16mm film cores. What should the different sizes be used for?

[Martin Davey]

Dear Forum,

I wanted some advice about film cores for 16mm. I used to use them decades ago, but have forgotten about the different sizes and how they should be used. For example are the small 2” used for picture and the 4”, intended for preventing ‘wow’ on (sepmag) sound? Does it matter for standard release prints? Does using a 4” core mean less footage on a reel? Are 3” a happy compromise?

Thanks.

[Maurice Leakey]

...Are 3” cores a happy compromise?...

Cores are mainly used for archival storage to allow air to circulate around the film. They would be put on cores via a split spool. 3" cores are recommended over the 2" size as this puts less strain on the centre of the reel.

As such, the 4" cores might be too big to hold a full 1600' part of a 16mm feature film.

[Dominique De Bast]

Cores are mainly used for archival storage to allow air to circulate around the film.

I've always thought it was to make the storage and transport easier (and cheaper). I never thought of the "breath reason". Another thing I learned from you, Maurice 🙏

[Maurice Leakey]

Dominique
Storage and transport on cores was mainly for UK 35mm cinema prints, although some years ago when I bought 16mm features from the United States, sellers shipped them on cores to save weight, and thus, postage costs.

[Martin Davey]

Thanks Maurice and Dominique. When I studied film at college, on 16mm, and then worked in the 35mm realm in advertising, everything was on cores, right up to the print for telecine. I remember learning how to lay down a soundtrack using a picsync at college, creating a number of tracks to run in sync with the picture, the whole lot being stored on cores and placed in split spools for use. Some sound followers and telecine devices would use cores with no spool. That world disappeared decades ago but anyway I could not remember the significance of the different sizes. I also forgot the size of the ones used for unexposed film, but a nagging feeling tells me that generally speaking the larger ones were for sound use, for more stable sound, and the smaller ones for picture during production.

Moving on to my current film collection I'm concerned about the high costs of buying further spools. In addition I'm wanting to get rid of metal spools and also to help 'air' the prints to alleviate possible VS, so I have been thinking along the lines of core storage. After the initial expense of split spools the cores are relatively cheap compared to admittedly nice plastic spools such as Tuscans for example, but using a split spool as an extra stage during projection is no hardship.

I'm awaiting a delivery of 'bits and pieces' so I will let you know how that goes...