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Author Topic: Best moving print method? Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-31-2003 10:15 PM                     The make of the platter is really in-material, a platter is a platter if operated as the manufacture prescribes not as the operator wishes to use it Many operators do have a idea that their method supersedes the operating guidlines that the manufacture has spected for their equipment that the operator was hired to run (true of many industries beyond theatres) ie hired to run that equipment not the equipment of their choice  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 12-31-2003 10:50 PM                        One other advantage of Kinoton platters is that the central ring is plastic rather than metal, so the film does not slip off it when you lift it up. You simply slip one arm under the print, grip the ring from the inside, then you can take the whole print off without danger.  |  IP: Logged Chris Hipp Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1462 From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas) Registered: Jul 2003 posted 12-31-2003 11:18 PM                     This is slightly off topic, but I have heard that you can skip a roller on the take up carriage on a strong platter and the print will wind extremely tight. I assume that it makes the platter spin faster to do it. Anyway, does anyone know if that is safe for the platter/print?  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-31-2003 11:52 PM                     quote: The make of the platter is really in-material, a platter is a platter if operated as the manufacture prescribes not as the operator wishes to use it Gordon, that's not the point. You said that some platters will go out of time if the deck is removed. I stated that was not the case with the better platters out there. There are many instances where it is desirable to move the entire deck and your warning is a good thing for people to know about so they can at bare minimum make sure the decks get back to their original location if there is no other way to move the print. Regardless, platters that are affected by a deck swap are lousy designs. Chris, that's for a SPECO. You can try skipping the second roller at the top of the elevator, but make sure you test with junk film first. Also beware that if the print is stressed when wound extra-tight like that, you risk putting cinch scratches throughout the movie. I wouldn't recommend it. The Strongs wind reasonably tight enough whereas the late model SPECO LP270s do not.  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 12-31-2003 11:57 PM                     Purchasing department pitch....save money, move the deck instead of buying film clamps.....I have sold many replacement decks due to this faulty logic  |  IP: Logged Marcial Feliciano Ramos Expert Film Handler Posts: 108 From: Puerto Rico Registered: Oct 2003 posted 01-01-2004 12:25 AM                     We usually move the whole platter disk if the movie is too big and its a bit loose. If the print is regular, we use clamps and move it between two persons.  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 01-01-2004 12:53 AM                     Most platters in Puerto Rico are Strong / Potts / Xetron and a few rare Christies...so platter deck swapping is common.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-01-2004 07:41 AM                     If you elect to move a print by taking the whole platter deck with it, be damn sure to check the bearings and spacers on the center spindle and make sure they are back the way they are supposed to be. I have seen too many people who move platter decks and don't check. They'll end up with two bearings on one deck and no bearings on the other. It only causes more problems than you solve later on down the road. I have had to repair/replace more parts on platters because of this than I care to remember. 90% of the time, I say it's best to clamp the print and move it that way. The only time I would even think about moving the whole deck is when there is no other way to do it safely, such as when the print is too big to fit the clamps you have.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 01-01-2004 01:21 PM                    I think you should break the print down, put it back in the cases (don't forget the bands) and walk it over to the next screen. Better yet, give it back to TES so they can supply another one. That way you can have one that has been Integrity Inspected.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-01-2004 06:30 PM                        The method using round "cookie sheets" is the easiest and probably the best for the print. The print takes up onto the cookie sheet (which is placed upon a platter deck and held in place by the center ring (there are holes for the pins). The whole thing (print, ring, and cookie sheet) can then be lifted up and moved easily by one person. If one forgot to take up onto the cookie sheet, it would slide easily under a print at a later time if the platters have removable "brains." My objection to clamps is that they almost invariably scratch the platter deck when the print is moved by one person and also that some films are too short to be clamped (for long films, check out Brad's method in the "tips" section--it really works). I would never think to move the whole platter deck. It would require at least two people and seems like more effort than just using clamps. Never mind what it would do to the bearings (which can't be good, as others have mentioned).  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 01-01-2004 06:41 PM                     None of my platters (Christie AW3R) have ever "lost timing" as a result of moving one of the decks. I don't know what would happen if we TRADED decks around but I'm only talking about removing and replacing a deck. Never had an issue.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 01-01-2004 06:48 PM                     Manny, no rim drive platter design will. Only platters that require for the motor to "push" up against the deck suffer from that design flaw.  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 01-01-2004 08:07 PM                        Brad, Strong platters suffer from this design flaw. I've already found this out and had to chnage my print moving policy as a result. It took a while, but eventually, we had platters that would slip, were out of time, etc.. due to the 'swap the platter' method. I did, however, make sure that the operators were aware that they had to check the bearings each swap to make sure they were intact prior to setting a platter back down on the support arm spindle. Now, if they must move a platter, they remove the platter- take it to the next tree it's being moved to - pull the center ring up out of the retaining holes and sliup the print on to the new platter. We have learned that with two people this method seems to be ideal for moving those long prints that can't be clipped with 'swap-a-roos'.  |  IP: Logged Peter Mork Expert Film Handler Posts: 181 From: Newton, MA, USA Registered: Jun 2002 posted 01-02-2004 12:22 AM                     Longest print I ever tried to move? Gods and Generals, nearly 4 hours long plus trailers. Thought I'd be clever and do it with no clamps, no cookie sheets - those are for squares. It had to go up two flights of stairs, and it nearly killed me - getting it off the old platter wasn't too bad, but getting it on the new one was REALLY a problem - thing nearly collapsed on me, and I resorted to using a plank as a sort of ramp. I did it, though wouldn't recommend pulling this stunt on a regular basis.  |  IP: Logged David Whitbeck Film Handler Posts: 70 From: Tempe, AZ Registered: Jun 2001 posted 01-02-2004 01:14 AM                     We usually just get two people and carry the print to whatever screen we're going to. We also a have a "print mover" named Bad Action. It has 4 "shelves" with two holes drilled into them for the rings to fit into. The shelves fit right in the middle of the AW3 decks so you can fit it throught those tight spaces in the booth. You just slide a print off the platter and onto BA then role it to the next screen and slide it onto the platter there. It's pretty reliable, even if the thing is heavy as hell. Something we did back where I used to work was use film. When we'd transfer a print from one theatre to the other a few miles up the road we'd just strap it up with some old trailers. Tape one end to the top of the print, wrap the film around a few times, pull tight, and tape the other end down. Very reliable, if not ghetto. WE also had some straps that were much like backpack straps that did about the same as the film, these were really good because the were really quick and held very tightly.  |  IP: Logged

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