Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: "Say it Isn't So"- do all prints have end credits spliced on?

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Topic: "Say it Isn't So"- do all prints have end credits spliced on?

Jesse Skeen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1517
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 03-22-2001 07:12 AM

I just built up and watched "Say it Isn't So", when checking the last reel I saw that there was a tape splice literally on the last shot in the movie- it cuts to black and the credits start rolling. I'm wondering if they had to change the credits at the last minute, are any other prints of this movie like this? It was the only reel that came tails-up too. Watching the movie, the splice wasn't at all noticable, no jump in the sound or anything.

John Pytlak
Film God

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

posted 03-22-2001 02:11 PM

You may be right, Jesse. The opening titles and closing credits are often the last elements to be approved, and often delay the printing of the first and last reels. (This is one reason Extended Length Reels ELR weren't strongly supported by some distributors). If a last minute change in the credits were made, it would not surprise me if only the new credits were printed, and spliced on to each print in "positive assembly" at the lab, or at the film exchange. Your observation of tails out orientation supports the hypothesis that the reel was rewound after processing, perhaps to change the credits.

------------------
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 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Carl King
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 199
From: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 03-22-2001 10:31 PM

Hi Jesse;

My copy of "say it isn't so" had the credits spliced on to the tail as well. I didn't know why until I read John Pytlac's reply.

Christopher Seo
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 530
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-23-2001 03:09 PM

You would have thought they would use an ultrasonic splicer to be professional about it. The print of "Crouching Tiger" I made up had the MPAA rating slate spliced in at the end. 8-perf framline splices, but horribly done, complete with hanging tape "chad".

Jesse Skeen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1517
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 03-24-2001 08:57 AM

I've seen the ratings tags spliced on before (most recently on "Snatch") as well as attached previews on reel 1 being spliced on (not always in frame though!) but this is the first time I've seen part of an actual movie do this- as I said it's not noticable onscreen, the Dolby Digital track didn't jump or drop out at all and looking at the analog track it appears seamless as well. There aren't any more splices between the credits and the tail end, so the tail must have been printed at the same time as the 'new' credits if that's the case.

Scott Norwood
Film God

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

posted 03-24-2001 10:03 AM

I forget what the film was, but within the last few years, I came across something that had the studio logo spliced in (ultrasonic or cement...I don't remember the base material of the print, either). The weird thing was that it was either a B&W print with a color studio logo or vice versa, which I thought was weird. Maybe someone else who remembers this can fill in the details which I've forgotten.

Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 03-24-2001 11:06 AM

I remember the prince movie Under the cherry moon had The color logo spliced to a Black and White film. That came out a long time ago.

John Pytlak
Film God

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

posted 03-24-2001 11:44 AM

Sometimes, intercut color and B&W prints will show a focus shift, because the silver in a B&W print absorbs much more infrared (heat) energy than color dyes. The shift is minor on a low powered lamp with good heat filtration and a longer focal length lens. But with a high powered lamp with poor heat filtration and a very short focal length lens, the focus may be significantly different.

"Schindler's List" had prints where color sections were intercut with the silver-image B&W film.

Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 03-24-2001 12:02 PM

I found it very annoying with schindler's list because it was shedding real bad and those extra splices didn't help any.

John Pytlak
Film God

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

posted 03-24-2001 12:31 PM

It was especially important for B&W print film to be properly edgewaxed (per SMPTE Recommended Practice RP 151-1999) for proper transport and to prevent projector abrasion and "shedding":
Kodak Recommendations for Print Lubrication

Fortunately, Kodak has made significant improvements to both B&W and color print films, such that most projectors have no problem if the print is not properly waxed. But post-process print lubrication is still recommended for optimum performance and projection life.

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