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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Author
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Topic: Changing Ways
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Thomas Dieter
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 234
From: Yakima, WA
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 07-31-2005 02:45 AM
I have to say that I try my best to do what I can to not "suck". I didn't know any different than what I had been taught. I use to never put a "Tail Tag" on as my first theatre placed the title and sound formats on a white board with the show times on the lamp house console. So, no tape was put on the tail except for what the distributor put on.
No I don't have an abundance of "Clear Leader" to add to my prints, all though I have been Accumulating a lot of it from the ETS prints. Unlike Technicolor, they tend to leave large amounts of Clear leader on the heads and tails of their prints. That's how I've made most of my tail wraps.
Placing leader at the end of the movie to me seems like it would be pointless, unless you are looking to not scratch the tail of the print or you are interlocking. You still have to pick it up from the floor, and it still wraps against the print when on the platter, there for transferring the dirt and oil collected to the previous wrap of the print, and so on so forth. I can see that would work if you were replacing the tail leader every show, but that would be tedious.
I do not consider myself to be a professional nor can i say my booths are perfect, although I strive to be as professional in every aspect. Meaning, I was taught to do something one way. If it was incorrect, or there was a better way to execute that task, I'd adapt, like threading bottom to top.
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Frank Angel
Film God
Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 07-31-2005 06:53 AM
Here again I endorse the new Sharpie Silver Metalic marking pens for writing on film. The results are markings that are highly reflective and are clearly visible on the film, no matter if it is clear leader, black leader or even junk trailer film with images. It works on that red or green painted leader stuff. For use on that last 25ft of added leader, no matter what it is, it will show up perfectly.
I used to put artist tape on every head and tail so I could write on it with Black or Blue Sharpie, red on the tails. The tape was necessary for any Sharpie pen to be clearly visible, especially on black leader. But now with this new silver metalic stuff, I no longer put any tape on the leaders; I just write with the silver and the lettering contrasts with whatever film you've written on. Putting title, sound and picture format information takes half the time than it did with tape first then marking.
Get yourself a couple of these pens and you will never use anything else.
And, best of all -- it comes off with one single swipe of a cloth with a little FG or Ecco 1500 on it. For those who MUST mark reel joints, this is the stuff because it comes off so easily. If you accidently get any in the picture or sound area, it comes off easier than anything else you've ever used, even grease pencil.
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Thomas Dieter
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 234
From: Yakima, WA
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 08-01-2005 12:45 AM
quote: Brad Miller
What's the fix? Extra head leader. It's not hard, you just have to care enough about your presentation to do it.
This is true, but when everyone at your theatre say make the leader shorter cause I have to advance through all of it before threading, it's harder. I'm the only one that uses the manual douser to open a show. Everyone else uses it until they hit the start button and lets the auto douser open the show.
Here's everything that I've changed about my operation habits. I was taught to thread to the roller above the projector unit, and let it drop on the floor. Now I'm threading to the platter, advanceing to the beginning of the threading leader and threading bottem up. (Easy with AW3s and Projectors without doors and slits for film like Century) Always pick up my tails and wiping the tail between two fingers. Extra head leader on all my leaders (cept when asked by management to shorten). Clear tape only on all splices, although on ETS prints cause it's not guarenteed I will break those down and other complain cause they can't see (I know, you're not suppose to see the splice. If you can, your audiance can). I know there's more that I've changed from what I was trained, but it's escaping me right now.
My orginal question still hasn't been Answered. What's the reason for a tail tag other than to know what print you are threading when prints are doubled up?
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Jack Ondracek
Film God
Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 08-01-2005 02:12 AM
Generous head leader makes good sense. Being a drive-in, dust is always a problem. We have probably 30 or 40 feet of old trailer film ahead of our mylar countdown leaders. After threading, we hit the start on our automations. the film advances to a cue on the mylar leader, then coasts to a stop very near where we want it to be when the start sequence begins. This addresses the advance leader issue, as well as giving us plenty of time to verify proper operation before the show starts.
As Brad says, tag leader (plenty of old trailer film) keeps the feature clean right up through the very end of the print, whether you project it or not.
All that, plus the FG process, and our prints look great right up through the end of their runs.
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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 08-01-2005 05:10 PM
I personally don't use trailer scraps (or any film with picture and track) for extra leader. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I'm afraid that it might confuse people, if not at the theatre that is showing the film, but possibly at the next house.
When I first started doing film work, I received a print that had a hundred feet or so of some random trailer spliced onto the last reel. At the time, I'd never worked with platters, and couldn't understand why anyone would do such a thing. In retrospect, I realize that someone was doing the right thing by adding extra tail leader, but it didn't make sense to me at the time.
In an automated platter house, there is also the possibility that the end-of-show cue might get missed or that the changeover might not close completely. In this case, I'd rather not subject the audience to random bits of another film. Admittedly, the possibility of this happening is rare in a theatre with good maintenance practices.
For these reasons, I prefer to use clear leader (which can be made by bleaching junk film) for heads and tails.
Regardless of whether a theatre runs reels or platters, adding extra leader is one of the best (and easiest) ways to improve presentation quality.
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