5.4.2 Changeover Procedures (manual reel changeovers)
Description
This article is from the rec.arts.movies.tech FAQ, by Scott E. Norwood snorwood@nyx.nyx.net with numerous contributions by others.
5.4.2 Changeover Procedures (manual reel changeovers)
Just before the show starts, the first (house) reel is loaded in one
projector and the second reel is loaded into the other. The first
projector is started; a few minutes before the first reel ends, the
projectionist then stands before the second machine, looking out at
the screen, waiting for the first cue mark (a small dot in the
upper-right-hand corner of the picture for four consecutive frames
[made by punching holes into the internegative; they appear round on
`flat' prints and, due to the `unsqueeze,' elliptical on scope
prints]). Upon seeing this, he hits a button on the changeover
controller, striking the lamp (if this is the first changeover;
otherwise, the lamp (if xenon) will have already been struck, and will
probably not be turned off until the end of the show; this avoids
excessive thermal stress, which causes bulbs to explode, and avoids
the embarrassment of having the bulb blow up when first struck, right
before a changeover), and starting the motor on the second machine.
The second reel has, hopefully been loaded up properly in the second
machine, with the framelines lined up with the top and bottom edges of
the gate (if this is not done, the film will probably appear out of
frame, and the projectionist will have to manually adjust the
projector's `framing' knob in order to position the picture correctly
on the screen. Two types of leader are currently found on release
prints. New SMPTE Universal Leader is marked off in seconds of time
(considered to be more useful for television stations), and counts
down from `8' to `2'. This is used on nearly all new prints. Older
Academy Leader is marked off in feet of film, counting from `11' to
`3,' and is common on older prints. The projectionist simply remembers
which frame of each type of leader needs to be loaded into the
projector in order to give the correct `run-up' time between cue
marks. If the leader is not complete and the projectionist is not able
or willing to replace it, he must wait after the first cue mark
(before starting the motor on the second machine) until roughly where
the next reel was loaded.
Once the second projector is going, the projectionist waits for a
second dot, located 20 frames from the end of the first reel. Within a
half-second or so after seeing this, he hits another button, which
switches over the soundtrack, and simultaneously opens (on the machine
holding the second reel) and closes (on the machine holding the first
reel) a metal `changeover' blade, which allows the passage of light
through the film and, of course, onto the screen. The first reel is
either stored in the film's metal shipping case, or rewound back onto
a house reel on a rewind bench. The process is repeated for every reel
change.
Continue to:
My Books
