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Topic: Marking Reel Changes

Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 04-12-2000 12:46 PM

I agree, a smiley would have helped. And even if people do crazy stuff like that to film I just can't believe they'd post it here, unless of course they are trolling.

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Tom Ferreira
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 203
From: Conway, NH, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-12-2000 06:18 PM

Reread the last sentence of his post, and tell me he's not joking with us. I don't know any projectionist that would treat a Pauly Shore film differently from a Steven Spielberg film.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

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

posted 04-12-2000 08:44 PM

Judging by some of Alan's other posts it really is hard to say. He really should indicate if he is joking. Most of his other posts are littered with an abundance of smileys to the point where they are annoying. But this one had none. There are a lot of dumbasses out there who don't know what they do is bad (or don't care). That's why I asked that he elaborate. If it does not come off as he intended it to, then he has a problem communicating his message. That's why I always use smileys or (J/K)'s when I am joking. I don't want to take a chance that ANYONE will take me seriously and think I am an idiot.

I think that there are a lot of projectionists that will treat film differently based on what it is. I've heard comments before like "Oh that movie is not doing very well, so who cares if it is dirty?" Just because you don't personally know any doesn't mean that they don't exist.

End of discussion.

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 04-14-2000 03:12 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Tom Ferreira:
I don't know any projectionist that would treat a Pauly Shore film differently from a Steven Spielberg film.

The gouges wouldn't need to be so deep in a Spielberg feature as they generally run at least twice the length of a Pauly Shore film and as such, the added weight would compensate for the lack of 'gouge depth' and would pull the film apart more easily.

But I should think that would be the ONLY time they would be treated differently.

------------------
"It's not the years honey, it's the mileage".
Indiana Jones.

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Ari Nordström
Master Film Handler

Posts: 283
From: Göteborg, Sweden
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 04-14-2000 08:34 AM

I'm with Brad here; I don't usually mark reel changes in any way. That is, I don't when I'm not screening archive prints.

When I do, however, during film festivals where a print is made up in my booth and broken down in the booth across the street, I always use small stickers and place them _above_ the clear tape I use, between the frames. These stickers are small and barely noticeable on the screen except to a trained eye, but they nicely mark the reel change and save a lot of time for that other booth, especially when the print is used and comes with a hundred splices in each reel...

Edge inspection of the print is necessary, of course, to find the splice at all.

Nice thing about those stickers that they come in different colours and sizes. During film festivals I sometimes use obscure colour codes to confuse my colleagues...

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 04-14-2000 10:42 AM

Wonder if splicing tape manufacturers would consider a tape that had a single 0.10 inch wide colored stripe across the tape for each splice, so the colored strip could be placed only over the perforations on the side of the film OPPOSITE the Dolby Digital track? Current "Zebra Tape" was a good idea, but the wide colored stipes on the framelines can certainly be seen on the screen (especially for "scope"). And nothing should interfere with reading any of the soundtracks.

IMHO, any splicing or marking technique that can cause a sound default/pop, or is visible on the screen should NOT be used.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

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

posted 04-14-2000 03:13 PM

John: Hitchhike to my theatre and I'll turn off the ultrasonic splicer just long enough to show you how to use zebra tape. The bar should NOT go across the frameline. Tacky! But otherwise I agree.

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Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 04-14-2000 06:23 PM

I had an idea the other day. I've heard about the white shoe polish method of marking splices. Now I know this is a bad idea becuase it covers up the SDDS/Dolby tracks and can drip down into the optical tracks and even the picture. BUT, what if you marked the buttom edge of the film (opposite the soundtrack)? This wouldn't do any of the above damage to the film.

Now I know what your all think, "Yeah, but you can't see that when your tearing down, how the hell is it supposed to help?" Well, how about rewinding the print upside down the last show? I down becuase of the natural curl in the film it should be wound emulsion out (soundtrack up), but doing this for one show wouldn't warp the film would it?

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Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 04-14-2000 06:27 PM

The long and the short of it is;

I don't need to mark the splice to see it or to find it when breaking down a print. Our booth is poorly lit but I still don't need to mark the film and you shouldn't either.

Just think, Brad Miller uses ultrasonic splices and he doesn't mark the edge of the film. An ultrasonic splice must be twice as hard to find as a clear tape splice. And yet, I assume, Brad has no trouble breaking down his prints.

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Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 04-14-2000 06:35 PM

Well, before I get to many responses let me clarify, I have no need for splice marking either. I am in the same boat as you Ian, poorly lit booth. But I still find the splices just fine. I just thought that some people night not be able to.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 04-14-2000 06:46 PM

Lately I have taken to leaving the inboard edge "tab" on the ultrasonic splices to make breakdown more operator friendly, as I have recently found it does not affect the stability in the gate. This makes them not too difficult to find. However, before I trimmed both edges perfectly and once I showed each operator the correct way to hold the film during breakdown, wasn't a problem for them either.

I think the best solution is the old idea of mine to put a strip of tape on the side of the reel and mark how full the reel is before buildup. I've not done this in the past personally, but it really does only take perhaps an extra minute of prep time before the building process commences...so no big deal.

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Jason Burroughs
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 654
From: Allen, TX
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-14-2000 07:21 PM

I too have marked reels in much the same manner as Brad does, a piece of masking tape on the inside of the reel and a line at the "full" mark of the reel, gives you a General area to find the splice, other than that I prefer clear splicing tape (Neumade if possible.

I have used the ultrasonic splicers on a IWerks setup, and I have to say they're quite nice. That was a strange setup if I've ever seen one. It was a super modified Ballantyne 70mm projector that ran forwards and BACKWARDS, so we had to file the splices down where they ran through the gate so that they were about the same thickness as the rest of the film.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-15-2000 11:19 AM

I still like the old EPRAD edge marker I never had one of them cause a dribble down the print with the silver marker
In fact I use it to mark the Imax splices before I remove the tape ones and Ultrasonic them on build up of new prints

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Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 04-15-2000 01:18 PM

We used to like the Eprad Edge Marker untill the discount house down the block told us that it acted like a cue to their failsafes and shut down the show on the first reel change. We didn't know, because we used bar-code automations.

From then on, we just used the silver pen to mark up stuff in the booth.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-15-2000 03:47 PM

I wonder what type of sensor they used? It would have to be very sensitive to read it
I usually buy a Yellow marker from Pental
It is very easy to see in the dark booth

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