The ACTUAL Movie Screen

[Ash]

My buddy & I went to see "Van Helsing" yesterday (6-19-04) and while sitting there with the lights still on before it started I wondered aloud...

I wondered what type of material the screen is made up of.
We figured it was most likely canvas or some other type of cloth.
My buddy suggested heavy duty paper but that would never fly...paper would be TOO cheap....theaters need something that can withstand the test of time and it must also be fairly strong.
(well maybe if it were rag paper...the same type of paper that U.S. currency is made out of.  But that would be too expensive...wouldn't it?...sorry bad joke)

I myself have never actually approached the screen and touched it...have any of you done so?
(it's sad...I worked at a movie theater for the entire summer of 1997 as the guy who tore your ticket in half and I never once thought to touch the screen...my mind was obviously in other places back then)
When I go to see "Spiderman 2" I promise I'll go up to the screen when the end credits are rolling and touch the screen.

I also wondered the exact dimensions of the screen...we figured at least 30-50 feet wide by 20-25 feet tall.

Even more, I wondered how much a screen like that would cost.
I imagine it would be at least a few thousand dollars if not more.

How is a movie screen installed so that it fits perfectly?  
(maybe there's a website that gives that info)
I'd love to visit a website that gave a breakdown of how a movie screen is produced and I'd like to see the actual machine that they're made on.
I imagine it'd be enormous!

I wonder if there are any business websites out there that specialize in fabricating and selling of movie screens.

Do any of you have any information to add or any answers to my questions above?

(Oh by the way..."Van Helsing" was pretty good!)



Post Edited (06-20-04 15:38)

[Dunners]

So you're saying you didnt watch the movie then?:P

[The Burgomaster]

I actually own a movie screen.  Not a theatrical movie screen, but the kind you use at home to watch movies from and 8mm or Super 8mm projector.  I'm not sure whether theatrical movie screens are made of the same material.  My screen is made of some sort of cloth/canvas type material.  It has a white surface that is covered with tiny granules (like someone sprinkled salt or white sand all over it).

[Susan]

Burgo, our moviescreens seem to also have sticky material on them in the shape of milkduds. Perhaps that enhances the viewing experience....

[dean]

So not many people have actually touched the movie screen?  Wierd.  
It sorta seemed like a heavy duty rubber type canvass for me; no granules or anything, just like a one inch thick rubber sheet-type thing.

What I've always wondered however, is why cinemas go through all the trouble of having the little curtains on the side of the screen which end up getting pulled up when the movie actually starts.  It just seems like unneccessary window dressing and a cost they could do without: if they want to charge us heaps at the snack bar, don't do it to pay for such a damn pointless machine!!  Sorry, but I was really frustrated about this for some unknown reason.

[Fearless Freep]

My buddy & I went to see "Van Helsing" yesterday

I thought you went alone?


What I've always wondered however, is why cinemas go through all the trouble of having the little curtains on the side of the screen

1. Not all of them do anymore
2. Some theaters can be rented out and you can use the stage and curtains