Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Bad Lab Work on Mao's Last Dancer

This is topic Bad Lab Work on Mao's Last Dancer in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-09-2010, 08:17 PM:

Has anyone else run Mao's Last Dancer?

Reel 4 of our print (#00142) looks like it was pushed 2 stops in the lab, giving it the appearance of an overexposed video tape. The other reels are fine.

Just wondering if this is a one off or if other people have this problem.

Posted by Ron Curran (Member # 3631) on 10-10-2010, 08:13 PM:

Martin, apparently no one els in your region is screening the film.
All I can offer is that the print we screened was very soft and could not be focussed to get a really clear image. But that was the whole print.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-10-2010, 08:14 PM:

Hmm, ours is actually very sharp.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 10-10-2010, 09:09 PM:

That's odd.

I blamed the lack of focus and increased grain on Bruce B. trying to emulate the prints in the date it was set.

Posted by Victor Liorentas (Member # 5272) on 10-10-2010, 09:40 PM:

I ran this for a few weeks and found it to be very soft focus with some sharper segments.It had a milky or vaseline on the lenses look to it quite a bit and i believe a certain look was the goal but 2k DI with bad high speed printing took my print beyond any goal they should want!
I wonder if the film makers know how bad it will look outside of show print premieres?
The print i had was Deluxe bouncy!

Posted by Cameron Glendinning (Member # 3516) on 10-13-2010, 10:45 PM:

My print looked just how John described, looked like it was trying to be an 1980's look, well before kodak spent billions to improve it. Would you like me to send you the blu ray?