Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: A Colour Box, Len Lye (1935) New BFI release format.

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Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 05-19-2007, 05:58 PM:

The BFI have put this out to be shown in front of the feature 'My Best Friend. It's an Arrilaser 2k transfer from digital, and it looks pretty good. The original Visatone track is no more, it's been re-recorded as a modern duo-bilateral cyan mono track.

The letter which comes with the print says that it should be spliced onto the end of the adverts and trailers reel, as it is a different ratio to the feature, which is in scope. The can label says it's 1.85, so it sounds like they've printed it in the 1.37 within 1.85 format, but no, it's even sillier than that. it's 1.37 within 1.66, or something very close to it. If you run it with a 1.85 plate the titles are badly cropped top and bottom, and it looks terrible. At 1.66 you can get them all on the screen, but the framing is quite tight.

So, you either change formats between the adverts and the short, and then change to a third format for the feature, or you run the adverts at 1.66 as well, which is going to look pretty odd, since many of them are already hard-matted to something wider than 1.85 anyway. If they're going to release it so that it needs to be shown at 1.66, despite what it says on the can, so it can't be shown properly with a 1.85 plate, then why not release it as a proper 1.37 Academy print?

Even when I ran it at 1.66 it wasn't ideal; because the picture is smaller than our standard Academy one, I can't quite get the side masking in far enough.

[ 05-20-2007, 05:43 AM: Message edited by: Stephen Furley ]

Posted by Brian Guckian (Member # 1678) on 05-22-2007, 05:23 PM:

Just wondering what the hard matte is set at on the print. Is it exactly at 1:1.66 or more open than that?

Also it sounds like a mastering problem being a transfer from a digital source. If there is a DVD release in mind as well (i.e. a compilation) then perhaps they framed it for something like 14x9. This being 1:1.56, it might explain why the framing is still tight at 1:1.66.

Though setting 1:1.37 within the 1.85 frame is less than ideal, it is still far more preferable than full frame 1.37, in multiplexes, because at least it obviously retains the correct composition. Yes, one always likes to think people will obtain lenses and cut plates but in fairness it must be very difficult in a multiplex, especially if a film is moving from one screen to another.

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 05-23-2007, 03:24 AM:

Brian;

I haven't measured it, we've got the print for a while, as the feature it is showing with doesn't open for almost a month, I'll have another look at it on Saturday.

Posted by Brian Guckian (Member # 1678) on 05-23-2007, 12:51 PM:

Many thanks Stephen; will be interesting to see the results.

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 05-23-2007, 02:07 PM:

I wonder if they would let me borrow the print on Saturday, and return it on Monday morning? If they would I could scan a frame of the titles, and mark 1.85 and 1.66 on the scan.