quote: Chris Slycord

---

If you're REALLY worried about the static issue...

---

quote: Scott Norwood

---

Was anyone else ever warned about doing this? If so, why?

---

I've heard it before on rare occasion from other booth operators in other cinemas, but I only took it as an old wive's tale since I figured that it was due to the inexperience and training of handling film is what brought this 'warning' throughout the networks. Plus, due to the inexperiences and 'robotic' training that is now involved in the majority of these cinemas, where if a ruling comes across, there is no questions asked, just do what was told...to make things easy and simple.

John Pytlak can chime in on this one for he'd would know more about this topic.

I do that also - build on one deck, then scoop and move the prints to other decks, in which I've never had any probs with this. Why I do all of this scooping is that one of my platters is right next to the Kelmar bench, so while one reel is winding on the platter, I prep the next reel for building. I get done faster this way, plus have the best light for assembly here.
 

---

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 04-17-2007, 01:52 PM:
 
i'm wary of moving prints any more than i have to. i think it's probably the biggest culprit in getting dirt on our prints. our upstairs platters simply don't take up too tightly and the film will flip flop a bit when it's moved. i do use a pizza board when moving a film from one of these platters, and the added stiffness reduces the problem but doesn't eliminate it. some feel the board makes the print too heavy and don't use it, unfortunately.

i thought the deal with moving a freshly-built print was that the wind tension might have varied around the mid-show splice, making it more likely that the print will lose its integrity there.
 

---

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-17-2007, 02:14 PM:
 
If there is ANY slippage when a print is being moved, then it is getting scratched. They are called cinch scratches in that they are tiny dot or dash scratches and can occur in any direction on screen depending on how the film slips when moved. Platters with weak center rings such as Strong are major culprits to this sort of damage.

There will be people who will claim that the above statement is bs because they have "never seen any damage", but the fact of the matter is that most theaters are underlit. When a print is projected on a system that puts out minimum brightness spec or excedes it, suddenly all of these marks show up...and it isn't pretty.

Also once a print is moved, it is often no longer properly centered or a true circle. That can be quite the issue towards the end of the film while it is paying out. People who have experienced brain wraps and thrown prints (obviously not using FG or safety rings), will notice it happens most often after a print has been moved.
 

---

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-17-2007, 05:20 PM:
 
...another thing to consider, if the worry on static cling is still an issue with some locations, is NOT to drive the AC in the booth too far down.

Granted, it's nice to be in a cool atmosphere, but you drive that AC down to a very cool level, you're drying out the air real bad and dry air promotes any sort of static.

Why IMAX booths are under a very strict control when it comes to humidity situations - don't want that big film stock to experience any cling..let alone with the speed that film travels.

-Monte
 

---

Posted by Matt Barth (Member # 3429) on 04-17-2007, 06:39 PM:
 
The highest risk with a loose print for me was if was REALLY bad a little static could cause a chunk of film to shift to the brain and then the entire print could start shifting around. I did have a bad wrap once because of this but it could have been avoided had we a)not moved the print or b) I'd kept a better eye on it in the later reels. I believe most the problem there was in the booths I was in (one had the platters filed so they had little grip) though.

---Matt
 

---

Posted by Raymond Christie (Member # 4080) on 04-21-2007, 02:43 PM:
 
I had to move a print of Grindhouse. Do they make a pizza board big enough for a print that size. But anyway, I had to fix a splice in it because it was bad and the movie wound really loose. It's all good now because that stupid movie is gone. Thank God! We had too many problems with it.
 

---

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 04-21-2007, 03:38 PM:
 
Of course they make pizza boards that size. You can make a pizza board however big you want. The only limiter on how big you make your board is the size of your platters.
 

---

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-21-2007, 07:55 PM:
 
This is my board that I use at my 6plex



It's a 32x36x3/8 out of plywood with the one side finished (forget the type of plywood code this would be..) with a 2x6x32 that is mounted on the end that was circled cut in the middle to fit the round contour of the print and with the edge routed out to eliminate sharp edges. Plus, the 3x5 grab/carry handle cut in the middle and the end lip cut to a taper to easilly slide the board under the print.

Saves tons of time and no worry on scratching the deck surfaces with the usage of those clamps.

So far, I've made 14 of these for our local theatres..
 

---

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 04-22-2007, 02:51 AM:
 
That's way different from our boards. Our's are really just like a donut. They're circular with 2 holes punched for where the inner ring can attach to and a cut out circular section in the middle where your brain could fit if it were on the platter.
 

---