Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: what is in a complete set of daters/snipes?

This is topic what is in a complete set of daters/snipes? 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=009651

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 12-09-2008, 07:52 AM:

Weird random question: what would constitute a "complete set" of daters and snipes? I would expect that it would include at least the following:

Previews of Coming Attractions
Coming Soon
Our Next Attraction
Starts Friday
Starts Saturday
Starts Sunday
Starts Monday
Starts Tuesday
Starts Wednesday
Starts Thursday
Friday - Saturday
Friday - Saturday - Sunday
Saturday - Sunday
Monday - Tuesday
Wednesday - Thursday
Also
And
Also Selected Short Subjects
Late Show Friday & Saturday
Childrens' Matinee
No Smoking in this Theatre
Our Feature Presentation

Is this list missing anything? If so, what?

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 12-09-2008, 09:15 AM:

The set I had many years ago at a theater also included:
"Exclusive Engagement"

Posted by Jim Bedford (Member # 4) on 12-09-2008, 11:53 AM:

"Cell phone users will be eviscerated"

Posted by Damien Taylor (Member # 4255) on 12-09-2008, 03:56 PM:

Also
Saturday - Sunday Matinee

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-09-2008, 06:17 PM:

quote: Jim Bedford
"Cell phone users will be eviscerated"

Good idea, but teens won't know what it means. "Cell phone users will be fucked up" would be better understood.

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 12-09-2008, 07:15 PM:

We have also:

Friday & Sunday
Saturday & Sunday
Next Sunday, Next Monday, etc., etc., through Next Saturday
Next Friday & Sunday
Next Saturday & Sunday
Feature #2
Our Short Subject

And of course some specialized recurring events that a normal theatre would not have:

The Science Fiction Marathon
Next Week's Classic

We also have some blank ones, which is to say, they have our logo and the color scheme and soforth but don't have any text on them. I'm not quite sure why we have these, but they're occasionally useful if you want to go crazy and project some text over them with a slide or video projector.

--jhawk

[ 12-10-2008, 02:07 AM: Message edited by: John Hawkinson ]

Posted by Damien Taylor (Member # 4255) on 12-10-2008, 12:50 AM:

This is a subject which I wish there was more literature available. I've been collecting these things for a while and I was trying to assemble a complete collection of the old NSS set with the swirling colours, until Grindhouse came out and every man and his dog knows them now.

Some of the rarer NSS snipes I found were
"Plus this 2nd great hit"
"Attention! Smoking is prohibited in the auditorium of the theatre. Smoking in outer lobby and rest rooms only by order of the fire marshal."

Posted by Jean-Marc Toussaint (Member # 4784) on 12-10-2008, 05:18 AM:

You might want to add: "Welcome to our Theatre"

Posted by Jack Theakston (Member # 4484) on 12-10-2008, 05:27 AM:

Damien, the name of that NSS series was called "Astro Daters."

The best resource for many of the snipes available are through Filmmack's quarterly, "Inspiration" magazine. Aside from Irving Mack's awful jokes, you get a good idea as to what was popular at the time.

"Go to church," misc. holiday, "air conditioning" and "on our new wide screen" are some novelties.

Posted by Damien Taylor (Member # 4255) on 12-10-2008, 09:53 AM:

Thanks for the info Jack. There was a "Get more out of life" for both drive-in and hard tops. Although drive-in stuff and theatre and candy promotions are another breed altogether.

Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 12-10-2008, 02:05 PM:

Pike Productions makes an excellent policy trailer that includes what Jean-Marc suggested. A couple of years ago I used it in a theatre I was managing and found it an excellent way to open a show. It covers everything from trash to feet on the seats to cell phones and runs about 1 minute with some great punchy music. You can preview it and all their trailers at their website.

Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 12-10-2008, 02:51 PM:

My favorite snipe I ever found was "For the benefit of those patrons arriving late, a portion of the feature will be repeated." That must've been a serious grind house snipe.

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 12-10-2008, 04:17 PM:

quote: Robert E Allen
Pike Productions makes an excellent policy trailer that includes what Jean-Marc suggested. A couple of years ago I used it in a theatre I was managing and found it an excellent way to open a show. It covers everything from trash to feet on the seats to cell phones and runs about 1 minute with some great punchy music. You can preview it and all their trailers at their website.

Actual link to said website

Apparently, they've pawned their stuff off to Filmack.

Personally, I always thought Pike's trailers were crappy.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-11-2008, 12:53 AM:

Pike and Filmack both, I thought their stuff always looked dated and cheap. At least one of them (Filmack, I think) would put a "copyright notice" across the bottom of the picture near the end of the trailer that looked really cheesy when projected, what with the three-inch-high letters and all.

Posted by Damien Taylor (Member # 4255) on 12-11-2008, 04:21 PM:

Off-topic I know, but does anyone know who made all the old drive-in rolling stock, like the stuff with the handwritten codes out of the projected area.

Posted by Jack Theakston (Member # 4484) on 12-12-2008, 12:18 PM:

NSS and Filmmack were the main suppliers of those.

My favorite was the "You Get More Out of Life When You Go Out to a Movie" as seen here. I believe NSS made those curtain backdrop snipes.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 12-13-2008, 01:06 PM:

Actually, that particular snipe was made by Alexander Film Company, and it was made for drive-ins as part of a clock trailer.

quote: Damien Taylor
does anyone know who made all the old drive-in rolling stock, like the stuff with the handwritten codes out of the projected area.

Product from Alexander Film Company and Motion Picture Advertising each had those repeating ID numbers on the frame lines, at the head and tail of each snipe (e.g., "44 TC xx," "SP xxxx," "629 XC xxx," "Inst xx," "RSC xxx," etc.), although I suspect it was AFCO's practice, since they bought MPAC in the late 60s. I also have some 1940s-vintage AFCO trailers with the same numbering scheme.

Both Filmack and NSS sold individual snipes from catalogs and hence had their production numbers on the leaders. AFCO sold merchant ads and clocks via field representatives, so you would never see an AFCO/MPAC snipe's leader as they usually came cut into clocks -- unless you were getting replacement footage (which I did several times back in those days).

Posted by Mike Croaro (Member # 3123) on 12-13-2008, 08:03 PM:

Hi Folks:

Who produced the daters with the blue stars accross the top and bottom (message in the middle) that was accompanied by trumpet fanfare? They looked like they were late 70's early 80's.

Mike

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 12-13-2008, 08:20 PM:

Cinema Concepts "Ultra Dater".

Posted by Damien Taylor (Member # 4255) on 12-14-2008, 05:03 AM:

You really need to write a book about all this stuff Tim. I'm sure there are... dozens of people interested in these things.

Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 12-15-2008, 10:45 AM:

quote: Scott D. Neff
My favorite snipe I ever found was "For the benefit of those patrons arriving late, a portion of the feature will be repeated."

It was common practice in the drive ins I worked in the sixties to repeat the beginning of the first feature up to the point the last car arrived. This was only done with double features not triple features.
Bob