Best practices

The 21st century projectionist's guiding principle: every print borrowed for exhibition, regardless of gauge or source, should be handled with a maximum of care and a minimum of shortcuts.

Elements of Style

• Inspection
  • Creating an Inspection form

  Having a good inspection form is becoming more and more important as prints become harder to obtain and increasingly priceless. An inspection form serves two main purposes and each are equally important. To provide a guide for the projectionist in order to properly screen the a film print (especially in places where the one inspecting is NOT the one projecting the film), and to act as a record of the condition of the print when as it was received (both for you and for whomever lent you the print). Many people choose to combine these two onto one form in order to minimize paperwork, but they can also be kept separate (allowing for more detail). At the very least, the following things should be included even if using only one sheet.

  Projection Guide: General info (Title, year of production, director, number of reels, archival or not)

  Aspect ratio, Sound format , FPS , Subtitles

  First image (take note if audio it starts in black etc.), intermission ?

  Last image, exit music etc.

  Cues (if they are different, mark down what they are for each reel)

  Film damage: make note of any damage, especially damage that may require extra attention as the film runs (broken perfs, crunched film, warping etc.)

  Always note the general condition of the print, is it pristine? Does the projectionist need to stand next to the projector praying for the length of the reel? That sort of thing. The more you know beforehand about a print, the more likely your show is to be great!

  Print Condition: Take note of where print came from (either distributor or the last venue that ran it)

  Film damage: Common things to look for are, base/emulsion scratches, edge/perf damage, oil/dirt, color fading, warping/shrinkage and any other types of damage you observe.

  Splices : what type and how many?

  Repairs: make note of any repairs you made, any frames removed, any cues that you added to the print, and any damages incurred (hopefully none!)

  So ideally two separate sheets should be made, or a neat combination of the two. Having a sheet that is overly complicated is just as bad as having one with too little information on it. For some examples of different inspection forms see the Inspection form page.

• Projection
• Shipping
• Not plattering (including 6k reels?) - arguments pro + con
  • runs vs. one-offs
• Not using automation or automation tape
• Cues
• No need for lens turrets

Recommended Equipment

• Projectors
• splicers
• cleaning supplies
• rewind benches