Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Film-Tech’s Projectionist Travel Network

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Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 07-12-2000, 12:45 AM:

Film-Tech’s Projectionist Travel Network

I love to travel. I now live in a very beautiful place on earth. I have heard of these travel clubs where people trade houses for a week to live in another city. It works real well when you are talking about Paris and New York.

How about a projectionist travel network? I come live in your house for a week and pull a few shifts in your booth. You come live in my house for a week and do a few shifts in my booth. This would also work for theatre managers.

What can I offer on my end?

I live in Sonoma County California about 50 miles or 90 Kilometers North of San Francisco. Sonoma County is the center of America’s wine industry and there are vineyards just a mile from my theatre. The rugged Pacific coast is 30 miles west of the theatre. Sonoma County is considered one of the most beautiful in California.

I can set up a tour of Dolby Laboratories. My theatre is a five-screen art house in a town of 150,000 people. You would have full use of Norge, my Dodge minivan.

What places would I like to visit?

There is a nice theatre in Maine and we have all those lads in Australia and I remember we have someone who posts from the Netherlands. Think of all the exotic places we could go yet still have some common interest that binds us. Some people would find themselves working in new, state of the art complexes. Some would find it interesting to run fifty-year-old projectors, reel to reel.

Yes I know there would be a bunch of hurdles to clear before this would work, but I know it could work and would be an adventure.

Not as an solicitation, It would be fun to see what others could offer in their area.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-12-2000, 03:24 AM:

Ian!

Come to beautiful Denver Colorado and work a few shifts at the lovely and enchanted United Artists Greenwood Plaza 12!!!! Oh wait. I don't work in that hole anymore.

Does anybody dream about working with tons of Christie products exclusively? If so, come to my theatre!

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 07-12-2000, 04:53 AM:

Joe,

Better add the disclaimers "must have experience in realigning Christie basement readers", "must bring own laptop" and "pain killers not supplied" for those Thursday night print moves.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-12-2000, 06:26 AM:

Here in Rochester NY, we joke that George Eastman decided to build Kodak here because it is the world's largest darkroom and natural cold storage facility! Yes, the winters are dreary, cold, and snowy, with the sun rarely being seen. (Good skiing and ice fishing though). But summers are really pleasant, with the Finger Lakes wine country just a short drive south, and Lake Ontario keeping the heat in check.

Upstate NY is also the home of Bausch and Lomb (CinemaScope lenses), American Optical (70mm Todd-AO), and Theodore Case (the unsung inventor of optical sound).

The International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House is a world-renowned film archive, and regularly screens classic prints, including nitrate, in its Dryden theatre: http://www.eastman.org/ Many of the original negatives for classic films are stored in their temperature-controlled vaults.

------------------
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 Dwayne Caldwell (Member # 417) on 07-12-2000, 09:16 AM:

I've always wanted to visit Scotland. We got any Scottish projectionists here? I have a fairly nice view of the Rockies here. Don't think I could entice anyone with full use of my '87 Honda Accord though.

------------------
The man with the magic hands.

Posted by Pat Moore (Member # 380) on 07-12-2000, 09:40 AM:

Hmmm... I don't work a projection booth here in Omaha, but aside from a plant tour of Ballantyne of Omaha and Strong International, the area offers SAC (Strategic Air Command) tour and air museum, lots of cornfields and the best steaks in the country.
Visit Ballantyne and we'll show you our 180,000 square feet manufacturing facility and how our equipment is built from blank castings to final product. We'll put you on an assembly line if you'd like. All are welcome, just give us a few days notice. Come in groups if you can...

Pat

Posted by Trevor Bailey (Member # 75) on 07-12-2000, 12:14 PM:

Ian,

What theater were you referring to in Maine?

Regards,
Trevor

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 07-12-2000, 02:26 PM:

I dont have a theater, but you can come here and run my Holmes 8's while I sit and watch the movie in glorious mono. Also, you can have the use of my 1984 Ford F-150 truck with 292,000 miles on it. I might be persuaded to put some metal under the floor mats so that you can't see the road thru the floor. Dont laugh. It's paid for, and it made it to Cincinnati twice! Can you double-clutch? It's a bit iffy when shifting cold.

Bruce

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 07-12-2000, 02:34 PM:

Man Bruce, Where the heck do you live?? 292,000 miles and only two trips to Cincinatti? Wow! Thats some Ford!
Mark

Posted by Jim Bedford (Member # 4) on 07-12-2000, 03:59 PM:

Hey Ian, I gotta booth you can run in Telluride over Labor Day. Doin' anything then?

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 07-12-2000, 04:18 PM:

You got it Jim. Will you be coming out to Santa Rosa to run my booth over Labor Day while I am away? As an added incentive, you get to ram two pills a day down Athena's throat.

Posted by Jim Bedford (Member # 4) on 07-12-2000, 06:39 PM:

Do senile cat owners get senile faster?

Posted by John Gordon (Member # 523) on 07-12-2000, 06:54 PM:

Hello all,
I cannot offer work, but I can make suggestions on where to visit the sights: museums, the beach

, mountains, the desert, amusement parks, etc. And also where some of the best commercial cinemas are located here in Southern California. If the timing is right, maybe even a visit to a studio screening room. But if you want to see an absolute state of the art facility, give me a call when you plan on being in town to make arrangements for a tour of the factory.

------------------
John Gordon
Cinema Applications Engineer
QSC Audio Products, Inc.
1675 MacArthur Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714)754-6175
john_gordon@qscaudio.com
http://www.qscaudio.com

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 07-12-2000, 09:16 PM:

You all can come up (or down) and have a couple beers and a couple screwdrivers with me.

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 07-13-2000, 12:10 PM:

Don't bother coming to Dallas right now.

Too Damn Hot. We are going to start counting out 100+ degree days. Mornings start off in the 80's between 7-8 am.

Paul.

Posted by Ben Wales (Member # 92) on 07-13-2000, 03:31 PM:

Well I just returned from a 10 day holiday (Busmans holiday?) in Toronto staying with Gordon Mcleod, visting cinemas and helping out on the odd cinema service call out, and not forgetting the sightseeing part, most importanly the places that provide liquid refreshments!.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-13-2000, 03:35 PM:

Ben my company has a rule we don't service any cinema if there isn't a pub in crawling distance

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 07-14-2000, 04:02 AM:

Gordon, I like your rules...

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-14-2000, 04:11 PM:

I like them but my accountant doesn't

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 07-14-2000, 05:29 PM:

Yeah, but he's an accountant and consequently too boring to be of any interest. (Monty Python said it...I'm just repeating it

)

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 07-19-2000, 08:21 AM:

I am going to be in Des Moines, IA from 7/24 to 7/29. Anyone up there, that I could get a tour.

Thanks
Paul.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 07-19-2000, 08:29 AM:

There are allot of great microbrewries and restrauants here in Salt Lake City. Come on out and go on some service calls with us. Hope you don't mind a lighting system or two thrown in.....Never hurts to learn something new ya know.....
Mark

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 07-19-2000, 10:02 AM:

You can come out here to western Pennsylvania. Spend an afternoon on the Lake Erie coast at Presque Isle, visit the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, hike the mountain trails through the Allegheny National Forest, or tour the Dutchman farms around Lawrence County. We don't have much, but its home. By the way, I run a nine screen with Simplex projectors and soundheads in New Castle.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-19-2000, 12:32 PM:

About 50 miles up the road (NY Route 5) along Lake Erie between Erie PA and Buffalo NY is the still operating Grandview Drive-In in Angola NY, where I worked as projectionist for three glorious summers. Nice trip in the summer, when you travel through the vineyards where many of the Concord grapes for juice and jellies are grown. AFAIK, it was the first drive-in in New York state with radio sound (I built the transmitter myself in 1967).

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 03-23-2001, 01:18 PM:

Sorry to resurrect this thread but ...

I will be in Philedelphia Mar 27 pm, Mar 28 and Mar 29 am.

Would be interested in seeing your booth ?

Paul.

Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 03-23-2001, 02:09 PM:

Well now, I guess since I live in Manhattan there would be a few things you might find that would entertain a film-tecker. How about a Yankee or a Met game. Jets or Giants,
Knicks or Nets, Rangers or Devils or Islanders. Broadway shows & off Broadway shows. Great restaurants, Times Square, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Tribeca, New York Stock Exchange et al.,Metropolitan Museum of Art., American Museum of the Moving Image (a must for film - teckers) You won't need a car you can walk and beat the moving car. Travel subways like a real New Yorker. Get mugged. Dine up in the clouds on top of Rockefeller Center or the World Trade Center.
A quiet walk in Central Park (not at night).
Ah, me I getting homesick al-ready. Think I will stay put.

Posted by Randy Loy (Member # 112) on 03-23-2001, 02:17 PM:

New York would be cool...uh...maybe not the get mugged part but the rest would be great!

Posted by William T. Parr (Member # 677) on 03-25-2001, 09:44 AM:

Hey Paul I will be in the Dallas area June 6th -9th, Can I stop by and visit your theatre?

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-25-2001, 02:34 PM:

Hey Bob, How about a tour of the Met life tower clock? I'd come out for that one.
Mark @ GTS

Posted by Andrew McCrea (Member # 674) on 03-25-2001, 04:49 PM:

I LOVE THIS IDEA!

------------------
Andrew McCrea

"I'm Not Bad, I'm Just Drawn That Way!" - Jessica Rabbit

Posted by Andrew McCrea (Member # 674) on 03-25-2001, 04:52 PM:

How about "The Film-Tech Veteran Mentoring/Training Network"?

Veterans of the industry and new comers interested in the industry can sign up. The new comers travel to your theatre and the 2 of you go into the booth and they watch you for half the day and then you teach them and they start to try it.

It could be tweaked a little bit, but I think it sounds pretty good!

------------------
Andrew McCrea

"I'm Not Bad, I'm Just Drawn That Way!" - Jessica Rabbit

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-25-2001, 05:14 PM:

Andrew, please learn to use the edit button at the top of your finished post if you desire to go back and add something later. The two examples are right above this post.

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 03-27-2001, 03:09 AM:

Mankato, MN. We have ABSOLUTELY nothing to offer (aside from Minnesota Vikings training camp in July/August). Other than that, the next closest thing I can think of is the Mall of America just an hour north.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 03-27-2001, 09:32 AM:

Nashville, Tennessee.

We have some pretty good stuff here. Tennessee Titans (NFL), Nashville Predators (NHL), Nashville Kats (Arena Football), Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, Wildhorse Saloon, the new Country Music Hall of Fame, OpryMills w/ Regal's new IMAX theatre, and the Worlds Largest Adult Book Store (don't know first hand - just read the sign) ... just to name a few.

Oh.. for anyone who's a NASCAR fan, the brand new Dover Downs "Nashville Super Speedway" opens in two weeks!!

For NBA fans, Memphis just landed the VanCouver Grizzlies.... but NOBODY from Nashville would ever consider driving to Memphis!!

After you finish with all of that, you can drive out to my place and help me rebuild four Brenkert BX-60's and an old Simplex XL!!

And... if you wait till April of 2002... you should be able to check out the NEW "Stardust Drive-In Theatre".

------------------
Barry Floyd
Floyd Entertainment Group
Nashville, Tennessee
(Drive-In Theatre - Start-Up)

Posted by John Eickhof (Member # 323) on 03-28-2001, 12:02 AM:

The Mentor idea sounds good! I would gladly
work with someone at my shop doing repair / rebuild work if they want to learn! Of course
the future may be short in it, but it does afford me a lot of fun!

------------------
John Eickhof President, Chief Slave
Northwest Theatre Equipment Co., Inc.
P.O.Box 258
Wendell, ID. 83355-0258
208-536-5489
email: jeickhof@nteequip.com