my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Color Test frames

Author Topic: Color Test frames Jonathan Ralston Film Handler Posts: 13 From: Cincinnati, OH, USA Registered: Jul 2003 posted 10-13-2003 10:11 PM                     Everyone's seen the pictures of one of two or three women at the end of trailers and sometimes the tails of prints. Any clue who that person is. Does anybody else wonder about that?  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 10-13-2003 10:39 PM                     She is called the LAD (Laboratory Aim Density) Girl . Do a search for 'LAD Girl' here on Film-Tech and several threads about the subject come up. John Pytlak also knows quite a bit about her, I believe he was instrumental in her 'creation' ... -Aaron  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 10-13-2003 10:50 PM                        Developing the Laboratory Aim Density (LAD) control method was one of my first projects at Kodak. It simplifies the control of color and density during film duplication by laboratories, allowing more consistent prints. Working with my long-time technician Al Fleischer, I presented the first technical paper at the SMPTE Conference in Toronto in November 1974. The first paper was published in the October 1976 SMPTE Journal. In 1982, LAD Girl added additional gray and color patches, as well as a photo of a pretty Kodak model to aid labs in setup of the color analyzer. I recently was honored to receive an Academy Scientific and Technical Award for the development of LAD: http://www.film-tech.com/trailers/filmtechpytlak.html  |  IP: Logged Dominic Case Expert Film Handler Posts: 131 From: Sydney NSW Australia Registered: Aug 2003 posted 10-13-2003 11:08 PM                       John's correct in claiming the LAD system as his: but the girl has been around longer than the LAD. She is traditionally called the "Chinagirl", and has always used a grey patch (which the LAD system standardised) and a model. Originally I believe Kodak supplied this, but they used a mannequin instead of a real person - a "china doll". I think it started in black and white days, maybe they could get away with the lack of real skin-tone. We used to joke to the model for the Australian version a few years ago that she had been on more films than any Hollywood star.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 10-14-2003 05:51 AM                        Yes, Kodak supplied a "China Girl" for many years. Originally a china mannequin, later a real girl. The original LAD was based only on a gray patch, but many still wanted a "real" scene to aid in setup and control, so the two ideas were combined. Only 800 feet of negative was shot for the original LAD Girl in 1982. Labs are supplied duplicate negatives made from this 20+ year old original negative. The duplicate negatives are now made from a digital master of the original negative. "LAD Girl" is likely now a grandmother.  |  IP: Logged Matthew Peters Expert Film Handler Posts: 179 From: Glen Waverley, Melbourne, Australia Registered: Nov 2002 posted 10-14-2003 06:56 AM                     An Australian Version  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 10-14-2003 03:34 PM                        Matthew Peters provided: quote: An Australian Version I notice that the fairly washed out image you provided was of a print that was not made on Kodak print film. And from Mr. Case's lab, no less. (No hard feelings.)  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 10-14-2003 04:28 PM                     quote: I notice that the fairly washed out image you provided was of a print that was not made on Kodak print film. Either the print or neg was Agfa, from the 'A G' (Agfa-Gevaert) I see on the top left of the strip. -Aaron  |  IP: Logged Dominic Case Expert Film Handler Posts: 131 From: Sydney NSW Australia Registered: Aug 2003 posted 10-15-2003 03:04 AM                       YEs it's true! The edge markings are on the print (they would be white if from the neg). So this print was indeed on Agfa stock. Sorry John. I updated that particular chinagirl some years ago, but I can't identify the girl. For a previous chinagirl we shot a still and copied it on an animation stand (now it's done digitally): that way the flesh tones remain perfectly constant. The trouble with live shooting even the 800 feet John mentioned - about 9 minutes of running time - is that there is plenty of time for the model to blush or go pale, making colour matching a little harder.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.