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Author Topic: Lots: screen damage, possible new screen & future of digital in Australia Peter Castle Expert Film Handler Posts: 220 From: Wollongong University, NSW ,Australia Registered: Oct 2003 posted 12-09-2005 06:47 AM                     OK. A long topic but it is a problem. Last week, our multi-use venue resulted in a rip in our cinema screen. Here's a picture. Anyway, so far one supplier has indicated repair is not going to work. (Any opinions?) Our screen is 52' x 22' (not all visible). IF we have to buy a new screen, would a silver screen be a sensible choice with the polarised 3D films becoming popular. The problem in Australia is that there seems to be no plan for digital rollout here, so is there a point to prepare for this "future". I've heard that a Brisbane cinema will be the first with a Christie CP2000. We've had a JVC LCOS projector at 1.3K for e-cinema for a couple of years now with little use except for preshow and short-film festivals. What do others think? [ 12-09-2005, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: Peter Castle ]  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-09-2005 09:16 AM                        A photo of the damage will help. If the tear did not result in damage or scuffing of the front surface, it may be possible to repair it from the rear side of the screen. But if the front surface is scuffed or ragged, it may be very difficut to conceal the repair, especially for a gain or silver screen. A silver screen is usually not the best choice for regular projection, especially for wider viewing angles, as you might have with that large sized screen. Gain screens should be properly curved per SMPTE Recommended Practice RP95.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 12-09-2005 10:34 AM                        3D: a single film does not a future make. As regards the screen; I have had very good results with clear fishing line. Use the screen holes to gently lace it up just like you would a shoe. (Not suggested for 8 foot rips; not using red line: actors would look like Frankenstein.) Louis  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-09-2005 02:52 PM                        quote: Louis Bornwasser As regards the screen; I have had very good results with clear fishing line. Use the screen holes to gently lace it up just like you would a shoe. Assuming you mean clear nylon monofilament line, doesn't the light piping and light refraction within the line create a "glow" that makes the lacing visible? Wouldn't an adhesive "patch" on the back side of the screen (with careful alignment of the screen across the tear) be a better option?  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 12-09-2005 04:03 PM                        Have tried both with good results. The glow is real, but the small size makes it almost invisible unless viewed from an angle. Louis  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 12-09-2005 04:11 PM                        I've used fishing line to close up a larger tear, patch the back and then cut the fishing line out. Works pretty good, sort of like stitches.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-10-2005 12:02 AM                     Heck! That's nothing! White gaffer's tape will fix 'er right up! I fixed up holes similar to yours with gaffer's tape. One of them was right in the middle of the screen. We had to use a Genie Lift to get up there to fix it. Another time, some A-hole threw an afro pick at the screen. Just by luck, the tines all went through the holes! (A 1 : 1,000,000 shot!) Then the usher came by and saw it. He took his broom handle and tried to knock the thing off the screen. In so doing, he ripped a hole about 6 inches long in the material! Had somebody climbed up there and carefully pulled the thing out, it would have left hardly a mark. Have somebody hold a clean cloth over the hole from the front side. You go behind the screen and piece the vinyl back together as well as you can. Apply the white tape over the hole then have your helper press against you as you rub the tape down hard. Then switch places and repeat the process from the front. If your tape has similar characteristics to the screen material and if the screen isn't discolored too much it is possible to get an almost invisible repair. If you can't get white gaffer's tape use athletic tape... The kind that football players, etc. use to tape up their ankles and wrists before a game. Shop around for a tape that has similar characteristics to your screen. Put a piece on the screen and project some light on it to see if it's noticible. You should be able to get something that's close enough that 95% of the people wouldn't notice. At to stitching up the hole with monofiliament: I have never had much luck with that. The stitches are visible. Besides, if you're not careful, the fishing line will rip right through the material, leaving an even BIGGER hole. Further, if you don't get the tension of every stitch exactly the same you'll leave a pucker in the material. THAT will stick out like a sore thumb! On one occasion I had to use both fishing line and tape. Some butt-head slashed the screen with a hunting knife. There was a six foot long gash across the bottom of the screen about a foot away from the edge. Because of the tension of the material there was a gap several inches wide. The fishing line was needed to pull the edges back together again. Once the sewing was completed I taped the front and back with athletic tape. Once the lights went down and the picture was on the screen you could walk right up to the screen and stand 3 feet away but you coudn't tell unless you looked VERY closely. The only way you could tell it was repaired was because there weren't any holes in that area. IF you replace the screen why don't you get a medium gain screen? The one we have is a Hurley Superglo It's got a gain of 1.5. Enough that we can project video on it and not have to turn the house lights off but not so much that you can't see the image fromt he sides of the house.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 12-10-2005 10:18 AM                        One day, I raised our beautiful waterfall curtain... and saw for the first time what the front of our center stage speaker looked like!!! It's not a very reflective surface. Between shows, someone managed to get backstage and sliced the crap out of our screen... a fairly huge monster. We patched the holes with the backs of a couple of posters, and I soon gained some valuable practical experience on how to replace a large screen. Our shows also looked like total crap for about a month.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 12-10-2005 04:34 PM                        quote: Heck! That's nothing! White gaffer's tape will fix 'er right up! Actually, white gaffer's tape is exactly what I used to patch it. It's a whole hell of a lot easier to get a two foot tare all lined up when you tie it with fishing line stitches first though. For small tares there's no need though.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-10-2005 11:11 PM                     For big holes, no doubt, fishing line is called for. I would suggest SpiderWire instead of monofilament. (You know... that braided Kevlar stuff.) It's a lot thinner and stronger than regular fishing line. We use it on the stage to suspend scenery or make objects appear to float. From the audience it is 100% invisible unless you accidentally light it directly from behind. I don't think you can get white SpiderWire but, if you're going to tape over it, I don't think it matters.  |  IP: Logged David Kilderry Master Film Handler Posts: 355 From: Melbourne Australia Registered: Sep 1999 posted 12-11-2005 05:29 AM                        I hate to say it, but that is a screen replacement size hole. If it was a single rip dental floss sewn in with just the right tension would make a reasonable repair. You can then use Liquid Paper (correction fluid) to paint any darkened areas of the floss. Any type of tape will leave a tell-tale reflection through the perforations. I would recommend a Pearlux 1.8 gain screen. There is hardly a theatre I know of with that size screen that could not use some help getting to 16fl.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 12-11-2005 10:26 AM                        Agreed the screen should be replaced. The big issue is that most theatres don't keep spare screens and time is required for a new one to be made. (Kind of makes the case for STANDARDIZATION within a company, doesn't it?) Louis  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-11-2005 01:59 PM                     I absolutely agree on the standardization thing Louis... All screens should be 52' x 22'!! Mark  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 12-12-2005 01:50 PM                     .....and a matte knife and grommet kit to cut it to your final size  |  IP: Logged Peter Castle Expert Film Handler Posts: 220 From: Wollongong University, NSW ,Australia Registered: Oct 2003 posted 12-14-2005 02:55 AM                     OK. All advice received here in Australia is that the tear is not repairable. Thus a new screen will be purchased (covered in part by insurance). The second part of my question now comes into play. With an indication of a future run of stereoscopic features ("Chicken Little", "Monster House(?)" and James Cameron's new action feature) should a silver screen be on the table? I can see John's comment would apply to us as we have quite a wide venue and there may be light problems for those at a big angle. Is this just for the 3d films or for any "flat" features as well?  |  IP: Logged

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