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Topic: Technicolor Reels Suck!

Aaron Sisemore
Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day!

Posts: 3061
From: Rockwall TX USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 12-27-2001 06:01 PM

>>Is it possile(sic) to use the cores (that are in any brand of plastic "snap-together" reel) on a goldburg(sic) split reel?<<

Absolutely. They fit fine.

-Aaron

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

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

posted 12-27-2001 07:15 PM

I liked the Taylor plastic reels

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Paul Harnden
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 107
From: Chandler, AZ, USA
Registered: Oct 2001

posted 12-28-2001 12:46 AM

My remedy with broken reels is to just keep the half that has nothing wrong with it. Once in a while you'd get another messed up reel with a good half in tact, add that with the other saved good one: voila! Also, my old head projectionist always had a nack for getting brand new reels from other theaters and hording them. With the messed halves, they made good frisbees when throwing them away into the dumpsters from distances.

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 12-28-2001 07:02 AM

I understand that TES uses those break-apart reels in their "inspection" machines -- the flanges come off and the machine handles the film roll on the core. The flange sides are then snappped back on when it comes off the machine. Supposidely this makes for a very efficient system -- easy on their inspectors. (I suspect their "inspectors" are every bit as well-trained as lots of the usher-sprocket jockeys that pass for projectionists these days)

I have taken to using industrial strength E6000 adhesive to glue the flanges on when the snaps have broken and won't hold the flanges to the hub. I just gives me that extra bit of pleasure picturing "Mona," who proudly put her "Inspected by" sticker on the print in the first place, trying to pull the flanges off the hub. Hey, it should be as hard for her to get the damn things apart as it is for us to keep them together. Fair is fair.

But actually, guys, FORGET about even talking to TES -- they have no vested interest in making you happy. Talk to the distrib! He's PAYING for the lousy service; it's HIS $10,000 print. Tell him that TES is shipping it out on reels that have broken, razor-sharp edges that will cut his print with every revolution. Find the guy in the studio's print department -- the HEAD of the print control department if need be -- and SEND him one of these print-shredding reels. Bet we can find SOMEONE in the bowels of the studio's distribution arm that is conscientious and will get really pissed if he gets a bunch of these complaints (with indesputable examples) arriving on his desk on a daily basis.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-28-2001 01:36 PM

I wish there was a way to get to the directors, producers and stars of the movies. If they saw the way their product, which put so much work into, is treated after it leaves their hands, they would revolt and we'd see some changes.

Or at least we'd be on the fast track to digital, with the studios paying the bill!

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 12-28-2001 03:55 PM

Frank, TES does not have inspection machines, unless by "machine" you are referring to someone who does not know how to inspect film. All they do is spin off 20 feet onto the floor and look to make sure the picture isn't rubbed off and spool it back on. You're giving them WAY too much credit. The whole purpose of using the clip together reels is so they do not have to take the time to physically wind the film onto and off of the reels during mounting and junking. Also, a 6 reel print is at maximium about $1200 actual cost to make one print. When 5000 are made, obviously the cost is substantially less.

I like your idea of super glue. Shall we all take to doing this when we find a reel that won't stay together?

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 06-23-2002 08:06 PM

After stealing reels from other TES prints, I've finally gotten to the point where I'm fresh out of reels for Technicolor movies.

I requested replacement reels through my booker. I told her I needed a dozen or so and she said that sounded like too much to ask for. Truth is that now I need more than twenty reels. There are a couple of 7 or 8 reel epics here with no reels. Anyway, it's been weeks and no reels have arrived.

I've started returning prints on cores with a note inside the cans saying that their reels kept falling apart and so now we don't have any TES reels to work with.

As somebody mentioned earlier, I think it's important to take those reels out of circulation. Also, this may be the only way to bring this problem to their urgent attention.

This has afforded the opportunity to return a lot of those DTS frisbees that I have lying around here. When the DTS discs arrive as "chasers" there usually isn't room in the can to return, so the discs have to go back "naked" and I'm left with piles of the yellow and black shippers.

Problem is that Technicolor movies take FOREVER to breakdown because we can't mark the reels with a "fill line" because...well...there are no reels! Policy now is that new movies with good reels will get to keep their reels so that we can go back to marking the fill line to help break-down go faster again.

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 06-23-2002 09:42 PM

Manny, just use a hunk of masking tape or something to make a "fake" film line instead of marking the reels when you have reels.

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 06-24-2002 02:52 AM

We never mark the actual plastic reel. We always use masking tape on the inside of the reel and then we draw the line on that.

Oh yeah! I've seen more than a few of those blue, white, grey and clear reels come in with lines drawn directly onto them. I always wonder what those people do when they get a black reel..?

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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!

Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000

posted 06-24-2002 04:26 AM

Manny, why not just call/email TES direct? That's what I did just a couple of weeks ago and they had a dozen reels sent to us within a couple of days.

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 06-24-2002 07:14 AM

The last time I did that the booker just about died.

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 06-24-2002 10:30 AM

TES seems to at least be acknowledging the problem in that they are evaluating five different reels styles, both the clamp types and the flange material -- they are testing the clamps for their ability to resist breakage and the flange material for its impact resistance. I don't know exactly how far along they have gotten with this research but at least they are not simply ignoring the problem, which, if you multiply the experiences of the members here on FTF by the other thousands of screens around the country, must be really one humungus problem for them.

But until they settle on a better mousetrap, I will continue to throw out the flanges that come shattered and that can cause knicks and/or slice the film, yes, but where the flanges are intact but the clips are broken -- GLUE it is. I glue the flanges to the hub when I am making up the show and by the time I need to ship-out, they are as good as the single-piece contruction of the good ole reels which we miss so dearly. Remember those uni-body reels we took for granted -- as the saying goes, you never know how good you've got it until it's gone!

Frank

PS -- Why not put those order in for replacement reels in ANTICIPATION of the broken reels you KNOW you will eventually have to deal with. If you order ten reels now, then when you get down to say 3 or 4, you order another 10 -- you'll always be ahead of the game.

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John Hawkinson
Film God

Posts: 2273
From: Cambridge, MA, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 06-24-2002 11:09 AM

Manny,

I think you're better off going through 800 99 FILMS rather than talking to your booker, with respect to ordering replacement reels from TES.

--jhawk

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-24-2002 12:13 PM

Why should the booker care about TES reels? That's not his job and I would expect that most bookers would consider that sort of thing to be a waste of time.

Definitely call TES directly. If nothing else, it will send a message to them...I've never actually managed to get them to send out reels, though.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 06-24-2002 12:44 PM

The trick is to call TES directly and tell them that your MUT is incapable of breaking down onto a broken reel and you do not have a split reel. Until they get you more reels, you will not be returning any more prints.

You will have your requested reels the next morning. If they don't send them, don't return the prints that are missing reels. Simple.

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