You know, when you go to the theater. Its a quick little flash of a small oval with a black center that occurs a couple time throughout the movie.
What are those little blips in the upper right hand corner of movies?
- Thread starter MX2
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Whitecloak
Diamond Member
- May 4, 2001
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Praxis1452
Platinum Member
- Jan 31, 2006
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In movie theaters, most movies don't come all on one film reel, they come in at least two, depending on how long the movie is. It's the projectionist's job to switch the reels.
However, you never see the movie stop just so they can put a new one on. That's because there are 2 projectors in the booth. While one is running, the projectionist loads the film onto the other.
If you look carefully during a movie, you'll see a flicker of a circle in the top right hand corner of the screen. It lasts for 4 frames (1/6th of a second), and is a signal that a changeover is due in 12 feet of film, when it runs out. This means there is about 8 seconds until the reel's end. Then there's one more, around 1 foot. The film industry calls them "Cigarette burns" because they are basically a hole in the film, but done by a hole puncher. Also a bell on the projector goes off, which should wake up any sleeping projectionist.
At exactly the right time, one projector is turned off simultaneously as one is turned on. The movie goes on uninterrupted, and nobody notices. That's what you call a changeover.
I know someone who did this in high school, and he told me every time he saw one of those in an old movie (movie reels are taken and go to VHS, with the holes still there in the film), he'd tense up, like he missed the changeover. Plus, even though he's an adult, he still wakes up in a sweat, thinking he heard the bell and missed the changeover.
Now, most modern theaters have the whole movie on a 6-foot diameter platter, obviating the need for the Cigarette burns, but they're still there. I like 'em, maybe I have sharper eyes.
If you really want some other cool details, I'd read Fight Club, the movie extremely briefly mentions it.
Thanx to riverrun for giving me the right numbers.
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=838026
However, you never see the movie stop just so they can put a new one on. That's because there are 2 projectors in the booth. While one is running, the projectionist loads the film onto the other.
If you look carefully during a movie, you'll see a flicker of a circle in the top right hand corner of the screen. It lasts for 4 frames (1/6th of a second), and is a signal that a changeover is due in 12 feet of film, when it runs out. This means there is about 8 seconds until the reel's end. Then there's one more, around 1 foot. The film industry calls them "Cigarette burns" because they are basically a hole in the film, but done by a hole puncher. Also a bell on the projector goes off, which should wake up any sleeping projectionist.
At exactly the right time, one projector is turned off simultaneously as one is turned on. The movie goes on uninterrupted, and nobody notices. That's what you call a changeover.
I know someone who did this in high school, and he told me every time he saw one of those in an old movie (movie reels are taken and go to VHS, with the holes still there in the film), he'd tense up, like he missed the changeover. Plus, even though he's an adult, he still wakes up in a sweat, thinking he heard the bell and missed the changeover.
Now, most modern theaters have the whole movie on a 6-foot diameter platter, obviating the need for the Cigarette burns, but they're still there. I like 'em, maybe I have sharper eyes.
If you really want some other cool details, I'd read Fight Club, the movie extremely briefly mentions it.
Thanx to riverrun for giving me the right numbers.
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=838026
EightySix Four
Diamond Member
- Jul 17, 2004
- 5,122
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Originally posted by: MX2times
Nope, of no interest to me.
Thanks Lizardboy
Read the book. It's better anyway.
Originally posted by: ruffilb
Originally posted by: MX2times
Nope, of no interest to me.
Thanks Lizardboy
Read the book. It's better anyway.
The book is the movie's script rewritten as a book. You might as well watch the movie to get the full package.
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
Originally posted by: ruffilb
Originally posted by: MX2times
Nope, of no interest to me.
Thanks Lizardboy
Read the book. It's better anyway.
The book is the movie's script rewritten as a book. You might as well watch the movie to get the full package.
Love how people automatically respond with 'read the book', just because it's cooler to have read it instead of watched the movie.
No, the book written by Chuck Palahniuk came before the movie.Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
Originally posted by: ruffilb
Originally posted by: MX2times
Nope, of no interest to me.
Thanks Lizardboy
Read the book. It's better anyway.
The book is the movie's script rewritten as a book. You might as well watch the movie to get the full package.
shortylickens
No Lifer
- Jul 15, 2003
- 80,287
- 17,081
- 136
Sometimes it is.Originally posted by: puffff
Love how people automatically respond with 'read the book', just because it's cooler to have read it instead of watched the movie.Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
The book is the movie's script rewritten as a book. You might as well watch the movie to get the full package.Originally posted by: ruffilb
Read the book. It's better anyway.Originally posted by: MX2times
Nope, of no interest to me.
Thanks Lizardboy
Starship Troopers is a pale shadow of the book.
The book is a heck of a lot better and explains many of the plot elements better too.
Same with LA Confidential, movie has the important plot elements, but still just a drop in the bucket.
Rubycon
Madame President
- Aug 10, 2005
- 17,768
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- 126
JM Aggie08
Diamond Member
- Jan 3, 2006
- 8,411
- 1,007
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cKGunslinger
Lifer
- Nov 29, 1999
- 16,408
- 57
- 91
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
Originally posted by: ruffilb
Originally posted by: MX2times
Nope, of no interest to me.
Thanks Lizardboy
Read the book. It's better anyway.
The book is the movie's script rewritten as a book. You might as well watch the movie to get the full package.
Uhh.. no. The novel preceeds the movie by about 3 years.
I've also heard (and I don't remember where) that the exact location of the oval is offset as to kinda "track" what reels are sent to what theaters for piracy reasons... so that you can follow back where specific pirated screeners and whatnot come from... I dunno if it's true but it really makes sense if you think about it.
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
Originally posted by: ruffilb
Originally posted by: MX2times
Nope, of no interest to me.
Thanks Lizardboy
Read the book. It's better anyway.
The book is the movie's script rewritten as a book. You might as well watch the movie to get the full package.
Wow, you couldn't be more wrong.
datalink7
Lifer
- Jan 23, 2001
- 16,765
- 6
- 81
Originally posted by: wazzledoozle
Originally posted by: ruffilb
Originally posted by: MX2times
Nope, of no interest to me.
Thanks Lizardboy
Read the book. It's better anyway.
The book is the movie's script rewritten as a book. You might as well watch the movie to get the full package.
I'd just like to go ahead an jump on the "you're an idiot" bandwagon if I may
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