Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: An Ugly Lab Splice

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Posted by Jean-Michel Grin (Member # 1360) on 07-30-2003, 12:52 PM:

Yesterday the projectionist who prepare the trailers remove this lab splice: I neve saw an horrible thing like this [Eek!]

Wha do You think about it ?

Funny Is In't ?

[ 07-30-2003, 04:00 PM: Message edited by: Joe Redifer ]

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 07-30-2003, 01:35 PM:

Looks like a tire patch to me.

That lab tech must've been hired away from a gas station.

Posted by Jason Burroughs (Member # 68) on 07-30-2003, 02:22 PM:

I think I'd rather see a splice made with duct tape.

Obviously this is a perfect example of film done wrong, even before an exhibitor got their hands on it.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-30-2003, 03:03 PM:

I suspect the printer operator making the normal ultrasonic raw stock splice in the darkroom did not trust the reliability of that particular splice to go through the printer and processing machine without breaking. So they reinforced it with tape on the emulsion side, leaving undeveloped emulsion under the tape. (With continuous-feed printers, there's usually not enough time to completely remake an ultrasonic lab splice without a machine shutdown). These rare "really ugly" lab splices are normally removed after processing, before the prints are shipped.

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 07-30-2003, 03:36 PM:

When splices go bad ... Wednesday night on Fox!

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 07-31-2003, 02:21 AM:

Ah the joys of large format [Roll Eyes]

I had a report from an ex employee of a certain Canadian company that he once found a print joined with staples [Eek!]

because the theatre's ultrasonic splicer had given up the ghost!

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 07-31-2003, 03:22 AM:

Here's a splice Scott Norwood has been hounding me to post for about 2 years now.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 07-31-2003, 05:59 AM:

The scary thing is that the splice which I sent to Brad came from a print which had already played a first-run engagement somewhere.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-31-2003, 07:43 AM:

Considering that about 5 million reels of prints are made each year worldwide, it does seem that these ultrasonic lab splices that required reinforcement with tape before processing are indeed a RARE occurance. I agree they shouldn't happen, and the loss of a few frames of continuity when they have to be removed by the theatre is unfortunate.

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 07-31-2003, 09:11 AM:

the lab splices that get me pissed are the ones that have a defect, not at the splice it's self, but a couple of frames ahead. The frame line goes out and when the film is ran, it goes out of frame.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-31-2003, 09:17 AM:

Ron Lacheur wrote:

quote:
the lab splices that get me pissed are the ones that have a defect, not at the splice it's self, but a couple of frames ahead. The frame line goes out and when the film is ran, it goes out of frame.

In those (hopefully rare) cases, the splice evidently caused the film to briefly jump off the printer sprocket, then reset itself a perf or two out of frame. Even though you can remove the offending splice and resplice in frame, I suggest you report these kind of problems back to the distributor and film exchange, even if you are not asking for a replacement reel.

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 07-31-2003, 12:20 PM:

In my photo above, it wasn't even a splice. It was marked out to be a splice, but the "quality assurance" person never actually made the splice. This was, of course, reported to appropriate parties and the person who was supposed to have inspected the print called me to apologize.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-31-2003, 10:01 PM:

I had a large format roll of dailies arrive one that had a piece of black electrical tape for a splice
Yes it was a very sinking feeling as we as it come up the side of the machine and into the rotor [Mad]

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 08-01-2003, 02:30 AM:

Why'd you go and post that pic Brad? Now you've got no leverage to get Scott to do stuff!