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Author Topic: Interlocking with delay Thomas Pitt Master Film Handler Posts: 266 From: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: May 2007 posted 03-09-2008 01:06 PM                     This is probably a stupid idea, but I just wanted to ask anyway... If you want to run the same movie in more than one screen but only have one print, you interlock - as demonstrated in the Interlocking 101 video. What if you wanted to 'stagger' the start times? For example, you might have one screen starting at 12:00 and another at 12:30. Is there any way of storing up the film temporarily to delay it before it gets to the second projector? Perhaps having a single platter doing BOTH take-up and pay-out at the same time? I suppose you could run the film from one end of the booth to the other and back using interlock rollers (in Interlocking 101, this gave a 20-minute delay between the first and last projectors), but that would be rather inconvenient. It's probably more convenient to get hold of two prints, but would the cost of getting a second print outweigh the hassle of doing a delayed interlock like this?  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 03-09-2008 02:15 PM                     Bah, old news to me since I first did it back in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean. I don't have pictures of all of the delayed interlock setups sadly. I've done a 10, 15, 20, 30 and a 40 minute setup. The differences all depended on the particular booth it was in and the amount of space they had to fly the film back and forth. Here are a couple of pics of the 15 minute delay. (It's all the room they had.) Here is a shot of the 40 minute setup. Don't even think of attempting this unless you have a CA21 or some other extremely reliable and flexible automation system. The concept is very simple. In reality there is a lot of shit that has to be just right for it to work without damaging film. You want 30 minutes of delay, so think about it...that's 3000 feet of film that has to be flying somewhere.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 03-09-2008 03:16 PM                        Wow, That is AWESOME!  |  IP: Logged Thomas Pitt Master Film Handler Posts: 266 From: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: May 2007 posted 03-09-2008 04:38 PM                     Sean said it, one of the most incredible film setups I've ever seen - even beats Interlocking 101! I thought of using a 'tank' of film, basically a box on the floor for the film to fall into and from which you would thread the second projector when it's time. But that's probably a bad idea as well, since the film might get scratched and/or tangled in that box. I was thinking more along the lines of waiting until there's around 25 minutes worth of film on the takeup platter, removing the ring, threading it through a brain (all while it's still going) and starting the 2nd projector then. Probably wouldn't work in practice, but it's a nice idea anyway  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 03-09-2008 05:10 PM                     quote: I was thinking more along the lines of waiting until there's around 25 minutes worth of film on the takeup platter, removing the ring, threading it through a brain (all while it's still going) and starting the 2nd projector then. Probably wouldn't work in practice, but it's a nice idea anyway [Big Grin] The problem would be that the film would be paying out at a smaller diameter on the platter than it was taking up, so whatever speed the platter was turning at the film couldn't be paying out and taking up at the same speed. You might possibly get it to work on one of those platters which are normally used to run film in an endless loop, where the film winds in a star shape, so each turn contains same same amount of film, whether it be at the centre, or the outside, but these things have a bad reputation for damaging film. Just out of interest, can a digital server play the same copy of a film to two projectors each at a different point in the film, at the same time?  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 03-09-2008 05:13 PM                     Thomas, your idea would not work because the platter has to slow down as it runs. You would have a brain wrap almost immediately. Your idea of letting the film fall into a box would only work if you designed such a box to be about 37mm deep and very wide (and of course, very tall)...picture an ant farm but much bigger. It would also require a sprocket at the top interlocked with your projectors to force the film into the top of the "box", which would lay back and forth on the film below it. Then at the bottom of the box you would have to have a couple of stripper rollers to get the film out from the bottom so it could then travel to the second projector. Of course such a box in reality could probably only hold 5 minutes of film AT BEST. Simply putting accumulator rollers on the ceiling is FAR safer and simpler. If anyone should decide to put a bunch of rollers up for this purpose, bear in mind you have to use the large 3 inch rollers with bearings, such as is available from Kelmar. The small Strong-type rollers, even though they have bearings, puts too much stress on the film (been there, done that). Also you have to find that magic distance between the rollers to keep the minimum amount of tension on the film or you risk sprocket damage to the print.  |  IP: Logged Stu Jamieson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 524 From: Buccan, Qld, Australia Registered: Jan 2008 posted 03-09-2008 07:06 PM                     quote: Stephen Furley Just out of interest, can a digital server play the same copy of a film to two projectors each at a different point in the film, at the same time? I don't see why not, after all, that's basically what a PVR is doing when it's in "time slip" mode.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 03-09-2008 07:37 PM                        Thomas; you are describing a "loop-bin" which works quite well for 2" audio tape but not well for film: scratches. All cassettes and open reel tape were mass-produced this way until the first practical digital memories were available. (That's when cassette audio improved.) Louis  |  IP: Logged Mike Olpin Chop Chop! Posts: 1852 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Jan 2002 posted 03-09-2008 07:47 PM                     Why not use a looping cabinet?  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 03-09-2008 08:51 PM                     ? with these delays, (which I still commend on the magnitude and how such a complex operation can be accomplished-some very serious training there..can you imagine this kind of booth in an operation full of booth clowns?) wouldn't it be simpler just to have multiple print releases of the one movie?  |  IP: Logged Andres Briano Expert Film Handler Posts: 162 From: Buenos Aires, Argentina Registered: Jan 2008 posted 03-10-2008 08:59 PM                        "Booth Clowns" That´s a definition I like!  |  IP: Logged Tim Asten Film Handler Posts: 98 From: Brighton, United Kingdom Registered: Nov 2006 posted 03-11-2008 11:48 AM                     Blimey! How long does it take to lace up? I cant imagine trying to single man a 15 plex AND having that to worry about. If a cinema has equipment that can handle a set up like that, I'm sure it can afford a second print of a film  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 03-11-2008 12:24 PM                     It takes about 5 minutes to reset for the next show.  |  IP: Logged Ken McFall Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 615 From: Haringey, London. Registered: Apr 2001 posted 03-11-2008 12:32 PM                     Whilst I love doing this sort of thing I can see that it would only be of real benefit for one performance. Therefore not suitable for a multi plex running all day. You have your 30 min delay whilst the film runs over it's rollers but when the film finished in the first screen it still has to finish in the second screen before you can lace up again. I would imagine that it would take easily 15 min to lace up add that to the 30 min delay you already have and you have a 45 min break of house in each screen before its second show. Any gain is lost if you run more than one performance in this way. What happens to all of the film in the loop when the film runs out of the first projector? All of the tension would be lost and the film would drape onto itself causing the last 30 min to scratch itself surely? Would love to see it in action.... Regards  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-11-2008 03:32 PM                     I've worked with looping cabinets several times over the years and they can work well if installed correctly or be your biggest nightmare. One at the Chicago Museum Of Science And Industry had such bad static problems with so many layers of film clinging to itself that you couldn't even pull the film through by hand... Also you'd need a humongus loop cabinet for a 40 minute delay... I think the way Brad has done it is the better choice. Mark  |  IP: Logged

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