Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: A "thank you" for a perfect screening...

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Posted by Robert Harris (Member # 1712) on 05-02-2004, 08:39 AM:

I don't believe that the folks up in the booth get thanked enough, as they are the ultimate and end point making everything that has gone into a project looking either great or... less than great.

That said, a big "Thank you" to James Bond and Steve Kraus for a PERFECT screening of Lawrence at Ebertfest. I don't recall seeing a screen with as flat a field and focus as that at the Virginia Theatre.

RAH

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 05-02-2004, 09:22 AM:

Thanks for the compliments. The 70mm Lawrence screening was James' baby so I will defer all kudos to him. I did 6 or 7 of the 9 35mm prints. (There was also video via Betacam, and Digi-Beta and a short from DVD.)

The Virginia Theatre in Champaign, IL (not far from the Univ. of Illinois) is equipped with twin Norelco AA-II's. We ran 35mm changeover but Lawrence was plattered using a Kinotone platter. The excellent focus was largely due to a special continuous curve gate runner coupled with a 99mm ISCO lens. This was the DTS version and thanks are due to Lorr Kramer and DTS for donating the equipment to make that happen.

RAH says I look just like my F-T picture so I guess I've no need to update it for the time being! [Wink]

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-02-2004, 11:15 AM:

"The excellent focus was largely due to a special continuous curve gate runner"

I'm also glad the screening went well over there as I was supposed to send James a second trap assy for running R to R but I was sent out of town before I had a chance to do so.

BTW: That runner is merely a JJ runner(and cinefocus parts) adapted to the DP70's trap assy and is from the second machine at the Seattle Cinerama Theatre. It is also adapted and setup for Cinefocus as well but James didn't use that feature. According to Sam Chavez there were only ever a few pair of DP-70's adapted for the Cinefocus system. I have the mate to the Seattle Cinerama projector here in SLC.

I know for a fact from the people that work there that they're still trying to get as good of 70mm focus in Seattle but can't with all the nice new Kinoton equipment there..... In fact they needed the DP-70's mass and both the curved runner and the Cinefocus stuff in order to have film done right.

The gate from my machine was also extensively tested at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood by Paul Rayton with very positive results.

Do a search under Cinefocus Gate for AA-2 in the FT search for that posting and the photos.

P.S.
I was just waiting for Guttag to pop in here to defend his sales of electronic machines.... [Wink]

What he doesn't realize is his screen sizes and throws are quite optimum as compared to both the Seattle(deep dish) and Virginia(down tilt) locations. Also the FP75E does not run 70mm mag at 30 fps worth a dam, it will blow fuses shutting down the show [Eek!]

I'm surprised that you didn't hear that conversation by the Seattle operators at the FT drink night. Although there are advantages to electronic machines the advantages have not proven themselves at the Cinerama location very well and the operators would just as soon see the machine go.

Mark

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 05-02-2004, 11:46 AM:

I have a pair of FP-75Es at the AFI/Silver that have had zero focus issues...in fact the pictures have looked stunning...most notably BARAKA!

Steve

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 05-02-2004, 05:53 PM:

Boys...boys! Put a couple of perfectionists in the same room and this is what you get! [Razz]

Mark, are you 100% certain that is a JJ component? It does look like it but IIRC James wasn't so certain.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-02-2004, 06:12 PM:

I am so glad that the screening went well! With Steve (both Kraus and Guttag) you just never know what you're gonna get. Steve is usually drunk and runs the reels in the wrong order, or threads the wrong movie altogether (even when there is only one movie in the booth to begin with... I don't know how he does it!).[av=v]

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-02-2004, 06:21 PM:

Yea, its definately a JJ 70mm runner with the word TOP embellished into the top inside of the runner under the Cinefocus filler plate. Am assuming that you took a looksee at the photos..... This "TOP" marking is found on all Century runners as though some dork would actually try it mounted upside down. There is a spacer on the back of the adapted runner plate about 3/32 inch thick to move the runner out to the same focal point as the original Phillips runner. The parts in the center of the trap are also off the shelf cinefocus fillers that direct the air properly. As far as I know the inlet pipe is a modified Electrolux chrome steel vacuum cleaner hose tube! A thick noeprene foam ring should be put between the rear of the lens mount and the cinefocus flange to effectively seal off the gap there and to allow normal focusing.

I do know that James has since tried a 35mm JJ runner but with not really very promising results. His special curved 35mm runner does about the same LPMM as the re-ground by US Kinoton original Phillips runner does. They seem to re-shape the runner so that flat spot in the center is equal to more of a huge radius and in normal use one seems to work about as good as the other does. But either of these 35mm runners is much better than the original with the flat area!! James is actually comming out in May and we plan more comprehensive tests with both of the 35mm runners as we have a boatload of Norelcos conveniently running in the area, some on pretty large screens.

Mark

Joe, Please just scram! You're not allowed anywhere near 70mm film ya know. Guttag made 14 perfect (mighta been 16)changovers when I saw Gettysburg at the Uptown in 70mm! Lets see you do that one..... [Eek!]

Whoops

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 05-02-2004, 06:37 PM:

Mark said" oe, Please just scram! You're not allowed anywhere near 70mm film ya know. Guttag made 14 perfect (mighta been 16)changovers when I saw Gettysburg at the Uptown in 70mm! Lets see you do that one..... Whoops "
I would have assumed that 16 chnageovers in a row perfectly done are the norm

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 05-02-2004, 06:47 PM:

Regarding the air pipe. I'm not certain but the one I saw looked like a modified P trap pipe like the one under your sink.

Posted by Joe Schmidt (Member # 822) on 05-02-2004, 07:10 PM:

[Confused]

16+ perfect changeovers in a shift used to be a daily routine, nothing to it. Of course, it also helped to have about six alarm clocks to wake up the projectionist, or get him out of his book, whatever the case might be, before the next one.

Am beginning to wonder if Joe R. has deeply-rooted psychological problems. One of my doctor friends is a psychiatrist and can prescribe meds for the mentally disturbed, but in this case committal to a padded cell may be the only remedy. The one next to mine is vacant at this time and has a fairly comfortable bed.

Mark G, I'm enjoying the Norelco lore you write about. But are there not some risks using these in a facility run with constant turnovers of $6/hour kids? Inevitably one gets what one pays for; a rule of karma or something like that.

I can say what I want here because cheapskate exhibitors can't fire me.

[Razz]

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-02-2004, 08:13 PM:

Joe,
We have less problems with Norelcos than any other projectors that we service out here. They are also ALOT easier to keep clean and the kids generally do a really good job of that, in fact I can't recall ever comming across a dirty Norelco anyplace. Something about the machine itself creates pride in the booth... perhaps its the monstrosity of the thing or that its built better than anything else thay've ever encountered, or the built in lore about it being built for showing special types of films that no longer exist. I chuckle to myself that more than likely none of the kids running these have ever seen a 70mm film....they do ask about the wide sprockets though. What ever it is about them they seem to stay the cleanest projectors in the west. Since I don't count gate bands or sprockets as a major repair, all of last year my Norelco repairs consisted of replacing one main drive gear set down in St. George. So far this year I think we replaced one drive motor but geez, many of these are 40 years old..... The next batch of 12 to go out will have new variable speed 3 phase motors and VKF sprockets on them.

Sam,
You might be right about that...I'll have to take a look at mine tommrrow and see... it looked more like a vacuum cleaner tube to me though..... a bit heavier than a J pipe.

Mark

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-02-2004, 08:17 PM:

Hey! I've done more than 16 perfect changeovers in a row! I think my record was 22 before I screwed up and missed 1 frame from the head of the incoming reel.[av=g]

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-02-2004, 08:40 PM:

"I think my record was 22 before I screwed up and missed 1 frame from the head of the incoming reel."
_________________________________________________________________

YOU'RE FIRED! Ya can't miss one, ever!!

You should run dailies sometime, or the first rough cut of a film. For instance "Uncle Buck" was 38 reels long in its first and best gestation. All those reels are no longer than 1000'and most quite a bit shorter than that. Ya also have to thread up the matching mag track on a seperate dubber thats giving you many problems and remember to push the selsyn interlock button just before the changover for that incomming projector so the selsyn doesn't burn up. No reel end alarms allowed due to it annoying the editor...in this case... Lew Lombardo who was Mean Sam Pekinpau's film editor. Miss a changeover and he'd call in Sams guys to have your brains blown out right out on the spot! Oh and don't forget the troublsome warped Strong dowser on the lamphouses that stuck shut about half the time..... Ya also had to see enough of the film cause Lew was going to ask you what part you liked or didn't.

Steve K and I did it seperately on differing occasion and never blew a changover. That booth was only 10X10 feet and hot and I can see ya freakin out in there! The next year we went in with much more sophisticated equipment which made the job much easier and we had a 12X15 booth with some ventallation to it.

Mark
P.S. Lew was actually a really nice guy to work for!!! Donno if he is still with us though as he suffered a bad stroke a year after completing the film.

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 05-02-2004, 09:23 PM:

Mark,

Lou Lombardo died on May 8, 2002 from complications from a stroke.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-02-2004, 11:23 PM:

Indeed, just because a flash of black doesn't appear at the changeovers, that does not warrant a "perfect changeover" comment. Perfect means exactly that...perfect, without a single frame missing from being projected on the outgoing or incoming reel. Unless automation or a platter/extended reel system is used, it's just not gonna happen.

Despite the misuse of the word perfect, congrats on what was apparently a superb performance. [Smile]

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 05-03-2004, 04:08 AM:

Same here, and Robert's note of thanks makes a lovely change from a comment which recently appeared on the AMIA list from the print circulation manager of one of the major US archives: 'Projectionists are like linesmen in a baseball game - you don't notice them unless they screw up.' [Mad]

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 05-03-2004, 09:44 AM:

Perfect changeovers are possible repeadedly without automation as I am sure Steve will also remind everyone

Posted by Larry Shaw (Member # 388) on 05-04-2004, 04:05 PM:

Mark,
I dunno what's got you worked up about the FP-75E's. These machines are in the Dome and ETC (perhaps 2 of the most critically watched big screens in the world) and I find the pictures at those venues stunning. The picture at Crown's Hartford from the MP-75E is great too, IMHO.
The Seattle machine was one of the first made and the fuse rating was increased when the 30 FPS issue was noticed.