Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Bloopering?

This is topic Bloopering? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002855

Posted by Manuel Francisco Valencia (Member # 710) on 12-05-2001, 09:50 PM:

Is anyone familiar with this term? After going through some old manuals I found a list of common booth words and terms and found this word that I never heard before. The definition went a little something like: to scribble opaque ink in the shape of a circle or triangle on a splice to prevent audio popping. Granted this technique is not needed if one makes a correct splice but I am wondering if anyone else has seen or heard about this. A picture would be most helpful in seeing how this is actually performed.

Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 12-05-2001, 10:34 PM:

Blooping.

It used to be done with a blob of ink or dye forming an opaque extended oval over the soundtrack. Back in the 60s I used chartpack tape cut at an angle to make bloops. The need for blooping at the theatre was often caused by the griswold splicers not having the hold down springs adjusted properly, and the dull razor blade used to scratch off the emulsion overshooting the splice area. This resulted in a clear line the width of the film that would pop the soundtrack as it passed the solar cell.

The tape bloops worked great for about a week, then the adhesive would start to loosen and they would have to be redone or removed.
Clear tape butt splices eliminated a lot of the desperate need for blooping.

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 12-06-2001, 03:06 AM:

This is a technique we use at my venue. We use black china marker and it does help slightly to remove pops as the splice goes through the soundhead.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-06-2001, 04:19 AM:

Just make the quick modification to your splicer like is explained here in the tips section and forget about blooping entirely.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 12-06-2001, 08:48 AM:

Check out the "Legendary Lexicon of Projection" in issue 12 (1981) of Kodak's "Film Notes for Reel People" in the "Manuals" section of Film-Tech.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
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 Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 12-06-2001, 09:08 AM:

I often use a diamond of shaped cut out of artist tape

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 12-06-2001, 09:23 AM:

For conventional analog silver or silver+dye tracks, the ink or tape used for blooping should be opaque to infrared. A dye-based marker or ink would not be effective.

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 12-07-2001, 05:46 PM:

Blooping used to be a routine process in film production editing
rooms. Blooping ink was available in 4 oz and 8 oz bottles, and I
have a heavy-duty diamond blooping punch used in editing optical
sound films.