The Film in the Camera

Sound and camera report sheets tell you what the reels of film you are going to cut consist of. The camera sheet also tells you what kind of film the picture has been photographed on. The type of film stock will be noted in the laboratory processing instructions.

Processing originals

You will find you deal with laboratories frequently in the course of cutting a film. The labs will be involved at many stages from the processing of the camera original to making prints of the final edited film. Camera originals are normally processed in a series of long tanks. The film runs through the tanks at a precise speed and the temperature of the chemicals in the tanks is very accurately controlled. A fractional variation can effect the colour balance of the film or the exposure. Extended (forced) development can compensate for inadequate exposure though it can also lead to an increase in grain size and a deterioration of picture quality. Modern negative developing machines run continuously at speeds of around 70ft of film per minute. In the case of 16mm colour negative original the time needed to pass from one end of the processing plant to the other is around one hour. A copy can then be made for editing.

You must know what type of film has been used in the camera. Though you will cut a copy made from the camera original you must know what the original film is. You may be editing a black and white copy. You must know if the original is in colour or black and white and you must know if the film has been shot on negative or reversal stock. How do the types differ?

Reversal and negative films

Reversal film when processed immediately produces a positive image in which the tones of the original scene are reproduced as they appear. On negative stock those tones are reversed. To get back to the original state the negative must be printed on a reel of positive stock. This operation will again reverse the polarity of the tones, returning them to their original form. If negative film is used in the camera, a cutting copy will be produced by making a rush print of the negative camera original on positive stock. If reversal film has been used in the camera, the processed reversal original can be rush printed on another reel of reversal stock.

PROCESSING ORIGINALS

1. Typical daylight developing machine
(A) Solution/pump and valve housing. (B) Flowmeters. (C) Enclosed film magazine. (D) Stapling department for attaching new rolls. (E) Film reservoir. (F) Daylight cover for first section. Open tanks. (G) are used after the first stage. (H) A contact thermometer is fitted. (J) Final wash tank. (K) Drying cabinet. (L) Ducting for air jets. (M) Humidity Control. (N) Film Take Up. (O) Take Up Housing. (P) Automatic temperature control. (Q) Blower & main drive housing.

2. Neg/pos system
When a negative camera original is processed (2A) the tones of the original scene are reversed. By printing the negative on positive stock (2B) they can be returned to their original form.

3. Reversal system
When a reversal original (3A) is processed it immediately produces a positive image in which the tones of the original scene are realistically reproduced. Further positive copies can be made by printing the reversal originals on reversal stock (3B).