NPP Projection Blog

To do this evening/ was completed: Yes, Barking Dogs Never Bite , Strange World_25min, and R-Rated Christmas still need to be ingested  Presentation Issues:  Preshow Clips/Playlist: I started building the playlist for Violent Night . I also copied over the playlists for all first runs next week.  I downloaded the updated Strange World preshow clip and the R-Rated Christmas Preshow Clips. They still need to be ingested and added to their respective playlists. They're already on the DCP drive, so they just need to be ingested.  Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: The HBO event in Theater 1 went off nicely! The intro and Q+A's went off without any hitches, even though they pushed the intro back by 15 minutes. Chairs and mics are all broken down and put back in their places. Lights were ultimately fine for the Q&A, it seems one of the strobe settings was accidentally turned on. Ditto everything in Trees, no issues with any of the setup. Body of Evidence s...

To do this evening/ was completed: Had our cinema meeting! Sorry I was out for a minute. Pain sucks. Thanks for taking care of things. Let's continue to double check the cue sheets, TMS scheduling (any missing KDMs, content, etc) or credits offsets that need tending to, or make note of missing information so that the next projectionist can immediately prepare.  Presentation Issues: I noticed when scheduling HBO and Body of Evidence on the TMS today that Banshees did not have an active or any available KDM. Checked the portal, checked the email, reached out the Deluxe and they notified me that we did not have a booking for it. Thanks, Matthew, for getting this sorted.  Preshow Clips/Playlist: I adjusted the HBO playlist and added in the proper server cues for the slides, sound, mics, masking, etc. Added the Gossip Girl slide at the end for the Q&A as well. Scheduled on TMS.  Scheduled the Body of Evidence playlist on the TMS.  I uploaded a lot of keys today: ...

To do this evening/ was completed: Yes Presentation Issues: No issues Preshow Clips/Playlist:  Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: Both events today went great! Land of Dreams: I checked in with John when I was talking to Chenelle as well. We grabbed chairs in advance and brought them down to 3. Jack had already set up the mic and mixers so setup was easy. I checked in with Caryn and the intro went great! Q+A also went very well and everything is broken down and back in 4/6 All That Breathes : I checked in with Chenelle first thing when I came in. Once the first round was done in Theater 4 I went in and set up the rest of the mic set up that Jack had started. The mixer from Williamsburg worked perfectly! We even had some time to do a quick tech with the hosts to test mic volume, spots, and for them to look at the slide and we were good to go! Transition from preshow to intro to the show, went smooth. Q+A also went well and everything is broken down and in 4/6 Ordering/Rec...

To do this evening/ was completed: Tech'd both special events playlists for tonight-- All That Breathes in T4 and Land of Dreams in T3. Took the 1/8 to RCA cable that was attached to the T1 PC and connected it to the T4 PC and Nonsync input on the 750, pulled up a generic Jazz playlist on Spotify and looped it. The music will play over the holding slide until the projectionist manually hits play and advances past the pause cue in the playlist to transition to the Mic input. Playlist pauses again once the audio has switched to mics, so the projectionist will have to hit play once more to advance to the feature when the intro concludes. At this point everything should run without any manual input--feature will play, house lights will come up during the crawl, and the holding slide will reappear on screen after the feature ends. The 750 will switch back over to Mics for the Q&A and remain paused there until the projectionist concludes the playlist. Set up an XLR to 1/4 cable benea...

To do this evening/ was completed: Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: Built and scheduled a show playlist for Land of Dreams Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: Ordering/Receiving (posters & trailers): Ordering/Receiving (content): Land of Dreams keys were delivered and ingested; ingested updated CCAP and OCAP keys for The Menu and  Wakanda Forever Outgoing/Shipping (content): Hook was placed on the cart with shipping labels attached; a FedEx pickup was scheduled for tomorrow morning  Print/video Inspection: Asset tracking doc updated/checked?: Maintenance/cleaning: Cue sheets updated/checked (every shift): Marquee updated?: Posters updated?: Cleaning lights on for the night?: Yes Projection cart by entrance?: Yes Additional Notes: There was a scheduling error on the marquee board beside the lobby bar this evening (it read: Bones and All  in theater 3 at 10:15PM even though this show was not scheduled in our TMS or POS systems); I tried fixing it by ...

To do this evening/ was completed: Tech'd Night of the Creeps in T2 and All That Breathes in T4. Playlist has been made for All That Breathes. Converted and ingested a holding slide for that screening as well.  Attempted to tech Land of Dreams in T3 but the keys for it had not been ingested. Didn't see anything in the KDM email so I reached out to Deluxe and am waiting on a response. Ran through an extensive tech with HBO/NewFest in T1. Content-wise everything went smoothly and adjusted volumes have been noted. I've noted all of their preferences and will cross-reference everything again with Chenelle tomorrow. We ended up watching the entire episode of Gossip Girl , which I was not anticipating. However, when it came time to test the spotlights, the presets we had weren't satisfactory and I was struggling to reposition the lights exactly to their preferences. Ultimately we resolved for me to continue working on the lights tomorrow during admin hours and send pictures t...

To do this evening/ was completed: Presentation Issues: There was a huge delay between the second and third rounds in theater 2 this afternoon (both  Glass Onion screenings) due to the sell out crowds and negative flip; MODs asked that lights be kept up through the trailers so servers working this auditorium could take orders from guests who were still arriving well into the pre-show so I stayed in the booth and manually brought the house lights down once the trailers concluded Preshow Clips/Playlist: Built and scheduled a special event show playlist for Night of the Creeps for tomorrow evening and added credit offset information to the cue sheets (this screening was listed as 35mm on the cue sheets but has been changed to reflect its current DCP status) Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: Ordering/Receiving (posters & trailers): Ordering/Receiving (content): Outgoing/Shipping (content): Print/video Inspection: Finished re-inspecting Hook and wound all reels back onto t...

To do this evening/ was completed: Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: Hook in T1 went smoothly. First four reels have been re-inspected and placed back onto shipping reels. World Cup stream in Trees didn't go as smoothly today. I ended up streaming the games via one-hour preview access, which then prompts you to register with your cable provider etc... So I cycled through multiple web browsers to keep the stream alive, but I did lose connection a few times. I didn't see the Verizon credentials in the Notes App, so that's on me. Ordering/Receiving (posters & trailers): Ordering/Receiving (content): Outgoing/Shipping (content): Print/video Inspection: Asset tracking doc updated/checked?: Maintenance/cleaning: Cue sheets updated/checked (every shift): Yes Marquee updated?: Posters updated?: Cleaning lights on for the night?: Projection cart by entrance?: Additional Notes:

To do this evening/ was completed: Ran Hook this morning. Super fun show! Jack, make sure to keep an eye on your framing. You don't have to ride it the whole time whatsoever, there's just a couple of splices in reels 2, 4 and 8 that might rock the boat a bit. Also, whilst threading up, I noticed a broken perf near the '10' in the head leader on R2. Since it would still run through the projector when you advance to the 8, I put some tape on it. Same thing on R3 near the '7' and halfway between the '7' and '8' on R5. I updated the post-screening document to reflect these changes. This print was def plattered, like, a lot--for reference, notice the white paint in these pictures. Also, as Alec noted before; most head leader is super beat up. I wound up taping over a large tear on R8. Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: New Hook playlist for tomorrow's screening, which has been scheduled on TMS . Adjusted with Intro, which Desmond will ...

To do this evening/ was completed: Hey everyone! As you can see, I'm posting from my proper profile now...all thanks to Alec, who is an IT angel and figured out that, in the top left corner of the tools section there's a formatting option with 'html' and 'compose.' He switched mine back to compose.  Presentation Issues: Alec's blog wasn't published and I tried to publish it, but can't quite do that from my own profile, but he mentioned that some of the keys for the OCAP screenings we have going on right now hadn't been properly ingested. He's totally right in it that in the emails we get sent from Deluxe, there's one initial email and then a response with another set or keys for the OCAP or CCAP, whichever one didn't come first. That being said, I was almost certain all keys had been downloaded apart from The Fablemans (I think...) and what's tricky is that the KDMs we're being given right now don't exactly last super long...

To do this evening/ was completed: Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: A few KDMs had not been completely ingested. New ones for the regular CCAP Black Panther weren't uploaded, so the first round of this did not start on time since the KDM was missing. Then I noticed the OCAP Fabelmans and Bones & All keys hadn't been uploaded for tomorrow either. When we get the emails with keys there's often separate attachments for the different versions in multiple emails. It's important to ingest them all especially since we're showing open captions now. Updated the Ishtar playlist with the credit offset and all other necessary cues. Keys are active. Can be checked quickly either tonight or tomorrow before opening. Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: Had trouble with the cable connection to the bar. Everything was connected properly, but the projector indicated "No signal" with the Digital Link input selected. The only thing I think might be ...

To do this evening/ was completed: Hey, all. Hope everyone's been eating well. We had a sweet little potluck here and everyone ate loads of food. I spent most of today checking in on some material, making notes and lists of questions in regards to our supplies, what needs troubleshooting, and what to prioritize first. There's quite a bit of info below on identifying and dealing with edge damage. I want to preface by saying that-- with each projector you use, there is always a right (or 'set') way to project a film (i.e. proper film path/lamp house/projector alignment, cleanliness, or the process of turning on power sources), but we tailor the performance to a print's specific needs or characteristics and then adjust everything else only where and when it's necessary.  Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: I adjusted the playlist for  Body of Evidence , since we have two Mubi promos and I reached out to Kat to see which one was correct. It's the Niteh...

To do this evening/ was completed: Yes Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: I started building the playlists for Elf and Body of Evidence . Can someone look at these to make sure the automation cues are where they need to be?  Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up:  Ordering/Receiving (posters & trailers): I tossed out one box of the White Noise lobby cards and was halfway through the other before I had to go.  Ordering/Receiving (content): I ingested Land of Desire into Theater 3. There were two versions and I wasn't sure which one we needed, so I ingested both just in case. The DCP is still in Theater 3 Outgoing/Shipping (content): Print/video Inspection: I inspected Body of Evidence. It's in very good shape. Minimal scratches and sprocket damage apart from chunks of the perforations in the middle of the 3rd reel. Nothing that's broken the perfs, but something to note.  I also looked at the back half of Hook . Definitely showing some signs of w...

To do this evening/ was completed: Hey, friends. I brought my red book in (A Beginner's Guide to Film Projection). As most of y'all know, this isn't just a beginner's guide, it's also a super fun and informative read for those already familiar with the craft and wanting to know more or brush up on old material. I would strongly suggest reading it if you haven't already and have time on your shift after completing necessary tasks. There are sections in the book where you can write some notes down, which I haven't used since I keep a separate diary. I will be happy to answer any questions you might jot down so we can talk about how those pertain to the geography of our booths, equipment, etc. Feel free to use a little bookmark with your name on it to keep track of your spot in the book!  Had our weekly cinema meeting today! We're in good shape for the coming weeks. Alec and I discussed getting a few new mixers to have on hand in theatres 3 and 4 for a perm...

To do this evening/ was completed: Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: Built  White Noise CCAP and OCAP show playlists and added them to the schedule for the upcoming week Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: Ordering/Receiving (posters & trailers): Elemental one sheets were delivered and stored behind 3/7 Ordering/Receiving (content): Downloaded and ingested new keys for Triangle of Sadness ; ingested CCAP and OCAP versions of White Noise to the TMS in addition to its custom pre-show content Outgoing/Shipping (content): Print/video Inspection: Re-inspected and repackaged The Hidden with a return label and scheduled a return pickup for tomorrow morning; inspected the first two reels of Hook (very dirty with moderate scratching throughout) Asset tracking doc updated/checked?: Maintenance/cleaning: Cue sheets updated/checked (every shift): Marquee updated?: Took down Aftersun ,  Black Adam , and Decision to Leave  and added Bones and All and Strange Worl...

To do this evening/ was completed: Teched the new first run playlists: Glass Onion, Fabelmans (T2)  Strange World and Bones and All (T4). Made various minor adjustments to preshow content: Infinity Pool trailer at 4.5 volume, 4.5 for Puss in Boots 2 trailer, 3.8 volume for Fabelmans_5min  preshow, 3.8 volume for the Villainous Christmas trailer--too loud at 4.0. To my ear Fabelmans sounds right at 6.0 (in T2), 5.5 for Glass Onion (T2). Adjusted and centered the 2:1 Flat lens file in T2, as it was positioned too far downward (blank space at the top of the frame). Ran the first reel of Body of Evidence in T4 for Cristina--volumes logged (7.0 both processors)--projectors cleaned afterward. Also teched the Santa short that will run before Elf-- 4.5 volume--picture looks good. Downloaded and ingested the Generic_V9_5min preshow element.  Body of Evidence and Future of Film slides converted to DCP and ingested. Built new first run playlists, including OCAP versions, and schedul...

To do this evening/ was completed: Hey everyone, thanks for bearing with me over the weekend as I wasn't feeling so hot. Had a pretty gnarly 24hr virus Saturday night. Just a little congested now. I took a covid test and I don't have it--just so everyone knows. I'll get tested again this week just to be sure.  Tonight I ran The Hidden in T4 on 35 and it was a packed house! Loads of different faces in there. Very fun.  Digital projector in T4 gave us a critical warning during the shutdown process in the playlist. The bulb is halfway thru its lifespan. Normally, we put in less hours than they're capable of so that we know when to check in on them and don't push their limits. I'll take a look at this properly this week, but it shouldn't present any issues. The actual warning really stemmed from the playlist's 'lamp off' cue, which is not an initial shutdown. I'm curious as to whether or not this has presented any problems in the past.  Presenta...

To do this evening/ was completed: Transferred HBO content to T1 and teched the Gossip Girl episode, as well as the attached trailers ( SLOCG, We're Here, Sort). All four items should be played with the 220 Flat lens file (T1). Masking -- 2:20:1. Volume and credits have been logged. Tested the Ratatouille blu-ray afterward. Ended up pulling the HDMI connected to the AJA on the back of the rack and attaching it to the blu-ray player. I'll re-attach to the converter after the screening. Also took the RCA cables that are attached to the player and attached them to the Nonsync input on the 750. Seemingly was only getting sound from the L/R speakers, but the surrounds showed signs of life eventually. Had to crank the sound to 10 to get a decent volume. Should be good to go tomorrow. Attempted to tech the new first runs that open tomorrow but keys don't go live until midnight--will tech tomorrow. Set up a cable connection in Trees through the overhead projector. All I needed--tha...

To do this evening/ was completed: Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: New feature and pre-show content was actively transferring to theater servers throughout the evening after Jack left; I downloaded and ingested feature keys for Bones and All Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: The mic and mixer were never brought back to 4/6 after The Woman Chaser screening so I brought these back to the booth Ordering/Receiving (posters & trailers): Ordering/Receiving (content): Outgoing/Shipping (content): The Woman Chaser and Batman Forever (which now has an updated express return label) were placed on the cart for a pickup tomorrow morning Print/video Inspection: Asset tracking doc updated/checked?: Maintenance/cleaning: Cue sheets updated/checked (every shift): Marquee updated?: Removed The Woman Chaser and added letters/screening dates for Hook Posters updated?: Cleaning lights on for the night?: Yes Projection cart by entrance?: Yes Additional Notes: I asked the MODs to ...

To do this evening/ was completed: Spent some time attempting to set up a cable projection in Trees for the World Cup. Found the right channel on the 4/6 monitor (not 583--that channel kept prompting me to subscribe) but couldn't get anything from the projector in Trees. I've only used it when projecting with an HDMI connection, but I cycled through all inputs and got nothing. Going through the manual I could only find procedure for an HDMI connected projection. I tried to open the game on the bar TVs through Apple TV, but both Fox NOW and Peacock wouldn't let me proceed when I tried to select the game to stream. Presentation Issues: All three first round OCAP presentations ( The Menu in T7, Banshees T4 and Black Panther in T1) were scheduled as CCAP instead. About halfway through Banshees MOD notified me about this, stating there were no captions on screen. I proposed that I could quickly switch files with a 1-2 minute pause and a black screen, or alternatively we could ri...

To do this evening/ was completed: When removing seat 601 in Theater 6, I could not get the front bolts out with the drill and I had to use a wrench. When I went to replace the seat, I couldn't get the front bolts to screw in all the way with the drill, either. Might be something for Juan to look at. Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: Deleted a bunch of old show playlists. Built Glass Onion . Also, remade the R and PG-13 trailer packs for next week since they were made as a show playlist and not a playlist pack meaning they can't be added to the main playlists. Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: Ordering/Receiving (posters & trailers): We got four White Noise one sheets, they're in the caddy. Also unpacked a poster for Violent Night. It comes out at the beginning of next month, we probably won't open it, but I saved it anyway. Ordering/Receiving (content): Ingested Glass Onion CCAP and OCAP versions to Theater 1 directly and transferred them to ...

To do this evening/ was completed: Had a really fun time setting up for and projecting The Woman Chaser , which I wish we had for longer. Did some changeover cues that I'm very, very proud of. I will mention that I am feeling under the weather and moving a little slowly today, so I'll get a covid test as soon as I can, but I'm pretty certain it's just a cold.  Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: Updated the new playlist pack for PG13 trailers since it had the incorrect Villianous Christmas trailer.  Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: Brought down the proper RCA cables for the DJ for Brunch Club (she had her own equipment).  Kim sent over the holding slide for HBOxNewFest Gossip Girl event on 11/30, which I made a DCP of and ingested to the TMS. We also received the KDMs from HBO, which are not yet active but have ben ingested. The dates for tech/final show KDM statuses are as follows:  HBO approved: Nov 21, 11:00am - 12pm EST Nov 28, 11:30am - 2pm E...

To do this evening/ was completed: Downloaded and ingested remaining preshow content: Forecasts, Christmas_AllAges, as well as the Puss in Boots trailer, KGO Christmas trailer and M3gan trailer. Built new trailer packs. Ingested Bones and All to T1, then transferred to T4.  Built a preshow playlist for Hook.  Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: Ordering/Receiving (posters & trailers): Ordering/Receiving (content): Chenelle dropped off a blu-ray of Ratatouille, resting in 4/6. Outgoing/Shipping (content): Print/video Inspection: Asset tracking doc updated/checked?: Maintenance/cleaning: Cue sheets updated/checked (every shift): Marquee updated?: Posters updated?: Cleaning lights on for the night?: Projection cart by entrance?: Additional Notes:

To do this evening/ was completed: Hey, everyone! Hope you're all keeping warm out there. If I haven't mentioned it before, please remember to bring an extra sweater or coat since it gets crazy cold up in the 4/6 booth. A hat wouldn't be too bad of an idea, either... Today Alec sorted through the manual for the Spotlight Board in T1. I threw up a couple of different slides for us to play around with after teching the Hook slide with Desmond, who we had move around a bit by the stage so that we could test out the lights a bite more. Alec will provide more info about this in the Projectionist Manual, but we can programme some 200 odd presets for washes! Presets for a center spot have also been adjusted. We sort of decided that it'd be cool to have some ready made presets and then, depending on the original composition of the client/in-house slide that will be used for an event, we can just adjust the brightness level. It's super easy to programme a bunch of presets! T...

To do this evening/ was completed: Downloaded and ingested updated Black Adam keys Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: Knebworth 22 screening in theater 3 went smoothly (intro and Trees setups were broken down after the feature); Lenz III premiere in theater 2 was a very loud but successful (the filmmaker asked that I turn up the volume as loudly as possible -- I made the rounds immediately after this to make sure the noise wasn't bleeding into the surrounding auditoriums and adjusted levels in those rooms accordingly)  Ordering/Receiving (posters & trailers): Ordering/Receiving (content): Outgoing/Shipping (content): Printed FedEx labels and scheduled a return shipment for Batman Forever tomorrow morning Print/video Inspection: Asset tracking doc updated/checked?: Maintenance/cleaning: Cue sheets updated/checked (every shift): Marquee updated?: Posters updated?: Cleaning lights on for the night?: Yes Projection cart by entra...

To do this evening/ was completed: Ran through an extensive tech of the Lenz III playlist with Chenelle and the hosts/filmmakers. They were pretty adamant about using the Blu-ray they'd brought with them, so I put it on screen. The FLAT Blu-ray lens file needed significant adjustment, so I tinkered with it as the hosts watched. Ultimately I got it pretty well centered, but the hosts felt that the crop on the sides of the image was still too prominent. To my eye it looked rather negligible, but I continued to adjust it, until suddenly I lost picture on screen. The Blu-ray continued to play on the PC screen but I couldn't regain the image in the theater. I toggled between different lens files, disconnected and reconnected the HDMI both on the projector and on the Blu-ray player, to no avail. I then restarted the player, loaded the Mediablock HDMI CPL onto the T2 server, and began the feature again. Still no image or sound. Very reminiscent of the tech issues we had during Shoutin...

To do this evening/ was completed: Yes  Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: I started building a playlist for Strange World. It is not complete and still needs to be fully built out. I downloaded, ran through DCP-o-Matic, and ingested the 25, 15, and 5 minute Strange World preshow clips from the Drive.  However, when looking at the Trailer list for it, it's a little confusing. So we just burn through all the Preshow content (Like the Strange World 25-5 minutes all the way through) and the house stuff (Tip PSAs, Forecasts, PSAs, etc) all in a row before the feature? I know there aren't many PG movies we're doing to add to trailers, but in lieu of playing the Strange World trailer like it's listed, I assume we're good to add Puss In Boots  trailer in instead? Just want to confirm that before making that adjustment.  Also I wanted to double check that the Horror PSA is meant to be in the PG preshows? I imagine there isn't anything too freaky for kids, ...

To do this evening/ was completed: Hey, team! Had our weekly cinema meeting via Google Meet. Went through various aspects of tech to make sure we've got what we need for the end of this week (including but not limited to special events, content, equipment inventory, and so forth...), 11/18 - 11/24 needs, upcoming events, etc. We do have loads of special events happing this month, most notably between 11/21 - 11/23 and 11/26 - 11/30. Projectionists; Alec and I will continue to keep you updated on these events as we learn more about them, and I'll be reaching out to Chenelle for more information so we can prep/plan ahead. Keep an eye out for memos you're tagged in and check in, daily, with the event calendar. Always reach out with any questions, comments or concerns.  One thing: Joe mentioned today that there's an issue with the basement readers on some of the projectors at Williamsburg. We spoke a bit about optical sound distortion and I forgot that the penthouse readers...

To do this evening/ was completed: Started scheduling automation for next week and got as far as Sunday (minus the new First Run playlists like The Menu ), so the rest of the week needs to be built out.  Presentation Issues: Preshow Clips/Playlist: Ingested new Triangle of Sadness  and Aftersun keys. Trailer Updates: Special Events/ AV set up: The Batman Forever screening went well. McKegg got some threading and changeover practice in. I showed him the best way for making sure the film is in frame on the Theater 4 projectors, too, which he said he's had trouble with in the past. Trivia went smoothly. Ordering/Receiving (posters & trailers): Ordering/Receiving (content): Ingested The Menu to the TMS, we received no OCAP version of this. Ingseted the Fabelmans (including the OCAP version) to Theater 1 since there is no space left on the TMS. It's taking a while and will probably finish around the time the projector shuts off for the night, so just make sure all three ver...