Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Quick Christie platter question

This is topic Quick Christie platter question in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005864

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 02-17-2004, 06:58 PM:

I just started at a theater that has Christie AW-3 platters. Never used them before, but now I can see why everyone raves about them. Quick question: Are the brains calibrated to each platter system, or can they be moved without affecting timing? I read through the manual, and there don't seem to be any adjustments on the brain itself (like there is on Big Sky platters), but I just wanted to make sure.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 02-17-2004, 07:00 PM:

Move the brains around all you want.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 02-17-2004, 09:39 PM:

Yeah! What Brad said! [Big Grin]

In fact, one thing that I have the kids in my booth do is put one of the brains away in the cabinet when there is more than one print on a platter. If there is only one brain on the platter, each time you go to thread up you'll have to move the brain. It will force you to look at what you are doing and lessen the chance that you'll thread up the wrong print.

Posted by Ken McFall (Member # 845) on 02-18-2004, 04:40 PM:

Randy while I can see something in doing that I have a policy that all modules are used all the time.

Nothing worse when you have a problema and you take a module out of the cupoboard and find its faulty as well! All modules should be numbered so they can easily be identified and if they are used all the time you know they are fine.

The cinema I'm at right now had 11 faulty modules in the cupboard none labled as faulty so you never knew where you were.

As for lacing up the wrong print..... is there any way to really ensure it don't happen? I doubt it. Tight turn arounds, three prints in one screen, single manning and shows starting very close to each other...... oh and moving prints around. Its no wonder it happens.

Posted by Don Sneed (Member # 955) on 02-18-2004, 04:55 PM:

Hey Ken, you gonna like those platters, my number # 1 choice of platter would be a speco, #2 AW-3, #3 Strong...good luck on your new job !!! [beer]

Posted by Mike Babb (Member # 1379) on 02-18-2004, 07:38 PM:

I always liked to keep the brains in the platters as well, partially to make sure they are all in operating condition but also to reduce the wear on the shaft and other parts when moving them. While this isn't an issue in a well taken care of booth, I know a lot where the slot gets widened and/or the shaft gets dinged up so you have to file them to get the brain back in the platter.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 02-18-2004, 09:07 PM:

You don't necessarily have to take the brains off all the platters. Just the ones that have two prints.

I agree that:

1) You should keep all the brains out where they can be kept track of, in terms of their state of repair.

2) It's best to use all equipment so that it wears evenly.

However, I have tried many different methods to ensure that the right print gets played at the right time, including putting a hockey puck on the idle print to remind the next person which one to thread. (Or not to thread.) Having only one brain makes is so the person has to get the brain and put it on the print that's about to play. Hopefully, he'll stop to think which one he needs to put the brain into.

Other than standing there and watching over the person it's the best method I have come up with yet... That and making the projectionist go down to the theater and apologize IN PERSON to the customers who had to watch the wrong movie.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 02-18-2004, 09:10 PM:

How many theatres are you working for these days, Ken?

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 02-18-2004, 10:17 PM:

quote:
...making the projectionist go down to the theater and apologize IN PERSON to the customers who had to watch the wrong movie.

Randy! I LUV IT! Great idea!

>>> Phil

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 02-18-2004, 10:47 PM:

In the middle of our annual science fiction marathon one year, we needed some filler and I was threading up individual trailers and running them in a hurry, and I got one half-twisted. So I ran down to the front of the room and explained to the audience and offered them the choice of having us rewind it in the booth, or rewind it on the projector with them watching.

Of course they chose to watch it on the projector. I don't remember what movie it was, but it had lots of explosions and the sound off-sync by 1.8 seconds is always neat...

--jhawk

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 02-18-2004, 11:05 PM:

Long story about that one, Phil.

To make a long story short, that policy was first made by a past GM who instituted it when we had The Hunchback of Notre Dame doubled-up with Striptease. He who fucked up had to go down to the theater full of moms and their kids and apologize. Then, of course, they would be written up, suspended or eventually canned.

Nobody ever made that mistake but the policy lived on.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 02-19-2004, 07:54 AM:

This is why I have always fought doubling up a kids movie with extremely "adult" films.

When I ran movies on a regular basis, I used a color-coding system. All movies got a white band of tail leader except the 2nd movie that was "sharing" a house. The 2nd movie got a yellow band to match the yellow highliter that marked up the coresponding section of the showtime schedule. When I saw a movie that was highlited in yellow, I would look for the yellow tail leader. You still have to read the label on the print but it always worked for me.

Like so many other ideas, this only works if everyone agrees to apply it consistently.

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 02-19-2004, 11:09 AM:

Manny, this is the sixth theater (third company) I've worked at since I was 16.

Posted by Manuel Francisco Valencia (Member # 710) on 02-19-2004, 12:35 PM:

Ken
IMHO I would use only one brain per platter system and rotate out brains every so often. If you are going to have two brains on the platters then you need to at least take out the brain on the take up platter. Reason being this can slightly affect the take up because the tension spring now has the weight of the arm on the brain to move. Granted this may only be a little weight but that can mean a big difference with these springs. Since you are constantly moving a brain each time and causing wear on them as Mike said you might as well go with only one. Then again my platters might be a lot older than yours and my springs more worn out.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 02-19-2004, 01:23 PM:

I ran my Christie platters with all 3 payout heads in place with no problems.

If you keep moving the payout heads around they will start to fall apart on you -- or the grooved notch will swell and then become frozen in place on the shaft. Then you have to sand them down so they'll fit again.

My advice: If you're lucky enough to have a payout head for each deck then leave them alone as much as possible. Remove them carefully when swapping prints around -- when inserting or removing them, you should be able to do so without having to coax it by twisting or wiggling.

Learn where the notch/groove goes -- it faces the rewind speed control arm. That way you can just lower your payouts straight into position without rotating them. If you allow yourself to fall into that awful habit -- setting the head on the shaft and then rotating it till it "plops" into position -- you will soon discover that it causes a burr to develop on the groove/notch and that's what causes those payout heads to get stuck in place.

When removing, lift straight up -- without banging into the shaft above, if there is one. I always grab hold of the middle roller because if you handle the module by those white plastic guide sticks, they will come loose. Two things can happen if you yank a payout head and smack it into a platter shaft:

1. You can crack the flanges of the centre roller.
2. You can kill the little light bulb.

Payout heads are expensive. My recollection is that they're close to $400 each. Take care of them.