posted 01-12-2004 06:33 PM                    

quote:

---

standard archival practice is to store elements wound base out,

---

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!

That's the worst thing to do; it will lead to the film develping a curl! An archive search will bring up threads with more detail on this.

Danny

posted 01-12-2004 07:31 PM                       

quote:

---

SMPTE Recommended Practice (RP)-131-2001 which replaces the 1994 version,
which has recently been trial published in the SMPTE Journal, as follows:

4.3.2 Storage enclosures:

"The recommendations in this clause are taken from ANSI/PIMA IT9.2 and 4.1
of ANSI/PIMA IT9.11. Refer to those documents for additional information.
Motion-picture film is wound on reels or cores and stored in roll form.
Rolls should be wound emulsion in and title in, but not under extreme
tension. Rolls mounted on cores, particularly those longer than 500 ft,
should be stored flat (horizontal) unless the core itself is carried on a
horizontal spindle to prevent the lower part of the film from supporting the
load of the core. If such rolls are on spools which have flanges, a spindle
is not required since the flanges support the weight of the roll."

---

quote:

---

Extended Storage Time - 10 Years or More

Color dyes are more prone to change than silver images when kept for extended periods of time. The following minimum guidelines are suggested for keeping films for 10 years or more:

• Adequately wash the film to remove residual chemicals such as hypo. See ANSI PH 4.8-1985 for recommended levels and a testing method for residual hypo.

• Some color films designed for processes other than ECN-2 and ECP-2D may require stabilization during processing (e.g., some reversal films using process VNF-1). Always follow recommended process specifications and formulas.

• All film should be as clean as possible, and should be cleaned professionally. If you use a liquid cleaner, provide adequate ventilation. Adhere to local municipal codes in using and disposing solvents.

• Keep film out of an atmosphere containing chemical fumes. See "Effects of Contaminants" above.

• Do not store processed film above the recommended 21°C (70°F), 20 to 50% RH for acetate or polyester.

• Wind films emulsion-in and store flat in untaped cans under the above conditions.

Additional information can be obtained from ISO 2803 or ANSI PH1 43-1985, "Practice for storage of processed safety photographic film."

---

posted 01-12-2004 10:59 PM                   

quote:

---

The Permanence and Care of Color Photographs: Traditional and Digital Color Prints, Color Negatives, Slides, and Motion Pictures by Henry Wilhelm, Carol Brower

Customers who bought this book also bought:

• Ounce of Preservation: A Guide to the Care of Papers and Photographs by Craig A. Tuttle

• A Preservation Guide: Saving the Past and Present for the Future by Barbara Sagraves

• Real World Color Management by Bruce Fraser

• Books from The Harry Potter Series.

---

posted 01-13-2004 12:36 AM                    

quote:

---

"The recommendations in this clause are taken from ANSI/PIMA IT9.2 and 4.1
of ANSI/PIMA IT9.11. Refer to those documents for additional information.
Motion-picture film is wound on reels or cores and stored in roll form.
Rolls should be wound emulsion in and title in, but not under extreme
tension.

---

Well, when you encounter great 50's or 60's IB Tech features and trailers that have a curl and focus problems due to the previous owner storing them that way, you'll be telling the SMPTE to shove it, just as I am.

Danny

posted 01-13-2004 01:43 AM                       

quote:

---

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!

That's the worst thing to do; it will lead to the film develping a curl! An archive search will bring up threads with more detail on this

---

Not if stored in reasonably constant temperature and humidity it won't, and if there is even the slightest bit of shrinkage the stress on the emulsion caused by 'stretching' it outwards will cause a lot more damage than any base curl will. Remember that, as a general rule, when film shrinks, it's the base which shrinks, as either nitric or acetic acid parts company from the solid. As the base shrinks relative to the gelatine and emulsion layers it applies stress to the latter.

There might be an argument for storing polyester elements emulsion out given that it doesn't shrink in the same way that nitrate or acetate does, but I don't know of any archive which does this as a matter of policy.

And I've certainly found that release prints (of all bases) on a platter tend to be much happier emulsion out; but they're doing a different job from elements which are being kept for long-term preservation. Assuming it's spent most of its life being stored at room temperature and humidity (or worse), any '50s or '60s acetate element is likely to be significantly shrunk and give problems in projection. That problem is likely to be worse if it's spent half a century wound emulsion out. I suppose that by then reversing it you might help to 'stretch' the base a little, in the same way as if you take an element that's spent several decades wound on a 2" core or tiny spool hub and then put it on a 3" core for a few weeks followed by a 4" one, you can relieve the base curl a bit, but at the risk of some emulsion cracking.

Steve: I'd hazard a guess that Amazon don't shift too many copies of Wilhelm & Brower and that the 'previous customers' here means one or two individuals who bought a load of books about photographic preservation followed by some shit lit for light relief. But maybe Hogwarts can teach you some spells to correct coupler dye fading though...