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Author Topic: Curtains do you use them? Michael Voiland Expert Film Handler Posts: 219 From: Naperville, IL US Registered: Aug 2009 posted 10-09-2009 11:02 PM                     So I am wondering do any of you use curtains in your theaters and how do you integrate your pre-show with them. One of the places I work at has a huge red curtain covering the largest screen but they use a slide projector so what do you do?  |  IP: Logged Andy Bajew Expert Film Handler Posts: 136 From: Bellaire, Texas Registered: Jun 2009 posted 10-09-2009 11:09 PM                     At my work our preshows are through a DVD-we just adjust the digital to fit the screen(and on a very rare occasion we will use a conversion lens to fit the preshow snug with the curtains). Our curtains are always left open--they don't fly shut. The projectionist is expected to adjust curtains properly at the end of the night for the film that will be played in that theater the next day(only happens for a scope to flat change, vice verse).  |  IP: Logged Michael Voiland Expert Film Handler Posts: 219 From: Naperville, IL US Registered: Aug 2009 posted 10-09-2009 11:11 PM                     I guess I should have made my statement clear Does anyone use full curtains with a pre-show? Ones that cover the whole screen.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-09-2009 11:27 PM                        The usual way to do this is to close the curtains on the last slide in the show, turn off the slide projector as the curtains touch, raise the footlights/curtain lights, wait for a minute or so, fade the non-sync music, dim the lights, and then start the show, with the curtain opening right when the picture starts. At the end of the film, you close the curtains and bring up the footlights for a few minutes, then dim the footlights, open the curtains, and turn on the slides. Some mid-1990s-vintage ex-General Cinema houses have a nice automation system that does all of this without operator intervention. If you want to get fancy, you can close and re-open the main curtain between trailers and the feature.  |  IP: Logged Mike Olpin Chop Chop! Posts: 1852 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Jan 2002 posted 10-10-2009 12:01 AM                     Exactly what Scott said. The idea is to seperate your show into acts, each with a curtain call. Curtain up Act 1: Pre-show Curtain down Curtain Up Act 2: trailers Curtain down curtain up Act 3: The Feature Curtain down The idea is also to never show the audience a blank screen, although my curtain has a 35 second lift and isn't fast enough for this.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 10-10-2009 02:25 AM                     Andy, you are describing masking, not curtains.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-10-2009 06:52 AM                     Curtains = Grand Drape too. They are a must for me. Lift curtains (Waterfall, Roman...etc) are always a bit slow since their mechanism is a wench with a smaller drum than a draw curtain. Ideally, one has a title curtain behind the lift curtain. Lift curtains are much more difficult to integrate into curtain calls, as Mike has pointed out. Steve  |  IP: Logged Bernie Anderson Jr Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: Woodbridge, New Jersey Registered: Apr 2000 posted 10-10-2009 08:43 AM                        Although people complain that it can muffle the sound, the curtain should be closed when the image hits the screen then opens and should start to close before it goes off screen, ideally, when the changeover closes the curtain should finish its travel. This is a very old tradition going back to vaudeville Nickelodeon days and carried through for decades. Movies were just part of the vaudeville show and the managers treated them no different than any other act, using the curtain in between scenes. Radio city had two sets of curtains, as did most of the picture palaces. one being the main drape which went bottom to top and then in the music hall's case a set of movie sheers that were used primarily for dividing up the feature and the shorts and trailers which went side to side. I still use curtains when I can, I even have one in my screening room, but I most people don't understand why they're there in the first place. With the exception of a few, most people don't understand the history nor care. One theatre that still uses them for every show, but they're even automated is the Roxy Theatre - Northampton, PA  |  IP: Logged Caleb Johnstone-Cowan Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 593 From: London, UK Registered: Mar 2006 posted 10-10-2009 09:35 AM                     We have curtains at our flagship, they come up only once when the programme starts, no drops for feature etc. Cannot be sure if they are still used all the time though.  |  IP: Logged Jonathan M. Crist Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 531 From: Hershey, PA, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 10-10-2009 09:36 AM                     What's a curtain?  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 10-10-2009 11:02 AM                     We still use the curtain, a waterfall. These days it's up for the screen ads thru the end of the feature when it comes down. We used to raise and lower separate the preshow from the feature but due to failing stitching holding the guide loops on the curtain we had to reduce ups and downs to the minimum, when we complete repairs we'll resume the extra operations.  |  IP: Logged Damien Taylor Master Film Handler Posts: 493 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2007 posted 10-10-2009 11:07 AM                     We still have the original curtain that came from New York in 1937. When the cinema was tripled, the balcony was all that remained of the art deco themed cinema. The original proscenium was recreated in sheet metal and the curtain motor was mounted in such a way that the arch amplifies the motor noise, so I only raise on preshow logo and close on studio logo on the credits. Our curtain opens up and down rather than to the sides.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Weigel Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1062 From: Edmond, OK, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 10-10-2009 01:48 PM                     We used our curtains (2 Draw and 4 waterfall) up until 2 years ago. Had one of the draw curtains' guides get jammed and split the curtain when it went to close after a show. Had a waterfall curtain motor go out halfway up during the start of a show. This was not fun since I had to hand crank it up the rest of the way. That took about 15 minutes. There were several other issues that would pop up. Although they do add a certain showmanship, they began to be too much of a maintenance issue and it was decided to stop using them.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 10-10-2009 01:58 PM                     quote: Steve Guttag <snip> Lift curtains (Waterfall, Roman...etc) are always a bit slow since their mechanism is a wench with a smaller drum than a draw curtain. Yes if you have a woman from the 15th century operating your curtains they would be slow. They use winch mechanisms on more modern curtains. Sorry Steve, couldn't resist busting your chops on this one. My new screening room install at UC Ivine (first one totally designed and installed by me, yea!) is going to have a curtain. I wanted a waterfall for that room but the mechanical space above the ceiling was taken up by HVAC. I will put up pics in the gallery here when it's done.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-10-2009 01:58 PM                        We have a single curtain that also serves as masking (black edges, red curtain). We have it open for the preshow slides, close, start trailers, open, close on the no smoking notice, open on feature, close at end of credits, lather rinse repeat.  |  IP: Logged

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