Obviously experiments of this nature will vary slightly from batch to batch of FilmGuard, different film stocks, processing chemicals, different labs, lab waxing and so forth. Still, in the end the bottom line to be proven here is that of all "common" booth items, FilmGuard is the least flammable. So any booth using these "common" items should not have any problem with FilmGuard. Any booth that does not allow anything that will burn when a direct flame is put to it should not even be running film.

For those who are as crazy as we are, gather these common items from a projection room and see for yourself:
FilmGuard
XeKote
Isoprophal alcohol
Generic film cleaner (the fast evaporating kind)
WD-40
Johnson's Paste Wax
Projector oil

Now go out into an open area in the parking lot where nothing anywhere near can possibly catch on fire and see for yourself which is the least flammable. That is the point to be made here, along with the fact that film DOES burn straight out of the lab DRY. Also the important thing to take note of here is that of all these commonly found items, FilmGuard burns the LEAST of them all. If you are not going to test all or most of of these items, don't even bother with the comparison test.

DISCLAIMER: Anyone who believes we faked the video download above and is insistent on performing their own experiments, please use common sense and make sure there is a second person, say 20 feet away with a fire extinguisher in case you do something stupid or something goes up more than you thought! Also, use just a TINY BIT of whatever you are going to burn for safety's sake. (Soaking 2-4 frames should be more than sufficient.) Most importantly, perform the test holding the film the exact same way that Joe did in the video. Do NOT get a strip of film and let gravity pull it downward while you hold the top of it and light it at the bottom. This is just begging for you to burn your hand off since fire burns upwards! Hold a short piece of film (6-8 inches) upright with your hand at the bottom (fold the film if you have to in order to make it stiff) and light the TOP edge and let it burn down like a candle for safety.

Also take note of the most obvious aspect of this...if the building is already burning down from whatever cause, the prints are toast anyway! Other than a building fire, there is no time that a print will ever be exposed to DIRECT FLAME like this anyway. Worst case senario is the film will brain wrap (although that's extremely rare with a FilmGuarded print) and the film will "melt" in the gate as we have all seen many times in the past. Even with a 7000 watt bulb and a piece of film drenched in FilmGuard, it will not ignite.

Now for silliness, will a PTR burn???

Why?

Reason #1 because that is one more thing that would have to be added to each kit. We are trying to keep it as basic as possible to keep costs down.

Reason #2 because most people do not know how to interpret an MSDS sheet and have never seen one.

Reason #3 because the dealer who sold you the product has them readily available just by asking for one, plus we have an email address printed on each bottle that you can just request one via email. Other than the WD-40 company (which is by far too large of a company to deal with individual people for such requests), I don't know of any product that is found in a projection booth that actually keeps MSDS sheets online for download. Like I said, many people will misinterpret what they read and "freak out", so it's actually better in my opinion to send them out as requested so any questions that arise may be addressed directly.

Do you have MSDS sheets for all of the items in your booth? (Some states actually require this, but not many.) Have you ever read an MSDS sheet? (Like I said, most people have not.) Regardless, if you want one, just ask.

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After opening one of their theatres and receveing mass complaints about the sound quality (not the volume) and trying to work with the "technician" that did the installation, we went round and round with potential causes, from amplifiers, crossovers, to someone screwing with the sound system. When calling out a 3rd party technician to resolve an unrelated emergency issue, we aske him to take a look at some of the sound problems, low and behold only 5 out of 20 auditoriums had ever been eq'ed. They only thing that had been done was levels adjusted (by the staff at HIS direction). Of course instead of fixing the problem or admitting that the problem was his fault to begin with, he blamed it on the staff. (Keep in mind no one ever actually EQ anything to begin with). That technician "trained" this tech everyone is having problems with today, and why their presentation continues to be hampered.

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I think posting this stuff for general consumption for people who do not know how to interpret it would not make good business sense.

OTOH, I don't agree with the idea of keeping MSDS hidden away. If a child were to swallow a liquid, it could be vital to have quick access to the information on the sheet. I don't think I would be able to stomach a kid dying or having permanent damage because of such a policy. If one does have that policy, IMO a poison control center should have the MSDS info and there should be an indelible phone number for that center on the containers. Phone numbers to a business or address of a website aren't sufficient because of the possible delays in getting the info.

However, that file is kept out of sight of people who have not been taught to correctly interpret the information it contains. Almost all substances are dangerous/lethal if misused. For example, water can kill you and it's possible to drown with a surprisingly small amount, and washing up liquid will kill you (the enzymes in it break down the stomach lining) if swallowed in any significant quantity.

Many fellow pinheads accused me of faking the J-Wax pic. They just knew I poured gasoline or lighter fluid in that can to get it to burn that well. Nothing I said was going to change their minds. People have become cynical, tend to see conspiracy or deception everywhere. I blame The X-Files .

Re: Lighter fluid. Naphtha-based (sp?) lighter fluid (i.e. Ronsonol) is a great product for removing gummy residue from smooth hard surfaces. Seems a little harsh for use on film though.

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- dave
Stay away from the meadow...