi NON-REMOVEABLE brains. Seconds deducted for any abnormal deformation of the print wind, and total DQ if the print comes apart in any way that would make it unplayable...

You want weight lifting events? how about the 'Complete assembled projector Moving competition' There will be four weight classes:

Flyweight: A Simplex Standard/SH1000 on a 3-point base

Middleweight: A Century SA/R3 combo on a standard Century pedestal

Heavyweight: A Norelco AAII

Super-Heavyweight: A Gaumont-Kalee

Aaron

I forgot to mention the splicing contest. Whoever can make a splice in a 10 second loop that will run the longest in a given projector without breaking. Projector must be in poor condition and splicing tape must be nothing but the cheapest crap available. No cheating will be allowed by using FilmGuard or any other form of lubricant. You may pick your own tape splicer.

Also, the Costner dump contest. Whatever the next Costner film is (of course, guaranteed to be really damn long), a platter will be seriously mistimed to throw the print onto the floor. Whoever can put the film back together with the least amount of scratching and splices wins. Any out of frame splices or out of order (or upside down and backwards) and you are immediately disqualified. John Pytlak and all of the Kodak SCREENCHECK guys will all be present with their digital beards to judge this one.

Here's one that can be of daily use: The grubby little kids vs. the port glass contest. The dirtiest and greasiest child we can find will be brought in fresh from a huge Kentucky Fried Chicken eating contest without wiping his hands and will grease up the port window as best as he can given his allotted 30 seconds. Then the contestant who can clean the glass to "new" quality the quickest wins. Don't we all wish we were good enough to win that one?

Then there's the laser pointer contest. Whoever can find the violator of the presentation in progress in a 1000 seat sold out auditorium and punish them in the best manner will be awarded the champion here. Points will be given based upon search time as well as punishment. We won't be looking for the politically correct method of punishment, but the desired fantasy punishment we all would love to see come true. Charleton Heston will be on hand to provide any desired weapons and Russell Crowe will be on hand to provide any pre-training desired.

And to whom had the mid show xenon lamp change while not going below 16fL...that must be a platter contest...it really isn't tricky on the reels.

For the weightlifing events...we simply must have the hand-cranked rewinder...each contestent must hand rewind from a 1 inch core and entire Costner feature onto a single reel...and did I say no gear reduction on the handcrank?

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"
 

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"
 

Take your keyed core and chuck that puppy up in a screw gun! -- Zip! Zip! Pads are rewound! (Set the clutch on "1"!!!)

Other events: "Nickel racing"

Take a nickel (U.S.A. 5 cent coin) and balance it on edge on a running platter deck. Inertia and the momentum of the platter will cause it to roll in place as the platter rotates beneath it. This is a test to prove how well leveled, timed and smooth running the platter is. My record is over 2 minutes!

Fastest person to most accurately adjust the flat/scope masking motor limit switches while projecting RP40. The switches at the motor are disabled. Points are deducted if the RP40 loop breaks, and the person has to dash up before the lens burns.

Aperture plate filing. First round is with single format plates. Second round is with Cinemeccanica three-on-one format plates.

(Variation of the plate-spinning guy on Ed Sullivan) A 20 plex is running. Every one minute, one feed-out motor is disabled. Whoever can keep the most number of shows going wins. Additional points are awarded if the person can eat an entire burger, (while still warm) and keep things going.

Stupid home-office tricks: Several prints run in one house during the day then a different house at night. How many and how often can prints be swapped around and not delay a start, drop a print, etc.

How many trailers ("These have to be on before the DM gets here!") can be added to a print at the last minute.

A judge places your coffee cup/screwdriver/burger/whatever on an electrical trough somewhere in a 30-plex. Fastest person to find it wins.
 

Brad: priceless!

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Better Projection Pays!
 

Not a contest for SDDS's are left in Bypass as there normal mode
 

Here is a good event for you:
running my manual multiplex booth with starts about every 5-10 min.

fastest focusiong on a bulb using my strong highlight series one lamphouses.

my fastest blidfold thread time whaen i was at cinemark was 2 min. beat that.

you forgot about fastest trailer change.

i will think of more later seeing as to it is time for me to work

later

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--"That's my story and i'm sticking to it!"--
 

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"
 

Replacing an old trailer with a new one while the platter is running...

I also like the c/o contest Steve Kraus suggested, especially since I really think that we c/o projectionists shouldn't be left out from the olympics just because platters seem to dominate the business.
 

I say we let the changeover guys have a "reel-less" competition! They are to run 6000 foot reels feeding and taking up onto cores using a trailer flange ONLY. (This actually can be done, but daaaaaaam your arms had better be in tip top shape and perfectly lined up.) Points deducted for a rough wind or a fault line in the roll (loose section).

 

What I meant is that the feature's been started and the end of the trailer (or commercials or whatever) has been properly marked by inserting a piece of plastic foam in the right place (since English isn't my first language, I'm not sure "plastic foam" is the correct term, but you'll get the idea, I'm sure). This is, of course, done on the uptake platter.

After a time, the platter spins more slowly and the plastic foam can be removed and the splice located. If the splice is well made, it is quite easy to peel off, and it becomes possible to pull off the entire centre ring and whatever film that's on it. You have to be very careful and quite fast when doing it, though. The uptake will continue to run without any problems if there's enough film on it.

Replacing the trailer is easy enough, but the real trick is to insert and splice the ring and the film again, without neither damaging anything nor interrupting the show.

One of the older projectionists at the local multiplex teached me to do this trick. It's quite helpful on thursday nights, if you have a lot to do.

Timing this little trick would make it fun in the olympics, don't you think?