spooling film onto reels

J.M. O'Malley · February 24, 2005

Hi guys. I am new to the forum. I am a trained photographer (check out my site www.jmomalley.com) and am studying cinematography (independently, not at a school). I am preparing for my first short film, which I will be shooting on 7222. I know very little and need a lot of answers and advice. I'll be processing the film in some equipment I've designed. My first question is, how to I prep the film for telecine? Obviously I'll have to splice it together (which I'm learning how to do). How do I actually put the film onto the reel? Do I tape it to the reel and then wind it on? Does the emulsion face the center of the reel? Also, does anyone have some practical advice about splicing with cement? As I said, I know very little, so please don't ridicule me. I plan to learn how everything works.

Dominic Case · February 25, 2005

My first question is, how to I prep the film for telecine? Obviously I'll have to splice it together (which I'm learning how to do). How do I actually put the film onto the reel? Do I tape it to the reel and then wind it on? Does the emulsion face the center of the reel?

Call your telecine house and ask if they prefer negative emulsion in or out (usually it's emulsion out).

I have always recommended to avoid the use of sticky tape on negative: what happens if the telecine op lets the reel run out? does the tape stick, and therefore stretch the film or strain the transport? or does it come unstuck and run through the gate, leaving a nice deposit of sticky all over the place.

The reel should have a slot in it: insert the end of the neg into the slot, carefully wind a complete turn so that it locks into place, then wind on the rest of the roll.

Also, does anyone have some practical advice about splicing with cement?

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John Pytlak RIP · February 25, 2005

Never tape the end of the roll to the core! Indeed, it's better to not even use the core slot, which means the end of the film would be kinked and could get caught. Usually a simple "wrap" around the core is all that's needed, as friction helps hold the film on the core.

Do tape the outside convolution to prevent the film from unwinding -- use a tape with an adhesive that pulls off cleanly without residue, like "artists tape" or "drafting tape".