This is topic Technicolor Lurkers in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 4594) on 08-11-2002, 06:21 AM:
I now know that at least one technicolor employee lurks on these forums. The other day I called with a quick question. They asked my name and basically remembered me from reading Film-Tech. They apologized for my complaint/question and said "Thank you for calling technicolor and Have a Good Day Chipper!". I do have to say that was the best customer service that I have ever recieved from them. 
Funeeeeeee
Hi technicolor employee that reads this!!! Why don't you register!?!?!
-Chipper
Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-11-2002, 10:49 AM:
Yea, Come on....You can come out of the Darkroom......
Mark
Posted by Kelsey Black (Member # 126) on 08-11-2002, 02:48 PM:
I'm sure that if we have a friendly face to talk to we won't be nearly as harsh as we are now, where we just rant into the void....Besides, all complaints Re: Technicolor wouldn't be focused on you, but your employer. (I hope we all can make that distinction.)
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-11-2002, 08:50 PM:
It's been known they lurk here for a long time, but that's really cool that the people answering the phones late at night actually are "in" on the jokes here. (I wonder if they have a computer by the phone.) As far as their service, I mentioned this a few months back, I have noticed a big improvement in the customer service and friendliness of the phone staff and efficiency of the operation over the last year. Calling in the wee hours of the night to report a defective reel is no longer a hated thing to have to do. (My biggest beef now is with the people packing up the reels. I just simply cannot stand it when they stick the label over the string catch.)
Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 08-12-2002, 04:20 AM:
You're lucky, Brad. Many of ours don't come with reel bands at all. Just a hunk of tape, that's it!
Posted by Peter Kerchinsky (Member # 1098) on 08-12-2002, 04:24 AM:
Paul
You are lucky to get the hunk of tape. We sometimes don't even get that.
Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 08-14-2002, 12:55 AM:
Good Riddance to the damned reel bands. They are a pain in the ass and serve NO purpose whatsoever. A holdover from the days before tape, they are, when properly attached, a tapeless means of securing the film end. If effective tape had been around, they would never have been used. I do however, reattach them if a print comes in with bands.
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-14-2002, 01:32 AM:
Done properly, I find the reel bands to be a timesaver. The problem is that *most* people don't seem to understand that tape is NOT required to attach them. When a band arrives that is taped down without a string, that band goes in the trash. For some reason new prints arrive with the tail of the band taped to the tip of the leader. While this is a waste of tape, I can live with this.For those who are having problems with bands and have never seen them used in a "tapeless" manner, here's what you do. Tuck the first 6-12 inches of the end of the band underneath the start of the leader. Then hold that leader against the roll and you give the reel a spin. From that point you only need to hold tension on the string as you give the reel another spin, twist it around the catch a few times and it'll stay quite nicely. Anyone using tape on reel bands is not using the reel bands properly.
Posted by Robert Golding (Member # 746) on 08-14-2002, 02:20 AM:
Funny you should mention film wrappers that are taped. I'm a subrun drive in and usually don't recieve brand new prints. I just recieved "signs" and it's never been run. It came in with bands but technicolor was to lazy to include the strings for wrapping it, they just used tape to hold both ends together and of course it covers where a normal person would attach the string for tieing it properly. So if someone from technicolor is reading this, how about doing it properly???????????? Also those new and great plastic reels we keep hearing about, four of the six had to be put back together. I find it hard to be happy with this kind of service!!!!
Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 08-14-2002, 02:21 AM:
Bill, Brad is absolutely correct. And I thank you for at least having the common decency for re-attaching them when you ship out your print.Reel bands protect the leader or tail from dirt, and they tell you (at least they used to) everything you need to know about the print. They also serve as another cross-check to make sure you have the reels in proper order. (Providing, of course, the right reel band is on the correct reel.)
I saw one of my operators throw them in the trash. When I saw that, I immediately became an arrogent ass that just gave birth to a Rhinoceros. I also proceeded to give him a Royal Butt chewing about it! He does not throw them away anymore.
Robert, I get them that way also. It really frosts my butt! And, even the new plastic reels are still a joke. They fall apart when they are removed from the cans. Sometimes I get so angry, I feel like throwing them up against the wall and smash them good so nobody else will have to deal with them.
Posted by Peter Kerchinsky (Member # 1098) on 08-14-2002, 04:56 AM:
Question?
How many of you have recieved prints from our "friends" at Technicolor with bands on them WITH NO REEL NUMBERS written on the bands. They're all blank.
Nice going! Can't you at Tech afford marker pens?
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-14-2002, 11:18 AM:
quote:
Question?
How many of you have recieved prints from our "friends" at Technicolor with bands on them WITH NO REEL NUMBERS written on the bands. They're all blank.
This is caused when somebody at a previous theatre throws away the bands. The TES people will replace the bands, but they will NOT write the reel number or the title on them.
If you receive bands with your print, you should send them out with it...string or no string.
If TES would simply get bands with more durable string rather than the "thread" they've been using, and teach their packers how to use them, the broken string problem would disappear and they could stop using tape too.
Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 08-14-2002, 02:56 PM:
Mike, I agree. I guess whoever was responsible for the procurement of the reel bands are spending a dollar to save a penny. Some of the reel bands are made of mere paper with a fish line string that won't even stay wound around the little eyelet.
Posted by Wes Hughes (Member # 981) on 08-14-2002, 03:56 PM:
I have a tall trash can in my make up room especially for disposing of paper reel bands.It has "bands-B-gone" spray painted on it.
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-14-2002, 04:12 PM:
Does your makeup room also have a supply of white Artist's tape, or does it have cheap masking tape? Too often I get a print that has been taped down with tape that has been reused (presumably because the last guy is either too cheap or too lazy to get a fresh piece) and the film is loose in the can, all wrapped around various reels. Sometimes I get film in where the film was taped with used splicing tape pieces, or with a piece of masking tape that is less than an inch long! This just doesn't hold. You would think that people could operate "tape", but many just don't seem to get it. Only white Artist's tape should be used to tape down film ends and no less than 6 inches should be used (3 inches on each side of the join). It is for these reasons why I am against tossing bands if they are in good condition with the string intact. Moreso than not, the bands protect the film better.
Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 08-14-2002, 07:39 PM:
Just as the tails of all incoming prints are labeled with the pertinent info, so are the leaders as they are taped in place.We use Permacel tape and black sharpies. Can't hit it off the top of my head (now anyway) but what distributor uses the small laser printed labels to attach the leader to itself, as the paper style "reel-bands" do?
Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 08-14-2002, 08:04 PM:
I've gotten soooo many reels with bands that have NO STRING at all...that's right...just the little button thingie. But string or no string -- the bands go into the trash.We use Permacel tape and Sharpie markers also...oh, yeah...and white cotton gloves, too.
But did I miss a memo? The bands are gone? Going soon? What's the story?
~Manny (There's always room for Manny!)
Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 08-14-2002, 09:06 PM:
I recall that the cardboard bands were originally quite stiff, helping to keep the flanges of the shipping reel from crushing or folding the edges of the film. They also offered protection to the outer laps of the roll, and provided additional identification to supplement what was printed on the leaders. If the bands are in good condition, they should be used and not tossed. Replace the string if the grommet still is there, rather than using tape.I agree with Brad that tapes that leave a sticky residue should NOT be used on film. 1-inch wide drafting or artists tape is suitable for stickdown and labeling. NEVER masking, electrical, or duct tape.
http://www.paperpeople.co.uk/3madhesivetapes.html
http://www.artstuff.net/artists_tapes.htm
http://www.artsuppliesonline.com/catalog.cfm?cata_id=5945
http://www.artsuppliesonline.com/catalog.cfm?cata_id=4514
------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion
Posted by Peter Kerchinsky (Member # 1098) on 08-14-2002, 09:49 PM:
Mike in Montana
I have to disagree with you that someone does not replace the bands and Technicolor just puts on blank bands. We've got several brand new, never been run before, prints with blank bands. I say this because the excess string is taped down and there are no tears on the bands.
I believe Technicolor people are just plain lazy and for some reason or other, don't label the reel bands.
I always send the bands back with the prints. As has been stated here before, it protects the print from those crappy cans.
Those cans are a whole new subject and won't go there now.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-15-2002, 12:27 AM:
Peter, you are correct, I've gotten prints that way too.But...
I think what happens is, some studios tell TES to put bands on their films, and some do not. If a film that's supposed to be banded arrives back at the depot with no bands, they will put the blank ones on.
Brand new prints arriving unlabeled, I attribute to just plain laziness at TES.
I remember the good ol' days when the bands were thick almost-cardboard paper, with a sturdy tie-down, and nice thick string, with the title and reel number rubber stamped or (sometimes) hand written on each band! And no tape anywhere. Getting a string-less band was rare in those days, at least for us.
Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 08-15-2002, 12:27 AM:
Peter, I am not so sure about the source of the replacement bands. If TES sends new bands, they are probably just out of the box. Maybe TES might expect the receiver of the bands to write the information on them.It is just like getting a new door or fender for your car. The stock color is black.....you have to have it painted to match your car.
Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 08-15-2002, 01:14 PM:
I have seen the thick bands everyone is speaking of. When we had our Summer Kid's Fest with incredibly old prints, I opened the can for our print of "Here Come The Littles" (1985 if I am not mistaken) and there they were: Thick carboard, all information on them, nicely wound, in the cans, WITH THE STRINGS!! On a 15 year old print. Compare that with the cheap bands now which fall apart and disappear after they hit the first theater.=TMP=
Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 08-15-2002, 06:15 PM:
My policy used to be that if the bands didn't have string I wouldn't reuse them (I didn't toss them; just put them back in the cans) figuring that if I have to tape it down I might as well just tape the film end down (which I do anyway). Over time that has evolved because I've come to the conclusion that the tape holding the band together does so more reliably than tape holding the film end down. So I do reapply them, string or no string. I presume they are manufactured with strings so I don't know who is out there cutting them off.There is a problem with TES' most recent bands that the grommet breaks off far too easily.
Posted by Kara J. McVay (Member # 1285) on 09-23-2002, 08:09 AM:
Found this thread and thought it would be a great place to vent my anger at masking tape.What is up with using making tape to put the heads and tails on when the movie is broken down????? I still like to use my rewind bench to check every inch of the film before I put it on the platters, when masking tape is used to put the tail on it causes a huge mess at the end of each reel, because the empty reel is spinng fast and the masking tape lets loose and the tail get all crumpled up in the rewinder 
I also remember the thick cardboard bands that were on the film in the "good old days". It is awful to have the sides of the film all bent because of the crappy reels.
I feel better now, rant over.
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"That's a chip up the nose, Ken" Fish Called Wanda
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 09-23-2002, 11:31 AM:
I feel your pain. We had a print of "Road to Perdition" on which the heads and tails were attached with at least 6 inches of masking tape. It was the cheap crap that won't peel off without leaving sticky residue all over the place, so I was forced to cut 3 or 4 frames off both ends of each reel.
Posted by Brad Haven (Member # 954) on 09-23-2002, 11:48 AM:
Using masking tape to join the leader and tail back on is unforgivable, thankfully i've never seen it happen!
An old manager of mine once asked me if i could start using selotape instead of splicing tape on all splicing, i said no, of course! 
Has anyone ever tried to work out an average amount of splices that you can get out of a roll of splice tape, it would be interesting to know how much a splice costs?
Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 09-23-2002, 01:14 PM:
>>It was the cheap crap that won't peel off without leaving sticky residue all over the place, so I was forced to cut 3 or 4 frames off both ends of each reel.<<Film-Guard removes the residue very easily. You shouldn't have to cut up prints because of gooey tape residues (masking, duct, and splicing)...
-Aaron
Posted by James R. Hammonds, Jr (Member # 673) on 09-23-2002, 07:30 PM:
<<Using masking tape to join the leader and tail back on is unforgivable>>I think its forgivable if its a past sin.
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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 09-24-2002, 06:39 PM:
Most of the reel bands I receive have no string and have lots of different kinds of tape all over them. Into the trash they go. I use the Permacel tape and it rocks. When I use tape on the labels, I ALWAYS write down the reel number so it is obvious to anyone who either breaks down the film or opens the cans after to identify which reel is which. I don't write "head" or "tail" as that should just be obvious. I also don't write soundtrack formats as that should be obvious as well. Just the reel number.I remember several years ago when just about every print I received came with the brown "almost cardboard" bands. Those were great. The string was always there, it was very secure and they were easy to deal with. I loved 'em. These white Technicolor bands are the only bands I see anymore, and they suck. I really don't know how much protection a reel band can give... it's just a thin piece of paper. That's like putting a cloth cover over your prints at night and expecting it to protect the prints from falling objects. Also, the sides of the film are still exposed whether you have reel bands or not. Uh oh. I don't think that having reel bands or not is a life or death situation.
But I would be happy if the brown bands made a comeback, because they were faster and easier to use than tape.
Posted by Gordon Hedges III (Member # 863) on 09-24-2002, 07:09 PM:
Back to the subject of this forum... Technicolor and other technicians do lurk within this site. But they are not really entitled to voice their opinion without the consent of the company. But if you do happen to come across a lurker, they can definitely give you some interesting info and feedback.
Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 09-24-2002, 09:43 PM:
Okay guys! Since I'm not back in the booth yet you're going to have to fill me in here. Do I understand correctly that Technicolor is now doing what National Screen Service used to do in the "old Days", inspecting and shipping prints for all the distributors? (And apparently not exactly doing a bang-up job of it from what I read here.) If that's the case I'd like to get a head start on my relationship with Technicolor since there seems to be at least one of their employees lurking in the dark around here. And Brad, very nice of you to explain to today's "film handlers" how to use a reel band. But I'm surprised that with the apparent ability to master all of todays Hi-tech equipment they couldn't figure that out.Bob
The Old Showman
P.S. You haven't lost my new pic have you?
Posted by Mathew Molloy (Member # 666) on 09-25-2002, 09:31 PM:
I had an odd Technicolor experience today. Airborn was here today to pick up a print of Ali that we ran back in mid-February. Originally it was lost (either in shipping or 'walked off' during our renovation just after its run). In Mid-April I had my last correspondence with them and they told me that they had one of the three cans. After that I assumed they found the other two cans. Odd that Technicolor sent someone out now, seven months later. I suppose I could call them and ask huh?
Posted by Peter Kerchinsky (Member # 1098) on 09-26-2002, 04:16 AM:
Here's more Technicolor trash folks:
I got a screening print of SECRETARY last week from our good friends at Technicolor. One can was so smashed up I had to virtually pry the reels out of the can with a crowbar, no bull..it. When I loaded the print one of the reels started riding up on the platter, apparently crimped from being "squeezed" into the can from the previous knothead and, the make matters worse, the film was not wound on the "reel" very straight and the print got cinched. It's runable, but when it gets to that part of the reel it starts rising up on the platter. Wish I had pix of this. It runs OK, and we are keeping that print for our regular run.
I'm to the believe some other projectionist took a hammer to the can because it looks like a veteran of WW2.
Some time ago we were told by TES their cans were going to be a new style and possibly the plastic ones that don't get damaged.
BULLSHIT!
Night.