Bullseye...

[StevenRosenow]

Ok, new member here, and a longtime game show fan.

I saw in another thread relating to Bullseye a question being asked about the mechanics of the set. Since nobody seemed to answer it, I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and ask the same question.

Does anyone know how the displays worked on the gameboard? Specifically, in the bonus game, how did the spinning swirl pattern change from the swirl to the dollar figure, bullseye, or lightning bolt? Reasoning seems that it may've been a chyron device programmed through a television projector (times three), but I'm curious to find out if anyone knows how the mechanics of that gameboard worked.

Secondly, is there anyone out there with any good, highest-resolution-possible shots of the swirl pattern (same for a highest-resolution-possible wide-angle set shot)?  I ask because I'm going to be building a fairly large scale replica of the Bullseye set, and I need these two details.

If I have more, I'll post them, but these are it for now.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'StevenRosenow\' post=\'195089\' date=\'Aug 25 2008, 04:23 AM\']
Reasoning seems that it may've been a chyron device programmed through a television projector (times three), but I'm curious to find out if anyone knows how the mechanics of that gameboard worked.[/quote]
Actually, Occam's Razor being what it is, it's far FAR more likely that the swirl was on a videotape (which was then routed out to three projectors), and the effect was simply turning the light in whatever projector off and activating some kind of combination of slide machines, a la The Joker's Wild.

[Neumms]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'195111\' date=\'Aug 25 2008, 10:37 AM\']
Actually, Occam's Razor being what it is, it's far FAR more likely that the swirl was on a videotape (which was then routed out to three projectors, and the effect was simply turning the light in whatever projector off and activating some kind of combination of slide machines, a la The Joker's Wild.
[/quote]

Occam's Razor might also suggest that the host of that program was an actual human being, not a rudimentary robot or wooden marionette as it usually appeared.

[Jimmy Owen]

When I was in MCR circa 1978, we used to be able to switch from a film source to a slide by changing cameras in the film chain or, more properly, the telecine.  The effect looked a lot like it did on Bullseye.  One image would visably overlap the other for a millisecond.

[tvmitch]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'195111\' date=\'Aug 25 2008, 11:37 AM\']
Actually, Occam's Razor being what it is, it's far FAR more likely that the swirl was on a videotape (which was then routed out to three projectors), and the effect was simply turning the light in whatever projector off and activating some kind of combination of slide machines, a la The Joker's Wild.
[/quote]
Not that I disagree with you, Chris, but if I were to guess, I don't think that anything behind the scenes of that bonus game was automatic. I remember several instances where the circles would be black for a little longer than necessary, even as long as the upper left circle staying black while the #2 circle lit up.

As in, there were two distinct sources of video/film/slides there. I would have loved to see that setup behind the scenes.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'195120\' date=\'Aug 25 2008, 11:51 AM\']
Occam's Razor might also suggest that the host of that program was an actual human being, not a rudimentary robot or wooden marionette as it usually appeared.
[/quote]
I chuckled.  That was pretty good.  

[tyshaun1]

[quote name=\'mitchgroff\' post=\'195422\' date=\'Aug 28 2008, 03:49 PM\']
Not that I disagree with you, Chris, but if I were to guess, I don't think that anything behind the scenes of that bonus game was automatic. I remember several instances where the circles would be black for a little longer than necessary, even as long as the upper left circle staying black while the #2 circle lit up.

As in, there were two distinct sources of video/film/slides there. I would have loved to see that setup behind the scenes.
[/quote]

My educated guess is that there were a (looping?) film projector in each window that ran the "swirls" (as I recall, there was a time or two where you could see the swirl stop as the light went out on the projector), and 2 slide projectors that turned on/off when need be, as in the top displayed the category, and the bottom displayed the money values.

Tyshaun

[davemackey]

[quote name=\'dazztardly\' post=\'195458\' date=\'Aug 29 2008, 12:52 AM\']
The swirl pattern [made by Image West] in the windows were altered by taking the reels, and loading the film in backwards and/or upside-down.[/quote]
Thanks for the tickle on the name of the provider of the effects. The same company did the special effects graphics for one of those Bugs Bunny movies (it was "Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island"), in which characters were making wishes at a wishing well and inside the wishing wells were the same sort of swirly stuff that was in those Bullseye screens. It also did some visual FX work for "Star Wars".

/loved it when Lange would mention the windows had "various amounts of lightning"

[chris319]

Yup, the swirls were done with 16mm projectors. I shouldn't scoff; the Blockbusters board was a galaxy of slide projectors (Milt Altman of NBC was big into rear projection at the time).

The end game "island" was moved into place by two stagehands pulling on a rope as fast as they could -- kinda funny to watch.

[StevenRosenow]

[quote name=\'dazztardly\' post=\'195458\' date=\'Aug 28 2008, 11:52 PM\']
I was originally misinformed about this sometime back. But got it straightened out...

It was film projectors and slide projectors, driven by a computer[altair?]. Each window had a film projector and several slide projectors. Top two windows had 4 top and 4 bottom carousels. Bottom window ran off six carousels. Later in the shows run, the lightbulb circuits for the film projectors had been rewired to dim in and out.

The swirl pattern[made by Image West] in the windows were altered by taking the reels, and loading the film in backwards and/or upside-down.

When the buttons were pushed on the contestant's deck, or the bonus game platform, a random number generator in the software determined which projector lights to turn on.


If you're gonna do a large replica, project a computer screen spanning the gameboard size, to run a simulation of the windows. Any replication of the original technology is gonna be a matenience nightmare. Plus running a network of lights to flash, is very dangerous if you don't know how to wire it right.

hope this helps.
-Dan Berger
FLASHGames²
[/quote]

Wow. Thanks for the information!

If I had the room, I'd likely build a full-scale replica of the entire set and rig the lights to flash using a couple traffic signal controllers.

Too bad nobody has any high-res shots of the swirl pattern used.

[StevenRosenow]

Hey Dan (or anyone else familiar with the mechanics)...

Does anyone know, how large (approximately) the circular projector windows were, in diameter?

From the Wikipedia entry, it gives a rough dimension of Bonus Island (referred to as Bullseye Island by Jim Lange on occasion - but fails to mention its platform height), but no mention is made to the dimensions of the windows or set itself.

Judging by some of the clips I've seen, it looks like the set itself stood at least either ten or eleven feet in height. Everything else is kinda iffy. If anyone knows some rough dimensions, that'd help.

[dazztardly]

[quote name=\'StevenRosenow\' post=\'196023\' date=\'Sep 4 2008, 04:52 AM\']
Hey Dan (or anyone else familiar with the mechanics)...

Does anyone know, how large (approximately) the circular projector windows were, in diameter?

From the Wikipedia entry, it gives a rough dimension of Bonus Island (referred to as Bullseye Island by Jim Lange on occasion - but fails to mention its platform height), but no mention is made to the dimensions of the windows or set itself.

Judging by some of the clips I've seen, it looks like the set itself stood at least either ten or eleven feet in height. Everything else is kinda iffy. If anyone knows some rough dimensions, that'd help.
[/quote]

I have to no clue what the dimensions were.

Depending on how big the place is that's hosting the replica of the gameboard...don't go too nuts with it.

What's the purpose of building this?

[StevenRosenow]

[quote name=\'dazztardly\' post=\'196109\' date=\'Sep 5 2008, 03:44 AM\']
[quote name=\'StevenRosenow\' post=\'196023\' date=\'Sep 4 2008, 04:52 AM\']
Hey Dan (or anyone else familiar with the mechanics)...

Does anyone know, how large (approximately) the circular projector windows were, in diameter?

From the Wikipedia entry, it gives a rough dimension of Bonus Island (referred to as Bullseye Island by Jim Lange on occasion - but fails to mention its platform height), but no mention is made to the dimensions of the windows or set itself.

Judging by some of the clips I've seen, it looks like the set itself stood at least either ten or eleven feet in height. Everything else is kinda iffy. If anyone knows some rough dimensions, that'd help.
[/quote]

I have to no clue what the dimensions were.

Depending on how big the place is that's hosting the replica of the gameboard...don't go too nuts with it.

What's the purpose of building this?
[/quote]


I guess I could (and likely should) have been more clear. I'm not building that big a replica. It'll likely be maybe 1/10th the size of the original, maybe 1/25th.

As for the purpose? Just a hobby of mine(outside of restoring old school buses) that I haven't done in a long time...

Years ago (before I had the internet, and a camera) I built fully functional 1/25th scale replicas of each Jeopardy! set up to the Sushi Bar set. For the original neon set (and the 2nd and third season iterations) I used mechanical homemade relays to control the flash rate of the neon bands and the JEOPARDY! logo (which were lit by a series of Mini-Maglite flashlight bulbs wired together in sequence). Same for the electronic "metal wicker frame" set from 1991.

The podiums were controlled by a concealed pushbutton switch on the backside of the podium and were wired with three Mini-Maglite bulbs plus a strand of clear fiber optic wire that I sanded down to simulate the neon light around the monitor (also did this for the gameboard "signaling-in light").

Each set took six months of work, and they were lost in the Nisqually quake we had in 2001. They were about 12 inches high, and the platforms were 22 inches long, and eighteen inches wide.  As an extra measure, I built replica studios for them, with the studio lighting being a mix of assorted types of Christmas lights.

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'dazztardly\' post=\'196109\' date=\'Sep 5 2008, 01:44 AM\']
What's the purpose of building this?
[/quote]
It's the Invision equivalent of the bridge to nowhere.

Randy
tvrandywest.com

[Shell]

[quote name=\'StevenRosenow\' post=\'195089\' date=\'Aug 25 2008, 06:23 AM\']
I'm going to be building a fairly large scale replica of the Bullseye set...
[/quote]

Yes... why?