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Profit Maximisation (Re)cycling Reels; Debashree Mukherjee
This posting is also coming from Bombay where film production process is being documented. Here, debashree talkes about other tricks that exhibitors pull off to maximize profits by sharing prints.
On the way to a location one day, Nasirbhai and I got talking and he mentioned something that I thought only happened in Cinema Paradiso. Even today, in Mumbai cyclists are hired to transport film prints in batches from one theatre to another on a 'sharing' basis. The minute the first reel is completed in one hall, the cyclist dashes with it to the next theatre and back again to collect the next installment. This cyclist has to be extremely alert and swift because even a slight delay can ruin the show. Of course, no one really cycles anymore. The cycles have long since been replaced by motorbikes.
This process called 'shuttling' used to be very common earlier. Shuttling is required when two theatres have been booked but the distributor has only one print of the film. Generally if the two theatres are in the same area, the print is shared only for the 'first run' or the first week. This is a strategy to tap the initial crowds, which might lead to a spillover audience, an audience that will not be discouraged by a 'house-full' sign. The assumption is that for a much-awaited, 'big' film, people will try for tickets at the next, nearest cinema hall, which conveniently has a show starting a half hour later. From the second week on, when the curiosity and enthusiasm has died down, the film is shown at one of the theatres only. Also, it works out to be much cheaper for the distributor who doesn't have to make another expensive print.
Shuttling was also possible earlier because of the double projector set-up, which is being swiftly replaced. The timings of different shows could be manipulated accordingly. The minute the 'shuttler' came in with the spool, the projectionist could load it onto the second waiting projector. Today, with the 'platter' system, the entire film can run at one stretch. "Earlier we used the single spool system. One spool was 1000 feet. So we'd get anywhere between 16 to 24 reels per film. After that came the double spools. This made things easier for the projectionist as he would have to load fewer spools and had more time in between spools. Sholay, for example, came in 9 cans."
"We were constantly preoccupied with watching the cue dots in the top right hand corner of the screen (sometimes called 'cigarette burns'), to achieve that perfect changeover1. More importantly, we had to remember or estimate how much time was left for the reel to finish. Quite often, I'd be so engrossed in the film that I'd realize with a start that there were only moments of film left on one reel in which to start up the other projector."
Since shuttling isn't really a specialized job, the theatre managers generally hire some local guys for a few days. They're paid around Rs. 500-600 per day and might have to do a total of 14 trips (up and down) if it's a 7 can film for example.
"Aajkal toh yeh sab kam ho gaya hai. Projection systems have changed and the high-pressure situations requiring split-second timing can rarely be seen except at really old, small-time theatres. The boys travel on motorcycles. Cycle par aadmi kitna daudega? They have to be super-fast and be able to maneuver through tricky traffic situations. During the monsoons, the cans are wrapped up in PVC bags."
The projectionist and the 'shuttler' have to work in tandem. The former has to be prepared for any delays. He has to estimate how long it'll take for the first reel to run out. For example: The projectionist in Theatre A receives a print. He calculates that the first spool will run out in 20 minutes. The show begins at 1:30. In Theatre B, the show is therefore scheduled for 2:00. The cyclist will take 10 minutes to transport the can. So now, both the projectionists try some common hurrying and delaying tactics. Mr. A runs the first newsreel1 before time. People have just started to enter the theatre. If the newsreel isn't played, the theatre owner will be fined. The film starts but it runs longer than anticipated. The can is handed over to the cyclist at 2:04.
Mr.B, on the other hand, starts the ads a little late. Only a few people notice this. He lengthens the projection time for each slide and runs some of the ads twice. But the cyclist has still not arrived. Downstairs, the crowd is getting restless
The next day, however, everything runs with clockwork precision. Mr. A has made an ingenious move. There's a song towards the end of the first reel. He edits the song! Nasirbhai actually had to do this during Laawaris' fifth week. Elections were on and it was crazy outside on the streets. Nasirbhai had to somehow shorten the length of the film. "Ek hi picture dus baar dekhte hain. Kahan par gaana aaney wala hai toh yaad ho jaata hai. Chalti take mein edit kartey hain." Experienced projectionists can edit out portions of the film by marking the selected portions with strips of paper beforehand. When the film is playing, they wind those portions manually and load the 'edited' reel onto the second projector. I'm not quite sure how this works but Nasirbhai has promised to demonstrate this technique to me when he comes back from Pune next month. (Can barely wait!)
The prints supplied for the morning shows, are commonly 'rough use' prints. Old, worn-out prints or those that are slightly damaged. "A type of oil coating was used to protect the film from scratches. For morning shows, I often got film that had become thin and brittle. It could crack at any point. At the end of the show, my hands would be caked with oil and grime. I remember the deep black lines along the sides of the thumb and index finger of my left hand made by my holding the film as I rewound it."
A projector works for 12 hours daily. Due to constant wear and tear, the tension to be maintained at the film gate can reduce. This leads to scratches and dirt. The old theatres used carbon arc lamps. These lamps have shutters which open only when the film is running, otherwise, the heat from the lamp can make the film melt. These were then replaced by xenon lamps, which are obviously safer.
"Inspite of all the technological progress, the quality of screenings in those days was also first-class. Actually, these multiplexes are no match for good-old 70mm screens in theatres like Regal, Eros, Empire and New Sterling. I didn't see the re-released Sholay playing at Fame Adlabs, but I can vouch for the fact that the original glory and scale was missing."
The process of switching to the second projector in a seamless transition before the first spool completely runs out is referred to as a changeover. 1 In today's scenario it would be the mandatory ads instead. He has to run these because representatives from the different advertising firms land up on surprise visits to check whether their promos are being shown.
On the way to a location one day, Nasirbhai and I got talking and he mentioned something that I thought only happened in Cinema Paradiso. Even today, in Mumbai cyclists are hired to transport film prints in batches from one theatre to another on a 'sharing' basis. The minute the first reel is completed in one hall, the cyclist dashes with it to the next theatre and back again to collect the next installment. This cyclist has to be extremely alert and swift because even a slight delay can ruin the show. Of course, no one really cycles anymore. The cycles have long since been replaced by motorbikes.
This process called 'shuttling' used to be very common earlier. Shuttling is required when two theatres have been booked but the distributor has only one print of the film. Generally if the two theatres are in the same area, the print is shared only for the 'first run' or the first week. This is a strategy to tap the initial crowds, which might lead to a spillover audience, an audience that will not be discouraged by a 'house-full' sign. The assumption is that for a much-awaited, 'big' film, people will try for tickets at the next, nearest cinema hall, which conveniently has a show starting a half hour later. From the second week on, when the curiosity and enthusiasm has died down, the film is shown at one of the theatres only. Also, it works out to be much cheaper for the distributor who doesn't have to make another expensive print.
Shuttling was also possible earlier because of the double projector set-up, which is being swiftly replaced. The timings of different shows could be manipulated accordingly. The minute the 'shuttler' came in with the spool, the projectionist could load it onto the second waiting projector. Today, with the 'platter' system, the entire film can run at one stretch. "Earlier we used the single spool system. One spool was 1000 feet. So we'd get anywhere between 16 to 24 reels per film. After that came the double spools. This made things easier for the projectionist as he would have to load fewer spools and had more time in between spools. Sholay, for example, came in 9 cans."
"We were constantly preoccupied with watching the cue dots in the top right hand corner of the screen (sometimes called 'cigarette burns'), to achieve that perfect changeover1. More importantly, we had to remember or estimate how much time was left for the reel to finish. Quite often, I'd be so engrossed in the film that I'd realize with a start that there were only moments of film left on one reel in which to start up the other projector."
Since shuttling isn't really a specialized job, the theatre managers generally hire some local guys for a few days. They're paid around Rs. 500-600 per day and might have to do a total of 14 trips (up and down) if it's a 7 can film for example.
"Aajkal toh yeh sab kam ho gaya hai. Projection systems have changed and the high-pressure situations requiring split-second timing can rarely be seen except at really old, small-time theatres. The boys travel on motorcycles. Cycle par aadmi kitna daudega? They have to be super-fast and be able to maneuver through tricky traffic situations. During the monsoons, the cans are wrapped up in PVC bags."
The projectionist and the 'shuttler' have to work in tandem. The former has to be prepared for any delays. He has to estimate how long it'll take for the first reel to run out. For example: The projectionist in Theatre A receives a print. He calculates that the first spool will run out in 20 minutes. The show begins at 1:30. In Theatre B, the show is therefore scheduled for 2:00. The cyclist will take 10 minutes to transport the can. So now, both the projectionists try some common hurrying and delaying tactics. Mr. A runs the first newsreel1 before time. People have just started to enter the theatre. If the newsreel isn't played, the theatre owner will be fined. The film starts but it runs longer than anticipated. The can is handed over to the cyclist at 2:04.
Mr.B, on the other hand, starts the ads a little late. Only a few people notice this. He lengthens the projection time for each slide and runs some of the ads twice. But the cyclist has still not arrived. Downstairs, the crowd is getting restless
The next day, however, everything runs with clockwork precision. Mr. A has made an ingenious move. There's a song towards the end of the first reel. He edits the song! Nasirbhai actually had to do this during Laawaris' fifth week. Elections were on and it was crazy outside on the streets. Nasirbhai had to somehow shorten the length of the film. "Ek hi picture dus baar dekhte hain. Kahan par gaana aaney wala hai toh yaad ho jaata hai. Chalti take mein edit kartey hain." Experienced projectionists can edit out portions of the film by marking the selected portions with strips of paper beforehand. When the film is playing, they wind those portions manually and load the 'edited' reel onto the second projector. I'm not quite sure how this works but Nasirbhai has promised to demonstrate this technique to me when he comes back from Pune next month. (Can barely wait!)
The prints supplied for the morning shows, are commonly 'rough use' prints. Old, worn-out prints or those that are slightly damaged. "A type of oil coating was used to protect the film from scratches. For morning shows, I often got film that had become thin and brittle. It could crack at any point. At the end of the show, my hands would be caked with oil and grime. I remember the deep black lines along the sides of the thumb and index finger of my left hand made by my holding the film as I rewound it."
A projector works for 12 hours daily. Due to constant wear and tear, the tension to be maintained at the film gate can reduce. This leads to scratches and dirt. The old theatres used carbon arc lamps. These lamps have shutters which open only when the film is running, otherwise, the heat from the lamp can make the film melt. These were then replaced by xenon lamps, which are obviously safer.
"Inspite of all the technological progress, the quality of screenings in those days was also first-class. Actually, these multiplexes are no match for good-old 70mm screens in theatres like Regal, Eros, Empire and New Sterling. I didn't see the re-released Sholay playing at Fame Adlabs, but I can vouch for the fact that the original glory and scale was missing."
The process of switching to the second projector in a seamless transition before the first spool completely runs out is referred to as a changeover. 1 In today's scenario it would be the mandatory ads instead. He has to run these because representatives from the different advertising firms land up on surprise visits to check whether their promos are being shown.