8mm Forum: 16mm magnetic sound films

This is topic 16mm magnetic sound films in forum 16mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Dan Lail (Member # 18) on June 14, 2005, 06:40 PM:

What are the chances of finding 16mm films with magnetic sound tracks? Wasn't there some kind of juke box from the fifties that played magnetic sound films. I'm not referring to Soundies. I know what Soundies are. [Smile]

Posted by Steven Sigel (Member # 21) on June 14, 2005, 08:31 PM:

You're talking about Scopitones. They turn up from time to time on ebay.

Also you can sometimes find airline prints of features with MAG and Optical tracks on the same print. Optical in English and MAG in some other language - like French or Spanish. I've got a couple in my collection...

Posted by Dan Lail (Member # 18) on June 14, 2005, 11:51 PM:

Thanks, Steven. I see a lot of Scopitones presently on Auction. These look pretty cool, especially the German ones. [Cool]

Are all the magnetic features in another language other than English. [Confused]

Posted by Jan Bister (Member # 332) on June 15, 2005, 12:12 AM:

I've always wondered why magnetic sound didn't catch on with 16mm like it did with super-8. Wider stripes and nearly double the running speed must have made for some truly amazing sound quality... but then *shudder I just can't warm up to the whole concept of optical sound. [Eek!]

Posted by John A. Pommon (Member # 292) on June 17, 2005, 04:33 PM:

Clearly the higher fidelity mag tracks were the superior way to go. Yet optical was the de-facto standard established tried & proven for decades which could be printed (exposed) at the same time as the picture, lasting the life of the print, not accidentally erased and significantly cheaper for the end user. The 16mm market being saturated with the lesser expensive optical equipment plus the fact that pricier 16mm magnetic was not backwardly compatible with older optical equipment probably didn't help either.
John P

PS: I think if videotape had not come along & had been increasingly perfected and we stayed with 16mm motion picture film, magnetic audio tracks would have evolved & easily obsoleted conventional 16mm optical mono 100/6K printed tracks in favor of hi-fi stereo tracks.

Posted by Rob Young. (Member # 131) on June 30, 2005, 04:11 AM:

Before video cameras became the standard, news camera crews in the UK used shoot on pre-striped 16mm.

When I was at University (about 10 years ago!) we still had to train to use 16mm cameras and amongst the equipment were loads of brand new magnetic sound heads for the cameras. These had been bought up cheap from news stations that no longer needed them. Apparently they had cost about £500 each new and they were totally unused, nor ever likely to be used!

So if you ever find any camera original UK based news footage from, say, the 1970's it could be magnetic sound! Of course it will also be full of splices as it was usually the original camera reversal film that was edited for transmission!

Posted by Dan Lail (Member # 18) on June 30, 2005, 12:13 PM:

Thanks, Rob, that would be a fantastic find, but probably very rare. It appears there are many scopitones out there. Some in I.B. Tech! You would think with all the independent film makers and students some one could make money providing mag striping for 16mm and 8mm. [Smile]

Posted by David Park (Member # 123) on June 30, 2005, 03:47 PM:

Rob I'm in UK and yesturday I picked up a B&H TQII with magnectic sound in addition to optical, all my others do not have magnetic. It would be nice to have some magnetic sound film to see if will reproduce OK, where is a good source of a short print with mag. sound?

Posted by Rob Young. (Member # 131) on July 06, 2005, 09:03 AM:

Hi David, sorry for delay in replying. I don't really know a definate source for magnetic prints. I had a look at the usual dealers lists but didn't see anything, although I know that magnetic films do pop up now and again.

I would just keep trying the normal dealers. I know Phil Sheard at Classic Home Cinema often keeps so much stock that it can't all be listed and he often has a lot of unusual treasures so I would maybe try there first.

Posted by John A. Pommon (Member # 292) on July 07, 2005, 02:46 AM:

I've got a 14 minute magnetic ECO Ektachrome reversal
travelogue - looks home-made around the early to mid 70s of Glacier Nat Park - Montana I used it for testing magnetic projectors. I was going to use it for experimental magnetic recording but never got around to it. If you can use it:
antvid@antiquevideo.com

Posted by John A. Pommon (Member # 292) on July 07, 2005, 07:01 PM:

Magnetic film is on hold.
Thanks
John

Posted by John A. Pommon (Member # 292) on July 13, 2005, 12:30 AM:

Mag film is traded.
Thanks.

Dan, the soundie is Terrific. . . . . (just like Louis Prima and Keely Smith.

Thanks
John

Posted by Dan Lail (Member # 18) on July 13, 2005, 01:15 AM:

Coolio mundo John! Well zig me daddy with a gentle zag! [Cool]

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