Theater

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Theater = stage - Cinema = screen NO IFS OR BUTS!

Theater = stage - Cinema = screen NO IFS OR BUTS!

mxslick said:
As someone who has made a career of cinema, this always bugs me, just like changeover cues being called "cigarette burns"
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Blame Fight Club.

When I was younger I loved watching the platter system at the Vancouver OMNIMAX.
 
ItsHot said:
I did some work on a new 16 cinema theater. This was small additional add on work. The projector room was kind of neat. One camera man runs around and operates all 16 cameras at the same time!:confused: :-?
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The new platter systems are pretty cool arent they. One of my friends is a projectionist and he dropped Silverado off the platter it took 3 hours to wind it back up and get it back on the platter 10 mins before the opening began. Once you see the old reel change ques you will always notice them for the rest of your life as you are watching a movie.
 
Indeed Rick and Sir Cow man, I have been ruined by my years of tech work in the cinema biz. I can't enjoy movies at a cinema anymore, because I always notice and bristle at the slightest technical flaws, and as a projectionist I have the ingrained habit of staring at the upper right corner of the screen every 18 minutes or so. :)

mshields said:
Any idea what kind of diversity to hit these numbers with to determine a service size.
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Yes sir. As mentioned by zbang and myself, factor the stage and house lighting loads as 100%, use the 200% neutrals (a great idea I hadn't thought of mentioning)

Figure HVAC at 100% for safety, and all other loads as you would any other large commercial building.

Sounds like you'll have a great project to work on, keep us posted as to progress!!
 
On taking on projects you have never handled before, some people can do this, others can't. We get calls for strange situations all the time I always tell people the truth never done that but willing to try. Only way to broaden your skills few competitors will let you learn on their nickle.

You have to be a professional, do you home work, and have good ethics. I have seen EC's doing data centers that had no business wiring the lobby.
 
quogueelectric said:
Once you see the old reel change ques you will always notice them for the rest of your life as you are watching a movie.
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I've noticed that for years, even on DVD versions of a movie. Just like with layer changes on DVD's.
 
zbang said:
probably one of the few people under 50 that can run carbon arc lamps and changover projection. Never done 70mm, though.
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I would say there are many of us, but alas I no longer qualify, I've aged out, and no longer qualify as "under 50". Mind you, I'm not "over 50" yet either!

At our community hall, we show a movie every other saturday night in winter on our "old school" changeover system with carbon arcs. I'm one of the projectionists, and I'm the youngster of the group.......

Off topic, but fun :)
 
Imax

Imax

dbuckley said:
I would say there are many of us, but alas I no longer qualify, I've aged out, and no longer qualify as "under 50". Mind you, I'm not "over 50" yet either!

At our community hall, we show a movie every other saturday night in winter on our "old school" changeover system with carbon arcs. I'm one of the projectionists, and I'm the youngster of the group.......

Off topic, but fun :)
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A Trane service tech was telling me that he does work at one of those IMAX theaters. He was saying that the lamp for the projector burns so hot that there is a cooling system that keeps the lamp from burning up!:confused:
 
I am trying to remember the theatre name for those 2" steel bars that the lights clamp to. It is driving me crazy (I am waiting for all the comedians here to say "well theres a short trip") I keep thinking exciter bars but I know that is not right . Moo.
 
ItsHot said:
He was saying that the lamp for the projector burns so hot that there is a cooling system that keeps the lamp from burning up!
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I remember seeing the meters on the arc supply for an imax machine, and it calculated out to something like 15KW. The lamp is liquid cooled.

quogueelectric said:
I am trying to remember the theatre name for those 2" steel bars that the lights clamp to.
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We call them "pipes" :D Also "battens", "electrics", and a more than a few unprintable names.

BTW, I meant under 50 -now-...
 
ItsHot said:
A Trane service tech was telling me that he does work at one of those IMAX theaters. He was saying that the lamp for the projector burns so hot that there is a cooling system that keeps the lamp from burning up!:confused:
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Yep. I've looked closely at the one here in Richmond, and there are flexible ducts that feed air in and out of the lamp housing.
 
zbang said:
We call them "pipes" :D Also "battens", "electrics", and a more than a few unprintable names.

BTW, I meant under 50 -now-...
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This is not the word I am thinking of I will remember as soon as I call the guy I know who knows as he is telling me tomorrow. BRB tomorow.
 
quogueelectric said:
I am trying to remember the theatre name for those 2" steel bars that the lights clamp to. It is driving me crazy (I am waiting for all the comedians here to say "well theres a short trip") I keep thinking exciter bars but I know that is not right . Moo.
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How about: Pin rail?:confused:
 
zbang said:
probably one of the few people under 50 that can run carbon arc lamps and changover projection. Never done 70mm, though.
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I'm one of the few under 50 (barely) who has done carbon arcs. I have also done 70mm, both changeover and platter. (Branaugh's "Hamlet.") I am currently rebuilding a 70mm Simplex projector head.

Trivia note: Imax is, loosely speaking, a version of the old VistaVision process, where the frames are side-by-each and run horizontally through the projector. Imax film is 70mm "wide" (tall) , each frame is 15 perforations "tall" (wide). (Terms in quotes are what the frames and film would be when run vertically, as in standard projection. Terms in () are the IMAX dimensional figures.)

zbang said:
I remember seeing the meters on the arc supply for an imax machine, and it calculated out to something like 15KW. The lamp is liquid cooled.
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That is correct. "Smaller" Imax machines use 10kw Xenons, and the larger ones use 15kw. The liquid cooling not only circulates thru the bulb connection ends, it also cools the rear surfaces of the reflector and mirrors in the lamphouse.

When the bulb explodes, the liquid cooling makes a heck of a mess....

LarryFine said:
Yep. I've looked closely at the one here in Richmond, and there are flexible ducts that feed air in and out of the lamp housing.
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Actually ALL Xenon projection lamps over 500 watts require forced-air cooling,via a blower or blowers in the lamphouse. Over 1kw horizontal operation (the most common position) MUST have exhaust of at least 350cfm measured at the 6" flex duct to the lamphouse.

quogueelectric said:
I am trying to remember the theatre name for those 2" steel bars that the lights clamp to. It is driving me crazy (I am waiting for all the comedians here to say "well theres a short trip") I keep thinking exciter bars but I know that is not right . Moo.
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I've heard them referred to as "monkey bars."
 
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quogueelectric said:
I am trying to remember the theatre name for those 2" steel bars that the lights clamp to.
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Are they not 1 and 7/8ths inches?

Generic term used in most of the world is 'bars', though there other other names, see zbangs post.

Why bars? Well, originally they used gas pipe for electrics bars, and the correct name for gas pipe was gas barrell...

And xenon lamps in projector lamphouses: most lamps are air cooled, as they are not 15KW! One of the most important bits of technology in the lamphouse is the air flow detector, which shuts the lamp down if the cooling air fails. A xenon lamp without cooling is going to make a big mess of the lamphouse real quick: imagine a 5KW heater in a biscuit tin...

Safety warning - xenon bulbs are pressurised, and thus naturally want to explode, so if you ever find yourself near a lamphose with the doors open or get handed a xenon lamp, make sure you have appropriate protective gear; face mask and padded gloves as a minimum. They do go bang.
 
The great xenon caper...

The great xenon caper...

dbuckley said:
<snip>
1:
And xenon lamps in projector lamphouses: most lamps are air cooled, as they are not 15KW! One of the most important bits of technology in the lamphouse is the air flow detector, which shuts the lamp down if the cooling air fails. A xenon lamp without cooling is going to make a big mess of the lamphouse real quick: imagine a 5KW heater in a biscuit tin...
2:
Safety warning - xenon bulbs are pressurised, and thus naturally want to explode, so if you ever find yourself near a lamphose with the doors open or get handed a xenon lamp, make sure you have appropriate protective gear; face mask and padded gloves as a minimum. They do go bang.
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(Numbers added by me..)

To the first point:

Lack of proper cooling will lead to, amongst other things: damage to the reflector, overheating of the electrical connections and components in the lamphouse, risk of heat damage to the film and projector, and a severely increased risk of bulb explosion!! The actual heat level is kinda the least of the problems.. :)

And the second:

And they can fail when cold, or handled improperly, or dropped or bumped, or when the attached pigtail on some bulbs strikes the envelope. And little know fact: some of the smaller wattages have HIGHER pressure than their bigger brothers.

I threw a bulb without the protective cover into my trash can in the garage, standing back a safe (I thought) distance..the bulb exploded as it hit the rim of the trash can, the flying glass hit and broke both 40watt tubes in my shop light, I got glass in my hair from both sources....and to this day I'm STILL finding chunks of glass from that xenon bulb in random places in the garage. It was a 1000 watt bulb.

Standard safety gear for changing a xenon lamp is, as mentioned, face mask and padded gloves. But I also wear a ballastic jacket to avoid chest and arm injury.
 
quogueelectric said:
I am trying to remember the theatre name for those 2" steel bars that the lights clamp to. It is driving me crazy (I am waiting for all the comedians here to say "well theres a short trip") I keep thinking exciter bars but I know that is not right . Moo.
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Battons.


Batten
A long steel pipe which moves up into the flyspace and down onto the stage, usually parallel to the proscenium arch and to the stage floor.
 
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