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Topic: Why not build onto the platter?

James Dunn
Film Handler

Posts: 23

Registered: Oct 1999

posted 10-26-1999 12:26 PM

This may sound like a dumb question to those of you who've been building for a while, but why does it seem to be the concensus that building directly onto the platter is a bad thing? We've got a make-up table that rolls right up next to the platter and movies are spliced one reel at a time onto the platter. It seems like a logical system to me. What are the disadvantages to doing it this way? How would you advise that it be done?
(I'm new to this and am taking the advise given to me on this BBS, "Ask lots of questions"... I hope I don't drive you all nuts. lol)

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Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 10-26-1999 12:43 PM

I am a collector. I have gotten new prints in the past. I will not run anything new or old before it gets a thorough check out. Even new prints can (and do) have bad splices in them.

If you are loading directly on the platter, you are probably coating your platter surface with that grey gunk that some exchanges manage to get all over the prints. Not to mention any defect in the print will be very hard to fix after loading.

I think it makes sense to check each reel thoroughly FIRST.

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Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-26-1999 12:45 PM

Why I like to build up at the make-up table / workbench.

1. There is light at the make-up table.
2. There is a comfortable stool at the make-up table.
3. All of the supplies are at the make-up table.
4. I can be making up a print while the platter mutt is spinning the print on to the platter. No, Joe, this isn’t a crack about you.
5. The film counter and frame line checker are at the make-up table.
6. There is a light in the make-up table so I can check the quality of the print.
7. While I am comfortably sitting at the make-up table, I hand check the print, looking for lab-splices. (These should be removed and re-made.)
8. The telephone is near the make-up table so I can call and bitch to Technicolor about the sorry state of their prints.
9. The radio is near the make-up table so I can pretend I’m doing something else.
10. The make-up table is faster than a Christie Autowind III Platter.
11. While the platter mutt is winding the film on to the platter, slowly, I don’t need to attend it. I can be doing something else; like building up another print.
12. My coke is less likely to spill while on the make-up table.
13. There is paper towels at the make-up table so I can wipe the popcorn oil off of my hands before I handle the print.
14. The trailer cabinet is near the make-up table.
15. The leaders and policy trailers are at the make-up table.
16. I don’t have to bend over as much at the make-up table.
17. At my old theatre there were two make-up tables side by side so that I could rewind on the second table, while continuing to work on the first table.

There are bonus points, if you tell me how many times I typed “make-up table.”

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Erika Hellgren
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 168
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-26-1999 03:55 PM

Though some of Ian's points may seem superficial, believe me it makes a big difference to have everything you need right next to you.

But my biggest reason for not making up directly to the platter is - YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING! Lots of times when I'm building up I find pieces of tape in the print that could easily cause a brainwrap. There's no way I'd catch those if I built up to the platter. I could come up with a ton more examples, but I think you get the idea.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 10-26-1999 07:44 PM

Yeah Ian, like you have ever removed a lab splice!

I just feel that I do a much better job at the work-bench as opposed to straight to the platter. It is good to inspect the print. I wish all film came tails out 100% of the time. That would force people to build at the work bench (ha ha).

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Charles Lubner
Film Handler

Posts: 78
From: Milwaukee, WI USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 10-26-1999 08:51 PM

I've always built onto a platter....

For me it was necessary because also being a popcorn jockey, I simply did not have the time to make up the film on the rewind bench.

Even without checking the film first, I've found several prints that have had glitches, bad sprockets, scratches, etc., just by building up onto the platter. It just takes practice and patience.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-26-1999 08:51 PM

Maybe I'm totally nuts, but I must say that I personally prefer to do print inspection on a handcrank rewind bench if the print isn't in great condition. I think that it's easier on the film than constantly starting and stopping a motorized rewind bench, and it allows more thorough inspection of the film. Then again, I've never had the luxury of a variable-speed motorized rewind bench, which would probably be ideal for print inspection. Do "modern" booths even have handcrank rewind benches?

Although I've never worked with platters, I will say that I like to have a bunch of items on the rewind bench when inspecting a print; this stuff would never fit on the makeup tables that I've seen. A sync block is absolutely essential when making up trailer reels, since many trailers don't have framelines printed at the fade-in of the green/red band and at the fade-out of the credits at the end. A sync block is also a "must" when dealing with credits or dark scenes which are excessively splicy. I also like to have two different splicers--one with clear tape and one with zebra tape. I normally use clear tape exclusively, but the zebra tape is good for marking reel changes with prints that are exceptionally splicy.
A tape dispenser with artists' tape or painters' masking tape is important, too, since I use tape to hold coiled-up head and tail leaders for prints that don't come with reel bands. Other stuff that I like to have at the rewind bench: rack of common house trailers ("Dolby", "Concession Stand", "Feature Presentation", "Coming Soon", Academy countdowns, etc.); split reels; scissors (for cutting out large chunks of damaged footage); Sharpies (for labelling heads/tails and large reels); and other stuff that I can't think of right now.

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Charles Lubner
Film Handler

Posts: 78
From: Milwaukee, WI USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 10-26-1999 08:58 PM

Most modern booths DON'T have hand crank benches.

I work in a theatre that dates from 1936. We have a handcrank, and a Goldberg electric rewinder from the 40's. Before I started working there, no one knew how to use the Goldberg. I was also the first person to thoroughly clean the old Simplex XL in 5 years.

Part of the reason younger projectionists don't use rewind tables is the time involved. With so many theatres worried about high payroll, films have to be put together/taken apart in 1/2 hour, or else we get in trouble for wasting too much money!

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Scott Ribbens
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 118
From: Los Angeles
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 10-27-1999 01:01 AM

I agree, it's a time/money thing. The 16 plex that I once worked at, I did all of the film work myself. Thursday I had nine hours to do my payroll, build up all trailer packs for new movies, get the trailers together for all of the prints that were staying in the complex and needed trailer changes, tear down all of the prints that were leaving, build up all of the prints for Firday(we had a standing order to get all prints in on Thursday), move all of the prints that were changing auditoriums, and move up 12 digital processors/digital sound heads. Friday morning I would do all of the trailer changes, and break down trailer packs!

I just did not have the time,(nor do most others, I think) to inspect all of the prints coming into the building.

I would have liked to do it, but it just wasn't feasible. I would have liked to screen each print too!!

By the way, did you know that AMC policy is that all prints are screened before they are shown to the public!! (I never worked there, but there was one up the street from a theatre that I used to work at.)

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 10-27-1999 01:28 AM

To hell with payroll. If they aren't willing to pay you to do a good job, then forget it.If I had a ton of stuff like that to do on a Thursday night (and we all sometimes do) then I am going to do it the right way. If they told me I only have a certain amount of hours to get it done, then they had better authorize somebody else to help out in the booth while I do my thing. No way I would work my ass off for a company like that. They are taking advantage of you and trust me, they LOVE it! Of course, I do understand that not everybody has the option of working for a great company.

AMC prescreens their prints? I think you misunderstand their policy. The policy is stated verbatim as follows: "It is the policy of AMC Theatres to make sure all new films are prescratched before public veiwing..." it goes on and on, but do we really care about AMC?

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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 10-27-1999 02:56 AM

I usually do it both ways: I do trailers, cueing, and tails-out reel rewinding on the bench, then make the prepared print up directly to the platter.

All but two of our theatres have some kind of rewinds on the bench, whether they be electric or hand cranked.

Aaron

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Masao Garcia
Film Handler

Posts: 34
From: Lancaster, CA, USA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 10-27-1999 02:37 PM

I have a question about taking out lab splices and making your own (presumably) tape splice. Aren't you just asking for more dirt being attracted to that part of the print by adding a tape splice? I never remove lab splices (yes, even mid-frame splices). I find that a lab splice is less noticeable than a tape splice after a few months of running the print (I don't have FilmGuard...yet).

Are lab splices more likely to break than tape splices? I've never had a lab splice break on me in almost two years. Just curious.

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Christopher A Kerr
Film Handler

Posts: 43
From: Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 10-27-1999 07:48 PM

My bench only has hand crank rewinds and there isn't any room to attach anything larger than a shipping reel to them, so I have to wind straight onto the platter. I prefer to give the reels an inspection on the bench before sending them to the platter, but when you are running a two screen house with only you and a popcorn slinger working at any given time, there isn't allways time.

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Rob Brooks
Film Handler

Posts: 57
From: NY, U.S.A.
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 10-27-1999 08:51 PM

Film can only be inspected professionally on the rewind table for the reasons Ian mentioned so well. I get top quality EK and wetgate showprints of films for pre-release media screenings. There supposed to be perfect with not even one lab splice. Would you believe as recent as last week I found a piece of masking tape stretched around the film during a reel. You can't have proper control of inspecting the film going directly onto a platter. Lab splices should definately be taken out between frames and replaced with clear tape. You ever see what that looks like on the screen. My manager will make me take it out if they catch it on the screen. By the way put yellow zebra splicing tape used between reels as far to the ends of the film as possible to prevent a sound or picture loss of continunuity. I use clear splices on important screening between reels to prevent any problem at all between reels.

------------------
Rob

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 10-28-1999 04:02 AM

Lab splices are definitely more noticable than tape splices, even without FilmGuard. Before we got FilmGuard, our prints shed really really bad, but there was only a hint of dirt around the taped splices. Of course, now it is super clean!

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