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Author
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Topic: London on 8 millimeters a day..............Reel 2
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Douglas Meltzer
Moderator
Posts: 4554
From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted June 06, 2004 12:18 AM
Ulcers all around, please. Pushing the BFCC back a week was responsible for quite a bit of stomach churning. The Ealing Town Hall had been mistakenly double booked for May 15th, causing the day of the big show to be postponed to May 22nd. I chanced upon the BFCC web site seconds after John Clancy had posted the change in date. After waking the dead with a steady stream of profanity, I first composed myself, then composed a posting on the forum: “You're not making it easy for me to cross the pond, are you?”
After some juggling of my work schedule, a flight change (British Airways charges a hefty fee) and a hotel date change (exactly why are rooms more expensive this week?), it is all set. Since initially making the decision to go, a mere 7 day delay wasn’t going to get in the way of my 8mm holiday.
Ealing Town Hall
5/22
It is a beautiful sunny day for the 47th British Film Collectors Convention. I take the tube to Ealing, and a short walk later I am facing the lovely exterior of the 130 year old Ealing Town Hall. The presentations will take place in the Victoria Hall, which has high vaulted arches and beautiful stained glass windows that are covered to darken the large space.
Behind these doors.....
With an hour to go till the start time, co-organizers Keith Wilton and John Clancy, along with projectionist Paul Garrick, Aggers, Vikash Mehta, John Bird and Mark Wilton are busy setting up 8mm & 16mm projectors, DVD players, and the THX sound system. The 24 foot scope screen (almost as big as the one in my apartment) is already in place on the stage.
The Elmo GS-1200 Xenon is placed at the incredible distance of 75 feet from the screen! What a huge throw for such a small format. This Elmo has been modified to allow for quick manual threading and in addition, the relay has been bypassed so the Xenon bulb will stay lit even while the front housing remains open. An audio test of the THX system rocks the hall. Booming!
Wilton of Ealing, Elmo of Nagoya
Derann's table, CHC in the background. I swear it was busier than it looks!
There are two rooms with dealers selling their wares. Gary, Steve, and Duncan of Derann are set up next to Phil Sheard of Classic Home Cinema. Down the stairs are are quite a few others including Keith & Roger from Rake Enterprises. I’ve ordered from them previously so I make sure to say hello. Keith says he would love to leave the day job and devote all his time to the hobby. I’ve had a similar feeling every so often. Keith mentions that he does screen every reel on their sale lists so that collectors know exactly what they’re getting.
A super 8mm Blackhawk print of the 1934 Laurel & Hardy short “Oliver the Eighth” kicks off the presentation in Victoria Hall, followed by a 16mm instructional film showing the correct method of threading your Bell & Howell projector. Keith Wilton makes the point that you would have to already mastered the art of threading in order to watch the film that teaches you how to thread.
Now comes the first block of new Super 8mm releases. From Classic is the funny 1932 Warners cartoon “Buddy’s Theatre”, with gags that all cine fans can relate to. Derann trailers for “Something’s Got to Give”,“Lost In Translation”, and the last Matrix were next and these looked fine on the big screen, especially the Matrix. A new computer animated short from Sony Pictures Imageworks titled "Early Bloomer" charmed the audience and had quite a few people heading out at intermission to buy a print at the Derann table. Clips from Classic’s “Rear Window” and “Rio Bravo” are next. I thought “Rear Window” was a touch dark, but I learned later on from Phil that these are reject prints being screened. They still looked decent considering the size of the screen and the throw distance. “Rear Window” has a very clear soundtrack, nice to hear on a super 8mm release, especially for such a dialogue intensive film (very few explosions, car chases and gunshots!). There were plenty of gunshots in Derann’s new extract, which features the complete gunfight sequence from the John Sturges 1957 western "Gunfight At The O.K. Coral". The print quality is good and I keep thinking that these prints will look even better in those collector’s homes that aren’t as big as Victoria Hall. “Gunfight” even has that silly Frankie Laine title song to finish off the 200’ short.
Intermission: John Clancy breaks out Keith Wilton’s beer (it’s cold!) and I have the pleasure of meeting Forum members Chris Quinn, Rob Koeling, David Roberts, Tom Photiou and his brother. It’s great to put faces to the names. The group, including Tony Milman and Mike Peckham, go up on stage for some photos (see the BFCC site). It’s a shame that Kevin Falkner is ill and unable to attend.
I head downstairs to the CHC table to chat with Phil Sheard. Phil is the only dealer currently releasing new full length features and really needs some collector support. He tells me he’s sold very few copies of his new features and those sales obviously don’t justify the negative and printing costs. Phil has more features (great titles!) that he can bring out, but if hardly anyone is buying...........This goes back to what I wrote earlier about Derann. No sales, no profit, no suppliers. I may not love every single new release but I’ve decided to stop (would you believe cut back dramatically?) the eBay purchases and buy more from the people who are keeping this format alive.
Back upstairs, two Forum Yanks meet in the UK! Paul Adsett and his charming wife Betty have also made the trip from the States. I quickly get over my anger at not being the only American in the hall. We sit together to watch the latest scope releases.
Derann’s latest scope trailers are unveiled: “The Last Samurai”, “Return of the King”, and a double trailer reel, “Cat in the Hat & Elf”. The segment from Classic’s “First Blood” where Rambo escapes from jail looks good on the big screen, as does the scene from “Titanic” in which Kate Winslet has to find a way to let the search party know that she’s still alive. The bluish hues of this nighttime scene are very vivid.
Now come the THX-sync pulse segments. The second Gladiator extract (the opening battle for Germania) looks great and sounds even better. The DVD audio synchronizes beautifully and makes the screening a true theatrical experience. People have said that this print is not in the same league as the first extract but this one really looked super.
I’m not a fan of “The Fifth Element”, but the colors are wonderful in the print that was shown. John Clancy mentioned there was a moment when sync was lost, but I never noticed.
“Battle of Carthage”, the first “Gladiator” release, is shown and I feel that in content this one works better as a complete sequence than the other extract. The small band of warriors fighting against superior numbers is more involving. Again, perfect audio. I’m curious to hear the difference (using the same sound system) between DVD sync pulse and an actual recording of DVD audio onto the film’s main & balance stripes.
Sync Pulse system for “Spiderman”. The small monitor is used to find the correct starting point
Super 8mm and DVD happily co-existing.
The screen is masked for the flat print of “Spiderman”. The sequence starts with the Goblin’s attack at the World Unity Festival. This is simply a great print. If this is an indication of the quality of the newer imports then I would not hesitate to buy future releases. Again, the DVD audio is exceptional with sync being maintained even during the layer change on the DVD. A little bit of 16mm, another Laurel & Hardy short, and the 47th BFCC comes to a conclusion.
Time to pack up. The screen fits nicely into a 24 foot long carry bag.
Keith Wilton kindly invites me to join a small group at his place for dinner. It is a wonderful evening, with a look at the Sprocket Hole (his home cinema), and as I venture into the basement of memorabilia, I recall seeing this very spot in that classic tape, Armchair Odeons: Reel Three.
Stories abound at dinner. I discover that Keith was the editor on a number of Derann cutdowns including “Robin Hood”, “Carrie”(“The contract said we couldn’t show Sissy Spacek’s breasts!”) and “Captain Blood”. Sitting diagonally across from me is Ken Locke, an editor and lecturer at past BFCCs. I have to shake Ken’s hand when he lets on that he’s responsible for the 600’ version of “Raise The Titanic”. Anyone who can turn that film into a compelling short deserves congratulations.
5/24
This is my day to be a tourist. Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, The Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge( I keep thinking of the finale of “The Lost World”), and the Tower of London. In fact it is from this one time residence of kings that I place a call to Kevin F.. He’s just getting over his illness, so it is a shame that we can’t meet face to face but as Kevin says, we now have voices to go along with the names! That evening I finally get that warm beer in a pub with John & Susie Clancy and I’m given a marvelous walking tour of the West End.
5/28
My bags are heavier for the return trip. I’m very happy about carrying the additional weight. If only I could screen my purchases on the plane. Maybe they have Elmo’s in first class..........
Although I had seen many impressive sights on this jaunt, what I'll always remember most clearly is the hospitality that was shown to me by my fellow Forum members. The truly astonishing aspect of this trip is though I traveled well over three thousand miles to a country I had never been to before, I already had friends in place. Thank you all, and thank you Brad Miller & your 8mm Forum.
[ August 22, 2011, 11:30 AM: Message edited by: Douglas Meltzer ]
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I think there's room for just one more film.....
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