8mm Forum: Color Films look better when from the UK

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Topic: Color Films look better when from the UK

Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted April 09, 2018 08:12 PM

Having bought some Super 8 Color Sound digests from the UK recently, I’ve noticed that the same title bought from a US seller will be blood red, but when bought from a selker across the pond the color is better. Not perfect, but noticeably better blues and greens. Is it a climate thing? Is it that even though it’s the same packaging and same scene selection the lab was in GB and not domestic? Are my eyes playing tricks on me? I know I’m not imagining it.

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Winbert Hutahaean
Film God

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

posted April 09, 2018 09:29 PM

Aside from the climate thing, it is also need to be considered the chemical and film stock used by the labs. If you are talking films made in the UK, of course it would be printed by different labs than those made in the US.

Many UK releases were printed on AGFA or Fuji stock, while those in the US 99% were on Eastman or Kodak SP.

Many UFA German releases were totally imported from the US, i.e using Kodak SP/Eastman, Maritz Lab of the US, and Taylor reel... only the case and sound version are different. While Germany climate is not that far from the UK's, those German prints are reddish as red as those stored in the US.

You can see now what is happening here.

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Winbert

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Brian Fretwell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1785
From: London, UK
Registered: Jun 2014

posted April 10, 2018 03:12 AM

Some of the UFA prints I have are on Fuji stock and printed by Buck Labs so there are less faded ones out there.

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David Baker
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 233
From: Hamilton , Ohio
Registered: Aug 2012

posted April 10, 2018 09:17 AM

Yes Brad I agree with you , all the UK prints I own have very good color , as opposed to the USA Eastman shift prints .

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Dave

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Joe Caruso
Film God

Posts: 4105
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted April 10, 2018 09:53 AM

That might suggest to buy the Castle/u-8 releases all over again, via England - Cheers, Shorty

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Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted April 10, 2018 10:42 AM

All my UK prints from Walton and Bucks Labs have held their color very well. All my 400ft digests printed in the USA have turned red.

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Osi Osgood
Film God

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

posted April 10, 2018 11:25 AM

You're absolutely right, Brad!

... as, the labs in the U.K., while they didn't exclusively use low fade film stock, they DID use it a lot more. I'd be willing to bet that even with non low fade, they tended to take more care as i have ran into many a feature from the 70's NOT on low fade, but eastman, and these even look really good today.

So, when I did choose to get back into cellecting the Disney 400ft digests, for instance, I immediately went for the U.K. prints, and I have never been let down!

One slight drawback, though ...

While the U.S. will be on a fading film stock, sometimes the sharpness is better on the fadey U.S.; eastman, where the Agfa low fade with excellent color, will be slightly soft in focus, not quite as sharp as the fadey print.

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

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted April 10, 2018 01:52 PM

Would Castle, U-8, Ken, Columbia and Disney been duplicated in the UK and then packaged with the exact same boxes? I see prints from U-8 with the identical white plastic boxes and sticker labels, but the screenshots always appear less red than their US counterparts.

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Joe Caruso
Film God

Posts: 4105
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted April 10, 2018 02:10 PM

Plastic covers were computerized, so-to-speak, the US boxes are sharp in color

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Brian Fretwell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1785
From: London, UK
Registered: Jun 2014

posted April 10, 2018 04:27 PM

I believe some UK prints were from dupe negatives supplied from the USA so that is the reason for lower quality, another generation away from the original.

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted April 10, 2018 05:53 PM

Hey Brian... The prints are MORE faded in the US and LESS faded when purchased from a seller in the UK. Yet, the package and cover art are identical. I’m sure many collectors bought prints exported out of the US and just paid for the extra shipping, but yet the color will be less faded than a copy from a seller in the US.

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Winbert Hutahaean
Film God

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

posted April 10, 2018 07:11 PM

quote:
The prints are MORE faded in the US and LESS faded when purchased from a seller in the UK. Yet, the package and cover art are identical.

Brad, as I mentioned earlier... I am not a person who believe that climate will contribute a lot for fading process. Dry and cool storage will indeed preserve color more than humid and hot climate but not that much. It is film stock and chemical used by the lab that influence more in the color preservation.

We have a greater chance to get good color prints when buying a Walton Films, due to the fact Walton used AGFA or Fuji stock more than other stocks. But there was a time when Walton used 3M stock. No matter how you store the prints (in the UK or US climate), they will be really reddish now.

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Winbert

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