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Author Topic: Strange X marks Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 08-05-2002 02:01 PM                        Hellohello, last night I watched the English version of "Windtalkers". About every ten minutes, and sometimes more frequently, you would see two X marks flashing up in rapid succession. The marks were obviously hand-painted in red on the print and covered the whole image area. They seemed to coincide with the ends of longer scenes and sometimes of individual reels (but they were definitely not changeover marks). I wondered if this print had been used as a reference print for the German language dubbing. But in my experience, those prints are marked much more frequently. Maybe this could have something to do with a lab process for which I do not know the English term , literally translated it would be something like "illumination alignment"? Can you illuminate me on this mystery? Michael  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 08-05-2002 03:25 PM                     I can't help you with the purpose of these marks, but if by "illumination alignment" you mean the adjustment of the printer light settings for each scene, to get the correct density and colour balance, that would be what we know as 'grading', and the Americans call 'timing'.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 08-05-2002 04:02 PM                        That`s exactly what I meant. Would you say "light timing" or "illumination timing", or what else would be the correct usage? I had assumed that the marks might have something to do with it, but they occur too infrequently. So what could they be good for? Mr Pytlak? Michael  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 08-05-2002 05:05 PM                     Did you have a work print or a release print? Different marks will indicate different opticals that will applied later if it is a work print...fade outs, fade-ups...etc. Steve ------------------ "Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 08-05-2002 08:00 PM                        The printer color balance changes are usually done by "frame count cuing" today, where the printer is threaded up on a sync mark on the leader, and the cues are based on a frame count from a shaft encoder. Older printers sometimes used foil tabs or even notches along the edge of the negative, but in no case would the cues be visible in the image. For workprints, here are the accepted markings used by the film editor: http://www.acvl.org/chap3.htm ------------------ John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243 e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 08-05-2002 10:42 PM                        The print I watched was supposed to be a release print because it played at a public theater. The problem here is that because even in Berlin only a handful of theaters show the original versions, there are very few English prints available. Distributors don`t care for the original version business, so these theaters often get what appear to be work prints. They asked for a replacement print, but obviously the distributor didn`t have another one! So the poor cashier had to warn every customer about the marks! Unfortunately, if you want to see the original over here, you often have no choice but to accept what you get, because all the other theaters show the dubbed version. Michael  |  IP: Logged Jeffry L. Johnson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 809 From: Cleveland, Ohio, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 08-06-2002 03:16 PM                        In 2001 January Technicolor Entertainment Services shipped a BID PRINT of Galaxy Quest, a 1999 December 25 US release, for a nontheatrical playdate. This actually worked very well since this was a "surprise" (title unannounced) part of a SF film marathon. The fans were quite amused to see an unfinished print with no effects and familiar tunes from other pictures. Nothing like shooting someone with a submarine sandwich. They'll fix it in post.  |  IP: Logged

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