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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Topic: 70MM Suicide Squad
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Brad Miller
Administrator
Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99
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posted 07-20-2016 07:12 PM
Scott, I've seen the upper loop on a JJ change it's bounce position during a show, and of course it's definitely worse with polyester (dts) prints. Personally I never, ever run 70mm on a JJ without removing the upper 35mm pad roller, and if you ever find someone doing that please let me know so I can go beat them senseless for damaging the very last few 70mm prints we have in circulation. In fact I always leave a dedicated allen wrench for this in the mag penthouse so there is never an excuse. It takes less than 10 seconds!
Also the lower loop will cause scratches with ANY loop size if one of the loop stabilizer options is not installed. An unfortunate common problem among lousy projectionists is that they truly believe if the loop size does not come into contact with anything when turning the machine over by hand, that it won't slap and hit anything when running full speed. IDIOTS!!!
It's these same idiots that run a print once, don't see any significant difference on the second show and then proclaim themselves as some sort of archival projectionist god. What these guys don't pay attention to is the small amount of damage that is happening each show, whether it be a few more cinch scratches at the ends of the reel or a little bit more dirt or some surface scratches that aren't projecting to the screen yet. We also have people damaging mag tracks and laying scratches in the print outside their aperture area which will initiate shedding and also affect the projected image area at theaters with a larger aperture. However since they don't personally "see" that kind of damage they think they are all perfect. It's those kind of projectionists that are scary, and that also includes the projectionists who think just because they are running a print reel-to-reel that it is being perfectly handled and no damage is happening. Not necessarily! Damage is damage.
Here is a good example many of you probably have seen (or participated in). Lots of people run a loop of film and call it a "scratch test". Usually it's just a stretch of film, typically/hopefully of a bright scene. The idea is to make a loop and run it a ton of times to see if scratches develop.
I hate to have to be so crass about this, but...FOOLS! That is NOT the correct way to run a "scratch test".
What you need is a piece of VIRGIN BLACK printed film! The more recently processed the better. You also HAVE to have setup a couple of rollers to very carefully guide the film out and back into the projector to ENSURE that the loop cannot come into contact with anything. (Tricks like placing a soft cloth on the upper spindle is not acceptable.)
So first things first, very, very, very carefully look at the virgin black film under a bright light (use a magnifier if you wish) and make sure there isn't any marks on it at all. If so make careful notes of it.
Next make sure the projector is totally clean and thread a piece of film through it, single-side splice the virgin stock to the end of this and advance slowly so you never touch the actual virgin black loop. Then very VERY carefully, make the film into a loop with a single-sided splice and ensure it is sitting on the rollers. (A single-sided splice will hopefully break apart if your tension isn't set truly correctly, alerting you to yet another problem...but that's a different lesson.) Now turn the projector on, count how many seconds it takes for the loop to run and do the math so it runs A THOUSAND TIMES!
Yes you read that right. If the loop takes 12 seconds to run through the projector, run that loop for about 3 and a half hours.
Once you have done that, stop the projector so the splice is outside of the projector, carefully pull the splice apart and slowly advance the loop out of the projector being careful it doesn't touch anything (not just the floor...anything, including the projector case).
NOW get yourself an awesome light and a magnifying glass if you need to and look at it really, really damn good. Now remember kids, we are not looking THROUGH the film, we are angling the light so we are looking at the REFLECTION of light on the film's surface, as that will show marks best. Do you see ANY kind of abrasion? Even if it is outside the image area...is there ANY ABRASION AT ALL? Are you being sure to twist the film so the light reflects at different angles onto the film? Make sure you do!
Loop scratches will show up on black before they show up on pure clear film. Similarly any "surface scratch" will show up like this before it becomes a projectable-scratch. If something turns up...DO NOT RUN ANY MORE FILM UNTIL YOU RESOLVE IT!
Most JJs have the loop stabilizer roller, but the indention on it is very small, so depending on which way the film is curling will depend whether you should run over or under it (or scratches can happen).
A few JJs have the loop stabilizer rails. Those are by far THE way to run 70mm on a JJ, as there is simply no possible way for the film to be scratched. My guess as to why Century drifted away from them is that when threading it's actually possible to not lay the film flat on the rails, but you would have to be a total dumbfuck to not realize the film is twisted at a 90 degree angle in between the rails. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
I've proven countless times over the years that in excess of a thousand passes can EASILY be put on a print and it still be quite literally INDISTINGUISHABLE that the print had ever been through a projector before. (I think the most I've ever ran one print was about 1600 passes.) And yes I hold the first and last seconds of each reel to that same standard. Absolutely ZERO dirt buildup at the reel changes should occur.
Today we have scarce few remaining 70mm prints in circulation, and they ALL have damage on them. Because of this, it is super easy for a projectionist to say "oh that damage was there before I got it". And what's worse is we keep seeing more theaters that suddenly have 70mm capability that are running through those remaining 70mm prints in circulation with outstanding odds that they do not have a truly good technician proficient in 70mm setting up the gear, nor a truly good projectionists operating it.
Meanwhile, last December we had an interesting live demo of some of these self-proclaimed "archival" projectionists, as they were given a brand new print of Hateful Eight to run, and as we all know if the print was handed to a theater brand new, they can't blame the last guy.
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