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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » historic emergency exit signs

Author Topic: historic emergency exit signs Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 10-08-2019 06:55 AM                     Hi there, they are shooting a movie in our ancient theatre, which is located in germany, but the movie plays in a small town in northern USA. They need to replace the writing on our emergency exit signs. What would these signs look like in a US theatre that may have been build in the 50's or 60's, would it simply read 'Exit', or...? Our german signs are different for 'regular' exists and 'emergency' exits. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-08-2019 08:06 AM                        US exit signs would normally say "EXIT" and would be backlit, typically in red. They could be backlit painted glass, cut metal with backlit frosted glass behind it, etched glass lit by a fluorescent tube above or below the sign, or any number of other materials. In that period, the lettering may have been stylized, as opposed to the simple block letters that are normally used now. A Google image search for "exit sign theatre antique" finds a variety of different styles, most of which look pretty similar to what one would find here. What is the difference in your signs? I thought that all German exit signs said "Ausgang." Is that not correct?  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 10-08-2019 08:26 AM                     Exit and emergency exit signs in Europe usually use standardized symbols rather than text. For all new installations, those symbol-based signs are usually mandatory.  |  IP: Logged Geoff Jones Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 579 From: Broomfield, CO, USA Registered: Feb 2006 posted 10-08-2019 08:58 AM                        If the theater is an AMC, the sign should splash red light on the screen. If the theater is a Regal, it should splash green light on the screen. If you want your depiction to be accurate...  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 10-08-2019 09:00 AM                     We are a landmark cinema/protected building. That, plus a speciality in german fire-protection laws allows us to keep the original backlit exit signs from 1957. Current official signs use universal symbols (e.g. a running person, arrows, etc.), not text. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit_sign Our historical regular exit signs read 'Ausgang', our emergency exit signs (over dedicated emergency exit doors) read 'Notausgang'. They are white typo on (slightly faded) green background. I was suspecting that US signs could be red. So, is the writing in red (on black), or in white over a red background? They are not after exact historical representation, but, as we need to change the insert because of the german text anyway, we could as well do it right. In europe, everyone recognizes the green color of emergency exit signs immediately (backlit or not). If it is or was the same with red in the US, it's certainly a good idea to use that color. If ALL exit signs in the US just read 'exit' - how does the occasional patron know where to leave regularly vs. in an emergency situation? I do know that some cinemas allow regular exits through their emergency exits in order to not block the entries for the incoming crowd and when the emergency exit pathways are appropriate for a regular exit, but then they are usually opened by staff after or during credits. This exit light looks similar to ours, so I guess it's okay to use that color combination? https://i.pinimg.com/originals/34/03/b2/3403b24ccb7000bd9f302f868df5b9d6.jpg - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-08-2019 09:48 AM                        The text is normally red, although I have seen the reverse (white letters on a red background) used occasionally. The example sign in your link looks almost perfect, although it might be a bit small. Exit signs are normally 6-12" tall, with the letters almost filling the height. If you used that example, most Americans would not think twice about it. It is interesting that Germany makes the distinction between normal and emergency exits. It seems like a good idea, but we don't do that here. Most people just leave by the same way that they came into a building. Most marked "Exit" doors are usuable in non-emergency situations, although some may have an additional sign that says "emergency exit only" and possibly an alarmed push bar, although one might not see those things easily from a distance. A few US exit signs use green lettering, but that seems to have been a more recent development and is only permitted in certain localities. Red is still the most common.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 10-08-2019 10:29 AM                     Thanx. BTW - there is no differentiation anymore now between regular exit signs and emergency exit signs. Only our historical signs have that. Current mandatory signs are only allowed as simple pictograms and the maximum differentiation allowed is indicating a direction, like straight through or left/right by arrow symbols. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-08-2019 12:07 PM                     There is a variety of outlets online selling vintage signs, including old Exit signs. I would recommend researching 50's era photos of movie theaters. The images might provide more clues as to what was authentic during that period.  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 10-08-2019 12:57 PM                     Most U.S. EXIT signs I remember use a rather condensed font, making the letters taller and the EXIT sign itself more rectangular. But if you can get hold of those Art-Deco style exit lights, it will probably blend right in.  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 10-08-2019 02:43 PM                        The theatre that I went to when I was a kid had exit signs that looked like this:  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-08-2019 08:30 PM                        Our theatre (built in 1930) had non-lit exit signs over the lobby doors. The typography on them looked just like the font in the second link above. When I was a kid I don't remember an exit sign near the screen -- there was just a clock there, surprisingly. Maybe there were non-lit signs were over that door too.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 10-11-2019 11:21 AM                        Then there is the 40s style of edge lit half inch glass., The EXIT is etched on the glass using acid.  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 10-29-2019 01:41 PM                     The following exit signs are from 2 different 1920's vintage movie theatres. Apologies for the top picture which was taken with too low light level for the camera. The bottom sign would have originally been back lighted.  |  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.