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Author Topic: First "Reel" Booth Disaster Matt Hollis Film Handler Posts: 49 From: Paragould / Jonesboro, AR, USA Registered: Jan 2005 posted 08-03-2005 10:01 AM                        Well, everything started off like a regular night until I stepped out of the upstairs office and realized that #1 had a serious problem. The tail of the film had untucked itself somehow and got underneath the platter (LP-270) where there it began to wrap itself around the shaft that holds the platter deck to the tree. It was a mess! I finally got the film all untangled, but it is in horrible shape. At least it only affected the credits, but that is really still part of the movie. Wish me luck on getting this straightened out. Thanks, Matt  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: Boulder Creek, CA. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 08-03-2005 11:06 AM                     Good luck. You'll also be lucky if it didn't cause cinch marks on the picture.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-03-2005 12:38 PM                        Use the Film-Tech Platter Ring and you'll never have that problem again. It's the best cheap insurance you can buy. I can't even tell you how much peace of mind it's given me.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-03-2005 01:04 PM                        Unfortunately, he has SPECO platters, which won't work with the F-T platter ring, since the motor needs to be able to come into contact with the edge of the deck in order to drive it.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Dieter Expert Film Handler Posts: 234 From: Yakima, WA Registered: Jun 2004 posted 08-03-2005 01:22 PM                     quote: Mike Blakesley Use the Film-Tech Platter Ring and you'll never have that problem again. It's the best cheap insurance you can buy. I can't even tell you how much peace of mind it's given me. Or you can take some old film, and wrap it around the tail (tail wrap) loosely and it will never happen.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-03-2005 01:33 PM                     I am sure steve g would agree the only fool proof way to prevent this type of mishap is to have two machines and run on reels  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 08-03-2005 01:46 PM                     I had that happened as well with a LP-270 with "Mad Max". had two reels find its way to go under the deck. So, I took apart the brain to remove the brainplate, then removed the deck off the arm to where all I had to do was slide that mess off the arm. Then it was the fun chore of winding that mess back on a 6k reel. Luckilly, I only had to make 4 splices in that acetate print (who ever heard of poly film in 1987?). What happened was the print shifted to where the magnet that keeps the end of the roll against the print was actally shoved to the edge of the deck and pushed off completely causing the end to start wrapping underneath. What happened to that LP-270 that the magnet that swings over that reed switch device underneath came loose on the end of the payout arm causing the platter to operate irratically. I had this happen using a AW-2 as well, but that was my fault due to tucking the end of the leader completely under the wind. Doing this, the end managed to snag itself on the inside of the payout roll and pulled the print completely off the deck by sending the film going under the deck. That was also quite a mess to clean up as well. But, I remembered my trick of removing the brain and deck to ease up film cleanup. The irony of it all is that this second incident happened in a booth that had the CINE V-18 setup that has the BIG reel setup in fully operational condition. Just that the third movie was mounted on the big 13k reel, whereas this insident was with the 2nd movie. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 08-03-2005 02:30 PM                     Are your print labeled with tape on the very last couple of feet of the tail leader, or do you place your label at least 5 feet back from the end of the tail? I see most of these incidents happen because people put a piece of tape to label the print at the absolute tail end, and that doesn't tuck well, plus it can cause the payout convolutions to snag as Monte described. For those of you with SPECO platters, throw those stupid magnet things in the trash and go to your local pizza place and get some business card magnets. Lay the film flat down on the platter away from the film roll, then lay the business card magnet at a 90 degree angle to the tail of the film across it.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 08-04-2005 04:18 AM                     quote: Brad Miller Lay the film flat down on the platter away from the film roll, then lay the business card magnet at a 90 degree angle to the tail of the film across it. That's an interesting tip to hear. Head on over to "Little Squeezers, er Caesars" and grab a handful of those business card magnets that are advertising their 5 buck pizza deals to do this trick for the folks with those sheet steel plated SPECO LP-270 platters. quote: Mike Blakesley Use the Film-Tech Platter Ring and you'll never have that problem again. It's the best cheap insurance you can buy. I can't even tell you how much peace of mind it's given me. I agree, but a real no-cost way that works as close, is to cut off a good length old trailer that can be wrapped a length and a quarter around the print. Then take the end of that wrap and secure with the first wind of the wrap with a paper clip, or clothspin. End of the print isn't going anywhere, and when the print is on the other deck, all you have is just this ring of wrap on the previous deck. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Daniel Burns Film Handler Posts: 52 From: dallas, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2003 posted 08-14-2005 03:22 AM                     Monte L Fullmer, you said you had to take apart the brain plate, I'm curious, the Speeco platters I learned on at AMC had removable brains, but when I went to work at Cinemark they were all stationary in the platter deck. These problems were a lot easier to start to fix with it being removable. Are they most commonly non-removable?  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 08-14-2005 04:05 AM                     Older model platters have the non-removable brains. I believe most platter models have kits to retrofit the brains to the removable variety.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 08-15-2005 03:33 AM                     Yea, These Lp-270's were installed in this 4-plex back in 1979. Almost, some the first bunch of LP's to come out of the "Drive-In" company - long before the name change to SPECO. Yea, that was fun that night disassembling that brain to get the deck off of the spindle to fix the mess that I had... (LOL) Like STRONG's A-3 "Alpha" platters,which was a drastic revision of the old BALCO platters that came out in the mid to later 80's - with removable and updated brains with better microswitch layout, or a better constant payout called the phase control over the carbon switch. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-15-2005 06:56 AM                     The next best cure for that is to splice up a ring of junk film thats just barely larger than the made up print itself and place it around the print. This way the tail can't become untucked.... I never liked tucking tails in anyway.... there's nothing definate about it staying tucked in. Sorry Monte, the clothes pin method is not a definate thing either, a ring of film should be spliced up for each print thats made up..... Only takes 30 seconds to do it. Mark  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-15-2005 01:21 PM                        Using the ring'o'film solution, I had a long print get thrown during the credits once. The ring did not prevent the throw (which was caused by static electricity) but did keep the film from going all over the place.  |  IP: Logged Joseph Pandolfi Expert Film Handler Posts: 213 From: Milford, CT. Registered: Nov 1999 posted 08-15-2005 10:57 PM                     When I worked at my old theatre. One of the guys came up with an adjustable clear film belt made up of two strips of clear film spliced only on one side and we would have velcro tape to secure the ends of the belt. As films come and go the belt would be adjusted by undoing the splice and either take "in or out" on the shorter strip of the clear film. When it was the end of the show we would unfasten the velco loop and as you wind the tail on the platter place it three feet from the end, and then continue to wind the clear belt on and fasten the velco ends. And for those of you who like myself stick ID labels on the tail we would put them on the belt. Therefore the tail will never get damaged. We would have two different sizes made up. One for normal prints and the other for 3+ hour prints. Even though it saves the "tail wraps" we would use the "hula hoops" made by our former head man for long prints and prints the we payout from carboard "donuts" after being moved.  |  IP: Logged

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