Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Outstanding film quality at SxSW this year

This is topic Outstanding film quality at SxSW this year in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Jason Whyte (Member # 1433) on 03-26-2009, 10:51 AM:

I know John Stewart who works at the Paramount is a member here so perhaps he knows the answer to this query, but this is also open to anyone who knows more about festival prints.

I had a great time covering SxSW 2009 this year, and one thing in particular I noticed was that the 35mm prints of titles like "I Love You Man", "Observe and Report" and "500 Days of Summer" all looked stunning projected at the Paramount in Austin. Focus and framing were flawless, but I also noticed fully clean prints free of debris and -- most notably -- lab splices.

Furthermore, none of these prints had traditional lab cues, rather hand-marked cues that looked either applied by one person at the studio or projection at the Paramount. This leads me to believe that these were specially made prints made just for this screening, and I could tell they were of a much higher quality than what I normally see at home (note: EVERY print has at least two or three lab splices).

Maybe it's a silly question, but are dye-transfer prints still made? Or are these just really, really high quality "show prints" made for this festival?

Jason

[ 03-26-2009, 12:31 PM: Message edited by: Jason Whyte ]

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 03-26-2009, 11:32 AM:

You probably saw "answer prints." These are made from the original camera negative and do not have lab. splices or cues (they usually have handmade Clint Phare cues). They are much higher quality than standard release prints, which are three generations (camera neg->interpostive->internegative->release print) away from the camera negative, and which are printed and processed at high speed. Answer printing is part of the production process where final color timing and exposure decisions are made.

Sometimes, the answer print is made before the sound is mixed, and the print has a blank track; in this case, the actual soundtrack may be run on a separate magnetic dubber or tape machine synchronized to the film projector.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 03-26-2009, 11:38 AM:

Most Festival prints are Showprints and afew are answer prints. But after afew Festivals and Press screenings, Premieres they get banged up. As to the cues, the lab scribes the cues to those prints. The prints you get at your theatre, depends on what part of the food chain your on. The High Quality prints (EK, Showprints, Wet Gate, answer prints) go to the Studio, Top First Run Markets like New York City, Los Angeles and afew other markets, Premieres. The major studios make a select amount of these prints for each release. The regular release prints you see at your theatres are made in large runs at the labs. And cost less to produce. So the problems of lab splices and other issues are mainly from regular release prints. At the end of the year the studios hold or make extra Showprints for Academy and other Guild related screenings.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 03-26-2009, 12:22 PM:

So, what is the difference between a "showprint" and an "EK print"? Are both printed from the camera negative?

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 03-26-2009, 01:31 PM:

It's just how the lab labels the print. Some labs use one of those different names for the same item.

Posted by William T. Parr (Member # 677) on 03-26-2009, 03:16 PM:

I am John's Back Up at the Paramount and had to show the screening of Observe and Report to the WB folks prior to SxSW screenning that night. The print was indeed hand marked with Clint Phare cues. and it had no other splices in it lab or otherwise that I was able to tell. I also ran the first showing of Richard Linklaters new upcoming movie called Nostradamus and I, it was a Show Print that had no information on the sides of the print. In fact there was nothing but black on the outer sides of the sprockets, almost looked like it could have been a studio master. It was shipped in on cores from Deluxe Labs and was labled Show Print on the outside of the box and film cans. It to had Clint Phare cue marks as I recall. The other two prints I checked in had the factory Black Dots for cues, but had no Lab or other splices in them. The name of the two prints escape me but John projected both of them.

Posted by John Stewart (Member # 989) on 03-29-2009, 01:55 PM:

Ahh, the joys of showing brand new prints. Clean and sharp...sometimes. No more dye transfers at least not for now. Don't know if Technicolor will ever trot that out again.

As Todd said, all but one print had hand made cues. We ran maybe 4 or 5 prints reel to reel, maybe 4 that were pre-plattered and brought to us and the rest was video. That has been the ratio for the past 3 or 4 years.

J

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 03-30-2009, 04:14 PM:

As a rule no print is made from the camera negative. The risk of destroying it is too great. Current practice is to scan a digital IP after seeing "dailies" recorded from camera video taps. The DI is projected as video to check for camera problems, sometimes a true "daily" print is still struck (ie "cut, print it") to check for camera problems but it isn't always done any more.
Even if you aren't using DI, a show print would not be made from the original negative except in a real low-budget operation... and they would be using video cameras these days anyway.
The special show prints are basically done on a lower speed printer, and probably used in color timing and approving the "mother" interpositives and printing negatives. Several prints are generated in this production step and they can be used for pre-release screenings, festivals, special shows, etc. These usually don't have any negative cues punched (the black spots) so Clint Phare markers are used.