Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: 'Tropic Thunder' Sound Track Mis-Print?

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Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 08-13-2008, 10:14 PM:

On reels 1, 2 & 5 of my Tropic Thunder print, I was able to see a thin sliver of the sound-track on screen. (Well, actually it was on the masking, but it was definately there)

It wasn't wide enough to see the DTS time-code.
Just a thin cyan line. I've never had this problem with any other print I've run at this theater and it's only there for the reels I mentioned above.

I imagine it's a lab error.

The projector is a 35/70mm Century JJ. Fortunately I have a sh-tload of aperture plates I've collected over the years and between shows I was able to find one that was close enough to my screen size and file it slightly to correct the problem.
Yes, I know I could have filed a bit off the edge of the original aperture plate so it would slide in just a hair further- - but since this is the only print I've had this problem with I saw no reason to possibly screw up my good plate just for this run.

Just wondering if anyone else running Tropic Thunder has noticed this on their prints.

Posted by Dominic Espinosa (Member # 2122) on 08-14-2008, 12:13 PM:

No reports on T. Thunder yet. But it seems to me if the soundtrack wasn't printed in the right spot you would've heard it -- not just seen it.
Is it possible your plate was over cut or not in all the way?

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 08-15-2008, 10:08 AM:

No!
1>This aperture plate has been in use for at least 7 years and has never had the problem.

2> The TRACKS are in the right place, it's the soundtrack AREA that's oversize.

Until labs stopped using dye sound tracks a few years ago, it was possible for the soundtrack area to 'bleed' slightly into the picture area if the proscessing machine wasn't adjusted properly since the tracks were developed seperately from the picture.

I was under the impresssion that this was a thing of the past becuase the new cyan tracks are developed in the same bath as the picture and not seperately. If I'm wrong about that I'm sure someone will tell me.

Anyway- - it's sort of a moot point. I got rid of the blue line at the edge of the screen by taking an old junk aperture plate and filing it specifically for this print. After that, I'm putting the old plate back because the temporary plate I'm using now is a slight compromise on vertical picture size.

I was just curious if anyone else had a print with the same 'problem' .

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-15-2008, 10:57 AM:

Jim,
You're right that cyan tracks do take care of that "re-developer" problem. In your case the printer would have had to have been out of adjustment as that part of a printer is adjustable.

Mark