Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: We Want Your Opinion on Our New Website

This is topic We Want Your Opinion on Our New Website in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 10-18-2008, 02:02 PM:

The theatre is starting a new website, we'd like your comments on both the old and new ones. The address is www.byrdtheatre.com
the original site will open, there is a link to the new site near the top. Comment on all aspects, positive and negative remarks are welcome.
Thanks

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-18-2008, 05:48 PM:

From just a quick look, the new site looks very good. I really liked the video - it made me want to see the place in person.

On the old site, the front page is too long but it looks like the new site addresses that.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 10-18-2008, 07:54 PM:

Excellent Video !!

I can easily get lost in that pipework of that organ..and in the entire building. Definitely on the Historical list for sure!

The entire theatre is a treat in itself on how this place was preserved.

The cartoon that was shown on the screen at the Byrd comes from this Moving Images site ... Film was called "Finding his Voice." (1929).

Ah, wonderful XENEX lamphouses. Prob have glass mirrors in them.

But, miss seeing the Peerless lamphouses though...

Still, an excellent site for a classic movie palace!

..and this is definitely called "showmanship!" (you think that the new cinemas can catch onto this??)

-Monte

[ 10-18-2008, 10:08 PM: Message edited by: Monte L Fullmer ]

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 10-18-2008, 09:06 PM:

The auditorium picture is crooked.

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 10-18-2008, 09:18 PM:

Thanks for that fine nostalgic video tour. It's great to know such a theatre still operates, and its history parallels my lifetime. I haven't heard an organ like that in years, and using its sound throughout the presentation was like being transported back in a time machine.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-18-2008, 10:19 PM:

This bit from the general information page:

quote: The Byrd Theatre
804 358-3056 (Be prepared to leave a message: it is unlikely you will get anyone at this number at any time.) Note: Messages left at this number requesting schedule information will NOT be answered.

...seems bad. There doesn't seem to be a way to make a phone call to the theater and get a person. In an overall very friendly site, this particular bit is pretty UNfriendly. Just my 2¢. You could reword it: "Due to the fact that our bookings are made on very short notice, we are unable to answer messages asking for advance schedule information."

Posted by Steven J Hart (Member # 2340) on 10-18-2008, 11:17 PM:

Bill, the video tour is pretty good, but there is not much emphasis on your part of the theater, the projection booth. If not for the films, no one would come! A little more information on the booth would be appreciated. (At least by me!) What a beautiful theater. I'd love to work there!
Steve Hart

P.S. Could not make either of the audio clips of the Mighty Wurlitzer play on my computer.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-19-2008, 09:33 AM:

Very nice, although the old site had many more current photographs and information that would be nice to have available on the new site, too.

Anyone who hasn't been to the Byrd and is remotely within driving distance must go! It is probably my all-time favorite place to see a film.

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 10-19-2008, 03:55 PM:

I like the layout of the new site, especially the menu system, although the options in the lower row change a bit too slowly for my taste. I'm thinking of designing a couple of sites with a similar type of menu, but with a faster response.

I love the video, but I wish it was available in pieces, so, now that I've seen it, I could go directly to the organ section or the booth section or the history section. It's great for a first view, but not so good for later viewings.

Oh, that picture on the home page of the new site is absolutely stunning.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 10-19-2008, 06:51 PM:

I believe the off angle of the auditorium photo has been mentioned to the site manager. The pic is a panoramic and is extremely spread.
The audio clips are not up yet.
The organ is NOT half broken, more like 85% functional, the biggest malfunction is nearly useless combination action .
The office phone is answered when somebody is there which is only occasionally during the day. Business calls are returned several times a day. The message directs schedule inquirys to the movie line and unless there is really something unusual about the inquiry "what's playing?" calls are never returned, it's not possible.
The new site moves slowly because it's on a work server, when the site is fully loaded and ready to go it will be moved to a faster server.
The glass Xenex mirrors are a real problem, they flake badly and can't be touched for cleaning since the mirror material almost wipes off, I just blow them with an aerosol duster. The Peerless lamps went for scrap metal 2 years ago, they are probably part of a car by now.
Anybody got a solution to the glass mirror issue?
Keep the comments coming.
Thanks Bill

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 10-19-2008, 08:07 PM:

quote: Bill Enos
Anybody got a solution to the glass mirror issue?

In my carbon arc days running Ashcrafts, we would clean our mirrors with "Bon Ami" - a powder cleanser like AJAX, yet made out of feldspar that would clean, but not scratch.

We would make a paste of this cleaner and scrub the mirror to rid of soot and other deposits (course, we would us a single edge razor blade an scrape the blade across the surface of the mirror to remove the copper spits that would burn into the mirror glass) and then rinse afterwards.

This really made the mirrors have a deep shine to them.

I don't know if Bon Ami is still made, but it was definite the best glass cleaner one could use.

Has the organ pipework, leather on the windchests and actions been rebuilt, for there was never any mention of any rebuild?

-Monte

Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 10-19-2008, 09:13 PM:

Monte,

What were the mirrors made of in your old carbon arc days? If they were dichroic, cool reflectors, your method would render them without a coating very shortly.

We always brushed the soot off with a camel hair brush first. Then we used a liquid cleaner consisting of Kodak Foto-Flo 2000 wetting agent and distilled water. The final polishing was done with 90% IPA (alcohol) and a fresh Kim Wipe. These reflectors were in service for 5 shows a day, seven days a week for three years and the coatings were still in very acceptable condition.

KEN

Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 10-20-2008, 03:09 AM:

Bill:

In a word the new site is much classier than the old. I watched the video and noticed the teardrop curtain was extremely slow. Was that real time? Also is the screen true 2.35 x 1? With all that stage it could be bigger.

Monte:

I too used Bon Ami and yes it's still available. Most of the lamps I ran were Peerless Magnarcs (regardless of the make of projector) except for the occasional Ashcraft in a drive-in or on Brenkert machines.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 10-20-2008, 09:57 AM:

The curtain is not in real time. The video was made by some Virginia Commonwealth University students as a movie class project and much in it has been monkeyed with. The scope screen uses 36'9" of the 38 ft. proscenium opening, it is 2.35. Flat is a little narrower than it should be and is about 1.80.
The stage is only 12.5 feet from the footlights to the back wall, there are no dressing rooms or wings to speak of. When the speakers are cleared, they are parked in what little space there is. Usable performance space is about 28-30 feet wide by 10 feet deep. Our certificate of occupancy does not permit lights on stage since there is no firewall, they have allowed the use of the newest LED stage light since they make little or no heat.
As far as shows, the theatre is available for rent outside of our normal operating hours very inexpensively, the price goes SHARPLY up when rental goes into our regular movie times. The renter pays us, and takes all the risk, we don't do co promotions. Our feeling is that if the promoter has so little confidence in the show that he wants us to share the risk, why would we want to. At the same time, he pays the rent and gets the entire boxoffice.

Posted by Robert Minichino (Member # 3495) on 10-20-2008, 10:12 AM:

Some of the Ashcraft reflectors had the coating on the back, so those would be safe to clean with Bon Ami.

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 10-20-2008, 02:48 PM:

Bill, just a few thoughts on what is a very well organized site:
--Pictures section should be expanded to include current photos.
--Emphasize that the Byrd has updated equipment that can play most popular formats including video.
--The EXIT picture on the news page should be replaced with something else because it could be confused for a hyperlink.
--On the Restoration & History page maybe change the "Fundraising" link to "Restoration" to keep the context of the page title. Fundraising should fall under restoration because I assume that's what you are raising funds for.
--The video is very well made (even if they didn't credit Gary).

Just my opinions---

And someday I'll bring that film I have down for a screening if it doesn't dissolve from old age first.

---Rick