Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Weather Related Disasters?

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Posted by Kyle Smith (Member # 177) on 06-07-2000, 03:11 PM:

Well I'm sure you guys and gals from the Drive Ins have had plenty. At an indoor two-plex I work at, we had a very strong thunder and lightning storm last Friday night. I asked the owner if we had backup generators and he said "no". I thought, "great". Sure as can be, a flow of heavenly electricity disrupted our power and shut down cinema #2 (all Strong equipment, very reliable when not subjected to 1.21 Gigowatts killing the power

) Funny that it didn't stop cinema #1 though. Woody Allen must have a pact with God or something (we were running "Small Time Crooks" in #1). Anyway, that's the first time that's happened on my shift. Any other stories out there?

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 06-07-2000, 03:27 PM:

Not long back, a small tornado went through near the Regal Hollywood 18 theatre here in Huntsville and did major damage to one
nearby business, and very minor damage to the theatre. One person reported that while in the theatre, the ceiling separated from the top of the wall for an instant and the sky could be seen. If true, I would imagine this to be a very frightening experience. It seems that a theatre auditorium would be one of the most unsafe places to be during a tornado due to the high ceiling and wide open room.

Posted by Robb Johnston (Member # 239) on 06-07-2000, 10:15 PM:

Not a booth story but a theatre story. We opened the day Hurricane Floyd hit last september. A couple of people came out of our house 2 and let us know that water was streaming through the ceiling tiles and HVAC vents.

I got sent out onto the roof to find water deep enough that it was backing up into the HVAC unit and down the duct work ruinig about 45 ceiling tiles, and causing considerable damage to seat cushions.

Why didn't the drains acomodate the rain which was about an hour from hitting its peak? Someone had left a Gatorade bottle on the roof which perfectly plugged the drain hole at the edge of the roof.

Fortunately, I had the forethought to wear shorts and a T-shirt instead of my regular work clothes.

Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 06-08-2000, 01:30 AM:

A couple years back most of the west coast power grid went off-line for about an hour --- I forget the reason. I remember sitting at my box office getting phone calls from various friends up and down the state of California - asking me if our power was out.

Oddly enough - NO - our power went out for 5 minutes and then came back on. Our half of the shopping center was the only part of town with power for about 2 hours.

Our itty-bitty 5-plex was the busiest theatre that night. Oh it was lovely.

I later found that our half of the shopping center is on the same grid as the local hospital --- so when they work on restoring power - they restore it to the hospital's grid first.

LUCKY LUCKY US!

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-08-2000, 01:57 AM:

Note to self: If ever building a theater, locate it as close as possible to a hospital.

Posted by David Kilderry (Member # 142) on 06-08-2000, 05:05 AM:

How many stories do you want!

Several drive-ins here in Melbourne lost part of their screens at various times. Sometimes the show went on until repairs were made by kicking the machines over if the show was in w/s.

All drive-ins I worked in had standby generators, so were OK when the power went out.

A couple suffered from fog. One night at Maribyrnong drive-in, the first feature was fine, then literally in 15 minutes of intermission you could not see either screen, fog passes issued to all!

I also know of one drive-in that used to flood.

Come to think of it electrical storms always made for a weird atmosphere at the drive-in, with thunder claps and flashes of lightening.

David Kilderry

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 06-08-2000, 06:11 AM:

In my foolish youth, we had a long-wire radio antenna stretched from the booth to the top of the screen in the drive-in I worked at. As a thunderstorm approached, I saw a long spark occur from the antenna feed to ground every time there was a nearby lightning strike, from the induced electrostatic pulse. In hindsight, I'd hate to think what would have happened with a direct strike to our screen tower.

I recall hearing that hundreds of "scientists" died trying to duplicate Ben Franklin's kite in a thunderstorm experiment.

Unless the power was completely off, or no one showed up, we never stopped a film due to the weather --- the show went on through torrential downpours, thunderstorms, snow, and fog.

------------------
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

Posted by David Kilderry (Member # 142) on 06-08-2000, 07:15 AM:

John, I don't know what fog is like in New York, but when we had fog at one of our drive-ins here in Melbourne, Australia, you could not see a picture 25 ft from the booth, let alone the screen that was 100 plus feet away!

Never stopped for rain though, no matter how heavy.

David Kilderry

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 06-08-2000, 07:33 AM:

David:
I can recall only a few nights with fog that heavy. We kept running, making the changeovers by watching the image above the projector gate to see the cue marks. I don't think the few cars that stayed on the lot were actually watching the movie, if you know what I mean.

Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 06-08-2000, 03:57 PM:

As a follow-up to Scott's story about the west coast power failure. I was working at Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema (a 5 screen arthouse) in San Francisco at the time. Because we were in the financial district - less than 3 blocks from the Pacific Stock Exchange - we did not lose power either. So, locating in a major financial center is not a bad place to be either.

Posted by Randy Rock (Member # 454) on 06-08-2000, 05:02 PM:

Not exactly weather related, but...

A few years ago I was working a relief shift at the Lincoln Theater (1926, mostly original architecturally) in Mt. Vernon Washington. The booth (which protrudes into the auditorium)is about three stories above the sidewalk, booth floor is about 12 feet above rear of auditorium, and is attached to the auditorium rear wall and suspended from the ceiling. It is accessed by a ladder attached to the outside of the booth. When someone heavy climbs the ladder the booth shakes a bit. The building is wood frame.

Somewhere during the second reel I felt the booth floor shake a bit and assumed that Peter the manager was coming up to chat. I happened to look through a port into the auditorium and was amazed to see that patrons were rushing out of the theater! Simultaneously I heard a large roaring sound and realized the that two Simplex E7/Peerless Magnarc projectors were dancing around the booth. Earthquake!! Faster than I thought possible I opened the DC knife switch on the pedestal, shut down the E7, pulled up the resistive dimmer bank for the house white lights, dived out the door and slid down the ladder and was the last one out of the theater onto the street.

Fortunately the quake was short, and a quick check of the theater revealed no damage. About 100 or so of the 120-some patrons stayed, and the show went on. I did have to take a pry bar and move the projectors back into position on the fly- they were pointing the right direction, but about 6 or 10 inches off center line to the screen.

This is probably old hat in California, but it's big excitement here in Washington.

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 06-08-2000, 05:38 PM:

Back in December 1999, at our theater in Post Falls, Idaho, we had a sign company come over at 12 noon and relamp our freestanding marquee. Also they got a new sign face, letter tracks, and a new font of letters.
At 9:30 that night a 60 mile an hour windstorm reduced the marquee to a pile of rubble!

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 06-09-2000, 07:51 AM:

Has anyone experienced the drive-in destruction portrayed in "Twister" for real, or know of a drive-in that has?

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 06-09-2000, 08:03 AM:

Randy:

At a trade show a few years ago, someone showed me some photos of a booth where the projectors and platters had been pulled out of position, and even tipped on their side, claiming that this was due to a platter feed failure with super-strong polyester film stock. My immediate skepticism made him admit the photos were really taken just after an earthquake.

That's not to say that theatres don't need to follow Kodak's long-standing recommendation to have tension-sensing failsafes to stop the projector in the event of a platter jam. Most of the platter manufacturers now have these available, and others are made by companies like Kelmar, Teco, and Avask.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 06-09-2000, 08:32 AM:

The Bluegrass D/I, Georgetown, KY was the first d/i in that part of the state, opening in 1942. It had a great curved, concrete block screen tower, with openings in the bottom, from when they had a central speaker system. The booth was underground, with the bottoms of the projector ports AT GROUND LEVEL! Man, this theatre had the steepest projection angle I've ever seen in a drive-in. The bases were on concrete "ramps", that helped them tilt back far enough, where they needed to be, and with the big Ashcraft Super Cinex lamps on, they looked like they would fall over backward! Needless to say, every time it rained, that booth filled up with water and the show HAD to be stopped. This is the only drive-in I've ever seen that was routinely stopped because of weather. They had to, or else the operator could be killed.

------------------
Better Projection Pays!

Posted by Kyle Smith (Member # 177) on 06-09-2000, 08:51 AM:

John, I thought of that Drive-in scene in "Twister". Could you imagine witnesing something like that? They never did show what the projectionist did as you could still see "The Shining" on the screen as the twister ripped it to shreds. I would have thought in "real" life, the operator would have shut down and ran for their life!

Posted by Marty Hacker (Member # 485) on 06-09-2000, 04:05 PM:

A 7.1 earthquake originating in the city of Puebla last year caused havoc for the Angenopolis cinema in Puebla Mexico. Sound racks were knocked over (ouch!) and projector consoles moved up to 3 feet from their mark. It took three days to get everything straightened, alighted, and reinstalled for some of the dented and damaged sound rack equipment. After all that, I think the cinema fastened all of its sound racks to the wall much in the same fashion water heaters are anchored to walls here in California. Any other theaters out there in the "ring of fire" have any earthquake preventative techniques or is it the "get out of the way" method.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 06-09-2000, 07:38 PM:

How about this one during the first fire scene in BackDraft lighting hit the screen tower at the London Ont. drivein and burnt it to the ground as the audience watched as they couldn't exit past it

Posted by Joseph Pandolfi (Member # 223) on 06-11-2000, 07:18 AM:

Hey Kyle: I told you last year. I think a thunderstorm fried the circut to #8 lamphouse. I could not get the lamp restarted and lost the last 25 minutes of a show. Couple months ago there was a brownout there, I was not on at he time, but we lost sound in three houses. Over at the four-plex we have a backup generator in another room where the booth is, but I believe they only use it for the lights and computers. I don't think it has the capacity to run the shows. If Brian Fournier (He'll kill me if I spelt his name wrong. )sees this post, he could come on and give the best answer.

Posted by Kyle Smith (Member # 177) on 06-12-2000, 09:40 AM:

Hey Joe. Yeah I remember you telling me that story in the lunch room. How did you like that mighty lightning storm last night? I would love to catch a bolt on videotape but it's yet to happen. How does the Weather Channel do it? It seems that "La Nina" is throwing alot our way this summer.

Posted by Dave Bird (Member # 490) on 06-12-2000, 12:54 PM:

Gordon, didn't the Can-View (4-plex) Drive-In
in Fonthill Ontario have one of it's screens demolished a few years back by an afternoon tornado WHILE the actual movie "Twister" was
scheduled to play that night? Seems to me, I recall reading about it back then.

------------------
Dave Bird

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 06-12-2000, 06:26 PM:

Dave yes the Canview did get hit by a twister during twister

Posted by Joseph Pandolfi (Member # 223) on 06-14-2000, 06:12 PM:

KYLE: I was driving home from Branford last Sunday and got caught right in the middle of it. Amazing at both theatres the juice kept flowing and the shows kept running.

Posted by Bryan Fournier (Member # 264) on 06-14-2000, 06:47 PM:

Joe,

You did spell my first name wrong. It's Bryan with a Y, you know the Canadian way. I'll kill you later. I was working this past Sunday at the Showcase Cinemas in Orange, CT when the power went out for half a second. I lost sound in four of the eight houses, although none of the pictures were lost. All of the films that were affected were playing in SR-D with a CP65/DA20 setup. To restore sound I just manually pushed the SR button on the front of the CP65, restored sound, then hit SR-D putting it back into Dolby Digital. Everything was fine thereafter. Any ideas on why this occured?

Posted by Kyle Smith (Member # 177) on 06-15-2000, 09:10 AM:

Hi Bryan, Joe's told me all about you. He gave me a tour of the booth in Orange. The best one I've seen yet. Only eight setups AND you have the luxury of timers and status monitors. It's well lit and you can drive an RV in the place. Come out to Westbrook and watch us handle 12 Strong Simplex units with NO timers and NO status screens. Shoot, we don't even have a rewind bench and the place is filthy. All this for about $5 less per hour than you guys are making. We're gluttons for punishment

Posted by Bryan Fournier (Member # 264) on 06-15-2000, 07:40 PM:

Kyle,

Good to meet ya! (well kinda). I've also worked in alot of booths and Showcase Orange (NA) really is the cream of the crop. Union Booth + Great Service Technician + Good Equipment (minus Christie 35GP's in six of the eight houses that we constantly have to work on to keep acceptable) = EXCELLENT PRESENTATION. See, simple formula. NO rewind bench in a twelve-plex? Unbelievable! Sounds like a tough situation, but unfortunatly all too common. Well at least you don't work for Hoyt's.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 06-15-2000, 09:16 PM:

No rewind bench? What do you do when you get prints where half of the reels are tails-out? How do you put together your trailer reels?

Posted by Ken Jacquart (Member # 369) on 06-15-2000, 09:52 PM:

Bryan,
Was the CP65 in non-sync after the power glitch? The Cat. No. 443 card has a wake up jumper which may be set to non-sync (power up in the morning...)
I used to serviced your theatre when it was built and the old Orange before they tore it down. Your right, you have one of the best techs in the biz right now... tell him I said hello.

ken

Posted by Kyle Smith (Member # 177) on 06-16-2000, 09:02 AM:

Bryan, I did work for Hoyt's. I was a head projectionist in Madison several years ago. Then, this past winter, I was hired by the Branford 12 plex (Hoyt's shut down the Madison Cinema). I got bad vibes right away. The management there seemed to have a disdainful attitude towards the projection crew. When they first opened (it's always been a non-union theater), they offered $7.50/hr. When I got there two years later, it was down to $6.50/hr (someone told me wages went down because licenses were no longer needed as of January 1st this year). OK, fine. I'll have to work tons of hours to eat another Wendy's cheeseburger. I love projection, what am I gonna' do? Well the manager decided that the projectionists "don't have enough to do" running 12 Christies. OK, there IS a lot of down time while shows are running. But, c'mon, we actually have to go downstairs repeatedly AND do all the checks dressed in their lovely vest and tie. I felt like a runway model, like a fool. "OK, here's Kyle sporting this custom red vest and blue Hoyt's tag". OK, I can get over my inhibitions too. But when I see a very nice organization like yours (NA), I can see a big difference and I wish they'd open a theater closer to my home. Everything west of the Quinnipiac River is union and pays at least $10/hr. Everything east is non-union (at least in Southern CT) and pays between $6.50 and $8/hr. Now Crown Theaters is talking about opening a 17 plex in New London. Are they union or non-union? I know Milt Daly (Crown's V.P.) and he seems like a very nice guy and employer. Maybe that'll be something to consider.

* In Connecticut, the price of living is quite high. I realize in other states these wages are adequate. But gas alone costs nearly $2.00 per gallon and taxes are very high.

As for rewinding, we have dual spindle makeup/breakdown benches. I simply take the tail of the trailer or reel and wind it from the makeup spindle onto an empty reel on the rewind spindle. But most theaters have an exclusive rewind bench (Madison, now an independent art cinema, has a Kelmar) that you can load reels onto 6000' reels for fast buildup.

Posted by Kyle Smith (Member # 177) on 06-16-2000, 09:11 AM:

Ken Jacquart, I think I remember you. Didn't you service Madison? My real name isn't "Kyle Smith". I was the 20 something kid that worked there in the early '90s, dirty blonde, light brown hair, about 6' tall, slim build. I think it was you who taught me how to focus a xenon lamp. That's funny I'd run into you on this site! How's it going?

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 06-16-2000, 09:24 AM:

Kyle: I've got a confession too! My real name isn't "John Pytlak". And I just pretend to work at Kodak.

Posted by Kyle Smith (Member # 177) on 06-16-2000, 01:30 PM:

I KNEW IT! You IMPOSTER! Ha, ha, ha! Actually, I'm fairly new to the internet and have been told there are some people on the internet who are, for lack of a better word, "crazy" (not on this site, of course

). So, on the three forums I am active on, I use an alias. Besides, after all the Hoyt's "bashing" I've done, what if I decided to go back and apply as a manager someday? If they know my real name, my application might be tossed in the "T" file: trash. So pardon me. Joe Pandfolfi knows my name because we used to both work in the same building. Anyway John, I wish Westbrook Cinemas would hire a guy like you for the screencheck experience. I showed the manager the profile written on it in Kodak's newsletter, and he said it was a good idea but that the owners down south probably wouldn't spring for it. Meanwhile, they're taking teenagers (okay, again, I have no issue with their age) from the concession stand and not training them properly, only how to thread and press the start button (they're not even showing them how to check the intermittent for proper framing and get snippy with us when we mention it). Shoot, I had an apprentice show me how the automation worked there, as I had only worked in manual control booths prior. Too bad you're not the real John Pytlak

. He's one knowledgable guy. And nice to meet you!

Posted by Marty Hacker (Member # 485) on 06-16-2000, 02:30 PM:

Surprise....!!!!! Marty Hacker is not my real name either.

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 06-16-2000, 02:34 PM:

Kyle:

I work for Crown Theaters. E-mail me with any questions, if you like.

Posted by Kyle Smith (Member # 177) on 06-16-2000, 03:01 PM:

Thanks John, I will! I was wondering what part of CT you were from. I was the main editor of that "Tribute to Frank Oz" video CATO showed last December. I couldn't make the banquet in New Haven because it was my fourth wedding anniversary, my wife wouldn't budge.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-16-2000, 06:49 PM:

Surprise, this is the internet people! No one knows your home address, phone number or even what you look like. The ONLY thing required upon registration is a REAL name and city/state/country location. At best, people know what town you are in, unless you personally choose to provide other specific information (like a theater you work at), of which is not required. There is no need to hide behind a fake alias here. This forum was specifically set up to be rid of such childish nonsense as "FilmDude" handles and to provide a place on the internet for cinema professionals to get together. I spend thousands each year and an incredible amount of time just keeping this site available and FREE to everyone and your blatant disregard for the request of a REAL name is insulting.

That's pretty pathetic, guys. Email me privately.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 06-16-2000, 06:57 PM:

Pathetic is an understatment
the 1570 site is getting bad with annonomus posters so lets not have that here
maybe a rogues gallery is needed
I notice somepeople have no email address listed too

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 06-16-2000, 07:21 PM:

Well, I knew we would get to this topic sooner or later...

My real name is John Pytlak.

------------------
Better Projection Pays!

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-16-2000, 07:26 PM:

The option to prevent others from seeing your email address is available to all by setting it up under "preferences". Why people do this I'm not sure, but hey it's there if you want it.

The way I look at it is if someone is too afraid to use their real name, I don't think they will have much of anything useful to say.

Posted by Bryan Fournier (Member # 264) on 06-16-2000, 10:13 PM:

Ken,

After the power glitch the CP65's were still in SR-D, with film running, but no audible sound from the monitor. The DA20 was reading digital info, but no sound until I switched to SR... I'll tell Dave you said hello... How are things at Dolby?

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 06-16-2000, 10:58 PM:

What, there is no guy who's real name is, "FilmDude!?" Well, I've just lost all faith in humanity....

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 06-16-2000, 11:03 PM:

I'm John Pytlak and so's my wife!

Are there any women here today?

Noooooooooooooooooooo.............

Very well...

Posted by Joseph Pandolfi (Member # 223) on 06-16-2000, 11:24 PM:

Bryan-Bryan-Bryan, why did I use the other word. I know you will really kill me if you find out I broke your scissors today (Friday) making up "Boys and Girls" thanks to the on time delivery of TES.

I'll find you a better pair. By the way TOO ALL OUT THERE -- we do have splicers. We do not cut the film with the scissors. I was using it to cut a crack into the techicolor reel since it did not have any.

Posted by Rick Long (Member # 213) on 06-16-2000, 11:47 PM:

A little back-ground on the incident at the Can-View Drive-In, Fonthill (about ten miles east of Niagra Falls). It was indeed, running "Twister" that night (although not on the screen that got destroyed).

Built in 1982, it has a second floor booth, with four screens, east, west north and south.

I had the opportunity of doing a service call there with union projectionist Ron Vello, a few days after the tornado. When I arrived, the crew were re-building the north screen.

As Ron described it, "The water came in horizontally around the edge of the port-holes (something that hasn't happened in the 14 years since the place opened). I opened the booth door to the roof level, and it was like looking into a cross-section of the ocean. It took quite a bit of effort to re-close it again."

As I drove around the field, checking the quality and coverage of the FM radio sound, I was amazed to see that the two-inch solid steel bars that formed the gate to the north screen had actually been bent by the tornado.

According to the manager, the staff on duty that night scoffed at a patrons suggestion that the "real thing" is happening outside.

Posted by Sean M. Grimes (Member # 445) on 06-17-2000, 02:01 AM:

Kyle - just to let you know I have contacted Tom Harrigan at Hoyts East Greenbush and he is sending the red vest police after you...

hahaha. God I love my job.

Posted by Darcy O'Bree (Member # 326) on 06-17-2000, 03:29 AM:

Late 1999 my wife and I travelled up the centre of Australia for our holidays. We stopped in Coober Pedy for a couple of days and were very amused with the quality of the screen at the local drive-in. It consisted of twisted metal sheets in various shades of white, must of which could have done with some fresh paint. We were even more amused to find that they still screened films on it every weekend.

But the real punchline came when we returned two weeks later to find that a storm had ripped through town and torn the whole thing down, frame and all!

Darcy

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 06-17-2000, 09:36 PM:

John: "Romanes eunt domus?!!??"

Brad wrote:>>The option to prevent others from seeing your email address is available to all by setting it up under "preferences". Why people do this I'm not sure, but hey it's there if you want it.<<

My email is blocked to control the never-ending inquiries I still continue to receive from people wanting to know how to build drive-ins. This was a problem that grew from my late website which, ironically, was designed to circumvent that activity. I don't mind helping people, but I discovered that 99% of the John Q. Publics who approached me were only wasting time with a pipe dream, or were merely curious. Not enough hours in the day! It became an overwhelming exercise in futility.

So I appreciate the option, it's allowed me to participate in the forums without fear of stirring up a hornet's nest for myself.

------------------
Better Projection Pays!

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 06-17-2000, 10:21 PM:

I miss your website, mate.

People called Romanus they go heous?

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 06-18-2000, 11:31 AM:

Thanks, Biggus.

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Better Projection Pays!