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I know this is probably going to sound like a naive question but with a the different aspect ratios movies are filmed in (2.35 and 1.85 being the most common) how do cinemas deal with making sure the film is presented in the proper OAR. Do the multiplexes have screens with different aspect ratios so for example a multiplex might say "ok The Two Towers is 2.35 so we'll show that in cinemas 1,10, and 15 since they have 2.35 screens and we'll show Catch Me If You Can which is 1.85 in 3, 7, and 18 since they have the screen of the ratio. Then there's the issue of the older theaters which may only have 2 or 3 cinemas. Do studios release prints in other aspect ratios to compensate for the lack of the proper screen ratio or do cinemas crop the prints. I guess what my question all boils down to is how can I be sure that the movie I see in the theater is how the director intended it to be.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Follow Ups:
Theaters have different projector lens and film gate mattes for different formats. Black drapes above,below,and beside screens are movable also. Given the minimum wage non union high school and college kids that work as projectionists now you're very lucky if you get really sharp focus let alone the proper matte used.Regards
Steve
The last theatre I was in charge of had 16 screens and was kept at a very high level of tuning. It's a lot of work, no doubt.As you say, there are flaps (raised/lowered on hinges) that can crop the screen, which is most common and then the side curtains move in/out much like your home. This is usually good enough and with the correct flat or scope lens, we're very close to being right on. The general rule is about six inches of overlap on the sides and top of the curtains/matting, from the booth. It's not a perfect edge.
Sometimes the Eurpoeans get itchy and throw a 1.66 into the mix and if there are subtitles lower in the frame, we have to frame high and this can cause some problems, but in my 7 years running a variety of multi-plexes, I only had this subtitle problem on one film. We had to cheat up on the top part of the frame to get the double lines of text in at the bottom. I think that one was 1.66 and a little bit was lost, however most of the cutomers preferred to read all the text and really didn't complain about the very, very most upper part of the scene sometimes not being there in some shots.
With my teenage projectionists, framing and sound quality were the two things that I had to be on top of, relative to their performances as booth teks. Many times you have factory splices that'll knock a the film out of frame and these splices weren't caught in the screening on Thursday, or they just didn't jump at that time. Plus, sound quality was a pain depending on the film, equipment and times that film was played.
All in all, they did a pretty good job. Not the same attention to detail that my 30 yr. Union Projectionist possessed (es) but if he were to run the shows at $20/hr, your ticket would probably be $20! He runs the Miami Film Festival every year and knows what he's doing, but we'd use him for repairs/adjustments, not running shows.
Another big problem with many multiplexes, with their sight and sound, is the fact that they run the bulbs for too long and the picture isn't bright enough. My company really didn't skimp on this aspect of the presentation.
Take care, Chris
***Another big problem with many multiplexes, with their sight and sound, is the fact that they run the bulbs for too long and the picture isn't bright enough. My company really didn't skimp on this aspect of the presentation.And how often the color temp calibration was typically done? How many reflectors would you go through during the bulb lifetime?
generally don't go bad, or get replaced as often as bulbs do. On a 2k, 3k or 4k watt Christie bulb ($500-$700), the wattages that most medium sized (300-400 seats) auditoriums use, I could get between 2500 and 3000 hours out of my 2ks and 3ks. My guy was pretty good at rotating them often to milk more hours, but there's a test to measure the lumens on the screen itself. I don't know if this would be color temp., as in a TV, but that's how it's done. There needs to be a certain number of lumens at certain points on the screen.At Fashion Island 16, on the new side (8 screens out of 16) we got a bad bunch of reflectors that began to have their coating flake off in certain spots, but since we were going to close the theatre, we never did spend the cash to replace them over their last 12 months of service.
I'm proud of the fact that even though I was running theatres that had slowed down, were losing money, or were slated to be closed, my VPs would always tell me that my 'sight and sound' was pretty damn good. I probably could've made more in bonus money, but I preferred to spend the cash on the customer's enjoyment.
See ya at CES if you're going, Chris
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