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Topic: Iwerks! in the US of A

Josh Jones
Redhat

Posts: 1207
From: Plano, TX
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 10-11-2000 09:59 PM

Well, I was recently hired at a
multiplex in town(now called Century 10)
Were We are running the first !werks theather in the US (8 perf 70, 24FPS) Last night was the training for the beast, a modified Ballentyne Pro35. I almost got to thread it, but had to leave. The whole crew form MTS midwest was there. Due to corperate policy

I cant run it until I'm 18

oh well, what's two years

Josh

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Ethan Harper
E-dawggg!!!

Posts: 325
From: Plano, TX, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 10-11-2000 11:43 PM

Oh well,

We had to run Iwerks at Cinemark and it sucked. I hope I do not offend you but it was so gosh darn frustraing. Whenever there was a customer they had to call one of us from the booth to go down and run the stupid thing. Talk about frustrating especially if you were in the middle of something and they always came at the worst times. I also dont see what was so fun to watch somethign on the screen whil being jerked around for a dollar. I could easily save the time by sitting in front of the T.V. and have someone shake me vigirously. Oh yeah and the times it broke down and ugh! That is all I am going to say about that. Quite frankly we were happier when it did break down so we did nto have to run it oh yeah and when we finally got rid of it. Personally I found it degrading.

Oh well hope your experience with it is going to be better then mine. .

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 10-12-2000 03:20 AM

Ugh! I ran a 70mm 5 perf 60 frames per second Showscan beast...no, not a beast...a piece of crap! The projector was a Westrex (I understand this is basically the same thing as the new Christie 70mm projector, but this info is second hand so that might not be correct) and it did the special "rewind through the projector while the other machine is running" thing. I think I actually saw it rewind once properly without totally destroying the print. Every other time was a real mess! Everyone, and I do mean everyone looked at that thing, including the Showscan techs and never did that damned thing work properly once it started running in reverse. I ended up having to cut the tail leader short so it would "run out" after the show and drop failsafes so it couldn't rewind. Then the projectionist on duty had to run clear across the building, downstairs, through the lobby, through a maze of stairs in the hydraulic room (designed to "force" the projectionist to check the hydraulics) and up another flight of stairs only to rewind the reels on the bench, reload the thing, go through an assinine procedure of cueing the film and finally reset the automation. Did I mention this had to be done EVERY FRIGGIN' SHOW? Did I mention the show was only FOUR MINUTES LONG?

Don't worry about that two year thing, Josh. Unless the system you are speaking of runs off of a loop cabinet, you won't regret not having to deal with it in the end.

Rewinding through the projector is just plain damn stupid!

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Paul Konen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 981
From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-12-2000 08:45 AM

Ethan, at least you only had to do it on occasion unless I was wasn't working it.

Our system was a four feature film. Two shows would run through the projector one way, then the lense element would shift to the other half of the print and it would then run in reverse for the next two shows.
Fairly easy to operate.

Paul.

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Dave Cutler
Master Film Handler

Posts: 277
From: Centennial, CO
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 10-12-2000 09:16 AM

Ethan, what type of system was it that you didn't like, sounded like you were running an iWerks Turbo Ride, but I wasn't sure.

Josh, when you say that you are running the first iWerks theatre in the US, do you mean the first Century-iWerks theatre? The first iWerks theatre in the US was built in Albuquerque in 1989.

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Jason Burroughs
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 654
From: Allen, TX
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-12-2000 09:38 AM

Paul, Ethan,

You guys are lucky! When I was there, which was right during and after the grand opening, we HAD to run that IWerks and MAKE it work. Yes it was a beast, it worked OK going foreward, the problems always ended up being when it ran backwards, Running 30FPS in reverse is not very easy on the film It too was a Ballantyne 70MM projector with a modified movement, to accomodate the higher film speeds. Threading the film was a pain in the rear with I'm sure Paul and Ethan will attest to. I don't miss it one bit!

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Josh Jones
Redhat

Posts: 1207
From: Plano, TX
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 10-12-2000 11:37 AM

Perhaps I should clarify.
Our theater does not have motion seats, they would be a pain. our film is on a strong 70mm platter, 7KW lamp, DTS with and without timecode sync

I guess that's all for now

Josh

------------------
"where to they teach you to talk like this, in some Panema City wana hump-hump-bar? sell crazy someplace else. we're all stocked up here" As good as it gets

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-19-2000 11:44 AM

Actually the Showscan machines were usually built by Cinema Products (now defunct)
We have a westrex on a ride at ontario place that rewinds through the machine and give almost no grief at all

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 10-19-2000 12:16 PM

"Almost no grief"?

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 10-19-2000 07:23 PM

Brad:

I think if you saw a Kinoton running backwards through the machine you wouldn't be so harsh on the concept....just because some designs can't doesn't mean they are all that bad.

Steve

------------------
"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 10-20-2000 05:06 AM

Ok Steve, I'll grant you that one.

Perhaps one day I can work with one of the Kinotons. I hear nothing but fabulous things about them.

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