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Author Topic: An Ugly Lab Splice Jean-Michel Grin Expert Film Handler Posts: 222 From: Geneva & Lausanne, Switzerland Registered: Jul 2002 posted 07-30-2003 12:52 PM                        Yesterday the projectionist who prepare the trailers remove this lab splice: I neve saw an horrible thing like this Wha do You think about it ? Funny Is In't ? [ 07-30-2003, 04:00 PM: Message edited by: Joe Redifer ]  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 07-30-2003 01:35 PM                        Looks like a tire patch to me. That lab tech must've been hired away from a gas station.  |  IP: Logged Jason Burroughs Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 654 From: Allen, TX Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-30-2003 02:22 PM                     I think I'd rather see a splice made with duct tape. Obviously this is a perfect example of film done wrong, even before an exhibitor got their hands on it.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-30-2003 03:03 PM                        I suspect the printer operator making the normal ultrasonic raw stock splice in the darkroom did not trust the reliability of that particular splice to go through the printer and processing machine without breaking. So they reinforced it with tape on the emulsion side, leaving undeveloped emulsion under the tape. (With continuous-feed printers, there's usually not enough time to completely remake an ultrasonic lab splice without a machine shutdown). These rare "really ugly" lab splices are normally removed after processing, before the prints are shipped.  |  IP: Logged Adam Martin I'm not even gonna point out the irony. Posts: 3686 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 07-30-2003 03:36 PM                     When splices go bad ... Wednesday night on Fox!  |  IP: Logged Dick Vaughan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1032 From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: Jul 2000 posted 07-31-2003 02:21 AM                        Ah the joys of large format I had a report from an ex employee of a certain Canadian company that he once found a print joined with staples because the theatre's ultrasonic splicer had given up the ghost!  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-31-2003 03:22 AM                     Here's a splice Scott Norwood has been hounding me to post for about 2 years now.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-31-2003 05:59 AM                        The scary thing is that the splice which I sent to Brad came from a print which had already played a first-run engagement somewhere.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-31-2003 07:43 AM                        Considering that about 5 million reels of prints are made each year worldwide, it does seem that these ultrasonic lab splices that required reinforcement with tape before processing are indeed a RARE occurance. I agree they shouldn't happen, and the loss of a few frames of continuity when they have to be removed by the theatre is unfortunate.  |  IP: Logged Ron Lacheur Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 650 From: British Columbia, Canada Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-31-2003 09:11 AM                     the lab splices that get me pissed are the ones that have a defect, not at the splice it's self, but a couple of frames ahead. The frame line goes out and when the film is ran, it goes out of frame.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-31-2003 09:17 AM                        Ron Lacheur wrote: quote: the lab splices that get me pissed are the ones that have a defect, not at the splice it's self, but a couple of frames ahead. The frame line goes out and when the film is ran, it goes out of frame. In those (hopefully rare) cases, the splice evidently caused the film to briefly jump off the printer sprocket, then reset itself a perf or two out of frame. Even though you can remove the offending splice and resplice in frame, I suggest you report these kind of problems back to the distributor and film exchange, even if you are not asking for a replacement reel.  |  IP: Logged Adam Martin I'm not even gonna point out the irony. Posts: 3686 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 07-31-2003 12:20 PM                     In my photo above, it wasn't even a splice. It was marked out to be a splice, but the "quality assurance" person never actually made the splice. This was, of course, reported to appropriate parties and the person who was supposed to have inspected the print called me to apologize.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-31-2003 10:01 PM                     I had a large format roll of dailies arrive one that had a piece of black electrical tape for a splice Yes it was a very sinking feeling as we as it come up the side of the machine and into the rotor  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 08-01-2003 02:30 AM                        Why'd you go and post that pic Brad? Now you've got no leverage to get Scott to do stuff!  |  IP: Logged

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