This is topic Why do some chains insist soundtrack down? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Rob Brooks (Member # 186) on 01-23-2000, 01:14 PM:
I work for Sony. They insist on sound track down onto the take-up platter. On feed (Christies Auto Wind 3) if the feed lags a little the emulsion side will bounce off the metal of the brain bottom. Can any one tell me the logic of sound track down??------------------
Rob
Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 01-23-2000, 01:23 PM:
Some people feel that it's less likely that the film will stick together and cause a platter wrap. We do that at our Trumbull, CT theater.It's not a cure-all, but it does seem to help sometimes. Of course, other times I've done it, and it didn't do anything at all.
Voodoo theater technology...
Posted by Mike Colley (Member # 327) on 01-23-2000, 01:54 PM:
I've always thought that would also cause problems with focus drift from head to tail of each reel. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 01-23-2000, 02:49 PM:
Some 20-odd years ago SMPTE found running old fashioned reel to reel with acetate film stocks that winding emulsion in would benefit focus drift from the beginning of the reel to the end of the reel. Now personally I've always wound emulsion out when I run reel to reel as I've found I got better results, but that doesn't matter. (I even reverse the direction of the takeup.)Anyway, the above really doesn't apply for platters, since the core to outer diameter ratio is less than 3 to 1 (the argument for reels). Plus, we are now using polyester film stocks which have a reverse curl. Hence, this information is really, really outdated advice.
Running soundtrack down "can" destroy a print on a platter. Should the takeup roller be a tad bit too low, you'll wind up with horrid green and yellow diagonal scratches. Also, should the film drag a bit around the back side of the center feed, you will have a strong chance of scratching. (On SPECO platters, if the film jumps off the top rollers of the takeup elevator and you're running soundtrack down, you will completely destroy the print!) As to curing static, that is nonsense. Currently the only effective way I'm aware of (and trust me I've tried everything) is FilmGuard. Even just wiping FilmGuard on the edges of the print and not even cleaning with it will stop the static.
I'm sure Sony or your local tech read this somewhere and has decided it MUST be true since it was in print somewhere.
Posted by Anthony Matarazzo (Member # 63) on 01-23-2000, 06:52 PM:
Here in Oz, I've worked for two different companies. Hoyts Cinemas, run their sound track up and when I moved to Greater Union the sound track was down. No one could give a good reason why the sound track should be up or down. They said it's was company policy.
Posted by George Roher (Member # 91) on 01-23-2000, 11:48 PM:
I don't like the idea of theatres mandating the winding orientation of their operators. How the show is run must be left up to the people who are actually in the booth on a regular basis and know what's best for their particular situation. An operator I worked with at General Enema was written up to the home office for prints being "upside down on the platters"! He had run some prints soundtrack up (and we were a soundtrack down house) because he was new to this booth and was used to running soundtrack up in other theatres. I prefer soundtrack up myself and have had fewer static problems this way.
Posted by Michael Cunningham (Member # 210) on 01-24-2000, 12:59 AM:
Yeah right!! People actually familiar with the booth (projectionists) making decisions regarding film handling!?! Not in today's corporate world. At least I'm lucky enough to have managers who understand that company policy is not always the best policy.-Mike
Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 01-24-2000, 01:28 AM:
I ran a 12-plex with the film on the platter soundtrack up. Once a week we would run a Kelmar (dry media) film cleaner on each print. Each and every time we would find that the side that was dirtiest was the side on the platter, in our case the inboard side. The moral of the story is: What do you want to hear, the soundtrack or the dirt?I run soundtrack up, away from the dirt. I cover my prints at night so that the settling dust doesn't land on the film.
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 01-24-2000, 04:07 AM:
You're right Ian! I remember that. For some reason the STRONG platter decks attracted dirt like crazy. Eventually I assigned each projectionist 4 projector and platters to keep clean each week. Each week those platters had to be scrubbed and the paper towels would be black. I once took the cleaning solution and wrote "Clean Me" on one of Ian's platters. It's probably still there.I have never cleaned a Christie platter deck. While I don't doubt that they can get dirty, I just never felt comfortable with it, as prints can tend to slide around. With FilmGuard, I have noticed that it is very rare that the deck side of the film is dirtiest. But it is always the edges. John Pytlak and I have had a couple discussions about that. After a week or two of running through FilmGuard, the edges don't show up as much on the media pads. Instead I start getting odd colors from the picture area. My Toy Story 2 print is now leaving behind green and yellow media pads without much trace of the edges. The print looks incredible.
Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 01-24-2000, 11:52 AM:
Joe!You’re wiping off the "Technicolor!" Stop! Immediately send one of your ushers to the UA Greenwood and ask Wendy for a bucket of "Technicolor." Have her fill the bucket to the brim. Don't forget to tell the usher that it is extremely toxic and to be careful driving it back to the Chinese.
Posted by Erika Hellgren (Member # 22) on 01-25-2000, 03:07 AM:
Hee hee hee 
technicolor *snicker*