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Author Topic: Could digital sound be one of the worst things to happen to theatres? Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-22-2003 05:08 PM                     You mean all theaters don't have that already pre-wired up and ready to go???  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-22-2003 07:02 PM                     No that is why in you photo it shows you making the connection  |  IP: Logged Bruce Hansen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 847 From: Stone Mountain, GA, USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-23-2003 11:29 AM                     The picture does get printed out of place at times. I had a print where the picture was printed out of place, and the frame lines (clear film on the negative) were printed into the DTS time code, darking parts of the DTS bits, makeing them unreadable. This was about the same time as the DTS problems with Bruce Almighty, and Seabiscuit. I did not get to look at prints for the other two films, but it would be my guess that these film had the same problem. How can so mush badly printed film get past the labs? They just don't care, and don't even bother to just LOOK at what is comeing out of the printer, otherwise they would have seen this problem, it was not that hard to see. As I said before, it is greed, the route of all evil. Well that's my rant for today.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-23-2003 12:08 PM                     Bruce said"They just don't care, and don't even bother to just LOOK at what is comeing out of the printer, otherwise they would have seen this problem, it was not that hard to see. As I said before, it is greed, the route of all evil. Well that's my rant for today." As the film leaves the processor it passes a viewing box that at high speed shows the image so if anything was seriously wrong then it would get caught and most labs will pull random reels for extra QC Remember the labs do what they are told so get off there backs they usually get the printing negative on a monday with a requirement to have in the theatres by thursday 2000+ prints And if that couldn't be done then most smaller markets just wood not get a print at all and have to wait for one after the opening break  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-23-2003 12:46 PM                        Gordon is correct. Most print film processing machines have a prismatic or video projection device at the end of the dryer that allows the machine operator to view the picture and soundtrack area of all the prints being processed, looking for obvious defects. A percentage of reels are also inspected off-line by actual projection or on inspection devices similar to an editing table with a viewer and analog sound playback device. Digital sound QC is done for each of the digital tracks using statistical sampling methods. With many thousands of prints now typical of a large release, the labs cannot inspect each and every reel in real time. The percentage of replacement reels requested is usually quite low, and the cost of replacing defective reels is incentive for labs to "Do Film Right" the first time.  |  IP: Logged Bruce Hansen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 847 From: Stone Mountain, GA, USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-23-2003 05:17 PM                     With all due respect, I don't want excuses, I want it done right the first time; and I don't understand why some people think sloppy work is OK, and should just be exceped. If the labs are putting out defective product, it is time for changes. Slow down the printer, or do some REAL QC. If there is so much defective product comeing out of the labs, then the QC they are now doing is not working! As for studios sending reels late, give them a deadline, after which they will not make their release date. Let's face it, the studios will keep playing around untill they hit some sort of a deadline, just give them a real deadline.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-23-2003 05:26 PM                     Well Bruce you appear to be a very pigheaded unrealistic person If you want to bash the labs go ahead and maybe they will just ignore you. If you do the math a film like LOTR3 is 10 reels and probably 2500 prints struck at one lab that is 25000 reels of film printed in several days In most industrial manufactureing a defect rate per industry is the norm well I don't think I have heard of 100 bad LOTR3 reels so that would make it far less than 1% This is a business the studio if was told sorry you didn't meet our deadline would just go to lab y instead. The economic fact whether you can grasp it or not is maybe monday probably tuesday the last of the bits will start printing and thursday night your theatre expects a print to show The alternate would be fewer prints as none of the studios would tolerate a delayed opening so it would be the return to the old days where select theatres open a title on break and it goes wide a few weeks later (probably wasn't a bad way of doing it anyway)  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-23-2003 05:54 PM                     Gord, Man, Please try to be more diplomatic in these threads . You're not mormally this way... no reason to jump on the guy. Defective reels have also created far away service calls I've had to go on more than once!! I look at it as a money maker for us though. Wouldn't it be nice if the whole world could just slow down a notch or two....Since the high speed world we live in creates the gravity that holds us all down I sometimes think if that actually happened gravity would no longer hold us in place.... One good thing is that processing machines would be going slow enough for the inspectors to check every reel if they didn't float away!! Mark  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-23-2003 06:28 PM                        Yes, and then everyone and their dog wouldn't HAVE TO see the movie on the opening weekend and we could make some money in weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-23-2003 08:08 PM                     Diplomacy is not always one of my better traits but nothing burns my but more than when a reason is explained to someone they continue to tiraid saying that isn't good enough I gues one thing he hasn't understood is it would be easier to get someone else to run the prints that maybe didn't feel the world entitled him to an always perfect print than re do the current post production process The number of theatres that would have to close would be astranomical if wide breaks could not be provided for. None of the bankers financing a film would accept waiting another week to supply a wide release considering that in relality on a few markets represent a signifigant portion of a films return  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-23-2003 11:04 PM                    In the case of LOTR that was locked at least by Nov. 25 if not much earlier.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-24-2003 07:16 AM                        quote: In the case of LOTR that was locked at least by Nov. 25 if not much earlier. Having more than a week or two to make the printing negatives and then print and process many thousands of prints worldwide is usually the exception rather than the rule.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-24-2003 11:55 AM                     quote: In any case, setting those priorities and making a screen placement decision is not something I would hand over to the projectionist. Read my post again. I never said it should be a decision that is "handed over" to the projectionist. I said they should have the final say in the placements. For example, the manager should draw up the auditorium assignments, bring it to the projectionist and ask, "Are these ok? Is all the equipment functioning correctly to show this format/ratio/split in this house? Is there anything I should know about that needs to be fixed?" etc. Of course, this is to assume we have competent people on both ends. A manager certainly wouldn't ask this of a Popcorn-jectionist who thinks Matrix 3 should stay in the biggest house in its eleventh week because he likes that movie. But nothing aggrevates me more than a manager who just won't understand that we found the masking is stuck open in this house and a flat movie would look like shit or that if we would just swap these same-sized houses across the hall, both films can play in digital. =TMP=  |  IP: Logged

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