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Topic: Anyone else have their HP Reel #4 scratched?

Mark J. Marshall
Film God

Posts: 3188
From: New Castle, DE, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 11-15-2002 10:50 AM

We have two prints of HP that we screened last night, and both of them are scratched on reel 4. The scratches come in quick four second bursts of about 8-12 vertical base scratches in an isolated area of the image. They show up about five or six times throughout the reel in different parts of the image. So for example, you'll see a dozen black scratches pretty close together on the left side of the screen for about five seconds. Then a few minutes later, you see it again, this time on the right side of the screen. Then again, and again, and again. All a few minutes apart.

Both prints have reel #4 scratched at different times during the reel, and the scratch times DO NOT MATCH between the prints. Both prints have the scratches about 5 or 6 times, and both prints were built up by me. The print numbers are 8142 and 8144.

Also, our two sister theaters down the road have the same problem. One has two prints which are both scratched on reel 4, and the other has three prints all scratched on reel 4. All scratched in the same manner described above.

We're obviously getting the reels replaced, but has anyone else seen this?

Mark

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Mark J. Marshall
Film God

Posts: 3188
From: New Castle, DE, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 11-15-2002 12:17 PM

Update:

I just spoke to our manager, and he told me that when he called the depot, the guy's response was, "Oh GOD - - - You too????"

Wonderful.

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Dennis Benjamin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1445
From: Denton, MD
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 11-15-2002 06:50 PM

No -however

one of our prints had a reel 4 of "the ring" instead of a harry potter reel -

what a freakin nightmare!!!!!!!

------------------
"Running through life at 24 frames per second"

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Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 11-15-2002 08:25 PM

I screened one of the prints last night and I was out of the auditorium for a while, probably most of reel four. However, today I got a complaint about a scratch in HP. I wrote it off to a threading mistake earlier, but I'll have to double check it now to see if it is indeed in reel four.

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Jacob Huber
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 172
From: Evansville, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 11-15-2002 11:13 PM

One of our 5 prints was scratched, but yes reel 4 was trashed worse than the rest of the print. I just chalked it up to make-up or screening error (of which I did neither).

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 11-16-2002 02:15 PM

Similar base scratches on a particular reel, on a batch of prints that have close to the same print number, is most likely a scratch that was picked up during processing. Possible, but less likely, are scratches on the raw stock, or during printing.

Only a percentage of release prints can actually be inspected by projection. The viewers used at the tail end of processing machines may not always detect scratches because of the high speeds and the lack of specular resolution.

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Alex Grasic
Film Handler

Posts: 90
From: Toronto, ON, Canada
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 11-17-2002 01:48 AM

While on the topic of prints that are closely numbered, what are the print numbers for everyone else who has/had that problem? I'm lower down in the 200's but now I'm going to screen a print in the morning to double check!

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Ken McFall
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 615
From: Haringey, London.
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 11-17-2002 07:23 AM

I sat in on my night off to watch HP... OK so I need to get a life.. I was more than a little surprised to see two scratches in the print must have been about half way thru. Now that I've seen this post I'll have to check it out and see if the other print is scratched as well. I doubt anyone else would have noticed it as the scene was very busy so it wasn't 'in ya face'!

The only extra 'handling' we've done to the print is treat them with Film Guard. As the scratch was very brief I put it down to either careless make-up, or maybe even the film cleaner? This was the only mark in the whole print that I could see so its certainly not equipment.

Maybe I'll get someone else to sit in for me.... not too sure I could handle another dose of HP

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Carl Martin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1424
From: Oakland, CA, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 11-18-2002 03:04 AM

what is it about the 4th reel of movies? 2 local theaters that were playing 8 women had scratched reel 4's. at least one of them got a replacement reel, also scratched. that replacement reel was on the print i saw and let me tell you it wasn't just the odd base scratch. there were huge, persistant emulsion scratches, and jumpy splices. especially frustrating as it was otherwise a gorgeous film to look at.

as for the splices, it seems that would indicate that someone, somewhere down line, had to have excised some unrunnable footage and must surely have seen the scratches and, mindbogglingly, still allowed the reel to be sent to a theater.

carl

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Mark J. Marshall
Film God

Posts: 3188
From: New Castle, DE, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 11-18-2002 08:23 AM

There was definitely a problem with them. The depot ran out of replacement reel fours. Between us and our two sister theaters down the road, we had SEVEN of them that needed replacing. I replaced both of them this weekend and watched one (replacing reel #4 in a nine reel print built up on a platter - ARGG!!) which was fine. I'll watch the other tonight.

Mark

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