Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: The Greatest thing ever encountered in the theater business

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-04-2005, 04:48 AM:

Okey, we seen many pages of replies written on the "sickest" thing ever encountered, but now it's time to "swing the pendulum" the other way to what was the Greatest thing ever encountered.

..and I'll start this one off, since this the movie is coming over the horizon come the middle of May:

..and that being "Star Wars"...

Let's go back in time to 1977..when it ALL began:

..in 1977, there were no such thing as the "summer blockbuster" movies.

Sure, two years before, Steven Spielberg scared the willies out of us with "JAWS", which became the first ever "summer blockbuster", but this movie wasn't accepted as such. It was just a coinsidence that this movie did so great at this time of year.

Also, in 1977, when movies came out, there wasn't the thing of 3000 prints being struck and thousands of screens to place these prints. Only hundreds at a time, for studios didn't have the mega million dollar budgets back then as they do now. (we all know the story how FOX put up the money for George Lucas when the other studios turn his "space adventure" down..and the rest is history). They could only afford a million or two here and there. Thus, when movies opened up, the larger towns got them first, then it trickled down to the smaller towns for opening dates. There were no nationwide release dates.

"Star Wars" opened up the third Wednesday of May that year to the large cities. The town, that I was head projectionist at, didn't open up "Star Wars" not until the middle of June. Word was already spreading out how great this movie was, and we just to wait till it was our turn to play this movie.

The day finally came and the few of us wanted to watch this before anybody else. Yet, we weren't allowed to "sneak" this print down until after the release date. I didn't care, for when the "sneak" was to be was the actual release day (only being at 2 in the morning...)

A few friends of mine wanted to see this movie and "okey, we'll do it then."

Well the friends came....and so did 40 other people. The 40 other people LOOKED pretty important - most of them in nice suits and for the women in business dress attire.

I asked my friends on who these people were....SHIT!! they were from the media! They invited the frikken media!

Most of the staff were from ALL of the 3 local television stations, and most of the staff from the local and out of town radio stations that were there that night.

You might say, I suddely got a little "sweaty under the collar."

As we went into the auditorium, I approached them in a professional manner and told them that this sneak was to be kept in a confidential and professional "closed door" manner and that this was an unauthorized showing. I asked them to then please keep this showing within yourselves, for if ever this leaked out to my superiors and to the circuit that I was working for, I'd be facing the "death knell" from HELL for sure.

They all firmly agreed to keep the matter quiet and agreed with what I had asked of them.

So, went upstairs, struck up the carbons, opened up the curtains, hit the lights and we were the first ones in the entire state to see "Star Wars" for the first time...and loved every minute of it.

After this screening, most of the people who were at that "sneak" still came once a week to see this movie, over and over again.

We ran "Star Wars" for six months after that.

I never told my boss that I had that sneak of "Star Wars" and who was all in attendence there until a good 2yrs later when I called him at his new theatre that he was assigned to and told him this complete story.

He had to laugh, for he was actually disappointed that I didn't call him up that night and told him that I was going to run down "Star Wars" for a sneak! He would have been there as well.

I'll never forget this experience that I encounted in this crazy business of being a projectionist.

That was FUN!

-thx Monte

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 03-04-2005, 01:02 PM:

My very first epiphany of how incredible it is to make a movie come alive for an audience was actually the very first film I ever ran in our then-newly installed 35mm equipment (all lugged up 5 flights of stairs thru narrow starewells by me an a few stage hands) in our Whitman Theatre. It was 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY -- it was 1970 and I was totally green, but this was the birth of Brooklyn Center Cinema and the 2500 single screen house was full. Mostly young, college students. It wasn't 70mm -- just 35mm, but it was a studio 4trk mag print that was played through that massive sound system, it made the opening Zarathustra opening track with its deep kettledrums and bombastic climax all the more impressive. The audience went wild after the opening, spontaniously clapping. Then when the cut played again during the Dawn of Man sequence ending with prehistoric man Discovering the Tool and tossing the bone, the entire audience lite up matches and cigarette lighters. I looked out the window and saw these 2500 points of light five stories below. What an incredible, mind-blowing rush....and I wasn't even high from the smoke that was wafting up thru the port glass! It was spectacular and I knew there wasn't anything in the universe that I would rather be doing at that moment. This snapped all those brain cell synapses together and they have stay locked that way ever since, and I imagine even till they cart me off to that big change-over movie palace in the sky.

The GM, quite the mood buster, immediately called the booth and said to stop the show. I said, why? Very agitated he said, "Look out the window....they are lighting matches." I said, "Hell yah....ain't it AWESOME?!!" Luckily the sequence is only 2 min or so and they put them out (only to light them at the last real when the Strauss theme plays again).

The second time I got that kind of super thrill was just recently when I was running the summer film festival in Prospect Park. There is an amphi-theatre in front of the stage/screen. It holds about 2000 seats. Behind the booth are grassy hills. I was running CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON in anglyphic 3D (yah, I know, shitty anaglyphic, but that's for another post). The people filed in and filled up the seated area, which was not unusual and I though, hmmmm, really nice crowd. Then the PM called me on the headset and said, "He Frankie, did you look behind the booth?" I lifted the tarp that covers the scaffolding projection/lighting/sound "booths" and looked at the lawn -- there wasn't another spot left for a single other human being to plop a pair of ass cheeks on -- all of them with their 3D glasses already on. We had 6000+ taht night. Now, about the only other place a guy can ply this craft and show a movie to THAT many people would be at Radio City Music Hall, but even there, the projectionist is totally enclosed - he's not right in the MIDDLE of the 6000 people! I got to hear all the ooohs and aaahs and the laughs. Absolutely great.

By this point in time, I have been showing films for some decades, but STILL I get butterflys in my stomach at the very start of the show and then, if the film happens to be one of my favorites, I get goosebumps. Who WOULDN'T love doing this....and getting PAID for it to boot?

And this, boys and girls, is what it looked like -- you are looking at only one HALF of the audience!!

To give you some perspective, you can see just a tad edge of the projection booth just at the top left corner of the picture.

[ 03-04-2005, 09:49 PM: Message edited by: Frank Angel ]

Posted by Chase Hanson (Member # 2779) on 03-04-2005, 10:19 PM:

Similar to the above two posters...

Best ive ever experienced was watching the first print I ever built go on screen to a farely large audience and absoluetely nothing was wrong.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 03-05-2005, 12:36 AM:

Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm. Enough said. (No, I've never shown it in any format...yet.)

Posted by James Faber (Member # 2796) on 03-05-2005, 05:56 AM:

The Star Wars remasters at the late River Hills here in Des Moines. I would have loved to have seen the originals - unfortunately I'm too young. 2001 would have usurped that, had I had the time to see it when they had it at the Merle Hay a couple years back. Scott - good call on the Lawrence of Arabia. Think that would do well as a midnight showing?

Posted by Rick Green (Member # 313) on 03-05-2005, 10:45 AM:

I love classic films from Hollywood's golden age. Some years ago, I had the opportunity to run Turner's studio print of "Robin Hood" with Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone. It was the most beautiful piece of film I've ever seen. The colors and sharpness were spectacular!

Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 03-05-2005, 11:18 AM:

I would have to say that the greatest thing that I have encountered while in the business has to be...well its a tie.

On a personal level the first time I built a film and felt the film...knowing that I was responsible for the patrons show...too me was a great feeling.

Second...

The passion that people showed for The Passion of the Christ, the sheer amount of repeat customers was stagering. I would see the same people 5-6 times a week to see this film...it was just amazing.

Thanks

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 03-05-2005, 11:35 AM:

Seeing 2001 at the Uptown four days after the world premier. I remember during the Dawn of Man someone yelling out "What the hell is this, a film about some damned monkeys?"

Also running 2001 in 70mm several years later at the MacArthur.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 03-05-2005, 11:55 AM:

Running a THX promotion with all three original Star Wars. Star Wars Ran two shows on Friday one in the morning and one at midnight. Interlocked in both THX auditoriums. The same For Empire on Saturday and Jedi on Sunday....It was amazing. Both auditoriums sold out for both shows on all three days and 400+ people were lined up around the building waiting to get in. This was in 1993 and about a year later for whatever reason the THX was removed and replaced with DTS units.

That same year 1993, we ran Jurassic Park in DTS that one sold out every show for four weeks straight.

Two great moments.....

Posted by Bernard Tonks (Member # 809) on 03-05-2005, 12:26 PM:

quote:
Kurt Zupin... I love classic films from Hollywood's golden age. Some years ago, I had the opportunity to run Turner's studio print of "Robin Hood" with Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone. It was the most beautiful piece of film I've ever seen. The colors and sharpness were spectacular!

When London's West End Warner Theatre closed for demolition to make way for a 9 screen multiplex rebuild, there was a special VIP last showing of "Robin Hood" which opened the cinema in 1938. To mark the occasion it was made known that the print would be projected on 2k reels with changeovers.

Posted by Dominic Espinosa (Member # 2122) on 03-05-2005, 01:28 PM:

My favorite moments are those in you're running like mad to get the shows on the screen for whatever reason and the audience never knows [Wink]

Seriously though...My second week after being promoted to full time projection I had 4 prints of LOTR: TT to build and 2 were for a sneak. After a long day of building and checking and rechecking the theaters I started a sneak preview for 588 people.
Watching people enjoying the movie was really a great feeling.
I love making the magic of the movies I remember from being a kid. The behind the scenes part should always be a mystery and that mystery combined with quality showmanship really makes a great experience. I love it!

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 03-05-2005, 11:13 PM:

Mine may not be a great moment, but certainly the most significant. It was my first week in the booth, training still, and I misthreaded a print. Huge green scratch through 9 reels of LOTR. Made me realize the importance of attention to detail and double and triple checking your work. Have not scratched a single print since.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 03-05-2005, 11:38 PM:

Hmmmmm the person training you didn't follow up on your threading?

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 03-06-2005, 02:31 AM:

quote:
The audience went wild after the opening, spontaniously clapping. .... the entire audience lite up matches and cigarette lighters. .... smoke that was wafting up thru the port glass!

yikes! i would have been livid. audience members should not be making a spectacle of themselves. and smoking in the theater? i know that used to be acceptable behavior, but it's just very wrong. (still happens sometimes [Mad]

)

carl

Posted by Darren Briggs (Member # 1071) on 03-06-2005, 02:46 AM:

My most memorable film presentation i have done was after installing 70mm at the York cinema, the first show we arranged was 'Lawrence of Arabia', we (the projection team) didnt know if it would sell well, but we had done all the promotion possible to get 70mm on the map in york, rehearsed the print at least twice, and then on the morning of the show found out it had sold out and people were leaving there contact details so we could arrange a repeat screening.
Then time of the show, starting the run in music, (legs like jelly), then as the Columbia logo appears, opening the masking out to 2.2:1 from 1.33 (We have no tabs) and as the columbia logo faded out, the masking got to full width and the overhead shot of Peter o'toole cleaning his bike appeared, rock solid and crystal clear with a full audience.

Awesum.

All of the 70mm shows we do have the a similar feeling, most recently running Oklahoma in 30fps to a sold out audience was pretty damn cool. Shame the print is a little battered now.

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 03-06-2005, 12:56 PM:

quote: Darryl Spicer
Hmmmmm the person training you didn't follow up on your threading?

Well thats the reason I wasnt taken out of the booth immediately, because it wasnt totally my fault. Maybe thats the greatest moment for me, being given a second chance to stay in the booth.

Posted by Russ Kress (Member # 461) on 03-06-2005, 02:01 PM:

Mine was when we ran the world premiere of "Rain Man" at the Keith Albee Theatre in Huntington, West Virginia.

The film was presented as a fund raiser for the local Autism Center where a patient who Dustin Hoffman studied for his character was treated.

Needless to say, we were invaded by almost 100 people from New York and Los Angeles including Dustin Hoffman, Barry Levinson and my personal favorite, engineers from Dolby Laboratories (this was one of the first feature films recorded in the Dolby SR noise reduction format).

Being from a small city, I was extremely proud that all of these Hollywood types were completely impressed with the age, history and condition of the theatre, including its archetecture and history. My nervousness quickly gave way to a certain amount of pride as I honored request after request to give guided tours of the facility to professionals who I had really believed would have already "seen it all".

It's one thing for a boss to come through and say that things look akay. Bosses see it every day.

It's a real shot in the arm to hear the same thing from industry leaders who are used to having the best of everything at their beck and call as a matter of every day life.

I often miss working at that theatre and still enjoy visiting it whenever I can.

Pictures of the Keith Albee Theatre are available on our website at http://www.ourshowtimes.com.

If you would like to add them to your picture gallery, contact Greg Pauley at Greater Huntington Theatres, PO Box 1957, Huntington, WV 25720. 304-523-0185.

Russ Kress
General Manager
Park Place Stadium Cinemas

Posted by David Favel (Member # 1125) on 03-06-2005, 06:43 PM:

Either LOTR 1 or 2, midnight screenings with full houses.
# 2 had scenes shot 20 mins away & hearing the cheers when Edoras came on screen, cool.

Posted by Wolff King Morrow (Member # 2226) on 03-06-2005, 07:15 PM:

Return of the King for me. A good 20% of the customers came out balling after each show. With 5 prints, it had to be several gallons of tears by the end of the first month.

Posted by Christopher Duvall (Member # 284) on 03-06-2005, 11:12 PM:

I had a couple great things happen...
One of the theatres I ran had test screening.

1. Met all the guys from PIXAR a couple months before MONSTERS INC came out. (John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, Andrew Stanton, Pete Doctor, Steve Jobs and Randy Newman) I got most of them to sign all my PIXAR movies and the MONSTERS INC one-sheet.

2. Met Roy Disney a year before LILO & STITCH came out. I got a picture with him.

3. Met John McTiernan and he signed my DVD's for the movies I had of his.

4. Met Sigourney Weaver and Stan Winston for a film festival in Virginia. I got them to sign quite a few DVD's and got a pic with Stan Winston.

Being a movie geek, this is great stuff for me.