8mm Forum: Triangle Film labs ...

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on July 17, 2008, 10:41 PM:

I was looking at the leader on my Flinstones episode, and I noticed "Triangle film labs". I have noticed that the other "Triangle Film labs" prints have held up VERY well, retaining thier color. They apparently used an earlier low fade Eastman ...

Or, did they process it very carefully? Any thoughts, lads?!

Posted by John W. Black (Member # 1082) on July 18, 2008, 08:18 PM:

Well,Triangle was very inconsistent with their prints,Columbia used them full time and some of the stuff is just downright horrible! The silent 200 footers were given little care. As a kid,I bought a print of revenge of Frankenstien that was the worst print this side of Atlas films. My Dr. Strangelove feature was very soft. They got better later,but still well below average.

Posted by Larry Arpin (Member # 744) on July 18, 2008, 10:02 PM:

I have to agree with John. Of course, it all depends on the material supplied. Either print, IP, neg, etc.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on July 18, 2008, 10:26 PM:

Hmmm. I have noticed that the "Flinstones episodes have held up well though.

Posted by Larry Arpin (Member # 744) on July 19, 2008, 01:54 AM:

Must have been printed on low fade stock and it's possible they used internegatives from the original. I had 2 different version of the 4 part Golden Voyage of Sinbad and the quality varied drastically.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on July 19, 2008, 09:55 AM:

I bet the thought that they were from very good negatives probably holds true.

Though it probably has little to do with the negative, I have noticed that the sound, though mono, is incredibly sharp for a mono soundtrack.

Posted by David Kilderry (Member # 549) on July 20, 2008, 03:16 AM:

Columbia (Triangle prints) are the worst for colour fade for a number of reasons, they were amongst the first with 400ft colour sound films so many of their prints are 5 years older than others.

For some strange reason the Flintstones episodes have held up well. Other Columbia cartoons like Mr McGoo and Gerald McBoing Boing are faded as badly as anything I have in my collection.

David

Posted by John Hourigan (Member # 111) on July 20, 2008, 09:33 AM:

Osi, my Flinstones 400' print probably has the best sound of any of my Super 8 prints. Given that the sound quality of Super 8 prints by and large is poor, I'm amazed at the crispness and clarity of the sound on this print.

All of the forum's discussion on print fade reminds me why I generally don't collect/buy used color prints and only stick with buying black and white -- 9 times out of 10 there is a "warming" and/or "softness" to the used color print -- and it's certainly not something that I would ever screen for an audience -- and then boast to them how superior Super 8 is to digital projection!

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on July 20, 2008, 01:25 PM:

John,

I certainly wouldn't boast the superiority of Super 8 with a faded print, of course, but I tend to have incredibly good luck in getting prints with good color.

I think this comes with time and asking the right questions of seller, (as hopefully, the seller being honest). Occasionally I get a print with faded color, (and have to chuckle at what the seller states as "decent color", but then, I'm sure there are those out there that I will honestly state, "print is browning but with okay color", and to them, the color loss is this side of hell!), but i have had fairly good luck.

At this point, I've sharpened my collection having 9 out of 10 prints in my archive being good color. I have been lucky, as I have looked, for instance, for a pristine super 8 optical of "The Golden Seal", and every print I'm finding is worse than my own print, which is a little off, and I'm starting to feel that I have been rather lucky with my opticals.

To to crow about opticals some more, if you really want to good Super 8 print to crow about (over digital TV) it's those ole airline opticals. I am still amazed at thier 16MM level of quality. It's sad that so many of those prints were manufactured on quick fade stock, but then, they were the "Films that Time Forgot:, as, they were never originally supposed to survive more than a month or two, and that was just for release on the airlines. The fact that so many titles have survived to this day is amazing, and I'm finding that there are new (old) titles popping up every other day, (and poor OSI without the massive bucks to grab them.)

Posted by Mike Tynus (Member # 1108) on July 20, 2008, 04:00 PM:

I likewise have Triangle prints that are very poor and very excellent. UPA titles are holding their color brilliantly as well as a couple of Flintstones episodes I have.
There was a Super 8 store here back in the 70's and early 80's called HALCYON FILMS on Lincoln Ave., billed as "Chicago's only film store," which they were. Anyway it was run by a nice couple who usually would let me bring in films to trade without even watching the print! But if I brought in a Columbia to trade, that would definitely put a pause to the trading process as they always would check those prints out due to their inconsistency. But it is amazing how a great Triangle print can look better than any other colour print from the 70's.

Which brings another question to my mind: Why are the Ken Films Tom & Jerry cartoons holding their colours so well?

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on July 20, 2008, 04:54 PM:

Mike ...

I wouldn't crow so quickly about them Tom and Jerry's. I have a number of those Ken films prints and they have not stayed so brilliant. Perhaps you have had better luck.

I have a print of "Cat Napping" (Tom and Jerry) and the film leader from Ken Films is great, but from the moment the actual cartoon begins to fade in, there is a fade to the original negative, so it could be pre-print material.

I must say, however, that I do have a good number of Tom and Jerry's and (not including the obvious Derann L.P.P., which all look great) they don't look too shabby.

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