Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Poor Film Handling

This is topic Poor Film Handling - How to tell a colleague? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by William F Green (Member # 3192) on 12-08-2005, 04:03 PM:

Hi all,
I'm usually just a reader here but had an experience recently I would like some opinions on.

A colleague and friend did one evening relief proj for me recently. He had no print to make-up but I did ask him to pack-off the print he was running and also a few (as many or few as he liked) of the others waiting to go back.

The setup was familiar to him (long-play tower) but I returned after the show to lock-up and pay him and had the misfortune to witness him packing-off.

He had film all over the floor, apparently without any concern, in fact it looked as though he was deliberately pulling leaders across the floor as though it was perfectly normal to him. I had also noticed him checking film 'tension' by placing his fingers across the picture area of the film instead of by the edges.

I was so appalled I couldn't watch and made my excuses and busied myself elsewhere until he'd finished!

Now if I did not know this guy it would have been fairly easy to say something but as he is a friend I felt a little uncomfortable at the prospect of correcting him and causing an uncomfortable situation.

I had requested before he came that when the films were packed-off they were to have heads/tails joined back on and the ends taped down with fresh tape. The strange thing is, he did all that but dragged the leaders across the floor to do it! Also loads of picture area on the floor.

He works in a 3-screen independent (formerly part of a chain) and I can only imagine that he was never taught properly in the first place.

Anybody else been in this situation? If so how did you approach it? How do you tell a friend he is doing his job really badly?

Obviously there is no possibility of using him again unless I can work out a way of tactfully explaining the basics to him!
I'm in the UK by the way.
WFG

Posted by Steven J Hart (Member # 2340) on 12-08-2005, 05:06 PM:

I feel your pain! I just picked up a print of Harry Potter from a neighboring Theater. I know the owner/operator very well and he broke the print down onto three 6K reels for me. He didn't bother protecting the film on the 6k reels with leaders, just a 1 inch piece of masking tape to secure the film. Then he handed me the three film cans and a large cardboard box containing all the heads and tails for the print. My collegue is a third generation owner of this theater. He's been around the booth all his life (over 50 years). I've only been in the business for eight years so I have no idea what he would think of me if I told him his film handling sucks!
[Eek!]

You should see the condition of his booths [Eek!]

Steve

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-08-2005, 05:20 PM:

We exchange film with a neighboring theatre now and then. They prefer to get the film on 6K reels. I hate this, myself. I would much rather have 2 cans of film to carry, rather than 2 cans + 2 heavy reels + having to wrap the leaders up. But they think they're saving time this way. The most irritating thing is, when we get film from them, they've done all the splices with opaque tape so I have to do all the splices over anyway.

Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 12-08-2005, 07:23 PM:

My experience has been to just tell him what he's doing wrong. If he wants to get better, he will listen. If he doesnt care, I'm sure you'll pick up on that. To let someone continue doing what he is doing is just as bad as doing it yourself.

Posted by Brian Guckian (Member # 1678) on 12-08-2005, 08:45 PM:

William, as you're in the UK, what about suggesting he does one of the excellent BKSTS training courses? I was at a recent one on film handling, coincidentally, and it was absolutely superb (and I'm saying that honestly and objectively!).

I'm sure the topic can be raised in a sensitive way...

Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 12-08-2005, 09:47 PM:

Smack him upside the head, and inform him he's doing it wrong.

Posted by Dieter Depypere (Member # 3184) on 12-09-2005, 04:03 AM:

A friend of mine borrowed his friend a reel of different trailers. After getting it back we checked if the reel was still ok.

But what we saw was just terrible: Some trailers were spliced in upside down, that guy didn't bother to splice it in frame, some splices were so bad that the film jumped out of the upper constant sprocket,...

We never gonna borrow that guy ANYthing. [Mad]

Posted by Marin Zorica (Member # 1716) on 12-09-2005, 06:49 AM:

No long time ago, i went to one cinema for sound A & B chain aligment because they got interior fixed and reinstaled projector, so after i was finished and nobody were with me i take a rell of movie what was theer and wow! Splicer was with electric insulating tape!!!!! And wholes in perforation where covered also with that tape, i didn't try to put this on machine....

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 12-10-2005, 07:32 PM:

William, you say you know this guy, well, it depends if you think he is open-minded and can listen to constructive criticism, or if he is just an old coot set in his stupid ways (for some inexplicable reason, people think that if they have been doing something wrong for 20 years, it's not wrong any more).

If you think he can take critisism, go ahead and tell him you noticed his film handling methods and you think they are for shit. OK, that's probably not the best approach. You need to give him a face-saving out. Tell him you used to handle film just the way he does....you know, not to attentive to protecting the image area, letting leaders collect dirt....etc. Tell him that you were surprised to find out that there are much better ways that will protect the film and help him put on a better show. Tell him you have been reading this forum and found all kinds of great ideas to make your presentation much better. Then, if he is receptive, you can elaborate on what he's doing half-ass backwards.

If he balks at that gentlemenly approach, then, yah, I with Brad, smack him up-side the damn head and ask him where the hell did he learn his gawd-aweful film handling technique. Mention that in most decently run booths with even the a minimal of good standard operating procedures, his sorry ass would be fired after the first shift. Then never let him in your booth again.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 12-10-2005, 11:28 PM:

I use the euphemism, "Sub-Optimal".

e.g.: "That method of winding the film is sub-optimal because it causes damage to the emulsion."

Notice how the statement avoids speaking directly to the person, thereby minimizing his feeling like he is being attacked but, instead, directs attention to the procedure in question.

Next, I would try to allow the guy to state his case. It might not be appearent at first, but he MAY have a perfectly good reason for doing something that you weren't aware of.

Bonus points may be awarded for politely following up with an improved method of accomplishing the task.

Finally, if the other guy seems to be recalcitrant simply let the issue drop. He might be the type who, after he has a chance to think about the problem, takes the suggestion and improves his technique. Some people don't like to give in right away because they feel like they "lose face" if they do.

Posted by Zach McQuaid (Member # 613) on 03-20-2006, 10:45 PM:

Below is a picture I've seen online through the years at various sites, forums, etc. I apologize if this isn't the right thread for this, but these questions have been bugging me for years and it has recently come up among colleagues.

Can someone answer the following questions...?

1. How did this happen?
2. Where did this happen?
3. What was the projectionist doing WHILE this was happening?

(Of course, all questions are rhetorical, but if someone could humor me a bit, that would be greeeeeat!)

Nevermind... I'm a dunce when it comes to uploading jpg's. Even in my email, I can't figure it out without showing everyone a square outline with a red "x" through it. Anyway, it was a pic of a newer christie with film everywhere in front of it, apparently spilled the entire movie onto the floor in front of the proj head.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-20-2006, 11:59 PM:

quote: Zach McQuaid
Anyway, it was a pic of a newer christie with film everywhere in front of it, apparently spilled the entire movie onto the floor in front of the proj head.

quote: Zach McQuaid
1. How did this happen?
2. Where did this happen?
3. What was the projectionist doing WHILE this was happening?

1&2- Splice jammed in the failsafe, seizing the film during the down travel and not letting the drop rollers do their thing - is the big obvious one. Others is usually is when the failsafe has been disabled through the automation (which is a cursed occurance with the CNA automation units..) and the platter takeup wasn't doing its thing as well..or even stopped completely. 3- Operators are usually manager/operators who press the button to start and beat it like hell back downstairs to get back into their "groupie" sessions with the staff and assume that everything's okey.

...LOL .... Like this pict below?

It gets a bit messy when this happens.. -Monte

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 03-21-2006, 12:14 AM:

This can happen when a single-sided splice comes throgh the failsafe. The side of the film that isn't spliced will get jammed up just before it exits the failsafe. This leaves the failsafe in the closed position, but doesn't allow any more film to pass through it. The result is that the film, with nowhere else to go, flys out the front of the failsafe at the front wall. Fortunately, this is easier to fix than it looks. Simply find the tail, and wind it onto a 6000 at low speed, you shouldnt encounter many tangles. I think it only took me about 5 splices to fix the situation. Two things that need to happen in the future:

1. Make sure all splices are double sided
2. Make sure that the operator walks the booth regularly.

edit: - ah i see you got it answered allready Monte! My bad..

Posted by Luci Reeve (Member # 3651) on 03-23-2006, 11:40 AM:

Right after the Oscars we booked CRASH for another run. As I built it on Friday I noticed a really bad scratch on reel 1. It was a white scratch, all the emulsion was off and you could feel it on both sides of the film. Sure enough, when it came on screen it was so bad I couldn't watch it. I called Technicolor to report it and ask for a new reel 1. The new reel 1 did not arrive until Wednesday, the last day of the run.

Just this Monday I was building AQUAMARINE (ETS print # 549) and of the six reels there were three where the heads and tails didn't match. The next day, when I had time, I checked every frame and found where the last person had just cut the film at a random spot. When I have a film arrive and I don't have time to pre-screen it before showing it to an audience I get very nervous that the last person has put any old head and tail on any old reel. It happened once during ARMAGEDDON where the guys were in space on their mission when suddenly they were back on earth in a bar.

What do you do when stuff like this happens to you other than posting here? Is there anything I can do that might reduce the incidence of this happening in the future? Thanks.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-23-2006, 12:34 PM:

quote: Luci Reeve
What do you do when stuff like this happens to you other than posting here? Is there anything I can do that might reduce the incidence of this happening in the future? Thanks.

Unfortunately, there is actually nothing you can do about this since there is no film inspection from the ETS depot where Aquamarine came from (grey can or box). This is the one unfortunate that when used prints head to a theatre, especially a second run or discount house.

I work in a discount house and I face this at least once a month with leads not matching the reels. I've just learned to be early on your builds so you can get these messes organized and not being cramped for time.

.

-Monte

Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 03-23-2006, 01:12 PM:

And, if you're posting regularly, use the reel ID database in the left frame [thumbsup]