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Author Topic: Film Done Wrong - VERY WRONG Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 02-10-2003 08:03 PM                    It is actually harder to do that on a Specco without cutting the film because there is so much damn film that has to go over the thousands of rollers on the take-up. So cutting it on a frame line and winding it up prevents the film from touching the floor and causing unnecessary risk of scratches to the film.  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-10-2003 08:50 PM                        You guys say that you can just do a "center-drop". I'll go along with that, but it's often not as easy as you make it sound, depending on equipment. We run the typical Christie package W/ Strong platters. The center drop method will work up to about the middle of the first reel (previews included) BUT I normally run into the problem of the film around the ring not 'dropping' in evenly. It winds up with a 'wrap' or two fo film staggered up higher than the rest. As long as the film isn't bound in any way, it will run through the payout with no problems. I did this on my Sat sneak for Chicago that went haywire in order to prove that R1 had no SR-D encoding. (after all was said and done, that is..)  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 02-10-2003 09:03 PM                        There's nothing wrong with having a couple layers of film that don't fall down with the rest -- that is if somebody's around to keep an eye on it. Since the Strong control arms don't allow film to come out of the top there's not much to worry about. BTW, I have seen someone back 20 minutes of a print up by hand on a platter. Of course there were more finger prints than sprocket holes by the time they were done.  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 02-10-2003 09:21 PM                     While I've heard UA has some good operations, here (in CA) they're absolutely pathetic. After writing to them last year about an unbelievably bad experience, you'd think someone on the receiving end would care enough to shape things up, but the same problems keep happening. You'd think that if you gave out passes to someone for a bad experience, you'd make sure it was PERFECT when they came back!  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-10-2003 09:53 PM                     Some time ago, I indicated I really didn't want to hammer Regal anymore just out of respect. But from what I just read, some of the Regal Cinemas theatre staffs still have their heads firmly planted in the lower portion of their body. There is absolutely no excuse for such incompetent projection and management techniques as described in some of these posts of this thread. I get angry when I see and read of stuff like this happening. As a passing thought, maybe one of the prerequisites for employment is the prospective employees (including the management) of the theatre (as well as other conglomerates) Paul L. was speaking of should be required to have a plexiglass belly button...so they can see what they are doing and where they are going when they have their heads up their butts. [ 02-10-2003, 11:21 PM: Message edited by: Paul G. Thompson ]  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 02-10-2003 10:57 PM                     To be completely fair to Regal, I think they inherited these problems from the previous UA management, which seems to be still in place (and need to be removed). They still welcome people to United Artists Theatres. On the other hand, the Edwards on the other side of town still exhibits good customer relations since the switch. The UA theatres in Bakersfield AND the ones I visited in L.A. NEVER exhibited good customer relations. They always spit in the face of the customer if they dared complain about anything.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-10-2003 11:13 PM                     If what you say is true, there is a possibily that Regal is bound to an operations agreement with UA. Some of those last about 6 months, and during that time, no changes can be made in the theatre operations policy until the agreement is satisfied. At the end of the operations agreement, the new owner or company is free to do as they choose. This is what we did with Plitt up here, and that is what Regal did with us, also. Plitt could not dictate to us what we were going to do as far as implementing Plitt's policy until after the agreement was satisfied. He did try, but when it was called to his attention that he was in violation of the agreement, he backed off very quickly. When Regal purchased our remaining theatre in Port Orchard, Regal honored the agreement much better than Plitt did. I recall that Regal never tried to pull a "fast one" on us that I know of. Regal honored the operation agreement to the letter. Regal might not be able to do anything about it until the agreement is satisfied. When that happens, Regal might just step in and "clean house." It sure sounds like that place needs it desperately.  |  IP: Logged Josh Kirkhart Expert Film Handler Posts: 165 From: Austin/Houston, TX, USA Registered: Nov 2001 posted 02-11-2003 12:59 AM                     I stand by David S. and add the following: Once and for all when you are addressing a theatre experience you are addressing one experience not the nations. Regal just like any other company has bad apples. This is a reason for the e-mail complaint box and forms. No one theatre can be watched over every day. When you have a bad experience report it, to the management, corporate, everyone. Be specific, know the names of the personel that you spoke to. When Regal took over the two afformentioned companies they inherited more of those apples and a lot of good ones also. Obviously most of the staff at the East Hills is carry over from previous management and Regal needs to 'FIX' some things there. My local landmark and Cinemarks need heeps of help not to mention the self owned places where you would think presentation should come first. The only way to fix these problems is to identify and report. rambling overwith  |  IP: Logged Christopher Duvall Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 500 From: Denver, CO Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-11-2003 04:20 AM                     Paul L., I emailed you some information that may help you.  |  IP: Logged Michael Gonzalez Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 790 From: Grand Island , NE USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 02-11-2003 11:09 AM                     In a situation where the center drop is not possible (either too much film has run through or equiptment issues) than the next best option would be to cut the film and show the movie in two parts. Although the movie will obviously stop at the point that it was cut to be rethreaded, it is still better than the audience missing any of the movie. As long as you let your customers know what is going on, there shouldn't be any complaints.  |  IP: Logged Don Bruechert Mmmmmmmmm, bird! Posts: 340 From: Manitowoc, WI, USA Registered: Jan 2003 posted 02-11-2003 02:36 PM                        We started doing that if we get brain wraps. We cut the film on both sides of the brain, remove the brain and drop the film onto a reel. Then we do a quick rewind to another reel so the film is facing the right direction, splice it back on to the projector end of the cut and then run the film off the reel until it stops. Then we re-lace the brain, splice the remaining two ends of the film together and run the rest of the film normally. It works really slick and if you have a table right there in the booth by chance you can straighten the whole mess out in 10 minutes - it does go faster if a second person is around to fix any film damage while you are doing the rewind. I have thought about trying that center drop thing when I start a film out of sequence or we have a bad splice at the beginning (or have to cut out a trailer like 'the core') but I am afraid I won't get the film to go back in there where it belongs and will end up making a big mess. I would assume you'd have to remove the ring first and then kinda "flex" the segment of film a bit to get it to go back in there....  |  IP: Logged Barry Martin Expert Film Handler Posts: 203 From: Newington, CT USA Registered: Jul 2002 posted 02-11-2003 04:12 PM                        Don, in my experience you can remove a trailer and put the trailers back in the center with plenty of room to spare, this is the easiest instance of a center drop. I would just use the platter, but in case your platter rollers don't line up in a way that you could do that, simple thread the projector and run the film so that the head of the trailer being removed is at the takeup ring. Then break the splice at both ends of the to be removed trailer (if it is one to be held onto, then just wind it up by hand) so that now you can drop the center (everything before the removed trailer) into the now larger hole (everything after the removed trailer). As for normal drops, they were pretty easy on my Strong platters, largely due to the rings which "unlocked" and shrunk about 1/2 an inch. We would sometimes have overlap or have to finagle it in to the center again, but never had any problems with it running through the brain or damage. When I had to do center drops I could do it without a cut and pretty much the same way you suggested, Scott N. I just am not sure why you would need a second person to do it? Probably the equipment setup.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-11-2003 05:56 PM                        The second person isn't necessary--it just speeds things up and helps to avoid getting film on the floor. I've only had to do this once (due to a management scheduling screwup) and that was with an AW3 on the non-operator side of the projector and an installation with conduit between the soundhead and the wire trough on the front wall. Different installations will obviously have different requirements.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 02-11-2003 06:10 PM                    An AW3 is much easier to do a center drop on without having to cut the film. Not as much film to worry about on the takeup.  |  IP: Logged Kathy Roberts Film Handler Posts: 9 From: Pennsylvania Registered: Aug 2002 posted 02-26-2003 08:11 PM                    Hmm....are we talking about bad operations for a company as a whole or just an individual theatre? A company as a whole can not be judged by a visit to 1 or 2 or even 10 theatres. Visit 60% of the theatres...and have bad experiences and then you can say that it's a bad operation as a whole.  |  IP: Logged

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