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Author
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Topic: Main and Dust Curtains
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Josh Jones
Redhat
Posts: 1207
From: Plano, TX
Registered: Apr 2000
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posted 05-15-2000 07:30 PM
We do.we use a platter system so we don't usually close the grand drape between trailors. On occasion we do run cartoon shorts and close the drapes between cartoons and the main feature. Josh
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John Pytlak
Film God
Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 05-16-2000 06:45 AM
Check out Marty Hart's "Widescreen Museum" website, which has quite a bit of material on the "Showmanship" used for widescreen and roadshow presentations in the 50's and 60's. As an example, check out the "Special Exhibitor's Manual" for CinemaScope, which includes suggestions on proper use of curtains:
http://www.simplecom/net/widefilm/widescreen/cs-cover.htm ------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
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Mark Ogden
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 943
From: Little Falls, N.J.
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 05-16-2000 08:13 PM
What everyone has been referring to as the "dust curtain" is what I used to know as the "title curtain". In the early days up to about the mid sixties, the practice around here was: open main curtain, open title curtain, show short, cartoon, trailers, close title curtain and change over to first reel of feature. Now, it used to be that the logo and titles were always the first thing on the reel, and the practice was to finally open the title curtain as the title of the film was on the screen. Some guys stuck it out until after the director's credit and opened after the film's action began.
Eventually, of course, this all went away, as films were released that had a good deal of action before the credit sequence began. It was all pretty pretentious anyway, IMHO.
(Although here in the Big Apple, the Ziegfeld is still closing the title curtain between the last trailer and feature snipe. It's still a big thing at some of the bigger singles on the Left Coast, too).
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George Roher
Master Film Handler
Posts: 266
From: Washington DC
Registered: Jul 99
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posted 05-16-2000 11:06 PM
I think any theatre is incomplete without a curtain. There are many theatres around here that used curtains but now leave them open for the slides. When I worked for GCC, I discovered that two of our houses still had working curtains and I decided to put them to use. The floor staff would yell on the walkie-talkie, "There's something wrong with the screen in theatre 1!!. We can't see the screen!!" Of course, there wasn't something wrong, something was actually RIGHT for once. They couldn't undestand that and they wanted the slides turned back on so I gave up. The curtain is still used at the Uptown, in spite of the slides. Whenever I work a shift there, I close the curtain at least 2 (and sometimes 5) minutes before the show. And I always close the curtain at the end of the show, wait a few minutes, then open it on the slides.
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Richard C. Wolfe
Master Film Handler
Posts: 250
From: Northampton, PA, USA
Registered: Apr 2000
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posted 05-21-2000 12:25 AM
We still use our title curtain for every show here at our theatre. The proscenium curtain is only used for stage shows, but had been used before films years ago, but is no longer motorized. We also still close and reopen the curtain between the trailer and feature for most showings. We do not use slides...never will. I refuse to use any form of advertising unless on the ad curtain...ah, does anyone know what an ad curtain is?
Our typical program starts as follows: House lights on auditorium chandeliers are dimmed from full amber to red top and blue bottoms...then amber stage lights, both foot and borders... dim leaving the stage curtain washed in red from the foots and blue from the overhead border. The theatre logo then begins to appear on the curtain and it begins to open. The logo was designed to emerge on the screen in sync with the curtain opening so that it appears only on the screen and grows until full size just as the curtain is fully open. Meanwhile, the curtain is opening and the red foots and blue borders fade away to disappear just as the curtain is completely open. Now the policy trailer comes on screen, followed by a cartoon, then the following snipes: Previews of Coming attractions, Oue Next Attraction, Starts Friday, then the trailer. When the title appears near the end of the trailer the curtain begins to close while the red footlights again fade up. At the end of the trailer, another snipe announcing: Remember This Attraction Starts Friday appears, and during this the curtain has completely closed. Now our Feature Presentation snipe with fanfare begins and the curtain opens once again while the red footlights fade away, once again timed to be off just as the curtain is open and the feature begins (and hopefully the studio logo appears). While the curtain was closing and reopening the auditorium houselights that were at 50% during the preshow segments, slowly dimmed until completely off. The preshow music is also coordinated so that a number ends exactly as the theatre logo hits the screen. On Saturday nights this is coordinated with the organist at the console of the mighty WurliTzer pipe organ.
At the end of the show the screen is washed with the red and blue stage lights during the credits, until the MPAA logo appears, and then the curtain slowly closed over the copyright info and the rating that usually is the last thing to appear. This is the only way we will ever do it. It's been done at this theatre for over 67 years, and we aren't about to change now. Out patrons wouldn't want it any other way. Most of our daters are reprints of old ones from Filmack. After the cartoon, we even use "Lets Go To The Lobby". Our patrons sing along with that one! Why did theatres use that curtain closing and reopening bit you ask? It was a holdover from vaudeville when it was done between acts or different parts of the program. When vaude died it was used between the different parts of the film program. Most of the time just between the preshow stuff and the feature as we do yet today. Preshow stuff? The cartoon, newsreel, comedy short, travelogue, the singalong slides with organ accompaniment and maybe even a live act or two. The feature wasn't usually more then 60 to 70 minutes. The show was made up to be about 2 hours. And to think of running all that on twenty minute reels with carbon arc. It kept us busy. All this was done under the banner of "Showmanship".
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