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Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 06, 2018, 03:25 PM:
Good Afternoon Film Fans! I’m Claus Harding.
Well, OK,… I’m really not. Claus couldn’t come to CineSea this time so I’m kind of a substitute-Claus. He has been doing these photo essays ever since the first CineSea almost nine years ago. I enjoy them so much that I take up the banner when Claus can’t. (I do prefer him doing them on a steady basis: it’s actually a lot of work!)
So we wish Claus well, thank him for creating and keeping a great tradition and hope to see him take his rightful place again in October!
Our chief photographer is Mike Lattavo, with assorted shots from others. My job here is to just slather the words in between!
Our goal is a chapter per day for maybe a week. I haven’t written it all yet so your guess is as good as mine if we make it or not! They should be out about 8PM Eastern every night this week.
People who attended are welcome to post their own pictures and tell their own stories. All I ask is that you not get ahead of me and derail something I have already written but was going to post in 15 minutes!
Setting the Stage
Not very long ago, the idea of any kind of small gauge film collector’s convention here in the US was kind of a pipe-dream. Of course there were thriving conventions in the UK, as there still are, but those were still the times of organizations like Derann and the UK had and still has a pretty large base of film collectors a lot more geographically concentrated than here in North America.
There was quite a bit of discussion here about pulling together some kind of gathering. I thought it was a great idea, but short of reviving Blackhawk and getting them to sponsor it I didn’t see it ever happening. I’m an Engineer: I suffer from a disorder called “excessive practicality”. I’m the kind of guy who will tell you that you can’t afford your dream house, the Maserati you just bought has an oil leak, the Blonde you’re dating has dark roots and there’s just no way you can gather a scattering of a couple of dozen people from about ten states in one place and not lose your shirt covering expenses! Conference space in hotels costs thousands: you try to divide that cost among maybe two dozen people and they will run away in droves!
So it’s basically my role in life to use logic, facts and math to spoil other people’s fun! (Why yes, I am married…why do you ask?)
“–Can’t be done!”
“–No way!”
-but
John Black and Shorty Caruso had an idea. All up and down the Jersey shore there are beach towns. These are seasonal: in the peak of summer you can’t see the sand because of all the people on it, but in the depths of winter the streets would seem a lot busier if there were tumbleweeds. The hotels in these places are pretty desperate for income in the first and last weekends they are open, and just maybe would be interested in couple of dozen basically harmless people with films and projectors.
The Ocean Holiday has been our home twice a year since CineSea II in the spring of 2010. We get the meeting room free as our reward for showing up very early and then very late in the season, renting otherwise vacant rooms and causing them no grief while we are there. We’ve heard of groups actually being banned from the Ocean Holiday (-making ten foot dives off the terrace into the six foot deep pool!), but CineSea will never be among them. We like them, and I’d say it’s mutual!
The facilities are…spartan! The floor is concrete and there are roll-up doors on one end. This is called the “Hospitality Room” and on season it’s filled with arcade games and sunburned teenagers that need to stay off the beach for a while (plus the pallid ones that haven’t ever been there …). At both ends of the season it is our space, and by applying a little Cinema Magic we make it the place to be if you are a film collector on those weekends!
This is generally what we find when we get there:
-empty tables and nothing but the sound of the ocean breezes as a sound track.
To our own credit, we do a lot with it!
Next:….TGIF!!
Posted by Claus Harding (Member # 702) on May 06, 2018, 04:06 PM:
Steve,
Appreciate the kind words, and I'll do my best to be back in the saddle in the Fall :-)
Good start here; I look forward to pictures from the "big show" in 35 mm.
Claus.
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 06, 2018, 04:29 PM:
Thanks, Claus!
Mike has sent me a lot of great material to work with: I’d estimate we’ll be seeing House of Wax Tuesday night!
Posted by Michael Lattavo (Member # 4280) on May 07, 2018, 11:05 AM:
Looks good, can't wait to see more!
Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on May 07, 2018, 11:47 AM:
I cannot wait foe more...It's always a pleasure to read (and see of course) about this American event.
Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on May 07, 2018, 12:02 PM:
As always, you and all our overseas colleagues I extend the warmest welcome for the finest times - Cheers, Shorty
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 07, 2018, 12:56 PM:
Stay tuned!
We have a good one for tonight and a better one Tuesday!
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 07, 2018, 06:58 PM:
Friday
CineSea is not what most would call a “local event”. We have one attendee who comes from Rio Grande, New Jersey: 5 miles away. Other than him we come from further and further away: from more distant ports in New Jersey and other Northeastern states and all the way from places like Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Texas, California, Iceland and Japan! There is a surprisingly large contingent from Ohio, but then again this is the state that gave us Steve Osborne, Cinevent and the Ohio Film Collector Exchange! (I must visit this place someday…)
I gripe my travel: often I’m feeling a little road-worn by the time I get to the Ocean Holiday, but even if I have to battle my way across Brooklyn and Staten Island (I get passed by people on BIKES sometimes!), I have nothing to complain about next to these brave souls!
Here’s what it’s like to join in:
A few weeks before, you call the Ocean Holiday and make your room reservation. After a few times the person on the other end often knows you by name! –and why shouldn’t they? The front desk told me every last room they’d rented this weekend was to our people!
The last couple of days before there is this feeling of anticipation: you are now going to literally take your show on the road and you need to think of everything you’re going to need all the way from projection lamps to toothpaste. (I’ve had a packing list for years…). It’s a big deal: if you get there with everything needed except some funky projector power cord from the 1960s (or some life saving medication…) then you are in Deep!
Maybe a week before I begin to ponder what films I want to bring for Saturday Night Show and depending on the chaos in my “system” I start to look for them (I had a fugitive this time!) .
In the days and hours before, texts and E-mails start to surface: “Do you still have..?”, “Can you bring…?”, “When are you…?”, “I’m on my way…!” and finally that moment comes: you are literally in the driver’s seat and you twist that key. Once again, it is ON! (-and please make sure your car will make it! I installed a new engine belt for this reason.)
There’s a small, yet growing contingent that arrives on Thursday. This is a day just to enjoy Wildwood and hang out and relax. On Friday things really start to come together.
Kind of an unofficially-official and fairly new event is Friday’s Breakfast at Uncle Bill’s Pancake House in Cape May.
Wildwood has its own Uncle Bill’s which is often closed when we’d need it, but Cape May isn’t as seasonal and theirs is open 52 weeks a year. (It’s only 5 miles away).
There’s an important detail in this picture that you actually can’t see: notice how many projectors and films. –exactly none! CineSea has a strong social side to it and a lot of that is simply breaking bread with the other people and getting to know each other. Sure: we talk about the good stuff a lot, but a lot of the good stuff isn’t even film!
Later on back at the Ocean Holiday
For most of us, Friday is moving day, none moreso than the Franchettis! Lou and Lou Junior bring something like 3-8 foot table loads of 16 and 8mm film! I would not be at all surprised if the majority of my Blackhawk Laurel and Hardies came from their table over the years.
-suffice it to say we are always happy to see them arrive!
Friday is the usual setup day. There is the big screen to set up, and folks that sell films get quite a workout hauling boxes and piles of cans to fill the tables up. This year was a little special because we finally broke the 35mm barrier at the Ocean Holiday. CineSea actually has some 35mm history. A couple of times we’ve been to the Sea Theater: the last time we saw “Blazing Saddles” shown from a 35mm platter system. This time, for the first time, it was on our home screen.
Here Dave Baker and Terry Bange are waking up their Devry 35mm machine after the long drive from Ohio:
We Super-8mm should fans take note: in the big world of Motion Pictures zoom lenses aren’t as common as we might hope they are. As much as we love zooms there is nothing like a prime lens for sharpness and brightness! When you go fixed focal length our old friend Mathematics makes an entrance. There is this formula that relates focal length of lenses and aperture size and throw length and screen size and getting the picture right on the screen lives and dies by this math. Here Jason Smith and Doug Meltzer are setting up the throw length: the thing that’s easiest to change.
-and of course the safety of the operators and machine, and the steadiness of the picture demand projecting from a steady surface.
-and they don’t get much steadier than this one!
Setup proceeded as planned: machines of other gauges gathered around the Big One and we had a premier reel of Doug Meltzer’s digest print of The Abominable Dr. Phibes just to get in that proper Vincent Price mindset. (I hear he was actually a nice guy in real life: that’s kind of a relief!. We all have those post-high school nightmares, but in mine he’s my English Teacher!).
The afternoon sun started to get low in the sky and soon we were ready for Friday’s main event!
Next: House of Wax: our Friday Night Feature!
[ May 23, 2018, 11:37 AM: Message edited by: Steve Klare ]
Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on May 07, 2018, 07:53 PM:
Great photos and a terrific write up Steve.I have been looking forward all day for the latest episode! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Posted by Claus Harding (Member # 702) on May 07, 2018, 08:31 PM:
Wonderful so far! Looking forward to the next chapter.
C.
Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on May 07, 2018, 09:38 PM:
Excellent Steve ![[Cool]](cool.gif)
Posted by David Baker (Member # 3259) on May 08, 2018, 09:49 AM:
I'd like to clarify that the " Dr. Phibes " digest was mine and Doug had re-recorded the sound in English , over a German soundtrack .
Also here is what happened with the people who arrived on Thursday :
Terry and I were the only ones permitted to set - up our equipment in preparation for the Friday evening presentation .
While the majority of those early birds had dinner , Several of us remained behind to position the projector and set up a solid base ( as shown above ).
Upon arrival of everyone after dinner , we all partook in a game of " WEREWOLF " , which was pretty fun .
I asked everyone to participate in setting the 3-D and focus for HOUSE OF WAX by putting on their 3-D glasses and telling us of any flaws . Thanks to the group , we were able to set the 3-D properly , mask the lens and get the best focal point AND they all got to see the entire first reel !
Everyone was VERY EXCITED and really looking forward to Cinesea's First 3-D event on Friday !
Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on May 08, 2018, 10:32 AM:
David, as I often mentioned, please tell us more about 3-D - You gentlemen are fine showmen - Cheers from Shorty
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 08, 2018, 11:12 AM:
Thanks for the clarification, Dave.
-Such is seat of the pants journalism! Most of these events occurred before I got there or realized I was on the job!
Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on May 08, 2018, 01:22 PM:
Great work, Steve, and looking forward to future installments from all involved! Wish I could've been there, but this is the next best thing!
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 08, 2018, 01:36 PM:
Thanks!
I've been looking through the pictures Mike sent me and trying to figure out how I can do them justice...
-seems we're going to be at this a couple more days!
Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on May 08, 2018, 01:48 PM:
Waw, terrific, Steve (and the others). You're so good at giving us the "atmosphere" (the "mood", the "vibe" ?, I don't know how to translate it) of the, now, classical event. I'm glad to see Jason has the opportunity to keep on attend Cinesea.
Posted by Douglas Meltzer (Member # 28) on May 08, 2018, 04:35 PM:
Going above and beyond in the dedication department, David & Terry purchased the silver version of my screen so that we could take advantage of the increased gain. Once the 3D settings were finalized, that first reel looked amazing. Their sound system was also excellent. That's another great thing about the Ocean Holiday....any other place would be banging on the door telling us to turn it down!
David's 2x400' Dr. Phibes digest that I re-recorded was a UFA release and it's a very well edited cutdown.
Doug
Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on May 08, 2018, 06:15 PM:
Oooo... was the staff invited? If you had the place to yourselves, they might've been able to join in!
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 08, 2018, 07:01 PM:
House of Wax!
These last couple of years we’ve added a real event to Friday: Friday Night Feature. Saturday Night Show is wonderful: just short after short until you can barely keep your eyes open, but what about features?
Traditionally, these have been either 16mm or 8mm. This time was very different: CineSea broke the 35mm barrier at Ocean Holiday! Dave Baker & Terry Bange of The Ohio Film Collector Exchange brought their portable 35mm projection setup and showed a theatrical print of “House of Wax” in 3D!
Dave Baker took a few moments to introduce the feature and the setup:
Gary Sloane brought a nice 16mm compilation of old-time theatrical daysets. I love this kind of stuff!
Although I DID go out to the lobby later on: they had no idea what I was talking about! All they had were extra towels and tiny bottles of shampoo! ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
-It’s a good thing we have that table of snacks and drinks in the hospitality room.
The feature was 3D, and by show time those gathered were well-prepared!
For some reason only known to the folks at Apple (or purely by accident…), the I-Phone takes spectacular screen shots. –yet not this time! Who knows? -maybe somewhere out there in the Universe of Apps there is one that can interpret the 3D film image back into a 2D still, but to date I’m still figuring out how to type into the idiotic thing!
-so this time you’ll need to take my word for it! The 3D was great! Someone commented that every so often a character came into the foreground of a scene and for half a second they thought some real person had stepped in front of the screen!
This was single machine presentation of multiple reels, so there were several short intermissions for reel changes. In the spirit of what we all love doing, this was hands-on film presentation: at this moment I count six hands, as a matter of fact!
Now, Horror isn’t usually my genre. Let’s be honest: I went to Junior High with 14 year olds who had eyepatches, criminal records and knife scars! Isn’t that enough horror for one life? Don’t get me wrong: I respect differences of taste. I’ll give you any odds when one of my films goes on the big screen Saturday Night somebody is thinking “ANOTHER train film?! At least let there be somebody interesting on the train this time!” –and I’m OK with that!
That much being said I really enjoyed this movie. I enjoyed the story, the film and the presentation too!
”Vincent” Speaks!
(They say every man has his…“Price”!)
In the darkest hearts of men unimaginable evil prevails, and its manifestations lurk within foulest corridors under the blackness of night. Of these places men dare not speak except in hushed, foreboding tones, yet in their most candid moments they confess such terrifying abodes do exist. This knowledge brings no consolation to their troubled hearts and it haunts them through fearful days and restless nights.
I know of one such place, yet faint to bear it witness:
BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!
(Hey! Don't blame me! I'm just trying to get in the spirit of this thing!)
Next: Saturday, the best day of the week!
Posted by Michael Lattavo (Member # 4280) on May 08, 2018, 07:28 PM:
Great job, Steve!
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 08, 2018, 07:49 PM:
Thanks, Mike!
Of course your photos are kind of critical here!
Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on May 08, 2018, 07:57 PM:
I am puzzled. How did the polarized 3D work with only one projector?
Posted by David Baker (Member # 3259) on May 08, 2018, 08:28 PM:
The polarized process of this print was used by theaters for the 1981 re-release of HOUSE OF WAX ( which is the print used here ) .
It is a single strip film with both left and right on each frame .
The 3-D projector lens is torqued to throw the images in opposite directions and a CinemaScope lens is used spread the images to full screen ratio. The Scope lens must be " masked " on the sides to prevent the spilling over of the left & right images onto the screen . ( see previous photo of projector ). The glasses used are the Linear polarized type .
By 1981 , this was one of the type of 3-D prints that were being used , besides " over - under " polarized 3-D ( METALSTORM : THE DESTRUCTION OF JARED-SYN ).
Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on May 08, 2018, 10:56 PM:
Thank you David for that explanation. Judging from what you say I would imagine that the set up of the projector for a venue like CineSea is quite involved and time consuming.
Posted by Jason Patnode (Member # 5973) on May 08, 2018, 11:10 PM:
Looks like a great event. Wish I could have made it out.
Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on May 09, 2018, 06:25 AM:
That shot of the nightly-clouded sky reminds me...even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers by night, will turn into...oh yes, it was werewolf time and I was one, by chance - Shorty
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 09, 2018, 02:09 PM:
-by any chance were you a teenager at the time?
Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on May 09, 2018, 03:09 PM:
Only when the moon was either half-empty or half-full. I was one of those kind of kids
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 09, 2018, 07:00 PM:
Saturday!!!
There’s nothing better than Saturday! There are days you wake up in the morning and see a coating of snow on your bedroom window. You contemplate prying your car loose and fighting your way to work through the drifts and your heart sinks!
–and then that one great revelation bursts through your despair: It’s Saturday!!! -and suddenly it’s a good day!
-of course sometimes it turns out to be…Monday…. but there’s still Saturday left to hope for if you can hold on five days!
Saturday is also CineSea’s big day. If you can only be there one day: this is the one!
-and possibly the best meal of the whole week is Saturday Breakfast! You savor your nice hot cup of Saturday coffee with the knowledge you have 48 hours of your own! (-yet how quickly they pass!)
Wildwood is kind of a town of diners: there are a great many. A lot of them are furnished in 1950s style. Wildwood is where Bill Hailey and the Comets first performed “Rock around the Clock” in 1954. To a certain extent it will remain the Fifties in Wildwood forever!
Marvis is one of our favorites, yet really just one of them. There are so many great choices!
Here was Saturday Breakfast:
This is your regular, substantial diner style breakfast: eggs, pancakes, French toast, and all homemade. The coffee is black and available by the gallon. There is no “whimsical endive sauce” or “champignons with diced bruschetta”: there’s just no way the human mind can process such things before 9AM. ”PLEASE!...Just gimme some..(?)…EGGS!”
There are also those who choose to sleep in or fend for themselves: it’s all good. The other option in the snowstorm scenario above is rolling over and going back to sleep. This is the best possible choice no matter what day it is!
The Main Event
Now of course none of us comes to Wildwood for just breakfast! (It’d be lunch by the time I got there even on a good day!), it’s the films and the people!
-now in these fifteen years on this and other film discussion boards, I’ve noticed that film collectors…tend to say what they mean and mean what they say when they’re talking film!
Being live doesn’t have to change that!
One of my prized moments of Cinesea was years ago we were out to a little seafood place over on Pacific Avenue. Over on another table this spirited discussion broke out about which is the best 16mm projector. I’m still too much of a Super-8 guy to take a stand here (I am now a 16mm…dabbler), but the expressions on the people at the non-film tables were worth the price of the meal all by themselves! (“What on Earth are they talking about?!!”)
To a certain extent CineSea has always had kind of an identity crisis. We all agree on the “CineSea” part, but what IS it exactly? Some favor “gathering”, and it certainly is one. I kind of like “convention”, although maybe I’m just being a conventional thinker! John Black called it a “show”, and it is that too!
This is a particularly nice example:
-all day long on screens placed all over the place people are showing films: some for sale, some just being shared and discussed.
You see the classical stance in this situation is to stand straight up: right hand on hip, left thumb on left jaw, left hand wrapping around to your right jaw. Try to arch just ONE eyebrow, like Leonard Nimoy. (Two eyebrows arched just makes you look like James Finlayson!) This makes any opinion you have of what’s on screen seem somehow wisened! This applies to every genre of film except cartoons...for those just looking like a seven year old on a slide works just fine!
This picture is just begging for a caption:
“Captain, we have a contact on long range scans…
-type...unknown!!”
Next: All day Saturday
Posted by David C. Lucidi (Member # 4020) on May 09, 2018, 08:48 PM:
Great story telling Steve!! And Great pictures, Mike!
Not having logged into the forum for awhile, thought I'd share some story telling based on what was posted so far. I was at Cinesea for a hot minute (came down Thursday, had to leave by 1pm Friday). Thankfully I only live about 90 miles away (and one of these events, I WILL finally get to talk to you for more than 5 minutes, Steve!!
So as posted, Thursday consists of the early birds, who usually arrive between 3pm-5:30pm. We usually do dinner around 7pm. This year, however, I skipped dinner, along with Mike Lattavo (our unofficial event photographer/Claus fill-in) and Jason Smith (world traveler extraordinaire! He spends almost 24 hours in transit to get here from Japan!!). We stayed behind, because the 3 of us wanted to help Terry Bange and Dave Baker finish getting the 35mm projector 'dialed in'. One of the concerns I had (from my personal background of doing structural signage installations), was that the initial platform the projectors sat on, was VERY unsteady, esp. since the floor had a slight pitch to it. With the cost of this projector reaching almost 5 figures, and being top heavy on an expandable stand, I pushed for coming up with a better stand solution. All I kept thinking was, some poor schmo was going to bump into the projector, send it crashing to the floor, and chaos would ensue.
After mulling around a bit, Jason Smith suggested cinderblocks. Although (if I recall correctly), he was thinking having them in 4 corners (like stilts) and a piece of wood on top. I knew that wouldn't work because of the floor pitch, BUT....Jason's use of the word 'cinderblocks' ignited my brain. I grabbed my laptop from my room (which had CAD software on it from work), took some measurements of the existing stand (height from floor, width and depth) and then looked up the local Lowe's for what was in stock for cinder blocks (and measurements of said blocks). A few minutes later, I had calculated a parts list, and me and Mike Lattavo were off to Lowe's (which ironically, is right next to where the rest of the early birds were currently eating dinner). Loaded up my parts list, headed back to the hotel....and 10 minutes later, had a ROCK solid (pun intended) assembly of stacked cinder blocks, with a base so stable it could have withstood a minor earthquake ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
(I should add, that this projector weighs probably over 400 pounds, so kudos to Mike and Jason for grunting, lifting and transferring it from the old stand to the new base).
Finally, we had to do some minor 'shimming' to insure the projectors were now projecting 'level' on the screen. Success!
The next morning after breakfast, Mike, Jason & myself did some plug splicing for Dave Baker (for the 35mm speakers). Sadly, after that I had to head home, but got to enjoy watching FB updates as the weekend went on. I will also say, I did get to watch Reel 1 of House of Wax on Thursday night (test night) in 3D, which was AMAZING!! Big, BIG thanks to Dave & Terry for taking on such a monumental task of bringing this experience to our humble film convention!!!
And now.....back to our show's excellent report. Take it away Steve!! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 09, 2018, 08:56 PM:
Excellent, Dave!
Until now I’ve had this nagging question:
“They brought cinderblocks from OHIO??!!!!”
Thanks for clearing that up!
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 10, 2018, 04:10 PM:
Saturday II
Saturday at Cinesea is basically an 8 hour day of buying, selling, watching, and discussing film, even before we get to Saturday Night Show. Comfortable clothes and shoes are essential, warm clothes usually are too.
You can often tell where people are from by the amount of insulation they carry: three season jacket and a sweat shirt: Philadelphia and North. Wool hat, gloves and winter coat: Wilmington and South. I know people from Maine who just might show up in shorts and a T-shirt!
-If they have ski masks on they are probably there to rob us! (-when film collectors go bad…)
CineSea isn’t just films: we are human beings and have important parts of our lives that don’t come out of a lens (-and we are ever grateful for that!). At one point I found myself seated in a circle of folding chairs talking about family and work, the rising tide of middle age and other parts of real life. I realized I was talking among old friends and I thought that was great!
For myself, I drove down with a head cold and I took a fairly serious nap Saturday afternoon. To any of you that started to cough on the way home: I’m sorry! How much prose here is driven by NyQuil Industrial Strength Cold and Flu Formula is for historians to decide. (Then again, -nothing like sea air to clear a congested head!)
Here’s something that caught my eye: The Capazzo Table! There are many areas of film collecting I still have much to learn, but because of my electronics background I’m pretty comfortable with sound. They had a 16mm machine running through a mixer, effects box, an amplifier and speakers.
(Considering the Wattage available, I’d say they were restraining themselves.)
The Horse Trading went on all day. To me it looks like Gary Sloan is playing it cool here:
The next time I buy a car I want him to come along! (C’monnn: free year of car washes!)
Now, this was the first time with 35mm at the Ocean Holiday, but we wound up with two 35mm machines in the lineup. Here’s Geoff Curtis’ portable machine getting ready for Saturday Night Show:
Here is The Meltzer Table and The Meltzer is hard at work. There are dozens of films that need to be ready to go on screen Saturday night and Doug spends a substantial amount of time Saturday afternoon getting the Super-8 portion ready for screening. He’s had a lot of it available to him for no more than a few hours at this point and time is of the essence!
This kind of preparation by everybody involved makes a big difference. Sure, we have our false starts where somebody else has to jump in and light up the screen (“We are experiencing technical difficulties: Please stand by!”), but for the most part Saturday Night Show goes off one reel after another after another. This is pretty impressive considering the age of the media and equipment!
It’s kind of daunting to consider our mix of gauges on screen. For years we’ve been running Super-8 and 16mm and now we have 35mm too. On the surface of it showing up with 8mm film in this lineup is like showing up at the Monte Carlo Rally with a VW bug (…Didn’t Disney do something like that?). Herbie the Love Bug had Heart (…or a hidden turbocharger), and we have Doug’s Xenon GS-1200.
This is a formidable machine: it has the Glass and it has the Lumens. It also has the Decibels. It has allowed us narrow-gauge folk to make a decent showing in Wildwood for years now. I got a measure of the difference this one makes a few years ago when it was feeling under the weather and scheduled to visit Dr. Norris: Doug had to switch to his Halogen GS and even with everything else being equal, things were noticeably grayer up on the big screen.
Boathouse!
We’ve been going out to dinner from CineSea longer than we’ve been calling it “CineSea”! At Film Collectors Club International (-months later renamed “CineSea #1”) a couple of us were hungry and went out to eat: just as simple as that!
Many great traditions have started from less: for all we know the domestication of dogs started with some guy with one immense eyebrow saying “You know, Bob…these wolves are getting awfully close to our fire!”. Ten thousand years later we have chewy.com!
Coming up NEXT: The origins of Marriage. (“How on EARTH am I supposed to know who the FATHER is?!!!”)
The Boathouse is a mainstay. It operates deeper into the ends of season than many others, and besides: we like the food!
Beyond not having half the audience collapse from hunger halfway through Saturday Night Show, Saturday dinner serves a practical purpose. It’s kind of like the census: it puts most of the people in one place and sits them down so they are easily counted. It's a decent measure of the health of the event.
If you want a feel for the magnitude of it, take a look at this:
The five tables stretching off to the Horizon here are all CineSea. The unofficially-official headcount here is 36. This is up about six from not very long ago, and that’s encouraging.
There were some new faces to match up with not-so-new names: Charlie Peich came in from Illinois, Gregg Perry joined us from Minnesota and Dan Macarone from northern New Jersey. Guys: half of life is just showing up, and just by showing up (-and of course, more), you have made a difference.
-Thanks!
If you were also new and I didn’t mention you: I’m sorry! (Remember: NyQuil!)
Oddest thing: I was on my way out to take a walk on the beach on Saturday and one woman I’ve never met approached another. She asked “Are you a film-show wife?” and the second woman said “yes”, so the Village may be even bigger than we know! (I have a “film-show wife” too!)
(I wonder what they talked about!...I bet MY wife knows!)
We arrived at dessert: a custom-made cake provided by Nicole and Todd (another tradition) and then waddled our overfed selves back out to the cars. -Onward to the Ocean Holiday!
It’s Showtime!
Next: Saturday Night Show at last!
[ May 11, 2018, 08:57 AM: Message edited by: Steve Klare ]
Posted by Guy Taylor, Jr. (Member # 786) on May 10, 2018, 07:28 PM:
Fantastic Steve.
Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on May 11, 2018, 01:56 AM:
Great write up and photos Steve
Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on May 11, 2018, 02:37 AM:
Thanks, Steve !
Posted by Brian Stearns (Member # 3792) on May 11, 2018, 03:25 AM:
Who's Gary Sloane?
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 11, 2018, 05:56 AM:
Gary Sloan?
-A Massachusetts Man!
Kind of a neighbor of yours if you live in Lexington, Mass. (Not so much Lexington, Kentucky!)
Once again: sometimes I gripe my drive down. Gary drives twice as far! I respect that kind of dedication.
Nice guy. He's done a lot for CineSea over the years.
UPDATE: I'd been alerted that I gave Gary Sloan an extra vowel!
I'd take it myself, but I already have an "e" at the end of my name!
[ May 11, 2018, 08:56 AM: Message edited by: Steve Klare ]
Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on May 11, 2018, 09:57 AM:
I'll give it to Vanna White
Posted by David Baker (Member # 3259) on May 11, 2018, 10:11 AM:
OK , so where's the pic that everyone wanted me and Terry to pose for with the cake that was made in honor of HOUSE OF WAX ?????
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 11, 2018, 10:29 AM:
I suppose we can do requests:
A monkey's playing piano at a party. A guy walks up to him, says "Do you know your tail is on fire?". The monkey says "No, but if you hum a few bars I can fake it!"
-I mean: it's an old joke but it's still awful!
This is the only one like this I have...I wonder whose phone that is!
-single guy...or his wife let's him run around un-ringed!
You know, there's this story that your wedding ring goes on your left hand because it's closer to your heart. I think that's a lot of baloney! When you are out riding around in your cool car in your aviator sunglasses and racing jacket, and you wrap your hand around the windshield pillar, guess which hand the pretty woman in the car sitting next to you sees?
Maybe we should just have "Married" license plates and be done with the rings!
-just saying!
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 11, 2018, 02:23 PM:
Good Afternoon, Film Fans!
I got nuthin' for today, and that's a shame because we're ready to talk about Saturday Night Show. I've been writing about 3 pages a day for almost a week and I've decided to take today off!
-tune in tomorrow and Sunday and we'll bring this to an exciting conclusion! (-or at least "satisfying!")
Posted by Michael Lattavo (Member # 4280) on May 11, 2018, 03:42 PM:
I can add some in the meantime (I think....its been a long time since I've uploaded a picture here!) - anyway, I'll give it a shot!
And.....after 30 minutes of trial and error, it worked! I now remember how to upload a picture! (It's actually quite easy, once you get the hang of it) - I feel as content as this guy - His name escapes me, but I know this was his first show:
Evan and Dave (I believe his name is Dave, someone correct me if I'm wrong - anyway, to the guy sitting down, thanks for the shorts, my daughter LOVES Caps for Sale!)
Ed sure is one tough negotiator!
Finally, I took some shots of life outside the garage....was pretty misty!
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 11, 2018, 03:45 PM:
Looks good to me!
The gent in the baseball cap is Charlie Peich: nice guy!
He knows I'm studying German and he knows I like trains, so somehow he managed to bring a German film with trains in it and invited me over to his table to enjoy it!
Uploading here is like driving a stick-shift: yeah, you stall the first couple of tries but eventually you don't give it a second thought!
-I'd be a happy camper if it was the biggest technological challenge I faced on a day-to-day basis!
-for example, we have a dishwasher that chokes on corn!
Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on May 12, 2018, 03:19 PM:
Dankescheon - Shorty
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 12, 2018, 07:02 PM:
Saturday Night Show
There you are! – A Lone Wolf film collector! If you are lucky, your family “understands” (“Keeps him off the streets!”). Some of us do shows for our friends: they enjoy it but none of them are going home to reels of their own. Personally, I am from a county of more than two million people and as far as I know, I am THE film collector.
Where’s the fellowship? Is there anybody around that appreciates this stuff the way you do? When you talk about film, do other people’s eyes glaze over?
Where’s the learning? The problem with being the only person around that cares about some subject is that you don’t know what you don’t know and you have no way of finding out either. You may actually be so wrong about something, but locally at least, you’re the expert!
CineSea does a great job of fixing these problems. You get the chance to meet other people who love film, you learn what they know, you experience what they enjoy, and you also hear their points of view.
In MY point of view, Saturday Night Show is the central event of the weekend: it’s where it all comes together. It’s a very cooperative thing: nobody brings everything. The screen and the machines and the films come from many different people, and many also provide the planning and muscle to get it all in place.
The program is downright spontaneous! –multiple gauges, many different genres and eras. The only rule is it needs to be 20 minutes or less.
The program usually starts (as it should) with trailers and day sets. From there it can go many places (or at least “most” places…).
I’ve enjoyed being a part of this. In the early years I trucked down my entire sound system, and I still bring films. Very often the prints I have brought are the same ones I’ve reviewed here in “8mm Print Reviews”: in other words the best of my best, and the ones that mean a lot to me. It’s kind of gratifying seeing one of your favorite prints being shown on a larger screen through a sharper lens with a brighter lamp: it shows the potential that lives in those tiny frames!
This is marathon viewing: first light hits the screen usually around 8PM, and the curtain comes down (if we had one…) after 1AM. Once again, comfortable clothing is essential. Some of us bring our own chairs: I have this really cool camping chair that is almost a chair-shaped hammock . It’s been on canoe trips, to PeeWee Soccer (back in the day), Boy Scouts (ditto…), in front of many camp fires and lately CineSea too!
This was the first triple-gauge CineSea and that applied to Saturday Night Show too. Using the Baker-Bange Machine would have required relocating it as well as its cinderblock base, so Geoff Curtis stepped in with his portable machine instead.
I’m going to sit down in the audience now, and we’ll let Geoff get started.
Enjoy Saturday Night Show at CineSea 17!
-The Show Must Go On!
These guys are kind of a guilty pleasure of my adulthood: Mom wouldn’t let me watch ‘em when I was a little kid…then again having been the Dad of a little kid, I now understand where she was coming from…just a little!
There’s always a lot going on behind the scenes to keep the screen bright. Of course being that we are
all in the same room it’s never very far behind the scenes!
We have 8mm, we have 16mm, we have 35.
–and they think THEY have the Right Stuff?!
There’s more going on here than what’s on screen. Several times over the years we’ve had brave, talented souls grab the mic. and offer us a song! We had two this time, with film intros. Personally, I’ll be kind to the CineSea audience and just stick with electronics!
We finally bid farewell to our old friend “The Crimson Ghost” this time. Over the last couple of years we’ve had 12 episodes of Atomic Era hijinks, old-car chases and people in pin-striped suits having fist fights and pointing revolvers at each other. It’s good to know that the good guys won out in the end and The Effluvium Deluminator didn’t fall into the wrong hands!
We had a decent crowd from the start until the very end, but the end came as it always does, in the blackness of a cold Wildwood night.
I can’t speak for anybody else, but I sleep WELL after Saturday Night Show!
NEXT: All Good Things…
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 13, 2018, 12:25 PM:
So Long!, Farewell!, Aufwiedersehen!, Goodbye!...
Saturday Night Show came and went. Sunday is mainly about getting ready to go home and saying our goodbyes.
A group went back to Marvis for breakfast. I would imagine given the late night the crowd was a little lighter than the morning before.
Of course we kept CineSea tradition and took the group photo! The crowd has grown large enogh it has become downright CinemaScope!
The conversation goes on even after the cars leave the hotel. Connections are made and from there on e-mails and texts and phone calls flow in many directions. Many times I‘ve had CineSea friends contact me that some films of machine I’m interested has become available, other times they have a technical problem they need help with, and I do try.
The people that participate in this hobby are part of what gives it its unique personality, just as they always have. Part of enjoying the hobby is getting to know us. If you are in a position to join us at CineSea, please do!
Special thanks to Mike Lattavo for the dozens of pictures he sent me: This would be a pretty dry exercise without them!
I’ve never considered a CineSea to be really over until Claus finishes his “CineSea in Pictures”. I’m finishing mine so I’d like to take a page from the Olympic Games!
I now declare CineSea 17 to be concluded, and invite the film collectors of the World to join us at CineSea 18, October 12th - 14th in Wildwood, New Jersey!
Sunrise over the Atlantic on Sunday Morning: something very few of us were awake to see that weekend!
Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on May 13, 2018, 12:58 PM:
Oh, I'm always up at 5 - Prayers and Silence - Thank you Steve and Michael for the excellent commentary and photography - Claus is proud, I know - Shorty
Posted by Douglas Meltzer (Member # 28) on May 13, 2018, 03:27 PM:
I second that Shorty!
The Super 8mm opening show reel on Saturday night started with a Walt Disney promo for their 8mm releases. A few daysets & ads were followed by a Red Fox trailer for War of the Worlds (nice color!). This led into the new release Back to the Future Promo, which features Huey Lewis and the News performing Power of Love.
Some of the other Super 8mm films screened that night were:
The Hostage - a Derann release of a John Woo action short (250') made for BMW Films that features both Clive Owen and a BMW Z4 Roadster.
Fats Waller Soundies & An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Bros. Silver Jubilee both courtesy of Shorty Caruso.
Marketing Films' well edited 400' cutdown of True Grit.
Derann's Reflections USA & Narrow Gauage in Portugal (a Railroad film), both from Steve Klare.
Son of Kong - the silent Ken Films 200 footer that I had sound striped and then added sync audio to.
Scope Reel:
American Film Institute Promo (Derann)
Yongary, Monster from the Deep - fun German trailer
Presto - Derann's release of the Pixar short
Invaders From Mars - The Red Fox 400' digest (actually more like the last reel of the film than a digest). This got a huge reaction because the color is still absolutely gorgeous!
I know I've forgotten a few.....
Doug
Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on May 14, 2018, 08:08 AM:
There will be more great reels to run in October, that's when we get all spooky and funny with the unusual and unique - Please everyone join us - Shorty
Posted by Evan Samaras (Member # 5070) on May 14, 2018, 01:16 PM:
Great write up Steve, & a great time with friends.
Here are a few of my own images, shot on Fuji Pro 400H through an Agfa Record 6x9
Posted by Douglas Meltzer (Member # 28) on May 14, 2018, 02:09 PM:
Nice shots Evan! Here are a few from Michael Lattavo and myself.
Not sure if this breaking down or setting up....
Jack Cleveland pretending he's on a cruise ship.
Nice close-up of the special commemorative cake.
It was a pleasure to meet and talk with Forum member (and fellow cameraperson) Charlie Peich.
Charlie brought his Da-Lite bicentennial screen!
That GOKO RM-8008 is a really useful machine.
Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on May 15, 2018, 02:38 AM:
Excellent photos and write up
Posted by Antoine Orsero (Member # 41) on May 15, 2018, 04:35 AM:
excellent, I envy you
Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on May 15, 2018, 07:56 AM:
It's better I'm photographed as little as possible, Shorty
Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on May 15, 2018, 11:12 AM:
Cinesea 17 looked like another extremely successful gathering:
...Tables covered with boxes and boxes of films.
...Reels of films being positioned and carefully threaded onto projectors.
...A rainbow variety of different gauge projectors cohabiting throughout the room...
...The magical projections of moving pictures illuminating off screens...
...AND so many familiar faces to me now gathering together with friendship and a common interest.
Thank you guys for sharing all the pics and narration. Love them
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 15, 2018, 12:25 PM:
It's like what John Lasseter said about what the early days of Pixar were like: "Hey, my uncle's got a barn! Let's put on a show!"
-we have this small mob of people with all sorts of different talents and backgrounds and cinema stuff. The Hospitality Room isn't exactly a barn, but by the same token it's not a movie theater either!
-well, not until WE get there it isn't!
Twice a year it all comes together and we do something pretty good with it!
Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on May 15, 2018, 02:52 PM:
...and you got five months to mull it over, then come help us paint the place - Shorty
Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on May 15, 2018, 04:58 PM:
superb thread, thanks to all involved for the images
Posted by Mathew James (Member # 4581) on May 15, 2018, 10:06 PM:
Really cool write up Steve! Make me laugh throughout
Nice Fuji pics Evan. They looks amazing!
Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on May 16, 2018, 08:30 AM:
No, Wait!
NONE of this was meant to be funny!
(............. )
(Thanks!)
I'm looking forward to enjoying the next one from out in the audience. As I said: its a lot of work!
Posted by Greg Perry (Member # 5177) on May 16, 2018, 09:19 AM:
As a first-time attendee to this Spring's event, I have to say what a great time CineSea was! The "regulars" make a new guy feel welcome, and lots of fun films are screened.
The 35mm 3D film provided by Terry and Dave was a blast to see! Saturday night films were shown non-stop, one after the other, alternating seamlessly between the film formats.
There is so much going on that I didn't get the chance to chat with others as much as I would have liked. Guess I have to make a return trip to another CineSea!
Steve, thanks for posting the pics and the very enjoyable and accurate descriptions of all the goings-on.
Doug, thanks for everything you do to make this happen, and for the very nice film!
For others that may be thinking about making it to CineSea, it is a great time--an easy-going & informal atmosphere and lots of film fun with really good people. Worth it.
Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on May 16, 2018, 09:25 AM:
Sure it is - Shorty
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