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Author Topic: The Random Questions Thread Michael Brown Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1522 From: Bradford, England Registered: May 2001 posted 12-16-2002 05:42 PM                     For short little questions that don't need a thread of their own. 1. Why are UK Cinema posters called 'Quads' are they 4 times the size of something? What? 2. IMAX sound is digtal. Does it have analog backup?  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 12-16-2002 06:19 PM                     quote: 1. Why are UK Cinema posters called 'Quads' are they 4 times the size of something? What? I should know the answer to this one, but I can't remember. There used to be a lot of strange British paper sizes with odd names; they have largely been replaced by the metric 'A' and 'B' series sizes, but for a few purposes, such as posters, the old sizes survive. quote: 2. IMAX sound is digtal. Does it have analog backup? Dick Vaughan can probably give a fuller answer than me, but I'll have a go. Imax sound isn't always digital. The film print carries no sound track or time code. in the original system the sound was carried on a six track 35mm magnetic film running on a separate follower. Mounted on a shaft in the projector is an encoder which workes very like the devices inside a ball type mouse. This produces an output which represents the movement of the shaft, and therefore the number of frames run from a fixed starting point can be calculated. The sound follower is locked onto this signal, and the sound therefore stays in sync with the picture. Later IMAX installations have digital sound, but are often equipped with the analogue magnetic system as well. The digital sound is stored on a computer hard disc, onto which it is loaded from DVD-ROM discs supplied to the theatre. It is syncronised to the picture in the same way as the magnetic sound, i.e. basically by a frame count, and therefore, unlike DTS, is is not possible to remove damaged frames from the print, or the sound would be out of sync. Although many IMAX installations have both sound systems, only one of them would normally be in use at one time, the film would have either an analogue or a digital track, not both, so there is no backup.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 12-16-2002 10:32 PM                    Didn't the film Everest use DTS for it's sound source?  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-17-2002 12:18 AM                     If a person who projects film is a projectionist, and a person who works with and sells concessions is a concessionist, then why is not a race car driver called a racist? =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 12-17-2002 03:31 AM                        Because "projection" and "concession" are Latin loan words which are usually combined with the suffix -ist to denote a person which is connected to the noun while "race" is a Germanic word and those are combined with -er for the same purpose. The word "race" in its biological meaning derives from Latin "radix (root)" and the word race meaning to move very fast comes from Old Nordic "rais". Hence "racist" for a person who judges people on the basis of their "race (radix)" and "racer" for someone who moves really fast.  |  IP: Logged Brad Haven Master Film Handler Posts: 300 From: fremantle, West Australia Registered: Aug 2001 posted 12-17-2002 09:41 AM                     Why are they called concessions? As far as i know, in australia it's just called candy, which is purchased in the candy bar.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-17-2002 10:03 AM                     I just assumed they were called concessions because the theatre was allowed to keep the revenue from it. That is, it was a concession made by the studio in an agreement a long time ago. It would be interesting to know the real answer. Anyone..? Anyone..? By the way, Michael S., that is a very intriguing answer to what seemed like a non-serious question. Wow.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 12-17-2002 10:24 AM                        Thank you. I happen to be a hobby linguist I don`t have any deeper linguistic knowledge but it is a subject which I find hugely interesting and so even a fun question like Tom`s makes me seriously think. By the way, "radix (root)" is also the word behind "radish", "radical", and there are even usages of "radix" in English which I didn`t know. But I have the Deluxe Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica on CD and it provides answers for almost everything. Except for why the candy sale in cinemas is called "concession". It must be either what Manny suspects or maybe cinemas had to obtain a special license or concession from the state to sell edibles?  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-17-2002 01:20 PM                     Yes, Michael. That was great! I certainly learned something. =TMP=  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-17-2002 03:58 PM                     The American Heritage dictonary has "4a. The privilege of maintaining a subsidiary business within certain premises. b. The space allotted for such a business. c. The business itself: had an ice-cream concession in the subway station.." That doesn't really speak to the etymology, but it makes one suppose that it's not specific to theatres. The OED has nothing useful to say. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Tom Doyle Expert Film Handler Posts: 176 From: Bristol, CT, USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 12-17-2002 04:07 PM                     Ok, from the FAQ in the tips section: 9.10 Why are `trailers' called `trailers' when they are spliced after the `leader' of a movie?  |  IP: Logged Barry Martin Expert Film Handler Posts: 203 From: Newington, CT USA Registered: Jul 2002 posted 12-17-2002 05:30 PM                        Actually, I've had a question nagging at me that is %50 film and %50 television, not sure if anyone will have the answer. Why is it when watching some movies on television I will notice an occasional black scratch but only during one shot. Not even the whole scene, just one shot. Since I have no idea what the process of getting film-television I really cannot speculate, and since it is only one shot instead of the scratch starting/ending "normally" (without pattern) it sounds more like it came from the negative. Any ideas?  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 12-17-2002 06:18 PM                    Trailers are called trailers because years ago theaters always ran double bills consisting of cliffhanger films you had the first feature followed by a news reel, some cartoons and trailers for upcoming films. Films also ran a lot of times continuously without intermission. They called the previews trailers because they trailed the feature.  |  IP: Logged Gerard S. Cohen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 975 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 12-17-2002 06:31 PM                     " RADIX MALORUM EST CUPIDITAS " said the cunning linguist.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-17-2002 06:51 PM                     Wasn't that how the (German) Emcee described the American showgirl in "Cabaret"? "She's a very cunning linguist..." Why are British posters referred to as "quads"? They are not 4x the size of a 1-sheet, so I'm guessing the name comes from the printing term "quadrat" which is also how certain printing machines got the nickname, too.  |  IP: Logged

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