Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Curtain Cues

This is topic Curtain Cues in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Terry Monohan (Member # 8285) on 10-28-2014, 09:45 PM:

I am proud to announce the giant red waterfall curtains are working again at Theatre Del Mar #1 in Santa Cruz CA. New carpets, wide seats blue aisle lights and paint looks great. The day I went to see them in action this past Sunday they did not close or open. Found out from the owner who was out of town this past weekend some new projection type person was in the booth and panicked when the curtains came down after the previews. He pressed many buttons and blew a few fuses. They are working again now. Seems no one told him that like in the old days by my request they pre program the curtains to open with the previews with the image on the curtains to start then they now close after the trailers, wait a few seconds with the red/purple lights up on the curtain then go up again on the main feature and close again 10 seconds at the end of credits. I'll have to go in again and see this showmanship in action in Santa Cruz CA. they also just changed the side deco lights to the winter look of red,orange and yellow. Do any of you guys still have curtains and do you open and close between trailers and main feature?

Posted by Francois Bouzigues (Member # 8030) on 10-30-2014, 09:30 AM:

I know two sites with curtains. Le kino. A very friendly cinema inside the Arts university of Lille. The curtains are opened an closed for every show. The system works with buttons. It has not been connected to the projector yet.

The other one is the Cinema Astor (or is it the Rex?) in Vevey, Switzerland. The technician took the necessary time to look into the decades wiring systems to pilot the curtains with a Jnior.

Posted by Philip Jones (Member # 6677) on 10-30-2014, 09:53 AM:

We have curtains in both screens which open at the start of the show and close at the end.

For 'scope films we also close the curtains for about 30 seconds after the trailers before the main feature for the 'lens change'. We play 'Theatreland' whilst the curtains are closed.

All this is automated now via cues.

In our smaller auditorium we actually have 2 sets of curtains, although one isn't connected to the server so is rarely used.

Posted by Steve Moore (Member # 4753) on 10-30-2014, 12:28 PM:

My cinema, Cottage Road in Leeds UK, and all of the cinemas in our small chain close our tabs (curtains) after the trailer,s and then re-open on the start of the feature. I think it looks much better when we do that and then open on a scope feature with the side masking opened out; though we still close them when it's a flat feature too as we still have a lady who goes around with an ice cream tray between trailers and the feature too.

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 10-30-2014, 04:23 PM:

quote: Philip Jones
We play 'Theatreland' whilst the curtains are closed.

What is Theatreland? Uncle Google doesn't seem to know...

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 10-30-2014, 06:29 PM:

Closing the curtains and raising either house lights and/or stage lights sometimes confuses people. Although, that's the only way to do it properly in my opinion, especially if you need to change masking.

And yes, the movie should start with the studio logos still on the opening curtains. [Wink]

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 10-30-2014, 07:27 PM:

Now if the one theater here at CARMIKE'S (Winnesong 10) that has a screen size equal to the old days of single screen Movie Houses; added some nice Curtains to the Screen, it would be like going to the Movies in the old days.... [beer]

I like the old Red/Maroon Curtains with the Sparkles that you use to see at FOX THEATERS in the 50's & 60's......They were Kool !

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-30-2014, 09:14 PM:

We have red curtains and black masking. We close after the pre show, open for trailers, close at end of trailers and open on the distributor logo for the feature. No stage lights, alas.
The reason to close the curtains is to tell the audience to STFU, it's time for the real movie to start [Wink]

Posted by Philip Jones (Member # 6677) on 10-31-2014, 05:53 AM:

Frank - here's a youtube link. The quality isn't the best but it gives you an idea. We just use a ~30s excerpt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUUpsbT0cbs