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Author Topic: "View From The Top" - Bad Azimuth? Rick Long Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 759 From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Registered: Nov 1999 posted 04-09-2003 09:39 PM                     Highlight II, Simplex Millenium with 5-star soundhead Dolby CP-500 Feature" View From The Top" While doing service at one of our theatres this morning, the projectionist mentioned to me that he had to switch of the auto digital function in his 500 due to frequent drop-outs in the feature "View From The Top". Scoped the digital, was only a little below optimum level. Raised it to where it should be. I had been thinking for some time, of using Brad's idea of an "average" film strip to use as a basis for azimuth settings. I connected and set up the DRAS to check the various azimuth errors of the corporate trailers (adds), trailers and feature in this cinema where the drop-outs had been. Following are my azimuth readings (in brackets); CORPORATE TRAILERS: Dove (0) KIA (1) Hewlett Packard (1) National Post (0) 2010 bid (0) Coming Soon snipe (-1) PREVIEWS: Shaolin Scoccer (0) Down With Love (0) Identitiy (0) Feature Pres.snipe(-1) "VIEW" Reel 1 (4) "VIEW" Reel 2 (3) As you can see, ignoring the feature, practically any one of these could have been used as an average without going to far astray. Until, of course one includes the feature. These azimuth rates would skew the other results. As drop outs did not occur during the corps or trailers one must assume that it is the azimiuth on the feature that is at fault. Has anyone ever tried ordering a replacement print using "bad azimuth" as an excuse?  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-09-2003 09:53 PM                     No, but simply saying, "Won't play in Dolby Digital", is a perfectly good excuse. If they try to blame it on your equipment you have three "outs": 1) The theater's engineer has calibrated the equipment to recommended specifications on <insert date here>. 2) All OTHER prints, previews and advertisements play PERFECTLY. 3) This print does not play in Dolby Digital no matter which projector it is played on. If they don't give you a new print after THAT maybe you should collect up all the receipts from the rain checks you had to give out because of poor sound then take them to TES's office and STAPLE THEM TO THE WOMAN'S FOREHEAD!  |  IP: Logged Tom Wienholt Master Film Handler Posts: 371 From: Towson, MD, USA Registered: Dec 2002 posted 04-09-2003 10:23 PM                     quote: If they don't give you a new print after THAT maybe you should collect up all the receipts from the rain checks you had to give out because of poor sound then take them to TES's office and STAPLE THEM TO THE WOMAN'S FOREHEAD! Just because the movie couldn't be shown in digital doesn't mean that the quality of the sound will be bad. That doesn't really make sense.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-09-2003 10:42 PM                     Yes, I agree that a properly tuned analog system can sound just as good as a digital one. ...BUT... First, if you advertise that the movie was to be played in digital sound and then customers somehow catch you NOT playing it in digital sound, for whatever reason, you OWE it to them. Second, you want him to get a new print, don't you?  |  IP: Logged Tom Wienholt Master Film Handler Posts: 371 From: Towson, MD, USA Registered: Dec 2002 posted 04-09-2003 11:07 PM                     Yes, I think he should get a new print.  |  IP: Logged Rick Long Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 759 From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Registered: Nov 1999 posted 04-09-2003 11:55 PM                     I have advised the manager to get in touch with his district manager ect., ect., and hopefully they will order a new print. I only wish they would call us earlier when this happens, this print has been here for at least a week now.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 04-10-2003 04:54 AM                     Interesting. I find it rare to see the azimuth range more than +-2 from "average" on a large trailer pack. Generally they are all -1, 0 or +1. I'm betting it was bad printing. I'll look at the error rate on this film tomorrow when I am out and about, but there have been no playback issues here.  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 04-10-2003 12:45 PM                     The prints that I, Press screened for Miramax ran fine with no problems in the SRD track. About a year ago we were doing a answer print check of the SRD track to the restoration of the film "El Topo". The lab had printed the off center and it would not play. The back-up was mono and the SRD was 5.1 .  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 04-10-2003 02:22 PM                        An azimuth issue is more likely due to the sound negative recorder than the printer. If the sound negative has an azimuth problem, all prints would be affected. A sound negative problem normally would be caught in lab QC, but a printing problem with a single reel might get missed.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 04-10-2003 08:19 PM                     I just looked at a print running on a cat701 reader with a CP500 and it is sitting firmly on "0", occasionally flipping to "1". This is in the last reel. I'll try and remember to look at it in a bit when it restarts for reel 1 and 2. John, couldn't that only affect one of the printing negatives and not literally every print?  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 04-10-2003 09:40 PM                        quote: John, couldn't that only affect one of the printing negatives and not literally every print? If the azimuth problem were with the sound negative recorder, it's likely most of the sound negatives for that production would be affected until the problem was caught. But yes, multiple negatives are made for each reel, depending on the number of prints in the release and the number of labs worldwide doing the printing.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 04-10-2003 09:54 PM                     Reel 1 is toggling between 1-2 evenly. Reel 2 is sitting firmly on 1.  |  IP: Logged

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