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Topic: Depot Etiquette

Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 10-01-1999 08:02 PM

While we're on the etiquette rules for projectionists, how about etiquette rules for the depots?

I'm 100% positive Technicolor will not listen to our pleas (even though they're probably lurking around), but here goes:

Please don't use reels that don't fit together firmly!!!
Take that extra half second when mounting the film between the reels so that the drive pin hole in the core lines up with the drive pin hole in the reel. Note: this may be half the reason why so many of these clip together reels are broken, because projectionist have to break them apart (not always knowing how) to remount the core.
When using reel bands, NEVER I repeat NEVER put the label over the little string catcher!!! What mastermind is doing this??? We have to destroy the labels just to get the reel band off and then why bother putting them back on since there is no label? This usually breaks the string too. Please put the label about 1-2 inches from this little knob and THEN wrap the string around the band. As far as I'm concerned, if I find one done like this, they ALL get thrown in the trash. If Technicolor doesn't care, then I will not either.
If you ABSOLUTELY MUST attach a trailer to the head of reel one, PLEASE follow these directions:
*Cut the leader off at the "3" on the countdown. This may surprise you depot guys, but the soundtrack is AHEAD of the picture and by finding the first visible frame of the studio logo destroys the fade up and the intro music! (This nonsense will also ensure a call for a replacement reel at my theater.)
*Cut the trailer's head leader off at the first frame of black. Do NOT just run down until you find the start of the green band. This looks bad on screen. The black ahead of the green band should be preserved for those of us who run them.
*Cut the trailer's tail leader on the last frame of black. Again, having the "coming soon" slate just pop off is pure laziness.
*And please make these splices in frame!
*Oh yes, and please don't eat fried chicken while you're attaching those trailers.
Finally, remember that EACH print gets it's own individual number. When you label two prints with one number, that theater gets an extra print while another theater gets shorted one.

Anyone else?

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Tom Ferreira
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 203
From: Conway, NH, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-02-1999 12:12 AM

Excellent suggestions, Brad, though I'm sure they could care less. I'm still trying to figure out why the reel id labels go right over the string catcher. Right in the trash with them. As far as I'm concerned, it's easier for the next guy to identify the reel number right off the head or tail with no blank paper band in the way. Remember when trailers used to come banded? Hopefully these annoyances will be a thing of the past soon. What's really pissing me off is these cracked reels with the jagged edges. Can one of us sue Technicolor when we slice the tendons open in our hand? Pure laziness and cheapness on their part.

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Aaron Mehocic
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 804
From: New Castle, PA, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-04-1999 10:57 AM

And one more point about the reel bands...

PLEASE BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE IF YOU ARE GOING TO WRITE ON THESE!!!!!

"Mystery, Alaska" came to our theater last week with writing that was NO DOUBT that of a six year old kid. Probably "sick", stayed home from school, went with mom to work because she can't find a baby sitter, and just wrote all over the reel bands. I'll bet the people there thought it was "cute"!

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Rick Uhlhorn
Film Handler

Posts: 11
From: Cedar Park, Texas USA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 10-31-1999 08:23 PM

Just a thought. Don't sue, send a registered letter to Technicolor stating the danger of their reels that have jagged edges and the danger of broken reels that come apart when running at high speed. Then send a copy of the letter and a complaint to OSHA. Some fun. Can you imagine how much paper work and visits from govt. employees with little skinny ties and briefcases that Technicolor will have to deal with. Everything Brad said is true. I deal with the same problems every week. Have a good time with this one, any jail house attornies out there?

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Nicholas McRobert
Film Handler

Posts: 38
From: Belfast, N. Ireland
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 11-01-1999 07:39 AM

I never understood why the USA kept shipping films on reels.....the problems concerned with broken reels etc. are avoided in Europe by shipping flat-wound prints in 2000' plastic cans. The distributors/labs are responsible for everything except the actual shipping/storage, and as far as I know, there isn't any organisation like technicrap who actually "handle" the films or screw around with stuff like identification bands. As far as having complaints....we just go straight to the distributor. They usually sort things out within a day or so at most.

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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99

posted 11-01-1999 09:47 AM

Actually, having had to deal with prints shipped in 2000' cans, I perfer reels, even technicolor reels.

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Aaron Sisemore
Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day!

Posts: 3061
From: Rockwall TX USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 11-01-1999 01:10 PM

I second that one Jim. One of the things i hate most about film festivals is the prints on cores in the 2000' metal cans, and the cans appear to have been run over by a freight train, and the film on cores inside is all unwound, Need I go on? Give me reels of any kind anyday.

Aaron

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Nicholas McRobert
Film Handler

Posts: 38
From: Belfast, N. Ireland
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 11-01-1999 01:54 PM

Oh well, each to their own! Most of the films that we receive are in pretty good condition. The only ones that have any kind of damage are usually secondhand imports from the USA (first-run for the UK, several months after US release). The can system is obviously one that works here. Then again, we still have a majority of full-time "professional" projectionists in employment at cinemas here. No doubt the situation would be different if we had a chain like AMC....

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 11-01-1999 02:16 PM

Here's my two cents...

Assuming the cans would be of fairly decent material, give me cans any day over Technicolor reels! I'm used to handling film on cores (every Tech print) as well as on 6000' cores, so why not start with a core? Far too often I've pulled a Technicolor film out of a can, tested it, thought "wow, a reel that's not broken" only for halfway through winding the film off of the reel for the outer flange to pop off, hit me in the head and then go bowling itself into the stack of broken Technicolor reels I have nearby. I'll take the cores.

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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99

posted 11-02-1999 12:23 AM

Of course, the real fun starts when there are no cores... Most prints I have deslt with that came in those cans came with no cores.

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