Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: ETS setting a fine, fine example of quality

This is topic ETS setting a fine, fine example of quality in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-25-2005, 10:21 PM:

I can't speak for ETS branches outside of Dallas, but this one certainly has it's share of problems (of which for the most part I have been nice and not posted about). This example however is just so damn pathetic, yet funny at the same time, that I just could not resist.

Check out this PHENOMENAL job in attaching a trailer to Paramount's "Longest Yard" reel 1. I received two prints and both had virtually identical splice jobs.

Yes indeed, that darkened area you see is masking tape!!! [Eek!]

Furthermore they left the "FINISH" frame intact just before the opening Paramount logo. Genius!!! [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-25-2005, 10:31 PM:

What the hell is this? It looks to me like ETS Dallas truly does value quality and presentation. So what's up with their management there? I bet whenever anyone is within their presence, their bowels become unstable. Perhaps there is an IQ test that employees there must take, and they look to make sure that nobody who scores over 65 is hired. Or maybe that qualification is just for their leader.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 05-25-2005, 11:59 PM:

Huh?

If they weren't spliced together, how the heck did the "Finish" frame from the TRAILER end up on the head of the FEATURE?

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-26-2005, 12:29 AM:

They must be hiring ex-projectionists to splice the trailers on. That looks just like a typical used-print splice job.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 05-26-2005, 02:13 AM:

...unless someone in the 'assembly line' received those reels with the added trailer that was held by the masking tape from the head of the 'assembly line', AND whom was SUPPOSED to splice the trailer to the feature, DIDN't or FAILED to do their job of joining the two together, either by not paying attention, not caring, or simply wasn't instructed to perform this task.

Some sort of instructional "communication breakdown" (yea-Led Zeppelin....)

(can't support this one being in a discount house)

-Monte

-Monte

Posted by Dominic Espinosa (Member # 2122) on 05-26-2005, 03:07 AM:

That'a rediculous.
Until recently splice-on attachments from ETS were usually out of frame and in some cases still had the tail of the original attachment on the head of R1.

Most recently however ETS has been ignoring my messages about the defective DTS timecode on certain reels of 2 of our prints of EP3.
I really don't think I'm going to persue it anymore but rather swap reels around until I get a print that doesn't drop in and out of DTS.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 05-27-2005, 05:24 PM:

Hmmm...but then you've got the issue of mismatched CAP code to consider...

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 05-27-2005, 05:51 PM:

Why don't these morons just throw the trailer in with the film, and let the theater splice it on? If their not going to do the job correctly, why spend the time doing it half ass.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 05-27-2005, 06:06 PM:

quote: Bruce Hansen
Why don't these morons just throw the trailer in with the film

Because they charge the studio a fee for the job.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-27-2005, 07:18 PM:

The studio needs a refund.

How about everyone else? Was the attachment job OUTSIDE OF THE DALLAS ETS DEPOT done properly?

Posted by Dennis Udovich (Member # 1066) on 05-27-2005, 09:46 PM:

ETS Milwaukee. Both prints of Longest Yard had this trailer out of frame. While on this subject, "Why can't the film labs place a simple to see frame line at the beginning and end of all trailers?"

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 05-27-2005, 10:10 PM:

ETS Atlanta - trailer was spliced one sprocket out of frame.

Also, the depot was a mess - disorganized as all get-out ... many trucking companies were unable to get all of their prints until Thursday (myself included) - while they spent an hour looking for a specific print number of House Of Wax to give me (never mind the other 3 dozen they had in plain sight).

Posted by Jason Whitlock (Member # 3077) on 05-28-2005, 12:26 AM:

We had a copy of The Longest Yard where the head of reel one was put on backwards (the beginning was on the inside, and the cut part that was made to splice on the attached trailer was on the outside..

at least the splice was in frame.. but the tape wasn't straight or centered on the splice..

Posted by Bernie Anderson Jr (Member # 410) on 05-28-2005, 08:33 AM:

You'll be happy to know that ETS (New York) which is actually in Rahway NJ, if nothing but the best. I always get my films in a timely manner and print print preparation is excellent. Even used prints are in excellent condition. I never get a junk print. Prints usually come all heads up or tails out.
I rarely have to rewind opposite windings.

Bernie

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 05-28-2005, 08:37 AM:

You would be checking frame even if the trailer had been spliced on, so what's the difference? Much whining about very little.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 05-28-2005, 09:07 AM:

Exactly. I never allow anything to run before I check it. Thats why I am a film inspector.

I found a needle in a piece of 16mm film once. Actually, my right index finger found it. 1977. I'll never forget it.

ETS and the others should be getting the trailers in frame if nothing else. But, I am sure that the distributors hire people that had never seen a piece of film before they came to work there, too.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-28-2005, 11:52 AM:

It's the principle of the thing, Bill. Any "professional" film operation, be it a lab, a shipping depot or a movie theatre, sending out film with a bad splice in it is just inexcusable.

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 05-28-2005, 12:16 PM:

It's not whining to want a job done correctly. Maybe the film got delivered late, and you just have to throw it on the platter, and then on the screen. I'd rather they just droped the trailer in with the film, than attach it wrong.

Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 05-28-2005, 12:44 PM:

ETS Indianapolis. No problems. Film on time, trailers attached as they should be always.

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 05-28-2005, 02:43 PM:

sure, we all check every splice, but i know many don't.

who attaches studio/distributor logos at the heads of prints when they're not printed on? does the depot do this? our print of mysterious skin had 2 of these spliced on, and of the 5 cuts made, 4 were not on frame lines, which is slightly worse than chance. i'm sure the one cut that was correct (where the leader was originally cut off the head of r1) was a fluke. also, one of the splices was one-sided and there were gaps between the film ends under the splices.

all of this got corrected on build-up, but i lost maybe 1/2 hour on a tight schedule.

carl

Posted by Josh Jones (Member # 447) on 05-28-2005, 04:59 PM:

I guess the moral of the story is, if you want it done right....

Yeah, I've said it before, I'll say it again.

JJ

Posted by Tom Doyle (Member # 1474) on 06-03-2005, 03:41 AM:

I handled three prints last week from the Salem, Mass. ETS depot. All three were spliced out of frame (although they did use splicing tape). I didn't think it was that hard to find the framelines on Paramount trailers.

I don't understand why they closed the Connecticut ETS depot. We never had problems like this.