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Author Topic: Interesting Projector Installs Andy Jenkin Film Handler Posts: 28 From: London, UK Registered: Jun 2014 posted 08-08-2014 07:21 AM                        Afternoon, A few years ago while I was working in Stockholm I saw some fairly inventive film projector setups, the like of which I haven't seen anywhere since. One place, the Saga, has a projector that faces into the room hanging from a rail/crane. The projector is laced from the adjacent platter and run until the first magnetic 'stop' cue, at which point the crane lowers the projector until it's basically touching the floor, and it then rolls backwards down the rail from which it hangs into a very deep nook, and then the front of the crane lifts up again, which pivots the projector downwards beneath the floor of the booth (and out of sight!) to the position from where it projects. Another place, the 14 screen Filmstaden Sergel - the largest in Scandinavia, has I think three screens where the projectors are laced up and then sent down lift shafts to the bottom from where they project. There is a door off one of the many public corridors that opens to the cupboard from where the projector runs, but there isn't enough room to stand around the projector and if there are any real problems, the projector must be raised to the booth at the top of the lift shaft. I was amazed at the ingenuity of these systems, but I was new to the game at the time and imagined they were perhaps commonplace. Though since then, I've neither seen, nor heard of anything similar. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has come across this kind of setup; youtube searches for 'cinema projector crane' surprisingly don't bear much fruit. Thanks, Andy  |  IP: Logged Pete Naples Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1565 From: Dunfermline, Scotland Registered: Feb 2001 posted 08-10-2014 04:41 PM                     Dominion screen 3 in Edinburgh had a completely unique solution. A Vic 5, mounted on a Cinemecannica tower which had been turned on it's side, but the lens axis was t 90 degrees to the tower. The whole thing lived in a cupboard and was driven by remote control from the stage end. To lace or rewind you removed the port and reached in, a lever moved the projector 90 degrees so you could clean and lace. Once laced that lever moved it back into operating position. That was designed and built by the legends of the UK industry Nigel Shore and Jim Schulz. There were quite a few inventive setups across the UK, usually where single screen cinemas had been converted. I've installed DLPs in awkward places, used mirrors to get round obstacles.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 08-15-2014 11:51 PM                        quote: Pete Naples There were quite a few inventive setups across the UK, usually where single screen cinemas had been converted. Oh yeah. One of the more inventive I encountered was the City Screen place in Oxford, at which I worked a few relief shifts in the late '90s. A second auditorium had been built as a sort of large hut at the back of the main one. The original booth was still there, with a port added on the left to project into the screen 2 "hut": a brutally short throw to a very wide screen, and a nasty down angle as well. The Westar's pedestal had been sawn off to get the mechanism to the right height (i.e. just above floor level), with a tower behind it. You had to kneel or sit cross-legged on the floor to lace it up! Screen 1's projector projected over the top of the hut: in stark contrast, it had a horribly long throw to an average sized screen (I seem to remember that the lens for 1.85 was something like a 175mm), and required the use of binoculars to focus. I remember once seeing an extremely startled rat on the roof of the screen 2 hut after I opened up an ad reel: the poor thing wondered why I was disturbing its peace, shining such a horrid bright light at it. Maybe it scuttled off into the auditorium to find a customer or two to commiserate with (and/or some popcorn to nibble on).  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Wood Expert Film Handler Posts: 206 From: Oxfordshire, United kingdom Registered: Jan 2008 posted 08-16-2014 04:37 AM                     Whilst not a curious install this is more a tale of a curious arrangement and also keeping in with Leo's Oxford theme. When the Oxford Odeon was converted from a large single screen venue into 5 screens they did it in such a way as to arrange the new auditoriums about the periphery of the height and width of the original space forming a lightless central void some 80 feet high by around 20 feet accross. There was a tiny access hatch at the top of the building through which you could look down into the void. The effect was very spooky completely dark but mingled with the muffled soundtracks of five movies playing at once. Coming from the dark well below. Anyone know of any haunted cinemas ?!  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 08-16-2014 10:31 AM                     The "Metreon" muliplex in San Francisco has a HUGE projection room that's almost an entire city block long. When built, the 35mm projectors and platters for each auditorium were both located on a small elevated platform at the top of a short staircase. (One platform/stair for each auditorium) When they started converting over to digital, they wanted the flexibility to do either digital or film in many of the auditioriums. But there was no room on the raised platforms for both the big Barcos & the 35mm platterthingys. So, they cut an extra porthole for the BARCO's next to the 35mm projectors and moved the platters to the bottom of the staircase at each platform. So, you had to thread the film 'up' & back 'down' the stairs when using the 35mm. "Actual Photo" Bonus Picture: (this is only HALF of the projection room - - it's almost a full city block long!) There are some pretty good pix of the Metron's IMAX installation here in the "warehouse". I understand the Metreon (now operated by Lowes) is one of the busiest & most profitable theatres in the country. Unfortunately, it also has one of the highest assault & homicide rates too. (Several fatal stabbings, but no gunfire. . . yet)  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 08-17-2014 02:53 PM                        You've got the perfect location to shoot a remake of The Shining in that booth!  |  IP: Logged

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