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Author Topic: Set the dwell David E. Nedrow Master Film Handler Posts: 368 From: Columbus, OH, USA Registered: Oct 2008 posted 01-04-2011 05:09 PM                        quote: Phil Hill + make sure pull-down is at dwell when threading "in frame". This was a note from Phil in another thread, which put me in mind of a recent "incident" here. There's a guy who used to manage this theatre and is willing to come in a night or two a month to give me a day off in the booth. Since his days, I've changed from a platter to a spool tower, and added DTS. So, he came over for some intro/review on the equipment. I showed him how the feed/rewind setups for the tower, went over the threading path, etc. I walked him through the threading, including setting the dwell. Showed him how to advance the frame by hand to check gross framing, etc. He did fine. When it was showtime and he actually hit the start button, he then immediately made a grab for the framing knob! "STOP, STOP, what are you doing?!?!," says I. "In case it's out of frame," says he. So I explained how setting the dwell properly would mean that a film should never start out of frame. He commented that when the theatre was run by the former operators, framing was almost always wrong and they had to rack the framing knob on virtually every show! The people that used to run this theatre have a local reputation with the public as being a "classy" art film house, but their presentation is generally described as horrible. I know of a couple of theatres that won't even take prints that have been run by them.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-04-2011 05:41 PM                     ..got one better: I know of a poorly run 5plex in another state where the booth personnel, when doing trailer paks, have to crank the framer per every trailer presentation since they don't know anything about frame lines at the beginning and end of the trailers.. When the previous manager who is now their IT person, put a movie together for them, they bet him 20 bucks that his trailer pak would be out of frame ... and he won that 20 due to his pak presentation was perfect. They ask him how he did it and he showed them .. "Gee, we were never shown that...!" Funny is that the present manager used to work at another theatre as a booth monkey, yet he knew how to splice in frame... .Oh, that manager is gone now and they finally have someone decent in there to do trailer paks (with yellow tape-that is all they know on what to use..) -Monte  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Weigel Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1062 From: Edmond, OK, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 01-04-2011 05:43 PM                     I've had the same issue with former booth operators from other theatres. No one ever showed them how to set the intermittent at the "dwell" or "rest" position BEFORE loading the film into the gate and then pulling it down a few frames to double-check framing before starting the show. Trying to break bad habits is one reason why I now avoid hiring former booth operators. I'd rather take someone who has zero booth experience and train them.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 01-05-2011 08:04 PM                     So...would you never even consider someone with previous booth experience?  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-05-2011 08:14 PM                        I had a projectionist who learned at Carmike. He said no one had ever explained how to set the dwell. Which is why I train all of my projectionists, no matter how much experience they have.  |  IP: Logged Sam D. Chavez Film God Posts: 2153 From: Martinez, CA USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 01-05-2011 09:01 PM                       Are you already looking for another job Manny?  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 01-05-2011 09:02 PM                     I guess his work is almost done  |  IP: Logged Eric Robinson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 538 From: Santa Rosa, CA Registered: Jan 2005 posted 01-05-2011 11:49 PM                     quote: Monte L Fullmer I know of a poorly run 5plex in another state Oh come on Monte - spill the beans.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Weigel Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1062 From: Edmond, OK, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 01-06-2011 12:35 AM                     quote: Manny Knowles So...would you never even consider someone with previous booth experience? Wouldn't say never, I just try to avoid it, unless their references check out or I have some personal knowledge of the training of the theatre(s) they are coming from. And maybe if I recognize the person's name as being some one who contributes to these boards and is well respected. So yeah, you could be a strong contender. I also have some basic booth operations questions I ask during the interview to gauge what kind of training they've had.  |  IP: Logged John T. Hendrickson, Jr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 889 From: Freehold, NJ, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-06-2011 03:10 PM                     When training new operators, not only do I constantly preach "RESET THE INTERMITTENT" before threading, but also demand that they advance the flywheel several frames after their thread is completed. These were old habits I learned from my changeover days many moons ago. It was considered a sin to come in out of frame. If you beat this into their heads, there is absolutely NO excuse to come in out of frame, or for that matter, chowder a leader. Speaking of the old days, I had heard that if you came in out of frame at Radio City Music Hall just once, you had a quick ticket out the door. Any truth to that? Maybe some of our older members who worked in the IATSE New York City local could confirm or refute.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 01-06-2011 03:17 PM                        I know old "pros" that worked 40-50 years and never had an out-of-frame either on startup or during the reel. Messing up was unthinkable and if you did you would be razzed for decades. My job was to service their equipment. Half of my "old pros" would wipe my finger prints off the door knobs when I left. I knew better than to touch a projector other than at the door knob or pad roller handle. Louis  |  IP: Logged Rick Raskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1100 From: Manassas Virginia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 01-06-2011 04:16 PM                     "Setting the dwell" is new-speak to me. We always referred to it as "setting the intermittent".  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 01-06-2011 06:46 PM                     I harp about this problem all the time at my theatre. Yet, every day when I work, I find that the Ultramittent has been moved either to the top or bottom of its bore. I move them back to center, and go from there. The only people there that start films in frame every time, like I do, are the people that I trained personally. As for building prints in frame, I build everything, so there is no problem there.  |  IP: Logged David E. Nedrow Master Film Handler Posts: 368 From: Columbus, OH, USA Registered: Oct 2008 posted 01-16-2011 12:27 AM                        quote: Rick Raskin "Setting the dwell" is new-speak to me. We always referred to it as "setting the intermittent". I guess to be accurate, one should say, "Set the intermittent to its dwell, or rest, position."  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-16-2011 01:03 PM                     quote: Bruce McGee I harp about this problem all the time at my theatre. Yet, every day when I work, I find that the Ultramittent has been moved either to the top or bottom of its bore. There can be an easy fix: take the FRAME knob off, and with a Christie, there is no backside frame knob like there is on the Simplex. That might teach them to "lock the sprocket" before lacing up the machine. ...or, go to digital and get the movies on autoscheduler... -Monte  |  IP: Logged

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