|
|
Author
|
Topic: film scratches
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John Pytlak
Film God
![](http://www.film-tech.com/ubbmembers/331cap.gif)
Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000
|
posted 07-16-2003 08:30 AM
quote: During my time as a projectionist, and ever since as an audience member I get the impression that negative dirt and scratching is an increasing problem, especially for mainstream titles with very large print runs.
Sorry, but I disagree!
In my career at Kodak, I have been very involved in projects to improve the cleanliness and quality of release prints. With Kodak VISION Color Print Film, Kodak has made significant investments in improving the formulation, slitting, and perforating of the print film itself, greatly improving the dirt level:
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/products/lab/2383.shtml
Kodak VISION Color Intermediate Film 2242 used for making printing negatives now has a scratch-resistant conductive layer that greatly reduces the attraction of dirt during printing and resists scratching:
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/products/lab/5242.shtml
Kodak has worked closely with the labs to improve the cleaniness of their operations, such as my SMPTE Presentation "Some Positive Ways to Handle Negative". One of my nicknames at Kodak is "Doctor Dirt".
The labs themselves have made remarkable progress in improving cleanliness and reducing handling marks. Bi-directional and loop printing have greatly reduced the amount of negative handling, improving cleanliness even for long print runs. Labs routinely use on-line cleaning of both raw stock and printing negatives during printing, and quickly pull a negative for solvent cleaning if dirt levels build. Several new "state-of-the-art" release print labs have been built in the last few years, using the latest in printing, processing, and cleanliness technology.
Distributors often contract for "third party" inspections of outgoing print quality to supplement lab QC. These include the THX Theatre Alignment Program (TAP), Dolby Distributor Services (Ted Costas' group), LedJer Print Services, Kodak ScreenCheck, etc.:
http://www.thx.com/mod/techLib/pdf/labgrad.pdf
http://www.dolby.com/press/co_pr_0207_PrintChecking.html
http://www.ledjer.com/services.htm
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/screencheck/
So I am keenly aware of dirt issues, and have them on my mind every time I go to the movies. Although I occasionally wince at the dirt/defect level on a particular production (usually seems to be an issue of a careless negative film cutter), overall, I find the overall quality of release prints to have improved remarkably compared to "the good old days" of triacetate prints, rem-jet, and Model C printers.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|