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Author Topic: How do you identifiy test film Frank Dubrois Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 896 From: Cleveland, OH Registered: Mar 2005 posted 06-30-2006 07:20 PM                    We have a box of film (it LOOKS like some rolls of test film mixed with other film) that I cannot identify. They are all small rolls, unlabeled, unidentified. Some is all gold, some has a color that ranges from purple to white then back to purple. Some looks clear with a small border around each frame. Is there a place that has photos of test film so I can identify this stuff? Is it of any use? Does anyone know just by my bad description what this film is used for? It may not even be test film, but that is the box I found it in...unfortunately, no labels or reference to it at all. Thanks for any help.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 07-01-2006 12:18 AM                       Leader stock, maybe? Is there a soundtrack? If so, is the waveform continuous/repetitive?  |  IP: Logged Frank Dubrois Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 896 From: Cleveland, OH Registered: Mar 2005 posted 07-01-2006 01:34 AM                    I saw no soundtracks at all. All this stuff is different looking too. The really weird one (the one that goes from purple then fades to white then back to purple) is the only one I've ever seen before, but I dont know what it is for.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 07-01-2006 02:23 AM                       That sounds like lightstruck leader to me... worthless.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 07-01-2006 10:18 AM                     Anybody have any idea what this is? There was a couple of metres of it attched to the head of each reel of a print that I received recently.  |  IP: Logged Frank Dubrois Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 896 From: Cleveland, OH Registered: Mar 2005 posted 07-01-2006 01:19 PM                    I wonder if this box labeled test film is actually just a bunch of junk that somebody just didnt know what it was. Like that strip above. A whole box of crap.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-01-2006 07:25 PM                     Frank, When we are all done training you in this art where do I send my part of bill for all of my advice that has been thrown in to these threads? You just don't seem to be able to figure anything out for yourself... do you? Thanks in advance for your billing address! Mark  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 07-01-2006 07:28 PM                  Like Stephen, I too would like to know what that film is for...it appears to only have DD and optical tone burst sound tracks.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-01-2006 07:43 PM                     Guys, lighten up. I may be missing something, but the guy is trying to learn and it seems all he gets in response is senseless bashing. If you can't or don't want to help him, please do not reply.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-01-2006 09:00 PM                        quote: Frank Dubrois I wonder if this box labeled test film is actually just a bunch of junk that somebody just didnt know what it was. Like that strip above. Maybe they called it "test film" meaning it was for practice, like practice threading or splicing.  |  IP: Logged Richard Hamilton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1341 From: Evansville, Indiana Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-01-2006 09:02 PM                     Frank, can you post any pictures of the film? Then we can determine if it is junk or really test film. Brad, I apologized to Frank in another thread, but you locked and deleted that whole thread. "I hate to be Frank but.." Yes, I have made some smartass comments towards Frank, but that is just my nature because of his comments in one thread. I have never met him, and probably never will, but I will offer any information that he or any one else asks for as long as I am confident I know the correct answer. As far as my smartass comments go, I can take them as well as give them. When Joe R. said I was a female and had no male genitelia, I laughed my ass off and told him he won that round. Frank, there is a vast amount of info on this site. Ask and learn as much as you can! I have walked into too many booths where the people don't know shit and dont care. I have also been in booths where the head projectionists likes to "tweak" too many things because he thinks he already knows it all, and is trying to be helpful, but in reality screws things up. Rick  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 07-01-2006 11:31 PM                       quote: Phil Hill I too would like to know what that film is for Looks like someone was testing the light valve ribbons for maximum excursions. Just a guess.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-02-2006 01:43 AM                     Yea..got a bunch of these sound test strips as well.. on front of TECH prints that come in where the head leads were missing (since I get used prints for a discount house). Thus, I kept these for good sound loops of sorts... - Monte  |  IP: Logged Charles Greenlee Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 801 From: Savannah, Ga, U.S. Registered: Jun 2006 posted 07-02-2006 02:01 AM                        I was guessing a sound test loop too, maybe dolby tones. But that wouldn't have had the DD track, and if I remember correctly, the wave isn't as simple as that. But it is a mono test track.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 07-02-2006 06:18 AM                     quote: Charles Greenlee I was guessing a sound test loop too, maybe dolby tones. But that wouldn't have had the DD track Interesting you should say that; some new Dolby tone that arrived at the end of last year does have a Dilby Digital track on it. I don't have any means of playing a digital track, so I can't tell if there is actually any audio on it, and, if there is, I don't know what sort of signal, or what possible use it could have. quote: Looks like someone was testing the light valve ribbons for maximum excursions. [Confused] Just a guess. [Wink] Tim, I was thinking along similar lines to you, i.e. that it was not a test film as in a film made for the purpose of testing something else, but rather a film that was the result of some sort of test, carried out at a lab, which when it had served its purpose was a convienient roll of junk leader. There were several lengths which were like the one I scanned, one which had some sort of tone on it, not Dolby tone, and one which started out as one, then had a few frames worth of just bias line, then changed to the other. It looks lohe they were all cut from the same roll, which had two different signals recorded on it, one after the other. quote: Richard Hamilton can you post any pictures of the film? Then we can determine if it is junk or really test film. Good advice; it's much easier to tell what it is if we can see it. Frank If it's real test film, like buzz track, Cat. 69 T or P etc. then it will probably have some sort if identification printed in the picture area at regular intervals. Pa35 projector alignment film describes itself as such on each frame. Why did Dolby change from the double sided Cat. 69 to separate 'P' abd 't' loops; was it just to sell twice as much film?  |  IP: Logged

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