Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Happy 4th Of July

This is topic Happy 4th Of July in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 07-04-2003, 03:58 PM:

While I was working on my HicKOCK Model 600A tube tester, I had some "Sparkin und Spitzen" and it just occured to me to add a Happy Fourth Of July thread.

Have a good one. [Smile]

Posted by John Westlund (Member # 913) on 07-04-2003, 05:17 PM:

Yes happy 4th of July to all of you!! [Cool]

Posted by William Leland III (Member # 1400) on 07-04-2003, 05:44 PM:

Happy 4th of July to you and I'm happy for the time and a half i get for working.

Now get out there and blow something up, it's the American way. [beer]

Posted by Mike Fitzgerald (Member # 1304) on 07-04-2003, 10:00 PM:

Happy 4th to all. We went downtown to see the fireworks. They were the best in years. We sit on one side of the river and the fireworks are set off from Battleship Park right next to the Battleship North Carolina. What a great setting and the the Coast Guard cutter was in home port also. WHat a great evening

Posted by Sean M. Grimes (Member # 445) on 07-04-2003, 10:58 PM:

Happy 4th to all, unfortunately the humidity killed a great display in town this year... eh, oh well! Ok just checking in, I hope all have had a good night on this independence day. OK then back to the party! [beer]

Posted by Matthew Bailey (Member # 601) on 07-05-2003, 12:18 AM:

As for me or anyone any July 4th pranks? I'd put a few Black Cat firecrackers in a xenon or carbon arc lamphouse & let the heat set them off. Maybe some popcorn kernels? Put a spinning ground bloom onto the empty deck of a platter while it's turning & light the fuse. Stick a small gray colored smoke grenade-the ball shaped kind in the projector's picture head(OKAY,WHO BURNED OUT THE CHANGE OVER ZIPPER?) Tape three bottle rockets to a crappy plastic TES reel & watch it spin on the ground or on the rewind.Want to make a cheap smoking snake? A length of film coated in gunpowder or fireworks grade powder should do the trick.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-05-2003, 12:27 AM:

It might be easier just to set the theater on fire the normal way. [Smile]

Anyway, instead of firecrackers in the lamphouse I'd just spray WD40 on the bulb itself while it was cool the night before, that way it REALLY explodes the next day. And the bulb will be gone. The joke will be on them and we'll all get together and laugh & share a beer.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 07-05-2003, 02:36 AM:

So, um, how many of you spent the holiday at a theatre somewhere? I had a fun 14 hour shift at the Avon Cinema (pics in the gallery), which included five showings of "Whale Rider" plus another film as a midnight show.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 07-05-2003, 05:00 AM:

I went to San Diego harbor and watched the fireworks from a bridge. They were fired from two barges in the water. There were also fireworks on the other side at Sea World. They were OK, but not all too spectacular. Then 3 huge SDFD trucks thundered past us at about 80 miles with sirens and the trumpeting sound they make to scare cars out of the way. That was much more interesting. I could not see the fire though.

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 07-05-2003, 10:44 AM:

Happy 5th of July!!! Ok, so I know I'm a little late. Spent the day at a city-wide picnic where I earned the badge of a nice sunburn, went to a movie (Yes, on a holiday! Legally Blonde too!), and then TRIED to take pictures of the fireworks...I'm leaning how to use my camera...we'll see if they actually come out!

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 07-05-2003, 11:49 AM:

Well if you have to wait to see how they come out I guess that means you're still using proper film. Congratulations, plus also to all for yesterday. I wish we could have had a public holiday, too (we don't get any from Easter until the end of August).

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 07-05-2003, 12:05 PM:

For the first time in years I wasn't working on the 4th of July in the evening.

Joe, remember Fiddler's Green?

I went to the Cloverdale fireworks display put on by the Lions Club. There were plastic donation pails set out to collect money. The display was held on the High School football field. The mortars were set up behind the goal post, on the warning track. The crowd control line was at the 30-yard line. That's where I sat, nice grass too. The announcer came on, thanked the Lions Club, encouraged the audience to donate and introduced a girl to sing the national anthem. She did a credible job too. Then the fireworks show commenced. It was twenty minutes of single shells followed by the finally barrage. The wind was towards the audience so the shells exploded directly above us. I got hit in the head by some shrapnel.

No it wasn't spectacular, but it was pretty good for a small town of 6,000 people. And I have never been so close to the lighting point.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 07-05-2003, 12:48 PM:

There was a nice fireworks display in Seattle last night.

Boats crowded into Seattle's Lake Union last night against a colorful backdrop of fireworks forming into fountains, fans, hearts and smiley faces. Police estimated the crowd in Gas Works Park at 75,000 to 100,000. I was not one of them.

Matthew, I did something similar to one of your "pranks" in 1984. This one involved a Pacer Ticket machine. The rep was there setting one up for us when I snuck a plastic tube under the keyboard. While the tech was showing some of the girles how to use it, I was around the corner blowing cigarette smoke into the tube. When the smoke started billowing up from the underside of the keyboard, the tech went ape shit!!! He started yanking on power cords trying to shut it off.

Then he saw me...and what I was doing. He was not a very happy camper to say the least. Everyone thought it was hilarious...except him. [evil]

No sense of humor at all! [Big Grin]

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 07-05-2003, 03:33 PM:

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 07-05-2003, 04:33 PM:

I have never missed a Magic Islands fireworks show at the Ala Moana Beach Park in Honolulu since I was very impressed with the first one I saw about six years ago. The most impressive fireworks show I saw in my life was the one staged at Pearl Harbor during the world premiere of "PEARL HARBOR" on the aircraft carrier John Stennis a few years ago and last years 4th of July show was almost as good. The show seems to get better every year and I was looking forward to last nights show but had to miss it because I had a late afternoon family portrait assignment on the other side of the island of Oahu and did not finish until almost 6:00 PM. The 30 minute show starts at 8:30 every year but if you are not in the area by 4:30 in the afternoon, fat chance of ever finding a parking space! During the past years, I just took a comfortable lawn chair and my backpack loaded with my portable DVD player, DVDs, Bose Acoustic noise canceling headset, a box dinner and diet soda in a insulated container and I was all set. [Smile]

Belated Happy 4th of July to all of my fellow Americans!

-Claude

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 07-05-2003, 04:44 PM:

Mine ended up being a very quiet 4th. Was supposed to be travelling but all plans got scrubbed. Did get together with friends from the college anime club here to screen some stuff for upcoming meetings. When I left the house around 9pm, the neighborhood was going full tilt with lots of do-it-yourself displays going and the air was heavy with smoke (could see it in the street lights like when we had our big forest fire here last year). Across the street there was a woman frantically running down the block, calling out for a dog that had apparently bolted, frightened from all the loud booms.

I got back around 3:30am. Pretty quiet now and most of the smoke had cleared. As I got out of the car I was greeted by a quivering (and growling!) still badly frightened Chihuahua puppy. Took about 15 minutes of sitting there talking to him before he realized we were friends. My roommate joined in on the conversation. We finally got him calmed down, took him inside and gave him some food and water. The three cat residents were not amused. [Big Grin]

This morning signs about a missing chihuahua were up at the corner 7-11, so I left a message at the posted number. As I'm typing this the little guy is sacked out in my lap. [Edit] The phone just rang and it turned out to be our new neighbors (1 month) across the street and down a couple of doors. Just got back from the tearful reunion. They say they will work on escape-proofing their back yard. [Big Grin]

[ 07-05-2003, 06:07 PM: Message edited by: Paul Mayer ]

Posted by Travis Hubrig (Member # 1745) on 07-05-2003, 09:39 PM:

I had a good 4th, Posted a personal best golf score in a Tournament in the morning... Worked the afternoon.
Late that night after work me and some buddies went north of where I live to a small town near the local Air Force Base. There were about 300 people lined up and around the main street and parking lots of the local stores. Most had their own private displays and for about three hours the town looked like baghdad... (or at least what I imagined it would look like.) Smoke so thick you could only see about a block away, Fireworks going off all around, and so much noise you couldn't hear yourself think. A few close calls with the fireworks, but I am convinced that It is the best fireworks show I have seen. Next year I am going to take a video camera. It was awesome.

Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 07-06-2003, 02:38 PM:

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1472112474

Semper Fi, Gerard.

[ 07-06-2003, 09:13 PM: Message edited by: Bob Maar ]

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 07-06-2003, 05:17 PM:

Nice patriotic entertainment, Bob!
All those "marine" creatures evolving into one national avian symbol (e pluribus unum?) was a thoughtful touch from the
nice British lady artist, don't you think? [You must have been thinking of the Marine Corps Air Force.]
Hope you had a fine Independence Weekend.

--Gerard