Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Billy Elliot

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

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets » Billy Elliot

Author

Topic: Billy Elliot

Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 09-25-2000 12:32 PM

6 reels
9,539 feet/106 mins
SR/SR-D
Ratio???
'House of Mirth' trailer attached to my print, but I guess this probably won't apply to the US.

Not sure about the aspect ratio here. Was a BBC production and looks like it was framed for 16:9 w/s TV. The last such film I had, REGENERATION, said 1-66 on the leaders. I showed BILLY ELLIOT for a preview in 1-66 also (we don't have 16:9/1-75 lenses and plates here) and it looked as it should to me. I don't think it could have been shown in 1-85 without the tops of heads being chopped off. But there's no indication of the intended ratio on the cans or leaders - they just say 'flat'. The printer matte doesn't give a hint either - some shots are Academy, others full height.

| IP: Logged

Steven Gorsky
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 146
From: Frederick, MD, USA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 09-25-2000 08:54 PM

It is my understanding that if it is labeled Flat, that the ratio is 1.85 to 1, and it is normal for some of the picture to be cut off.

Steven Gorsky

------------------
Projectionist

Disclaimer:
Anything expressed in this post is my personal view/opinion, and not necessarily the view of the company for which I work.
Any technical questions are for my personal knowledge only.

| IP: Logged

Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 09-26-2000 07:36 PM

If it's Hollywood, then flat=1:1.85, but that's not always the case in Britain/Europe. The French use 1:1.66 almost exclusively (apart from 'scope films); the rest of Europe is about half and half. What made me suspicious about this one is that BBC films have been 1:1.66 (and marked on the negatives of the leaders as such) in the past, and this one bore all the hallmarks without actually saying so.

Incidentally, the former Soviet Union countries are still releasing films in Academy...

| IP: Logged

Steven Gorsky
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 146
From: Frederick, MD, USA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 09-26-2000 08:37 PM

Your right, I forgot that in other countries there are different ratios. I should have remembered that because one of the other projectionists where I work used to work in a museum that would show films from all over the globe, and he constantly talks about the different ratios and frame rates.

Steven Gorsky

------------------
Projectionist

Disclaimer:
Anything expressed in this post is my personal view/opinion, and not necessarily the view of the company for which I work.
Any technical questions are for my personal knowledge only.

| IP: Logged

Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 09-28-2000 05:40 PM

It would make life SO much easier if labs could mark the film-maker's intended ratio on leaders rather than leaving us to hold bits of film up to the light and guess... Sometimes I 'phone distributors and even they don't know.

I presume the director of photography who shot a film has some sort of preference as to what ratio it should be shown in - but it seems to be beyond the industry's finest technical brains to convey this information to the projectionist in many cases...

| IP: Logged

John Pytlak
Film God

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

posted 09-29-2000 07:00 AM

Standards SMPTE 55 and SMPTE 301 for leaders specify an area for "Aspect Ratio" to be written in, so it is printed onto the head and tail leader of every release print. It is the responsibility of whoever attached the leaders to the printing negative to write in this information (it may not always be the lab).

------------------
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

| IP: Logged

Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 10-02-2000 03:16 PM

In my experience, they never do...

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

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.