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Author Topic: Distrobution of Film, and other small Questions. Thomas Dieter Expert Film Handler Posts: 234 From: Yakima, WA Registered: Jun 2004 posted 07-29-2004 02:27 PM                     Okay, I have heard many things about how a Film is Delivered to you. I've heard that once it is printed, and the paint(ink) is dry, it is rolled on to the reels at the place of printing. Then I've heard that it is placed in boxes and the places like TES and ETS or whoever place them on the reels, and that is why the film seems to have those corners on them when you look at the end of the film while it's on the platter. Second, What happens to the film after the movie has played in all the second run theatres? Do they take the 10 or 20 best condition prints and save them for times when people want to rent them again, and melt the others down for reuse. Or does all this just go right to the Hollywood Landfill? Well, I had a third question that I wanted to ask, but I can't remember it, so I will post it when I think of it again.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-29-2004 03:01 PM                        Most feature films are shot on color negative film (ECN-2 process), similar to the negative film you use in a still camera. The sound is usually recorded digitally, and edited together with the pictures, narration, music and sound effects. Once the editing is done, the negative is "cut" and "conformed", and duplicated using a "master postive" and "duplicate negatives". Sometimes, "Digital Intermediate" is used, especially for manipulating the color or for visual effects. A sound negative with both analog and digital tracks is made from the final mix of the soundtrack. Release prints are made on contact printers, from a picture (duplicate) negative and a sound negative, printing onto a color print film like KODAK VISION Color Print film. The print film is processed (ECP-2D process), and sent to film exchanges for shipment on to theatres. Lots of information on the Kodak website: http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/h1/printingP.shtml#p http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/students/handbook/index.jhtml?id=0.1.4.9.6&lc=en http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/motion/support/h1/index.shtml http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/h1/dealing.shtml Used prints are destroyed, and the film materials are usually recycled. Prints may also be "rejuvenated" for use in other countries, and a few prints are kept for second-run: http://www.fpchollywood.com/fscsalvage.html quote: Since the 1950’s, the Film Salvage Company (FSC) has provided anti-piracy support to the motion picture film industry through the secured destruction and environmental disposal of used motion picture film. Approximately 20 million pounds of film are destroyed and recycled annually, and in March of 2000, FSC was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its recycling program. FSC is a division of FPC, Inc., which happens to be a subsidiary of the Eastman Kodak Motion Picture Group. We are located in Hollywood, California; Mountain City, Tennessee; and Milan, Italy. Here is the ACVL Manual, which also discussed film laboratory procedures: http://www.acvl.org/manual.htm Distributors rarely sell prints to private collectors, but may deposit prints with film archives. Re-releases are normally made from pre-print materials stored in climate-controlled conditions. Some labs also have on-line "tours" and information about lab procedures: http://www.technicolor.com/TCP_Home_Page/0,,CNUS-LNUE,00.html http://www.bydeluxe.com/services/filmlabs/ http://www.colorlab.com/filmskool.html http://atlab.com.au/techlib/index.asp  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 07-29-2004 05:15 PM                    Thomas, a couple things. When we talk about a film being "printed" it doesn't mean printing with inks. It's photographic film like you put in your camera except designed to produce a positive image when exposed to a negative one. The printer is not a printing press but rather a machine that has two large diameter sprocket wheels (like on a projector but much larger). One is for printing the picture, the other is for printing ths soundtrack. The negative and the raw print stock pass together over the same sprocket with the teeth passing through and gripping both films with the negative against the sprocket and the print stock above it. The negative unrolls, goes over a few rollers and the printing sprocket then winds up on another roll. This is happening separately for both picture and sound negatives on their own respective printing sprockets. Meanwhile the raw print stock is unwinding, passes first over one sprocket wheel, then goes over to the other, then winds up. What happens on the printing sprocket is that there is a gap between the two halves of the sprocket and a light shines up passing through the negative onto the print stock. One sprocket is designed to illuminate only the picture area, the other only the soundtrack area so the image is photographically printed onto the print film. This is a simplification; there are additional lights to expose the digital soundtracks and in some cases the negatives aren't wound up but are made into endless loops so that successive prints can be made one after another. From the printer the film then must go through a developing machine which basically consists of making the film go up and down over many rollers first in one tank of chemical solution, then another and another. The film must spend a certain amount of time in each solution so the faster the machine runs the more up/down rollers and larger tanks to hold them are required. The last step is washing and drying. Film is shipped out wound on plastic cores. In the past each large city had a depot and they would rewind the film onto reels (usually metal) and placed in cans. Nowadays the depots use split reels to avoid the rewinding step. BTW, you're not totally wrong about printing films with ink as the Technicolor dye transfer process (discontinued in the 1970's, revived a few years ago, but discontinued once again) worked kinda sorta like that. No ink but special dyes.  |  IP: Logged

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