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Topic: One Reel at a Time?

Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 12, 2017 01:23 PM

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I only get a limited amount of time in the evening once or twice a week (30-40 minutes) at best. So I've begun screening features in the basement one reel per evening. I thought I would hate not having enough time to watch an entire movie, but it's actually not so bad. At least I get an opportunity to enjoy my hobby even if it is moments here and there. Anyone else watch features in spurts?

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Alan Rik
Film God

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From: New York City, NY, USA
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posted March 12, 2017 02:01 PM

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Yes I do too- I watched "Gone with the Wind" like this and also some other features.
Sometimes its late at night and I feel the need to put up a film. So I start watching it and then when I start to get tired I just go and turn the projector off and then watch it the next evening or in a few days.

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Paul Adsett
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From: USA
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posted March 12, 2017 02:13 PM

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Brad, this is the advantage of keeping feature films on 600ft reels, you can pick out your favourate reel and watch it for 30 minutes, rather than having to sit through a one hour 1200ft reel or the whole 2 hour 2400ft. I have a few features on 1200ft reels, but for the most part I find 600ft reels much more practical, for one thing I can show them on any of my projectors, whereas the 1200ft reels restrict me to the Elmo GS1200. All of my MGM musical features are on 600ft reels, that way I can play my favorate musical numbers very easily.

--------------------
The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
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Andrew Woodcock
Film God

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From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012

posted March 12, 2017 04:59 PM

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The bigger the reel, the better the continuity in my own case.
I'm not even keen in the break after 1200ft to be honest.

I keep many of my films in 1200ft or even 800ft or 600ft boxes just because these offer the very best library box solutions,but from a viewing point of view, if I find myself getting engrossed in a favourite film, there is no way I personally like to stop it half way through.

I just find the story and feeling of any feature flows much much better if you can watch it from beginning to end without interruption, though I do appreciate, this takes time and often careful planning to allow this to happen.

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"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

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Mark Todd
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From: UK
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posted March 12, 2017 05:54 PM

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Personally I prefer 400 or 600 reels and the breaks, plus the fun of lacing up again.

Just putting a 2 x 800 back to 4 x 400 this weekish.

Best Mark.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 12, 2017 07:47 PM

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I do one reel a night all the time. It's akin to reading a novel one chapter a night. The nice part of it is if you show a short with each reel you basically have a week long film festival.

-nice thing about is you have a whole week of not needing to pick films out: kind of like standing in front of the 'fridge trying to pick through the leftovers!

A feature in an evening is usually a sign of vacation or the week between Christmas and New Years. Life being what it is, it's unusual for the pace to slow down that much.

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

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From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 12, 2017 09:48 PM

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You're absolutely right, Steve. We read books pieces at a time. Why can't we enjoy a visual medium, like movies, the same way? Same thing really if you think about it. I was never driven to join any of my multi-reel features onto larger reels. Now it makes sense. Subconsciously, I've always liked the opportunity to stop and continue later if necessary.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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From: Long Island, NY, USA
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posted March 12, 2017 10:15 PM

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I bought two features at CineSea once. I couldn't wait for one to end to see the other, so I did a reel of each per night.

-it was a good week!

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Andrew Woodcock
Film God

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From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012

posted March 13, 2017 01:04 AM

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As I said, I keep many of my films in their original format for ease of storage and if I so desire, I can then watch one reel at a time from any feature, but the idea of having the very large reels to hand is to enable a full feature to viewed whenever time permits, which would always be my preferred choice personally.
At least this way with half an hour's preparation work a night before, you get the choice of both options whenever you want them both.

Its interesting to read many prefer a reel per night using film, but I doubt there would be anyone who watches a DVD 3 chapters per night and takes a week to view it in and yet this represents the easiest set up to facilitate this!

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"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

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Graham Ritchie
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From: New Zealand
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posted March 13, 2017 02:11 AM

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I tend to keep all my features on either 800ft or 1200ft reels. I dont like stopping [Smile]

[Smile]

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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From: Long Island, NY, USA
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posted March 13, 2017 02:50 PM

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I'm not sure I prefer a reel at a time, maybe its more of a compromise to fit the schedule.

If a DVD had enforced breaks like reels of film do it would be reasonable to stop and start up again some other night, since it doesn't we usually watch it until give we up ("we'll finish it tomorrow...") or we never start it in the first place.

It's not like we say "Hey!, let's watch half a movie tonight! OK, which half would you like to see?".

We've been large screening DVDs these last few weeks and it's Saturday night only and we start right after dinner.

-never, never on a school night!

"We're going to watch this really great movie...you stay upstairs and do your Algebra!"

-Yeah! That'll work!

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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David Hardy
Jedi Master Film Handler

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From: Johnshaven Village , Montrose, Scotland
Registered: Jan 2015

posted March 13, 2017 02:57 PM

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This may surprise some of you.

As a now former Cinema Projectionist I really like watching
my films a reel at a time.
Of course it depends on how long the film is. It also gives the
machine a break.

However I always watch my Blu-Ray / DVDs / Laserdiscs all the way
through. [Wink]

[Wink]

[Wink]

[Wink]

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" My equipment's more important than your rats. "

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Andrew Woodcock
Film God

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From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012

posted March 13, 2017 06:09 PM

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Live on the edge eh Steve!😂😂

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"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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From: Long Island, NY, USA
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posted March 13, 2017 07:25 PM

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?

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Douglas Meltzer
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From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 13, 2017 08:07 PM

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Depending on the title and my mood, I will speed (2x, 4x) through a DVD if it doesn't grab me. I haven't touched the speed control on the projector yet.

I have also screened a reel a night because that big block of time to watch the entire feature is hard to come by. Tomorrow is a snow day though......

Doug

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I think there's room for just one more film.....

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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From: Long Island, NY, USA
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posted March 13, 2017 09:55 PM

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From the sound of things it may be a good thing I just bought a bunch of lamps...

(It's BAD when they name a storm!)

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

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From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted March 13, 2017 11:13 PM

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A few years back I watched a 35mm print of Star Wars "A New Hope" at a friends place, one 2000ft reel at a time, boy did that night drag [Roll Eyes]

[Roll Eyes]

I did suggest to him to get a platter fitted in a nearby bedroom and cut some holes in the wall to run the film through it, his wife was not keen on that idea....pity [Wink]

[Wink]

David projectors are not meant to rest [Smile]

[Smile]

they.. like the projectionist have to keep running from morning to night every day to earn there keep [Smile]

[Smile]

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David Hardy
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 955
From: Johnshaven Village , Montrose, Scotland
Registered: Jan 2015

posted March 17, 2017 04:22 AM

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Graham I am fully aware that projectors need to be kept running
everyday in order to "earn their keep " on 35mm / 70mm.

However while the same principal may apply on 8mm they wont last
very long due to those miniscule parts they are made of.
They are very rarely built to industrial specs and only designed
to be used now and again.
These after all are domestic machines.

I would like to see how long any 8 mill machine would last if they were run daily in the way the professional machines are.

Is anyone out there willing to run an 8mm from say 11.00 am
to 12.00 pm seven days a week to see how long it will last ?

One reason I like to run one reel at a time takes account of this on 8mm.
I found when using my long play reels the poor things were very
hot at the end of a show.

I absolutely hated ... yes hated the long play and platter systems when they were first introduced in the cinemas and
still do hate them.

They took away some of the skills and craft of the projectionist
and created a lot of unemployment and a lot of exploitation on
the part of the Cinema owners.
At least the machines got a rest every 18 - 20mins in the good old days of 35mm reel changeovers. Which could only be a good
thing in the long term when it comes over all wear and tear over
a long period of time.

I contrast with my experiences working in multiplexes and triples
which run the equipment to death daily and caused a lot more avoidable problems using platters or long-play systems.

Yes they also liked to run their projectionist staff to death.
The bastards they are !

I mean one man 9+ screens for crap wages ... come on.
I am so glad we had a Trade Union as I saw what was happening
to the poor sods who did not.

[Wink]

[Wink]

[Wink]

[Wink]

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" My equipment's more important than your rats. "

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Andrew Woodcock
Film God

Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012

posted March 17, 2017 07:21 AM

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I wouldn't want to run any Super 8mm Projector for twelve hours a day, day in, day out, David,no,...but mine will run a feature just the same as a 600 footer without any adverse reaction to either the machine or a print.

In fact the length of a screening session seems to make absolutely no difference whether it be using a LPU with a 800ft capacity machine or indeed a long play projector.

Naturally you do of course, have to keep on top of the service intervals, but that's all, based on my own experiences with these things.

--------------------
"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

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Brian Fretwell
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From: London, UK
Registered: Jun 2014

posted March 17, 2017 07:53 AM

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I believe (from newspaper articles on their closing) West End "Adult" cinema "clubs" for showing uncensored sex films used Elmo GS1200's for many hours each day 7 days a week.

My favourite for reel at a time is "That's Entertainment". Also on a dvd forum there was a lot of complaint about a film being on a double sided DVD that had to be turned over half way thorugh - it was a film that on original release had an intermission which was on the print used for the DVD and the break was at the Intermission title. You can't please some folk!!!

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Martin Davey
Film Handler

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From: Southampton UK
Registered: Dec 2011

posted March 18, 2017 05:20 AM

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Putting aside technical issues, and I don't do features on film anyway, I feel it is important to watch the whole film in one sitting as intended by the director and editor, so I make the time to be able to screen the whole thing in an allotted time-space. For long films (3-4 hrs) I do enjoy the 'atmosphere' that is created in the storytelling during that period.

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Paul Adsett
Film God

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posted March 18, 2017 09:19 AM

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I have little tolerance for 3 and 4 hour movies. I thought Lawrence of Arabia would never end. Same thing with the biblical epics like The Ten Commandments, and Gone With The Wind. You could not pay me enough to sit thru a continuous 8mm showing of any of these films.
One reel a week would be more like it! [Smile]

[Smile]

--------------------
The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar
Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj

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Winbert Hutahaean
Film God

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From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 18, 2017 09:31 AM

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Perhaps for me to keep it as the original spool such as 4*400' or 3*600'.

I can screen one reel per night

or

The whole feature without need to stop in the middle for reel changing.

...why?

Use 2 projectors and get someone as a projectionist.... [Wink]

[Wink]

That is a luxury you can have in my home country. Back home, I have a nanny, driver and gardener.

You do not need to be a billionaire to enjoy that luxury. Seriously! [Razz]

[Razz]

--------------------
Winbert

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Martin Davey
Film Handler

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From: Southampton UK
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posted March 18, 2017 09:31 AM

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Well I must admit I do like all of those, and a lot more of those big films! But only if shown 35mm/ 70mm in the cinema or blu ray at home.

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Tom Photiou
Film God

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From: Plymouth U.K
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posted March 18, 2017 11:02 AM

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Some great ploints on here.
David, definatly agree with on all your points and as a proffessional projectionist i would never counter argue any of your points. Super 8 projectors are certainly nowhere near industrial quality. The very reason we chose and have stuck with our elmo 1200hds is because if,and only if,they are maintained and serviced properly and when they should be they give a superb service with one of the best images and definatly by far one of the best sound outputs.aside the plastic crappy guides, which we were wise enough to stock up on, they are well built work horses. My main one is used at least 5 nights a week even if only a 400 ft and a trailer but twice a week its on from 7pm to 9pm. And its still great.however,
When i am on my own i do love to serialise a feature as two or more parts. Films on two or more 1200 reels may be shown over two nights.if i am not busy and off work i will show a full film on the night. Occassionaly if its one of my brothers films that i am cleaning i may show a film over 3 or 4 nights along with a short or two hence serialising. Certain films must be shown as a full feature on the night or it may lose any impact like Texas chainsaw.

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