Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: History inquiry - Bran Ferren 70mm projector?

This is topic History inquiry - Bran Ferren 70mm projector? 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=011265

Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 07-04-2012, 02:42 AM:

I was re-watching the concert film "Pink Floyd - Pulse" this evening (released 1994) and started looking at internet pages related to the band and the show. One of the prominent features of the stage during that tour was a gigantic circular screen in which projected short films were shown. In examining my own tourbook from seeing this show in April, 1994 in Oakland, CA it describes "70mm film projected images" I did some further research and found several pages that indicated 70mm in front of a 10k xenon lamp was used. Curiously, some of the results spoke of a "Bran Ferren 70mm designed projector" Does anyone here know any more details of this or of the Floyd live show projection gear?

source: http://www.pinkfloydfan.net/t1450-welcome-machine-story-pink-floyds.html

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 07-04-2012, 03:02 AM:

I caught the 2nd half of that concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA -- it took us the entire 1st half to get it -- they were so disorganized -- loved the giant disco ball

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 07-04-2012, 06:00 AM:

Bran Ferren is a long time special effects expert who originally worked for Disney. During the time of this project he had Ferren and Associates which was a design and fabrication shop specializing in mechancial and other effect devices. The "road ready" projection system was built in cages for traveling and fast assembly.

Posted by Pete Lawrence (Member # 130) on 07-04-2012, 08:05 AM:

The company was actually called Associates & Ferren and was located near East Hampton, NY on the east end of Long Island. I did a few printed circuit board layouts for them many years ago. It was fun to visit their shop and see the things they had worked on. Stuff was stacked on industrial strength shelving from floor to ceiling. They leased out most everything and then got it back after the productions finished. There was often some "one of" gadget being worked on. In the shop I once saw a 35mm background projector being worked on, and a very complicated optical film printer they were developing. Never saw anything 70mm, but I didn't get over there that often. In addition to their film work they also did a lot of stage effects work for Broadway and Off Broadway productions. New York City was only 80 miles west. I didn't really know Bran other than to say "Hi, how are you" when we ran into each other at a coffee shop we both stopped at. You couldn't miss his red beard.

Posted by Jeff Taylor (Member # 443) on 07-04-2012, 08:25 AM:

Weird. Except in the summer when half of New York come here to cool off, swim, and annoy us "townies", East Hampton is basically a wide spot in the road. I've had a house here since 1961 and never heard of them.

Posted by Pete Lawrence (Member # 130) on 07-04-2012, 08:54 AM:

For Jeff,
Their shop was located in the woods just south of the East Hampton Airport in an area known as Wainscott. The office and shop were in the building at the southwest corner of Wainscott Northwest Rd. and Industrial Rd. The building is still there, not sure who is in it now. Back in the 80's Bran did the 35mm projection system in Guild Hall in East Hampton. I used to live in Southampton and worked as part time relief operator at the East Hampton Cinema (UA) and the Old Post Office Cinema (rear projection independent, now long gone) on Newtown Ln.

Posted by Jeff Taylor (Member # 443) on 07-04-2012, 12:42 PM:

Small world. Obviously I know all the spots you mentioned, in fact I grew up when there were only two grainy tv signals out here--channels 3 and 8 from Connecticut. For a spell, the old Post Office cinema became the Barefoot Contessa--a gourmet food bs spot--operated by my next door neighbor and Food Channel TV Chef(who I am feuding with) Ina Garten. When I grew up we only had the single screen "Edwards Theatre" out here, with the poor old soul from the newspaper store with no vocal larnyx and one of those "buzzer" machines to talk who stood there in his wrinkled tuxedo and took tickets. I think the last film I saw there before it burned down was "Some Like it Hot". Now I watch it in 16mm in my basement! The theater now has those rotten Sony projectors, but being now taken over by Regal from UA you knew that.

PS: My house is 2 blocks from Guild Hall up 114--near the Catholic Church if you remember. Also, my friend and next door neighbor is Wilson Stone who used to run Guild Hall's program--did you know him?

Thanks, Pete.

Posted by Pete Lawrence (Member # 130) on 07-04-2012, 05:59 PM:

Apologies to Sean for drifting this thread off topic, but it is history.

Edwards was before me. When I was at the East Hampton UA they had a really big single screen (with carbon arc and changeovers) and then added three small theaters (platters and xenon lamps) behind the store fronts to the south of the original main theater. The one lobby served all four screens. As far as projection, they ran it as two separate theaters for a while with a operator in each, even though they were next to each other. Both the UA and the Old Post Office were union booths back then. Some time later they split the big UA theater into two smaller houses, for a total of five screens, but I had left by then. I know the area where your house is as I used to travel 114 to Sag Harbor and then through North Sea to Southampton. Route 27, the main east-west two lane road, was impossible in the summer even back then. It must be really bad now. I never had anything to do with Guild Hall, so no, I didn't know Wilson Stone.

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 07-05-2012, 03:30 AM:

Back in the early 90's ,not long after the release of Rolling Stones : At The Max ,Pink Floyd's tour organiser and set designers came to visit our IMAX theatre at the then National Museum of Photography , Film and Television here in Bradford.

They were looking at new ways of projecting large images on to an inclined circular screen and someone had suggested a modified IMAX or Omnimax system.

They were looking at installing the projector, reel unit etc in a 40 foot shipping container. The optical axis of the projector would be at an angle of around 45 degrees to the horizontal. The container on a trailer would be built in to the stage so the top surface was flush with the stage deck. Doors would open to allow the images to be projected through the top of the container on to the screen.
They didn't seem phased by the potential cost .
They were planning to build two of these systems so they could leapfrog concert venues. One being in use while the other was traveling to the next location.
Sadly this never came to fruition. [Frown]

Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 07-06-2012, 12:36 AM:

No worries drifting off topic gents, everything is very interesting reading and like stated earlier - history. [Smile]

Thanks for the replies. I think I understand now that "Bran Ferren designed" really meant some form of projection system fashioned into basically a quick change portable system. The IMAX shipping container idea seems quite fascinating.