Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: "Narnia" is a 9-reel print

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Film Handlers' Forum » "Narnia" is a 9-reel print (Page 1)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2

Author

Topic: "Narnia" is a 9-reel print

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-05-2005 09:12 PM

Had a call from Technicolor tonight saying that "Narnia" is going to ship on 9 reels in 3 cans.

Also said they are going to deliver on Wed. [thumbsup]

Why in the world is it NINE reels? If it's 140 minutes, I'd think 7 would be plenty.

| IP: Logged

Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!

Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000

posted 12-05-2005 09:43 PM

Guess they've decided to not load the reels all the way up to 2k each. Japan's Studio Ghibli does that, usually loading up to only about 1.5k on each reel.

| IP: Logged

Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 12-05-2005 10:20 PM

Perhaps the editor is from the old school where they didn't want to break reels at place with music. With some title this can mean really oddly loaded reels, but many a change-over projectionist was happy for that system. This was very prevelent with musicals where change-over were rarely in the middle of the songs.

Hey, don't complain about 9 reels? Try MY FAIR LADY topping out at 14!! It could have easily been put on 9, but then there would the danger of hearing: "I'm gettin married in the mor....BLUP....els are gonna shine...."

| IP: Logged

Robert John Jeromson
Master Film Handler

Posts: 264
From: Auckland, New Zealand
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 12-05-2005 10:56 PM

From memory Moulin Rouge was 128 minutes on 9 reels and most of those were small, which I thought at the time was curious.

| IP: Logged

John Stewart
Film Handler

Posts: 67
From: Austin, TX, USA
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 12-05-2005 11:41 PM

We played Hamlet in 70mm a few years ago and it seemed like it was 20 reels or there about. A couple seemed to be much less than 10min. each.

| IP: Logged

Peter Mork
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 181
From: Newton, MA, USA
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 12-05-2005 11:44 PM

Recently, "Nine Lives" shipped on nine reels (one life per reel). Would've fit on six. No excuses of the sort Frank mentioned.

No one cares about us booth rats.

| IP: Logged

Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 12-05-2005 11:53 PM

I remember with the 35mm release of "Ben-Hur"-the full length version - was sent out on 16 reels, but on an average of 9 to 12 minutes each.

Then Paramount sent "10 Commandments" on 12 full reels...

...go figure. Maybe the labs love to play games..

-Monte

| IP: Logged

Dominic Espinosa
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1172
From: Boulder Creek, CA.
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 12-06-2005 12:15 AM

I can live with 9 reels.
It was those 13 of Gods & Generals that I couldn't stand.
At 4 hours it was a monster.

EDIT: I agree with Monte. The labs are evil.
Wasn't the last from on both leaders for each reel of feardotcom different than the frame preceeding it?

| IP: Logged

Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 12-06-2005 06:23 AM

Dont blame the lab. Its the editor. Id take full reels anyday over little short ones.

I'm getting 3 prints of Narnia on Wednesday.

| IP: Logged

John Pytlak
Film God

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

posted 12-06-2005 07:37 AM

I agree. Reel length is an editorial decision, not normally a lab decision. I would much rather see short reels with reel changes having a minimal impact on continuity than trying to fill every reel with changes in the middle of important dialog or action.

| IP: Logged

Adam Wilbert
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 590
From: Bellingham, WA, USA
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 12-06-2005 11:51 AM

too bad the same doesn't apply to DVD layer switches.

| IP: Logged

Dominic Espinosa
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1172
From: Boulder Creek, CA.
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 12-06-2005 12:49 PM

quote:
I would much rather see short reels with reel changes having a minimal impact on continuity than trying to fill every reel with changes in the middle of important dialog or action.[QUOTE]

That's a great pipe dream, John. Unfortunately some features are still really slopilly edited so as to have the changeovers in the middle of a scene. I recall Star Trek: Nemisis had at least one cut like that.

One of the things I liked about Kill Bill Vol. 2 was that some of the changeovers took place over black film therfor making the changeover completely seemless unless one was looking for the cue marks.
I wonder how many non-film-teching theaters just lobbed it off after at some random location though...

[QUOTE=Adam Wilbert]too bad the same doesn't apply to DVD layer switches.

Agreed.

| IP: Logged

Steve Scott
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1300
From: Minneapolis, MN
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 12-06-2005 06:39 PM

Could this have come from removal/alteration of certain scenes?

It was snowy & slow today, so I typed up this blurb/pseudo-monty python addition to TES' fax & copied the whole thing...

Three is the number of cans that shall be delivered. Not four or five, but three exactly. Two shall not be the number of cans received, unless directly proceeded by three.

May your cinema reap the harvest of lambs and chickens and widebeasts and sloths...

| IP: Logged

Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 12-07-2005 09:39 PM

I agree with JP. I recently saw an old title that had 7 full reels, and one of them has a dance number that continues thru a changeover. Its pretty jarring.

R2 of Narnia starts with a shot that made me look twice to be sure I had the frame cut right. Anybody else notice that one?

| IP: Logged

Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-07-2005 09:49 PM

quote: Monte L Fullmer
Then Paramount sent "10 Commandments" on 12 full reels...

The original preview for that film was just about one full reel..... Ole C.B was quite a long winded guy!

Mark

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.