Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: What have I missed?

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Posted by Rory Burke (Member # 512) on 06-07-2007, 06:50 AM:

Hello dear friends!
After a long hiatus and career change I have CLEARLY been out of the loop. I ask of you the following... "What have I missed?" Give me the 411 on technology, gossip, and anything else I should know. BTW.. thanks Brad for not canning my registration! I apparently still had it commited to memory and it was pleasant to see it work nicely. Kudos to film-tech and its growth!!! Impressive forums!!

A little about me for those that may remember: I quit working for Lucasfilm THX back in 2001. I currently now mix sound and design video games. Dobly Digital Surround EX was popular with installs and DLP Digital Cinema was slowly making its mark. Take it from there on your advice/recommendations.... I have saved a little money and am considering purchasing a movie theater in a little town in Montana. I want it to be a little jewel in the middle of no where population 1000! I need to get a quick boot camp refresher course and indoctrination on the new things that have been created, developed, introduced, adopted etc. I would love to do an A and B chain once again, file some aperature plates, and change a Osram bulb. I miss the R2. John P.... Glad you are ok!!

Again, my last involvement in Cinema was in 2001 so here we go again. I will dedicate time to reading as much of the forums and back pages as my personal research but I could use the help as well... What have I missed!!??

Cheers!!

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-07-2007, 11:17 AM:

Well if you're going to buy a theatre in Montana, you really haven't missed anything major. The equipment in there is very likely all pre-2001 anyway. (What town are you looking at?)

The biggest non-digital development of the past few years is the cyan dye analog soundtrack, which requires the red LED reader...you can do a search here on FT and find plenty of information about it. (Long story short, if you try to read a cyan track with an old white-light reader, you'll get low volume and lots of noise.)

There was also the situation with the extended-length reels, but that project died on the vine so don't worry about it.

NATO campaigned to get the volume on trailers reduced, and they claim to have been successful but many trailers are still too loud.

The best development in booth equipment in the past few years (in my opinion) is the Film-Tech platter ring, which will end brainwraps and thrown prints forever in your booth. It's the best $100 you will ever spend.

Also I hate to have to say this, but John P. is really not "OK," you might want to read this thread.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-07-2007, 09:55 PM:

We service most of Montana so it could be a theater that I service... where are U looking? I can bring my R-2 up there for you to fondle if you want.....

Mark

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 06-07-2007, 11:22 PM:

Coming out of the LucasFilm corporate culture (oh, sorry -- LucasDigital), I would think you would be setting up one of those original 1.3K digital projectors for your home theatre. There must be plenty of them available seeing is how they were all obsolete after three years. You know, the ones they used to show STAR WARS I which George swore gave a BETTER than image than 35mm film and which would eliminate the use of motion picture film in theatres within the next five years (that was in 1998).

Let me ask you -- as an insider, is everyone in that company all "yes" men....didn't ANYONE have the cahonees to say to him, "Hey, George....do us all a favor: lay off the crack before you go talk to the press about digital cinema."?

Posted by Rory Burke (Member # 512) on 06-08-2007, 04:09 PM:

Interest post Frank Angel. I see the animosity towards Lucasfilm THX is still as fervent as ever. I posted this thread to get help to getting up to par with with todays upgrades, gosspi and technology considerations. I personally like and perfer 35mm and up. Digital Cinema was neat but there was much to improve and I never expected the perfect presentation from the begginning. Like all technology it has to and it will progress. Will DC replace film in the near future? I would say no but back in 2001 when I left Lucasfilm I might have seen the transition by now at least moreso that it apparantly has.

As far as "yes men"... I was a no man. I left because THX was passing theaters and studios that were failing. Theaters with one layer of sheet rock instead of 3 for the baffle wall was to me.... an instant fail. Others didnt see it that way. Getting the job at Lucasfilm is fantastic until you realize you are working for the "empire" Other divisions of LF werent so wreaked with corruption and favoritism. I cannot speak for them. In the end, the career change was refreshing and its neat what doors working for a company like that opens and still open.

Now... what else should I put on my plate or are a pair of strong projectors with christie platters and a CP-500 with the latest QSC amps and JBL or EV speakers still a safe road to pursue?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-08-2007, 04:25 PM:

Wow, you are quite a bit out of the happenings in the exhibition part (the biggest tip was CP500).

Strong projectors are getting worse and worse. It's Kinoton all the way. If that is out of your price range, go Christie. They have made remarkable changes to their projector and will take a Strong down effortlessly.

Of course you want to stay with a Christie platter. There is simply nothing better. (Some will claim a Kinoton platter is better, but they have several issues still to rectify on their design.) If you are on a budget, go with a SPECO LP270 (better than the 280).

For lamphouse, the best bench test performance is found in a Kinoton, but the Christie is significantly cheaper and puts out more light than the other competitors (plus xenons last forever in them, even over the Kinoton).

If you are wanting to do amazing things with the automation, the CA21 is the choice, but if you want something basic, there are plenty of inexpensive solutions.

Dolby has this newfangled gadget called the CP650. It is worlds better than the CP500.

JBL is good stuff. I've never cared for the sound of EV, but have grown quite fond of QSC speakers. Check them out when you are purchasing your QSC amps.