posted 12-02-2002 04:01 AM                    

quote:

---

For what it's worth, there's also an airline format that usually has a narrower-than-normal English-language optical track and foreign-language mag track. I've never seen one of these prints, but apparently the sound quality on both tracks was pretty lousy.

---

posted 12-02-2002 01:40 PM                    

quote:

---

If you are serious about the frequency response of your 16mm projection, you can have the lens assembly refocused at the position of most studio prints, which is (I THINK) the emulsion toward the lamphouse (but I can check that for you) -- perhaps John P knows the SMPTE standard for 16mm emulsion orientation.

---

posted 12-03-2002 03:07 AM                    

quote:

---

A 16mm print made from a CRI negative, in turn made from a normal 35mm negative would also have this geometry.

---

posted 12-07-2002 08:07 AM                    

quote:

---

OK, I'll bite. A quick Google search yielded several German-language sites that, despite my Bavarian-sounding name, I cannot read. Scott's FAQ makes no mention of these. So, what are Mauer soundtracks?

---

A few yeas ago I was asked to produce some slides of various types of soundtracks. For some reason which I cannot now remember, I made negatives on Kodak Royal Gold 100, and then had the slides made from these, rather than shooting directly on slide film. This does mean that I still have the negatives, so I have scanned some of them and inserted them below for anyone who may be interested, and is not familiar with the various types of tracks which have been used in the past. I used 16mm prints for two reasons, firstly because I was asked to produce slides which included the full width of the film, not just the track area, and the track takes up a greater proportion of the film width on 16mm, and therefore appears larger, and secondly because I had a greater number of different track types available to me on 16mm than on 35.



This is a variable density track. The print is Technicolor dye transfer, and the track is therefore silver only. The film is 'We've Come a Long Way', about the history of the design of oil tankers, made by British Petrolium, and released in 1951. I recently discovered that it was shown at the Festival of Britain, in that year. In the mid to late '60s, the early days of colour television in this country, the BBC ran what they termed 'Trade Test Colour Films' during the day as a cheap way of putting colour pictures on screens at times when normally no programmes were being broadcast. Yes, television programmes were not broadcast throughout the day at that time, not really that long ago! This was one of the films they used. Any of the British members remember seeing it? Interestingly, I also have a 35mm print of this film, and that has a variable area track.



This, , is another variable density track, on an Eastmancolor print. Thank goodness print stocks have improved somewhat since then! There is obviously dye in the track, but there seems to be very little, if any, silver. I have a couple of frames of an 8-perf print of 'The Battle of the River Plate' and that has a very similar track, and has faded almost as badly. I don't know the reason for the lack of silver in these tracks, cost saving by not re-developing the track might be a reason for mass-produced 16mm prints for educational use, but would seem very unlikely for a handful of 35mm Vistavision prints. If anyone knows why this type of track was used, please let me know.

The film is 'Moscow to Peking', about a journey by train between these two cities, made in the late '50s, or early '60s. Quite surprising that this was made in what were very much the days of the Cold War. Historically interestng, but a pity it's faded so badly, one of the worst examples I have seen.

The vast majority of variable density tracks look very much the same; there are a couple of obscure variations, but I don't have examples of those. There is a much greater variety of variable area tracks.



This is a unilateral variable area track. Actually, it's a fairly unusual variant of one, but you can't tell that from this sample, so more on that later. The film title is obvious, it was made by the G.P.O. (General Post Office) in the '30s, about the same time as the much better known 'Night Mail', and is about a ship in distress, made to promte an early form of ship to shore radio.



Another unilateral track, of about the same vintage, but showing the most common form of ground noise reduction on these tracks, a separate shutter which comes in from the white edge of the track. I cannot remember the film title.



Another sample from 'North Sea', revealing the true nature of the track. It is Marconi Visatone, with the ground noise reducton taking the form of an extra black line to fill some of the clear film. During the quietest passeges a second such line was used, and this can just be seen at the bottom of the picture.



A bilateral track. The print is Eastmancolor, but has obviously faded much less than the previous example, despite being only about ten years younger. The track has dye, in the magenta and cyan layers, and redeveloped silver. Two modulated edges rather than one. The film is an educational title about electrostatic copying.

I'm not allowed to put any more pictures in one post, so I'll try making another post with the others.