8mm Forum: Correct direction for film projection

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Topic: Correct direction for film projection

Claude Lyneis
Junior
Posts: 16
From: Berkeley, CA, USA
Registered: Jun 2013

posted July 07, 2013 07:08 PM

I have a short film which is Kodak Tri-X negative film for high speed recording. One side looks dull, the other side shiny. It has sprocket holes on both sides. It is not obvious from the content which direction the film should flow.There are markings along the edge. I am guessing if the film is laid out so the markings read left to right, then the film should also move from left to right. Does that sound correct? Should the dull side of the Tri-X negative film face the projector lamp?

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Michael De Angelis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1261
From: USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted July 08, 2013 12:31 AM

Generally when projecting film: shiny in, dull out.

The shiny side of the film should face the projector lamp

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Hugh Thompson Scott
Film God

Posts: 3063
From: Gt. Clifton,Cumbria,England
Registered: Jan 2012

posted July 08, 2013 02:47 AM

Also, the image will be upside down coming off the feed spool.

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Douglas Meltzer
Moderator

Posts: 4554
From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted July 08, 2013 10:23 AM

Claude,

Normally reversal film gets projected. Negatives are used for making prints. If you plan on striking a print from this negative be very careful about scratching the film during projection.

Doug

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I think there's room for just one more film.....

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Hugh Thompson Scott
Film God

Posts: 3063
From: Gt. Clifton,Cumbria,England
Registered: Jan 2012

posted July 08, 2013 10:42 AM

Doug, thank God you're here, that's the point I missed, NEGATIVE,
DON'T PROJECT THIS PIECE OF FILM, as there is the chance of spoiling any future prints, well done Douglas.Phew.

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Claude Lyneis
Junior
Posts: 16
From: Berkeley, CA, USA
Registered: Jun 2013

posted July 10, 2013 12:50 AM

Thanks for all the comments. It seems unanimous that the dull side is the emulsion and should face the lens, not the lamp. The film was wound on a reel so that threading it through put the emulsion side toward the lamp and it apparently played backwards. (the content is water droplets in slow motion with no up or down so it is not easy to tell.) I then ran it the other direction and time seemed to flow in the right direction. I guess to get the emulsion facing the lens, would require hand winding it with half a twist. The fate of the film is to make a transfer to digital media and then it will probably be dumped. So a few scratches are not a big issue. Anyway I will know better next time.

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Michael De Angelis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1261
From: USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted July 10, 2013 01:39 AM

Claude,

You've got it wrong.

The dull side is the emulsion and it should not face the lens.

The dull side is the emulsion and it's always on the outside of the reel of film

The shiny side is the base.

When winding the film, the emulsion (dull) goes on the outside of the reel and the base (shiny) goes on the inside of the reel.

Thus, the base (shiny) faces the lamp. The shiny side is the inside wrapping of the film on the reel.

The emulsion is dull. It faces the outside of the reel or meaning the
dull side faces the screen > forward.

The Base is shiny and < back toward the lens.

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted July 10, 2013 02:46 AM

I would suggest that Michael's comments refer to positive film, but in this case the film is negative stock, therefore the emulsion goes towards the lamp.

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Maurice

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