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Topic: Wall*e where should i cut the 5th reel ?

Kurt Zupin
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 989
From: Maricopa, Arizona
Registered: Oct 2004

posted 06-28-2008 06:31 AM

I'm the same as Gordon, we don't have a frame counter but I've made my own. I just took some clear excess film and made some counters. One is 40 frames and another is 20, just find a frame line and go back until you get to where you need to go. Never had a problem yet and never had an out of frame print in my life.

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Jim Cassedy
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1661
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Dec 2006

posted 06-28-2008 10:39 AM

I too wonder why labs have gotten away from printing decent frame lines on films.

Back when everything was on acetate film stock, Kodak used to print a little "-" every 4 perforations. This made it very easy to determine where a frame line was.

The "-" was more often than not actually ON the frame line, but all you had to do is find one good frame line within the reel you were working on, then make a mental note where the frame line was in relation to the "-".

Then you'd go back to the spot on the reel that you weren't sure of and you could easily and acuurately determine the position of an 'invisible' frame line.

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 06-28-2008 02:58 PM

Sometimes I wish I knew who the person was that picked changover points. Most of the time they're OK, but every once in a while they are poorly thought out. I remember one c/o where the camera was panning very quickly, almost in a circle during a parade with short shots edited in (4-6 frames). With the small c/o marks, you couldn't see them.

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Geena Phillips
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 198
From: Norcross, GA / USA
Registered: Apr 2006

posted 06-28-2008 03:07 PM

In the case of Wall-E, I suspect the film editing was something of an afterthought. In other words, much of the editor's attention was focused on how the movie would play digitally.

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Michael Cunningham
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 186
From: Anchorage, AK
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-28-2008 03:29 PM

One easy trick I use is to keep out a head or tail that you've cut from a different reel that had nice, bright frames at the cut point. When you then come across a dark cut point, simply lay the previous piece over it, matching up with some common point (i.e. the '3' on the heads). As far as I know, the non-picture printing on the heads / tails should be the same distance from the image from reel to reel.

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Michael Dolan
Film Handler

Posts: 77
From: Deerfield Beach, fl.
Registered: May 2008

posted 06-29-2008 01:55 AM

quote:
---Man this would have been nice to know last night. Also, as hard as I tried, I couldn't see the freaking frame lines because the film was so dark so I just trusted the cut here arrows.

I agree I don't have a frame counter or a decent MUT withdecent lite so I trusted the cut here splices!!!!! Not to mention I didn't get the film in my hand till friday at 7:30 p.m. and had to show it at 8:45

Long story short I had two miss splices now that is irritating as ^%##@!!!!

Anyone want to give away a frame counter? LOL

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Kurt Zupin
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 989
From: Maricopa, Arizona
Registered: Oct 2004

posted 06-29-2008 06:46 AM

Just do what I said and you will be fine. If you don't have any extra clear film laying around, just take the scope green band from a trailer and use that.

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Jack Ondracek
Film God

Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 06-29-2008 01:02 PM

Not sure why this was such a big deal. The arrow ends at start of a sprocket hole, not in the space between them. It indicates the last hole in the frame. Every cut was between the next two holes, so no variation there.

Once you got that figured out, this was easy.

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 06-29-2008 01:23 PM

quote: Michael Cunningham
One easy trick I use is to keep out a head or tail that you've cut from a different reel that had nice, bright frames at the cut point. When you then come across a dark cut point, simply lay the previous piece over it, matching up with some common point (i.e. the '3' on the heads). As far as I know, the non-picture printing on the heads / tails should be the same distance from the image from reel to reel.

That's what I have done for years. Never had a frame counter in any booth I have been in.

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Patrick Dunn
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 120
From: newark, DE, United states
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 06-29-2008 01:50 PM

Why spend hundreds of dollars on a frame counter? I just take a strip of clear leader, line one frame line up on a frame you can see. There's your frame counter.

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John Hawkinson
Film God

Posts: 2273
From: Cambridge, MA, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 06-29-2008 05:28 PM

Because they are $20-$50 on EBay (get a sync block instead, they are MUCH MUCH better), way easier to use than other methods (clear film, blotter, etc.), much more versatile (you can actually use them for footage measurements!), and they look cool.

--jhawk

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Galen Murphy-Fahlgren
Master Film Handler

Posts: 405
From: Canton, MI, USA
Registered: Oct 2007

posted 06-29-2008 05:31 PM

If using clear film works for you and you aren't mucking it up in the dirt, great. Personally, I find a frame counter extremely easy to use and reliable, and I don't see the big deal with a few hundred bucks. I have no problem asking for the theater to routinely spend that kind of money on stuff for booth if I think it will improve presentation or ease my Thursday night work load. I mean, it isn't like most projectionists are getting paid anywhere near their value, you should at least expect decent equipment to work with.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 06-30-2008 02:59 PM

Oh, "FLIP" - just take an old sprocket, put the needed framelines between the teeth and on both ends you make a cross were the framelines meet.

Then, all you have to do is roll the sprocket through the film (making sure that the film doesn't hop out of the sprocket as you roll the sprocket), then mark the film where what you need to do whatever, and you got a great little frame marking device that wont scratch film and it didn't cost anything.

This trick comes from the old carbon arc days...

-Monte

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 06-30-2008 06:06 PM

quote: Monte L Fullmer
(making sure that the film doesn't hop out of the sprocket as you roll the sprocket)

That's the part which is a pain in the ass.

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 06-30-2008 06:14 PM

Add some rollers to hold it there.

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