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Topic: Ever have to do a triple-up?

Charles Everett
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1470
From: New Jersey
Registered: May 2001

posted 07-11-2002 04:25 PM

Double-ups are common no matter where you go. This week I've come across that rarest of instances -- a triple-up.

The Reading Cinemas in Manville NJ has a triple-up on one screen starting tomorrow. Hey Arnold! plays 1st matinee; The Powerpuff Girls plays 2nd matinee, 3rd matinee and 1st evening show; Ya-Ya Sisterhood plays 2nd evening show and 3rd evening show.

If you've ever had to do a triple-up, how do you pull it off? I assume you can't leave the third print on the platter while the first print is running and the second print is parked.

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 07-11-2002 04:47 PM

Unless you are lucky enough to have a reel to reel system, a double mutt large capacity reel system or able to schedule your showtimes just right. You have to move the print.

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David Favel
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 764
From: Ashburton, New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 07-11-2002 05:27 PM

Or use the method I'm setting up.

Have the platters centrally located & take the print via rollers to whatever projector you need it to go to.

Whose idea it was, brilliant.

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Ken Lackner
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1907
From: Atlanta, GA, USA
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 07-11-2002 05:58 PM

If I recall, the cetral platter idea came from Brad. At least that's the first time I ever heard it.

I saw a tripple-up for the first time last week at my theater. When I came in for my evening shift, the thrid print was clamped leaning up against the wall! Grrrr... When I move prints at the end of the night, I just store the third pring on a nearby platter.

Another option would be to get a 5-deck platter system, but it probablly wouldn't be worth it for those rare occasions.

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Josh Jones
Redhat

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

posted 07-11-2002 06:12 PM

We have a 4 deck platter

It comes in real handy for those midnight matinee's

Josh

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Tim Sherman
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 125
From: North Ridgeville, OH, USA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 07-11-2002 06:41 PM

If you have a set schedule like this movie always plays after this one, just put both movies on one deck of the platter with alot of leader in between the two shows. If your automation won't shut down the projector by a cue then just make sure you are around that machine at the end of the show and then shut the machine down manualy. And then to start up the next show all you have to do is start it like you normaly would. Only platters i have done this on are the micro-switch potts. But i really don't see why it wouldn't work with any platter. Us drive-ins do this all the time.

------------------

http://www.autoramadrivein.com

come on out to the drive-in and spend a night out with the stars"

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Mike Spaeth
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1129
From: Marietta, GA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 07-11-2002 06:58 PM

We had to do it once ... Snow Falling On Cedars (11, 7); Any Given Sunday (1, 10); and Supernova (4). We basically put a platter cover on the floor next to the projector, and would move a print onto it for storage, leaving the clamps on.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 07-11-2002 07:22 PM

You can do this successfully even if your automation won't stop the projector motor with a cue. Just have your shutdown cue close the douser and switch the sound like normal, then have some strong fullcoat mag leader attached between the two prints. On one side cut a small hole in the fullcoat mag just big anough for one of the failsafes to drop. This will stop the motor as it thinks it just tailed out. Then just walk over at the next start time, plop the failsafe back up and hit START. I imagine that this leader would get worn and eventually have to be changed out after a week or so, but to be running a triple-up for over a week would be just going a bit too far.

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Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-11-2002 08:35 PM

Last week when we had our Movies in the Morning program we had 12 prints in our 5-plex. We placed a wire rack next to each platter and were placing the extra print there. It worked well.

Thank God the Movies in the Morning program is over for the summer.

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Matt Close
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 226
From: Hervey Bay, QLD, Australia
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 07-11-2002 09:41 PM

Moving prints is just part of daily life here.... We have a large shelf (3 shelves actually) where the prints are placed if there is no room to leave them on a platter somewhere. Often a film will finish on one cinema and be required on another to start in 5 mins ... we use a pallet jack with a wooden shelf fixed to it ... just slide'em'on , wheel it to where it has to go, and slide'em'off. The pallet jack moving around sounds like thunder downstairs

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Ken Lackner
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1907
From: Atlanta, GA, USA
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 07-11-2002 09:56 PM

Joe, what about those of us who have optical failsafes?

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 07-11-2002 10:39 PM

Triple-up? That's child's play. Try running a Dusk-to-Dawn in a change-over booth in a Drive-in. No wussy failsafe switches to coddle you so you can go take a nap for two hours before you have to wake up and push the start button again!

Frank

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-11-2002 11:52 PM

We did this almost every week at a single-screen art house. On Friday/Saturday, we would have different films for the 7:00pm, 9:00pm, and midnight shows. This was easy with 6000' reels.

I've done this at a multiplex, too. It's easy if you have "cookie sheets" and AW3 platters. Simply take-up the third feature onto a cookie sheet and then slide it off the platter and let it sit on the legs of the platter tree. Repeat as features change. it's probably possible to do something similar with clamps, but it would be a pain.

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Jason Burroughs
Jedi Master Film Handler

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

posted 07-12-2002 04:31 AM

You can place 2 movies, back to back, on the same platter provided
1. The movies are fairly short
2. The platter is timed perfectly
3. The shows alternate between the 2 on the same platter, it would work in this instance (put Hey Arney and Powerpuff together since they run once each)
4. Either have the prints fully seprated (not spliced together) or use the "Intermission" feature of the automation.

I've had to do this on a few occasion and never had any problems.

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Darren Briggs
Master Film Handler

Posts: 371
From: York, UK
Registered: Dec 2001

posted 07-12-2002 04:59 AM

This last week I have 15 prints for 7 days over 3 screens, and we just store the prints in a large draw system we have had built, or just on there end sat on and in a platter deck cover. It is very common for us to have 4 different films in one screen for a while week, the worst thing is trustiing lesser projectionists to change the lenses in the turret as we show all ratios and normally the screen with all the different ratios is the one with only a two lens turret and a single projector, the other two have 2 projectors and screen one has a three lens turret.
As long as your plates are timed cock-on, they should take up the films nice and tight so you can slide them off and move them or store them. I have cinemeccanica platters and the collars are really good for doing this.

Darren

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