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Author Topic: Modern Films
Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

- posted March 27, 2009 05:18 PM      Profile for Graham Ritchie     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Just picking up on another topic I took a couple of photos last night waiting for the last movie to finish of our old "Bauer U4" projector gave it new belts and a tune up this week [Wink] going great, runs at least 12 hours a day and over 30 years old. I bet digital cant beat that, however back to modern movies "Australia" has been a big hit everyone I have talked to have enjoyed it and for the young ones "Twilight" and "Gran Torino" the other evening sessions all are doing very well. It seems strange that the bigger cinemas seem to be finding things a bit tough. [Roll Eyes] There is a good line up of new films starting Pink Panther2 this week is just one, with others like Night at the Museum 2 the trl of which looks really good.
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The old "Bauer U4" still going strong "last night" after all those years imported from US Los Angles second hand around 1991.
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last night screen shot from the Bauer projector of "Australia"
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Graham. [Smile]

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Patrick Walsh
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 723
From: Christchurch, New Zealand
Registered: Jul 2006

- posted March 27, 2009 09:15 PM      Profile for Patrick Walsh     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hi Graham
The photos of the movie out the porthold look very good and as you said the Bauer is very good quality,
Just like a cinema near here (Geraldine)that has a pair of Zeiss Ikon Ernemann II projectors circa 1920s and they are still going well today! they don't build them like they used to! they used to be silnt machines then sound was added with a soundhead attached behind the projector head, lamphouses used are newer 1953 Ashcraft C70s carbon arcs.
The movie attendane I believe in NZ is not that bad compared to other countires however poor product means poor attendance and there has been alot of poor films around lately.
Pat [Smile]
[Big Grin]

[ March 28, 2009, 01:21 AM: Message edited by: Patrick Walsh ]

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"Raise The Titanic!", It would of been cheaper to lower the Atlantic!

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

- posted March 27, 2009 11:02 PM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hey, it looks as good as my Sanyo 25 inch classic color TV!

(snicker snick snick!)

I must say, however, we did watch this movie on our DVD upconverter, and I must say, it was brilliant!

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

- posted March 28, 2009 07:11 PM      Profile for Graham Ritchie     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hi Pat
The Ernemann2 I use I guess is about 80 years old the the gears and intermittent are in excellent condition German engineering is superb and cant see any reason for it not to be still running for another 80 years.

The biggest killer to the cinema here is the weather if its like today sunny with clear blue skies the last thing people want to do is go to the movies, today we have the city to surf run at the moment a big family day out. I think the interest in the movies in general is on the decline "plenty of other things to do and cheaper" so I dont think 3D or Digital will save it and on that happy note [Roll Eyes] time to get the fishing rod out like we did last week [Wink]

Graham. [Smile]

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Patrick Walsh
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 723
From: Christchurch, New Zealand
Registered: Jul 2006

- posted March 28, 2009 07:38 PM      Profile for Patrick Walsh     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hi Graham
Yes very dead at the cinema here today no patrons at all so I have replaced all the blown bulbs in the place and done a bit of painting.
should pick up later on tonight?????
Pat [Big Grin]

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"Raise The Titanic!", It would of been cheaper to lower the Atlantic!

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

- posted March 28, 2009 11:20 PM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
1920's era projectors still in use in the theater?

Good Lord Pat, I'd love to see that!

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Patrick Walsh
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 723
From: Christchurch, New Zealand
Registered: Jul 2006

- posted March 29, 2009 12:07 AM      Profile for Patrick Walsh     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
They are indeed Osi!
I have some photos of the projector booth but I can't seem to load them up.
The projectors were made by Zeiss Ikon in Dresden, Germany in the 1920s, New Zealand was one of several countries that imported and used them, and most cinemas had them installed, the last models of Ernemann II machines were brough into New Zealand in 1939 then no more until after the war.
Ernamann projectors are still made today. Ernemann 15s I believe they are made in a place called Kiel in Germany (the Dresden factory was firebombed in WW2)
They are very well made and the men that made them probably never thought that their handywork would be still in use in 2009!
Pat [Big Grin]

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"Raise The Titanic!", It would of been cheaper to lower the Atlantic!

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Mike Peckham
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1461
From: West Sussex, UK.
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted March 29, 2009 02:02 AM      Profile for Mike Peckham   Email Mike Peckham   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Our local cinema here in Worthing (The Dome) has some interesting old projectors. Not sure of the exact details but on the Saturday morning tour the guide gives a a date of 1936 for the installation.

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They are still in continuous use and give a good account of themselves...

Mike

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Auntie Em must have stopped wondering where I am by now...

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Dino Everette
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1535
From: Long Beach, CA USA
Registered: Dec 2008

- posted March 29, 2009 02:20 AM      Profile for Dino Everette     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Just curious since this is slightly related, but am I alone in wondering if there is a connection between the fact that Hollywood studios are now all owned by media conglomerates and the coming switch from film to digital.

The term vertical integration takes on new meaning these days since the studios' parent companies not only control the production and distribution of the product, but no longer control the exhibition. THAT IS the exhibition on film. The fact that they have to produce film prints via companies they don't own, and those films get played on equipment they don't own doesn't bode well financially (especially since as you say a modern movie like AUSTRALIA can be played on equipment that is many decades old).
By switching film exhibition over to digital, not only does it inadvertently provide the parent companies additional revenue (ie: sony markets 4k projectors, Viacom/GE/Vivendi and others deal in transmission technology like TV/web) but it puts the control firmly back in their hands since the digital technology is ALL based on planned obsolescence. In regular intervals just like they have enjoyed with VHS/LASERDISC/DVD/BluRay they can dictate any type of format change and continue to resell the same product to the same consumers or new generation consumers. All secondary markets of used media will be worthless, people wanting to see a major film will only be able to do so however the studios dictate it will be available rather than playing it on equipment that is 50 years old.

Film is the only media that you can play on such old equipment, or play such an old film on new equipment.

For as long as I can remember you will find SONY at the heart of these format changes...First the VHS/BETA war that they lost, then there was VHS-C/8mm then Hi-8, then the whole series of D-1/D-2, etc. even video games with sony playstation going against Nintendo formats, and jump to present when they bullied away HD-DVD with their Blu Ray, basically they have been positioning themselves for this for years to be in the place of dictating media delivery...

Sorry for such a rant but given the fact that ALL video/digital formats have far less a shelf life than film it angers me that studios are destroying the very thing that has allowed those assets to survive this long, simply for a profit window TODAY that disregards TOMMORROW.

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"You're too Far Out Miss Lawrence"

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Michael O'Regan
Film God

Posts: 3085
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Oct 2007

- posted March 29, 2009 03:03 AM      Profile for Michael O'Regan     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Nice pics, Mike.
They still do changeovers there in Worthing obviously?
That, in itself, has got to be a rarity.

Dino - interesting thought. There is more than a little truth in that, I would guess.

-Mike

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Martin Jones
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1269
From: Thetford , Norfolk,England
Registered: May 2008

- posted March 29, 2009 03:44 AM      Profile for Martin Jones     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I "worked" as relief projectionist (I was only 14) at the Astoria, South Norwood (near Croydon) in the 50's and remenmber clearly that the machines were "Walturdaw?" 5's, which I later discovered were "badged" Ernemann mechanisms. Very substantially built indeed.

Martin

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Retired TV Service Engineer
Ongoing interest in Telecine....

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Christopher Gillan
Junior
Posts: 22
From: Bridestowe Devon
Registered: Jan 2009

- posted March 30, 2009 08:01 AM      Profile for Christopher Gillan   Email Christopher Gillan   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I have to agree with Dino film is the only format that plays anywhere in the world no matter what total madness to replace.But i must say that in the past all the gadgets that come and gone over film history this could be another.

Chris

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Patrick Walsh
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 723
From: Christchurch, New Zealand
Registered: Jul 2006

- posted March 31, 2009 12:30 AM      Profile for Patrick Walsh     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Those machine in Mike's photo look to be in very good conndition, I am unsure of the projector make but the lamphouses are PEERLESS MAGNARCs these are very good quality arc lamps, many were/are in use here, the best are a japenese copy under the name HI CENTRAL these lamps have an auto cut off if the carbons move out to far and also an alarm goes off when the carbon rods are nearly burnt up.
Pat [Big Grin]

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"Raise The Titanic!", It would of been cheaper to lower the Atlantic!

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Michael O'Regan
Film God

Posts: 3085
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Oct 2007

- posted March 31, 2009 02:32 AM      Profile for Michael O'Regan     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Its a bit dark but, are they Century's, Mike?

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Mike Peckham
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1461
From: West Sussex, UK.
Registered: Jun 2003

- posted March 31, 2009 02:59 AM      Profile for Mike Peckham   Email Mike Peckham   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Mike,

I just checked out the Dome Website and there's a page on there devoted to the projectors; http://www.worthingdomecinema.com/projectorgallery.php they speak in the past tense about them so I wonder if they were replaced during the recent renovation... [Confused]

I'll try and get down there at the weekend and find out.

Mike [Cool]

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Auntie Em must have stopped wondering where I am by now...

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Christopher Gillan
Junior
Posts: 22
From: Bridestowe Devon
Registered: Jan 2009

- posted March 31, 2009 03:10 AM      Profile for Christopher Gillan   Email Christopher Gillan   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I think you will find they are Simplex

Chris

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Michael O'Regan
Film God

Posts: 3085
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Oct 2007

- posted March 31, 2009 03:46 AM      Profile for Michael O'Regan     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Nice pictures, Mike.

With the lights turned on, they don't even remotely look like the Century.

My betting is they converted to a platter or tower system. I'll be interested to find out.

-Mike

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

- posted March 31, 2009 08:08 PM      Profile for Graham Ritchie     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Dino
Interesting comments sadly their is a lot of truth in what you say.

Mike
Good photo it would be interesting to know if they are still using carbon arcs or were converted to Xenon.

Quote "It looks as good as my Sanyo 25 inch Color TV" [Wink] well that prompted me to take a photo [Smile] here are a couple. The first is the projection room, one day I am sure it will be digital its the way things are heading and the days of the projectionist will be gone. Its strange that when we show people around the projection room they always say, thought you had gone video and when they see the film projectors they go "wow" thats amazing they think its great, gone soon will be the days of letting the birthday boy or girl start the projector and leave with strips of 35mm film, all those things are part of our three screen cinema. Its the personal touch that will disappear the other two projectionists I work with really enjoy what they do I guess there is a bit of showman in us all well I better get focused [Cool] and post those photos.
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A general look at the projection room

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Cinema 2 The screen is about 24 foot wide in Scope, top and bottom masking stays the same, only the side masking moves
no curtains or coloured lighting "pity" however people like coming here "friendly staff" nice seats.

Graham. [Smile]

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Dino Everette
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1535
From: Long Beach, CA USA
Registered: Dec 2008

- posted April 01, 2009 01:25 AM      Profile for Dino Everette     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Looks like a great theatre, and I love the look on the kid like its a robot or something. [Smile]

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"You're too Far Out Miss Lawrence"

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

- posted April 01, 2009 03:44 AM      Profile for Graham Ritchie     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Thanks Dino
The other cinema "number one" is similar in layout the third screen is a bit smaller and uses a Kinoton 35mm projector. I think this theatre was the first multi-plex back in 1991 in this city, things have changed a lot since then, myself [Roll Eyes] I been involved here for about 10 years and getting payed for doing something that I enjoy is great, we have two full time thats including myself and one part time projectionist. Its a cinema that does not seem to suffer from complaints like the others and thats mainly due to the good staff that we have got. The kid you refer to is our "part time projectionist" and is often rostered on a 12 to 14 hour shift and runs everything on his own, one last photo of "cinema one" the simplex projector. I have posted this projector before "hope you dont mind" but this photo is better with more detail [Smile]
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The digital reader is on the top, the film is threaded and is ready for closing the lens turret for starting, with three different types of projectors you have to have your wits about you, its good experence though.

Graham. [Smile]

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Lars Pettersson
Master Film Handler

Posts: 282
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Registered: Jan 2007

- posted April 01, 2009 06:06 AM      Profile for Lars Pettersson   Email Lars Pettersson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Beautiful projector, Graham! [Smile]

Are those ISCO lenses? [Roll Eyes]

Cheers
Lars

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

- posted April 01, 2009 01:52 PM      Profile for Graham Ritchie     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hi Lars
The lenses are ISCO and are excellent quality, I also fitted a new ISCO backing lens to the Bauer a few years ago a big improvement in particular the colours.

Graham. [Smile]

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I better make this the last photo [Roll Eyes] but I thought I would show you that as well as the cinemas the projection room is also kept neat and tidy, a couple of years ago the cinema was closed for a few weeks so myself and the other projectionist took the opportunity to re-paint "we picked the colours". The owners were very good about this and gave us the money to buy what we needed, also there is a bit of carpet on the floor as well as the odd movie poster on the wall. As its an area we spend a lot of time in its nice to have it look good. There is quite a lot of room as far as a projection area is concerned but not enough for a pool table as yet, although we are working on that one [Wink] The shopping mall directors are also the owners of the cinema and were impressed on our paint/clean up job when visiting on our re-opening night.

[ April 01, 2009, 05:35 PM: Message edited by: Graham Ritchie ]

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Patrick Walsh
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 723
From: Christchurch, New Zealand
Registered: Jul 2006

- posted April 01, 2009 06:51 PM      Profile for Patrick Walsh     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I had the honour of working at Graham's cinema for a while and it is a very good workplace.
Pat [Big Grin]

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"Raise The Titanic!", It would of been cheaper to lower the Atlantic!

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Bill Brandenstein
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1632
From: California
Registered: Aug 2007

- posted April 02, 2009 11:53 AM      Profile for Bill Brandenstein     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Graham, a photo and description of Cinema 1 would make the set complete!

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

- posted April 03, 2009 01:36 AM      Profile for Graham Ritchie     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Thanks Pat
Look forward to catching up very soon [Smile]

Hi Bill
I will take a photo over this weekend to finish it off.. I think [Smile]

Well its been exactly nine months since I trained up our Part Time Projectionist, it only took 14 hours from scratch "new nothing about projectors or film" to his first solo night running this stuff I was impressed how quickly he picked things up.... handed over the keys and left. I sat at home like an expectant father waiting for that late night call to say all is well "it came and it was" might be that I am a "Jedi Master Film Handler" [Roll Eyes] though I doubt it [Smile] Over those nine months of projecting on his own he has never made a mistake "that I know of" which is an amazing achievement and is now working three nights a week after school on a fixed roster...... and my nerves have finally settled down. [Smile] In a few weeks he will turn 16 and is looking forward to being able to watch R16 films legally [Roll Eyes] it might be time for that Jedi Master to retire [Wink]

Graham. [Smile]

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