Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: "Wolfman" : Visable Time Code Problem?

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Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 02-12-2010, 09:59 AM:

I wasn't feeling well yesterday, so I went home immediately after
making up my WOLMFAN print.

When I came in the morning, I found a badly written note attached to
my print that says (if I can read it) - -

"Technicolor called and said they forgot to send out a fax
regarding proper framing of WOLFMAN". If not framed properly,
time code will be visable. "

(I assume they mean a window time-code on the print.
Not DTS code. I had this problem on a print last year)

ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THIS OR HAVE HAVE
YOU HAD A PROBLEM??

Posted by Rachael Barbash (Member # 5158) on 02-12-2010, 02:21 PM:

There is a time code on the print. The one I saw was about a third of reel 5 (picture here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebarbashphotos/4350395278/ ) but there may have been more.

Did you measure the fade in/fade outs on reel 4 like they said?

edit: It's really not an issue if the film is threaded correctly. I think there would have to be something seriously wrong if you could see that on screen... though I'd like to do it just to experiment.

Posted by Matt Skilton (Member # 5288) on 02-12-2010, 04:38 PM:

Reel four was a bloody nightmare, especially as our e-mails into projection aren't working so we had no prior warning. I used my initiative though and made it up correctly (both prints in fact). I had to use the last set of cue dots though to get the foot of the reel cut. Just about found them.

The time code shouldn't be a problem if it's racked up correctly. I recall Valkyrie had the same thing.

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 02-12-2010, 04:40 PM:

You have got to wonder how that stuff ended up on a release print. Can anyone say "sloppy work"?

Posted by Ian Parfrey (Member # 5122) on 02-12-2010, 10:13 PM:

It's to stop piracy, y'know. [evil]

Posted by Thomas Pitt (Member # 4322) on 02-13-2010, 01:43 AM:

Not to go off-topic, but can anyone confirm how the scene at the reel 4/5 change was supposed to look? What I saw was the image fade to black, the second set of cue dots in the black, and then immediately the first scene on reel 5 (no fade-in).

There was no sign of any timecode on the showing I saw - which is surprising, since this theater is notorious for not framing 100% correctly... Did this error actually make it into UK prints?

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 02-13-2010, 09:26 AM:

I pulled the aperture plate and ran a couple of reels
of WOLFMAN yesterday. There's is some time-code & scene
number/editing info near the ends of reels 3 & 4
(the two reels I ran). It was between 16 & 18min if
you look at a DTS time code reader.

There was also a lot of it present during that scene
near the begining where they're chasing the beast
through the woods.

I think Technolor's concern was a bit overblown- -the
info appears way out of the 1:85 framing area. You'd
have to have your framing WAAAAAAY off to see it, if
your 1:85 aperture plate is cut correctly.

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 02-13-2010, 09:01 PM:

quote: Matt Skilton
I recall Valkyrie had the same thing.

and

quote: Bruce Hansen
Can anyone say "sloppy work"?

Nope, but I can say it might be a small conspiracy to destroy print quality in order to piss off more exhibitors in order to get them to go digital as installation prices continue to drop. Call me paranoid, but I don't trust anybody in Hollywood.

Paranoid . . . no trust . . . enemies list . . . am I becoming Richard Nixon [uhoh]

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 02-13-2010, 10:02 PM:

Anyone's who's that far out of frame deserves all the crap to hit their fan as is coming. And why would Technicolor even have to point this out? It would be like them sending a letter around saying, "Be careful -- if you are not properly framed, frame lines are going to be visible.

Who cares what is visible in film geography that is NOT SUPPOSED to be projected?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 02-13-2010, 10:35 PM:

I've said this before, but if the filmmakers really wanted to ensure their 35mm presentations were framed properly they would do one of the following:

#1 Shoot the movie in scope, like the idiots should be doing in the first place.

#2 Create CLEAR framelines with a thick black edge outside the an aspect ratio of about 1.5:1

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 02-14-2010, 08:23 PM:

Nice, Brad, and I would add, now with digital intermediates on every film, there is no reason at all why they can't reprint say 3 ID frames after the title section in the heads and tails leaders. I would go even further -- print a single ID frame on either side of the count-down number just in the event that a few frames at the front end gets damaged. Obviously now they are making up title-specific leaders for each reel anyway, so it's not like the old days where they spliced on negative leaders onto which they had to hand write titles.

I recall John P. saying it would be difficult for the lab to deal with ID frames in the leader, but that was before digital; now Head and Tails would contain the first and last frames respectively with no more trouble than click, copy and paste.