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Topic: SMPTE vs. the real world
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Brad Miller
Administrator
Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99
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posted 07-11-1999 03:08 PM
Here's another idea. How about printing several feet of the SMPTE PA35 test film on the head of every feature film? That way we can see just how unstable current polyestar stocks and film printing is! I can run a loop of PA35 film on my Century JJ and the picture is as steady as a slide, but when I put some actual film (Deluxe labs in California is the worst) the picture bobs and weaves. This is magnified even more on a Christie projector, where there is bobbing and weaving on the PA35 alone. Interestingly though, I can take an older film dating back to the 70s and 80s and they play ROCK SOLID! Where's the quality control nowadays? Anyone else notice this? You can identify the Deluxe CA prints by the slashes through the title on the tail leader. Technicolor labs print the title in big block letters. Deluxe in Canada actually prints "made in Canada" on their tails.
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Brad Miller
Administrator
Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99
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posted 07-17-1999 04:31 PM
The biggest problem with Estar base films is the curl. That's pretty much it.Take a foot long strip of film. Lay it down on a flat surface emulsion down. See what happens? Only the edges of the film come into contact with the surface and the picture is arched upward. This is a "base curl". All prints before the switch to polyestar stock had an emulsion curl to them. I spoke to a gentleman at Deluxe a few years back about this and in the simplest words, this is caused during the drying process of manufacture. He said it COULD be done the other way and he didn't know the reasons as to why polyestar film was done in that fashion. He seemed knowledgeable, but not interested in changing. Also, let's say you have a film with a base curl. Winding it onto a reel emulsion in (so the base side is outward) will exaggerate this and make the film run harder and be less pliable, because the more curl there is to the film, the stiffer it will be. If the same film is wound onto a reel emulsion out, it will actually flatten out the film, making it run smoother. This is why I always rant on people who run soundtrack down on platters. Before the introduction of Estar films this could be done, as triacetate stock was pretty forgiving. But, the soundtrack should always be wound up with polyestar films to prevent this from curling more. As for changeover theaters, I modify my takeup belts with an "S" so both reels spin counter-clockwise/emulsion out. I have ran tests with running polyestar films backwards (to simulate an emulsion curl) and even a Christie projector runs them nicely. Thus, Gordon is right, it isn't the Estar stock which is at fault. It is the labs for processing it with a base curl.
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