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Topic: Wet gate projection

Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 07-17-1999 01:06 AM

No, FilmGuard is definitely NOT similar to Tomakote. Your films and booth will not catch on fire should anything jam.

I still must strongly cast my vote away from PTRs as they don't really accomplish anything. In every test, the PTR print looked worse than one that had one or no cleaning to it with a dry media cleaner.

As to large format use, the larger the film, the smaller the dirt particles will be. I don't think that is a fair comparison. I've said it previously and I'll repeat myself here..."PTRs do exactly what they're named after. They transfer the dirt particles from one part of the print to another."

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Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-18-1999 03:58 PM

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Brad Miller in his booth and thank him for that opportunity. Here are my observations.

His booth was of average cleanliness. The floor was typical UA carpeting which in my opinion is not the best way to go. The projectors were not the cleanest I have ever seen. Brad admits that he only cleans them about once per week. I preface my statement like this in order to say with great certainty.

P5 works!

I observed his oldest print the Mummy. It had been playing for at least 7 weeks. It was dirt free. I couldn't detect any dirt on the print. I saw one spice go through the projector. There was no dirt announcing the arrival of the splice. I saw the motor start cue. I saw the changeover cue and that was it. His ultra sonic splices don't jump in the projectors. Had it not been for the cues I wouldn't have known the splice was there. Is it time for the labs to stop placing cues on the films?

Thanks for the tour Brad.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 07-19-1999 01:36 AM

Thank you for the report Ian, but remember I said I hadn't cleaned those projectors in about 3 weeks. Normally I do it every week to two weeks. But as you pointed out, using FilmGuard (P5) it really doesn't much matter. The end result on screen will not be affected.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 07-19-1999 03:00 AM

I have been using FilmGuard for the past 3 days. Believe it or not, I could see immediate improvements in a few areas. The first was the splices. They run smoothly through the projector now instead of jumping, and the film runs much quieter as well. The onscreen image has improved significantly and by the looks of it will probably be perfect in the next few days. Static is gone as well. This stuff is great and will revolutionize the industry once discovered. More to come after I have tested it more extensively!

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-21-1999 05:15 PM

You mean to tell me that all I have to do is squirt some of this "Film Guard" onto the media rolls of my little 'ol Kelmar film cleaner and all my movies will be "golden"!?

SIGN ME UP!!!

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 07-21-1999 07:10 PM

Yes, that's all you have to do. But you keep using the same media pads over and over for a whole week! Your pads will now clean approximately 35 shows instead of just the one show they were designed for. Talk about taking advantage of existing equipment.

The 2 films that I put FilmGuard on, which were shedding massively, are now clean as a whistle. Last week it took us 30 seconds with compressed air and at least an additional minute wiping (and scraping off hard gunk) to clean the projector. Now they barely even need to be wiped at all. Not to mention that the onscreen image is 100% immaulate! Perfection! Digital video cannot compete with this!

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Brian Paymer
Film Handler

Posts: 31

Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-23-1999 04:56 AM

HOW MUCH LONGER? MY PRINT OF PHANTOM MENACE IS FLAKING APART INTO DUST!

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-23-1999 03:49 PM

I've been looking at Kelmar's website for prices & they don't have a price list posted, nor do they have an E-Mail address to contact them for prices.

What is the price for a Kelmar, or equivalent film cleaner and mounting bracket?

I'm interested in pitching the "FilmGuard" idea to my boss at Mercyhurst College. We get some CRUMMY prints.

I need to get the film cleaner and bracket for a Simplex / Potts Alpha system.

PS: What will be the price for a bottle of "FilmGuard" be when it becomes available. (Ballpark)

K.Y.S.O.T.I.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 07-23-1999 04:00 PM

I don't think that you can mount a cleaner on a STRONG platter. Mount it on top of the projector instead. I could be wrong here, and you can always drill holes.

I understand your frustration, Brian. There have been some slight delays that have nothing to do with the FilmGuard formula itself, but it should still be fairly soon, hopefully. I had a print of Phantom Menace (Kodak) and a print of Big Daddy (Kodak) that were both shedding like no tomorrow and they are both perfect now, after less than a week. Yes, it even works on Kodak prints! I don't even use it on FUJI prints (no need), but I am still trying to obtain more media cleaners as it does bring out the colors!

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 07-23-1999 04:52 PM

Estimated price will probably be between $30-35 a bottle (which will last 8 screens about a month...cleaning every print every show.)

Kelmar charges around $400 per cleaning machine if I remember correctly. You can purchase them through your normal cinema vendor and get an exact price.

The Christie platters come with the holes ready to mount. As for other platters such as the Strong, you can drill holes and insert a pre-threaded insert for mounting. I find it easiest to work with the cleaners on the side of the platters, but they can be used equally well on top of the projectors.

The delay in releasing FilmGuard is due to the plastic rewinding cores. The master cast mold is to be ready in about 3 weeks and assuming everything is ok, will be about 1-2 weeks after that for release.

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Sheldon Harris
Film Handler

Posts: 16
From: Chicago, IL USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-23-1999 05:06 PM

Brad.... What would be your recomendations for a film collector like myself in using Filmguard. Like I project my prints maybe once a year at best..they are mostly in storage. Would you suggest that I apply Filmguard before each showing or is it something I should be applying on a scheduled basis whether I project the print or not? Also the overwheling majority of my prints are 16mm acetate... is Filmguard OK for acetate?

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 07-23-1999 09:15 PM

FilmGuard works perfectly for triacetate film stocks. It is however, the only lubricant to date which will not damage polyestar film.

For collector type prints which are only shown once a year, I recommend running them through the FilmGuard with every showing to ensure they don't dry out over time, become brittle and shrink.

Just a note, the Kelmar/Christie dry web media cleaners are easily converted for 16mm use!

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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99

posted 07-24-1999 03:46 AM

I check our PO's from opening and according to them, a Kelmar cleaner with bracket is around $470.00...

Convienantly too much for me to order without authorization...

Which, by the way, gets me wondering, WHY are they $470.00? The material costs on these things can't be more than $20.00...

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 07-24-1999 05:53 AM

Take the back cover off of one someday. There are precision manufactured gears and drive chains.

I have a newfound respect for higher priced articles such as the cleaning machine. I just found out recently to make the little plastic rewinder keys (for rewinding the media when using FilmGuard) that the mold itself would cost $9200.00 And that was not much more than a slightly modified media core!

Something tells me Kelmar isn't making all that much on those little cleaners. What is the going rate for PTRs? Someone recently told me $90 each! That's almost $200 for a set and that doesn't include the mounting bracket either. Oh yeah, and they don't do anything. A $1.99 egg of Silly Putty would probably pick up dirt better.

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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99

posted 07-24-1999 02:26 PM

I've been in the back of one.. Honestly, it didn't look that complex...

I have also wondered why Christie charges $5.00 for those pins that hold the reels onto the make up table...

As for PTR's, the last theatre i was at we paid close to $600 for a SPECO PTR with a bracket and two rollers.

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