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Author Topic: Film Raising on Platter Matt Young Film Handler Posts: 36 From: Kearney, NE, USA Registered: Jun 2009 posted 07-06-2009 11:36 PM                        Big Sky platters, Simplex Millennium projector. The film on one of my platter decks raises up in some areas when it's rewinding. It started a couple weeks ago when we had Star Trek and Drag me to Hell doubled up in one auditorium, but only did this with Star Trek, never the other movie. now we have Up in that auditorium and its doing it with this print. This print has always ran perfectly fine until we moved it here. I've never had a problem with this before. here's a picture of what I'm talking about.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-07-2009 12:32 AM                     It could be a slight wear issue, or a curl issue. When these films were in their original houses, how is the bulb focus? With the film running and when it enters the lower loop, touch the film. If it's slightly warm, that is normal, but if it's a bit on the hot side, the bulb needs to be backed up a bit into the reflector for the 'point of light' is too close to the aperture which increases the heat on the film. It's nothing to worry about as long as your operation procedures are in check. I get them also from time to time.. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Matt Young Film Handler Posts: 36 From: Kearney, NE, USA Registered: Jun 2009 posted 07-07-2009 01:03 AM                        bulb focus on this house is fine. everything is in check and i've never had this problem until we put Star Trek in there and UP. What I thought was a little weird was when we had Star Trek and Drag me to Hell both in that theatre and we would alternate shows, Star Trek did that but Drag me to Hell didnt  |  IP: Logged Andy Bajew Expert Film Handler Posts: 136 From: Bellaire, Texas Registered: Jun 2009 posted 07-07-2009 01:06 AM                     We had an issue exactly like this with one of our trees, however it would only do that on the top platter. I am not sure if this is your issue or not--we have very old ORC platters--but the platter was very worn and wasn't balanced (kind of like a wobbly effect). Combine that with a motor with bearings approaching the end of their useful life and it seemed to have caused this issue. I replaced both the motor bearings and switched the platter out for a much nicer one, and the problem has completely stopped. The film raising effect would happen on prints of every size, until so recently of course.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-07-2009 01:18 AM                     Check to see that the sprockets on the projector didn't go off track and leave little dents in the film between the sprocket holes. If this is the case then your print is pretty much beat. You might be able to get the marks to flatten out by various methods but you'll never get it back to original condition. Two possible causes: 1) Misthread by one of the people who operated that projector. 2) Maladjusted pad rollers and/or pad shoes. Solutions: 1) Kill the operator who damaged the film. (J.K. ) 2) Have your tech realign and set the gaps in all the pad rollers. It is possible that the damage was done on another projector before it moved to the one it is currently playing on. That might explain why one print seems to be okay while another one misbehaves.  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-07-2009 03:52 AM                     I had this with my first print of 'ALI' back whenever. It was this way from the first run. We couldn't even move it it was so loose so we got another print.  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 07-07-2009 04:32 AM                     Some of my prints did this sometimes. If the print raised like your photo, it did it in the same point all the times, no matter the screen I was showing it. Because of that I decided it was a static issue and something wrong with the static coating of the print itself. Usually any of my print raises this way. It happens few times a year. If this is happening often to you, you might think of something else. Marco  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 07-07-2009 06:23 AM                        i have encountered this in the past , sometime running the print opposite side up for a few sessions fixes it.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-07-2009 08:31 AM                     Yes, try flipping the sound track the other way round on take up!!! Mark  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 07-07-2009 08:35 AM                        If it was caused by a misthread(film damage) and if you don't repeat it, then it will get slowly better over time. Each time you run it you "iron out" the imperfection a little bit. I have seen sprocket-run prints nearly repaired (the embossed part, not the emulsion) over 3 or 4 months. Louis  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-07-2009 09:06 AM                     If you break the print down onto 6,000 ft. reels and wind it back and forth a few times under tension it might flatten out a little bit. Put it on your rewind bench and tighten down the tension nut. Wind it back and forth two or three times. (Make sure it's heads up when you're done! ) It won't repair the damage. Nothing can. Once film is damaged it is permanent. You can, however, minimize the problem enough that it will run through your projector safely. Like Louis said, it might also flatten out on its own after you run it for a while.  |  IP: Logged John T. Hendrickson, Jr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 889 From: Freehold, NJ, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-07-2009 12:00 PM                     Matt- When the film is rewinding on the platter, are you getting a loose wind? If so, that combined with the picture leads me to believe that Randy is correct- it's sproket damage.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-07-2009 12:31 PM                     I found a picture I took long ago. This is a print that has had sprocket damage. You'll notice the film riding up and down in layers much like yours. You may or may not have a "camel hump" in your print like the one in the picture. If you squeeze on the print while it's on the platter it will feel "spongy". These are all sure signs that you have experienced some kind of film damage.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 07-07-2009 12:44 PM                        quote: If you break the print down onto 6,000 ft. reels and wind it back and forth a few times under tension it might flatten out a little bit. Put it on your rewind bench and tighten down the tension nut. Wind it back and forth two or three times. (Make sure it's heads up when you're done! Ack! If I had nothing better to do with my time than that, I'd find another job.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-07-2009 01:44 PM                     Unless it IS your job... The print in the picture above was damaged so badly it wouldn't run steadily through the projector. The picture jittered all over the place and the projector made all kinds of noise. Of course, I got called to that theater on a Friday night to figure out what was wrong. So, here I am. I drove four hours to get there to find damaged film. There isn't much I can do. The film doesn't run right. Customers are complaining and the manager is asking me if I can fix it. Rewinding the film is the only thing I could think of that would get the film into playable condition on a Friday night. You're right. It's not something I enjoyed doing but it worked.  |  IP: Logged

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