Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Horizontal masking methods

This is topic Horizontal masking methods in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 09-05-2008, 02:51 PM:

For those of you who have to mask down for scope because you have an historic theatre:

Do you mask the top or bottom?
Mechanized or manual?
How is the masking constructed?

We've been living with dead space on the screen for scope and it is finally starting to bug me. So I'm thinking about various methods of installing a moveable horizontal mask. We have permanent top and bottom mask in place for flat pix, but I imagine there are issues of sagging and alignment with a movable horizontal mask.

Any hints as to do this best?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 09-05-2008, 03:19 PM:

Hire a professional front end company. Pickett Stage and Service does work in your area. They can build what you need on site.

I would highly recommend you purchase a masking motor. They really aren't that expensive and they permit you to be able to control things remotely and/or automated.

MDI masking motors seem to have the biggest bang for the buck and are very reliable. Run away from knock off motors like Franklin Designs. Their control circuitry is nothing short of retarded and I've had terrible problems with them. Nice people there, but I tried their units in 3 different locations, the last one being so bad we had to forcefully return them all.