Trailer Challenge

The Trailer Challenge is a projection exercise undertaken by trainees during their second additional training session.

Aims of the Trailer Challenge

The primary aim of the trailer challenge, is to ensure that trainees can lace quickly under pressure - simulating the conditions of a snap at the top of a projector during a show.

How it works

The trailer challenge consists of two reels of trailers specially chosen for the practice exercise. In each reel, there are six trailers, each unconnected to the last. Thus, when one trailer finishes, the film will tail out, with the next trailer remaining on the pay-out spool.

The trainee starts by lacing up trailer 1 on one of the projectors in the normal manner, concentrating on racking and loop sizes. The other projector is set-up with the even reel on its pay out, and a take-up spool already in position, though is entirely unlaced. Both projectors have their lamps struck prior to the start of the challenge.

When happy with their lacing, the trainee starts up the first trailer (this will often be done from the slideshow - simulating a start-up to the film following on from a shutdown after ads and trailers), checking the racking and focusing as per usual. Once happy, the trainee move to the other projector and laces trailer 2 as quickly as possible. Their aim is to be ready to start the projector up as indicated by cue dots at the end of the previous trailer, to prevent the film from tailing out.

This process is repeated by lacing trailer 3 during trailer 2 and so on. Each trailer is shorter than the previous one and subsequently the amount of time available to lace each trailer is reduced (see below for current trailers and their durations).

The aim is for the trainee to lace and change-over on time for as many of the trailers as they can manage. By the time they get to about trailer 4 or 5, it is unlikely that they will be racking the film prior to getting it on screen.

The challenge usually stops once two consecutive change-overs have been missed, though this is up to the discretion of the qualified projectionist taking the additional training session and may depend upon the circumstances in which the change-overs were missed (Eg. correction of a significant error during lacing, film snapping whilst being laced, etc.).

Current Trailer Challenge Reels

The current trailer challenge consists of two reels of six trailers each. Trailer 2 is to be laced on 8-diamond, though all others are set-up to be laced on 3.

Odd Reel

# Title(Length)

1. Van Helsing (2m30s)

3. Veronica Guerin (2m12s)

5. Dirty Pretty Things (1m53s)

7. Behind the Sun (1m30s)

9. SWAT (1m05s)

11. Kill Bill 2 (0m45s)

Even Reel

# Title(Length)

2. The Singing Detective (2m22s)

4. Intacto (2m00s)

6. Inland Empire (1m40s)

8. Cloverfield (1m16s)

10. In the Cut (0m50s)

12. Eragon (2m26s*)

*Eragon is not the shortest trailer, since its presence is merely to see whether or not the trainee could lace during the time allowed during the running of trailer 11 - Kill Bill 2