The Longest Day

[cinema guy]

Just finished a 16 hour day, thanks to Twilight: New Moon being on at 10.45pm and running till 1.25am.

Started badly, with Hannah Montana breaking down just before the end. I got it fixed and ready to carry on quite quickly, but everyone had got up and left. But still they complained. In the process of fixing it, I missed starting one of the 2012 shows, so that was 15 minutes late.

Made up Casablanca for the charity show on Wednesday. It was odd making up a black and white film. Also there was no end credits, so I wasn't sure where to put the pulses for the automation - we need 42 feet of film to shut down the projector and close the curtains. It only has 'The End' at the end. While I was figuring that out, I missed starting another 2012 show, so that was 10 minutes late.

After that all went to plan. Since I had a late night with only one film to show after 9.30, I could sit and watch DVDs while I babysat the projectors.

Downstairs they had over 5000 admissions, a crazy busy day. So I'm glad I don't work down there anymore.

Bed now.

[spookysonata]

Hee hee. I like reading about the other projectionists travails on here. I posted about my own Twilight booth issues the other day.

Old movies are hard to build up. Before we got our digitals, we had to use 35mm films for our annual classic holiday movie program. I built a print of "Miracle on 34th Street" that looked like it had been in the can since 1947. When I set it to load it onto the platter and went to lace up the other films, I came back to find the tail of the film whapping itself to pieces. It was that brittle.

AND the credits are at the beginning. I just let it alarm at the end and bring the lights up manually.

[Broomjockey]

Don't you have any mylar you can attach at the end? I know we used a stretch at the beginning, to start the automation. Why not just slap some on the end to finish it?

[cinema guy]

Old movies are hard to build up. Before we got our digitals, we had to use 35mm films for our annual classic holiday movie program. I built a print of "Miracle on 34th Street" that looked like it had been in the can since 1947.

This printed was dated 2007, but it has definitely been used a time or two.

It came in metal cans, not the usual plastic ones, which made it seem older than it was.

Don't you have any mylar you can attach at the end?

Probably will do that. Had to do it with Wolverine after we got complaints that the curtain came down during after credits scene.

Casablanca has an odd aperture ratio: 1.33-1. Don't know quite how we will cope with that, I will let the more experienced projectionists deal with that one.

[Chromatix]

Interesting. 4:3 is CRT and analogue-TV territory. A far cry from the ultra-wide aspects films tend to get these days.

[cinema guy]

A quick look on wikipedia reveals 1.37:1 was used for all films until 1953. It was called the Academy ratio. It essentially fills the frame of film from sprocket to audio track.

I watched Casablanca today. The top and bottom were cut off, but not noticably so. It is still one of the coolest movies ever.