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Hope you guys can educate me on this one. Which splicing tape is the preferred? We use white here, knowing the obvious that it is easy to locate on the film, but other than that, what are the benefits of using white tape? I realize that I am still fairly new to this business, and Mike says they have always used white. but the reason for question is that I find that when sitting down and watching the movie, you can see every single splice go through on the screen. Though it is a quick second of blurb, it is still noticeable. I wondered if that would disappear by using white splicing tape, or is it that I simply know where the splices are and have made them more obvious than they really are.

Always use clear for the reason you mentioned. Anything else will be seen on the screen. Any good projectionist will have no problem finding splices with clear tape.

Using white or yellow splicing tape is an abomination. You are compromising the viewing experience for your public. I see every splice. If I am paying attention, I can sometimes see clear splices too. I can break down a film that has been built up using clear splicing tape without difficulty and without marking the film in any way.

We use zebra type tape that has a yellow line along the edge of the film so you know that this is a reel change splice. I don't do much of my own film work anymore so this helps my projectionists. Don't use the line provided down the middle however because you can see the splice as it goes through the projector on a scope print.

Repeating the simple rule: Splices should NOT be seen by the audience, nor disrupt the sound in any way.

Check splices to be sure they are made in register, in-frame, and are not likely to break or jam in the projector.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: 585-477-5325 Cell: 585-781-4036 Fax: 585-722-7243
E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

"abomination" ...??? Oh boy.. okay, okay. We'll get that Zebra!

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When your splices are an "abomination", you spend an eternity in bad print "hell".

"Heaven" are perfect, brand new splice-free EK prints on KODAK VISION Color Print Film.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: 585-477-5325 Cell: 585-781-4036 Fax: 585-722-7243
E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Always used zebra here. i did not want to end up in "bad print hell"

This will probably infuriate a few readers out there... but here we go:

My uncle worked as a projectionist for 62 years! Over that time he worked the little theatres, the drive-ins, the spanish ghetto theatres, adult theatres and drive in's as well as the big time theatre chains. He marked his splices on each and EVERY print he ever put together, white shoe polish along the edge of 4 or 5 frames of film. Just the edge mind you, but in the darkness of a typical projection booth, it was incredibly visible, and he ran prints for months sometimes, with no ill effect. I am sure that in todays extra high tech projection environment, this would mess something up. But that man stuck to his guns, no matter what any technician, no it all or district managers had to say. He was a proud man, and he was the finest operator I have ever known. Sorry for the long post.
....heymandave

I got a bunch of that yellow zebra style tape in a parts order once. I don't quite get what the lines are for. I'm assuming the solid ones follow the sprockets and the dashed line is for the area between frames?

I use zebra tape and use the solid lines along the sprocket holes and discard the dashed lines. It would be better if they just made the tape without those dash lines--less waste.

With zebra tape don't use the solid line across the frame line as you can see it on screen in scope. Juse use the lines across the edge of the film to identify the splices used to join the reels together.

Heymandave wrote: "...He marked his splices on each and EVERY print he ever put together, white shoe polish along the edge of 4 or 5 frames of film. Just the edge mind you, but in the darkness of a typical projection booth, it was incredibly visible, and he ran prints for months sometimes, with no ill effect."

Not a good practice , especially today, when the SDDS and Dolby Digital tracks reside in that area. He may have felt the prints were not being damaged, but painting on a flaky material like shoe polish would generate dirt particles that get in the image area, and show up on the screen.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: 585-477-5325 Cell: 585-781-4036 Fax: 585-722-7243
E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

We use Zebra tape at Hoyts. I would rather use clear tape because I find no use for the lines or dashes. Almost anyone with a brain can figure out where a splice is without having to see a little yellow line.

Carl

I use the Zebra stripe also, One theatre I work at had the Mis Fortune to have ordered and gotten 20 or 30 rolls of "Digi Tape" made in the U.K. man I can not tell you the anger I felt as I constantly had to remove "YELLOW GOO" from projector sprokets, sound drum, splicer etc... this was the worst tape I have EVER seen other than the solid yellow that some people use...

One print I had gotten in really made me mad, not only did they use solid yellow tape, but ROUND DECALS to mark BOTH sides of HEAD/PRINT and TALE/PRINT IE: head one got a big decal with a H1 REEL one also Got one same for each reel...

I'm sure it made it easier for the 12 year old Projectionist to break the print down, but can you imagine how that crap looked on screen????

"I'm sure it made it easier for the 12 year old Projectionist to break the print down,"

ttroidl,

What does age have to do with someones ability to properly break down a print? I started learning projection when I was 14 and had no trouble finding splices.