Posts: 996
From: Kvinnherad, Norway
Registered: Oct 2009
posted July 17, 2011 03:21 PM
For me it's if the print has one or more of several negative qualities.
- Alot of fade; beet-red/completely pink film. - Sprocket damage that makes the print unenjoyable. - Scratches, splices or lines that ruin the film. - Lousy focus, over/under-exposure (b/w). - Too much of the film missing. - Ruined mag-stripe.
-------------------- Well who’s on first? Yeah. Go ahead and tell me. Who. The guy on first. Who. The guy playin’ first base. Who. The guy on first. Who is on first! What are you askin’ me for? I’m askin’ you!
Posts: 3216
From: The Projection Box
Registered: Nov 2006
posted July 18, 2011 06:44 AM
Austin. Many collectors are extremely fussy if a print (film) has a slight scratch (line) on it which can be seen on screen when projecting for instance, or if the colour and image definition is not so good. Others will prefer a full length film as opposed to what is known as a cut down abridged version which were very often made available in the 1980’s. Speaking for myself it is now a reality that many prints have circulated a great deal changing hands many times and during this time may have not been projected on good or well maintained cine projectors, so it is inevitable to see some signs of wear to a film due to age, usage and issue type. The worse prints are often those where the colour has gone pink which happens on some film types, but on the whole it all depends if a film holds some special meaning for the collector who is willing to put up with ‘a bad print’ Happy collecting!
I will look at this from a pursuing a brand new manufactured print ...
A bad print is ...
1. One that has been taken from many dupes down from the original negative.
2. There are no grey tones (if B/W)
3. Poor condition of source material (scratches ect.)
Image is destroyed by bad lab work, (print washed out and terrible focus, which may well be beacause the lense was out of focus for the actual negative work or final lab work.
[ July 19, 2011, 01:03 PM: Message edited by: Osi Osgood ]
-------------------- "All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
Posts: 146
From: Montreal, QC
Registered: Jan 2011
posted July 18, 2011 12:33 PM
David you didn't like "Sharkey's Machine?" For me I won't go anywhere near something that has VS, and I really got mad when I recently got a couple cartoons off Ebay that were not only missing their leader, but their beginning too. I can always throw on another leader, but missing sliced and diced chunks is a deal breaker for me.
Posts: 963
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Feb 2006
posted July 19, 2011 03:27 AM
I was joking of course with my Burt comment......although I do recall walking out of Stroker Ace (Stand On It).
Fade is the biggest turn off for me and perhaps continuous green emulsion scratches. Too many splices as to make a projector loose its loop is also a turn off. Vinegar Syndrome is also a blow when you get that whiff on a print you have just bought.
Having said all this I do have prints in my collection that suffer from one or more of these maladies, sometimes its grab a poor one or nothing.