8mm Forum: Brownish at B/W films

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Topic: Brownish at B/W films

Winbert Hutahaean
Film God

Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003

posted April 01, 2007 10:06 AM

Hi,

I have followed here that blueish at B/W films is caused by printing film on colour stocks.

But I have seen one B/W films with brownish tone. Does this also happen because of the same reason? (BTW it is Derann releases)

Secondly, why some companies release B/W films on colour stock?

Will that not make more cost to then\m? (since I knew during the 8mm era, B/W prints were cheaper than colour)

thanks,

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Winbert

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Kevin Faulkner
Film God

Posts: 4071
From: Essex UK
Registered: Jun 2003

posted April 01, 2007 12:49 PM

Yes this could also be the reason for warm b/w prints. It's also possible that if the film were on silver based b/w stock and extremely old that it could go brown due to the silver oxidizing.

Deterioration due to age is not likely to be the case with super 8 but as you say is more likely to be down to it being printed on colour film stock.

During the early 80's the price of silver rocketed sky high which meant that it became very expensive to buy b/w film so labs cut the costs by using colour film for b/w release prints as the amount of silver in colour film is much lower and therefore cheaper. Low fade stocks were generally in use so the b/w effect should last and not fade to pink.

Kev.

[ April 02, 2007, 03:50 AM: Message edited by: Kevin Faulkner ]

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John Whittle
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 791
From: Northridge, CA USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted April 01, 2007 02:00 PM

Also as color took over the motion picture lab business and the "Old Timers" retired, labs stopped printing black and white stock. Getting rawstock can be a problem, especially in the super8 perforation formats and so labs just printed everything on color materials.

Many original black and white 35mm and 16mm releases were tined and toned and should appear brownish (sepia).

In the silent era, Kodak made black and white print stock on colored support and various colors had their own numbers, i.e. 1302 was 35mm Nitrate clear black and white and 1304 a color support.

In those days, negatives were printed on the various colored stocks and then in positive assembly, the prints were put together in the proper order. A time consuming and labor intensive effort. When sound on film arrived, this process was no longer possible since printing the track and picture would be difficult and the colored bases interferred with the optical pick up photo-tube.

John

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted April 02, 2007 09:32 PM

Which makes it all the more pleasant to see a beautiful B/W image of our Charlie on the big screen.

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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