Soarin' image quality

[flynnibus]

Actually, just a lot more responsibilities also, they are responsible for every projector in Epcot also, that means they are also taking care of Energy, Col, Land, Capt EO, Canada, France, AA, China, Mexico, and certain related special effects certain portions of ROE.

That's where I was leading you to confirm. This change mirrors what they did in the castle parks too.. where there used to be dedicated staff for certain attractions/elements, then reduced staff and went 'per area' and in many cases went outsourced vs inhouse for different specialties. A trend that projects the decline of 'seeking perfection' into 'just keep it working'.

 

[NelsonRD]

Ahem...

• "Give the public everything you can give them, keep the place as clean as you can keep it, and keep it friendly." ~ Walter Elias Disney

I guess we can argue semantics all day long but if the parks had been held to the standards that Walt set forth then there would certainly not be...(taken from another post of my own)

Defurbed Space Mountain
Defurbed Jungle Cruise
Closed Golden Horseshoe
Closed Odyssey
Closed upstairs of Imagination
Closed WOL pavillion
reheated 80's attraction (Captain EO)
outdated film in Soarin' (yes...they are supposedly addressing)
20 year old stunt show (Indiana Jones)
Closed Sounds Dangerous
Closed American Idol
Closed Backlot Tour (yes, carsland...reheated attraction from west coast rumored)
UOE...outdated for at least 10 years
crane behind the castle 2 months out of the year instead of LED lighting upgrades
Defurbed Kali River Rapids
Inoperative Yeti
Dinosaur! Effects out of service for some time
Fountains/water features shut off

So since we are complaining, you left out a bunch of stuff.

Small World - missing ceiling tiles because Disney is too cheap to buy tiles.
Big Thunder Mountain - Earthquake effect doesn’t work, even after a refurb, because Disney is cheap.
Splash Mountain - hit or miss whether all effects will be working on any given visit, because Disney likes to mess with us and turn them on and off.
7DMT - Too short, not E-Ticket, because Disney is too cheap to have built a longer ride.
Journey of the Little Mermaid - Bad show, lighting and structure visible because Disney is too cheap to do it right like they would have done if this was built in the 80s.
Tomorrowland Speedway - The cars are all junk, smell fumes, and doesn’t fit a tomorrowland theme.
Peter Pan - Needs refurb, so dirty inside you can see dust on curtains because Disney is too cheap to pay for maintenance.
Enchanted Tales with Belle - Glorified meet and greet, because Disney is too cheap to build a ride.
Pirates of the Caribbean - Mermaids, do I need to say more?
Jungle Cruise - Poor audio, old jokes, because Disney is too cheap.
Buzz Light-year is using the same track as "If you had wings" from the 70s. How cheap is that?
Carousel of Progress. The future scene is more of the past now. Disney is too cheap to update it.
Barnstormer - Bad show, can see Dumbo and tomorrowland speedway while riding.
PeopleMover - Disney is too cheap to bring back the original narration and fix the cars bumping into each other.
Winnie the Pooh - I can't believe we lost Toad for this...

Should I go into the Epcot, HS, AK, and the resorts too?

 

[wm49rs]

So since we are complaining, you left out a bunch of stuff.

Small World - missing ceiling tiles because Disney is too cheap to buy tiles.
Big Thunder Mountain - Earthquake effect doesn’t work, even after a refurb, because Disney is cheap.
Splash Mountain - hit or miss whether all effects will be working on any given visit, because Disney likes to mess with us and turn them on and off.
7DMT - Too short, not E-Ticket, because Disney is too cheap to have built a longer ride.
Journey of the Little Mermaid - Bad show, lighting and structure visible because Disney is too cheap to do it right like they would have done if this was built in the 80s.
Tomorrowland Speedway - The cars are all junk, smell fumes, and doesn’t fit a tomorrowland theme.
Peter Pan - Needs refurb, so dirty inside you can see dust on curtains because Disney is too cheap to pay for maintenance.
Enchanted Tales with Belle - Glorified meet and greet, because Disney is too cheap to build a ride.
Pirates of the Caribbean - Mermaids, do I need to say more?
Jungle Cruise - Poor audio, old jokes, because Disney is too cheap.
Buzz Light-year is using the same track as "If you had wings" from the 70s. How cheap is that?
Carousel of Progress. The future scene is more of the past now. Disney is too cheap to update it.
Barnstormer - Bad show, can see Dumbo and tomorrowland speedway while riding.
PeopleMover - Disney is too cheap to bring back the original narration and fix the cars bumping into each other.
Winnie the Pooh - I can't believe we lost Toad for this...

Should I go into the Epcot, HS, AK, and the resorts too?

Considering they have the capital and capacity to fix all of those issues, by all means continue....

 

[marni1971]

When did that happen?

A defurb or delayed full refurb?

The latter each year since 2007.

 

[Little Green Men]

A defurb or delayed full refurb?

The latter each year since 2007.

Wasn't it just refurbished?

 

[tjcouch]

Greetings, I am a former IMAX Dome Theatre director, IMAX production consultant, and IMAX projectionist.


As others have mentioned, cleanliness is critical to a good IMAX presentation.


The projection booth should be a “clean room.” Positive pressure from the HVAC system, really good and frequently changed air filters, limited personnel access, sticky floor mats to catch shoe dirt, precise temperature and humidity controls, etc.


At my theatre, the projectionist would arrive 1.5 prior to the first show and do nothing but clean and prep the booth and projector.


The procedure includes:

- vacuuming the entire booth with a central vac, with the dust collection canister located outside the booth so that no dust recirculates. And when I say everything, I mean it: the floors, the acoustic padded walls, the surface of the audio racks, the entire exterior and interior of the projector and reel units. (Although I expect Soarin’ uses loop cabinets.)


- wipe the entire film path with alcohol-infused wipes: rollers, film gates, and the “rolling loop” projector rotor.


- clean the various lens elements.


- swap out the PTRs. Particle transfer rollers. These act as lint rollers for the film, are easily washed and last for months. We had multiple sets so that they could be air-drying after a cleaning. We swapped them as frequently as every hour.


- rebuild and swap out the wiper bars. (These are like lens windshield wipers)


- and inspect every single , roller, gauge, and log the data in a record.


So here are my thoughts on the problems listed in the numerous posts (Let me know if I missed any.)


1. The film appears to be blurry/out of focus.


It probably is. The rigorous morning cleaning of the optics may have caused the focus to shift. And that is easy to fix. Somewhere inside the house there should be a “focus pendant” where a cast member can, if properly trained, adjust the focus at the push of a button.


2. Specks of dirt appear to be on the lens.


There probably is. And that is easy to fix. In my theatre we had a staff member watch the film and look for this. When they saw persistent dust specks on the screen for more than a second, they would cycle the field lens. The wiper bars would do their job, and the dust would be gone. If the staff member was asleep at the switch, the projector would automatically cycle then lens at a selectable interval anywhere from every 15 seconds to a minute.


3. There are specks of dirt that “dance” and flicker all over the screen.


The film itself is dirty. Replace it. I would usually retire my prints after 1500 or so passes. Disney, if they are using a loop cabinet as I expect they are, could get may more passes, since rewinding the film wears it out, and the loop cabinet elimates the need to rewind the print and rethread the projector. Back in the day, a 40 minute film print was about $20,000. They should call of DKP or CFI and order miles and miles of the 4 minute film. Any projectionist worth his bottle of windex can splice up the threading leader. (Threading the loop cabinet is a pain, and takes a couple of hours….but it is THE JOB.)


4. There are “grid lines” on the screen visible during bright scenes.


The screen is dirty. The way I fixed this problem was to hire a crew with backpack vacuums. They would climb on the BACK of the dome and suck the dust through the millions of little holes on the aluminum screen panels. They would do this with a crew of 3 or 4, work after hours, and it took them a few days. I think it was about $60,000 for this service. We did it about every 3 years.


5. There are dark horizontal lines running across the screen that come and go, and vary in location in terms of height, but run all the way left and right.


The print has been scratched or “cinched” and must be replaced.


I am happy to explain anything IMAX related in more detail.

 

[tjcouch]

"- and inspect every single ****, roller, gauge, and log the data in a record."

Ha! The prohibited word I used can also be defined as "a rotary switch or potentiometer used to provide human input to a mechanical or electrical system. LOL. Starts with a K and ends with a B.

 

[tjcouch]

I should also have said that between every show, which could have been 40 minutes to 2 hours, the projectionist would used filtered compressed air to blow out the projector, the lenses, and remove and clean the field-flattener lens. This takes only a minute or two. Cleaning the field lens is the most critical step.

Since each frame is sucked onto this flat lens as it is being "exposed" to the lamp via the rotor gaps, that is where you end up with dust specks. Someone really should be pulling that lens a couple of times and hour to wipe it down. It is easy to do and takes hardly any time at all.

 

[flynnibus]

The film itself is dirty. Replace it. I would usually retire my prints after 1500 or so passes. Disney, if they are using a loop cabinet as I expect they are, could get may more passes, since rewinding the film wears it out, and the loop cabinet elimates the need to rewind the print and rethread the projector.

Thanks for sharing this and your input. I had been searching for details on the lifecycle of the prints w/o any luck and was going to contact some IMAX projectionists who have a social media presence.

I was also looking for the details on how they would do continuous loops, and have read a description of a platter system for looping (vs the usual feed and takeup platters) but could not visualize it. I've seen the photos where they can feed from the center of a platter vs the outer edge... but couldn't visualize how that might be used in a loop that was being fed as well. Could you maybe try to describe how they do the continuous loop setup?

Was your IMAX theater able to be profitable for the location?

Your input was very much appreciated... but if they only have one projectionist on site for basically all of EPCOT.. you can see how they'd never have a chance to keep up with your standard.

 

[NelsonRD]

Considering they have the capital and capacity to fix all of those issues, by all means continue....

No thanks, I do not think I am going to take the bait. In an attempt to defend Disney, I get attacked, and when I critique Disney, I get ridiculed. Maybe not, difficult to judge people from typing, but I will wait until I have something more concrete to discuss.

 

[wm49rs]

No thanks, I do not think I am going to take the bait. In an attempt to defend Disney, I get attacked, and when I critique Disney, I get ridiculed. Maybe not, difficult to judge people from typing, but I will wait until I have something more concrete to discuss.

Of course. Torches and pitchforks abound....

 

[copcarguyp71]

Mad props to @tjcouch for the very well presented lesson. Thank you (and I mean this sincerely not in my usual smarmy tone!)

 

[tjcouch]

To respond to Flynnibus' questions:

1. Print life is directly related to the cleanliness of the booth, how dialed in the equipment is, and the care of the operator. All prints are one screening away from becoming what I call "expensive linguini." Diligence is the key.

2. Basically, IMAX has had 3 types of film delivery to the projector: The Mark 1 and Mark 2 reel units were basically like giant reel to reel machines (or in this case platters). After the film was over, the projectionist would unthread the foot of the film from the projector and then thread the foot on to the original sending platter just reverse the film back from whence it started. It took about 15 minutes to rewind 40 minutes of film. You can go faster, but I would not recommend it. The second reel unit was called the QTRU (Quick Turn Reel Unit.) And yes, as you describe the film played from the center, stationary hub, that was called the "brain unit." It has optical sensors that measure the angle of the film feed and adjusts the platter speed accordingly. The take-up reel had a center hub ring that was removable. The upshot of this system was that you could play the same print back to back without waiting for the rewind cycle. You just removed the center ring and installed the "brain" and threaded up. So basically, the print would play from one platter onto another, and the back again on the next hour. And then there is the loop cabinet. Imagine a giant box crammed full of rollers to make the film print travel up and down, over, and over, and over. There are no reels, or platters. The entire film is suspended on rollers. The up-shot of which is that the projector is never un-threaded. The foot is spliced on to the head, and the projector (using an opaque tape sensor) just jogs from the end of the film a handfull of frames to the beginning. This system only works when the film is minutes in length. They were used in Horizons, Back to the Future, and other theme parks. Remember, an IMAX projector runs 24 frames per seond, which works out to just shy of 6 feet of film per second. And Soarin' certainly looks to be one of the rare and special IMAX HD projectors, so we are talking about 11' per second. That's a lot of film to have suspended on rollers.

3. My theatre was very successful. We had an awesome team and a great relationship with the film producers.

4. I absolutely see how having one tech running around the park could sacrifice show quality. (It does speak to the amazing engineering of the IMAX system however. While leaving a running projector was what I called "a career ending maneuver" at my theatre, it is amazing how such a complex system can run unattended, if pressed to do so.)

 

[tjcouch]

Again, if you have IMAX questions, I have answers! (And they'll be mostly accurate too! All of my knowledge is first-hand and not overhead from a bus driver.) I left the industry in 2005, so there are certainly some advances of which I am not privy. By the way, this was my parting gift drawn by one of my talented professionals from my marketing/exhibits department. It hangs proudly in my office.

 

[NelsonRD]

It'd be nice if they reinvested a large chunk of what those thousands are paying each day back into the parks.

Think about that the next time a chunk of the HoP falls into Liberty Square during park hours instead of third shift due to lack of maintainence.

Help me understand this post a little better. Are you suggesting 'a chunk' of HoP something needed some kind of maintenance to keep it safe, and a conscience decision was made to leave it to be dangerous?

Last spring some shingles were blown off my roof with 15 years of life left, so that wasn't due to a lack of maintenance.

I have talked to many CEO's and high level managers in my career, and I have never met one that had the 'ah screw it' attitude, 'as long as im getting paid!'. So, I have a hard time believing Disney would not address something that was a risk to 'save a buck'.

 

[wm49rs]

It'd be nice if they reinvested a large chunk of what those thousands are paying each day back into the parks.

Think about that the next time a chunk of the HoP falls into Liberty Square during park hours instead of third shift due to lack of maintainence.

Or maintaining the Tree of Life so as not to need netting underneath....

Help me understand this post a little better. Are you suggesting 'a chunk' of HoP something needed some kind of maintenance to keep it safe, and a conscience decision was made to leave it to be dangerous?

Last spring some shingles were blown off my roof with 15 years of life left, so that wasn't due to a lack of maintenance.

I have talked to many CEO's and high level managers in my career, and I have never met one that had the 'ah screw it' attitude, 'as long as im getting paid!'. So, I have a hard time believing Disney would not address something that was a risk to 'save a buck'.

Well apparently there's at least two instances, your "beliefs" notwithstanding....

 

[NelsonRD]

Or maintaining the Tree of Life so as not to need netting underneath....

Well apparently there's at least two instances, your "beliefs" notwithstanding....

Still didn't answer the question. Things break, but I am not seeing the connection to a lack of maintenance.
Would maintenance prevented the tree of life branch from falling? Is there something on the maintenance schedule that says something needs to be replaced or inspected at a particular interval? And as a cost cutting that was skipped, like not replacing your timing belt on your interference motor at the recommended 100K to save money? Then wondering why the valves are in the pistons? Because a timing belt can fail anyways.

I'm looking for evidence the these incidents are DIRECTLY a result of cost cutting and not just accidents/failures, and were predictable failures that could have been prevented with additional funding.

 

[NelsonRD]

Or maintaining the Tree of Life so as not to need netting underneath....

Well apparently there's at least two instances, your "beliefs" notwithstanding....

What are my "beliefs"? I am an engineer, man of science. The Tree of Life was a unique structure, there are not dozens of them around with lessons learned on how to make it better. A branch failed, how would more maintenance prevented that?

It is very easy to "Monday Morning Quarterback" everything you hear, and think the answer is to everything is "more money!"

 

[flynnibus]

Its as if... millions of engineers cried out in pain all at once...

 

[wm49rs]

Still didn't answer the question. Things break, but I am not seeing the connection to a lack of maintenance.
Would maintenance prevented the tree of life branch from falling? Is there something on the maintenance schedule that says something needs to be replaced or inspected at a particular interval? And as a cost cutting that was skipped, like not replacing your timing belt on your interference motor at the recommended 100K to save money? Then wondering why the valves are in the pistons? Because a timing belt can fail anyways.

I'm looking for evidence the these incidents are DIRECTLY a result of cost cutting and not just accidents/failures, and were predictable failures that could have been prevented with additional funding.

What are my "beliefs"? I am an engineer, man of science. The Tree of Life was a unique structure, there are not dozens of them around with lessons learned on how to make it better. A branch failed, how would more maintenance prevented that?

It is very easy to "Monday Morning Quarterback" everything you hear, and think the answer is to everything is "more money!"

Ceiling tiles and branches dropping off are rarely due to regular monitoring....

Not more money, just a small tidbit of the immense profits TWDC crows about on a quarterly basis....