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Author Topic: Seeing Dots Linda Corrigan Film Handler Posts: 7 From: Yelm, WA, United States Registered: May 2008 posted 09-25-2008 08:08 PM                     I do a lot of previewing of our recently built movies, and I have noticed a series of small dots, sometimes making up a box shape. These appear to be on only one frame of film, since it flashes on and off so quickly. Does anyone know what these are? Thanks!  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 09-25-2008 08:44 PM                     Assuming these are not changeover cues on the ends of the reels, where in the frame/picture area do these dots appear?  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 09-25-2008 09:06 PM                       CAP code, maybe? As in the late John Pytlak's animated .gif member pic:  |  IP: Logged Blaine Young Master Film Handler Posts: 477 From: Kirkland, WA, USA Registered: Sep 2006 posted 09-26-2008 12:36 PM                     Indeed. CAP dots. Almost always in a bright section of the screen, in theory, they are supposed to be a different sequence/pattern on every reel.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 09-26-2008 01:49 PM                     Other wise know on here as CRAP code. Use the search function for either CRAP code or CAP code and you'll see a lot of threads/topics.  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 09-26-2008 04:23 PM                     And in the interest of clarity, I believe John P. made clear several times that CAP code, the encoding system he helped create, is different than the newer encoding system that is far more obtrusive. Even though we all call them both CAP code its actually different, only sharing similar concepts.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 09-26-2008 04:33 PM                        Just to expand a bit, the purpose of the CAP code is to uniquely identify each print so that it can be traced back to a specific theatre when a pirated copy turns up.  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 09-27-2008 11:23 AM                     Last nite I sat down to watch our print of EAGLE EYE, and either it has LOT more CAP code dots than other films or maybe all the dots were just in places that made them more visable; but whatever the reason I gave up trying to watch it after about 20min becuase those damn dots were too distracting and annoying. The last "dot" I saw was the motor cue on reel one, and I was outtathere.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 09-27-2008 11:40 PM                     I ran Eagle Eye on thursday night, and didn't really notice the code dots. But I was very busy in the booth anyway, and a few of the changeover cues were a bit difficult to see with all the rapid camera movement in some reels. Speaking of changeover cues, is it just me or are the cues on scope prints moving further down from the top corner? Eagle Eye's were almost halfway down the side of the frame....and no, I wasn't threading out of frame. Our scope plate is tight on height.  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 09-29-2008 11:56 AM                     Your'e right- - the cues do seem to be a bit lower in the frame than standard placement. But not as low as "French cues". HUH? Expanation: About two years ago I was running a wholebuncha films as part of a festival series of French cinema classics in a change-over booth. Most of these films were made in the late 50's & early 60's, and almost all the lab cue marks were located in the middle of the frame (equi-distant from the top & bottom) on the right side of the screen. Ever since, I've referred to these as "French Cues"  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 09-29-2008 01:29 PM                     French Cues, that's a good one... The worst is some of the older films, pick any country of origin, with several cues scratched and/or punched all over the place, and none of them in the right place. I usually resort to using a small diagonal line with a grease pencil to get the timing right, erasing my marks before rewinding. And before I get blasted by the old-school changeover guys, I agree that I should ship out without rewinding, but since the lame-ass who spec'd my Kinotons got the standard takeups (the ones with the 8" diameter chain sprocket) I can't get a tight enough wind to safely ship films out. So I have to rewind. And since most of our films go to platter houses after we run them, I think most of the inexperienced platter apes are less confused. Of course any of our people here would welcome a print fully tails up without bellyaching. edited for spelling [ 09-29-2008, 04:14 PM: Message edited by: Tony Bandiera Jr ]  |  IP: Logged Robert Minichino Master Film Handler Posts: 350 From: Haskell, NJ, USA Registered: Dec 2005 posted 09-29-2008 01:38 PM                        I certainly appreciate you cleaning off your grease pencil cues. We just got a print that had perfectly good interneg cues that also had a full set of etched cues 8 frames later, plus full-frame grease pencil slashes. I cleaned off the grease pencil, but how lazy and audience-hostile do you have to be to make them that big? And how lazy/blind do you have to be not to see the perfectly good interneg cues either at the inspection bench or when running the damned thing? </rant>  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 09-29-2008 01:59 PM                       OMG, anyone remember running cartoons!? Diagonally-scratched lines in the emulsion across the frame and/or in the corner, punched holes, X's scratched across the whole frame and/or in the corner, grease pencil marks, red magic-marker cues, hash-marks etched in the corners... ...all on the same print!  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-29-2008 03:39 PM                        To me, "French cues' implies total lack of lab cues, since (almost) no French films have them. At least, this has been true for the last few years.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Pitt Master Film Handler Posts: 266 From: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: May 2007 posted 09-29-2008 03:46 PM                     On some of the old cartoons, even on today's TV runs you can often see the reel-change dots in the top right corner. Some cartoons even have several sets of cue dots in various places, that have been passed from print to print through the years! The worst I've ever seen is when someone had actually drawn long cue lines down the film (rather like when you're recording dialogue), so the projectionist could tell the exact moment to start the second projector and switch over - when the line hits the right hand side of the screen. Thankfully, most of the DVDs available now have sourced the old cartoons from the cleanest prints possible, without extra cue marks. Sometimes they ruin the cartoons with DVNR, but that's another story...  |  IP: Logged

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