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Author Topic: Hey you, you suck! (AKA: Outing bad film handlers) Chase Hanson Expert Film Handler Posts: 172 From: San Diego, CA Registered: Oct 2004 posted 12-15-2004 03:46 AM                     Sorry Ever, I have only used one splicer in recent memory that didnt "suck" by my standards. Ive seen chipped/misaligned razors, rounded punches, misaligned cutting blades as the three 'biggest problems'. I dont think I've ever worked a friday where I havent been cleaning tape dimples of one roller or another because they dont get punched out cleanly. I do recall very frequently getting edge shavings when I punched out a splice. I remember just last week, when I was building Spanglish, having to recut 3 or 4 splices numerous times because I was getting tapered cuts. Why havent I reported any of this? My only experiences with putting splicers in that outgoing bin occured long before your time when we sent 6 splicers out to get serviced and we didnt see them again until 4 months later. That was friggin ludacris and I never want to deal with it again.  |  IP: Logged Thomas King Expert Film Handler Posts: 119 From: Sheffield, Yorkshire, England Registered: Oct 2004 posted 12-15-2004 05:08 AM                        We have two CIR splicing blocks that are reguarly fully dismantled and scrubbed by myself. My thinking is that if I do it often enough, they'll stay in good enough condition that no-one else will try to take a screwdriver to them. I can't honestly imagine how one would survive with sub-standard splicers, and our films are generally only run once before being broken down. The idea of a repeat-run multiplex knowingly using defective joining gear is rather worrying.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-15-2004 10:22 AM                     Splicer abuse is a Hot-Button issue with me. I would go around to the theaters on my route and collect all the broken splicers. I'd take them home and work on them in my spare time. There was one time when I had a dozen busted up splicers in my living room! There was several thousand dollars worth of smashed up equipment in a pile. (I think I even posted a picture of them.) I would sit there for hours on end, taking splicers apart, collecting up all the good pieces and putting them back together to make good splicers. Then I'd take them to the post office and ship them back to the theaters. I would go to a theater, no less than a week later, and look for the splicer. They were all INVARIABLY trashed again! Of course, nobody did it! Of course, nobody knows who did! To hear the kids at the theater tell the story, they were just sitting on the table and they just FELL APART when nobody was looking! (If I ever get my hands on Nobody, I'll strangle him!) My boss was starting to bitch about how much money I was spending on postage! So, I hatched a plan: I would make up one more "Franken-Splicer" but this time I would put Loc-Tite on every screw and put red nail polish on all the screw heads! Wouldn't you know it... That splicer was the only one to survive! If you want to clean a splicer, here's what you do: 1) Take off he razor blades. (You should be able to use your fingers to remove the screws.) 2) Open the bottom compartment. (Small Phillips screwdriver.) 3) Dump out the punch holes and wipe out the compartment then close the compartment. 4) Take a toothbrush and clean out all the junk from between the teeth of the punch head. 5) If necessary, use some alcohol and cotton swabs to clean out the nooks and crannies. 6) Put on new razor blades. (Tighten only with fingers.) 7) Marvel at the work you have done. That's IT! You need to do NO MORE! People who fuck up splicers piss me off!  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Fuentes Mmmm, Dr. Pepper! Posts: 1168 From: Corpus Christi, TX United States Registered: Jan 2004 posted 12-15-2004 10:34 AM                     I have a Strong splicer and the cover to get to the punch holes, has a stripped screw on it. How would I get that cover off? Eventually, I'm gonna run out of room in there, and its gonna affect my splices, which in turn would turn me into a Bad Film Handler.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-15-2004 11:09 AM                     Use a Dremel(tm) tool (or equivalent) with a metal-cutting disc and cut a deep notch in the head of the screw, and then remove it with a flatblade screwdriver. Then throw the screw out and replace it. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Fuentes Mmmm, Dr. Pepper! Posts: 1168 From: Corpus Christi, TX United States Registered: Jan 2004 posted 12-15-2004 01:18 PM                     Thanks  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-15-2004 07:56 PM                        On the topic of splicers... I have a Neumade which is generally in great shape, but the film cutter blade is getting dull. Is there a recommended way to sharpen these, or am I stuck buying a new one for $100 (!)? I agree with Randy that there's no excuse for screwed up splicers. I've completely disassembled and reassembled several Neumades; it takes a long time to get them put back together just right, but it's worth it for perfect splices.  |  IP: Logged Ever Gonzalez Film Handler Posts: 29 From: San Diego, CA Registered: Oct 2004 posted 12-15-2004 08:39 PM                     Today I came into the other theatre's booth and saw one of the newer projectionist tearing down a print. He was doing a good job as I sat there and watched him. I didn't think much of it and when he was done I came back just as he was going to closing the film cans. I stopped him and I told him, "watch this" as I shook the film cans and kicked them around a few times. I also rolled them backwards and then asked him to open the cans back up. He looked shocked! Of course the film had come loose in the cans and it actually took him 2 minutes to untangle one of the reels. I told him that only using small / recycled tape on prints was a bad idea. I said to him, "I only messed with these cans for about 15 seconds and they got that messy. Now imagine an entire trip to Los Angeles or to Texas? It will take the next projectionist a lot longer than 2 minutes to fix this problems." He understood and retaped the reels with longer fresh strips of permacel tape. The funny part was that the guy who stayed with the print the entire time was annoyed that we re-opened the cans to show my projectionist a much needed lesson.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-15-2004 08:53 PM                     Scott; I have filed the film cutter to make it sharp again. It wasn't as good as original but it was better than it was when I started. I just made sure I clamped it good and tight in a vise and made sure I filed at right angles, only taking off enough material to make it sharp and/or remove the nicks. I would call this a "Band-Aid" measure at best. You probably will have to get a new one but it should get you by until then.  |  IP: Logged Barry Martin Expert Film Handler Posts: 203 From: Newington, CT USA Registered: Jul 2002 posted 12-16-2004 01:53 AM                        Damn, I feel lucky. Even the cheap prior owner of the TWIN I'm at bought two splicers we inherited (Guillotines if I recall correctly) and keep in mind I have one booth, the MUT when next to the platter is about 3 feet from the work bench, all one would need do is turn around and MAGIC a splicer appears. One of the things I would like to have replaced sometime this coming year (probably after we get the red light install done) is to purchase a decent quality Neumade splicer, these ones are okay but not the best. Sometime's I have to cut off excess tape with an exacto-knife.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-16-2004 11:45 AM                    I seem to think I do a lot of splicing considering that I am reel to reel and not building/unbuilding. But I am forced to resplice leaders that lazy idiots didn't or repairing splices that are not to my satisfaction. But I'm not sure how that compares to a platter operation. So how many rolls of splice tape do you go through per screen per year? I will see if I can calculate how much I use. (Are all brands of tape the same length per roll?)  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 12-16-2004 12:34 PM                     I do the same as Steve K, in resplicing film that has been handled badly at screenings. I use a Rivas type editing splicer and the 3M type clear perforated tape (#305). You should be able to get around 396 double sided splices using this type of tape (66ft / 20m) without waste. That you get using the non-perf. tape.  |  IP: Logged Jason Gazaille Film Handler Posts: 46 From: San Diego, CA, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 12-16-2004 01:17 PM                     I'm the only one that uses the splicer I use and I usually go through a roll of Neumade splicing tape a week since I attach all the trailers and build over 75% of the prints at the theatre I work at. I used to do things I thought were right, the way someone else taught me. Now we half-splice heads and tails back during teardown, put 3-6 inches of tape for securing reels. I also put 6 old trailers in every can I send back to avoid shipping reel breakage. I will be introducing Film Guard to our booth in the very near future also. Thanks, Brad, for having this site so those of us who weren't taught the things that should be done, have a place to learn how to improve our presentations.  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-16-2004 01:18 PM                        quote: Steve Kraus Are all brands of tape the same length per roll? as for perforated tape, the different brands i've seen all claim to be 66'. the rolls seem to be the same size, but some tape seems thicker than others. i confess, i have not unrolled one to verify the length. carl  |  IP: Logged Mike Olpin Chop Chop! Posts: 1852 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Jan 2002 posted 12-16-2004 08:15 PM                     Jason, Let me know when you start using Film-Guard! I've been looking for a good theatre to watch movies at (other then my own).  |  IP: Logged

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