8mm Forum: Question on film quality...

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Topic: Question on film quality...

Dave Ruth
Film Handler

Posts: 84
From: Easton, PA, USA
Registered: Dec 2014

posted March 19, 2017 08:23 AM

Hello all. Last night I viewed a print of Foreign Correspondent (1940) on Super 8. It didn't have any labels on the heads other than Part 1, 2, etc, but the film was DVD quality. I have never seen a print look so good. (Have you ever watched a movie, but the whole time you are in awe of it's quality?) SO I have no idea what type of print it is (reduction?). Or who manufactured it.

Most of my prints are Niles and I find that their quality really isn't the best (sans some Sherlock Holmes features) So my question is: Who made the best quality sound prints? Or was it simply a case by case basis based on what was available? And what's the worst print you've ever seen? Or the best?

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Brian Fretwell
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted March 19, 2017 10:25 AM

I would say it depended (as you thought) on the master material supplied and also the lab doing the work. My best colour prints were Derann or Lone Wolf ones where the masters were 16mm negatives made from 35mm colour reversal internegatives (CRI) using Buck or Rank Labs. If negatives were made from prints and reduced to double Super 8 negatives as masters for contact printing the results weren't so good.

My best prints are the Scope newsreel showing the filming of those Magnificent Men & their Flying Machines, Lone Wolf's El Cid and the cartoons T&J The Dog House and Bugs Bunny Buccaneer Bunny.

I wouldn't like to say for worst as I probably sold them and forgot.

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Winbert Hutahaean
Film God

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

posted March 19, 2017 05:42 PM

Dave, since Foreign Correspondent (1940) is a B/W I guess you are referring to B/W prints. If so then you can have a good quality B/W print from Blackhawk. Because you are in the USA, Blackhawk prints are easily found in your place.

I read you are only having Niles prints to date, if I make a comparison between Niles vs Blackhawk, it is just like heaven and earth. Niles prints are always seen like dupe prints (taken from 16 or 35mm positive prints as the master) while Blackhawk was using 35mm negative to make super 8mm prints.

There is still a chance you get bad Blackhawk prints but the chance is very small. There are some other companies making good B/W prints, back in the heyday of super 8mm, but Blackhawk is my favorite.

However, if you want to see good color prints, you can rely on (later) Derann prints or several small companies such as Kempski, Lone Wolf, Red Fox and CHC.

Here is from Kempski print and I guess you can say this as BluRay quality.... [Wink]

(ps: Print is "West Side Story" and it is not mine)

cheers,

--------------------
Winbert

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