This is topic pairin R and G movies in the same theater in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Mark Maxwell (Member # 1355) on 07-21-2002, 12:11 AM:
This is a bad story. After I left my old theater a year ago, the two projectionist I trained left. I had told them that if you have alternating shows in one auditorium, put a reminder up to start the other movie so they didn't thread the one that just played out of habit. My advise was never passed on. I came back to visit and found out that Not Another Teen Movie was paired with Johny Nuemonic. Not Another Teen Movie was rethreaded and started with an auditorium full of families with little kids. Everyone noticed the trailers were a little harsh for a kid's movie, but it never hit the fan until the opening scene where a girl is masturbating with a dildo. On top of that, the district manager's wife and kids were watching the movie. True story. That's why I believe there should be projectionist, and not ushers who start movies at the last minute. If you have a better story let me know because I'm sure there are alot out there.
Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 07-21-2002, 01:19 AM:
Surely you mean Jimmy Neutron and not "Johny Nuemonic" (Johnny Mnemonic), a 1995 'R' rated film.
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-21-2002, 01:25 AM:
Rather than leave notes, as I'm threading I always move the brain from the take-up platter and place it into the deck of the movie that plays next. That way, unless you are a complete and absolute moron, there is no way to thread the wrong movie since you just thread the one with the brain in it, and then move the brain again after you are done threading the platter.
Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 07-21-2002, 01:48 AM:
I usually throw the cover on it. If you can read, you can read the lables on the end of the film to know wich one to thread up.
Posted by Peter Kerchinsky (Member # 1098) on 07-21-2002, 04:44 AM:
You leave your brains on the right platter?
Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 07-21-2002, 10:58 AM:
Somehow I just can't see calling a few rollers and a Microswitch or even an LED/photocell/triac (or whatever they contain) a "brain". Why does payout require brain power and not takeup or is the variac also a brain? If so then payout (on that kind of platter) is using two brains in a multiprocessor configuration, no?
Posted by Brad Haven (Member # 954) on 07-21-2002, 11:18 AM:
It's sad to hear that threading the wrong film is an issue, but then again i work in a two screen cinema! 
. I always found having a cue sheet next to the projector , labelling the film on the tail and then checking the label/cue sheet before you start the best way to go!. Yes, i have once threaded the wrong film (my old four screen cinema), but i caught it on the first advert, dowsed/stopped and rethreaded 
!.
By the way , if using filmguard/kelmar cleaner, will it destroy/wash off the ink on the label ? .
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-21-2002, 11:20 AM:
Your handwritten labels will be safe, even when used every show with Filmguard.Perhaps the word "brain" was coined when the microswitches went away and we started to see true variable payout! I have tested all my Christie brains when I worked with them and they all had an IQ of 145 and some of them went as high as 152. Now my Strong microswitch brains have an IQ of only 65, only enough power to turn off and on. That's what happens when you don't stress the importance of edumacation.
Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 07-21-2002, 11:27 AM:
One of our museums that runs a very wide range of films had us anodize their reels different colors. Thus feature A will be on red reels, feature B will be on Blue reels and Feature C will be on gold reels. It not only keeps the titles straight but also to ensure the feature doesn't get the chance to mix it's reels with another.Steve
------------------
"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 07-21-2002, 03:34 PM:
OK, I'm a jerk for laughing at that! That was one thing I tried hammering into everyone I trained; that often a G-rated movie will play during the day and an R movie will play at night, and you do NOT want to accidentally run the wrong one! The place I worked at before had 2 brains (or feed modules, as I like to call them) on each platter, so I'd put the 2nd one on the film that was supposed to play next and then thread the leader through it. The place I was at before only had one feed module, so I just took the center ring out of the other movie if it was supposed to play next, or leave it in if it wasn't. I NEVER started the wrong show myself, but heard of others doing it. The only funny ones I heard of though were the opposite though; like someone once started "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" instead of "Scary Movie".
BTW I ALWAYS stayed with the projector through the trailers, so even if I DID start the wrong film I would've caught it before the feature started (another simple thing that many seem to refuse to do!)
Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 07-21-2002, 04:04 PM:
Ok, years ago at the old theater I used to work at they had two booths that ran a reel to reel setup. They were playing The Rescuers and when the reel changed over to the second sixty it was the second or third sixty of Scarface. So it's like F**k you motherf**ker you die.
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-21-2002, 05:00 PM:
Years ago at the now gone worlds first cineplex the eatons centre in one of the rear screen booths they threaded up the wrong tower reel Dice Clays movie instead of Song of the south for a girls school outing.
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 07-21-2002, 10:50 PM:
When I first started in the booth we doubled up "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (Disney Animated Ver.) with "Striptease".
Both of these starred Demi Moore but one of them kept her clothes on and the other one she took them off! 
Our G.M. at the time gathered all us guys around and told us on no uncertain terms that if one of us showed the wrong movie he would make the person who did it go down and personally apologize to a theatre full of Moms and little kids. We NEVER had a problem with those films.
A few years later we doubled-up "Hercules" with "American Pie". By this time we had a new G.M. who just didn't seem to give a shit. All of us guys in the booth and reiterated the old policy amongst ourselves but there was no official word on the subject.
It was the G.M. who thought it would be a good idea to save payroll and not have the U.B.'s come in till later on during the slower weekday shifts. They had one of the assistant managers do the opening shift. Needless to say, on the FIRST day of his shift, the A.M. threaded up "American Pie" when he should have played "Hercules". Of course, we all know what this genius of a manger did... He started the movie and went downstairs. The mistake wasn't caught until well into the first scene where the kid, Kevin, is seen in his bedroom spankin' the monkey into an old sweat sock while watching scrambled cable porno movies on TV.
That was the first and LAST day of the new "money saving" policy! 
Posted by Carl King (Member # 398) on 07-22-2002, 12:14 PM:
don't you have a schedule posted somewhere in the booth?
try consulting it before you begin threading up for each performance.
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 07-22-2002, 11:13 PM:
Oh, there are grid schedules for every show in every house posted on every projector. The line for each movie is highlighted for each house they are in. Further, there are chronological schedules that each person carries around, folded newspaper style, in his back pocket.All the prints are labeled with tape on the tails with lettering that can be seen six feet away, in the dark.
Our incident can only be describes as a total F**** up... And it was a manager who did it.
Posted by Wes Hughes (Member # 981) on 07-23-2002, 01:56 AM:
Eaton Center theatre is gone Gordon? I didn't know that....but then again I haven't been to Toronto in a few years. I actually liked that cinema a little bit...it was interesting to say the least. What is there now?
Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 07-23-2002, 02:10 AM:
If I remember correctly the Eaton Centre Cineplex closed up shortly after Eaton's went belly-up.
Posted by Shaun Thomas (Member # 1290) on 07-23-2002, 12:38 PM:
I completely threaded Power Puff up for a set of Ya Ya Sisters, almost started it when I double check my print. My first thought was whats the differance!But I droped the the thread, rethreaded Ya Ya and spent the next five mins back reeling the film though the brain.
I guess I need to send Brad a picture!
Posted by Peter Dougherty (Member # 686) on 07-23-2002, 03:28 PM:
quote:
Eaton Center theatre is gone Gordon? I didn't know that....but then again I haven't been to Toronto in a few years.
Oh I'm so glad to hear it's finally gone, dead and buried. I always said that I wanted to personally ride the bulldozer that razed that $#!+ hole. When I was on the relief list, every time the office called I would prey that I wouldn't be sentenced to the Eaton Centre.
Downstairs was OK (Ballantynes, normal platters, etc), but some of the rear-screen abominations upstairs made shutter--er--shudder. I did like the Erneman-9's and that Vic 10 in the Big House, however. Nice machines--hope they found good homes. The 2-deck Zeiss platters, on the other hand, I could live without!
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-23-2002, 08:35 PM:
Peter said " posted 07-23-2002 03:28 PM quote:
Eaton Center theatre is gone Gordon? I didn't know that....but then again I haven't been to Toronto in a few years.
Oh I'm so glad to hear it's finally gone, dead and buried. I always said that I wanted to personally ride the bulldozer that razed that $#!+ hole. When I was on the relief list, every time the office called I would prey that I wouldn't be sentenced to the Eaton Centre.
Downstairs was OK (Ballantynes, normal platters, etc), but some of the rear-screen abominations upstairs made shutter--er--shudder. I did like the Erneman-9's and that Vic 10 in the Big House, however. Nice machines--hope they found good homes. The 2-deck Zeiss platters, on the other hand, I could live without!"
Well lets see
The Prevosts machines realy never gave any grief nor did the ernamann 9's nor the Pro35's
THe 2 deck ernaman platters only gave grief with operators that refused to understand there design (they were really Kinoton designs)
The Microcine in #4 ran till the day it closed I never saw a portable run 7 shows a day for over 12 years with only a odd belt
The eatons centre had lots of faults but for a converted parking garage well what can I say