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Author Topic: Threading Projectors- top/bottom or bottom/top (revisited) Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-15-2003 01:08 PM                     But Chris also touched on something very important...when threading top to bottom, there is no tension on the film from projector back to platter. As such, I've seen many times where someone threaded top to bottom, then when the film was laying on the floor and pulled taught after threading, the film jumped a roller and severely scratched the film. It's not worth it. Like was said before, just because you were taught one way of doing things does not mean it is the best way to get the task done. Those flat out dead set in their ways can still use the clothespin trick to maintain slight tension on the leader and keep it off of the floor.  |  IP: Logged William T. Parr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 823 From: Cedar Park, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 12-15-2003 04:22 PM                     This is very true Brad. I my self was taught top to bottom threading long ago. But what I do is thread by placing the film the lower pulldown sprocket and setting the tension at taht point then proceed to thread from top to bottom as you have mentioned as an alternative. Come on guys it is not that Hard  |  IP: Logged Bryan Fournier Film Handler Posts: 61 From: Greensboro, NC Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-15-2003 04:26 PM                     Brad/Joe You guys seem pretty adamant about threading up bottom/top and you may be accurate about all the advantages. I will have to give it a try. Could you explain in more detail how threading bottom/top causes consistant loop size and top/bottom does not? I have never had a problem with loop size threading top/bottom.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-15-2003 04:44 PM                        I use Gordon's method (start at intermittent and then work up and down) and never have any trouble with loop sizes. I would think that upper and lower loops would be off by up to two perfs if one started anywhere above or below the intermittent.  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-15-2003 05:49 PM                        not if you keep in mind the proper positioning of the framelines on the sprockets. that's one reason bottom-up is difficult to learn cold: you need to be familiar enough with the equipment to know where those framelines are supposed to fall. or else be content to do some trial-and-error at first until you learn the sweet spots. carl  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 12-15-2003 06:18 PM                     Threading from the bottom up has its advantages. It is easy to do with Christie projectors. But when you are fooling around with soundheads like the 5-Star, I find it not worth the effort. However, if the booth has remote starts from the popcorn salesperson's station, I would highly recommend turning off or at least defeating the automation before threading. It is very painful to get your fingers fouled in the projector's sprockets because some dilrod saw a green light and pushed the button. Sure...you can thread the failsafe absolutely last, but that just leaves more room for error. I have seen people not completing the threading mode for one stupid reason or another-especially around the fail-safe area.  |  IP: Logged Jason Burroughs Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 654 From: Allen, TX Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-15-2003 07:07 PM                     If you decide to try bottom/top threading, make sure to give yourself plenty of time, and don't just give it the old college try. Stick with it for a week or so, force yourself. Soon it will be an old hat, and you'll hate to go back. BTW, the Cinemaccanica is a SNAP to thread bottom/top.  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 12-15-2003 07:21 PM                  Gordon said: quote: I thread from the intermitent opposite directions I would have thought you threaded counterclockwise, left-to-right... >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-15-2003 07:30 PM                     It's easy. 1. Thread the projector so that the loop sizes are "perfect" using any means it takes. 2. Turn the projector motor over by hand until the intermittent just finishes it's pulldown and stop right there. Do not continue to crank the motor further into the stopped position of the intermittent. 3. Look at where the frameline is on the holdback sprocket. Let's say as an example that it is at 11:00. So there you have it. From this point forth, every time you go to thread that model of projector, turn the projector motor over by hand until the intermittent just finishes it's pulldown cycle. Then put the threading leader so that a frameline is at 11:00 on that last sprocket. You will achieve perfect loop sizes every time, without need to readjust.  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-15-2003 08:14 PM                     A perfect example of why it's best to go bottom to top... We have a cleaner come in and clean the booth every Tuesday in addition to us maintaining this throughout the rest of the week. We have four projectionists in the booth each week. Three of whom thread 'up' and one who, no matter how much we tried to get him to thread 'up' continued to thread 'down' and put the leader on the floor. Recently he left the company. Within a week the leaders are cleaner and the trailers are all cleaner as a direct result of that. I know the leaders are cleaner as we have a 45 second run-down to the start point from the thread point so those 45 seconds of the leader go through the filmguard media. The media in that point used to be very dirty and now...much, much better. It may seem like a pain to thread 'up' as you really need to learn to do it all over, but it soon becomes second nature to you. In fact, when I'm threading a dolby loop and thread it 'down' I find now I'm all thumbs. Thread 'up'...you'll never regret it and your prints will thank you.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 12-15-2003 08:25 PM                        Someone said that it's tough to learn threading bottom-up cold. Not true. I have trained a few projectionists to do this, and they don't even know of the top-down method. They did it perfectly every time. Just another reason I like having people with no booth experience so I can train them correctly to begin with vs people with experience who have to "relearn".  |  IP: Logged Nate Lehrke Master Film Handler Posts: 396 From: Denver, CO Registered: Oct 2002 posted 12-15-2003 10:56 PM                     I used to thread from top to bottom because I never even considered the other way, but god intervened and I ended up at the same hole theatre as Joe. He (Joe) taught me the correct way to thread after witnessing by top to bottom sin. It was so easy to learn and makes more sense than top to bottom. I've even started teaching new assistants the correct way. Loops are always the same size regardless who may have thread it plus it will never start out of frame.  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 12-15-2003 11:07 PM                        I thread top to bottom ,as I was trained and my leader never hits the floor. I have Strong platters with Christie projectors (which is irrelevant). The first thing I do is turn the take up platter switch off before pulling the trim ring from the payout platter. Pull trim ring, thread thru payout, across to the projector & back to the take up platter. I spin up the takeup until my leader is close to midway between the platter tree and projector. I step around and thread, going back once more to turn the take up platter on. I can thread any of my houses, with both Cat 701 & DTS penthouse readers in less than a minutes time. They are threaded in frame with proper loop sizes every go-round using my method. My theory is, if it works for me, and my leaders don't hit the floor, why change?  |  IP: Logged Dick Prather Master Film Handler Posts: 259 From: Portland, OR, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-16-2003 12:12 AM                     I agree with Gordon. I start from the intermittent so the film is in frame back to the top. Then from the lower sprocket down. When I first pull film out of the upper reel it is tucked in the lower reel with a little slack without hitting the floor then threading begins.  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-16-2003 12:15 AM                        Gordon said: quote: I thread from the intermitent opposite directions I do, too.  |  IP: Logged

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