Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: One of my first booths gone....

This is topic One of my first booths gone.... in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Tony L. Hernandez (Member # 3524) on 02-12-2007, 12:42 AM:

I was visiting the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley, CO today for a travel film (presented on DVD with LCD projector on the sound rack)for the first time in a few years and when I walked in, to my horror, found upon looking to the rear of the theater that the projection booth that I took care of had been torn out...seating now goes all the way back to the wall. I took care of the booth when I was like 13 and continued doing so until they converted from their EIKI 16mm system to DVDs when I was 15 or so. They only do 7 movies or so a year but wouldn't it have been better to keep the booth and 1. keep the 16mm stuff for versatility and/or backup 2. Stick the goddamn Digital equipment in there rather than the sound rack? That place is in no need of seating with 2 balconies and a capacity for over 12k.

Anyway, I am angry and sad to see another screen permanently do away with film and a place with so many happy memories gone.....

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 02-12-2007, 01:18 AM:

A seating capacity of 12,000 and they showed 16mm and now DVD?! Is that a typo?

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 02-12-2007, 01:34 AM:

That must hurt!

I just counted and it seems that I've been paid to work in 19 different booths in the last nine years or so. All but one of them are still there (though some have changed significantly since I worked there) and I now own the equipment from the one that isn't. This is a pretty good record so far, though I have no doubt that I'll be quite sad when (not if) any of the venues where I have worked closes or loses its film capability. I am quite fond of all of them; even the dumpier venues have a certain amount of charm and will be missed when gone.

Posted by Tony L. Hernandez (Member # 3524) on 02-12-2007, 01:44 AM:

Haha Dustin. I wish it was a typo. I could never understand it myself so please don't ask me to explain. According to my old boss who worked there since it was constructed and opened in 1986 until 2004, that is all they ever had; no 35mm equipment ever. The booth sat on the main floor and was VERY sparsely equipped. 2 projectors, 3 house reels and a Kodak press tape splicer and splicing tapes. That was it. Every blue moon, the projectors would be moved to the 150 seat auditorium in the facility for a show when the large house was being used for something more important. The projectors were a portable auditorium style (EIKI) equipped with xenon lamps and a changeover/dowser system. These projectors also got dragged out when the City of Greeley (who owns the Union Colony Civic Center) put on movies in the park, about 3 times in the summer. Thats on DVD now too. I have no idea what happened to that now retired equipment. I do not know any of the current employees/management/volunteers there. The 16mm film actually looked OK in that big place. The DVD they played today from the first balcony sound rack looked like [bs]

I hope that's the only booth of mine I see go away. Unfortunately, I never took any pictures.

Scott, I have worked in 5 booths (soon to be six) anddone general work in 2 theaters. All the rest are still there and running film.

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 02-12-2007, 05:17 AM:

quote: Tony L. Hernandez
a capacity for over 12k

What are you smoking, Tony? The main hall at the UCCC seats 1,665.

Posted by Tony L. Hernandez (Member # 3524) on 02-12-2007, 11:52 AM:

Lol thahnks Adam. That WAS a typo.....Although I bet to most people in Greeley it appears to seat 12k....

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 02-12-2007, 12:35 PM:

Any pictures of this theatre? Even 1665 seems a tad large to be showing 16mm and DVD's. I apologize if I underestimate the capabilities of 16mm, never worked with it or seen it, but DVD's?!

Anyhow, to the original topic, I can understand your sense of loss. I've worked in the same theatre for 9 years now, I think I could thread all 12 projectors (well, if we still had 12 35mm projectors) with a blindfold on.

Posted by Tony L. Hernandez (Member # 3524) on 02-12-2007, 12:49 PM:

The film worked just fine. The DVD works but looks like garbage seeing as they only have a little LCD projector. I have worked a ton with 16mm film over the years. A lot of National Park Service visitor centers employed a fully automatic continous loop 16mm system to show a 10-30 minute visitor orientation film in thier in house theaters which sometimes would seat as few as 60 or as many as 300. I still have a dual 16mm system (Kodak Ektagraphic adapted with a very nice changeover box hand crafted by our other volunteer projectionist) at The Rialto that I use about 3 times a year...once on March 1st for a special cartoon showing for Children's Day, a city of Loveland holiday, where we switch back and foreth between four cartoons from noon until four and then acouple-three other times for features we cant get on 35mm or DVD. We used to do our yearly April 1st Three Stooges Film Festivel on 16mm film too but that has given way to bad 35mm prints in the past couple years. The Rialto Seats 460...

I don't have any pics of The Union Colony Civic Center but I was planning on taking some at the Rialto when I'm down there Wednesday for some showings...

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 02-12-2007, 03:20 PM:

There are a couple of small photos on the UCCC website.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 02-12-2007, 03:23 PM:

Then again, it also depends on the size of the screen. When I first came to the Brooklyn Performing Arts Center, they were using two 16mm machines in a 2500 seat house -- but the screen was a postage size stamp in the middle of a 45ft proscenium. I think the lenses were 4in. But they were Eastman 25Bs with the Strong built carbon arc lamphouses, they did fine. But the first thing I did was convince them to install 35mm instead. We moved one of the Eastmans to the far left of the big booth and cut a new port for it, and then put in two Simplex in the existing two ports. Nice thing is, for them to ever go to video, they would really need one hell of an expensive video projector to fill the screen which is now full proscenium.

They don't have that kind of money. Barco is selling a three DLP chip projector, marketing it for "home" theatre, for $115,000.00 (isn't this what the theatrical machines cost?). If my GM ever starts talking about putting in digital so they can show DVDs, I'll just hand him the Barco literature on that home theatre projector and I'll circle the list price in big red magic marker. That will put a stop to all the "why not install digital" talk. [Wink]