Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Reel shipping order

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Posted by Peter Mork (Member # 1336) on 01-26-2004, 11:37 PM:

Here is a question whose answer makes zero difference but it's always bugged me.

When I open a shipping can from the depot, dollars to donuts the reels will be in numerical order from right to left.

Where did this odd convention come from? Is it some sort of shipping room superstition? Or do the shipping people speak Hebrew (hence read right-to-left)?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 01-27-2004, 12:07 AM:

I've seen it forever and I don't know why. I read left to right, so my prints always get shipped back out left to right. Heck, I even reorient them in the cans left to right before I start building up. It's more natural.

Posted by Robert D. LaValley (Member # 1867) on 01-27-2004, 12:39 AM:

I haven't noticed that as much as when I get prints that are all heads up with one lonely reel in the middle tails up.. or when they alternate heads up tails up heads up... drives me nutz..

Posted by Mark Hajducki (Member # 1732) on 01-27-2004, 05:12 AM:

In the UK the reels just come in a random order (usually) despite most projectionists putting them in the shipping boxes in some order. Additionally all the reels need to be taken out of the box to determine the order.

Dosen't bother me since I usually start making up the film with reel 4 anyway

Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 01-27-2004, 07:41 AM:

When removing films from the platter, they come off from last reel to first reel. Therefore the placement, from left to right, in the shipping case is very natural.
Single reels and changeover house operation:
When shipping reels were trustworthy, the shipping reel was placed into the takeup magazine and after running the reel it was banded and placed into the shipping container, (Tails out).

Either the exchange or the next theatre would inspect the film and then it would be ready to project from the heads out winding.
When films arrived very late (yes they did then also) you might be able to put the reels from the shipper directly into the machine and run the first show from the shipping case. In 50 years of projection I was fortunate never to have received a headsup film from the exchange which did not run successfully. It was our policy to insoect all reels to house reels before showing (if time permitted).

KEN

Posted by Michael Cunningham (Member # 210) on 01-28-2004, 02:16 AM:

This orientation makes sense to me. Since it is natural to set the film cans on the left side of the build table, where you will be loading the reels onto the feed spindle, if you open the lids to the left, the reels will be in numerical order from top to bottom. I hope that makes sense although reading back it looks rather confusing?!?

- Mike

Posted by Mathew Molloy (Member # 666) on 01-28-2004, 02:35 AM:

Somehow I've picked up the habit of shipping prints out as follows...

If the reels are heads out then they're placed in the cans numerically left to right.
If the reels are tails out then they go in numerically right to left.

Probably because I usually inspect films in reverse order when running changeovers so I can put the last two reels on house reels and use the shipping reels as take-up for reels 1 & 2.