8mm Forum: My Last Video

This is topic My Last Video in forum General Yak at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on November 02, 2019, 05:50 PM:

Well folks that's it with the Ernemann 2 projector [Wink]

will move onto something else [Smile]

Not sure you will be able to se it due to some of the content being block in some countries. I guess if you want to see the full feature you will have to come to NZ, [Big Grin]

anyway let me know how you get on...here is the link..

https://youtu.be/_SLnx1G_XwA

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on November 02, 2019, 05:56 PM:

I see it Graham. It's just the movie footage that can be potentially blocked because of copyright protection. Personally I only care about the watching the projector anyway [Smile]

It a beautiful machine!

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on November 02, 2019, 06:13 PM:

Thanks Janice [Smile]

Using a little bit of footage shows what a projector that's almost 100 years old can do.

Regarding "Braveheart" a few of us from work went to watch it at Hoyts 8 when it came out in 1995. We landed up sitting in the front row, as those were the only seats left, my big mistake was along with others had been at the cinema bar earlier, not a good idea with a long film like that.

I have "Braveheart" on Blu-ray but the film print really seems to make things come alive. I remember we screened "Doctor Zhivago" on 35mm at the cinema, and remember thinking at the time, that I will never again see the likes again.

The "Braveheart" reel reminded me again, of what film "looks" like and the special magic it still has. [Smile]

Posted by David Michael Leugers (Member # 166) on November 02, 2019, 06:31 PM:

Well said Graham. One can not explain it to one who doesn't understand it. To me what is missing today is the feeling and experience of something special when going to a movie theater. Long live film.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on November 02, 2019, 07:10 PM:

Thanks David

For anyone visiting Scotland do go to Stirling, and the Wallace Monument. At the time we were there in 1994, a year before the film came out, it was closed so you could not climb the internal stairs. Also the nearby Stirling Castle is well worth a look around, that's where the statue of Robert the Bruce is standing.

Here is a photo of the Wallace Monument, taken from the internet.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on November 02, 2019, 08:17 PM:

In all the world there is no place like Scotland, there is something wild, awesome, and mysterious about the place. My first encounter with this magical land was on a bicycle in 1958, I had cycled from Cardiff in Wales and was heading north through Scotland for John'o Groat's, which is the most northern part of Scotland. Riding through the southern uplands and then into the Highlands at Aviemore I was almost overwhelmed with the wild beauty and majesty of this wonderful country. That cold fresh air, the smell of the heather, the sight of Osprey's gliding overhead was incredible. When your touring by bicycle you get to know the local people pretty well, and everywhere I went I found the Scott's warm and welcoming, and with a healthy dose of great humor (and Scotch!)
I have been back many times since and have always cherished each visit. One time was to the Isle of Skye in the western highlands, and here the hills are grey and purple, almost surreal in the evening sun. and in the summer it doesn't get dark until 11.00pm and dawn is at 3.30am.
But that first encounter on a 1,500 mile round trip on a bicycle was a lifetime experience, never to be forgotten.
In 2004 I took my wife on a tour of Scotland, this time to the Oban, Fort William and Glencoe area, and her reaction was the same as mine. She just loved it there and we had a wonderful holiday.
So if any one is visiting the UK, make sure you head up to Scotland. If you prefer to sample Scotland from your home cinema seat, grab a glass of Scotch and pop in the DVD of Local Hero which is a truly wonderful film.

Posted by Panayotis A. Carayannis (Member # 1220) on November 03, 2019, 02:53 AM:

THe complete video is blocked here!

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on November 03, 2019, 03:22 AM:

Blocked in Belgium as well.

Posted by Clyde Miles (Member # 4032) on November 03, 2019, 03:47 AM:

uk aswell.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on November 03, 2019, 05:31 AM:

Perhaps Graham could make a further YouTube video just featuring the projector.
Then we can see this wonderful old machine.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on November 03, 2019, 07:11 AM:

Graham,

I agree: an Ernemann 2 tour video would be great, especially if you narrated it. I've always wanted to hear you speak!

The Braveheart video is still up in the US as of this morning. I think it's one of your best, too.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on November 03, 2019, 11:43 AM:

Thanks folks I will make one up on just the projector soon [Smile]

Paul that's a really nice story. I remember once it must have been around 1972. I drove during the night to arrive at the boat crossing for Kyleakin on Skye. That particular Friday had been a long day with working in Paisley during the day,, then later the long night drive from Dunoon to Skye. I went to Skye to help a friend of mine move printing presses in, for he was starting a local paper. I shared the driving up to Skye and was completely out to it when we arrived in the dark. The thing I remember the most waiting at the ferry crossing, was the beautiful sunrise coming up over Skye, it was amazing to watch, such a wonderful place.

PS. Steve so you want me to speak, but can you understand my accent [Smile]

when I spent the day showing young Chris how to thread up those projectors at the cinema, all he did was smile and said nothing. I thought later on he was having me on, so I said right, thread the 6 o'clock ones up. He did and the threading was perfect so he got the job [Smile]

…..,,now years later I asked him why on that day he said nothing except smile, his reply was he could not understand a word I was saying [Smile]

...he was watching how I did things that's how he learned it...clever lad [Big Grin]

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on November 03, 2019, 11:58 AM:

No shame in accents, Graham!

-truth be told, we all have them!

Besides: half the joy in learning languages is interpretation! [Wink]

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on November 03, 2019, 12:30 PM:

So true Steve [Smile]

There was one Scottish film I watched where they actually had English sub-titles would you believe.

I have edited the original you-tube video right down so this version is ok everywhere...well hopefully. I will do a more detail one on the projector itself later...anyway this should do for the moment [Smile]

https://youtu.be/I7vCpCppMIU

PS This is one I did on the Bauer U4 a while ago that might interest some, which gives more detail on the projector itself.

https://youtu.be/KKAnpR6EPe4

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on November 03, 2019, 01:51 PM:

Graham
What year was the Bauer made? It looks a very modern unit. You never put retainers at the end of a film on the platter?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on November 03, 2019, 08:41 PM:

Graham, for those in countries that can't see your videos, below are download links that can be downloaded direct from the 8mm Forum servers.

Right click this link and select "save link as". It isn't designed to stream well.

Bauer U4 35mm Projector

Movieland Cinema History

How old is that projectionist BTW?

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on November 03, 2019, 08:47 PM:

Good question Maurice, I am not sure the age of the Bauer U4, my only guess, during the 60s-70s might even be earlier.

Brad thanks for that, the projectionist started when he was 15 years old he new nothing about projectors or film, but after around less than 20 hours training I gave him the keys to the place. He stayed with us until it closed. I was up against it at the time giving him that job, most people thought I was nuts, but I still think it was the best decision I made during my time there....he never let me down. To be honest Brad he would have run circles round some of those old timers in this business

Regarding the platter, all we ever used was a "wrap" ie a strip of old film with Velcro on it. When I started, we did have trouble with static, but in time that problem disappeared. The only time I used suction cups was when the films were a bit out of shape, due to fitting the "snake" when we changed the ads and trls every week, other than that never really used them.

All the films had a wrap with the title on it.

Excuse the spelling I was in a rush over the weekend

The decks were wiped down with meths weekly

The snake fitted...that allowed me to remove/change the weekly ads and trls then its back on the screen as quickly as possible.

I would snake the films on Wednesday after there last sessions, work on then on Wednesday night and if needed come in early the next morning. The ads had to be done for t5he first session Thursday as that's what the advertising people required, plus it was good money for the cinema.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on November 04, 2019, 03:27 AM:

Graham
I would like to hear more about your use of the Snake.
The way we worked was:-
1) On the last run of the evening we ran the ads and trailers from the platter though the projector onto a 6000' spool on its take-up spindle.
2) Stopped at end of ads/trls, removed join to beginning of feature. Removed spool with old ads/trls.
3) Laced feature through projector to spare take-up platter.
Next afternoon:-
1) With 6000' spool on projector feed arm ran new ads/trls onto spare platter. Stopped. Removed empty feed spool.
2) Laced feature to end of ads/trls, and continued.
Sound complicated, but it wasn't!

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on November 04, 2019, 11:35 PM:

Hi Maurice

I would watch the screen and wait for the last ads to go through, with the snake in hand, wait for the splice to show itself then simply place the snake as the deck is rotating. After the film is finished remove the snake, locate and peel away the splice removing the center ring along with the films you want changing.

The ring and films were placed onto this home made thing somebody before me made it, and it works well...anyway here is a photo.

I still have it but it will never get used again...

I have placed a bit of scrap film onto it to give you an idea, It was just a matter of winding things off, peeling away splices and placing the ads back into there boxes. It was the reverse for fitting back onto the feature. We had about three snakes I could use all at once if I needed to swap things around. I could change all the ads and trailers within a 20 minute turn around before the next session. Then I would watch the screen and tick them of the paper work that came weekly from the advertising folk.

Sometimes they would send someone to the cinema with ID to gain access downstairs and check the ads were running in the right order and that they were in good condition. They did this checking at all the cinemas, so you had to be on the ball to get them all done for Thursday morning.

PS There were other ways as well that we used, but this was the most common

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on November 05, 2019, 10:33 AM:

Goldberg actually made a split reel for that exact purpose. I'll have to find one and take a photo.

When I changed trailers I would simply pull the center ring, reach in and break the splice and pull out "loops" of film to perform the changes. At that bottom of this page you can see what I mean. I could then wind them up easily by hanging them on a roller mounted to the rewind bench, or I could take that trailer already in a loop and drop in the center of another film pack without any further winding since it was already in a large loop form.

Fortunately all of the sites (but one) I worked at over the years had Christie AW3 platters, and the center feed payout design (aka: "brain") was such that you could do half a dozen trailer drops with the film looping over the feature pack if you wanted and it would pull the film in gracefully one lap at a time. I used to change trailers and ads at a 16 plex by myself in one regular round of threading and never had a wrap or anything get scratched. I'm looking back now and wishing I had taken photos or shot a video. Maybe one day I'll find the spare time to do that for historic purposes, but those tricks did not fare well with Strong, Kinoton or other platters where the center feed rollers were not lifted up off of the deck, as the film couldn't drop inward very well.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on November 05, 2019, 10:43 AM:

Here's a split spool which was used in cinemas. It accepts a film on a standard core. It can be used for making up or breaking down.
http://www.bblist.co.uk/item.php?item=69508
In the UK films travelled on cores as the spindle size of projectors were not standardised, whereas feature films travelled on spools in the US.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on November 05, 2019, 01:25 PM:

Brad....is this the Goldberg split reel you are thinking of?

We used it all the time for feature film work...still got it.

Going through old paper work this morning, I came across "The Film Spinner" so I was wrong to assume it was home made all these years. Reading the instructions for the first time, I never used it the way they describe. I started projecting in 2000, so the people before me must have bought it, but opted to use the foam snake method instead.

Brad....I did try a few times to actually brake a splice but never got the hang of it. There is a knack to doing it that you and others must have. [Smile]

Working as a projectionist was a good experience for those 10 years I did it, and am glad I managed to record on video some of the things we did, as its all history now. I did give copies of the videos to the young staff that appeared in the videos 100 year life ones so they can show there family/friends/kids what they once did. Of the three projectors we used, it was the Kinoton I liked the most, had 35mm continued I would have pushed to replace the Bauer and Simplex with new Kinoton projectors.

Maurice...out here most of the films were also on cores, but at times the odd one would arrive on reels.

Like Lawrence of Arabia did...

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on November 20, 2019, 06:08 PM:

Graham, you're making me drool again!

Would LOVE to see "Phantom Menace" on film!

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on November 21, 2019, 11:53 AM:

Its a pity Bill we don't live closer, is there anyone still running film? or is digital now become the norm?

I did run WALL-E the other night on 35mm and really enjoyed it. Its one of my favorite animated films and screen the print every so often. [Smile]

A couple of screen shots taken the other night of the film print running through the old Ernemann 2 projector..

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