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Author Topic: Where to place the lamphouse in your training program Ken Lackner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1907 From: Atlanta, GA, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 10-08-2003 06:12 PM                     I am currently working to help develop a booth training program for my theater. Regarding in what order to place the section on the lamphouse, I can see two possible viewpoints. On one hand, changing a bulb and performing maintenance on the lamphouse could be potentially dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. And although mistakes made in other areas of the booth can cause equipment and/or print damage, mistakes made while changing a bulb or working in the lamphouse can be much more costly, even life-threatening. On the other hand, every projectionist should know how to change a bulb in case an emergency arises. With that in mind, where would you place the lamphouse section in your training program? Should it be towards the begining with the day-to-day booth operations, or should it be it's own dedicated section and saved for last?  |  IP: Logged Michael Cunningham Expert Film Handler Posts: 186 From: Anchorage, AK Registered: Nov 1999 posted 10-08-2003 06:52 PM                     In my opinion, the procedures involved in proper lamphouse maintenance and Xenon bulb changing are complex enough that a projectionist should have extensive booth experience and previous knowledge before attempting to learn them. There are, most likely, some trainees who couild pick it up early, but for general purposes and safety, I would wait 'til the end of your training program to teach this. - Mike  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 10-08-2003 07:03 PM                        I share that opinion. While the lamphouse and its basic functions are usually explained early on in training programs, you should wait until the end of the program until you address handling and changing the lamp. In fact, unless you have some people who are very quick to pick up things, you probably shouldn`t cover that in basic training at all. Rather wait for a little while and see how well the projectionists do in daily operation and then entrust the lamp handling to one or two persons you know work meticuluously and reliably. While changing the lamp is not at all difficult, we all know that mishandling the lamp or the installation can cause serious material or personal damage.  |  IP: Logged Chris Hipp Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1462 From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas) Registered: Jul 2003 posted 10-08-2003 07:25 PM                     I concur. However, I think you should cover safe Xenon bulb handling, no actually handling one. At least make sure they understand how dangerous they can be.  |  IP: Logged Ken Lackner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1907 From: Atlanta, GA, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 10-08-2003 07:45 PM                     I agree with everyone's opinions on why it should be covered at the end. However, I want everyone to be prepared to change one *properly* in the event of an emergency (bulb explodes, etc...). Seems like a tough decision.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 10-08-2003 07:48 PM                        I would put the xenon lamp safety and handling module late in your course, and limited to those who have shown the ability to understand and learn the material, and have a mature attitude toward safety. NO ONE should be allowed to open the lamphouse or handle a xenon lamp without proper training and wearing approved safety equipment. OSRAM has an excellent training tape available, and it's likely other lamp manufacturers do too. Here is the NASA manual for handling xenon lamps (NASA uses xenon lamps to illuminate launch pads and simulate solar energy): http://osat-ext.grc.nasa.gov/gso/manual/chapter_26.pdf NASA once made a training film showing a very large xenon lamp exploding in slow motion, after being struck by a weight on a pendulum. Has anyone else seen it, or know where a copy is? It clearly showed the danger of an exploding lamp, even when cold.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-08-2003 07:59 PM                        Since the actual bulb-changing procedure is pretty simple and is usually covered pretty thoroughly in the manual for the lamphouse, it's probably sufficient to show people the safety equipment and explain the potential dangers of xenon bulbs. Hopefully if the need to change a bulb arises, the person will be smart enough to look in the manual and will also remember the importance of wearing the safety equipment. You might want to demonstrate how to touch up the bulb/reflector alignment (without opening the lamphouses) earlier, though, since that part needs to be done more often than bulb changes, and isn't dangerous. Better yet, just send everyone to Projection Camp; that way, you won't have to worry about training....  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-08-2003 08:13 PM                     I always demonstrate the workings of the lamphouse to new workers but I don't ask them to retain anything until later on. Each new projectionist is taught at his/her own pace. I demonstrate how to work the controls. I show them the inside of the lamphouse and point out all the important parts. I tell them what to do if the lamp doesn't strike. The number of my cellular phone is posted above the phone in the booth. Strict instructions are given: "If anything goes wrong that you don't understand, shut everything down and call me immediately." I would rather inconvenience a few customers for 5 minutes due to a shutdown, even if it was only precautionary, than risk injury or equipment damage that could put out of commission for the rest of the night. As workers progress it ought to become clear who's got the grey matter to understand how to do the job. Those people are trained first. Schedules are worked out in advance so that there is never a time when there isn't at least one person capable of doing the job. As more workers mature enough to handle it the task of scheduling gets easier. In any case, each and every trainee is told the same thing upon beginning the lesson: "If you are uncomfortable working around electricity or handling lamps, that's OK. We'd rather have you bow out gracefully than risk injury or damage because you're nervous. We'll find somebody else if we have to." The psychology of this works on several levels. People who don't feel like they are being "forced" to do a "dangerous job" are more comfortable learning the job from the outset. They learn faster and better. (It also covers your legal ass to a certian extent. ) PS: If you can do so in a quasi-safe manner, explode an old, used xenon lamp for the class. Put it inside the dumpster to contain the explosion and turn on the compactor to break it. It's cool for people to see. People like to hear lamps go "Bang!" However, in the back of people's minds they will always remember, "If a xenon lamp can do THAT inside a steel dumpster, what would it do to ME if I dropped one?!" Don't do it for the new recruits, lest you scare them off! Only do it in front of the ones who have done it a few times and keep it on a "fun" level. (As much as serious demonstration of the destructive power of a lamp can be made fun.)  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 10-08-2003 08:14 PM                     I agree - late in the training session. Scott, the trouble is getting them to read the manual in the first place. It is truly amazing how some individuals will do practically anything to avoid reading the manual. Manuals are like a plague to them. Maybe many of them simply don't know how to read. It is more wide spread than most people will care to admit.  |  IP: Logged Chris Hipp Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1462 From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas) Registered: Jul 2003 posted 10-08-2003 08:16 PM                     I actually got in trouble on my first day in booth for reading the strong manuals. I am not an expert but most of the stuff I know I learned from reading the manuals.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 10-08-2003 08:17 PM                     Chris, as did I. Anyone who chastises someone from reading a tech manual on the equipment should be emasculated.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-08-2003 08:31 PM                        Paul--good point. No one ever showed me how to change bulbs; I learned about it (and many other things) from reading manuals and by seeking out and talking with more experienced operators. Considering what many theatres pay right now, and considering that the chain-run gigaplexes sometimes don't offer a very pleasant working environment, it's not surprising that they have trouble hiring people who can read.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 10-08-2003 10:41 PM                        quote: OSRAM has an excellent training tape available, and it's likely other lamp manufacturers do too. I have the tape. It is very well done. Unfortunately, there is no slow-motion explosion in this one I don`t have the video equipment to convert this video to mpeg or similar. It would be nice if somebody could do that and post it here for download.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 10-10-2003 12:11 AM                     Our film handlers are paid to thread-and-start only. As such, that is the focus of the training program. Operators are not authorized to carry out any kind of maintenance on the equipment. There is a separate advanced course on staging prints and trailer packs. If the theatre has a booth supervisor, that person is given a small kit to ensure that the projectors can be cleaned and the intermittent movements can be kept oiled. This mainly applies to remote locations (on other islands) but, even so, they do not have much use for those kits as the machines are maintained on a constant preventive schedule. Other than that, the rule is "if it requires a screwdriver, call for service." No kidding -- that is one of the 'fill-in-the-blanks' questions on the test at the end of the course. Of course, these decisions arose out of my personal experience. I have had my share of bad luck with operators wreaking havoc with the booth equipment. There is no way I would trust them with handling Xenon lamps. I have no doubt that someone would get hurt before too long. "Your mileage may vary." Trainees are simply told that Xenon equipment is potentially dangerous. They learn how to identify any switches, handles, etc) by name and function and some of these are included on the written exam. When they see me wearing the Xenon safety gear, they usually leave the room in a hurry. BTW -- Depending on which test is used, there is sometimes a bonus question asking about carbon arcs, which is a topic from a brief "history" class. [ 10-10-2003, 02:16 PM: Message edited by: Manny Knowles ]  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 10-10-2003 02:04 PM                     I've been reminded that there was one guy a while back who was really smart and I trusted him with changing Xenons and setting Dolby levels and other stuff like that. Whatever happened to that guy? I'll tell you. Eventually he got his pilot's license and has since left the company to fly for an overnight courier service. This only goes to prove my point that the wage we are paying these days leaves us with a certain caliber of employee who probably shouldn't be asked to do anything beyond basic film handling. On the off-chance that you get a good worker, you can rest assured he/she won't be around for too long -- unless you're willing to offer "professional" rate of pay to make it worthwhile for them. I try to get college students. It means a higher turnover but I prefer to train a new batch of motivated young people every year rather than have a bottom-dweller for life.  |  IP: Logged

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