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Author Topic: Platter Covers and Leader Rotation Chris Byrne Expert Film Handler Posts: 102 From: Kirwan, Australia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 12-11-2003 04:42 PM                     Are platter covers a necessity for the fight against dust? If so what material is suitable if you were to get it made locally? Also what is everyone's take on rotation of leader stock? We make up leaders out of virgin stock and they are replaced every 3-months?  |  IP: Logged David Favel Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 764 From: Ashburton, New Zealand Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-11-2003 04:50 PM                     We get trailers that are never used, after a certain amount of time we recycle them into leaders. The leader stays on the film throughout it's run then is thrown away.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-11-2003 05:35 PM                        Platter covers are not really necessary, unless you have a really dirty (airborne dust) booth environment, or the prints will sit in the open unused for multiple days. A waterproof cover can also help if there is risk of a leak or condensation dripping on a print (but better to fix the problem). Ideally, covers should be waterproof, non-linting, and conductive (not build up static charge). Commercially made covers are available. Be careful to keep covers clean, and NOT put them on a dirty floor, which is actually more likely to put dirt on a print. A central vaccuum cleaner system is very useful to keep film, platter, and work surfaces clean, without stirring up dirt as a broom or portable vaccuum cleaner would. Replace leaders when they get worn or damaged (splicy). Dirty leaders can be cleaned.  |  IP: Logged Ian Price Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1714 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-11-2003 07:06 PM                     We use platter covers religiously. We have prints in the booth that may go a couple of days between showings. We use mylar leaders and replace them as needed. They last about a year or two.  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-12-2003 12:16 AM                        Platter covers also deter folks from using platters as a place to put tools, lunch, cut gel, etc.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-13-2003 02:30 PM                     One of the chains I worked for had a "policy" of how to secure the booth when we got a hurricane warning. One of the things to do was to move all prints to the lowest available platter deck and cover them with a waterproof, plastic platter cover. How this would protect the prints when the roof rips off in 140mph winds is beyond me... =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Steven Privett Expert Film Handler Posts: 208 From: Pasadena, TX, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 12-13-2003 02:43 PM                    Yes, it's that time of year again. Time to wash your platter covers. How many out there can't remember the last time they were washed, or know for a fact that they never have been washed. Dirty platter covers are worse than not covering the prints at all. (sorry, you've hit upon one of my pet peeves.)  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-15-2003 12:17 AM                        quote: One of the chains I worked for had a "policy" of how to secure the booth when we got a hurricane warning. One of the things to do was to move all prints to the lowest available platter deck and cover them with a waterproof, plastic platter cover. How this would protect the prints when the roof rips off in 140mph winds is beyond me... Damage goes all over besides just losing the roof. Leaks go for miles around a hurricane. The plastic cover will protect the print if a a leak springs above, a window pops & rain blows in, etc. When the hurricane is coming, the money is in plywood & drywall screws. When it's past, the money is in big Rubbermaid garbage cans which sprout everywhere catching leaks.  |  IP: Logged Chris Byrne Expert Film Handler Posts: 102 From: Kirwan, Australia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 12-15-2003 02:20 AM                     The reason I ask is that we clean each deck every two days. I have changed it to daily seeing the amount of dust collected on each rag. Although a cover is a safeguard against leaks or spills, it seems it may just be another place for dust to gather. Unless someone can prove it is a worthwhile investment, I think I'll stick with bare decks and film ovens.  |  IP: Logged David Favel Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 764 From: Ashburton, New Zealand Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-15-2003 02:59 AM                     Perhaps your first problem to adress is where is all that dust coming from?  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 12-15-2003 01:45 PM                        Both of my theatres are located near busy streets, & the traffic kicks up a lot of dust & other "stuff"... especially during the Summer. Exiting cars kick up a lot of dust at the drive-in, too. Even if they don't get it all, I think that platter covers do us a lot of good at both places, and we use them religiously. I figure if dust is settling on top of your racks, it's probably doing the same thing on your prints. If you never have to clean off your sound racks, maybe you've got a pretty good filtration system in your booth & platter covers might not matter! Oh... I also noticed that after we started using covers, our media pads stayed clean longer. quote: Also what is everyone's take on rotation of leader stock? We make up leaders out of virgin stock and they are replaced every 3-months? I can't see that this makes any difference, as long as the leader is physically intact. We have two or three extra leaders in the booth, so there's some natural rotation going on as prints are pulled and made up. We use mylar leader & clean each one with naptha when we pull it off a print. They're rolled on a large trailer core & hung on a peg for the next print that comes along. If they work & are clean, what pracical purpose is there in replacing them on a rotating basis?  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-15-2003 04:14 PM                        Certainly in the dusty environment typical of a drive-in projection room, platter covers are a good idea. But keep them CLEAN!  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-15-2003 05:54 PM                        it's only a matter of time before our leaders start snagging on that stupid groove in the black rollers of our aw3's. and once the edge of the leader gets creased, it snags every time. we end up just living with that for far too long. i wish we replaced our leaders more often. carl  |  IP: Logged Chris Byrne Expert Film Handler Posts: 102 From: Kirwan, Australia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 12-16-2003 03:53 AM                     I am almost certain that the dust is a combination of compressed cardboard ceiling tiles (prone to shedding) and poor upkeep of the filters, etc in the air conditioning system. Dust is not a major problem in our booth. I had just tossed up the idea of platter covers in my head, as unfortunately we do not have the luxury of film cleaners fitted to our consoles. Regardless of the arguments for and against replacing leader stock, it really is minimal effort to make up one batch of leaders every few months. Carl, have you tried masking tape on the end of your leader? Can someone tell me what is a MYLAR leader? Is this relating to a certain type of film stock?  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-16-2003 07:06 AM                        our leaders have a short bit of splicing tape on the end, right where it folds over to fit into the platter ring. that works just fine, but it's the few feet after that get mangled. are you suggesting just folding a length of tape over the soundtrack edge of the film for a few feet to firm it up? maybe i'll try that. on another note, we just got a new furnace installed. now unfortunately our furnaces are smack in the middle of our upstairs booth area and do not contribute to overall booth cleanliness. heating ducts run out over both upstairs platters, and apparently vibrations from the newly-working furnace dislodged a fair amount of dust from the top of one duct onto the top platter deck. to give an idea, i dusted the top deck at the start of the day, as a matter of course as it had been uncovered all night, with the print on the middle platter. when i went back to that platter 10 minutes later, there was already a clearly visible pile of dust right by the brain. well i cleaned off the top of the duct as well as i could in the time i had, and it was absolutely filthy. we're going to avoid using that top platter for a few days until we're sure everything has settled down. i guess the moral of that is that you should always cover your prints because you never know when shit like that will happen. carl  |  IP: Logged

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