my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Opaque Splicing Tape - Why? (Page 2)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Author Topic: Opaque Splicing Tape - Why? Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 11-23-2002 10:40 PM                     Steve, you are correct. But, I must say that I have had less trouble with clear tape than I did with the opaque stuff. And I agree that clear thin tape being better than the standard run-of-the-mill thick stuff.  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 11-24-2002 12:52 AM                     I've said it many times before and I'll repeat it here; of all the Film-Tech members that work in projection booths I likely have the worst eyesight. I can't even get a drivers license (to be fair, I'm a borderline case). Our booth isn't all the bright either. Yet I can still tear down movies built up with clear tape in the same amount of time it would take me if I used opaque tape. That being said I will somewhat guiltily admit to using white tape and zebra tape to make up the previews. There was a manager who worked here up until last year who swore by white tape. I have such a large supply of it I have to use it for something-I can't justify throwing hundreds of dollars (yes, hundreds) worth of tape in the garbage. But I would never use anything besides clear tape for the featrue.  |  IP: Logged Gerard S. Cohen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 975 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 11-24-2002 01:08 AM                     Brad, No I wasn't taught to identify trailers and snipes by writing on opaque tape. I just developed the practice as the number of non-feature film materials increased, and as trailers ran to A,B,C versions. Especially when working platters in multiplexes, there seems to be a need to quickly identify snipes and trailers that need to be removed or replaced, often from the platter. This was a complex job in a 14-plex, and one projectionist would make a diagram that looked like a football game play on trailer day. Of course, where the trailers are only changed when the feature changes, the job is much less stressful, but when the feature remains and only some trailers change, how do you locate and identify them quickly if they are not marked? The black film I ordered was quite dense and I didn't think splices would be noticeable onscreen.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 11-24-2002 01:35 AM                     Stand on the side of the platter such that you are almost opposite whatever light you have. (Even a platter's worklight is enough though.) At least one angle will show light reflections off of the surface of the platter. That is the place you need to stand. Now just rotate the deck and look at the color diffrence between trailers. Most of the time splices are easy to spot, and they are effortless to spot if your splicer is a bit out of alignment. (I'm not advocating that.) Just reach in and break the splice and pull the loop of film out. If you need to change the 3rd trailer, then start counting from the end of the leader, one, two, break that splice and remove, then break the next splice and remove that loop (to go back on the shelf), then use the method of your choice to get the "new" 3rd trailer on the roll. So long as you keep a properly updated trailer list somewhere in some form, all you need to know is the number of the one you are changing. The title is irrelevant at that point. I think the idea of making a picture page on how to do this is going to be MUCH more difficult than shooting a video download. Currently that is my plan. Movement is going to almost be required to properly demonstrate the various methods.  |  IP: Logged Gerard S. Cohen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 975 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 11-24-2002 11:15 AM                     I never had a problem locating the trailers based on noticing the variations in reflected light, nor seeing and feeling the edges of the tape splices. Yes, keeping an accurate trailer list on each machine is key to the solution. If a single projectionist omits this step, I needed verification. It used to be possible to pull up the tail of a trailer to see the film's title in giant letters on the emulsion. That seems to have gone out of style. Especially on TV (do they chop the endings off the trailers?) I find it hard to learn the title of some films. since textual hype appears in the same size and typeface, and the film title does not end the trailer written large. Like print advertising, where if you don't spot the swoosh logo, hidden target or vodka bottle shape, you don't know what is being promoted. Last time at the movies I saw four trailers and remembered only two titles. On TV it's worse, they run together and sometimes I can't find either the titles or the demarcation between them, so I can't tell how many films are being advertised. Anyway, around 1990 United Artists sent its technician around to inform us that we were no longer to use opaque tape at all. They experimented with ultra-violet tape with black light tube lamps and a hand held model, but that was soon discontinued in favor of clear tape and zebra tape (correctly applied on edges only--we didn't have SDDS sound). For a while I tried marking the edge with a fine pen, using initials of the trailer titles. My last steady job was at a single screen theatre with platters, and so I had all the time to select, schedule, run and update trailers without being rushed. That was fun, since management left it all to me. The only proviso was to run 4 to 5 trailers, no more that two of the same studio, and there was one restriction when the feature was from Disney, which I've forgotten. Since I charted the lineup, identifying the trailers ceased to be a problem, and I had the luxury of following the system you use, in "my own" theatre.  |  IP: Logged Bruce Hansen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 847 From: Stone Mountain, GA, USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 11-24-2002 07:37 PM                     The white and yellow tape always leaves alot of goo behind when you try to peal it off the film. I wish that the people who use that white and yellow stuff would have to remove it from the film. They would change to clear tape quick.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 11-24-2002 07:59 PM                        Sorry guy's, changed my mind about posting here I will leave this to the projection professionals but I am listening  |  IP: Logged Steve Scott Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1300 From: Minneapolis, MN Registered: Sep 2000 posted 11-24-2002 08:28 PM                     All of the booth managers before the one that I'm under now, always insisted that we use yellow tape, simply because the person changing trailers or breaking the film down would have less work to do in looking for the splices. Now, the guys building use zebra tape for reel changes, but yellow tape for trailers. And it's not even neumade tape, it's like what MTS used to send out. When I'm breaking down trailers, these yellow pests stick to the SRD track spaces, or worse, on the actual image and I'm forced to peel the crap off. When I'm building, I use clear tape with small yellow tape strips applied very carefully to the SDDS track space for reel identification.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 11-24-2002 08:51 PM                        Ewwwwww!!!! That stuff MTS used to send out is some of the worst tape I have ever seen! Mann Theaters used to LOVE that stuff. They would buy Neumade clear tape and MTS zebra tape (whatever it was). After much bitching I was able to get Neumade zebra but by that time we were using 100% clear tape anyway, so it was a long battle for nothing, I guess. But unless you get a used print that already has lots of splices in it, I don't really see the need for zebra tape either. And why do trailers need extra visable splices? They are always the easiest of all splices to find, even with clear tape.  |  IP: Logged Josh Jones Redhat Posts: 1207 From: Plano, TX Registered: Apr 2000 posted 11-25-2002 12:38 AM                        quote: If I can train high school kids how to locate ultrasonic splices with no markings of any sort, then I see no reason why anyone needs anything but clear tape. Uhem....standing up for the high school kids Josh  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 11-25-2002 01:55 AM                     Well Josh, you may still be in high school, but when I say "high school kids" I don't refer to guys like you. I doubt I would have to even bother showing you how to find an ultrasonic splice. I was referring to the commonly found "high school kid" who doesn't give a flip about working and only wants beer money for the weekend.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 11-25-2002 08:51 AM                        It's NOT the age, it's the MATURITY that's important.  |  IP: Logged Josh Jones Redhat Posts: 1207 From: Plano, TX Registered: Apr 2000 posted 11-25-2002 09:40 PM                        I know, I was just giving you a hard time Josh  |  IP: Logged Nathan Guerriero Film Handler Posts: 43 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 11-25-2002 11:59 PM                     Kodak Film Notes Issue # H-50-3 pg 9 states, "One current method uses white translucent polyester splicing tape. The density of the tape is low and generally passes through the projector unnoticed on the screen, but can easily be seen on the film." When they say "white translucent tape" do they mean what I think of as opaque tape? Obviously, I know the difference between opaque and translucent, but I was just wondering about the semantics here. Also: I use rolls of yellow opaque splice tape in my booth all the time. They make perfect shims for the makeup table legs.  |  IP: Logged Alex Grasic Film Handler Posts: 90 From: Toronto, ON, Canada Registered: Jul 2002 posted 11-26-2002 12:06 AM                     Well, after reading all of this, I totally agree that the opaque white tape is simply horrible. We had a union projectionist working here for about 1/2 a year (at our 18-plex) and he loved the white tape, everyone saw it and HEARD it on screen between every trailer and reel change. Since we outed him, I've been using the Zebra tape and to be honest, I've never seen a splice (well, maybe one or two) go through the machine which was noticable on screen or through the speakers. This just leads me to believe that Zebra tape can be just as good as the clear tape.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.