The film reel is one of the most crucial containers during the film’s lifetime because it supports the film when it experiences the most wear and tear when being distributed and being played in theatres. Flimsy, poorly constructed reels can cause damage to films during transport, projection, and rewinding and subsequently harm the value of screenings in the theatre, costing the industry excessive expenses that must then be compensated with profits from greater ticket sales which are ironically affected most by the satisfaction of patrons influenced by the quality and entertainment value of the films and provisions for the theatre to keep them physically comfortable (the theatre was one of the first programmatic applications for comfort cooling and heating).

 

Some of the faults with film reels as indicated by F.H. Richardson in a 1922 article from T.S.M.P.E. are: they do not provide enough stiffening support on the sides for efficiency in otherwise well-designed projectors partly because the diameter of the hub is too small, rough treatment during shipment that is totally avoidable can dent or bend the reels of which the metal is then almost impossible to reshape, idleness by manufacturers results in the use of an unsatisfactory product that is not cleanly cut so rough surfaces and sharp points cut the edges of the film, and finally the reels are not made of sufficient weight or thickness of a durable metal to withstand these other factors and protect the film. This contention pertains to metal, such as steel reels although could also concern plastic reels used later on. He argues that spending more money to attain stronger, more standardized film reels would be offset by the costs being saved from reduced film damage and corresponding audience contentment.

 

Of course another issue that arises, despite these measures to improve film reels, is competition between manufacturers who are trying to reduce costs to increase their own profit margins and lower prices for the consumer who is interested in finding the best deal. Additionally, increasing the diameters of the hubs to be at least 5 or 6 inches, but ideally 4 inches in the center and up to 11 inches for the side flanges would require extra storage space.