Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: I'm one busy girl ... back in a booth! (c/o)

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Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 05-09-2004, 01:43 AM:

Well, I had been out of projection booths for a bit over a year, and got back into it.

So far, it's been rather fun - the place is a single screen, only 100 seats in the auditorium. Naturally, it's a changeover set up. [Smile]

I'm working with a pair of Century MSA's in need of some TLC. I think that right now I might be the one person there giving the most attention to the cleanliness of the projectors, but I know my cleaning habits will catch on with my co-workers. [thumbsup]

So, at the moment, I am working two jobs, and having little time off. [uhoh]

I'm looking to rectify that PDQ - but then too, my patience level will surprise me at times when I least expect it. ...And I'll admit to thinking that film is more fun than shoes!

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 05-09-2004, 01:58 AM:

*waits for the spoof thread(s) started by Joe, Jeremy and or Phil Hill*

Al Bundy worked in a shoe store, you should be proud to be in such good company. I only have one job, however I am currently working at three theatres in the area, so I know how it is.

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 05-09-2004, 12:36 PM:

quote: Chris Hipp
*waits for the spoof thread(s) started by Joe, Jeremy and or Phil Hill*

Hey, I would never do something like that... [evil]

quote: Chris Hipp
you should be proud to be in such good company.

I am proud to be in such good company with Joe and Phil. [Cool]

Congratulations Gracia!! [thumbsup]

Note to self: Start a "Chris Hipp is a jerk" thread. [Big Grin]

Posted by Jennifer Pan (Member # 2035) on 05-09-2004, 01:24 PM:

quote: Jeremy Fuentes
Note to self: Start a "Chris Hipp is a jerk" thread.

You should change that to -- Note to self: Start a "Christopher Alan Hippinator is a jerk" thread.

Formally known as "Jesus Christ" [evil]

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 05-09-2004, 02:02 PM:

Glad you are back with us long time no hear from
Is it a carbon or a Xenon booth
lets have all the details and dirt on the place [Big Grin]

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 05-09-2004, 02:10 PM:

And here we thought all your waking hours were spent [sex]

but running changeovers is a different kind of joy.

A shoe store eh? I know a film editor whose favorite put-down was to call someone a shoe clerk.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 05-09-2004, 03:35 PM:

"Would you like that in a pump or a loafer?" (From "Swimming With Sharks")

Welcome back Gracia!

>>> Phil

Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 05-09-2004, 11:20 PM:

Well, let's see, the place has xenons instead of carbon.

All sorts of quirks to this place!
Projector 1 is a bit tricky to get the lamp lit from time to time, and is the harder one to focus after a lens change. Generally, if one area of the screen is going to be less focused than the rest, it's the far right side of the screen.

Let's see, when I started there less than a month ago, the pedals both worked fine for the changeover process. About a week and a half ago, when I was starting a 5PM show of Triplets of Belleville I heard something go *POP* quickly followed by the distinct smell of singed electrical bits. I jumped back and was trying to figure out what the hell happened when there was a second *POP*. Turns out that somehow the pedal stuck long enough to get some kind of short rendering the pedal useless, and fouling up the 'Zipper' on projector 2. So when the pedal by 2 was tapped, the internal douser on 1 would close, but the internal douser on 2 was stuck open. A situation that made changeovers interesting. [uhoh]

This past Thursday when I arrived at the cinema, two electricians were tinkering with things as there was a short somewhere that caused a breaker to trip when attempting to run a show. [Eek!]

Right now everything is rigged for completely manual changeover. The internal dousers aren't stuck and can be opened and closed manually. Switching from 2 to 1 is easier than 1 to 2, because with the former, you're already standing between the machines and can reach everything you need to. With the latter, it's a matter of turning on the motor & opening the hand douser at the first cue, darting around behind 2 to get in place to close the dousers on 1 right after switching the sound to 2 & opening the internal douser on 2. By the by, we get the lamp struck right after the 'reel end bell' sounds.
The whole clambering around to do it all manually may be a bit unorthodox, but it's keeping us on screen. [thumbsup]

Tonight while I was there closing, I was projecting Touching The Void ... which I must say, has been the most difficult film to project on changeover of the ones I've projected thus far at this cinema. The cue marks are damned small, and white, so they blend in great with all the images of snow! [Mad]

Heh, I'm also the unofficial 'marquee bitch', being that I'm not afraid of heights, and can wrangle an extension ladder. [eyes]

Other odds & ends, there's a dvd player and a vcr hooked up to a video-type of projector that hangs from the ceiling in the auditorium. We show our 'pre-show' dvd with that. That setup is also employed when the place is rented out for birthday parties or larger group things. Birthday parties are done in the AM so as to not interfere with show scheduling, and the kids can bring their own movie to watch, or a video game system to hook up and play on the big screen. [Big Grin]

Now I'm not saying that I hate my job at the shoe store, but the job just doesn't really "fit" me anywhere near as much as working at a cinema. Shoe store dress code decrees no denim, at all. Cinema dress code says jeans are A-OK. Shoe store dress code states no "wild hair", at the cinema, I could show up with purple hair, and no one would be upset.
What can I say? I love to wear jeans, and I want my hair to be purple again. [evil]

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 05-09-2004, 11:44 PM:

quote: Gracia L. Babbidge
Heh, I'm also the unofficial 'marquee bitch', being that I'm not afraid of heights, and can wrangle an extension ladder.

I forget which theater it was but my boss said that someone that was changing his marquee signs at his old theater was drunk and fell of the ladder and died. He had to clean up the "leftovers"

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 05-10-2004, 02:33 AM:

The summer before last a 'phone engineer in south London was working at the top of a telegraph pole next to a railway line, which he had reached by means of a tall ladder. While he was harnessed to the pole, the ladder blew down underneath him, and fell in such a way as to short two conductor rails on the line. This knocked out a large part of London's commuter network (the trains are all electic and take their power from those rails), thereby delaying thousands of travellers for several hours in a sweltering August evening...

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 05-10-2004, 03:41 AM:

...and leaving him up a pole with no ladder.

gracia, is this your first c/o job? if so, how was the transition? is it easy going from platters to c/o?

carl

Posted by Jim Spohn (Member # 1547) on 05-10-2004, 11:56 AM:

Welcome back Gracia. How do you like doing changeovers? Right now my wife is learning to run the booth at our theatre (changeover with carbon) and she loves it. ... Jim

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 05-10-2004, 12:05 PM:

As a matter o course I always replace those foot switchs with a large high current rated push button on the front wall. Also I usually put in the kelmar changeovers rather than the zippers

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-10-2004, 12:54 PM:

Gracia--congratulations on the job and please send in pictures of both your new and old theatres. [Smile]

Gordon--I agree that Kelmar changeovers are better than zippers, but is it really worth upwards of $500 per pair of machines to do the upgrade? Personally, I don't think that I would do it unless the zippers were completely shot.

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 05-10-2004, 06:00 PM:

...from Gordon:

quote: Gordon McLeod
Also I usually put in the kelmar changeovers rather than the zippers

Sure wish there was a muffler for those things (I have them everywhere here!). They work great, but make 6 times more racket than a Weaver. I can imagine a changeover booth would need good ports to keep people in the audience from wondering what's getting dropped every 15 minutes or so!

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 05-10-2004, 08:26 PM:

Gracia, 20 minute reels or 6000 footers?

Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 05-11-2004, 12:16 AM:

This would be my first time in a c/o booth. Not a hard transition to make at all. [Big Grin]

It's fun.
Having worked with Century SA's before, working with the Century MSA does not seem like anything new & different.

That would be 20 minute reels. [Smile]

I intend to get some pictures to show, sometime soon.

Interesting booth! There is more space between floor & ceiling where the projectors are than the rest of the booth.

I stand at 5'5", and in the 'upper' end of the booth, if I'm standing, there is about an inch and a half between the ceiling and the top of my head! [Eek!]

One of my current co-workers was a student at Bowdoin college, with a film archiving major. In the fall she's off to England to earn her masters. :thumbup:

The "staff" consists of five people, and one dog. John is the owner, thus the dude generally in charge. The dog is John's (large mutant variety) Pomeranian, named Bruno. The rest of us are all girls. Renee, Emma, Audrey ~film archivist~, and myself (youngest to eldest). It's a fun environment. [Cool]

And for the curious, the concesstion stand has pepsi products, as well as ocean spray slushies, jordan almonds, and real butter on the popcorn! [thumbsup]

Posted by Kyle Caudill (Member # 1252) on 05-11-2004, 02:27 AM:

nothing like changing a marquee when it is snowing and lugging hot water up and down a ladder to melt the ice off to change the letters....

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 05-11-2004, 11:24 AM:

quote: Gracia L. Babbidge
Having worked with Century SA's before, working with the Century MSA does not seem like anything new & different.

That's becuse the only difference between the SA and MSA is the method used to drive the projector and soundhead, and the gear ratios of the mainshaft and lower vertical shaft gears. [Smile]

Welcome back, you will find changeovers far more challenging (and more fun) than boring platters [Wink]

-Aaron

Posted by Paul Cassidy (Member # 951) on 05-11-2004, 12:14 PM:

I would only really like to work with 20min Reels , as it keeps you busy .... but are you re striking the lamps or leaving them on ? as with Carbons I would try to find a spot in the film to strike up without making it noticeable that you about to change over . [beer]

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 05-12-2004, 07:20 AM:

Gracia you're alive! [Big Grin]

Glad you got back in a theater, now it's my turn.