Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Australian Film-Techers...You losing SRD tracks?

This is topic Australian Film-Techers...You losing SRD tracks? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=006379

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 07-19-2004, 03:42 AM:

Hiya

Had a call the other day asking if I knew anything about this latest occurence.

Seems prints coming out of Thailand (Spiderman 2's the latest) are losing their SRD track within a couple of days on metal gates. Shedding is extensive.

Now, I'm not personally running movies in cinemas at the moment, but recalled in this conversation the last film this happened to me was Passion of the Christ and guess where it was printed? That's right.

So, are these just being rushed over here and not drying sufficiently before going through a projector or is there something else going on.

Mr. Pytlak? Any ideas?

Thanks agian

John

Posted by Matthew Nock (Member # 1575) on 07-19-2004, 06:34 AM:

Hi John,

our print of spiderman 2 certainly shed a substantial amount of crap, but it wasnt dropping out of SRD at all.

We too are using metal gates but in Century DA's.

Posted by Andrew Shingleton (Member # 2257) on 07-19-2004, 06:37 AM:

Actually, now you mention it we are also having problems with both of our prints of Spiderman 2 shedding more than usual, however the boxes are marked Atlab Australia. We're having similar problems with Shrek 2, but these boxes have a Thai Cargo sticker on them and come from Cinecolor Lab which is in Bangkok. The last print that I can recall having problems like this was indeed The Passion, which I believe was also from Thailand (I assume Cinecolor Lab too).

We run Cinemacannica V5's by the way.

Posted by Antonio Marcheselli (Member # 373) on 07-19-2004, 06:37 AM:

Unfortunately in Italy this is a common problem. Almost all of our print are losing SRD track in few days (max 2 week) after been projected on V5 (standard gate).
To avoid this problem the projectors are to be constantly mantained but sometimes an hard spot on the gate caused the SRD track to be wiped off in just one show.

And just to say that it is not our fault, we are showing Dolby Digital trailers constantly on the same projectors since one year (they're still in good shape)and the SRD track is still perfect.

Bye
A

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 07-19-2004, 06:59 AM:

That's probably because you get the cheapo prints from Italian labs which are dreaded everywhere in Europe.

Posted by Liam Utley (Member # 1931) on 07-19-2004, 07:42 AM:

We have had problems with shrek 2 after a couple of days. They were thai prints with about 2 lab joins per reel. Vic 5's with standard gates...

Posted by Stephen Jones (Member # 16) on 07-19-2004, 08:11 AM:

Our prints of Spiderman,Shrek and HarryPotter have been ok with error rates 1-4.None of the above prints have been shedding at all.perhapes the skates on the Kinoton prevents this from occuring.Actually I find the prints of Spider and Shrek look good on screen nice and sharp.The only prints we are having problems with are recon prints which are dropping out eg New York Minute.

Steve

Posted by Antonio Marcheselli (Member # 373) on 07-19-2004, 09:24 AM:

Michael

Sure...

But I know that Deluxe is present in USA too. Why Deluxe Italy should made prints with less quality?

Few years ago I received the best print I've seen and was made at Deluxe London. Few weeks later I received the worst print I seen and was made by Deluxe Rome! [Confused]

Bye
A

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 07-19-2004, 12:23 PM:

So, what is the filmstock edgecode?

--jhawk

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-19-2004, 01:40 PM:

Whenever emulsion-side projector abrasion occurs, the first thing that comes to mind is moisture content of the film. Damp gelatin emulsion is softer, so it will abrade more easily, especially in the projector gate. And when it abrades onto the hot projector gate, it hardens into a very abrasive hard deposit.

Although process drying conditions can be a factor, film that is shipped or stored in very damp, humid, or tropical conditions may pick up excess moisture, especially along the edges.

Post-process lubrication or proprietary film treatments have consistently been shown to reduce projector abrasion, with Kodak first developing edgewax procedures in the 1920's, with the paper "Film Waxing Machine" by J.G.Jones in the Transactions of the SMPE, Number 15, in 1922. See the technical paper "Lubrication of 35-mm Release Prints for Extended Projection Print Life" by Edward Mino and Rodney Perry, published in the October 1983 SMPTE Journal, or "Lubrication of Motion-Picture Film" by Dr. Fred Kolb and Ed Weigel in the April 1965 SMPTE Journal, for a discussion of the history of print film lubrication.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 07-20-2004, 01:41 AM:

Thanks all for your input.

Matthew, how's your Shrek 2 print?

John

Posted by Phil Blake (Member # 2012) on 07-31-2004, 07:12 AM:

Greetings.

Yes have been having problems here with prints shedding ,however , we have not been loosing sound, but more recently we have had lip sync problems with Shrek 2 , in DTS the sync was terrible , but not so bad in SR , and I Robot sync out in both DTS and SR.
It is the prints not equipment as all other prints screening are fine.

Phil

Posted by Matthew Nock (Member # 1575) on 07-31-2004, 10:14 AM:

quote: John Wilson
Thanks all for your input.

Matthew, how's your Shrek 2 print?

John

John, our Shrek 2 print, after running since opening on June 17 has been absolutely fine - a little print dust shed in the first few days, but still immaculate. No scratching, no SRD dropout or anything.

Although I did discover when we moved it to our DTS house that DTS on reel 4 drops out because the DTS track appears to be over exposed? there is virtually no DTS track at all.

Aside from that, the print of shrek will ship out of here in the same condition it came in.

M@

Posted by Paul Trimboli (Member # 1509) on 08-01-2004, 08:24 AM:

Matthew Nock do you by any chance work at the RAFF base? I worked with a guy called David (last name I have forget right now) who worked at the RAFF base in Sale but moved over to Perth and worked for Regent and is now a Pilot.

Posted by Matthew Nock (Member # 1575) on 08-02-2004, 02:46 AM:

quote: Paul Trimboli
Matthew Nock do you by any chance work at the RAFF base? I worked with a guy called David (last name I have forget right now) who worked at the RAFF base in Sale but moved over to Perth and worked for Regent and is now a Pilot.

Paul, I did work as the chief projectionist at the RAAF base in East Sale for a while many years ago when they couldnt find anyone to do the job... I was there long enough to train the RAAFies, and then I was given the arse, typical military style... why pay a civy to do the job, when you can make a military boy do it for nothing.

The David you are referring to, I do know. I worked with him at Sale - and he was working at the RAAF base here, but not as a projectionist - he was training to be a pilot or something... he was a projectionist at the local twin(3) cinema in town... I hope that a few of my good habits rubbed off on him [Smile]

Posted by Paul Trimboli (Member # 1509) on 08-02-2004, 07:56 AM:

Ahhhhh that sounds about right, maybe it was the 3 screen in town. For quiet a while it was just myself and david running the shows so as you can guess double shifts for us to get days off, we had the place running like clockwork and enjoyed keeping the place spotless, he was a great projectionist. [thumbsup]