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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Topic: Home film theaters...
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 02-22-2005 07:48 AM
Definitely do check out the picture gallery (look under "screening rooms"): you'll see everything from Holmes and Devry "portable" machines to full Norelco 70mm setups.
If you don't have space for full-size machines, "portables" are an option. I put "portables" in quotes because they are almost as heavy as theatre machines, but can be easier to transport. Theatre equipment will likely be cheaper, though, if you can find a booth that is being upgraded or a theatre that is closing and will be converted to another use. If you don't need the equipment right away and are on a budget, hold out for a good deal, rather than buying from a dealer. Shipping can be expensive if you can't find the equipment locally. If you want a changeover booth, try to get identical machines with sequential (or close) serial numbers.
There really is something for everyone's needs and budget--you can have a serviceable 35mm setup for under $1000 if you look hard enough and put some work into restoring older equipment. Or you can spend as much as you want to get the "perfect" acoustical room treatment, curtains, screen, sound system, seats, popcorn machine, etc.
For smaller spaces, 8mm and 16mm are also options. Derann Films in the UK can legally sell you super-8mm prints of recent features.
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Stephen Furley
Film God
Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
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posted 02-22-2005 08:28 AM
Derann Film Services are in Dudley, near Birmingham. Some of their Super-8 prints are of very high quality. Not all are, it depends on the quality of the elements they have to work from. For things like Disney films, and many other features, they are supplied with a 35mm interpos, from which a negative is made in Super-8 two up on 16mm 1-3 format. Many of the short films are derived from lower quality elements; it depends on what is available. Derann do not do their own printing; it used to be done by Rank, but when they stopped doing anything smaller than 35mm the work went to a lab in the North of the Country; I don't know which one.
Prints are supplied to Derann in 2000 foot rools, still in the 1-3 format; they do their own mag sriping, using the paste process. the prints are recorded, at double speed I think, from a sound master on 16mm fullcoat, still in the 1-3 format, and are then slit and spooled. all of this work is done in a small room at the back of their shop.
Four channel sound, matrixed from two tracks like 35mm optical, is possible on Super-8, with one track recorded on the main stripe and the other on the balance, which with this gauge is almost as wide, unlike 16mm. I don't think anybody is still doing optical sound on 8mm; it was always mono, and few projectors could handle it. It was used quite widely by the airlines at one time.
In the days when production volumes were larger Super-8 prints were generally made four-up in 35mm stock, 35,32 4R format, with a slightly larger perforation in the 3mm of waste film down one edge.
For a few years Technicolor even made dye transfer Super-8 prints. These were transferred on 35mm stock, as were all IB prints, but only three up. There were larger perforations, I'm not sure if they were standard 35mm ones or not, down each edge, which were used for registration on the pin belt.
For some years, before it was the case with 35mm, all new Super-8 prints have been on polyester base, and for some years now black and white films have had to be printed on colour stock, as black and white is no longer available.
Until just a few years ago there was somebody with their own lab below the shop in West London that was still printing standard-8, in 1-4 format, and somebody in France is still printing 9.5mm the last I heard.
I've seen a Derann print projected on a screen of about 30 feet, using an Elmo GS-1200 xenon projector. It was dim, as you might expect, but the quality of the image was much better than you might expect, considering that this is equal to a screen width of about a hundred feet with 35mm.
The film department is a fairly small part of the business of the company, located in an area at the back of the shop; They deal mainly in audio-visual equipment.
The cost of a Super-8 magnetic sound print can be not far short of the cost of a 35mm optical one.
New 16mm prints seem to be almost non-existant now, but there is a thriving market in used ones.
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Stephen Furley
Film God
Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
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posted 02-22-2005 12:22 PM
Until recently 35mm at home was almost unknown here. After the War cinemas used 35mm, but most other places used 16mm, as did most television production from about the time that the BBC went colour. By the time the nitrate problem was gone 16mm was well established as the gauge for use outside proper cinemas, including exhibitions, college lecture theatres etc. 35mm portable machines were never very common here.
At home people used 8 or 16mm some with quite sophisticated setups, stereo sound, curtains etc. There was somebody who even had a small organ in his home cinema.
I've booked a couple of films from the BFI for use at home, but these have been on 16mm. The last one at Christmas 2003 cost about 50 pounds. The BFI transported the print to their offices in London, and I collected it from there, to save the cost of sending it to me. I had to pay in advance by cheque, because I didn't have an account with them, but there were no problems making the booking.
Could an individual book a 35mm print for a home screening? I've never tried to do it.
I would imagine that there might be problems with a title that was on current release, I don't know whether the barring arrangements which used to exist still do, it's many years since I've been involved in anything like that, I did some booking for a festival once, in the '70s.
Are there any non-commercial distributors left? Do any of them handle 35mm? Could you book a print of a 'classic' film for home use? Has anybody tried this?
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Warren Smyth
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 158
From: Auckland ,New Zealand
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 02-22-2005 05:32 PM
I have found that film companies are generally willing to hire 35mm prints for screenings in a home theatrette on a flat rental basis. There is a window of opportunity between the time the prints have completed their initial run, and the time they are junked. There are some companies which hold on to prints for many years particularly the classics. Hiring policy no doubt varies depending on what part of the world you live. The current paranoa within the industry over piracy probably doesn't help, so it would be wise to check film availability before investing in 35mm equipment.
Now I know I am going to offend some with celluloid in the veins, but we must face reality. As far as 8mm and 16mm goes, many with home installations are now switching to DVD presentation. I have recently bought a digital projector which gives results which are better than 16mm. The one I bought, has a long focal length on the zoom which enables locating of the projector in the projection room. Some of these latest projectors with a HDMI link between the player and projector produce very impressive pictures and this is coming from someone who is used to 35mm quality. This is possible at comparitively the same cost as coloured TVs were when they originally came on the market. The limiting factor is the quality of the disk, but then some 16mm prints are pretty bad as well. The range of available product on DVDs is incredibly wide and increasing. As for 8mm, it's really a non starter now, with the digital alternative, unless you are running old home movies.
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