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Author Topic: Make-up/Break-down times Rob Ferreira Film Handler Posts: 25 From: Conway, NH, USA Registered: Oct 2005 posted 10-15-2005 12:58 AM                        I am far from an expert on the make-up/break-down of films, and I am curious as to how long it takes most projectionists to do these tasks. The last time I put a movie together, I believe it took me close to an hour (at least it was all correctly spliced, etc. ) This was probably 3 years ago. I'm not even going to say how long it takes me to break down a film What is everyone elses general timeframes?  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 10-15-2005 01:42 AM                     I can stick a print together within 45 minutes, and break one down in 20minutes using a STRONG MUT. - Monte  |  IP: Logged Amanda Jones Film Handler Posts: 92 From: Indianapolis, IN, USA Registered: Aug 2005 posted 10-15-2005 02:18 AM                     I'm about the same. 45-60 on a movie (depending on length) and about 20 minutes on a tear down. We have a shift manager who is tear down god. He can tear them down correctly without damage in 10 minutes or less.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 10-15-2005 02:45 AM                     quote: We have a shift manager who can tear down good. He can tear them down correctly without damage in 10 minutes or less. ..one speedy hombre! You guys use clear or opaque tape? If using opaque tape, I can see my Mr. Speedy is being so fast... -Monte  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 10-15-2005 02:48 AM                     With a CFS platter I can get a 6 reel film from cans to platters (excluding the trailer pack and cues) in about 15 minutes, and can go from platter to cans with zero damage (no jokes about 'simply running on a CFS damages the print', thanks... ) in about 10 minutes. With a Christie AW3, I can go from cans to platter in about 45 minutes, 25-30 min. if I make up to 6000' reels first, and about 20 minutes from platter to cans. I would not recommend high-speed makeup or breakdown as standard procedure. Too much to go horribly wrong very quickly if things go awry. -Aaron [ 10-15-2005, 04:10 AM: Message edited by: Aaron Sisemore ]  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 10-15-2005 02:53 AM                     Yea "Charlie Film Systems"...lol Yea, got that right. Especially, when TECH loves to lock the end of the tail leader in the flange locks and "WHAM!"...damned table gets pulled and slams into the platter when you're not looking and paying attention. Damned "poly film" sometimes...  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 10-15-2005 03:44 AM                     Makeup with a platter reel (assuming the trailer pack has already been assembled as "reel #0" and assuming all reels arrive heads out) 20-30 minutes for a 7'ish reel movie doing a full proper inspection and putting on cues as needed. Breakdown 15 minutes for a normal 7'ish reel movie with no markings on the film of any sort and ultrasonic splices (not tape). The trick is in having everything neatly organized so 90% of your breakdown time is spent with the reel spinning, not fumbling around trying to get leaders reattached. (BTW, anyone breaking down without a splicer and making REAL splices, either single or double sided, is NOT breaking down. They are making a mess and damaging the film.)  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 10-15-2005 04:12 AM                     Of course all my leaders get spliced on (clear NeuTape, single sided) on breakdown. Using Goldberg platter reels are 'cheating': it's not like every theatre has them! (Yes, they all should... and yes they all need Kinotons too... we have heard it all before, Brad) -Aaron  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 10-15-2005 04:52 AM                     I've never used a platter, and never handled a new print of a feature, but to make up onto 6ks generally takes me about half the running time. It depends on how the print arrives, whether head or tail out, or a mixture of the two, whether I have a second rewind bench available, how much muck there is to be cleaned off the ends of the reels before re-splicing, etc. I had one recently which took me almost four hours, I think that's the worst I've ever had for a normal film. Spending five minutes preparing each pair of reel-ends, i.e. removing multiple layers of old tape, sticky labels, general muck etc. is not unusual. In that case there's no way I'm going to get it done in an hour. To break down a print, generally abut half an hour.  |  IP: Logged Michael Cunningham Expert Film Handler Posts: 186 From: Anchorage, AK Registered: Nov 1999 posted 10-15-2005 09:48 AM                     Wow, you guys are fast. I usualy build-up, including trailers, cues, junk tail / lable, etc. in an hour and a half. This is building onto 6000's on a rewind bench, reversing, then loading. Of course, I've never worked in a theatre where I didn't have to be threading and starting at the same time, so maybe that has something to do with it. Break-down takes about a half hour.  |  IP: Logged Jeffry L. Johnson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 809 From: Cleveland, Ohio, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 10-15-2005 10:34 AM                        My estimates for budgeting time is running time of feature for inspection and loading onto platter. Breakdown is half running time of feature.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-15-2005 11:20 AM                        For me, it depends on the condition of the print, the amount of other stuff that needs to be done at the same time, and whether I am making up/breaking down to/from a platter (via 6000' reels), 6000' reels, or 2000' reels. The length of the film is also a factor. In most cases, inspection and makeup takes me about an hour. If there are trailers, it might take longer. It actually takes slightly more time to makeup for projection on 2000' reels (compared with platter or 6000' reels), since I need to measure the cues and also like to label the heads and tails of each reel. On the other hand, the film can go on screen as soon as the first reel is inspected. Breakdown from a platter takes me about 30 minutes for a standard length (5-7 reels) feature. I usually remove any trailers prior to the last show and break those down on the bench as the show runs. It takes slightly longer when a film ships on cores, since each reel has to be rewound onto a core after being broken down from a platter. When running 2000' reels, I usually take up directly onto shipping reels (unless they are in bad condition), and "breakdown" takes about 30 seconds after the show ends. With 6000' reels, I usually run the last reel on a 2000' reel, so that everything else can be broken down by the time the show ends. I do then rewind that last reel so that everything is heads out. In any case, I wouldn't put too much emphasis on makeup and breakdown times, although it's nice to know that I can tell a manager that the film that ends at 9:30 will be ready for pickup at 10:00, or that the print that is scheduled for a 12:00 show will need to arrive no later than 11:00 in order for the show to start on time (assuming a platter house).  |  IP: Logged Amanda Jones Film Handler Posts: 92 From: Indianapolis, IN, USA Registered: Aug 2005 posted 10-15-2005 12:09 PM                     When we build we use the yellow edge tape and we use the clear tape when taking out factory splices. I think the reason he is so good at it is because he to once worked for GCC and their union liked to mark their splices with the white grease pencils, so this guy got used to where the end of a reel was.  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 10-15-2005 01:39 PM                     I never hurry when I break down. I have Christie AW-3's and simply wind the film back off onto the 6000 foot reels. Then I wind everything off onto the appropriate reels, or, cores, if its something I will run again. Rushing this job is just asking for trouble.  |  IP: Logged Jon Miller Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 973 From: San Diego, CA, USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 10-15-2005 02:38 PM                     When it comes to making up and breaking down prints, I'm a tortoise: about an hour to an hour and a half per print to make up, and about 45 minutes to an hour per print to break down. There's a catch...all prints I handle in my film-festival work are inspected and spliced onto 6000-foot reels using a Kelmar inspection bench; the 6Ks are then rewound and transferred to the platter. Most prints I work with come on cores, and more often than not I find heads and tails spliced on with layers of low-quality tape. The bench inspection process is inherently time-consuming, as is peeling off old splicing tape and cleaning off adhesive residue from the film ends with a rag dampened in Film-Guard. After the showing, I offload the print from the platter onto 6Ks, then bench-wind each reel back onto the cores to ensure a tight, flat wind. All spices are peeled, never torn. Sometimes I feel like I'm wasting time, but the satisfaction of doing the right thing more than makes up for the additonal time spent.  |  IP: Logged

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