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Topic: Open Captioned Prints

Joshua Lott
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 246
From: Fairbanks, AK, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-13-2000 07:18 AM

I just got done watching an open caption print of Erin Brockovich(sp?) and all of the reels had a lime green color of open caption except 2 reels. Those 2 reels captions were white. What causes this? Is it just replacement reels or something?

I was also wondering how do they get the captions on there? Is that something they do at the same time the picture gets put on or is it done after?

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 06-13-2000 07:42 AM

The captions are usually laser-scribed on, meaning that they are put on after the picture.

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Ken Layton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1452
From: Olympia, Wash. USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 06-13-2000 08:14 AM

Isn't "open caption" just another way of saying "sub-titled"?

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 06-13-2000 08:57 AM

Open Captions and Subtitles can be printed in several ways.

When many captioned prints are needed, a B&W negative with the captions (black letters against a clear background) is printed "bi-pack" with the picture negative and print stock on a special contact printer. The black letters hold back the exposure, leaving white letters on the final print. The extra layer of film during printing does lose some sharpness.

Chemical etch subtitles are produced by coating the emulsion of the processed print with wax. Metal type is used to emboss the wax in the areas of the letters, similar to the way mimeograph masters used to be made. The film then goes into a bleaching solution, which removes the emulsion in the areas unprotected by the wax, producing clear letters. The wax is then removed from the film.

Laser subtitles are produced by scanning a high-powered argon laser beam on the film, ablating (burning) the emulsion off with the high energy laser beam.

Chemical etch and laser subtitles can be put on used prints, such as "rejuvenated" US prints that find their way overseas. They are more cost-effective than "bi-pack" subtitles when only a few prints are needed, but for large orders, the subtitles are usually printed in.

One company that specializes in subtitling is Titra: http://www.titra.com I believe they did the work on "Erin Brockovich".

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-13-2000 09:40 AM

I hate the laser-scribed subtitles! I've run a lot of foreign films that were titled in this way. Apparently, it's more cost-effective to do this for small print runs than to do the titles "properly" on an optical printer, but you can't focus the laser titles because they focus on a different plane from the emulsion...

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 06-13-2000 09:49 AM

Scott:

Your comment reminded me that another way of printing in titles is by using an optical printer, usually as a "burn-in" to the duplicate negative. This usually produces a high quality title that is part of the image, without the slight sharpness loss of "bi-pack" printing.

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Christos Mitsakis
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 242
From: Ag.Paraskevi, ATHENS, GREECE
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 06-13-2000 10:19 AM

Scott:
The wax method that John describes is even worse in focusing. The problem is constant here simply because 95% of prints are foreign.
On the contrary I find laser subtitling less problematic and better frame oriented (NO wrong framing of 1,85:1 prints and NO stretching of the lettering during anamorphosis in a scope print since laser can squeeze the font that is beeing burned onto film.
Depending on the distributor here, you know wether a print is wax or laser subtitled. Still in the majority of the prints the wax method is used.
Christos.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 06-13-2000 05:41 PM

I haven't had any problems focusing the captions vs. the image, but I have noticed the prints selected to be "captioned" appear to be hand picked...to ensure they are of the worst quality currently available. There's nothing like inspecting an open captioned print that was originally released "non-captioned" 2 months earlier and finding over 100 half-ass done splices throughout and emulsion scratches. You'd think if there will only be a half dozen OC prints made, they would run through a few and find some in good quality that only ran for a couple of weeks as someone's 2nd or 3rd print. Of course, all OC prints come from TES, so maybe that's the problem.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-13-2000 06:59 PM

Brad -- a clarification: I know nothing about the "open caption" (English subtitle/English track) prints that are described here. My comments were about the laser subtitling process, which is also commonly used for producing subtitles for limited releases of foreign films. I've handled several laser-subtitled prints of foreign films which were pretty close to lab-mint/never-been-on-a-platter condition, so it's certainly possible to have a mint-condition laser-subtitled print...

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timothy johnson
Film Handler

Posts: 50
From: minneapolis, mN 55419
Registered: Jul 99

posted 06-13-2000 09:36 PM

I had my own movie (six days in roswell 35mm print) etched my titra laser, they charge a whopping $100 per reel, and it is very very hard to read on anything bright, I just could not afford doing it the proper way, so for an indie film I see it as a cost effective way when you only have a few prints. Overall it worked well. One of the reels did have some dust left on it.

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Joshua Lott
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 246
From: Fairbanks, AK, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-14-2000 09:32 AM

The print of Erin B. that I got was actually in the best condition that I have seen an open caption print. We are actually getting an open caption each week this summer. Just an extra movie to build/break for four shows. But it is for a good cause even if only 10 people show up.

On the terms of print condition the worst print I have ever seen is Pound Puppies that we played last year for our summer kids free film series. It had 92 splices and I don't think there was a frame of film that didn't have at least 2 or 3 different scratches.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 06-14-2000 04:22 PM

I have to agree that Erin B was the best OC'd print I have ever played. Maybe you got my print, Josh. We did FilmGuard it for the 4 shows it played.

Every other OC'd print is pure hell. It is like they only make 2 of them and they take the worst ones they can get to begin with!

Oh well, when all else fails, just blame John Pytlak.

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Joseph Pandolfi
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 213
From: Milford, CT.
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-14-2000 05:55 PM

I screened "The Next Best Thing" and and reported that some of the letters were yellow and out of focus.

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Sean M. Grimes
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 247
From: Lunenburg, MA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 06-14-2000 08:34 PM

right now I am showing the open caption of MI-2 and it was in better shape then the technicolor print. Just a quick rant - if they give you a twenty four hour number to call the least they could do is put someone slightly knowledgeable on the other end? At least they kiss ass well. grrrrr.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 06-15-2000 05:45 AM

Joe P. :

Yellow-fringed laser subtitle letters usually are a sign that the laser power level wasn't sufficient to completely burn away the emulsion. On print film, the bottom image dye layer is the yellow, so it is the last to go. Getting the laser power exactly right to completely burn away the emulsion but not char or melt the base is tricky. Titra usually does a pretty good job.

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