Masking Motor Surprise

[Jim Cassedy]

Our big, main auditorium has a really good programmable masking system made by "Automatic
Devices" in Allentown PA, USA- - who have been around since the late 1900's. (You can find
advertisements for them in ancient theater and projectionist magazines.) But I've always been
frustrated by only having FLAT and SCOPE settings available in our other auditoriums. But
now that we have all new screens and projectors I decided to crawl behind and under one of
the screens to see if there was some way I could at least somehow come up with more pre-set
stops since we run a lot of repertory 1:37 titles on DCP, and, as we all know, filmmakers these
days are coming up with all sorts of seemingly randomly generated aspect ratios.

Well, much to my surprise, we don't actually have 'masking motors' behind those screens.
The masking mechanisms in those auditoriums are are driven by . . . . . . wait for it. . . . . .

> GARAGE DOOR OPENERS! Now, I've been behind a couple of those screens before,
but the mechanisms I saw were missing their covers, or were covered by a plain metal
enclosure, and it's also pretty darn dark back there. t wasn't until today, when I crawled
behind one of the screens where I'd never been before, that I realized what it was.
GarageMasking_1.jpg

The fact that these are mounted vertically, also tricked me into not realizing what
they actually were. So basically, the 'open' and 'closed' limit switches are my
FLAT and SCOPE settings. Although these are hard-wired, it also explains why
I've found random garage door remotes in some old parts boxes here.
GarageMasking_2.jpg

Hey- - The next time I need to work behind the screen, instead of working in the
dark, or wearing my head-lamp, I can screw a light bulb into this thing and it will
go on when I open the masking to SCOPE!

[Steve Guttag]

I wish I could tell you that was news but low-rent masking machines have been garage door openers for some time (obviously since they were put in during the film era). I'm sure someone got the idea when they were putting in "scissor" masking and noted that they tend to run in a track, not unlike a garage door and a light bulb went off (like the one you want to install).

Yeah, ADC (Automatic Devices Company) makes good machines and tracks, as does HH (look just like ADC). MDI makes some okay ones though they don't have a lot of guidance for the chain/cord and not too many drum options. At least the MDI machines ramp up/down. ADC tends to be just on or off and can move a bit brisk. They have variable speed machines but I've never seen one installed in a theatre.

[Jim Cassedy]

(edited) I wish I could tell you that was news but low-rent masking machines have
been garage door openers for some time (obviously since they were put in during the film era).

Well, it was a surprise to me! lol. In all the varied venues I've worked at, I've never encountered one.
These particular ones would have been installed in 2015, in 4 auditoriums that never had the ability
to run film. They spared no expense in our largest auditorium, which can runn 35/70 & DCP, but I
guess they were trying to save a bit of money in the smaller ones, and FLAT & SCOPE was good enuf.

At least the MDI machines ramp up/down. ADC tends to be just on or off and can
move a bit brisk. They have variable speed machines but I've never seen one installed in a theatre.

The venues I work at Telluride have STRONG masking systems. What I like about those is that you can set
something like 10 or 12 presets, which comes in handy when working a film festival. It is dual speed, so you
can have it move 'fast' or 'slow' for each aspect ratio. I'm pretty sure the masking system over at one of the
Dolby screening rooms I've worked in was capable of ramping, and it was also possible to independently
program both the vertical and horizontal masking curtains, which meant you could come up with aspect
ratios that Christopher Nolan and Wes Anderson haven't even dreamed of yet. . .

[Steve Guttag]

Strong = MDI. It is a 10-stop machine (their mulit-stop...they have a 2-stop with the big rolling pin). It has 4 speeds. It has its ups and downs. It doesn't really have any guidance for the chain/cord. I've seen many of them get messed up, partly because of a poor wrap on the gear. ADC will put an extra set of guidance that gets a much better wrap and help the chain/cord line up going into the drum/gear. I've had quite a few of the MDI controllers go bad or go partially bad (masking will go part way on the first press...the rest of the way on the second press...but just on one or two stops).

[Ryan Gallagher]

The real question is did they leave the dome light wired with a bulb in it (which is now long dead). ;-)

We once had an opera set with a shell of a garage door opener... our lighting programmer and LD were pulling their hair out trying to figure out why it stayed on after they faded it out... I was the production electrician, opened her up and sure enough, the scene shop left the big capacitor installed!!! LOL

Our replaced main curtain drive is from ADC, we had quite the struggle with the install because for clearance and placement reasons the drive and limit switches had to be on opposite side of the track from all the manual diagrams... this made for quite a bit of head scratching trying to prove out the limit switch wiring on top of a rolling A-Frame before engaging the drive cog.

Then we had a main contact relay start acting weird in it less than a year later. Got replacement parts but installing just the relays in the box was impossible without removing most of the other components. Controller box came down off the wall and onto a bench for a while, our TD opted to put everything in a new box with better access.

I'd have to look closer at our top masking controller, but the button panel is definitely Strong/MDI, which has ramp built in, 10 preset options via a 4 button remote, and 4 programmable movement speeds. Now if we just had side masking motors. Well that an automation connected to it, top is motorized but not automated. One can dream.