my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Extreme Projection Booth Makeover

Author Topic: Extreme Projection Booth Makeover Mark Farr-Nash Film Handler Posts: 40 From: Vernon, TX, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 06-02-2007 04:36 PM                        Hey folks, I'm starting to plan out the re-do of my 50+ year old projection booth. It's a small space, pretty mishmash (it got expanded once before, so there's still plumbing pieces in the walls), and I'm going to give it a good once-over, including things like new flooring. I'm really interested in soliciting opinions as to what makes the "cleanest" projection booth. Carpet? Tile? Neither? I'm pretty confident in the functionality of my workspace, but I want something that's (1) easy to clean and maintain, and (2) not going to harm the film. I welcome your input. Mark  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: Boulder Creek, CA. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 06-02-2007 04:47 PM                     Tile all the way, baby.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 06-02-2007 06:46 PM                     Carpet. Sooner or later you WILL have something happen where the film hits the floor, whether it is a failed takeup or even a tossed print. With anything other than carpet, that film WILL be scratched. Tile and other non-carpet floors is retarded. I've never had a lick of problems from carpeted booths. Just get low pile, tightly knit carpet and you will be fine. (Sorry Dom.)  |  IP: Logged Aaron Mehocic Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 804 From: New Castle, PA, USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-02-2007 06:54 PM                     Neither (although Brad did make a valid argument). I've worked with both , but find that non-painted sealed concrete flooring is about the best to keep clean and oil free.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 06-02-2007 07:29 PM                     Carpet. keeps the booth noise down. . If you want to go crazy though, then add the padding.... Definitely made this booth below much quieter - Monte  |  IP: Logged John Caswell Film Handler Posts: 35 From: Liverpool, Merseyside, UK Registered: Oct 2006 posted 06-02-2007 08:44 PM                     Definitely go with carpet.  |  IP: Logged Alex Grueneberg Expert Film Handler Posts: 125 From: Chicago, IL Registered: Aug 2004 posted 06-02-2007 09:00 PM                        I believe this is a tough call, they each have there straights and weakliness personally coming from working in both. Just look at how back and fourth the chains have been over the years. Brad is right about scratching with tile though. That's for sure..  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-02-2007 09:05 PM                     I am a believer in a good grade industrial tile floor that is kept mopped and waxed weekly noise levels I find are best controlled with acoustic tile on walls  |  IP: Logged Tony Ratcliff Expert Film Handler Posts: 216 From: Madison, IN, USA Registered: Mar 2002 posted 06-02-2007 09:24 PM                     Having worked in tile, concrete and carpet, I'd have to say I like carpet the best EXCEPT for keeping it clean. I have Simplex E-7s and so oil gets everywhere no matter how hard I try. And it doesn't want to come out of the carpet. Plus the carpet starts to stink after a while if you don't get it professionally cleaned, which is a lot more expensive than mopping a floor. One advantage not mentioned yet about a carpeted floor is the slipperiness factor. Again, if I did have tile, my booth floors would be very slippery I'm afraid.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Weigel Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1062 From: Edmond, OK, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 06-02-2007 09:57 PM                     Carpet all the way! Its much easier to push a vacuum cleaner than slopp'n a mop and bucket around.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 06-02-2007 10:08 PM                     And to be different...the AFI/Silver has this nifty rubber floor that self-heals. It keeps the noise down but more importantly...I've noticed that ones feet and knees are much better at the end of the day as compared to tile. It doesn't soak up liquids like carpet but I can't comment on the scratching aspect...they run reels there on all screens...no thrown prints. The big disadvantage is that if you drop something (particularly if it is small)...the rubber really makes it zoom a mile a way and quietly too.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Weigel Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1062 From: Edmond, OK, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 06-02-2007 11:11 PM                     Ah right on Steve! I forgot about getting shin splints when I went from an all carpeted building to an all tile building for a couple of years. That booth was a straight-line configuration with 16 screens and it was the length of a football field and 25-30ft wide.  |  IP: Logged Ron Curran Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 504 From: Springwood NSW Australia Registered: Feb 2006 posted 06-02-2007 11:38 PM                        Our booth is carpeted, pure wool of course, as legislation requires. One disadvantage is that fine fibres can escape, so you have to check every part of the film path for kamikaze carpet hair. And small items like grub screws or Film Tech cores will bounce away and hide under machines. Otherwise I wouldn’t like to change it. When we bought the business in 1968 the floor was lined with tin! I wonder if cork tiles would be suitable?  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 06-03-2007 12:07 AM                        Personally I'm partial to a well-maintained lawn. Sure, you have to mow it once a week, but at least you get that "freshly-cut-grass" smell that everyone loves. Seriously though, carpet is the best. Oil problems? Easy to fix! Just don't have Strong projectors, or any other kind of projectors that leak oil.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 06-03-2007 07:52 AM                        The cleanest cinemas we have are those with crete coated with epoxy 3 step paint. Lt grey is the best. I use this in the booth and on the auditorium floor as well. "50 years of floor maintenance in one day." No waxing, only occasional mopping and the ones from 20 years ago look like yesterday. Throw rug under the projector for film damage control and to catch the occasional drop of oil (hose it down outside and let it sun dry.) Louis  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.