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From: stein@fortune.UUCP (Mark Stein)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: Movie Curtains
Message-ID: <4332@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 24-Sep-84 16:13:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: fortune.4332
Posted: Mon Sep 24 16:13:53 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Sep-84 07:22:54 EDT
References: <1309@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA
Lines: 26

> Does anybody know why they close the curtains in a movie theatre after
> showing the "coming soons" and the main feature? They must stay closed for,
> oh, say, 3 second.

I used to work in a movie theater back in my school days.  There are
several reasons why the curtain might be closed between the trailers and
the main feature:

    1)  If the trailers are in a different aspect ratio than the feature
	(flat vs cinemascope, for example), closing the curtain will
	provide a better transition when the changover is made.  The
	audience won't notice that the picture just got twice as wide!

    2)  It provides a way of announcing to the audience that the feature is
	about to start.  Of course, some chains now use elaborate teasers for
	this purpose.  This separates the "commercials" from the program.

    3)  Some of the studio logos were designed to be shown on an opening
	curtain (notably the 20th Century Fox crossing searchlights and
	the MGM lion).

    4)  Pure theatrics!  Why not?  The customers paid to see a show -- why
	not give them a professional one?  Closing the curtain is a nice
	touch.

			--Mark Stein