Possible projection problems with volume 2

found this in the newsgroup (alt.fan.tarantino):



As many of you know, films are delivered to theatres on reels lasting no

more than about 20 minutes, often much less. Very few theatres still

use the old method of alternating projectors, changing over seamlessly

from one to another as the show progresses. A few will join several

reels together to run an hour or so via larger reels but the vast

majority use the platter system where the entire film and trailers, etc.

are joined into a single strand using a machine carrying several large

turntables. This involves cutting off the leaders from the beginning

and end of each reel and splicing only the actual movie together.



Here is where there is an issue. To cut the leaders off properly it is

necessary to determine where the frameline between pictures is and when

a reel begins or ends in solid black this can be difficult. This comes

up when a reel opens or closes with a fade-in or fade-out.



The competent projectionist will take the time to determine the correct

location to make the cut. The lazy assholes who staff many booths won’t

bother and will cut off the entire fade. Thus what was once a fade out

and fade in may be seen as a straight cut in their theatre. Anyone who

knows anything about movies knows that in the grammar of film these are

two totally different things.



On Kill Bill Vol. 2 two of the reels end in fades to black. They are

reels 1 and 5. Watch for them and if your theatre has cut off the fades

you should complain to the management. And please “out” them here.



Note that at the end of each reel you should see 2 changeover dots flash

in the upper right corner of the picture. The first (called the motor

start dot) then 7 seconds elapses, then another dot (called the

changeover dot) then just about 1 second before the splice joining the

reels goes by. On the reels in question you will be well into solid

black a second or two BEFORE you see that 2nd dot. If you never see the

2nd dot and/or the splice goes by while the picture is just starting to

fade out you are the victim of a lazy asshole projectionist who is more

intent on saving a few seconds while preparing the print than on doing a

good job and showing you Quentin’s film as intended.



Naturally you should patronize theatres that put presentation quality

first and avoid those that dont.





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Let me add that Kill Bill Vol.2 comes on 9 reels despite being only

slightly longer than average at about two and a quarter hours. Thus,

some of the reels are somewhat short.

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above posted material was not written by myself

so do you want us to post in here if we dont see the second dot?

i doubt we’ll miss anything if we miss a fade out, but i’ll look for it now that you mention it.

Won’t be fucked up at our theater. I’m a projectionist. I won’t be building the print but I’ll be sure to mention it to the boss. Get to see it wednesday night! Yippeeee!

I can understand the worry, but if frames are missing, that would put the audio out of synch right? Therefore, it’d be easy to spot a mistake in the splicing? I’m just guessing.

Was there a similiar problem when Uma jumps out the screen and fights Gordon Liu in Volume 1? Cuz that part always seemed fucked up to me

Sounds like someone is starting up another urban legend… it just rings of someone making crap up for the sake of making crap up.

Im SOOOOOO worried…



NOT!!!



Even if the projection WAS fucked up, it would add to the grindhouse style of the movie! :slight_smile:

[quote]Sounds like someone is starting up another urban legend… it just rings of someone making crap up for the sake of making crap up.[/quote]

No, that’s pretty legit.

They definitely didn’t splice it right. The parts where there are supposed to be fades are at the end of the massacre, when Bill is walking up to Budd’s trailer, and when the bride says “may I have a glass of water” and goes into the Elle and I chapter.



I went to two theaters for the two showings I’ve seen, and they both fucked it up.