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This topic comprises 7 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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Author
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Topic: Proper/Improper use of FilmGuard
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Carl Martin
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1424
From: Oakland, CA, USA
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-25-2011 07:30 AM
re: the streakiness issue. i'm thinking of having new mounting holes tapped into the platter tree so the first run through freshly saturated pads happens on the return to the platter (christe aw3r). any reason this might be a bad idea? while the first ever application happens during the test screening (where the streakiness makes it difficult to tell if there are scratches), subsequent weekly applications happen during public shows. since we don't get new movies every week, there's not always an opportunity to run a movie with no audience.
separate, direr issue: i've received word that the theater that gets our hand-me-down prints is having issues with those we've f-g'd. namely, the film sticks to itself during payout causing the dancer arm to jerk about, and residue is left in the projector. one print was thrown twice its first weekend there. any thoughts on this matter, which i hope to investigate further?
these films have all paid out like a charm at our theater. one print did leave residue on our srd penthouse drum, which i strongly suspect was due to the film being long enough to almost exhaust the pads (f-t pads cut in 2), which i'd secured to the cores using the bits of masking tape that came on the rolls, thinking that must be ok--the residue must be dissolved adhesive. (i since switched to magic tape for all my media taping needs)
this same print also had about 18 extra splices in it from being dropped by a co-worker while being moved. coincidentally (!) this was the print that was thrown at the other theater. i can accept the plausibility of the splices and adhesive causing payout abnormalities with this print (though i observed none at our theater), but don't understand how there could have been an issue with the other several f-g'd prints they got from us. of course none of them were thrown so maybe it's just that a slight difference in behavior was noted and then exaggerated, in the wake of the thrown print, in the third-hand report i heard.
anyways, any and all thoughts on this are welcome.
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Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 03-25-2011 10:20 AM
Always use the minimum amount needed to do the job and no more.
It isn't until the second and third pass through the cleaner where the real magic happens. There are two reasons for this:
1) The FilmGuard has a chance to dissolve some of the embedded dirt on the film which will come off on subsequent passes through the cleaner.
2) The streaky effect on the screen will go away after the second pass.
It is best if you apply the FilmGuard then let the film sit undisturbed overnight before you play it again. It has a better chance to do its job and the layer of liquid on the film will have a chance to level out, thus reducing the appearance of steaks even more.
If you can move the film cleaner bracket to the platter it would be a good thing. It prevents liquid dripping off the film cleaner getting down onto or into the projector. Many people find it easier and more convenient to operate when it's on the platter. Plus, if you have any digital readers or other types of penthouse units on the projector, it simplifies things. If you have a DTS reader, a SDDS and a Dolby Digital unit all stacked up on top, you don't need a film cleaner taking up valuable room and complicating your film path, not to mention the fact that your digital sound offset (frame delay) might be different based on whether you use the film cleaner or don't use it. Putting it on the platter just makes things easier.
I find that my Dolby Digital reader performs a little bit better if there is some back-tension on the film. The film cleaner mounted on the platter provides just enough. If you have problems with film jumping the track, falling off the rollers or otherwise going haywire as it travels from the platter to the projector, that back-tension might also help alleviate the problem.
I think you will also find that you will clean less gunk off your sound drums and digital readers if you move the cleaner to the platter. I think it gives the liquid a few seconds to dry before going to the projector. I don't know if that's really true. It just seems that way to me.
I rarely have to clean gunk off my sound drums and projector gates. All I have to do is use a red shop rag to wipe out the projector between shows. That's all. In a commercial theater, if you use FilmGuard consistently, I think you will only have to clean projectors once or twice per week. When I worked in the multiplex, we each had to take apart and thoroughly clean one projector per shift. If that was done, every machine got cleaned once per week. Apart from that, all they got was a wipe-down before each show.
If your platter is throwing prints, there is something wrong with the platter. FilmGuard has never caused a thrown print in over ten years that I have been using it. Not once! There has always been another cause.
Christie platters, especially, should never throw prints. If a Christie platter EVER throws a print, you need to have your technician come and investigate the problem right away. There is a small chance that some problem with the print is the cause but, if the platter is properly calibrated, it can deal with a lot of problems and inconsistencies in the film with barely a hiccup.
You might notice that film adheres to itself a little bit more when using FilmGuard but it should never cause a problem if you use it sparingly like I said, first thing, at the top of this post.
Using too much can sometimes be worse than using none at all. Just because you can't see the FilmGuard on the film that doesn't mean the stuff isn't working.
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