"Emulsion side out" request for returning 35mm prints?

[Brad Miller]

The less rewinding and handling you do, the better off the print will be.

[Ryan Gallagher]

The less rewinding and handling you do, the better off the print will be.

Cool, we'll let them rest as is heads out until screening date. Thanks.

[Jim Cassedy]

This thread is starting to remind me of those endless
arguments about which way a roll of toilet paper should hang. . .

Quick Quiz:
Q: Does TP have an emulsion side?
A: Only after it's been used.

[Steve Guttag]

As I stated in a previous thread when it came to print inspection/repair. There shouldn't be a debate...it's the lender's print. You either follow their rules or don't borrow their print. They don't have to lend it to you. If you are curious as to their reasoning, you can always ask but if you do, I would definitely do it in a manner of a question without any spouting of one's prior knowledge mixed into the conversation. Someone has made a decision and you were not in on that meeting, nor on the list of those to be consulted.

[Jesse Crooks]

I would only be concerned if there were a reason that damage might occur due to the proud edges. If you have a reel cabinet of the typical style where each compartment is just an open slot it should be fine. I have one cabinet that has reel holders attached to the door, and a couple of them are slightly bent, so there is some pressure on the reel as you insert it. If I have a very uneven wind and need to store in that cabinet, I will rewind again to give it a smooth wind so there's no chance of crushing any proud edges, just out of an abundance of caustion. That's one of the reasons why that cabinet is relegated for use as overflow storage for preshow material or training prints, not features.

Of course, if you have inadequate storage and are doing something crazy like stacking the reels in a pile so the reels on the bottom are bearing the load of the reels above them, it could be a problem.

But if inspecting from tails to heads as we did, it's not the best wind due to the handling and pausing.

Would it be advisable to do a hands off set of rewinds to avoid storing such an uneven wind for two weeks on house reels? (Acetate Print)

[Brad Miller]

As I stated in a previous thread when it came to print inspection/repair. There shouldn't be a debate...it's the lender's print. You either follow their rules or don't borrow their print. They don't have to lend it to you. If you are curious as to their reasoning, you can always ask but if you do, I would definitely do it in a manner of a question without any spouting of one's prior knowledge mixed into the conversation. Someone has made a decision and you were not in on that meeting, nor on the list of those to be consulted.

Steve really makes the most important point here. It isn't your print and if you want to run it, you MUST run it however you are instructed to...period!

Some of the most common issues I see in these regards are:

If you are told that you cannot cut the print, then under no circumstances can you cut it anywhere for any reason. If they say you CAN cut and platter the print but you may not not leave an ID frame on the leaders, then do not leave an ID frame on the leaders. It's not hard.

If you are not permitted to put any sort of automation cues on the print or tape marks on the leaders, then don't even consider trying to be sneaky about it by putting them on and then peeling them off later. No means no.

If the lender says it's fine for you to run a film cleaner, then great you can do that if you want to, but if they don't give permission, do not assume it is fine. Always ask if it is ok before you do, as this one may vary by lender or by specific title.

If the print is sent on a bunch of 1000 foot rolls or even on 6000 foot rolls, then that's exactly how you will run it. Don't whine about it. The distributor sent it out that way for a reason and your opinion does not matter. Do you want to run it or not?

If you want to splice on additional lengths of head and tail leader to the tip end of the leaders already on the print to better protect the film from handling wear, that's not going to be a problem. However if you get a print and think the leader is too long for your tastes, no you may not simply cut off what you feel is excess nor can you remove it and splice it back on later. It was placed there for a reason. Similarly don't be one of those lousy projectionists that circumvents a long leader by winding around the projector until you get to the countdown. Always thread on the first available section of the leader that has framelines and use your projector motor to advance down to the starting frame from there. Every projectionist who is actually good (not just someone who thinks they are good) understands how dirt migrates a layer with each rewind, and how dirt turns into scratches. You will never find that quality level of projectionist threading on or within a few frames of the starting frame.

Whatever you do remember Steve's point, it is not your print and if you want to run the film you have exactly one option, do as you are instructed. It is not open to interpretation nor is it negotiable. If you ignore the handling instructions or whine like a baby over something you don't agree with, you are just begging to land your theater on a blacklist or for your theater to receive an invoice for the replacement cost of the print. I've personally seen these things happen TWICE in the last year. The studios are getting tired of carelessness, complaining, disregard for the policies and film damage in general. Personally I applaud them for sticking it to theaters that can't follow the rules.

Remember when it comes to running film in 2025, basically every print is now considered an archival print.

In other news, regarding Jim's post above, the intelligent way to load a roll of toilet paper is such that it unrolls to the front and away from the wall, not up against it. Putting the toilet paper roll so it unwinds behind the roll next to the wall means as people are wiping their ass, any little bit of poo that might miss and get on their hand is then highly likely to brush up against the wall where it will hang out there waiting for you to reach over and brush your hand against the wall as you are grabbing some tp from the roll. This is purely logical and far more sanitary. That being said the one valid reason some people load their toilet paper rolls backwards is because they may have cats that like to unroll the ENTIRE roll if it unwinds away from the wall, whereas cats can't unroll toilet paper if it is loaded to unroll from the back side. The point being, if you are visiting someone at their home and find the toilet paper unwinding against the wall, then either that person has cats, or they are just stupid. Still, if you want to wipe your butt in their house, you should respect their choices for the orientation of their toilet paper. (Just try to not get someone else's poo on your hand!)

[Ryan Gallagher]

I would only be concerned if there were a reason that damage might occur due to the proud edges. If you have a reel cabinet of the typical style where each compartment is just an open slot it should be fine. I have one cabinet that has reel holders attached to the door, and a couple of them are slightly bent, so there is some pressure on the reel as you insert it. If I have a very uneven wind and need to store in that cabinet, I will rewind again to give it a smooth wind so there's no chance of crushing any proud edges, just out of an abundance of caustion. That's one of the reasons why that cabinet is relegated for use as overflow storage for preshow material or training prints, not features.

Of course, if you have inadequate storage and are doing something crazy like stacking the reels in a pile so the reels on the bottom are bearing the load of the reels above them, it could be a problem.

thankfully we still have cabinets. One bank is the slot style, one is the door attached style. Valid thoughts. These are our VG condition modern 6hole Goldberg cast reels, which should protect, but will service those straps on the doors and look for pinching soon.