Although it was possible to make any one song sound great, even dialogue varied wildly from scene to scene. A single eq setting (the standard X curve was just plain horrible) was just not possible for this film.

First, reels 1 and 2 were from an SR print from a number of years ago. Reel 3 was from another SR print. Reel 4 was from another SR print. Reels 5 and 6 were brand new, never ran and had 3 lab splices in each reel that were particularly nasty. (This is of course AFTER we got rid of the random mixed reels of an original, literally unplayable mono Eastman 1975 print that IS STILL IN CIRCULATION! Those reels were so red, there were NO other colors and each had over 100 splices...the operator counted.)

Let's see, reel 1 and 2 sound matched fairly well, reel 3 hits and the entire high end drops substantially. Reel 4 comes along and was reasonably matched to the first two. Reel 5 was so bass heavy the subs and low frequencies had to be almost completely killed and reel 6 was close to reel 5, but not quite as bad (low frequencies could be raised, but sub had to stay off). This of course, doesn't even get into the constantly changing response from scene to scene as mentioned above.

What the hell???

I've ran this film tons of times back when only the mono tracks were available and although the sound wasn't anything to write home about, it was consistent! A general eq could be had for the entire film that sounded pretty good (the original elements are quite poor). The stereo mix was a nice welcome (although the music scenes looked dubbed since there wasn't proper lip sync) but past the fact it was "stereo", FORGET IT!

The only way to present this new "upgrade" is to have 6 user eqs in the auditorium with a subharmonic synthesizer for the music scenes and a tweeker manning them throughout the show. We did this with 2 operators via radios to the booth, but next time wires need to be ran to the auditorium. How embarrasing this must be to theaters that can't change the response of their system throughout the show!

Also, some of the reels were sent in from other prints to "complete" this print and the studio needs to take into account polyester stocks vs. triacetate stocks. They should NEVER be mixed within a print!

The only nice thing I can say is the picture quality (putting the graininess of the 70's film stocks aside) was TOP NOTCH! For once a reprint on polyester wasn't GREEN! Even current releases are too damn green, but old reprints on polyester stock are typically like having a green filter in front of the lens. The colors on this reprint were right on target and very vibrant!

I hearby volunteer to take the original tracks and remix that film PROPERLY for Fox (in case anyone is reading). I know it's just a "bad film" and that the patrons "don't care", but this just HAS to be the worst mix in movie history...and the mono mix was just plain better. Anyone else ran these SR prints? Were your results similar or is all this reel jumbling from print to print part of the problem?

(This print was ran in one of the best equipped and best sounding auditoriums in the area.)

 |  IP: Logged

I ran it for 6 years (not every weekend, but all the time). We had our own little fun with it. I'm wondering if anyone else did similar things or have other stories to tell from a projectionist point of view. Here's mine:

• One booth was a multi function facility and the projector was in the MIDDLE of the room on it's pedestal. Video projector, slide projector, spotlights, light board, etc covered the front wall of the booth. When we fired up the projector, the image on the booth window was probably a foot tall and 1 1/2 foot high. That made it easy for the projectionist to "tweek" Janet's breasts, which the crowd LOVED.

• We also had a catwalk where we would assist in the "toast" (the Mrs. Baird's thrift store always donated a couple of crates worth for us to bake). One of the guys got long boards where he would carefully lay dozens of loafs of toasted bread on and when the cup rose, he would tip the ends of them and COVER the audience with toast! The picture was literally blacked out as they fell on the audience.

• Similarly, we would have rice and water hoses up in that catwalk. It was a good 30-40 feet up, so even the water-oozie guns couldn't shoot that far against gravity.

• We developed a stage show over time (yes, the auditorium had an actual stage flush with the bottom edge of the screen) and ran spotlights for them. My favorite gag was one of the guys would walk onto the stage looking lost during the opening number at the church, only to get stabbed and fall on his back when Richard O'Brien tosses that pitchfork aside! I've never seen that at another theater because it happens too high in the frame for most theaters.

• Finally, one of the operators decided it would be cool to make slides to open each show with. For instance "Your projectionist tonight is...GLEN!". The audience would always applaud (even though no one knew who we really were) and, well...do I even need to say what happened when I flashed mine before Rocky Horror? It went over so well, I made it a point to save that slide even after we discontinued using them for future Rocky Horror shows.
  

 |  IP: Logged

 |  IP: Logged

 |  IP: Logged

Get your RHPS prints from Criterion Films! ALL are great condition 1990 SR reissue prints, they have all the footage ( to include the 'Super Heroes' section near the end of R6, which most if not all of the Fox original(1975) prints did not have) I have run FI and Criterion prints of RHPS for almost seven years and have been thoroughly satisfied!

 |  IP: Logged

Instead of a queue INTO the ticket box, there was a queue waiting to get OUT so they could get their money back.

Most of the 250 cars left, leaving only about 80. My dad and I took turns at looking into the Century and calling out the cues 'cos we could no longer see the screen. After interval when RHPS started, that wasn't a problem any more. We had run the thing so often, we could do the changeovers with our eyes closed.

Ah, the fogs...

 |  IP: Logged

Aaron

 |  IP: Logged

 |  IP: Logged