"Lab Splices" are an economic necessity, as few reels are exact multiples of the 6000-foot raw stock length. Without lab splices, the labs would have to discard unprinted "short ends". Raw stock color print film costs about $0.09 (9 cents) a foot. Labs offer splice-free "show prints" at a premium price.

Trailers are often printed from a "looped" negative. Lab splices are used to reduce "short end" waste.

Since lab splices are made in the dark on unprocessed film, before an image is even printed, they may contain unprocessed emulsion in the ultrasonic weld, and may not always be on the frameline. Unreliable or unsightly lab splices should be remade at the theatre.

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Reels returned for serious fogging are usually replaced without question, and the lab tries to fix the root cause. Information about darkroom lighting is at:
http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/motion/support/technical/illumination.shtml

Raw stock tape splices are sometimes still used. But the tape covers up the undeveloped emulsion during processing, so you will lose at least two frames when you remove the splice.

Reels with more than one splice may have encountered a problem during printing or processing. They should be rare.

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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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If those disgusting, unprofessional pieces of crap that we call "lab splices" are an economic necessity, then why did they used to be so rare? Did labs used to just say "screw the leftover amount!" and toss it away? Maybe Kodak is part of the cause by only offering rolls of 6,000 feet? It's always good economy to buy in bulk anyway. Lab splices really reduce presentation quality by a very high degree, especially when the film gets discolored and the Dolby Digital track gets messed up for the rest of the reel. It happens way too often. And there really is no excuse for it! There has got to be a better way of doing things, but Kodak and the labs just can't seem to figure it out. The standards of the labs do not meet the standards of exhibition. I'm sure you've read my Deluxe Hollywood review.

What's next? Lab splices in my Kodak EktaCrap 24 exposure 35mm still camera film?

Replacing even the worst ultrasonic lab splice means losing only two frames of film.
Extensive discoloration (fogging) and disruption of the digital tracks are not the norm, and a replacement reel should be requested.

When prints were made one reel at a time, "short ends" were spliced together "off line" and used for trailers or short reels. At 9 cents a foot for raw stock, throwing away short ends would dramatically increase print prices.

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Just built a print of Children of Heaven received from Technicolor. (Print #10)

It had the old "Integrity Inspected" stickers on it and everything. When I screened it, I found about 2 EXTRA minutes of film! The last scene from the end of reel #1 REPEATED at the beginning of reel #2!

Talk about Deja' Vous!

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After that incident, prescreening movies was not only OK with my company, but recommended.

We use Val Morgan for our slide program. They really suck ass.

Incidentally, did you know that "Val Morgan is making olympic history by being the first cinema advertising company to be a sponsor of the olympic games"?

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