Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: squiggly lines

This is topic squiggly lines in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Carl King (Member # 398) on 02-14-2001, 09:40 AM:

John Pytlak will probably be best able to answer this question but it is for anyone who may have an answer.

I notice on some prints/trailers a dark line that moves in a squiggly pattern ( you know, like a snake). I assume that this is done in printing but what is it?

It usually appears for only a second or two.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 02-14-2001, 10:10 AM:

Sorry, I need a more detailed description. Is the line narrow or wide? Horizontal or vertical? Neutral or colored? Does it tend to be along the left side (analog soundtrack) of the image?

First guess is that you may be seeing silver from the soundtrack developer splashing into the picture area, leaving a "squiggly pattern" of dark silver in the picture. (An example of why silver soundtracks are problematic).

Another possibility is that the unprocessed film got severely creased during transport in the printer or processing machine, which sometimes causes an irregular line pattern.

------------------
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 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 02-15-2001, 05:10 PM:

John, I've seen this from time to time on trailers, as one my aperature plates is filed just a tad too much on the soundtrack side. Your description of the soundtrack developer getting over a little too far into the picture area is exactly what I've seen.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 02-15-2001, 05:25 PM:

Silverless cyan dye analog soundtracks are good for the environment because they eliminate one of the most caustic solutions in the print process, conserve water, and help keep silver out of landfills. But there are other reasons they are a good idea whose time has come, enabled by the new technology of red LED readers. Eliminating silver stains caused by sound developer bleeding and splashes is only one of them.