[Richard W. Haines]

The key is pacing. A long movie will not seem long if it's edited for maxium impact.
Movies like "Patton" and "Gone with the Wind" are very long but maintain interest and keep the
story moving rapidly. Conversely, a bad movie will seem like it takes forever to get to the climax
regardless of length. I've always found it fascinating how movies alter your perception of time.



In terms of bathroom breaks, you're out of luck for new films in megaplexes. There's no projectionist
and they play the movies on 'platters'. A platter is a large plate that the entire feature is spliced
onto and twisted into the gate of the projector (causing it to become scratched). Film is meant for
vertical projection, not horizontal. Once the machine is turned on, there's no one there to turn it off for an intermission. That's why movies that needed intermissions don't have it in most cases. I still recall seeing "Titanic" 10 years ago. I enjoyed the film but needed to go to the bathroom halfway through (as does anyone who drinks a coke) and rushed to it just before the ship hit the iceburg. There were other guys in there rushing in and out around the same time which was funny. If the movie was shown in the pre-1975 reel to reel method, the projectionist would've shut down projector #1 at the 'Intermission' sign to give the audience a break. Then there would be an 'entre'acte' on projector #2 to indicate it was time to return to your seat and then the second half of the movie would be shown. They still have these on DVDs but not in most theaters today. Automated showmanship doesn't work.