Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Strange film behavior

This is topic Strange film behavior in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 08-14-2009, 06:41 PM:

Today on my first show of District 9, the tail of the film somehow got pulled into the middle and bound up the brain. This happened about 1/2 through the credits.

I have never seen anything like this in nearly 13 years of running projectors. I'm curious to know if anyone else has had something similar.

I'm also curious to hear any stories of strange or out of the ordinary film behavior.

Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 08-14-2009, 07:53 PM:

My guess is that there was adhesive from an old automation cue that drew two or more turns of film into the brain.

KEN

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 08-14-2009, 08:06 PM:

Ken
This wasn't two turns of film being pulled through at once. This is literally the tail of the film being pulled inside of the film and then tangling in the brain.

I have had the thing you're talking about happen several times - the last with the midnight show of Dark Knight.

Posted by Jarret Chessell (Member # 5077) on 08-14-2009, 09:48 PM:

Perhaps a loose tail floating its way up due to HVAC??

I've seen something like that happen before, but it was because someone jammed the brain wrap sensor open and forgot to engage a platter, and it didn't suck the tail in, but it made a naughty mess.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-15-2009, 05:09 AM:

You tuck the tail lead under the print, don't you?

When you tuck your film under, make sure that the soundtrack is going IN first under the filmroll. (if you're doing soundtrack up..)

If you're tucking the film under and the soundtrack is OUT, the film will act like a spring and will sling itself over the filmroll and tangle up with the film leaving the brain and you get this mess .

Always tuck the film soundtrack in and you won't have this prob again.

Been there and done that a few times with booth clowns not paying attention on film tucks.

-Monte

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 08-15-2009, 05:22 AM:

I don't tuck the tail. I loop it back on the film and then use a sticky pad (or whatever you call them) to hold it in place against the film.

In all the time I've been running projectors, I have never had a problem with this - nor have I seen a problem from someone else's threading. Over the course of 13 years, (probably on the order of 100,000+ showings) I have never seen this happen. The last 10+ of those years were working with Christie AW3 platters; the first couple years I used another brand which I don't remember.

Posted by Matt Skilton (Member # 5288) on 08-15-2009, 08:54 AM:

It is an odd one. We put coloured wraps on the very end of our films and tuck the end of the wrap under the film too, soundtrack side in of cause.

Could static have caused this perhaps??

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-15-2009, 03:08 PM:

No, what tipped me off with that conclusion is that the end of the filmroll is intertangled with that mess in the middle of the roll ... and I've seen this before.

Now, you say that you loop back the end, wonder then if that came undone and found its way into the center due to the springiness of the film.

Make you a film wrap of scrap film and a clothspin, or add some velcro to this wrap so the end will not come loose again ... and with this wrap, the suction cup doodads can be eliminated..

or..you can buy Brad's Platter Rings ....

-Monte

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 08-15-2009, 04:45 PM:

I should have mentioned, the suction cups were only being used because this was the first run of a brand new film. It was built on a Goldberg reel and then slid onto the platter. The suction cups are there to make sure it doesn't go anywhere. Under normal circumstances, this is the only time I use the suction cups.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-15-2009, 06:12 PM:

That's okey - didn't mean to make a stab at suction cup thingeys. Just got a thing about them since they just never work well on a brushed alumimum deck. They're on floor by the time the show's over with.

Now, if one was using those steel decks that are on a LP-270, then they work real well.

My apologies to you, Justin - Monte

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 08-16-2009, 12:10 AM:

I had something that LOOKED like this on the 5th week
of running HANGOVER. The original foil automtion cue
had gotton worn out and was replaced, but the new cue
was not placed in precisely the same place and there
was a bit of tacky-ness left over from the old cue foil.

Two of layers of film near the tail rating stuck
together & got sucked into the brain on a Strong Platter.

This happened on my night off during the final show of
the evening I asked them to leave it for me so I could
diagnose what what happened when I came in the next day.

What I found the next morning pretty much looked exactly
like the tangle in your picture.

Posted by Andy Muirhead (Member # 712) on 08-19-2009, 08:01 PM:

I have seen this before, many many times, but they were all on very bad platter makes.

I think this is as Monte described earlier. The tail got loose. Sometimes no matter how well it is tucked/secured it can work itself loose.

I'm betting it will never happen again, however if it does, check the timing on the platter. If it's not timed right, the irregularity of the platter spinning could work the tail loose.