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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Building Up and Breaking Down Film. (Page 2)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: Building Up and Breaking Down Film. Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 05-06-2008 11:01 PM                        quote: Monte L Fullmer Should be your own speed when doing the "makes and breaks" so you won't be having a fubar attack in either case. That is the operator to find out what his speed is. When I'm training new people, one of the main things I emphasis is they should never go faster than they feel comfortable. Keeping in mind that the faster they go, the longer it will take to stop if there is a problem - or even at the reel change. The main reason I even bother to keep track of how long it takes is so that I can budget my time. That's why I also teach my projection people to time themselves on threading. Not because they are racing for the best time, but so they can budget their time.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 05-07-2008 12:12 AM                     Also, in addition: The platter reel device looks like the way to go on doing films, but unfortunately with theatres employeed with 'booth clowns' and owners who doesn't believe in anything convienient for their employees in making their required jobs easier, it's a scoffed-off item - along with the platter ring, good leaders, and other helpful items..  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 05-07-2008 02:44 AM                        I sent my boss the information about those Goldberg reels and he ordered 1 for each of our locations within a couple days. I'm very curious to try it out, but I can see a couple potential problems. The first being that if we have more than one print to build up in a day, it's only going to help us on one. The other major issue is that two of the three people who know how to build film at my theatre are relatively small women. There is no way they are going to be able to move that reel around.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 05-07-2008 03:21 AM                        We only had one at a 16-plex and we were able to build all of our films each week with it. You just have to carefully slide the print off if it and onto a platter, but it's your problem if you mess it up so DO NOT ATTEMPT it if you do not feel 100% comfortable and do not know exactly what you are doing and how you are doing it.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-07-2008 11:56 AM                     One thing I tell newbies who are using the platter reel for the first time is to stand the print vertically on end, remove the bottom side flange, with the help of an assistant pinch the two flanges back together (note the bottom is not connected) and set the print right-side up on a table. Now remove the top flange and clamp the print (there are 3 notches in the center ring to accommodate this). Then set on the platter like you are used to doing. Fair warning, you need to pay particular attention to your rewind table's backtension/clutch setting. Too tight and you will never get the center ring out!!! Too loose and it will be damn near impossible to move the print. It is always best to start with short prints until you get your tension figured out.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 05-07-2008 03:52 PM                        The condition of the print when you receive it can have an impact on making up time. For a new print or one which had been packed off by a professional, I factored in half an hour at most of the platter and tower houses I worked (but of course a new print would then need a rehearsal show to identify any printing or photographic defects, as distinct from physical damage which can almost always be identified on the bench). But if it was an old and worn repertory print with lots of joins, split perfs etc., or if it had been packed off badly (e.g. some reels head out, others tail out, multiple layers of splicing tape left on the end, an uneven wind with edge damaged, crushed cores, that sort of thing) it could easily take me an hour to do the job properly, even in my last year in the business when I already had a decade or so's experience. A really grim one could take longer than that. Sometimes I resented it, because I was effectively repairing a print which the distributor couldn't be bothered to look after: but that's not your customers' fault.  |  IP: Logged Andy Frodsham Expert Film Handler Posts: 238 From: Stoke on Trent, Staffs, UK Registered: Nov 2006 posted 05-13-2008 06:11 AM                     Up to about 14 months ago we used to run prints on the original 2000ft spools (changeovers every 20 minutes or so). Generally, these prints (not being first-run) would take about 60-80 minutes to make-up. Prints over 120 minutes in duration might take slightly longer. No we run on 6000ft spools, the make-up time is slightly shorter - not having to check the cue dots or leaders on quite so many reels. Of course, the breaking-down process is now slightly more involved than it used to be! As mentioned before, it all depends on the quality and condition of the print. We never receive brand new copies of prints - and this makes a big difference. Bollywood prints (minus any leaders or tails)can cause a headache!!  |  IP: Logged Michael Moore Expert Film Handler Posts: 188 From: Dover, DE / USA Registered: Jun 2006 posted 05-13-2008 12:14 PM                        Being the only projectionist of our small art house who can build prints up with confidence I have seen the best and the worst. Most of the films we get are foreign, and we have a few US made Indi films, as well as some smaller big time movies. However I always dread getting the big time movies the most. Why? Because I always have problems, because I can almost guarantee every time the print came from a multiplex that have under trained projectionists. Example, My last somewhat big film was Charlie Wilson’s War. Whoever touched the print I received before me should have been taken out and wiped. The print was in shambles. The heads were all missing; turns out they were under the tails on the reels. The tails were all disorganized and out of place. So I did not know what reel was what at first, some of the frames were missing form the tails, some form heads, I had a hard time putting it together. The only reel I could positively identify without a doubt was reel one)…another big problem was the excessive scratches, and damage to the film. Some films come and they are shipped out the way I do it, (the way I would want to receive it). While others (mainly bigger films) are shipped out in really bad shape, I know not all multiplex projectionists are bad but the track record on some of the bigger more profitable films goes to show that something must be going on at these bigger cinemas. Some of the foreign stuff I get is packed with just clear head leaders and nothing marking what they are and what they attach to. This I tell you is a challenge some times and holds up the time in building. All in all I can build a previously built movie (as long as it is heads out) in about 40 to 45 minutes (30 min full throttle). It takes me twice as long with tails out because I lack a rewind table (I am building a new one soon). mike  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

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.