Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: New Aviator Print scratched on reel 1

This is topic New Aviator Print scratched on reel 1 in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Steven J Hart (Member # 2340) on 02-13-2005, 08:03 AM:

I recently made up a new print of Aviator and noticed while watching the first screening that reel one had a very light vertical scratch near the right masking. I was concerned at first that I had somehow done the damage myself until the scratch magically disappeared on reel 2. This print also had quite a few specks of dirt and the occasional bright flash on the screen. After running a few times with our cleaner and Film Guard, the dirt started to disappear. It's very rare that our theater gets a new prints (only a couple of times a year) so I usually attribute any problems with a print to the previous theater's care (or lack of) handling the print. How common is it to receive a new print that is scratched and dirty?

Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 02-13-2005, 02:10 PM:

Sounds like a lab scratch. They are somewhat rare, but you will get them occasionally. The distributor should replace the reel without charging you.. Just make sure you specify it was a lab scratch.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 02-13-2005, 05:38 PM:

Before you do....

Did the scratch disappear at the splice joining reel 1 to reel 2? If so, then you need to look at the leaders for reel 1. If the scratch is not there on the reel 1 leaders, you are the guilty party and once the labs get the reel back and determine this, they will charge you nicely for the damage.

This could've happened by having a clump of dirt in your projector that the splice "knocked loose" or could've happened if you were plattering the print straight off of 2000' reels.

Just double check before you send in the request for another reel.

Posted by Steven J Hart (Member # 2340) on 02-13-2005, 10:12 PM:

Thanks for the advice. When I examined the leader and tail with a magnifying glass, the scratch was contiguous. I did not request a new reel because the scratch was very light and only about an inch from the right side masking. I suppose this is still bad practice, but this print looks a lot better than some of the prints I get in from other theaters. How about the dirt specks. Is that common on new prints?
Steve

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 02-13-2005, 10:34 PM:

In a perfect world, a brand new print would be free of dirt. This isn't a perfect world though.

The best thing you can do other than the obvious running of film cleaners routinely, is to wipe the inside flanges of the reel clean with a dry cloth before you unroll the film when you build up a print (or even before you rewind a reel). Those reusable clip-together reels commonly pick up a bit of dust on the flanges, and the act of unspooling the film (the higher the speed the worse) attracts any nearby dirt. So always slightly bend the flanges away from the film a little bit and wipe the reels clean before you start your buildup.

Posted by Stephen Frazza (Member # 2320) on 02-13-2005, 11:12 PM:

quote: Brad Miller
or could've happened if you were plattering the print straight off of 2000' reels.

Brad - why would this happen on 2000' reels and not on 6000' reels?

Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 02-14-2005, 03:29 AM:

If it happened while he was plattering off of a 6k, more then one reel would be damaged.

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 02-14-2005, 03:37 AM:

the first print i built for my theater was lab-scratched like this on one reel. on the first day we got a visit from a suit who watched the film and noted the scratch. i got a little heat until i was exonerated when the leaders were looked at.

i guess i should feel some nostalgia for a time when someone actually cared about something like that.

carl

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 02-14-2005, 01:51 PM:

If the scratch extends the entire length of the leaders, it is likely a lab scratch. If the scratch ends somewhere within the leader, a changeover theatre may have been at fault. If the leaders are scratch-free, the damage was likely done while plattered.