Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Tight Turn-arounds of shows

This is topic Tight Turn-arounds of shows in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Darren Briggs (Member # 1071) on 10-27-2002, 01:34 PM:

Does anyone else have the problem of tight turnarounds due to squezeing as many films in as possible!

Ive got a 3Hrs 30Mins slot for Spartacus in 70mm and the film is 3Hrs 16Mins plus 15 min intermission, then the 10 mins to convert the platter, makes me minus 11mins! good job i don't havt to convert the Mech too as I have two machines in this screen.
Donnie Darko will be minus support for the show afer Spartacus.
Im sure well all have the troubles with Harry Potter and LOTR's.

Ill have to eat my weetabix that day!

Darren

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 10-27-2002, 01:59 PM:

The projection box layout at York - all three of them in separate rooms - makes this especially difficult. At Exeter we could deal with a three or four-minute turnaround very easily with just two screens operated from the same booth. All I can say is that you're ready when you're ready. Flag up to management that these turnarounds just can't be done in the timescales that have been programmed, and which of the fallback options do they want to go for?

The ultimate aim is persuading the programmers in London to get their sums right, which isn't as simple as that if they've calculated their initial timings based on provisional information. But there are things that can help. For example, if a four-times-a-day film is in 1:1.85, ask for that to be in screen 3. OK, you'll eventually have to go over to do a volume change, but you'll have a minute or two's flexibility, unlike if there's a lens change. If Dean St. is being totally stupid and/or just not thinking, tell them so, and flag up that their decisions will cost money in extra projection staff hours.

Not working for City Screen anymore, I can now say these things...

Posted by Darren Briggs (Member # 1071) on 10-27-2002, 04:05 PM:

Yep same old story, they get the running time, allow 15 mins change around time and forget about the support!

How many times do we have to tell them!!!!

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 10-27-2002, 05:42 PM:

Hey you got two machines! Run em changeover!

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-27-2002, 05:44 PM:

Darren, what make/model of platter? Christie platters can run 35mm on the 70mm rollers just fine. (The only requirement is that the older style black rollers must be used on the takeup cluster.)

Posted by Josh Jones (Member # 447) on 10-27-2002, 09:38 PM:

Why only black rollers may I ask?

Josh

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"Film is made of silver, video is made of rust"
'nuf said

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-27-2002, 09:55 PM:

I DEFINATELY do not reccommend running 35mm on the 70mm Christie rollers, or on anyone elses dual gauge rollers for that matter, on a regular basis unless you are prepared to babysit the platter. I've seen many a damaged and scratched 35mm print from theatres doing this. Sometimes the film does not sit down in the 35mm section of the roller and rides up onto the other ridges of the roller scratching the film because the roller ceases to turn. I have seen this happen quite a few times. It is a good way to dmage a print. The correct size rollers for the film width being run really should be used.
Mark @ CLACO

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-27-2002, 10:14 PM:

My manager does not believe in any kind of "down time" between shows. In fact the only reason movies have credits is to give people something to watch as they are coming in to sit down for the next show (if they haven't already seen the ending of the previous show of the movie they are about to see). Intermissions are typically 3 to 5 minutes long. Our first show of the day begins at 1:00pm, and the latest starts at 10 (or before). We always cram 5 of each show into that schedule no matter what. This week we have a movie that starts before the previous showing drops. Rush rush rush! Herd 'em like cattle! People love that.

Also, whenever two movies start at the same exact time, they are ALWAYS (no exceptions) in auditoriums #A and #E (please don't ask about our lame auditorium numbering/lettering scheme, well you can if you want to, I suppose)... the two that are the FURTHEST away from each other! Of course our building is only about 3 feet wide and 25 feet long, so I guess that's not really a legitimate gripe. But I like to complain so I typed it anyway.

At the theater I worked at with that Ian Price guy one quarter of all the projectors in our giant busy 12 plex were 70mm capable. Those auditoriums all had the Strong platters permanently converted to 70mm with the exception of the brains and the take up rollers that feed directly onto the take up deck. All of the other rollers on the column and elevator were 35/70 and they worked perfectly. Never a problem.... though I'm sure Ian found a way to make them a problem.

Posted by James R. Hammonds, Jr (Member # 673) on 10-27-2002, 10:42 PM:

so whats with the lame lettering scheme?

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-27-2002, 10:51 PM:

Never had a problem once all was threaded, Mark. However, that is with the stipulation "once all was threaded". It DOES take an extra minute to check over things to make SURE that the film is properly situated in the rollers. I also made it a point to check things once the leader was in motion too. From that point on, it's not going to jump. I couldn't even begin to guess how often we ran shows like that at Northpark because of switching formats back and forth. It takes far more time to switch the rollers than it does to just triple check the threading.

Josh, the black rollers have a flat area designed for 35mm in the middle of the roller. The green rollers do not and as such cannot self-adjust on the last 4 rollers in the chain.

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 10-27-2002, 10:52 PM:

I have one 3-Deck Xetron Neutronic Platter that has the 70mm rollers on the payout side and it has never ever been a problem.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 10-28-2002, 02:09 AM:

Darren's platter is a Cinemecannica CNR-35 which has been modified in a non-standard way to run 70. It works brilliantly, but takes a bare minimum of 15 minutes to reconvert back to 35. The 70mm rollers are in fact the two halves of the 35mm rollers with a spacer in the middle. After a 70mm show you need to take each one apart and remove its spacer.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-28-2002, 02:17 AM:

re: Lame Lettering Scheme

Our art theater figured that since we are more trendy than everyone else (we don't even have spoilage, we have "waste sheets") that we needed something far more fancy than the typical numbered auditoriums. So we "numbered" our six auditoriums A, B, C, D, E, and F... not necessarily in that order. More like C, F, E, D, B, and A. It is a disaster. For one, B, C, D, and E all basically rhyme. So when someone comes up shouting that something is wrong with B C E or D in a noisy projection booth or over the radio, it takes a few times to understand. 1 2 3 4 5 and 6 do not rhyme. Also if someone were to pop up into the booth and signal me to check a certain projector, they could just hold up, say, 3 fingers to let me know to check #3. But they can't exactly immitate letters with their hands. The previous owners of this complex numbered the auditoriums 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6... IN THAT ORDER! Our policy... fix what's not broken and don't fix what is. (I am sooo fired if corporate ever stumbles upon this thread)

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-28-2002, 02:28 AM:

Hey look at it this way, at least they "numbered" them in order starting with the beginning of the alphabet. You could have auditoriums B, G, P, T, V, Z! As an added bonus, they would all rhyme!

The Granada Prestonwood "named" their auditoriums. Let's see if I can remember. There is the "Granada" and "Capitol" and "Majestic" and "Palace" and something else. Anyway, the building is an old UA converted to dinner theater...so I know them from the UA days as #1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Fortunately the projectionists there also understand the logic of the numbering scheme...but a few months back they had a manager that wanted to start referring to them by numbers BUT HE CHANGED THE NUMBERS THEREBY CONFUSING THE PROJECTIONISTS WHO ALREADY KNEW THE HOUSE ASSIGNMENTS AS THEY HAD BEEN FOR 20 YEARS!!! We had some lovely phone conversations troubleshooting problems that went something like this:

"So #1 is doing what?"
"It's (fill in problem here)"
"That's never done that before to my knowledge. Did this just start today?"
"No it's happened before. I'm talking about the new #1."
"What?"
"The Majestic."
"Wait, is that the one by the kitchen?"
"Yes, #1."
"No wait, #1 is by the bar."
"No that's the old #1."
"What?"
"Huh?"
"What do you mean the old #1?"
"The manager changed the house numbering scheme."
"Why would he do that?"
"I don't know."
"So anyway I need to know what to do about #2."
"Ok, I'm confused. Which auditorium are we talking about?"
"The one by the kitchen manager's office."
"I don't know which office that guy has. Where is that?"
"It's by the AV closet."
"There are 2 AV closets that I know of."
"The AV closet that we keep most of the equipment in."
"I remember there being equal equipment in both of them."
"No, one of them is mostly computer stuff."
"Well I didn't pay that much attention. Which one has the AV stuff in it?"
"The one by #1"
"What? Where is that?"
"Upstairs by the old #2."
"What?"
"Huh?"
"We're going to have to approach this another way. What model projector is in that auditorium?"
"It's got a JJ."
"Ok, so then it has to be either #1 or #2"
"Correct."
"Is this the one with the blue sound rack?"
"They both have blue sound racks now after the upgrade, remember?"
"Oh yeah, ok so then it is the one closest to the front of the theater or in the back?"
"It's closest to the front of the theater."
"Ok, so you are talking about the theater that has been referred to as #2 for 20 years now?"
"Yes."
"So then what is the auditorium that has always been referred to as #1?"
"That's now #2."
"So he just flipped them?"
"Yup."
"Why?"
"Apparently just to make out lives harder."
"Idiot."
"That's him."
"Ok, so what was the problem again?"
"I forgot now."
"Did he screw up the numbering of the other screens too?"
"You don't want to know."
"Slap him for me next time you see him, will you?"
"Will do."

Thankfully this brain-child is no longer with the theater. (The houses are now back to being numbered properly too.)

Posted by Heyward Garner (Member # 722) on 10-28-2002, 02:38 AM:

Nah, you won't get fired for stating your opinion. You'll get fired for starting your show late =)

Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 10-28-2002, 11:13 AM:

The Loews Lincoln Square, Loews' flagship in NYC, also names their auditoriums (at least insofar as the public is concerned.) The auditoriums are named after mostly long-closed Loews theatres, especially the old palaces and each featurs a plaque with a description of the original theatre.

The screens are named: Loews, Kings, State, Olympia, Valencia, Capitol, Paradise, Avalon, Majestic, Canal, Palace and Jersey,

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-28-2002, 11:37 AM:

What if a movie like "The Majestic" is playing in an auditorium that is not named "Majestic"?

At first, my theater was going to stick with numbers. Like I said, they were numbered clockwise from the first auditorium on the left from the lobby (the large giant screen) 1 2 3 4 5 and 6. But then we actually re-numbered them as 3 6 5 4 2 1. They said since it was that way on the new blueprints there was nothing they could do to change it. That was the honest answer I received when I asked about the confusing new numbering scheme. A couple of weeks later they lettered the auditoriums. I don't know how they got away with that, as they weren't lettered on the blueprints. All of the auditoriums are all different colors as well, but amazingly we don't refer to them by their color names.

I suggested that the auditoriums should all be hieroglyphs instead.