Switching the PYL slides in the intro

[cool245]

Does anyone know how they they switched between the solid colors and the prize/trip slides during the intro and after the question rounds so quickly?

[JasonA1]

Whatever the exact method, it's no different than how a square during game play can go from $750 and a spin to a whammy just as quickly.

-Jason

[TLEberle]

Did each projector have its own carousel of slides?

[Ian Wallis]

Did each projector have its own carousel of slides?

Pretty sure they did.  There must have been some sort of switch where they could flip all the projectors to the "default" position of solid colors. On a few episodes you can see them make the switch, and all of the screens go to black for a brief second before the colors pop in.

[SFQuizKid]

Usually this would be done by a dual-drum random-access projector (look up "film chain slide projector") or two random-access Ektapro projectors chained together with a dissolve module.  These had remote keyboards that would let the operator select a particular slide; later models had RS-232 interfaces for computer control.

Fun fact: one of the drum types was such that if you pressed two position selectors at once it would spin continuously--just like on The Joker's Wild.

[TheLastResort]

Did each projector have its own fan?  If so, that must have been awfully loud...

[dazztardly]

Did each projector have its own fan?  If so, that must have been awfully loud...

I'm sure it was loud! I'm not sure if they did, but I can ask. More than likely. Because the last thing you need is for one projector to go down from overheating. It was already bad enough the lightbulbs in some of the projectors exploded during one taping.

[chris319]

Each window in the big board had four carousel slide projectors. 3 used for the game, and 1 for the idle. The quick switch is simply the lightbulb in each of the slide projectors. The computer system operating the big board, is controlling a series of relays, that manipulate the lightbulb circuits in each of the 72 projectors, and the 18 window frames of lights that make up the "spinner".

Wouldn't this technology have been developed when the show was on ABC? Do you know what they did with the ABC board? Was it reused on CBS?

[TheLastResort]

I'm sure it was loud! I'm not sure if they did, but I can ask. More than likely. Because the last thing you need is for one projector to go down from overheating. It was already bad enough the lightbulbs in some of the projectors exploded during one taping.

I'd be curious, also because of the heat, considering there was at least one camera behind the board.

[Mr. Matté]

Each window in the big board had four carousel slide projectors. 3 used for the game, and 1 for the idle. The quick switch is simply the lightbulb in each of the slide projectors. The computer system operating the big board, is controlling a series of relays, that manipulate the lightbulb circuits in each of the 72 projectors, and the 18 window frames of lights that make up the "spinner".

Wouldn't this technology have been developed when the show was on ABC? Do you know what they did with the ABC board? Was it reused on CBS?

Based on my guess as a casual observer watching in 240p, Second Chance used static slides (maybe even just painted plastic cards), not the constantly-changing slides like on PYL.

[MSTieScott]

Wouldn't this technology have been developed when the show was on ABC?

Theoretically the light box control could have been, but when they showed the control box in GSN's Michael Larson special, it had the same design as other CBS control boxes of the time.

I'd be curious, also because of the heat, considering there was at least one camera behind the board.

Two cameras, if I'm not mistaken -- one for the close-up of the spinning contestant and one for the wide shot of all three scores/close-up of the other contestant during the final spin.

It hadn't occurred to me until GSN started airing the show again -- "Press Your Luck" had six cameras, which I think is more than the average game show of that time had. And two of them were useless during the Q&A rounds.

[clemon79]

Based on my guess as a casual observer watching in 240p, Second Chance used static slides (maybe even just painted plastic cards), not the constantly-changing slides like on PYL.

Your guess is (slightly) wrong. The prize boxes didn't cycle, but a slide of a wrapped gift box switched to whatever the prize ended up being when someone landed on one.

[tyshaun1]

Two cameras, if I'm not mistaken -- one for the close-up of the spinning contestant and one for the wide shot of all three scores/close-up of the other contestant during the final spin.

Yes, one between "Press" and "Your", the other between "Your" and "Luck". It was a clever way to give the show a better logo than the pilot and make the cameras more functional.

Randy I'm sure can offer better insight, but I recall him mentioning how loud the board was in motion, and that he was surprised they didn't pick up any of that on the audio reel.

Tyshaun