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Author Topic: Mark that Frame Knob Dave Michelsen Film Handler Posts: 8 From: Yorba Linda, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2003 posted 03-29-2003 08:15 PM                     OK, maybe I haven’t run a booth for over 30 years but, after today’s experience in my local AMC, I feel someone might benefit from an old trick. I sat through a whole show wanting to get up and fix the framing as heads were cut off by the screen masking. Since it was probably only “professionally noticeable” most people were not aware of the problem. I didn’t really want to get up disturbing others in the row to go complain. (I also didn’t want to miss part of the movie.) I did tell the manager after the show. My trick is actually two tricks. Trick #1: Place a mark on the frame knob at the point where the picture centers vertically on the screen. To find this spot look at still credits, matted trailers, an alignment reel, etc. Then when you thread up, be sure the frame knob is in this “calibrated” position. Trick #2: Look out the port at the screen at least once in a while to be sure everything is OK. Pretty basic and easy huh?—Say “yes”. Now I’m sure you guys already do this, right? . .well all of you except the guy (or gal) at my local AMC. Anyway, just a little tip from this old dude. DM  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 03-29-2003 08:46 PM                        Decently designed projectors (like Kinoton) have a framing center marking anyway. But as long as lowly paid, badly trained operators operate the equipment (and that will probably be forever), what use is it? It literally doesn`t pay to work well in a cineplex, so we wll have to live with these problems or at least see to it that they don`t occur in our "own" location. I always told operators I trained to check the frame knob, and to reset it to center should they need it to change bad framing due to threading or splicing mistakes IMMEDIATELY after the show in which the problem occured.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 03-29-2003 08:47 PM                     I've got a trick that works better, just lock the damn knob down. If they can't thread in frame, then they can stop the show and fix it. I feel it is better to stop an occasional show due to a misthread for a minute and be dead center than run countless shows slightly out of frame. Unfortunately this doesn't work at art houses due to the various prints they run and the need to occasionally tweek framing for one reason or another (usually subtitles). I've found the framing knobs are too sensitive to rely on a marker. The framing can still be way off. Focus knobs however benefit nicely from an arrow when mixing acetate and polyester stocks.  |  IP: Logged Ray Brown Expert Film Handler Posts: 111 From: Dayton, WA, USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 03-29-2003 08:59 PM                        This is the position where we keep the frame knob on our Simplex. It should always be in this position. Not this position : I agree with Brad, lock the damn thing down.  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 03-29-2003 09:26 PM                     quote: I've got a trick that works better, just lock the damn knob down. If they can't thread in frame, then they can stop the show and fix it. But would they? I've had trouble getting theatre staff to fix the framing even when the frame line and the next frame is showing on screen. And they STILL do nothing.  |  IP: Logged Jim Alexander Film Handler Posts: 71 From: Greenwood, Nova Scotia, Canada Registered: Nov 1999 posted 03-29-2003 09:44 PM                        I've said this before, and I may as well say it again. Professionalism is the disire to the absolute best you can and to always look for ways to improve yourself. Mistakes will happen, and when they do, you earn your pay. Framing is one of those basic steps that MUST be right or you better fix it. For Dave to have had to sit through a complete show with it off frame shows that not all out there seem to consider themselves professionals. Thanks for the tip Dave... it may have been thirty years, but I'm sure you still have a lot to offer those of us who strive to learn more.  |  IP: Logged Don Bruechert Mmmmmmmmm, bird! Posts: 340 From: Manitowoc, WI, USA Registered: Jan 2003 posted 03-29-2003 09:53 PM                        All of our projectors have framing lights behind the aperature. Generally, if a show was properly framed from the last run you should be able to align the film on the sprockets so that neither of the frame lines show in the aperature window. Then go a step further and give the flywheel a flip to be sure it stays in frame. The guy who taught me showed me this and I almost never start a movie out of frame. We do have a couple of projectors that are a bit different (instead of a flat gate they have a curved gate, and a thin stainless steel pressure plate to hold the film against the gate. On those I line it up so the top frame line is gone, but the bottom one still shows, but that is correct for that projector. Once you know how your projector looks when it is framed there should be no reason to ever let the audience see a movie start out of frame.....  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 03-29-2003 09:53 PM                     quote: But would they? I've had trouble getting theatre staff to fix the framing even when the frame line and the next frame is showing on screen. And they STILL do nothing. Most definitely they would fix it. When you are 1/2 perforation out of frame, many of these "non-professionals" do not see the problem and write off your complaint to a "crazy customer". When they thread up out of frame and are one full perforation off, you can't NOT notice.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-29-2003 09:55 PM                     Except for one thing... If you push in on the framing knob and turn it, you will unlock the knob from the mechanism and it will move without altering the framing. I made the mistake of letting this knowledge out to the wrong kids one evening: I was visiting a theater on my regular route when I noticed that each and every framing knob was cranked way off its normal position. I went around and straightened every one. When the projector wasn't running, I centered the mechanism and reset the knob to center position. The next day they were ALL out of whack again. I grabbed the kid on duty that night and asked him whether he was threading projectors in frame. He lied right to my face and told me that he ALWAYS did. I told him that I could tell just by looking at the projector that he was lying. I told him that I had set the knobs so that they were all the same when the projector was in frame. Again, I made sure all of the knobs were centered that evening. The next day I walked down the row and all the knobs were in the proper position. I thought nothing more on the subject until I went over to one projector to thread up a loop of test film. I noticed that the intermittent was cranked again but the knob was level! That lying little bastard actually had the balls to thread the projectors out of frame as normal (for him) and then reset the knob so that it LOOKED like it was in frame! As far as I know, that kid STILL never ever threads in frame. I actually have a video clip of him starting a projector. He presses the button and his hand reflexively jumps from the start button to the framing knob! You'd think this stupid little bastard would realize that it actually takes MORE effort to thread out of frame and reset the framing knob than it does to just do it right in the first place!  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 03-30-2003 12:37 AM                    Someone like that needs to be fired. Incompetent. Unwilling to correct wrong behavior even when told. But worst of all is lying. Why is he still employed?  |  IP: Logged Jean-Michel Grin Expert Film Handler Posts: 222 From: Geneva & Lausanne, Switzerland Registered: Jul 2002 posted 03-30-2003 04:54 AM                        Past fews days, an aprentice projectionist forget to re-set the framing knob on a Monee projector. And of course when it re-treath it the picture was out of frame... Is tried to adjust it with the framing knob, but it was not suffiscient. (On a monee projector You can only "framing" on half picture) The Guy din't know what to do, he call the chief, the projector still running of course Finally it stop the projector, and re-thread it four times before the picture appears right on the screen.... And the best of this story: He told to the chief: "It's not my fault, this projector sucks !" I mean this guy sucks too  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-30-2003 08:46 AM                     Why not just get rid of the framing knobs completely....they then have to thread in frame or risk having to shut down the show to re-frame...... Mark  |  IP: Logged Mike Baer Film Handler Posts: 51 From: Winterthur, Switzerland Registered: Dec 2002 posted 03-30-2003 09:16 AM                        quote: The Guy din't know what to do, he call the chief, the projector still running of course Finally it stop the projector, and re-thread it four times before the picture appears right on the screen.... I think this guy should be fired. How can this happen,that they can`t thread in Frame?Don`t they use the Flywheel-Knob to set the intermittent and only try and hope that it is in Frame? The former Operater in this Multiplex that i`m working now,was the same idiot.Every Show he startet,he had to adjust the picture.  |  IP: Logged Ray Brown Expert Film Handler Posts: 111 From: Dayton, WA, USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 03-30-2003 10:00 AM                        quote: Then go a step further and give the flywheel a flip to be sure it stays in frame. This is a good habit to get in to and I always advance a couple frames by hand to make sure.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-30-2003 10:42 AM                     Steve K., That's probably the leading reason why I quit. One's ability to put up with idiots is directly proportional to the amount of moral support you have from family and other people. I was living 500 miles away from home at the time. If I had the ability to come home after a trip and say something like, "Boy! That kid, Adam, in Bristol, VA is an idiot!", I would have had more tolerance. After a year's worth of putting up with idiots like him, day after day, I was simply worn out. An opportunity arose to get a job in my home town so I jumped. That's my story in a nutshell.  |  IP: Logged

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