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This topic comprises 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
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Author
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Topic: Marking Reel Changes
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Thomas Ferreira
Film Handler
Posts: 23
From: Claremont, NH
Registered: Jul 99
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posted 08-07-1999 01:20 AM
I was going to bring this up in the Thomas Crown Affair thread, but I figured I'd just start a new one. I didn't sneak the picture, but I did receive a used print for my booking(I have no idea why I'm playing this film instead of Mystery Men or Sixth Sense, but that's neither here nor there). Anyway, I was dismayed and shocked to see that each reel was marked with the dreaded SHOE POLISH!!! Who the hell is still doing this? We ceased this practice years ago when we found out what it can do to a DTS reader, not to mention the projector, polish slopped on the soundtrack, etc. I hate the Zebra tape, because I can never find it quick enough when doing a breakdown. My DM sent my the latest this week, yellow tape the width of cue tape to mark the changes, but I found it difficult to apply, so I went back to my old method-I trim a small Avery sticker, and fold it over under the reel change splice, taking care not to overlap the soundtrack. I rely on this, and the film stock changes when breaking down, and it never takes me more than 15 or 20 minutes, depending on which platter I'm breaking down off of. I'm curious to know others methods for marking reel changes.
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 08-07-1999 09:34 AM
Brad--do you lose frames when breaking down a print that was spliced together with an ultrasonic splicer? The main reason why I don't like cement splices (on acetate-base prints) is that two frames are lost at each splice, whereas good clear splicing tape can easily be peeled without the need to make a new cut when splicing leaders back on for shipping.
When I was working in a theatre with 6000' reels, I did all the inspection and breakdown with clear tape. I didn't even have zebra tape that was easily accessible, since I was afraid that someone would use it for a repair splice (which defeats the purpose of zebra tape) or for splicing head and tail leaders back on for shipping (which just looks really tacky to me). Besides, clear tape is cheaper and Neumade tape peels more easily than the zebra tape that I had (not sure of the brand). Since this was a single-screen house, I usually just watched the film on the last show and used little strips of paper inserted in the take-up reel to mark the reel changes.
In most cases, it would take me about an hour or so to inspect a print and rewind it heads-out on 6000' house reels. Actually, it takes about the same amount of time to inspect a print for 2000' reels, since I had to measure out each set of cue marks (and add them if needed). I don't know how long print breakdown took, since I usually broke down the first large reel while the second one was running. Often, for the last show of a film, I'd rewind the last 2000' onto a separate reel, so that I could have the entire print (except for the last reel) broken down, labelled, and banded before the end of the show.
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 08-07-1999 09:52 AM
I should probably also mention that I actually enjoy print inspection (am I the only one who does? what is wrong with me?), and tend to be quite particular about it. I always remove automation tape from the image area (does anyone know how to get it off of the sprocket-hole edge? I've had very little success in this regard.); also, I always replace lab splices or zebra/opaque repair splices with clear tape. I also am pretty particular about print breakdown, labelling each reel with the film title, picture format (flat/1.33, flat/1.66, flat/1.85, scope), analog sound format (Dolby A, Dolby SR, mono), reel number, and head or tail. If the print is in unusually poor condition, I include a note to the next theatre with my name, the theatre name and phone number, and the date, and an explanation of the damage and a statement that the print arrived in that type of condition and that we didn't cause it.
If a print arrives without head or tail leaders, I return it with countdowns (salvaged from old trailers) on reels #1 and 4 and clear leader at the head and tail of every reel.
This was probably a bit excessive, but I think that it was mostly a reaction to having received a lot of prints in godawful condition and a faint hope that someone might actually appreciate receiving a print that could be shown without repairs. I would say that fewer than one in ten prints that I have handled have actually arrived from the distributor in fully runnable condition.
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I am against leaving an identification frame on the leader and making any mark on the film that isn't removable. Care to swing by and break down a print one day? So how do I do it?
) with a joke or make some notation of it. The way it was written, I believe it is not only true, but that he is very proud of his automatic breakdown method.
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