The Seven Deadly Sins of Projection: Kodak

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The Seven Deadly Sins of Projection
"Sinners" Beware!
Remember the movie Seven? Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman play two
homicide detectives following a serial killer determined to punish those who
commit the seven deadly sins. Let's look at the "Seven Deadly Sins"
committed by many theatres, and try to repent and fix them, before they kill
presentation quality.
1. Living on the Dark Side
Recent surveys by the Kodak ScreenCheck program and Lucasfilm Theatre
Alignment program have shown the majority of first run theatres do not meet
the minimum screen luminance specified by SMPTE standard 196M. Dim
pictures with murky shadows, lifeless flesh tones, dull colors and muddy
highlights are not acceptable and certainly don't reflect the vision the director
and cinematographer saw in the screening room set to the SMPTE screen
luminance aim of 16 footlamberts. My article "Let There Be Light" details the
problem, often caused by inadequate lamp power, improper lamp alignment,
and dirty screens.
2. Killing Contrast
Is your theatre a contrast killer? Do exit signs shine on the screen, throwing a
colored glow over dark areas of the scene? Does light from the lobby shine on
the screen every time someone enters the auditorium during a show? Are the
lenses more than twenty years old, with fingerprints or scratched elements? Is
the port glass dirty or hazy or made of uncoated window glass? Has the
lamphouse drifted out of alignment? If so, your theatre is guilty of killing
contrast. To repent, follow the advice in my article "Conquering Contrast
Killers".
3. Fuzzy Features
Unsharp or poorly focused pictures should not be tolerated. Old lenses or
misaligned and misadjusted projector gates cause fuzzy images, or images
that cannot be kept in focus from edge to edge. Evaluate resolution by using
the SMPTE Projector Alignment test film 35-PA, otherwise known as RP 40. For
more information, go to: www.smpte.org A really good theatre should be able
to resolve 80 lines/mm in the center and 56 lines/mm at the sides. If your
image is unsharp, make a resolution to improve your resolution. Remember,
it's a sin not to check focus and framing periodically during the show.
4. Composition Carelessness
Cinematographers carefully compose their movies and expect them to be
shown with the proper composition, usually either 2.39:1 scope or 1.85:1 flat.
Many theatres severely crop the image area, in some cases even projecting
both formats on the same size screen without adjusting the masking! Use the
SMPTE Projector Alignment test film 35-PA to be sure you are showing the
proper image area, and are not guilty of composition carelessness.
For more information, see my article "Caring About Composition".
5. Shaky Territory
Unsteady projectors produce unsteady pictures. Jump and weave are often
due to improper gate tension or misalignment of the gate, but can also be due
to worn sprockets or a bad intermittent in need of repair. For 35mm, a good
theatre should be able to achieve vertical jump of less than 0.12 percent and
horizontal weave less than 0.20 percent. The SMPTE Projector Alignment test
film 35-PA provides an easy method of evaluating unsteadiness, since each
small square on the test film is equivalent to 0.50 percent.
6.Tortured Prints
After a few weeks or even days in your theatre, are the prints full of
scratches? Scratches are most often caused by misthreading of the projector
(e.g., incorrectly sized loops), misaligned guide rollers, or allowing the film
surface to rub against the rotating platter during makeup or take-up. Learn to
thread projectors with the proper sized loops and tension, and always check
that the film is running true on all rollers. During makeup or take-up onto the
platter, only the edge of the film should contact the platter, just at the point of
windup. Never try to clean or inspect a print by rubbing the film surface
through your hand or a dry cloth, as any abrasive dirt will get caught and
scratch the print. When splicing or inspecting prints, handle the film by the
edges only. Never try to tighten a loose roll of film by pulling on the loose end,
or force a dished roll flat, as these are likely to cause cinch mark scratches.
7. Dirty Movies
Are you guilty of showing dirty movies? Do you thoroughly clean the work
surface of your rewind bench or makeup table before handling film? Are you
careful not to let the film and leaders contact the floor or any dirty surface? Do
you avoid getting fingerprints on the image area of the film during splicing? Is
your projection room clean and clutter-free, with a regular cleaning schedule
for mopping floors and vacuuming dusty surfaces? Is smoking and eating
prohibited in film-handling areas? Do you wash your hands or wear film
handler 's gloves before handling film? Do you clean the projector and
soundheads (rollers, sprockets, and gate) as dirt accumulates? If so, you will
be rewarded with clean prints. And for those occasional transgressions, very
efficient film cleaners are available that can be used to clean prints every time
they are shown, resulting in spotless images.
For more information, go to:
www.kelmarsystems.com
www.film-tech.com
Film Done Right!
As you can see, film done right is usually just a matter of good common sense.
It's easy to avoid the sins of poor presentation, and be rewarded with satisfied
audiences who keep coming back to the best theatre in town -- yours!