Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Universal Remix of DRACULA

This is topic Universal Remix of DRACULA - What is this? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-24-2006, 10:09 AM:

I am running a print of the original 1930 something DRACULA. Universal evidently has struck some new prints. There is some confusion about the sound format. This is the explanation I got:

Universal created a number of new prints along with the release of the new DVD in '99 - the optical track consists of a L, R, and summed track for center - we've run across various situations, so I'm sure you'll be ok however you want to pick up the track BUT VERY IMPORTANT the sound head MUST be in perfect alignment or more noise is introduced to an already hard-to-ride sound track from 1931 recording - Universal ran the whole thing through Sonic Solutions, but that really only takes out noise between dialogue chunks, so alignment is super important to keep the dialogue from hashing out....we have used straight mono feed, feeds from a Dolby processor with a control card specifically for optical tracks (not a Dolby "process" recording), and similar - we used to carry a unit Dolby gave us that was a rack mounted processor for feeds from optical tracks, but they wanted it back ('cause only 5 were ever made)

So I am still confused. Does this sound like it is simply a mono track recorded in SR or possibly A stereo? The explanation says it is not "Dolby," so what did they need a card from Dolby for. And if not Dolby, what then? Do they mean it is Academy Curve with no Dolby noise reduction?

Any thoughts?

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 07-24-2006, 02:24 PM:

Gooboldy Gook.

It sound like it is a modern MONO track, ie, same sound on left & right with no dolby noise reduction.

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 07-24-2006, 04:42 PM:

What does the optical track look like? Does it look like a modern track? Is there any sign of stereo (during music there would be a slight difference in the two "halfs" of the track)?

That explanation is rather hard to figure out. It kind of sounds like it is stereo with a matrixed in center channel, but that is just a guess on my part. The unit that there was only 5 made of could be some sort of single ended noise reduction. Have you run the film yet, how does it sound.

Posted by Brian Guckian (Member # 1678) on 07-24-2006, 08:03 PM:

It could be LCR-only with no NR; a little like the old Format 03 (A-type without Surround).

With these re-prints spurred on by the DVD release, you can get some unusual mix layouts. Sometimes they like to re-record mono tracks in new configurations, i.e. by using various means to derive new stereo information.

Your contact didn't seem to say the track was actually in mono, Frank, so I'd concur with Bruce that it sounds like LCR-only, if the optical track indicates phase / level differences in the musical passages.

This might also explain the need for those outboard cards, etc. to do decoding without the NR.

Also, presumably you can still play this on a tungsten lightsource soundhead?

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-24-2006, 11:50 PM:

I haven't see the print yet. We are going to do a test run. This is one of those high-art things -- Philip Glass and the Kronos Trio are going to play their own score to the film. My understanding is that the original film only had music at the opening and end of the film, thus allowing them to add their own score.

Whatever it turns out to be, I am sure it will play fine. Why they would make new prints and go thru the trouble of digitally removing noise then not using standard SR noise reduction to the final print makes no sense to me, but then again, I have see even less logical things done by the studios. If you go through the expense, why not make a print that is standard so it will play on any modern soundhead? SRD certainly wouldn't give them all this trouble. I've always said, if the studio has to leave notes in the cans about doing this or that with the sound, then they didn't make a standard print. They wouldn't get away with sending a print that needs special cards to Brad's booth. You know he would just send the damn thing back to them and tell them to send a print that plays the way it's supposed to! [Wink]

They also said that their sound guy (who will be mixing the live music with the film track) "rides" the film track, so I imagine they reduce the film to favor the music at some points.

Whatever it is, I'll just let them hear it with the mono format, then the stereo format and let them pick whatever sounds good to them.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 07-25-2006, 12:17 AM:

Frank; I agree that the print was probably "normalized" to SR. Contact Sonic Solutions, they will know. Louis

Posted by Vernon Cramer (Member # 1181) on 07-26-2006, 05:29 PM:

We ran the Philip Glass Live with Dracula show a couple of years ago. Their sound guy mixes the film track in with the rest of the audio from the musicians. We were still using a CP-55 at the theater when that show came through. We'd just had the A-chain re tweaked (I think it was a requirement in the contract rider) and that track sounded as good as it could. I believe we finally ended up running the print in SR but I couldn't swear to that. I know we didn't use any of our regular cinema speakers, and I'm not sure we used the theater house sound either. I believe everything ran through the system they brought in.

Biggest hassle on the show was the screen could not be in the normal position. It was re hung at the rear of the stage and about 10' above the musicians, which, of course, meant everything in the booth had to be re aimed.

That print of Dracula is also the darkest piece of black

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-28-2006, 04:43 PM:

For all the hoopla, this is a straight Academy Curve mono track -- no L, C, R, nothing but a single channel mono. We fed them center channel with Mono format punched up and it was perfect. My feeling is that these guys must have played this in many places that were not commercial theatres and with less than knowledgeable operators, so they try to cover themselves with all that stuff they put in the rider. But any system that is decently aligned will play this back without a hiccup. All that stuff about L,C,R has to do with their sound engineer mixing the music L & R and the soundtrack in the center.

The print was in excellent condition except for the fact that it had been slightly scorched, not bad enough to cause anything visible, but just enough to cause the emulsion to turn brownish in the image area. It is a full frame and the scorching wasn't from a misfocused lamp becaues it was even all over the image area, no hot spot. This is good because it doesn't physically deform the base as I have seen with other more concentrated heat damage. Where it occurs on a print that has been projected 1.85, the portion of the frame that is masked does not get scorched and that seems to make the base want to warp more. The little scorching on this print did not show at all on the screen and there was no warping of the print at all.

When prepping the print, I noticed the brownish cast to the emulsion right away and told their TD about it before I even put it on the projector; I know how difficult it is to prove who caused damage to a print. And yes, Vernon, this is a VERY dense, high silver content print. It looked gorgeous, albeit a little dark, and of course it is the silver content that absorbs more heat. But there is a vibrancy, almost a shimmering quality in B&W silver prints that you just don't see in color prints.

As for the height of the screen position, luckily we didn't have to change anything. Our screen is on the stage which is about 6 feet above the amphitheatre floor so the musicians, when they were seated played directly below the screen with no problems.

We got about 7000 people for this show. That's an awesome venue. Unfortunately, we had a torential down-pour and although our audiences are really quite hearty and have stayed thru rain on other occasions, this time there was fierce and really scary lightening so we had to call the show into the second reel. Had to tell the crowd that it wasn't safe to continue. Just last week some kids playing soccer were walking off the field and got fatally hit by lightening, so with this fresh in everyone's mind, they all got out pretty fast.

I am going to post more about this massive storm and the shut-down in Ground Level because there is a thread there about Outdoor Movies.

Posted by Charles Greenlee (Member # 3856) on 07-29-2006, 01:11 PM:

Not of any major point, but something off coincidal interest. I recently hooked up a TV and VCR on my bedroom. The TV was an old one (not cable ready) /w like 13 buttons that you have to tune in individually. So in order to tune channel 3(so I can use the VCR), and adjust color, bright, etc, I grabbed one of my favorite movies, the Mummy, and ran it in the VCR as I toyed with the settings. There was an ad on the tape about buying Dracula remixed with "The Kronos Symphony". Has this had not been a thread here, I probably still wouldn't have noticed the ad. Sorry it doesn't help you any, just thought the coicidence was interesting.

Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 07-29-2006, 04:37 PM:

Frank-
Since the show had to be called due to the storm, any chance they'll rerun it this summer? I had wanted to see that show, but got home too late to make it over to Prospect Park. I didn't even realize it rained...I don't think it rained in Queens.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-30-2006, 04:47 AM:

Nope. When they are gone, they are gone. Would have been great to see you. Next Thursday it's some Buster Keaton with a new musical score played live. Let me know if you want to come by and I'll get you some VIP seats.

These weather patterns were bizarre -- very localized. A friend in downtown Brooklyn said it wasn't raining over there while we were getting the heaviest downpour.