8mm Forum: Extreme Features!

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Topic: Extreme Features!

Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 29, 2018 12:15 PM

This weekend we projected Ben Hur from DVD, being over 3 hours and on two disks we split it up into Saturday and Sunday nights.

I couldn't help but wonder what this would be like as a Super-8 feature: 6x600ft., or even 9x400ft.: all of those reel changes!

I have no features kept on more than 6 reels, and I usually break them up into multiple nights.

I'm wondering if any of you out there have large features like these? Do you compile them onto 1200ft. reels or keep them as they came? Do you go multiple nights or start early and finish late?

What's it like to screen an epic like this?

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

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Tom Photiou
Film God

Posts: 4837
From: Plymouth U.K
Registered: Dec 2003

posted January 29, 2018 12:30 PM

The longest films we have is gone with the wind on 4 x 1200 reels and sound of music on 3 x 1200ft. We usually try and watch them of an evening but i personally will watch two hour films over a course of two evenings. Films like T2 or polterguist are on 2 x 1200 and i enjoy serialising them sometimes.

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted January 29, 2018 12:41 PM

I had the Scope feature of "Ben Hur" years ago, I think its an absolute must to have it on large reels, my view has always been the less stops the better [Smile]

I feel with long films we have to be in the mood to watch it, even on dvd/blu-ray its still a long haul. [Smile]

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 29, 2018 02:20 PM

I have a couple of features on 2x1200'. To me this is a very natural arrangement: an hour, an intermission, and then another hour. It runs happily on just one machine, too.

A lot of my features are on the original 400' and 600' reels, and these go on 2 machines with the best changeovers I can manage using a right hand and a left and a quick presto-changeo on the mixer panel. (This was much less athletic when it was a single 200 or 400 foot reel without any sound!)

I have a rule when I'm watching changeovers by myself: I look down during the reel change: If I didn't see it on screen it didn't happen! (Cinema Denial...)

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

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Bruno Heughebaert
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 219
From: Belgium
Registered: Sep 2011

posted January 29, 2018 02:32 PM

I also projected ben hur this weekend on saturday and on super8
I ran it on my fumeo 9120.
My copy has the overture and intermission music on pre striped black leader.
Main track is dubbed in french balance track has the original english sound.
I mounted the print on two reels.
1st one from begining to the intermission is a beautiful 900 meters long play reel manufactured in germany.
The second part is mounted on a 480 meters reel.
It's of course the scope print.

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Oliver F. R. Feld
Master Film Handler

Posts: 447
From: Berlin, Germany
Registered: Jan 2010

posted January 29, 2018 02:45 PM

I screen my long features „like in the movies“ in one night...
My BEN HUR is on 1x1200“ ELMO and 2x2200“ POSSO reels to fit my Beaulieu machine.
I serve sweats and drinks at the reel changes. The audiences like this.
I couldn’t imagine watching a feature half way through.
Other features up to 112 minutes running time match 1 POSSO reel and You should even watch the Disney features from 1 reel.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 29, 2018 02:51 PM

A lot of the time I really need to split a feature: you see I have my 15 year old in the audience and he has an attention span made by YouTube!

-You know how many of the great Cathedrals of Europe were built over the course of several generations?

Well, none of them were built by 15 year olds!

"It's almost lunchtime...are we DONE yet?!!"

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

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Gary Crawford
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 979
From: Manassas, VA. USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 29, 2018 03:50 PM

I'm lucky. My booth has two elmo's and I can switch between the two if I have to. some of the features are on 1200 and 1600 foot reels so there's not much switching to do. Others I've kept on 400 and 600ft reels as I tend to have a favorite section that I run more than the others. I love the opening reel of Alien and have screened it several times, but the last half hour I've only run a couple of times.

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted February 03, 2018 12:11 PM

Although not on film but blu-ray projected on a VP last night. I did watch for the first time the 1960 movie "Spartacus", during the end credits I looked at the running time on the player as 3hrs 15min. I had sat watching it that long, being the 50th anniversary edition uncut and fully restored from 65mm the movie just grabbed me.

I really dont like long movies, so I surprised myself that I had watched all of the 3hrs 15min right through, apart from a quick break at the intermission. [Smile]

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Adrian Winchester
Film God

Posts: 2941
From: Croydon, London, UK
Registered: Aug 2004

posted February 03, 2018 01:18 PM

I don't store features on longer spools, as I like to retain the original format/boxes, and this also makes storage easier in relation to my shelves. I also save expenditure on a lot of extra reels and cans! As I don't screen any feature frequently, I find the original format fine for personal viewing, but I temporarily put them on longer spools if I'm presenting to an audience. My longest film is ALIENS (137 mins), which meant putting four of the 600' spools on two 1200 ones, and leaving the other on the original spool.

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Adrian Winchester

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