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Topic: Purple and brown film?

Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 08-19-1999 11:59 PM

Anyone know why some prints come in with the emulsion side a dark purple and the base side a dirty brown color? I only see it on Kodak stocks. (That's your hint Mr. Pytlak

) I've found the quality of the onscreen image to be very impressive with these prints. Anyone else notice this?

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 08-20-1999 03:18 AM

The first print that I noticed this on was the movie "Seven" and it was said that it was that way to produce deeper, more detailed blacks. I have seen it on a few films since then, and they have always been dark movies. The detail in the dark scenes is always great. Now I am even seeing it on trailers (Sleepy Hollow). I agree that this stuff looks fabulous onscreen.

I remember SEVEN being very brittle. Was it acetate? The only resaon I know it was brittle is because we had an assistant manager run a few shifts in the booth one day and it "broke" a few times and only a few frames were missing, and they were clean breaks (she kept the removed frames for us to inspect) and they felt just like acetate, which amazed me because everything was completely polyester by then.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-20-1999 08:50 AM

Aren't these bleach-bypass (aka Technicolor ENR) prints? It's a lab process that desaturates colors slightly and gives deeper blacks. Seven was a bleach-bypass print, as was Saving Private Ryan. There are a number of others that were done recently, though I can't recall the titles at the moment.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 08-20-1999 09:37 AM

I'd need to see a sample of the print to analyze it, but I agree with Scott that it sounds like it may be one of the proprietary process variations like Technicolor's ENR, which deliberately leave some imaging silver in the film to increase contrast and reduce color saturation. The only caution is that by leaving silver in the film, the prints will absorb more radiant energy, and so could be more prone to heat damage from "hot spotting" or inadequate IR filtration.

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John Pytlak

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 08-20-1999 12:47 PM

The prints I saw of Saving Private Ryan were not like this. Granted Payback was intended for such a look, but I've seen this on many prints with vivid colors.

John, please send me your address (send to my e-mail) where I can ship a sample trailer to you for inspection.

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