Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: REHAB OF OLD '57 35MM TRAILER

This is topic REHAB OF OLD '57 35MM TRAILER in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Gary Davidson (Member # 2198) on 04-12-2004, 07:35 PM:

I obtained a 35MM trailer for a film I am presenting in front of an audience for a special screening. The trailer is a 1957, faded Eastman print. I want to show it for historical reasons. Is there anyone in the LA area I could take the trailer to to make sure it's suitable for screening, new leader, etc? Also, if anyone can give me a ballpark as far as how much this should cost , it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 04-13-2004, 03:44 PM:

Gary, it sound like this is something that you can do on your own if you have access to a decently equipped booth.

There is nothing you could do to restore the color. Period. Forget the green filters and other things you might be told, you are running it because of content and historical reasons, history says it is going to look faded.

As far as the physical print itself, more than likely it will need to be cleaned and this can be done by hand quite effectively using a number of film cleaning products, one of which, hopefully, the booth will have on hand. Next will be the actual physical structure. Sprocket damage and bad splices will have to be repaired, but this also can be done by you or a competent projectionist of your choosing. Any other physical damage to the print like burns or cracks will also have to be either spliced out, or left in, the decision being made based on content. Sometimes to preserve important soundtrack content, a burn, for example, will not be spliced out but covered with a black opaque patch instead.

Depending on your familiarity with film handling, you can correct almost any damage to a print and it can be made projectable, either by you or by a competent projectionist who ultimately you are going to have run the trailer for you.

Posted by Jeff Joseph (Member # 511) on 04-15-2004, 07:37 PM:

If you want to post the title of the trailer.... it's possible there may be an unfaded print of the trailer available....who knows?

Jeff

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-16-2004, 03:32 AM:

quote:
Depending on your familiarity with film handling, you can correct almost any damage to a print and it can be made projectable, either by you or by a competent projectionist who ultimately you are going to have run the trailer for you.

The only exception to this is if the triacetate base has decomposed so far that it has become too brittle and/or physically deformed to withstand the mechanical stresses of projection. If you hold a length of about 4-5 frames in a 'U' shape and a perf splits at the apex, it probably fails the brittleness test. If a 2,000 foot roll appears in the can or on to form to have a slight 'pentagon'-type shape (i.e. it refuses to sit in a circular shaped roll), it is possibly too buckled. In this scenario you'll certainly get focus drift.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 04-16-2004, 11:05 AM:

I might also suggest you think about what you want to do with the trailer after you have shown it.

If it's something that you want to keep in good condition (or at least no worse than it is now) you'll be willing to spend more time and money than you would if it's simply going to be shown and stored away again.

Your options range from applying liquid cleaners/lubricants yourself to sending it out and having it professionally cleaned and preserved. By the sound of things, however, sending it for professional treatment would be like putting a stained glass window in a shit house.

If it was my call, I'd FilmGuard the heck out of it. (figuratively speaking) Then I'd excercise it by carefully winding it back and forth a few times and make sure I rolled it both ways... emulsion in and emulsion out. After that, I'd roll it up and let it sit for a while. If It was originally wound "tail out" I'd wind it "tail in" and vice versa. All the while, I'd be checking it to make sure it's not too brittle or damaged to run through a projector.

If this is an especially important piece of film I wouldn't do that. I'd figure out something else.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 04-16-2004, 12:19 PM:

Cool and dry storage will greatly extend the life of any film. If you must use a sealed container, consider the use of Molecular Sieves:

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/technical/storage1.shtml

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/technical/molecular.shtml

http://www.fpchollywood.com/supplies-film-preservation-molecular-sieves.html

http://www.fpchollywood.com/support-molecular-sieves.html

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-17-2004, 03:12 AM:

The vented can vs. 'seal and sieve' issue is probably best determined on the basis of an acid detection strip reading (which only hard core collectors are likely to have) - i.e. has the element become, or is it close to becoming, autocatalytic? A less scientific method, but one which will do in the absence of any other, is to take the line that if the element stinks like hell, the answer to that question is probably yes. As John says, as cool and as dry as possible is the storage environment to aim for, in either scenario.